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The Promised Kind
Can Louisa survive?
Louisa Lennox is about to get everything she has ever wanted. She will marry the Duke Henry Worthington and go live with him in the idyllic, English countryside. A new home. A handsome husband. It’s every woman’s dream—until it’s not. Louisa’s new home is beautiful, but it’s filled with secrets. Her new life should be perfect, but it isn’t. Is anything what it seems?
Louisa Lennox is about to get everything she has ever wanted. She will marry the Duke Henry Worthington and go live with him in the idyllic, English countryside. A new home. A handsome husband. It’s every woman’s dream—until it’s not. Louisa’s new home is beautiful, but it’s filled with secrets. Her new life should be perfect, but it isn’t. Is anything what it seems?
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 24, 2025
Suspenseful, Reflective, and Slightly Gothic
The story started out just a bit slow, but when I got further into it I wound up staying up late to finish because I couldn't put it down.
Louisa struggles with internal conflict throughout the book. She has a difficult time trying to reconcile her feelings for her new husband who seems to have different sides to him. She goes back and forth in her mind so often about whether or not to trust him, whether or not he truly loves her and cares about her health, which side of him is the real side, and more.
She genuinely wants her new life at the estate to be happy and does what she can in her mind to make sense of what she sees. She is very observant of small details, but has to tow the line between what to ignore and what to stand firm on.
The title phrase is not mentioned in the book (unless I missed it), but my guess is that it refers to the life that is promised to Louisa growing up. She spends so much time trying to make the best of her circumstances, such as the gaslighting, tension and mistrust, mysteriously unpredictable husband, secrets and lies, worsening health, sprawling estate, etc. She has little control over her life until she takes it toward the end. She wound up making her own promised life for herself.
I loved the romance levels in the book. They are overall quite tame, with the only real discussion of sex happening in the first part around her wedding night, which is actually relevant. After that closed door intimacy and the brief reflections of it the next day, sex is not explicitly alluded to in the book.
There are classical romantic elements that are much more impactful to me. Louisa's chemistry with a certain other character is more emotional than anything. She does find him attractive, but mostly she is drawn to him as a friend that makes her feel safe. The yearning is very real on his end, and she suppresses her feelings until close to the very end. When he finally kisses her, it both caught me by surprise (as it did her) and felt completely natural. I actually melted a bit inside when I read it, instead of rolling my eyes like I often do in many romances scenes. Their romance scratched an itch I didn't know I had.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for someone who loves classic stories with suspense, clean but compelling romance, light gothic elements, historical fashion details, and a young woman taking control of her life.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The story started out just a bit slow, but when I got further into it I wound up staying up late to finish because I couldn't put it down.
Louisa struggles with internal conflict throughout the book. She has a difficult time trying to reconcile her feelings for her new husband who seems to have different sides to him. She goes back and forth in her mind so often about whether or not to trust him, whether or not he truly loves her and cares about her health, which side of him is the real side, and more.
She genuinely wants her new life at the estate to be happy and does what she can in her mind to make sense of what she sees. She is very observant of small details, but has to tow the line between what to ignore and what to stand firm on.
The title phrase is not mentioned in the book (unless I missed it), but my guess is that it refers to the life that is promised to Louisa growing up. She spends so much time trying to make the best of her circumstances, such as the gaslighting, tension and mistrust, mysteriously unpredictable husband, secrets and lies, worsening health, sprawling estate, etc. She has little control over her life until she takes it toward the end. She wound up making her own promised life for herself.
I loved the romance levels in the book. They are overall quite tame, with the only real discussion of sex happening in the first part around her wedding night, which is actually relevant. After that closed door intimacy and the brief reflections of it the next day, sex is not explicitly alluded to in the book.
There are classical romantic elements that are much more impactful to me. Louisa's chemistry with a certain other character is more emotional than anything. She does find him attractive, but mostly she is drawn to him as a friend that makes her feel safe. The yearning is very real on his end, and she suppresses her feelings until close to the very end. When he finally kisses her, it both caught me by surprise (as it did her) and felt completely natural. I actually melted a bit inside when I read it, instead of rolling my eyes like I often do in many romances scenes. Their romance scratched an itch I didn't know I had.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for someone who loves classic stories with suspense, clean but compelling romance, light gothic elements, historical fashion details, and a young woman taking control of her life.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review