His Promise True

by Greta Marlow

Maggie Boon marries John David McKellar for one reason—to escape what is sure to be a life of poverty and despair if she’s forced to marry the man her Pa picked for her on Pine Mountain. She doesn’t love John David any more than he loves her. But at least he has a plan to get their quick marriage annulled and help her find paid work in town so she’ll never have to go back home.

Nothing goes as planned, though, especially once they start to fancy each other. When John David proposes they should stay married, Maggie happily agrees. He promises they’ll leave Tennessee to start a new life together on a grant of free land in Mexican Texas. And he promises that if ever Maggie is miserable with him, he’ll give her that annulment.

Promises made in a cozy loft prove hard to keep on a rough frontier trail. Bad luck and bad choices soon leave them broke and stranded in desolate Arkansas Territory, and Maggie is determined to hold John David to his promise.

But which promise?

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2013

Reviews

[ashley byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

Love love love this book. Author is great! The storyline flowed so well I had a hard time putting it down. Read both books in 2 days! Great job Greta! Cant waut for more to come!

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy historical novels, especially the ones featuring time periods and locations with which I am familiar. This one begins in Campbell Co., TN and details the main characters' journey to Dwight Mission, Arkansas Territory in 1823. Marlow has brought us to a time, complete with the grit, smells and trials of poverty, ignorance, and hopeless enslavement. The storyline and historical background of "His Promise True" holds the reader's attention, while entertaining and retaining accuracy. Maggie Boon, the illiterate mountain child and John David McKellar, the well-to-do farmer's son, come through the pages as real persons. Their experiences would be common to most of my ancestors as they moved west in their quest for a better life. I particularly like the effortless humor that sparkled throughout the book. Jane Hicks, the early Cherokee convert to Christianity who is terrified of witches, is a good example of how Ms. Marlow has taken a historical figure and woven a story of warmth and humor to clothe the bare facts. I recommend this book for readers who like to take a trip to the past for enjoyment but don't want to bog down in historical data. There is enough "Cinderella" story to satisfy the romantic but not so much that it gives the reader a sugar-rush.

[Donna Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVE this book even though it is her first to have published. I recognized so many places she wrote about. I live in Arkansas and love it. this is a beautiful story about love, almost lost, then found. I highly recommend this book because it takes you on the trip with the McKellar's. It's also a good read for history buffs.

[Kristen M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars!!!!! Loved every letter of it!!!!!