Plain Expectations

by K.M. Bishop

Georgia Hamilton is not pretty. Her complexion is not bright, and her figure is not elegant. Her less than intriguing eyes are hidden behind glasses, and her nose is often stuck in either a book or her own writings. Long used to her mother's unfeeling comparisons between her and her younger, beautiful sister Evangelina, Georgia knows she is not meant for greatness. With a sharp tongue and a head full of witticisms, however, she bears the pain of being unnoticed with a satirical view toward the society that continuously dismisses her. When the rich and incredibly handsome Mr. Garrett arrives in their small country town of Barchester, Georgia expects the same outcome as everyone else; he will fall in love with Evangelina because the most handsome of men deserves the most handsome of women. Everything according to nature falls into place as Mr. Garrett frequently calls at the Hamilton Estate, and, as Evangelina is often away from home, Georgia is thrown into his company. Unblind to Mr. Garrett's many attractions but believing he could never fall for someone like her, Georgia is far from the simpering young ladies Mr. Garrett is used to, and an unexpected friendship soon forms between them. With a clandestine correspondence and lover of her own, Georgia has never felt happier. But a secret her father has been hiding for several weeks turns her expectations upside down. Disappointed at every turn and slighted everywhere else, Georgia is determined to prove she is more than her appearance. But in a vain society where appearances are everything, what can a plain young woman expect?

Genres: Romance

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

K.M. Bishop is an author from Southern Maryland who thrives on coffee, early morning workouts, books, scary movies, and podcasts on true crime. She has completed NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) every year since 2012 and keeps it interesting by changing the genre she writes in, which include murder mystery, thriller, horror, satire, period dramas, and murder-mystery period dramas.

Jane Austen became a long-time inspiration for K.M. Bishop immediately after reading Pride and Prejudice in high school. Since then, she has reread it 19 times.

K.M. Bishop is a talented, witty, approachable professional always willing to read a good book, pet a nice dog, or share a sangria at sunset.

Get to know her further by reading her debut novel, The Nameless from Shellville Press, available at www.shellvillepress.com, or by following her on Instagram @author.k.m.bishop.

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Does not one person's experience differ from another's? Cannot one person experience more than another in the same amount of time?"
- K.M. Bishop, Plain Expectations (Kindle Edition)


This book was a delightful romp through Green Meadows, bursting with wildflowers and fresh air, and oh, how I loved it.

Plain expectation’s wildly exceeded my expectations. I had no idea what a shining gemstone of a story I was getting, read it in one sitting.

I should also stress I chose this after reading several very dark and disturbing books. I was in the mood for something light, and this book is a lot of things, but romance plays a role and that’s not usually the kind of book that I’m into.

I am here to tell you that anyone could get into this book, and I think it’s much more geared toward fans of books, like “Jane Eyre”, and “Pride and prejudice” and even “Cinderella” than anything else.

So Georgia has lived in the shadow of her sister, all her life. Georgia is not conventionally beautiful. She hides herself away, as dreamers tend to do sometimes, replenishing herself with books. She is an avid reader, and she loves to write.

But girls are being courted, and their hands asked for in marriage.

Georgia considers herself a plain Jane in part because that’s the way her sister and her mother have always treated her. But she also happens to be the sister of the prettiest girl in the countryside. It’s not easy for her and she has resigned herself that men will not be breaking down the door for her.

Then Mr. Garrett comes to town.


There is more than a spark of many different, classics in this book.

Others have mentioned “Pride and prejudice” and I thought that too, but “Jane Eyre” was the first one that came to my mind for me, which I read as a kid, and absolutely adored. This book is way lighter than Jane Eyre though.

There’s also something of the Cinderella story. But this is a clean book as there is no sex drugs, or even any rock ‘n’ roll!

It’s sparkling clean. So please do not go into this expecting a bodice ripper because it’s as far as that as one can get.


What makes this delightful is Georgia herself. I had an immediate connection with her. Just like I did with Jane Eyre when I was a kid. I wanted to be friend and and know her.

Of course, aspects of it are predictable, but I cannot even begin to tell you what a breath of fresh air the story is.

I felt like I’ve gone back in time because I read a lot more of these types of stories when I was younger. Maybe I should be reading more of them.

There’s a lot more that goes on, but I don’t want to reveal anything and I’m not even going to use spoilers to do that.

I will tell you if you choose this book you will not be fond of the sister. This is also an ugly duckling, beautiful swan, kind of story. Only Georgia is not ugly no matter how certain people choose to perceive her and there are plenty of other people who know that too.

To sum up… This book was utterly adorable. It’s so readable, even from the first page, and it was such a calming book and a fun book and glorious to read, After all the dark pages I’ve been taking in lately!

The last book I read before this was a five star read but it’s also one of the darkest stories I’ve read ever so to go from that to this was delicious.


What a beautiful period piece this was, light and airy and brimming over with fun and joy and love.

I would encourage anybody reading my review to pick up a copy of plain expectations. I am having an amazing reading year so far and this book is definitely at the top of the list.

[Courtney Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Plain Expectations by K.M. Bishop. I love the elegant simplicity and classic nostalgia of the cover. The story pulled me in from the first page and it was a fast paced and entertaining read. From the banter of Georgia and Mr Garrett to the air of mystery behind the demise of Ross and Evangelina’s relationship, this book was such a delightfully fun read.

[K.L. Hester · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read that kept me up past bedtime. I couldn’t go to bed without knowing how it was going to end. It was not my normal genre, but it gave me pride and prejudice vibes. Mr. Garrett is just so swoon worthy! Highly recommend!

[Kirsten Anderson]

DNF within the second chapter of the preview.

overview: writing isn’t my cup of tea. No content besides “bastard” being used a couple times. The cover is pretty!

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a very sweet story, though there were some sad things in it. I did cry towards the end of the book.

Georgia is the plain bookish sister. She wears glasses and no one of the male sex really seems to care about her, but she is okay with that. Every man seems to fawn over her sister Evangelina though, who is quite gorgeous. When their family has financial struggles, Georgia is told she is to become a governess in order to help provide for her family. This leads to her visiting her best friend for a time before taking on her job.

I felt badly for Mr. Garrett not really being heard throughout the book. That was frustrating. I really enjoyed learning about him especially. While this is a clean story, there is one portion that started to explain a sexual situation that had taken place, so keep a heads up about that.

[Theresa Lambe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love unique storylines, they always leave me wanting to figure out where the writer is taken us. And this was no different. I loved her plotline.

However, I sure didn't like either parent or sure didn’t care for her sister. And the repetition throughout it got rather old. I did understand she was a wallflower and unwanted, but to not listen to even one little piece of niceness, hurt. Then again, maybe that speaks about us even more. Huh, didn’t think about that. Maybe it reads as us a little more than we thought.

That all being said, I loved how Georgia and Adam did come to be together, talk about total sweetness and romantic! I would highly suggest reading it. It is a clean novel and a sweet one.

[Michele McAboy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tiresome

I requested books with five star ratings. Honestly, do you have no more depth than to give this book such a high rating?
I spent 3/4 of it waiting for it to begin only to be brought up short by " misunderstandings" or " low self-esteem, unsure, bs."
Most disappointing. If you're looking for a good romance novel that actually has a plot, Lynn Kurland spoils a reader. These have hearted attempts are just schemes to make money, for they are not entertainment.

[Mary E. Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bridgerton meets Pride and Prejudice

I super loved the pining, the drama, and the sweet romance. Everything fell into place and you really rooted for Georgia. I love a good underdog story and the popular guy falls for the nerdy girl. The confession of love was so fun. Lots of tummy tickling romantic moments. I enjoyed how some things were really bold and challenged the times. It was an overall great read. Especially if you love regency era and good times.

[Caitlin Rydberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Jane Austen and Brontë sisters, this book has a bit of Pride and Prejudice and a bit of Persuasion mixed in with Jane Eyre.

Quite simply I adored this sweet little book. My only complaint is Evangeline was really annoying and the book was too short! I could have stayed in this world for a hundred more pages!

[Amanda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Cute Austen style read.
Clean, sweet romance.
Great characters.
Good pacing.
Quick read.

I enjoyed this one lots!

[Ga · Rating 5 out of 5]

A supremely romantic tale with loveable main protagonists.

[Shelly Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so refreshingly cute. I love that Georgia is overlooked and plain, but doesn’t have a “woe-is-me” attitude. She accepts herself as she is, while dreaming of better things. And you have to love a good book about a fellow reader and writer! I feel like a lot of us share her sentiments. A quick, light (and clean) read, perfect for a cozy weekend or a vacation spot.

[Gladys · Rating 2 out of 5]

although i ADORED this book, i was reading from the kindle version and there were just way too many editing errors—to the point that it became distracting. i am not sure if this is a problem in the physical copy. i would love a copy to have, it’s a HUGE comfort read for me, but tbh i don’t want to spend more money on possibly the same exact copy, with the same problems. i loved the characters and the “aboutness” of the book—like if much ado about nothing was written by jane austen. but yeah, a bit disappointed with the editing. definitely 5/5 star potential, but the glaring errors knocked off 3 stars for me.