The Gentleman's Promise

by Frances Fowlkes

[Lindsey Gray]

When Mr. Jonathon Annesley makes a promise, he intends to keep it. His promise to his late mother was to fight to pass a bill to start a school to help former prostitutes find gainful employment. Another is to help his sister’s best friend, Lady Sarah Beauchamp, repair her reputation with the ton. Unfortunately for Jonathan, the two promises conflict with one another.

Lady Sarah has been shunned by the ton since she created a toxic tea to help her beloved sister win the heart of her true love. The tea was meant for her sister’s competition, but the plan backfired when Sarah’s sister was one of the ladies who drank the noxious tea. Everything turned out all right, except for Sarah’s reputation.

Jonathan trusts Sarah implicitly and knows she has suffered terribly for the mistake she made. He agrees to take his sister, Olivia, and Sarah to a hunting party in hopes of helping restore her to the ton. What Jonathan doesn’t plan on is falling in love with Sarah at the worst possible time in his career.

Fowlkes delights us once again with her complex and thrilling plot. I loved Jonathan from the very start. He defends Sarah even when she thinks she’s not worth defending anymore. Though they’ve know each other for years, Sarah and Jonathan embark on a natural progression into romance. It didn’t seem forced or all of a sudden, it was written like it was just the next step. Even though the timing couldn’t possibly be worse, Jonathan and Sarah were meant to fall in love exactly when they did. I’m not sure I’m explaining it correctly, but I hope you get what I am saying.

I know all the Daughters of Amhurst are now all secured with a husband and new families, but I do hope Fowlkes will give us a story for Olivia. I adored her friendship with Sarah and her meddling with Jonathan almost as much as the love story itself!

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.