New from bestselling historical romance author and Whitney Award Winner, Michele Paige Holmes, comes the newest Hearthfire Romance, YESTERDAY’S PROMISE.In the Scottish Highlands, 1761:Nineteen-year-old artist Katherine Mercer dreams of selling her paintings to help support her struggling family. Before she has the opportunity, Katherine learns she is to be sold—or practically so—given in marriage … practically so—given in marriage to a lord she has never met or even heard of. In return, a much-needed settlement will be made upon her mother.
Katherine’s situation goes from frightening to surreal when her husband-to-be Laird Collin MacDonald arrives with an entourage of men, each heavily armed and speaking with a thick brogue. As if leaving all she knows behind and traveling to another country with strangers isn’t bad enough, Katherine soon discovers a Scottish heritage she knew nothing of, a brother-in-law who wants her dead, and far more at stake with her paintings than she had ever imagined. Forced to turn to her reclusive husband for answers, comfort, and even her very survival, Katherine begins to unravel the mysteries of her past and what it is to love and be loved.
Other Hearthfire Romances:
SAVING GRACE
LOVING HELEN
MARRYING CHRISTOPHER
TWELVE DAYS IN DECEMBER
YESTERDAY’S PROMISE (Scottish Historical)
HEARTHFIRE ROMANCE COLLECTION, VOLUME 1 (box set)
more
What a fantastic book! I had never read anything by this author previously but I could not put the book down once I started it. Scottish/English history in early 1700s is not my forte but the book seamlessly combined this tumultuous time period’s struggles with a dash of mystery/intrigue and a hefty dose of romance.
The writing is fluid and easy to follow. It is written in first person narrative in Katie’s voice during the present and first person narrative in Collin’s voice during the flashbacks. Though I don’t prefer first person narrative, it worked really well for this book and allowed the reader an intimate look and insight into Katie and Collin. There is quite a bit of humor in the book, in Katie and Colin’s dialogue and also in Katie’s musings and perspective, which surprised and delighted this reader.
The plot is full of suspense and twists and turns. Every couple of pages, my mind screamed, “what next?!?!” And, of course, this is book #1 of a series, so the ending is a cliff-hanger.
As the suspenseful plot unfolds, there is that romance subplot between Katie and Collin. Oh, their romance is slow and innocent and so deliciously sweet. Collin is a stoic, loyal, trustworthy protector whose promise to protect Katie is his life. Though we only get a few glimpses into his thoughts through the flashbacks, his attentiveness, actions, and spoken words to Katie totally make him a swoon-worthy hero. Katie is a wonderfully delightful nineteen-year-old girl who only comes to realize her heritage and purpose after becoming Collin’s wife. Katie is an honest, compassionate, resourceful, loving child-becoming-woman who matures quickly through the book and becomes absolutely endearing.
And there is a component of faith and belief in God towards the end of the story, which may play a bigger role in the next book of the series.
I cannot wait for the next book! Judging from the first chapter snippet included at the end of this book, it looks like the second book will pick up right where Katie and Collin left off at the end of this one. Write it quickly, Ms. Holmes!!
I was given a free review copy of the book from the author and publisher. I was not required to write a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
This is a hard review for me to write. I really struggled at the beginning of this book. It just wasn’t making sense to me and it was just kind of lagging. The further I got into it the more engrossed I became. The story is very detailed of their trip back to Scotland and all the dangers lurking around every bend. It took me a long time to feel any connection to Collin and Katie. There romance bloomed very slowly, but when it did you could feel it deep down. I feel like there were a few times it lost the historical content but eventually got back on track. I started looking forward to the ending, to have some justice for Collin and Katie. When abruptly the end was upon me and I realized there was no ending to the story. Cliffhangers drive me crazy! And now I’m intrigued enough to get the second book to find out what happens next! Good job Ms. Holmes for selling more books! Because that is precisely what I will do. So as for my rating. I’m giving it 4 stars because I liked it enough to want more. But in my first reaction I would have only given it 3 stars.
DO NOT READ TILL ALL 3 BOOKS ARE DONE. I don’t know how to feel right now. I loved this book and am so angry at the way it ended. I thought I got a bad copy with no ending and wrote Amazon to get the whole book. After doing some digging I found out that, THAT WAS THE ENd! Holy crap there was no tieing up, no finishing of a story line. No resolution for the characters. What an awful way to end a book. I would have given this 5 starts but a book with no ending pisses me off so bad! I LOVED this whole story and these characters, I am a Holmes fan and really enjoy her writing. Good story, good romance, characters to root for and some great conflict. PLus I got the Highlanders and the Scottish moors! This had some violence, an attempted rape (not detailed) and some threats of death. Some sweet kisses but a frustrating end with these two still unsure where they stand! If I have to wait for two years and two books to have this end I seriously won’t bother even reading them.
Reread July 2018. I was a little harsh with my review. I read this again so I can read the next two. I forget a lot which is why I don’t like series. I did enjoy reading this the second time. It did have more of an ending then I felt it did last year. I am really interested to see where this goes.
Wow. I was not prepared for how much I would love this book! I had heard that it was the first book in a two-part series, and normally I don’t like when a book ends on a cliffhanger and then I have to wait several months for the second book to publish in order to finish the story… but this one is so well-written that I can’t help but give it 5 stars! It actually does pause in a natural place, so even though the full tale will conclude in the second book, I felt satisfied when I finished reading this book. It definitely helped that I was prepared for the type of ending it has, and the good news is that the second book, A Promise for Tomorrow, releases only a few months later- this fall- so the wait won’t be long.
All the characters really come to life and practically jump off the page! I was fully immersed the entire time I was reading and it was too hard to put down! The introduction and the beginning of each chapter is told from Collin’s point of view, flashbacks to his youth and earliest interactions with Katherine. The present day narrative is from Katherine’s perspective, and I really liked her personality and determination. She doesn’t remember her childhood experiences in Scotland so we got to learn along with her the complex dynamics and history between the different clans and the English. Despite the harsh traveling circumstances she thrives in the beauty of her homeland, and her relationship with Collin blossoms gradually and wonderfully. I loved the give and take between them, the devotion and loyalty, and hesitant feelings maturing into full romance. There are deep layers to Collin that Katie seeks to uncover and know as she falls in love with him and wants to support him and his burdens. There is an element of intrigue as Katherine sorts out political loyalties and where her place is in all the drama and hopes for the future. I am *so* looking forward to the second book and seeing how she confronts her enemies and becomes a leader in her clan.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
I loved this book! Everything about it! The writing, the characters, the setting, the story…everything! I felt like I traveled back in time to Scotland. The clans and the feuds and what that meant for the people came through the pages. The beautiful landscape did as well.
Collin and Katie are complex, layered characters. They are interesting and intriguing. Their connection is so deep! I’m glad I don’t have to leave them yet, and can’t wait to know them even better as the series continues.
This is the first book in the series. This one ends in a good, natural place, but the story is not over and continues into the next book. If that bothers you, just wait until the other books are out, but don’t miss the series. It’ll be well worth reading!!
I received a copy of the book, which I voluntarily reviewed. I have given my honest opinion.
Every now and then I will begin a book without any real knowledge about what I’m about to read. That is pretty much the case with this book. I trusted the source of the book and that I should like it, but there was no guarantee since the author is relatively new to me. I will confess that I did have warning that it’s a 3 part series, and was somewhat nervous about that fact, but I’m so glad I didn’t let that stop me. I’m happy to say that I’m glad I plunged into this without hesitation or distraction because I loved it. I loved the setting, the characters, and the plot. It felt “epic” to me. As if I was reading something on a grand scale.
The characters felt real to me as their personalities were revealed over time. The plot has an element of the paranormal in it, but that was done exceptionally well and everything flowed naturally together. The suspense was also done such that I was never able to predict what might happen next. And, finally, the romance was developed over time – gentle and tender. Absolutely swoon-worthy! I can’t wait for the next book to be released.
Major themes covered in the book are – love and power.
Romance – PG – for kissing
Language – PG – Nothing offensive
Violence – ventures to PG13 – bloodshed, kidnapping, attempted rape, guns, knives
My rating – 5 stars.