ABOUT THE BOOK
Lord Elliott Mayfield has done his best to take care of his family, first his siblings and now his nieces and nephews. Unfortunately, he sees this new generation moving in the same direction of bad matches and scandalous relationships as the last. In hopes to change their course, he establishes a "marriage campaign" to motivate them to improve themselves through making respectable matches. With his heart in the right place, what could possibly go wrong?
Peter, Elliott's eldest nephew, thinks the entire idea is ridiculous. A widower with two young daughters, he simply needs a governess, not a wife. Julia Hollingsworth certainly has the credentials and the experience, but is altogether too young and pretty for such a job. So why can't he stop thinking about her?
Julia loves working as a governess, despite the objections of her mother, Amelia. And as it turns out, Amelia has a lot to say about the Mayfield men—none of it good. But Julia dismisses the rumors of ruined reputations and instead concentrates on helping Peter with his children and his fledgling business in canine husbandry. His kindness and gentleness is endearing—and increasingly attractive.
But Amelia, whose heart was broken thirty years ago by none other than Elliott Mayfield, is determined to prevent any relationship from blooming either between Peter and Julia—or between herself and Elliott.
Hearts and history collide as both couples must face their pasts and decide if risking it all is worth the promise of new love and a new future.
REVIEW
Josi Kilpack has a gift for writing books with a lot of heart. In this story of 'promises and primroses', the two main characters have no intention of falling in love when they meet. Peter Mayfield just needs a governess for his two daughters. And Julia desperately wants a chance to make her own decisions about her future. When they meet at a job interview, Peter is surprised by the attraction he feels to Julia. As a result he doesn't hire her. But after his other options don't work out, he seeks her out of necessity. When Peter discovers that Julia happens to share his passion for dogs, his attraction to her continues to grow. But as things continue to develop between them, circumstances beyond their control impact their changing feelings. Peter's Uncle Elliott has come up with a scheme to fix his families' reputation and it involves encouraging his nieces and nephews to marry well and rewarding them accordingly. Peter wants nothing to do with it, but his Uncle is determined to see his Peter happily remarried regardless. In addition, it turns out that Julia's mother and Peter's uncle used to court thirty years ago, and Julia's mother, Amelia, still maintains bitter feelings about it. Amelia has no intention of allowing her daughter to work for, let alone fall in love with a Mayfield. With Uncle Elliott's and Amelia's interference getting in the way, will Peter and Julia find a way to make their relationship work? I enjoyed this book immensely. The book read easily as all Kilpack's books do. And her characters, even when doing unlikable things, still manage to be sympathetic and believable.
