This is the third book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. I'm loving this series!
BOOK DETAILS:
Title: A Promise Given (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #3) by Michelle Cox
Category: Adult Fiction, 379 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery / Romance
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release dates: April 24, 2018
Tour dates: April 14 to May 11, 2020
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (Love scenes between husband and wife, explicit but tastefully written)
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
This third book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series provides a delightful romp through the English countryside and back.
Anxious to be married, Henrietta and Clive push forward with their wedding plans despite their family differences, made worse now by Oldrich Exley’s attempts to control the Von Harmons. When the long-awaited wedding day arrives, there is more unfolding than just Clive and Henrietta’s vows of love. Stanley and Elsie’s relationship is sorely tested by the presence of the dashing Lieutenant Harrison Barnes-Smith and by Henrietta’s friend Rose―a situation that grows increasingly dark and confused as time goes on.
As Clive and Henrietta begin their honeymoon at Castle Linley, the Howards’ ancestral estate in England, they encounter a whole new host of characters, including the eccentric Lord and Lady Linley and Clive’s mysterious cousin, Wallace. When a man is murdered in the village on the night of a house party at the Castle, Wallace comes under suspicion―and Clive and Henrietta are reluctantly drawn into the case, despite Clive’s anxiety at involving his new bride and Henrietta’s distracting news from home.
Delicately attempting to work together for the first time, Clive and Henrietta set out to prove Wallace’s innocence, uncovering as they do so some rather shocking truths that will shake the Linley name and estate forever.
MY REVIEW:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani
This is the third book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. A Promise Given continues from where A Ring of Truth left off. Although these books can be read as stand-alone, I think it's better to read them in order since the stories continue from where the previous books ended. Furthermore, each book gets better and better as Henrietta and Clive's story moves forward.
Henrietta and Clive get married in this novel. It's a beautiful affair and the setting really comes to life with the music of the era. There was more romance in this novel than the previous two as this memorable couple start their life together and discover the pleasure of wedded bliss during their honeymoon. They travel to England to visit Clive's uncle and aunt at Linley Castle where Clive spent his summers as a child. Here the author captures so well the aristocracy who is still holding on to the Edwardian era and have not quite accepted the Modern era that is changing society as they have known it.
In addition to the setting, this series also has good secondary characters, such as Elsie and Stanley who are very well developed and add so much to the storyline. Actually, the characters all come to life and seem to jump off the pages so that we could remember them easily from book to book. The mystery in this book takes place in England, and by the end of the novel, our characters are headed back to Chicago as their honeymoon has been cut short.
I'm now very invested in this well-written series with characters who have grown and who I feel I've come to know intimately. Henrietta and Clive make a formidable duo and I can't wait to see where Michelle Cox takes them next!
You can also read my reviews for the first two books in the series, A Girl Like You and A Ring of Truth.
Disclosure: I bought a Kindle copy. I was not told how to rate or review this book.
Buy the Book:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as "Novel Notes of Local Lore," a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago's forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others, so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn't have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.
Connect with the Author: website ~ facebook ~twitter ~ instagram ~ goodreads
Enter the Giveaway!
Ends May 18
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderfully intriguing historical mystery series.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure!
DeleteThanks again, Laura, for this amazing review! The first three books of the series are almost there own little trilogy, and with the 4th and 5th books, Henrietta and Clive really come into their own. I hope you keep reading! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the world you created with these characters very much and I look forward to reading the next two books. Thanks so much for stopping by!
Delete