Promises and Primroses

July 2, 2018
In Kilpack’s pleasant first Mayfield Family Regency, two romances blossom in two generations of the Mayfield family. Elliott Mayfield hatches a plan to marry off his nieces and nephews and save the dwindling family fortune. His first target is his nephew Peter, a widower. Peter is focused on finding a new governess for his daughters, but the most appealing candidate, Julia Hollingsworth, turns out to have a surprising connection to his uncle. Meanwhile, Elliott reconnects with a woman from his past. Kilpack (Miss Wilton’s Waltz) smoothly introduces the Mayfield clan and sets the stage for the series while making plenty of room for developing this volume’s central characters. Peter’s love for his daughters is balanced with his deficiencies as a father, and he’s plagued by his scandalous past. Independent Julia’s unconventional interest in dog breeding is set against her mother’s desire for Julia to marry well—but not into the Mayfield family. The passages about Julia’s interactions with the dogs can be wordy sometimes, but otherwise the narrative flows smoothly. Regency fans will be eager for more Mayfield romances.

August 1, 2018
Why is hiring a new governess for his young daughters so difficult when Peter Mayfield has several good candidates from which to choose? The problem is that the one candidate who is perfect for the job, Julia Hollingsworth, is the one person Peter refuses to hire. Yet when the woman Peter does employ proves to be completely inadequate for the job, he finds himself begging Julia to take her place. However, when Julia's mother, Amelia, and Peter's Uncle Elliott insist on meddling in his domestic arrangements, can Peter convince them (and, more important, himself) that he sees Julia as nothing more than a governess? Certainly not a potential wife! Kilpack (Miss Wilton's Waltz?, 2018) provides interesting glimpses into the practice of pedigree dog breeding in Regency times, along with a secondary romantic plotline involving two senior adults, adding refreshing twists to her latest sweetly charming romance, the enticing launch of the Mayfield Family series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)