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A Promise Given

by Samantha James (Goodreads Author), Sandra Kleinschmidt

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 192 ratings · 10 reviews

A Promise Given

The proud head of his Highland clan, Ian MacGregor has returned, cloaked in secrets, to the place where he spent many carefree years, in order to marry Margaret Kincaid--the lowlands lass to whom he has been betrothed since his youth. But it is the wild spirited and hauntingly beautiful Sabrina Kincaid who catches Ian's eye. And when Margaret mysteriously va...more

ebook, 384 pages

Published October 6th 2009 by HarperCollins e-books (first published January 1st 1998)

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Jan 06, 2012 Fira Rosli rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yup. That's right. This book deserves three stars only due to many reasons. Don't get me wrong, I really do love Samantha James writings and had loved her other books........but just not this one.

You know why? This book is entirely and utterly confusing to me. Not confusing in a way that mindfucked your brain like the movie Inception or a book that contained many mystery plots, but in fact the way how she set out an display her characters in here.

I am so perplexed at both Ian's and Sabrina's f...more Yup. That's right. This book deserves three stars only due to many reasons. Don't get me wrong, I really do love Samantha James writings and had loved her other books........but just not this one.

You know why? This book is entirely and utterly confusing to me. Not confusing in a way that mindfucked your brain like the movie Inception or a book that contained many mystery plots, but in fact the way how she set out an display her characters in here.

I am so perplexed at both Ian's and Sabrina's feelings, oh, especially Sabrina. So, supposedly Ian left Sabrina to go fight with the army and become a man and it was said that Sabrina did loved Ian ever since they were children. But then comes Jamie, Sabrina somewhat "highschool" infatuation. James mentioned that Sabrina will forever remember the love they once shared and keep it when she is starting to realize that she has indeed falling for Ian.

Hold on a minute. What is this nonsense? Don't tell me that James was trying to put off her writing and story plot similar to the Twilight series where Bella Swan couldn't decide which one she loved; Edward Cullen or Jacob Black. I was quite frustrated at this.

Also, I noticed that Sabrina and Ian not only took more then nine freaking months to confess their undying love for each other but I couldn't really see their romance developing. It's like at the end of the story, James was just wrapping it up nicely like a present to end it sweetly and what readers would obviously want, with all the 'I love you(s)' and 'forever and always' scene.

There were conversations that I couldn't understand too. And from the starting, it's so freaking obvious who're their enemies were. The storyline was predictable, dull, insipid and unexciting. Knowing Samantha James, I know she could do better then this because I loved her other books.

But I have to say that I love the epilogue. It makes me smile in the bus, hoping that no one caught me smiling to myself making them think that I escaped from an asylum. Nevertheless, the ending was short, quite satisfying and sweet.

Three solid stars and I'll still be looking forward for Samantha James new upcoming books! Good day, lovelies. :)

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Apr 05, 2013 Lover of Romance rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: avon, historical-romance, medieval

A Promise Given is one of the classics of Samantha James. Its a re-read for me, but its been a few years since I have read it. I wanted to read this one because I hadn't read it in a while, and I was in the mood for a love story among the highlands. Which is where this story takes place, when William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were fighting against England for Scotland(Samantha James Website). Its a turbulant time to be sure, it starts out in the 1300's. Sabrina Kincaid is one of the daughters...more A Promise Given is one of the classics of Samantha James. Its a re-read for me, but its been a few years since I have read it. I wanted to read this one because I hadn't read it in a while, and I was in the mood for a love story among the highlands. Which is where this story takes place, when William Wallace and Robert the Bruce were fighting against England for Scotland(Samantha James Website). Its a turbulant time to be sure, it starts out in the 1300's. Sabrina Kincaid is one of the daughters of her father, who is the Laird of the Kincaid Clan. Her father has always blamed her for her mothers death, her older sister Margaret her father has always favored. Sabrina has always been the one to be given tasks, and kept continually busy, and always criticized and ridiculed by her father and even at times her sister. When she takes a swim in the lake, she turns to find Ian Macgregor, who she knew when she was young. Both his father and his step mother have recently passed away and he has become the head of his clan. So he comes to the Dunvely Keep to honor the agreement of his marriage between Margaret and himself. When Margaret disappears however, Sabrina is put in her sister's place to be married to Ian. Sabrina is very against being married to Ian, she has just lost her sister, but she doesn't want to be forced into marriage. But she knows of her duty so she does, even though things between Sabrina and Ian are tense to say the least. But there is a stirring and rising desire between them, that cannot be denied. Where they will find tender and beautiful love that blossoms endure present dangers that could destroy it.

This was a beautiful and enchanting love story that will pull you in. I found that this was one of my favorites of Samantha James that I have read. I have always loved the whole scottish theme to story, especially love stories. We have strong virile men, kilts, swords and filled with adventure. What more could a girl want in a good romance right? The only thing that I didn't really like about this book is the lack of trust between Sabrina and Ian. After their relationship develops and they start to fall in love with one another, their is a lack of trust. What is love without trust right? At least for me there is, but other than that it was a great enjoyable read. The writing was well written which flowed smoothly and drew me in from the first to the last page. A truly remarkable story that will endear the characters to your heart.(less)

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Mar 04, 2013 Mia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ian is the quintessial alpha male, in a very good way. Sabrina, one of my preferred heroines. Though a small part made me extremely sad at the end, this remains one of my favorite medieval romances of all time.

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Oct 18, 2010 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the novels that made me fall in love with the romance genre.

I would give it five star for nostalgic reasons, however, every time I reread this, the length of their misunderstands grates on me.

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Feb 13, 2011 Lynsey A rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: highlander, historical-romance, favorite-author, 2011-reads, baby, books-i-own, pregnancy, awesome-epilogue

Decent read but not as good as other Samantha James books I've read. The villians were quite obvious from the get go and sometimes I wanted to smack the heroine for doubting the hero. It just seemed ridiculous she believed, however briefly, that he was a murderer when he never once hurt her in any way. Even when he thought she'd given herself to another man he didn't treat her horribly. (She didn't, btw. She just told him that).

I wouldn't recommend this one to read as a first time Samantha James...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Jen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

aw man...this was a replica of the book I read before this by Samantha James.
What a huge disappointment!

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Aug 22, 2012 Danette Steward rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: james-samantha

Highlander.

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Oct 10, 2011 Zahu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 500-1499, scottish-hotties, samantha-james, arranged-marriage, sweet-reads, virgin-heroines, friends-to-lovers, forced-marriage

This was a re-read. I knew I had read this before, but couldn't quite recall the story. So when my Highland warrior mood kicked in, I made a grab for this one.

Samantha James is on my list of credible authors, so I wasn't disappointed.

Childhood frenemies forced into marriage, a murder mystery, the Scottish rebellion and of course the main ingredient of unacknowledged enduring love and I got me an enjoyable evening :)

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Aug 13, 2011 Rebecca (everyday reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance

Ian was a carefree lad until life changed him into a wary, brave man. Sabrina has always been a spirited, independent, strong person, who was always treated poorly by her father and seen as lacking compared to her older sister. They knew each other as children, and seeing each other again after ten years makes sparks fly for both. Family betrayals and mysteries are discovered and Sabrina realizes her worth. Good read!!

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Jun 12, 2011 Kathryn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: pregnancy, highlanders

As much as i love Samantha James books the plot to this one seemed a little rushed, there were still things that i don't understand like why was Sabrina hated by her father and sister likewise what did Ian ever do for his cousin (Alasdir) to want to destroy him? despite some unanswered questions i loved the characters together especially the pranks they pulled as children.

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May 23, 2013 Charrie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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May 11, 2013 Mandy Miller rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

May 10, 2013 Brandi Zolvinski rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 26, 2013 Gea marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: authors-j, authors-s, character-i, character-k, character-m, character-s, cover-black, highlander, historical-romance

Apr 25, 2013 Suzieqtypye marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Apr 23, 2013 Melanie Pourhassan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 20, 2013 Vickie Knight rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apr 20, 2013 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Apr 12, 2013 Emily rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 29, 2013 Hiker rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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Mar 24, 2013 Amanda Richardson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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About Samantha James

Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, Samantha James had many childhood aspirations--being a writer was never one of them. When she was ten, she was certain she was destined to be an astronomer. That soon changed (happened a lot during those pre-teen years!) when she decided archaeology was in her future. Detective work was her next goal, thanks to the Trixie Belden mysteries she was reading, and before...more Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, Samantha James had many childhood aspirations--being a writer was never one of them. When she was ten, she was certain she was destined to be an astronomer. That soon changed (happened a lot during those pre-teen years!) when she decided archaeology was in her future. Detective work was her next goal, thanks to the Trixie Belden mysteries she was reading, and before long, nursing beckoned (courtesy of the Cherry Ames series). In college, she set her sights on teaching history, then briefly entertained the notion of becoming a flight attendant, only to discover she did not like to fly.

Having been raised in a family of avid readers, she was rarely without a book in hand. Her tastes were rather eclectic. She got hooked on the Doc Savage series and Edgar Rice Burroughs after her older brother finished them, in her teen years, moved on to Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Phyllis A. Whitney.

In the meantime, the right guy came along. They met on a semi-blind date at an office Christmas party. She was told he wanted to go out with her, and he was told she wanted to go out with him. Six months later, the U.S. Army shipped him off to Germany--and she wrote faithfully at least three times a week--she often jokes this was the start of her writing career!

Marriage followed, as well as three daughters. Samantha left the detective work to her husband and turned her attention to raising their girls. When her youngest was six months old, two things happened: 1) she read Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain and scrambled to find every historical romance she could lay her hands on; 2) her older brother revealed he was writing and submitting his short stories to big-name magazines. As he put it, "I've been rejected by the best of 'em."

The seed was planted. Rejection was a dreaded word, but Samantha figured, "Well, if he can take it, so can I."

That summer, she wrote not one book, but three--longhand, in a notebook, during naptime. Bedtime. Any time she could. The burning desire to write was a long time in coming--she was nearing thirty by then--but she discovered that once she set pen to paper, she couldn't stop.

Those three manuscripts did get the dreaded rejection letter (they're still languishing somewhere in her attic), but she finally hit pay dirt with her fourth. Samantha's brother promptly proposed collaborating on a fantasy together--alas, still unwritten... Nowadays, she's firmly convinced she's the queen of rejected titles for her books. She's only managed to retain two original titles thus far, but writing is indeed a dream come true...

To date, her books have been published in numerous foreign countries (her daughters' number one choice for show-and-tell were always the foreign editions of Mom's books). Known for her heartfelt, emotionally charged "three-hanky reads", her books have been nominated for numerous awards, and have consistently hit the bestseller lists.

Maybe someday she'll do that fantasy-romance collaboration with her brother. For now, she's having a great time spinning dramatic, passionate tales of old...
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