Publication Day Push: A Bachelor's Pledge

The woman who haunts his dreams 

Secret agent Phil Cullen is upset when he discovers that the young woman he rescued from Mrs Newbody’s establishment has absconded from his housekeeper’s care without a word. Thinking he has been deceived, he resolves to forget about her… something easier said than done.

The man she wants to forget

Sophia Turner is horrified when she is duped into entering a notorious house of ill-repute. Then a handsome stranger comes to her aid. Desperate that no one learns of this scandalous episode, Sophia flees to the one friend she knows she can trust. With luck, she will never see her mysterious rescuer again.

But fate has other plans…

Months later, Phil is on the trail of an elusive French agent and Sophia is a respectable lady’s companion when fate again intervenes, taking their lives on a collision course.

Traitors, spies, and shameful family secrets - will these bring Sophia and Phil together… or drive them apart?

Review

Phil Cullen and Sophia Turner meet in a singularly compromising situation - with Phil rescuing Sophia from the brothel in which she has been imprisoned. Misunderstandings and miscommunications abound until neither can quite think of the other without some irritation. It takes pure chance, meddlesome friends, and deadly peril for that irritation to change into something quite different. There's this moment about 43% of the way through when both Phil and Sophia reflect on their actions and reactions, reassessing their first impressions - and steadfastly not looking too hard at their own feelings... 

I do love a good moment of self-reflection.

Phil started off quite stuffy and overbearing, but you can tell he means well and learns to express that in a gentler fashion. I admired Sophia's determination and could understand her reluctance to trust, though she did have a TSTL moment that made me groan in frustration. I do wish she had a bit more agency in the plot as well.

Overall I enjoyed this read and liked the characters. If you're looking for a clean historical romance with more than a dash of action, pick this one up.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Purchase Link - mybook.to/ABachelorsPledge

Author Bio

Some time ago Penny Hampson decided to follow her passion for history by studying with the Open University. She graduated with honours and went on to complete a post-graduate degree.
Penny then landed her dream role, working in an environment where she was surrounded by rare books and historical manuscripts. Flash forward nineteen years, and the opportunity came along to indulge her other main passion – writing. Penny joined the New Writers’ Scheme of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and  three years later published her debut novel, A Gentleman’s Promise, a historical mystery/romance and the first in The Gentlemen Series. An Officer’s Vow soon followed and the latest in the series is A Bachelor’s Pledge.
But never happy in a rut, Penny also writes contemporary suspense with paranormal and romantic elements. Her first book in this genre is The Unquiet Spirit, published by Darkstroke.
Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

For more on Penny’s writing, visit her blog: https://pennyhampson.co.uk/blog/
Twitter: @penny_hampson
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pennyhampsonauthor