Anatasia Hayward: Sophia White and Her Seven Promises

Lady Sophia made a promise to her mother that she would only marry for love. Even though her mother has passed away, Sophia keeps her promise close. But something doesn't feel quite right about her father's new wife and Sophia doesn't realize how dire the situation is until it is too late.

Faine Knight has learned the hard way how cruel life can be and has strict rules in place to protect himself from further heartbreak. When he discovers an injured woman in the woods, Faine realizes that in order to help her, he will have to do the unthinkable: break one of his rules.

Except the wounded beauty cannot remember who she is. While helping her recover her identity, Faine struggles between following his rules and rediscovering his own happiness. Faine doesn't want to fall in love again, especially when he is worried that what they don't know could not only keep them apart, it could endanger them both.

I received this book for free from The Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CW: Amnesia, abuse, grief, death after illness, stalker, attempted murder, kidnapping

A Regency spin on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Hayward introduces the naive and sweet Sophia before dropping us in the forest with a country doctor.

There are no little people. I did expect that, probably because I am a ding-dong. But instead of little people, Sophia gives children and seven promises throughout the book that serve as near magical elements in both her character’s growth and the plot. And the kids are pretty cute. If you love Snow White, this book will probably be interesting to you if not a favorite. The book gets great reviews, and I think people find it accessible because of the fairy tale basis that does not rely too heavily on understanding some of the tropes and conventions of Regency romance.

Sophia has amnesia for most of the book, but she finds herself falling in love despite not knowing who she is. The doctor, Faine, grapples with the ethics of falling for his patient but can’t resist especially when she is stubborn and assertive. I had a hard time overcoming this and also found Faine to be kind of unlikeable. He does have some great character growth, and in the end I think redeems himself, but I struggled getting into the romance. I get the sense this is a personal preference thing, as I am sensitive to power dynamics.

There are intimate scenes, as well as some violence, and discussions of grief that will be challenging for some readers. Nothing is too graphic, but its not a light and fluffy kisses only Regency.

Hayward has a great understanding of the Regency era and I think portrays that effectively and interestingly, choosing to base most of the book in a country setting among middle class people. I really enjoyed the scenes of their trip to town, and some of the interactions.  I also liked the emphasis on a blended family, or found family, and the work Hayward does on that front in this book. Its a really positive message that should be the backbone of all romance novels: love conquers all.

The second book in the series is a Rapunzel retelling, which is an interesting concept and certainly different from a lot of the Beauty and the Beast retellings that crop up in historical romance.

If you like fairy tale retellings into a Regency era package, you should check out Hayward.