The Donnellys of Dogwood Cove: Book 4
Publication Date: September 13, 2023
From bestselling author Julia Jarrett comes a steamy, friends to lovers, marriage of convenience small town romance about the Donnelly brother no one expects to have a dirty side and his best friend who needs a husband…
My best friend needs my help? Consider it done, no questions asked. Well, maybe one question…
Will you marry me?
Except Camilla Byrne is more than just my friend. She’s the woman I’ve loved ever since we met, the one who knows me better than I know myself, and the one I would put everything on the line for.
Including my heart, it would seem. Because Cam’s chance at an inheritance that will guarantee she gets everything she’s ever dreamed of, requires the one thing she’s never wanted.
A husband.
Next thing I know, we’re saying I do.
Now she’s living in my house.
And sleeping in my bed – for comfort, nothing more.
Because there are some lines I will not cross. Not unless my wife crosses them first…
Promise To Marry You is perfect for fans of steamy small town romance centered around a big family who love to get in each other’s business. It has plenty of swoon, plenty of spice, light-hearted banter, quirky small town vibes, low angst, and a guaranteed HEA. It is a standalone and the fourth full-length novel in thecDonnellys of Dogwood Cove series.
This series is for fans of Melanie Harlow, Adriana Locke, Claire Kingsley, Lucy Score, Laura Pavlov, Tia Louise, Jami Albright, Kandi Steiner and more.
I’m a sucker for a marriage of convenience trope, and I’ve been loving the Donnellys of Dogwood Cove series, so I knew I had to pick up Promise To Marry You by Julia Jarrett, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Promise To Marry You follows Camilla and Beckett. Beckett is one of four Donnelly men. Throughout the series, he’s been the quiet but steady, solid brother. But when he gets an emergency call from his best friend, he drops everything to run to Cam’s side. His usually stoic friend is torn up over the loss of her grandfather, her last relative, and Beckett can’t help but take over. Then Cam finds out she won’t inherit unless married, so Beckett proposes a marriage of convenience.
I love the premise of the marriage of convenience and add that Beckett has been hiding his feelings for Cam for years—I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I had to find out how they were going to make the move from friends to lovers. I felt the romance was developed very well, showing how their relationship and feelings evolved.
I really only had two issues with the book. First, and this is a personal preference, I felt there was too much bedroom time once the characters got there. I get it’s a new relationship, but I would have preferred more relationship development outside the bedroom. And the second was that I wasn’t a fan of how they called each other husband and wife. The marriage was supposed to be a platonic thing, but even before they hit the bedroom, they kept calling each other husband and wife as a nickname. I just didn’t like it. I didn’t find it cute, but rather annoying.
Promise To Marry You is a good romance and another great installment in a wonderful series. It stands alone, but as usual, it is better if you’ve read prior books as so many characters make appearances, and it can get confusing as to who everyone is. If you like spicy, small-town contemporary romance, this could be the book for you!
Julia Jarrett is a busy mother of two boys, a happy wife to her real-life book boyfriend, and the owner of two rescue dogs. She has a passion for writing sexy, sweet, contemporary romance novels that are full of relatable heroines, and the swoon worthy men who fall in love with them.
If you’re looking for Julia, she’s probably sitting in a comfy chair somewhere, drinking tea and dreaming of a sunny vacation. Find her on Instagram and Facebook by clicking the links below.
