This is a good book. I enjoyed the flow of the story, it had well rounded robust characters, a good dose of fun and romance and is a all round general good read.

This was a nice read, fun, light and quirky, full of lots of likeable characters, a few you'll love to hate....oh, and a dog!! 🥰

There are several sub plots going on, that all tie up nicely within the main story. I particularly enjoyed the developing friendship between Lou and Edgar. I also enjoyed the 'twenty-six months later' chapter at the end, it's always nice to see what happens next.

Overall this warmed my heart; definitely a feel good book, and one I needed having been reading a few heavy books recently.

I have a whole bookshelf dedicated to Jill Mansell she was the first author that triggered my love for romance! I adored this one and it will be added to my shelf as soon as physically possible! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for access to this book!

I absolutely loved this book and it's an absolute must for Jill Mansell fans. This book had me pulled in right from the off and kept me up well into the night as I couldn't put it down. An absolutely delightful story, especially the relationship between Lou & cranky octagenarian Edgar. Love, loss, laughter, friendships and not forgetting Captain Oates the dog, all make this book a perfect read that I heartily recommend.

This is another fantastic read from Jill Mansell. I've read all of her books now and they never disappoint.
I loved the characters of Lou and Edgar and of course Captain Oates! I wasn't sure how the story was going to pan out, and there were a few surprises along the way. I was hoping that Lou would get a break and a happy ending but I wasn't sure whether it would happen.
This is an enjoyable, lighthearted and entertaining read. I loved reading it and I am looking forward to reading Jill's next book.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC.

Having read previous books by Jill Mansell, I was really looking forward to starting Promise Me , and I wasn’t disappointed Lou has to leave her job and finds herself working for the formidable Edgar Allshop, the grumpiest man in Foxwell.

The story makes you laugh and cry, shout at the pages to say it didn’t happen and keeps you guessing all the way though. The ending I didn't see coming which was brillliant and a perfect ending to such a wonderful book.

I really hope in the future we can revisit foxwell and revisit some on the characters that are there and their story Remi, Lou, Sammy Jess, and not forgetting Della.

This great book is recommended for anyone who loves a book that keeps you guessing.

Many thanks to net galley for allowing me a copy to read for an honest review.

A good lighthearted read, with some nice characters, and some not so nice!

This book started off really well for me, I loved Lou and her musician friend Sammy, and most of the other characters, especially Sammy's brother, Remy.

Lou had a few problems recently (bad marriage/ husband died / job finished) and ended up in a small village where her musician friend Sammy lives and, after quite a bit of persuasion, ends up working as a carer to a cranky old man who lives in a big house on the edge of the village. Edgar doesn't particularly like anyone, but he likes Lou enough to pester her until she gives in and accepts his live-in job.

Once in her job Lou slowly starts persuading Edgar to interact with people more, and even manages to get him a dog from the local shelter. Captain Oates is a cranky dog who also doesn't particularly like people, so when Edgar and him meet they bond immediately - Captain Oates was the star of the book for me!

Then we have the less likeable characters of Della and her son Tom, Della was an old flame of Edgar's from many years ago. Edgar was always smitten with her, but Della didn't feel the same, Edgar was just a friend. But now Della hasn't got much money, and Edgar has, he seems a better proposition to her, and she moves into his house, but just as friends.

This is where the story started to irritate me, both Lou (with Tom) and Edgar (with Della) were far too trusting of them, both Della and Tom were far too money-grabbing and irritating and I started skimming pages as the relationships were really frustrating me.

But then towards the end the story picked up again, although there is a sad part too that I wasn't expecting. So a mostly very enjoyable book for me, with a blip in the middle! But it does end up with a lovely, and suitable, ending for everyone.

The wait was finally over, to read and review the new Jill Mansell offering. Some interesting characters, especially Edgar. Well written and very enjoyable.

My mum loves Jill Mansell’s books, so I was pleased to have been accepted to give this one a go. It’s lighthearted and feel-good - I loved the relationship between Lou and Edgar, and of course I had a soft spot for the dog, Captain Oates. Tom and Della made me want to tear my hair out, which I think was the intention! There was quite a lot going on in terms of the different sub plots, with some far more in-depth than others, which is why I marked it down slightly. However, they did all intertwine and connect nicely by the end of the book.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

If you're looking for something a little lighter than a twisty thriller, then you can't go wrong with the latest romance from the legend that is Jill Mansell. Reading Promise Me is like curling up with a hot water bottle whilst the rain lashes the windows outside (and that's actually what I did!)

Lou has a chance meeting with grumpy OAP Edgar when visiting an old college friend for the weekend. Finding herself at an unexpected loose end, Lou's accepts Edgar's generous offer to become his live-in helper. Cue the classic range of escapades that readers have come to know and love from Jill Mansell's books. There are old friends, handsome new strangers and a fair few near misses.

All adding up to a great read that will keep your heart warm through the dark winter months

jill is one of my favourite authors so when i was lucky enough to receive a copy of this i could wait to read it. you will fall in love with lou straight away and learn to love grumpy edgar, you will dislike della and tom and root for remy!
a football round easy fun read

As always, I have been looking forward to reading Jill Mansell’s new book for this year. Her readers are assured a cast of interesting characters and a strong storyline. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the title or the bold and colourful cover of this book. The story is set in the beautiful English Cotswolds, the idyllic village with a river running through the middle illustrated helpfully by a map at the beginning of the book. I was drawn into the world of the characters right from page one and they kept me entertained and wondering what was going to happen next right to the end.

The main protagonist in the story is Lou, a carer who suddenly finds herself in need of both a home and a job at the same time. Visiting her friend, Sammy, in the little Cotswolds village of Foxwell, she encounters Edgar, an elderly man well known locally for his grumpy, unfriendly personality. He instantly decides that she is just the person he wants to employ as his live-in carer, a post in which she has no interest and keeps turning down until he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. Bit by bit Lou strives to change Edgar’s outlook on life, even bringing into his life Captain Oates, the little rescue dog that nobody else could tame. In the meantime, Lou tries to hide her feelings for Remy, Sammy’s brother, who she has loved since childhood, his proximity in the same village making this difficult. She thinks she may have found someone else to fall for, but she is unsure if she can trust him as much as someone she has known most of her life.

I have really enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to recommend it. There are so many strong characters, most of whom I loved, but some of whom were distinctly unlikeable. Lou was such a kind and thoughtful person, but strong enough to put up with the difficult old gentleman she is employed to look after. I liked Edgar too and enjoyed watching as Lou, aided by Captain Oates, chipped away at his frosty exterior. The contrast between kindly Lou and Remy and the old ‘friend’ who came into Edgar’s life is marked, like looking at two extremes of a spectrum. The village of Foxwell sounded a lovely place to live, except that, typically for a village, everybody knew what was going on in everybody else’s life. I liked that, as well as the central storyline, there are also several other side stories featuring one or more of the characters, adding to the overall enjoyment of the book.

Loved this...Lou ends up being housekeeper to the grumpy elderly Edgar Allsop.....gradually, very gradually they become friends .though Edgar doesn't let on that he's impressed by Lou!! Add an equally grumpy rescue dog called Captain Oates and some love interest and an unscrupulous money grabbing ex celebrity and her slimy son .plus Sammy and Remy from the village and you have a great story!
Heartwarming, engaging and things don't quite turn out as you would imagine they might for Lou ..this all adds up to a great read. Highly recommend

The latest novel from Jill Mansell does not fail to disappoint. Lou is visiting friend Sammy in a Cotswold village and bumps into Edgar Allsopp. Edgar is grouchy, unfriendly and determined to make his and everyone else life miserable, for no real reason.

But Lou has the experience of dealing with the Edgar’s of the world and when he offers her a job, she thinks she doesn’t have anything to lose by accepting it. Besides, she has just lost hers as well as her home, husband and lately mother. Moving to be near friends Sammy and his brother Remy seems the perfect temporary solution. At least for a while.

An unlikely friendship also starts to develop between them and Lou finds herself settling into the village and Edgar finds himself becoming more amenable to others. Especially when Captain Oates arrives. who captures Edgar’s heart. A lost love of Edgar also reappears, Della along with dashing son and weird daughter but nothing is as it seems anymore and Edgar and Lou perhaps have to learn the hard way.

As always richly driven by the characters and all their little sub plots, this book shows the worst and best of people into this lovely novel. Comic and sad in equal parts with an abundance of love sprinkled throughout, this is a great novel and probably reflective of our times, especially when it came to Della’s children! They could have done with a jolly good shake. What I did like was the romance which included Lou was not the main focus of the book, it was nice for it to be happily moving along without all consuming every plot line.

This is the perfect book to start a new year of reading off, full of hope and warmth and the perfect tonic to the grey days.

One minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over.

The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn't intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again

I love how Jill always weaves a cantankerous older character into the mix. I loved watching Edgar slowly defrost and get involved in living again and the happiness a pet can bring

#PromiseMe is the perfect start to the New Year Book shelf and leaves the reader feeling warm and glowy

Somehow this is the first book that I've read by Jill Mansell but it definitely won't be my last! I loved this heartwarming story.

The characters in this story were all so well written. I loved watching the relationship form between grumpy, lonely Edgar in his 80s and young, patient Lou who was determined to make him enjoy life as she takes on the role of his carer. My favourite part was when they both went to visit the dogs home together and met Captain Oates. Their relationship was full of humour and it was so lovely to watch Edgar slowly soften.

I always enjoy stories set in small villages and this Cotswold village, Foxwell with the large mansion house was perfect! There were several lovely romances throughout the story and some slightly shadier characters too to disrupt events!
I read this book in just over a day (which is very fast for me!) I just couldn’t put it down. A heartwarming story of friendship and love. I'm definitely becoming a fan of romantic fiction! This was a lovely feelgood read which I would highly recommend.

An enjoyable and heart warming book with a varied cast of characters most of whom were lovely and a few not so nice! I loved the contrast between young and kindly Lou and the elderly man she goes to work for as a carer in his home, the curmudgeonly Edgar. These two very different personalities really make the story feisty, fun and sometimes touching. There are several other characters with their will-they-won't-they romances going on and some humorous moments throughout. Lou had some lovely qualities but let herself down a bit by her lack of self respect when, following on from a former abusive relationship, seemed rather too eager to start a sexual relationship with a man she barely knew. For me, the first half of the book was a little slow but then the story picked up and from thereon I couldn't put the book down and thoroughly enjoyed it. Edgar's dog, Captain Oates, was a wonderful and often comical addition to the story. I recommend this book and am grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for a pre-release copy in exchange for my honest review

A heartwarming read, this is Mansell at her finest. During a fleeting visit to Foxwell, Lou meets miserable octogenarian Edgar in a spectacular fashion, both make impact on each other and he soon makes her an offer she can't refuse.
Lou is fantastic, selfless, patient and great fun. Edgar breaks the heart as we catch a glimpse of the reasons for him keeping others out. A five star read, thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

At the outset, I thought this was an uplifting story of a carer trying to bring some happiness to a grumpy octogenarian. As you progress through the book though, you realise there are so many narratives threaded throughout. These stories are often funny and, at times, sad but they all fit together into the overall story.