Another day, another delightful romance under the Proper Romance's list of goodies. Return to the Mayfield Family with the latest installment: Daisies and Devotion.

Timothy Mayfield is ready to marry for love, but, since his personal finances are thinner than he’d like, he knows he’ll also need to find a wife with wealth. After receiving an unexpected inheritance, Timothy’s circumstances change, and he is free to pursue his “perfect woman”—one with blonde hair, blue eyes, a light laugh, arched eyebrows, elegant fingers, and a dazzling smile, among nearly twenty other characteristics.

Maryann Morrington doesn’t match anything on Timothy’s list—except for wealth. An heiress in her own right, she is tired of men pursuing her only for her money. But at nearly twenty-two years old, and not a particularly stunning beauty, she can’t be as picky as her friend Timothy is.

The two friends end up playing matchmaker for each other. Timothy will find a decent gentleman for Maryann, and Maryann will prove to Timothy that his “perfect woman” doesn’t exist.

Until Miss Shaw comes to London.

Now, with Timothy’s heart captivated by the blonde, blue-eyed beauty, Maryann must decide if she should risk her heart and reveal her true feelings for her friend, or if she should settle for someone else. It’s an up-and-down game of “he loves me, he loves me not” with both hearts and friendship on the line.


I'm still new to the whole Proper Romance train but everything that I've read thus far has been nothing short of a delight. Daisies and Devotion, of course, falls under the delightful categories. The pacing is perfect and the story is sweet, I can't recommend it enough for the summertime. As far as prose goes, I can definitely tell I'll be checking out more books by Kilpack in the future--and I'll be sticking with the Mayfield Family series for the long haul. 

What makes Daisies and Devotion beyond just the typical romance tropes (although, I'm not calling the story itself typical) and makes it soar is the cast of characters. Each are dynamic in their own right and full of that essence of life necessary to connect us to fictional characters. Further, they don't feel fictional--these are more than just characters that come to life before us, they become a part of us and I cannot stress this enough. Kilpack creates something gorgeous and they are the sort of stories that we carry with us forever. 

Maryann is nothing short of the perfect character for me. At least, it felt like she was written for me. Which is so essential. I love seeing bits of myself in characters, but also seeing those different traits. Moreover, I felt compelled to Maryann's happiness and wanted her to receive all good things in life. She is determined, reliable, soft and ambitious. 

As for Timothy and the main romance of Daisies and Devotion, I felt less attached to him as a character. Which isn't an insult--we all have our favourites! Further, his development is fantastic. Starting on that journey with him was truly something and we see a great deal of characteristics as they grow. He is not the sort of character that grows because of Maryann solely, or because of the romance, he just grows. 

These two will genuinely give you an array of feelings and will make you feel like you're falling in love for the first time. The way that Kilpack makes her readers feel is similar to how I felt as a teen who was just beginning to read novels of her own choosing--it felt not unlike the emotions of love and hope I felt whilst reading Lurlene McDaniel back in the day, just nowhere near as painful. 

If you love romance that takes you to another time and place, one that encourages growth and gives you the ultimate warm and fuzzies, Daisies and Devotion is a total must-read. I'm officially hooked.