Promises to Keep

Evangeline Bryant is the spirited heroine of this historical romance set in the early decades of the 19th century. Her first trip from the city of New York is to Boston, where she falls in love with her cousin's fiance, dashing Jason Far. When Jason decides he must abide by his commitment, Vinnie, as Evangeline is called, goes to Washington as companion to an elderly woman and is courted by an English lord. But still her heart belongs to Jason, who with his wife is also in the capital. Jason saves her during the burning of the city by the British during the War of 1812, and Vinnie once again returns to New York. Wooed and won by a wicked steamboat captain, she is deserted before the birth of her daughter. Further dramatic events ensue before she is eventually reunited with Jason. A wealth of period detail lends dimension to this story in which the characters are flat and unsurprising. (April 18)