Daisies and Devotion

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Review previously posted here to Booked J. As always, a copy of this book was provided by the publisher or author in exchange for participating in the blog tour/my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 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.