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The Promise of Rain is Shana Abe writing in her pre-Drakon historical romance register, with a Welsh setting, a contested inheritance, and the kind of slow-burn affection that her readers know she handles well. The hero is the steward who has been quietly running an absent lord's estate. The heroine is the lord's daughter, sent back to take possession of a property she had not expected.
Abe writes the Welsh countryside with affection. The estate management chapters are more interesting than they have any right to be. The romance moves at the heat the form expects.
Three stars. A pleasant historical romance. Recommended to readers of the form. Not Abe's strongest work but reliably enjoyable.
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