BOOK TOUR REVIEW: Promise Me Always

Promise Me Always

by Rhonda Shaw

Publication date: Feb 26th 2018

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Gabrielle Wells was everything Danny Anderson shouldn’t want. She was his opposite in every way, but he couldn’t keep his distance, and fate seemed to push them together at every turn. She consumed him, and the more he learned about her, the more he realized she was exactly what he didn’t know he needed. But then past mistakes forced him to walk away and never look back, breaking Gabrielle’s heart in the process.

Fast forward six years, and it seems as if fate is intervening again. Danny, now a best-selling rap artist, returns to his hometown, and is reunited with the only girl he’s ever loved.

Gabrielle isn’t the girl he left behind, though, and Danny realizes life has thrown her quite a few curves. But he will stop at nothing to get her back, refusing to let his true desires—love and family—continue to elude him. However, when Danny’s past crashes into his present, threatening everyone he loves and everything he’s fought for, he must decide if his promise to Gabrielle of “always” is worth the risk.

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My Review⭐⭐⭐⭐

I adore this book. From the first word until the very last, it kept and held my attention. It was so gripping that when I had to put it down, I still thought about it.  It is angsty and the characters were well written and developed.

I loved D.  From the beginning he is very hard and jaded but he starts to mellow and open up with Gabrielle.  He is so protective an even sweet which is contrary to the front he puts up with everyone.  He protects Gabrielle at every turn from walking her to ballet class to standing up for her with bullies.  He had a terrible upbringing with his alcoholic, drug-abusing father and his mother left him when he was younger.  He puts himself in a bad situation with a gang because he was trying to make up for his lack of family.  At the last moment, he makes a choice.  A choice that will follow him and Gabrielle the rest of their lives.

Gabrielle is timid and insecure.  When she arrives at her new school, all she wants is to be unnoticed.  Unfortunately, because of the way she dresses, she sticks out like a sore thumb.  She is made fun of and people whisper behind their hands about her.  When she arrives at her first class, someone steals her book and begins teasing her.  He does not give back her book until D tells him to.  Afterward, she thanks him quietly.

But D has made his own assumptions about her based on the way she dresses.  He assumes she is “stuck up” and that she believes she is better than everyone in the run-down school.  He soon learns that he could not be more mistaken.  Gabrielle is kind, generous and unjudgmental.  She brings life and love into his life until he destroys it quite purposefully.

This story is told in dual POV.

What I feel was overlooked a little bit at the end is what Gabrielle will do with her life.  Will she follow through somehow with her passion? I also find that although she loves Danny, she forgives him a little too easily.  After what he did, I think it would be a little more difficult to forgive.  Maybe it required a little more groveling on his behalf.

Beside that however, I loved them as a couple.  The opposites attract trope really worked in this book.  His briskness to her kindness.  His extrovert to her introvert.  He is the ideal alpha male, wanting to protect and cherish the one he loves at any cost.

Gabrielle is a strong character.  Although D tries to protect her from his life, she demands to be part of it.  She does not want to be left out.  Good or bad she loved him and he, her.  They are so wonderful together.  Each taking and giving in equal measure.  I really did not want their story to end.

I even liked “Teddy” in Ds crew what a gruff cuddly teddybear he seems to be.  I hope he gets a story.  As for Dollar, I would like to strangle him!

This book is not to be missed.  I recommend it to anyone who loves an angsty second chance contemporary romance.

Author

Rhonda owes her love of reading to her mother who would read to her each night before bed and sometimes give into pleads for more than one chapter. These days, if Rhonda doesn’t have a book in her hands, it feels like something is missing. While romance is her true passion, Rhonda enjoys reading multiple genres.

Born in California, but transplanted to the Midwest, Rhonda is warm weather girl to the bone (even years later, winter and her are not on speaking terms) and loves nothing more than a balmy, summer evening. She also loves all animals–especially her silly French Bulldog, Keno.

Nowadays, she has so many characters and story ideas running around in her head that she can’t keep up with them. But one day, she’ll tell each one.

Author links:   Website  |  Goodreads  |  Facebook  | Twitter

Giveaway!

Rhonda Shaw will be giving away a $50 Amazon Gift card and an ebook of Promise Me Always to one lucky winner via Rafflecopter.  Follow the tour here, comment and interact to give you more chances to win!

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