A promise made:
When Ezra Green sits next to Monroe Friedman in their high school English class, friendship blooms into first love, and even Ezra moving to California won’t keep them apart. Ezra promises Roe that once he finishes college, he’ll come home and the two will be together. In the meantime they’ll write and keep in touch. Nothing has to change.
A promise broken:
After months of … months of unanswered letters, Roe makes one final attempt to contact Ezra with disastrous results. Ezra will never be his and he needs to move on.Now, more than twenty years later, Ezra has come home. He doesn’t know why Roe stopped writing, but he’s determined to find out. But Roe won’t talk to him and Ezra doesn’t understand why. After all, Roe is the one who cut off contact. Isn’t he?
The promise of what is meant to be:
When Roe’s beloved grandmother suffers a stroke, the past becomes the present, and Ezra comes up with a plan. Pretending to be together to make an old lady happy should be no big deal, but after an unexpected explosive night together, decades-old secrets and lies are exposed, shattering Roe’s control and Ezra’s heart. Is first love only a dream and a promise merely words, or are Ezra and Roe meant to last a lifetime?
This can be read as a stand alone but you’ll revisit several characters from book one, as well as other series
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Ezra and Roe made a promise when they were seventeen, “we’ll write, call and stay in contact and then I’ll return to you.”
That was the plan, but it all worked out completely differently. With disastrous results.
Now, after more than twenty years later Ezra is back and there is so much anger.
Where Ezra came from money Roe had none. Now Roe is a psychologist and Ezra is still working for all the glitter money gives.
Hate is what Roe feels, during all these years he never heard from Ezra.
Ezra doesn’t understand Roe’s stand and is determined to get to know why Roe stopped returning his letters.
There are secrets, miscommunications, misunderstandings, and hurt.
Life hasn’t been easy for either of them. Along this road, we get to know what both men have been through and it wasn’t easy.
Mountains of hurt, sorrow, manipulation, distrust are taken and the outcome isn’t even sure. They belong together that was clear for everyone, it lasted a long time until they understood it themselves, it wasn’t a smooth road. Thank goodness for good friends and dedicated family members. I want to ignore the family who did so so wrong, I just can’t!
An amazingly captivating story, beautifully written, well thought out. The hurt felt awful and real, the love survived every bump, the whole journey felt honest, integer, and made me get involved from the first page. Thank goodness for second chances, both men deserved it.
I’m a sucker for childhood sweethearts so Ezra and Monroe’s book, sign me up.
Unfortunately, these guys have some major baggage and things started off pretty volatile between them. I knew it came from how hurt they felt and I wanted to shake them and make them talk things out. Every time one of them walked away, I shook my kindle and yelled at them to go back.
But the hurt was deep and one conversation wasn’t going to fix it.
Thankfully the universe kept throwing them together. And when their walls finally crumbled, I couldn’t stop smiling. Ezra and Roe were everything I wanted them to be. Sweet, swoony and sexy.
Oh, and Nettie! Was she a fun little old lady or what? I want to adopt her.
I was pretty sure early on that I knew what happened to break them up as kids and when it turned out that I was right, I was furious. But then Ezra’s dad said something to him that made me (and him) stop and think and that one sentence changed everything. I fell even harder for Ezra after that.
I love that Ezra and Roe were each other’s first love but I love that they’re each other’s forever love even more.
The Promise is a second chance, enemies to lovers romance that will warm your heart. It’s also considered a fake boyfriend story, but these guys want so badly to be together again that they aren’t faking it at all. Ezra and Monroe were high school sweethearts who were separated when Ezra’s family moved across the country. They promise to stay in touch and come back to each other after college. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen, and when they meet up again after more than twenty years, Roe isn’t ready to risk his heart again. Ezra is determined win him back and will do almost anything to make it happen, even fake being his boyfriend to make Roe’s grandmother happy.
Ezra and Roe were both introduced to readers in previous books. Ezra was introduced in “Running From My Heart” and Roe was introduced in “Fool For Love” (Lost in New York book one). I was so happy when I heard she was bringing them together in “The Promise”. Ezra and Roe are another wonderful couple readers will love. As much as Roe tried to fight it, the two are undeniably attracted to each other and have so much chemistry.
One thing I love about Felice Steven’s writing is her ability to create wonderful, three-dimensional characters. She creates people who think, react, and feel deeply; people you’d like to hang around with in real life. Even the supporting characters are rich and interesting, adding depth and realism to this wonderful story.
This was an emotional second chance romance that gave me all the feels. Roe was the leader of the Lost in New York grief counseling group, who we met in Fool for Love; and Ezra was the talent agent friend to Ross in Running from My Heart. These two men needed to find love and happiness, and they both deserved good things in life. Well, it turns out that Roe and Ezra were high school lovers, separated for two decades but still hurt and missing each other. Though they were each successful as adults, the betrayal they each felt from the way their teenage love story ended never stopped affecting the way they handled relationships.
Coming beck together wasn’t easy for either man, but it was so obvious that Ezra and Roe were meant to be. I occasionally wanted to shake one of them, usually Roe, but I loved them both so much. They were both beautiful, inside and out! I loved the majority of the secondary characters, especially Ross and Arden, as well as Roe’s mother and his sneaky grandmother. This book was as fabulous as I expected, and the ending was perfect. I am looking forward to book three in this heartbreaking, beautiful series!
This story is a wonderful second chance story. Both men are angry at the other and both have their reasons from their perspective of events. Of course it is never that simple and a lot of truths come to the surface. But they begin the journey of reconnecting with neither one has all the facts. I also like that even when truths come out both men are also willing to admit their own failings. It is also a story that examines the idea that the course of their lives could have been completely different and how they relate now would not have been the same if they hadn’t had the years apart. I love the development of the characters and love their friends and family and what they add to the story.
I listened to audio version and it was very well done.
A PROMISE NOT BROKEN
I received this book for free and am giving my honest and voluntary review.
Ezra and Monroe were lovers as teens. Ezra’s parents moved him from New York to Los Angeles his senior year of high school. Twenty-three years later, Ezra returns to find a hostile Monroe and doesn’t know why when Monroe stopped writing him.
The dynamics in this story are amazing as how the two never stopped loving each other and overcoming the obstacle that kept them apart. Monroe’s grandmother stole the book with her sassiness and wisdom. Ezra’s parents, the villains learned their lesson and I was glad to see a HEA come out of this story.
The narrator made the story with the different inflections for the voices. A superb job!
The two MC’s are introduced from Running From My Heart & Fool For Love.
Young love lost, time changes who you are, how can you put yourself back in their orbit without fear of being hurt again. This story is one of finding who you are, who’s worth fighting for and finally reconnecting with your person, even if it takes awhile. Communication is always key but sometimes the ball is dropped.
Really enjoyed the cameos from previous characters, it always adds depth to the story and I also love catching little glimpse into their world.
Ms. Stevens has a special way of writing her characters, flaws & all, it helps draws the reader in and connect with them
Wow… What a tearjerker! It was a terrific read. Ezra & Monroe both needed a butt kicking, so stubborn. When they finally talked it out my heart broke for them both & I was so angry at Ezra’s parents… So there was some tears shed. When they finally gave into each other I was so happy & enjoyed reading the book way more. The ending was so good I didn’t want the book to be over yet. A Must Read!
Felice Stevens has captured my attention again with a love story between two, long lost loves that reconnect after being apart for most of their lives. Sometimes it’s hard to forget your first true love and in this case, Monroe and Ezra had unfinished business. Nothing warms my heart more than a second chance.
Seeing Ezra in New York again was the last thing Monroe expected. Monroe’s insecurities where Ezra was concerned bubbled to the surface so his reception towards Ezra was quite chilly. While I understood having hurt feelings after Ezra left New York, I thought Monroe acting the way he did upon seeing Ezra after all this time was a little extreme. Would Monroe give Ezra a chance to explain?!
Their reunion wasn’t easy, but then again anything in life worth having is worth working for. I enjoyed watching their love grow again from what it once was. Monroe and Ezra found a place in my heart and put a smile on my face. I really look forward to the next book in the series!
In real life the world is upside down right now. An avid reader, I have found it very difficult to concentrate on any one thing. When one of my favorite authors puts out a new book I know I will be pulled right out of my reading funk.
The Promise is such a beautifully written, emotional story. Roe and Ezra will capture your heart. This story is full of the promise of second chances. With both your soulmate and your family. I loved that these men are both 40 and rediscovering the lost love of their youth. Can they overcome the 23 years apart. Will they forgive the unforgivable betrayal they have gone through? Their journey towards their HEA is full of hope, pain, love, friends and family. There are also laugh out loud moments that are priceless(Nettie/Grandma). You will not be able to put this book down. This is a wonderful addition to the Lost in New York series. I can’t wait for the next book.
My first Felice Stevens read, and I am glad I took the chance on this book. I loved that the characters are in their 40’s. I always find it refreshing to read characters later in their life and not just 20 somethings. Also, the story takes off right from the beginning. Even though there are a handful of flashbacks, they’re not long drawn out scenes. The book is living in the present, and we didn’t have chapters and chapters of build-up. I enjoy a more fast-paced story, and The Promise delivered.
The only reason I didn’t give this book a full five stars is because I felt like there were almost too many plot lines. The fake boyfriend plot wasn’t necessary to the story, especially when the second chance romance was strong on its own.
Overall I greatly enjoyed The Promise and plan to look up Felice Stevens backlog.