I’ve always preferred my life simple and commitment-free.It’s why I live off the grid and do my own thing.But when I run into my best friend’s widow while on a stopover in Los Angeles, I realize there’s one commitment I’ve failed to keep… the one I made to the fellow Marine who saved my life during a time I’ve fought hard to forget.But I’m not the only one having a problem with commitments… problem with commitments…
Alma’s got one, too.
It’s the one she’s holding onto no matter what the cost…
But when Fate brings us together, can she let go of her secrets and allow me to honor my own?
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4.5 stars
It’s not always easy to keep those promises we make
I found Liz Durano through the first book in this series, Everything She Ever Wanted. I adore how her characters are so very human, full of doubts, occasionally selfish and prone to make mistakes. I’ll be honest in that I didn’t remember Sawyer from ESEW, though it is a couple of years since I read the book. However the blurb for this sounded so intriguing that I had to find the time to read it.
Adversity in Afghanistan made Drew and Sawyer best friends. Drew even saved Sawyer’s life when they were caught in a IED explosion. Along with his wife, Alma, he saved it again when Sawyer was struggling to come to terms with his injuries and loss of career. Sadly Drew didn’t allow Sawyer to help him when he needed it, he was too proud and wanted everyone to keep seeing him as the hero. Sawyer made a promise that should anything ever happen to Drew he would look out for Alma, but he wants to be so much more than a friend, after all he saw her first. Can Alma and Sawyer let go of the past and find happiness together, or will the judgement of others prove too much?
The opening scene of this book was very unexpected, and in some ways made it harder to read the story that followed. It almost made it feel as though Alma was cheating with Sawyer, which normally would be a negative BUT this was also an issue for the Hero and it made me empathise with him even more.
This is a story of learning to accept what we can not change, to forgive the mistakes of others as well as ourselves and to acknowledge that we can only do our best with hand we have been dealt. It dealt with some very difficult issues, including PTSD in veterans, in a very sympathetic manner.
I love how real both the characters AND situations feel in this author’s books. Both Alma and Sawyer were relatable, likeable and believable characters. Some of the decisions they made could have been better, but who couldn’t say the same of themself? Whilst this wasn’t an angst or issue free read, it did have quite a gentle and relaxed feel to it. The story line was engaging, as were the characters, the pace was good and held my attention and the writing flowed smoothly, all adding up to one very good read.
You could feel the attraction and chemistry between them. Whilst, in some ways, their relationship progressed fairly rapidly, they had known and been friends with each other for 6 or 7 years, so this didn’t feel to much like a case of insta-love.
There were some really nice little twists and turns along the way. I was really surprised with what and who nearly derailed their relationship. Though again it felt a very believable part of the story. It was lovely to see more of Dax, Harlow and their children though I now need Todd’s story before I can walk away from Taos and it’s inhabitants.