Promise Her

Taylor Cain always wanted to play professional football but when his best friend, Henry Gilbert, joins the military he decides to join up too. Yet 6 years ago Taylor left the military and opened up a bar, Country Roads and lives a much quieter life.
Scarlett Gilbert grew up in a “perfect family” but when she decided to choose her own path her family left her behind and now she rarely hears from any of them except her sister, Eliza, occasionally. She married her long time boyfriend, Henry, and the two are expecting their first child.
When Henry is killed in a drunk driving accident his military friends all pitch in to help Scarlett. Only Scarlett and Henry were hiding some secrets of their own and will Scarlett reveal the truth in order to find her own happiness that she deserves?
This was a great book and about love, secrets and trying to move on.
I really liked Taylor as he was a good guy who wasn’t really into flings but hasn’t found the right woman to settle down with. I loved his loyalty to Henry since they were children but at the same time I got why he began to distance himself from him. I liked that he worked hard maintain his bar Country Road and loved how loyal he was to his friends.
Scarlett was a great character but I felt so bad for her on a few accounts. I hated that nobody else knew what was going on with her marriage so she was alone in everything that she was feeling. It was so hard for her to move on when she was stuck between everything that collapsed with Henry and his death. Then Scarlett also had to worry about being pregnant and alone with the memories of Henry.
I loved how protective Henry’s military family were over Scarlett and they vowed to keep her safe and included her in their family. I loved Grant and Connor and how good they were to Scarlett and kept an eye on her and helped her whenever they could.
There was so much chemistry between Taylor and Scarlett but the memory and “loyalty” to Henry played with the emotions of both Taylor and Scarlett and I was anxious for them both to work out what they needed.
There was also some mystery present with someone harassing Scarlett but nobody really knowing what was going on. I was really shocked when everything came out about this and why. I was definitely disappointed in a few characters but I was so happy that Scarlett had her military support system!
I was very happy when Scarlett and Taylor finally figured out what each of them wanted and what happened between them! The end was awesome and I look forward to seeing the two of them more in the next book!
By Rebecca

I loved this book! This is my first book by this author and most certainly won’t be my last. Scarlett is left pregnant and widowed. Taylor is suffering from the loss of his best friend Henry, and trying to make sure his widow, Scarlett, is well cared for. Taylor and Scarlett fight the feelings between them because of Henry. I truly adored Taylor, he was so sweet, and had a heart of gold. This story is absolutely amazing and I loved every single page of it!! I highly recommend you give it a read you won’t be disappointed.

This is such an amazing romance story. It had me in tears in the beginning and laughing in other places of the book. Andrea Johnson knows how to write a great page turner! Scarlett and Taylor try so hard to keep themselves from falling for each other. But the obvious attraction to one another is to much to ignore. I couldn’t put the book down once I started reading it. I know that you will really love this book!

Andrea Johnston writes the best small-town romances. Promise Her was a sweet, sexy with light angst. This romance had ALL the feels and I can’t recommend it enough!!!!

Q: She’s always been my best friend’s wife, my friend, but the moment we kissed everything changed. Being here with her, experiencing these moments as she prepares to welcome her son, means something to me. She means something to me. I know there is nothing I won’t do for her. I will care for her, protect her, and most of all promise her. Promise her safety and love, in whatever form she’ll take it.

Wow. Andrea Johnston writes a powerful romance with Promise Her. I have always loved the stories she releases since I discovered her work a year ago and yet, Promise Her has to be one of my very favorites. It’s a passionate, slow burn romance where feelings run deep and death further solidifies the connection between Scarlett and Taylor, friends with one common denominator… one which should put them solidly in the friend zone. Only as forbidden as their relationship is, it’s also a natural and beautiful evolution between two best friends united in grief over the passing of someone they both loved dearly. But appearance can be deceiving as the Promise Her storyline unveils. As the romance blooms between Scarlett and Taylor, so did my emotions with this beautifully written dual POV small-town, military romance.

Q: Taylor Cain is the type of man women dream of meeting, one who is unattainable and almost fictitious.

Readers will remember Taylor from the Country Road Series, where his bar, Country Road provides a backdrop to much of the series. Yet the Military Men of Lexington is a spin-off and Taylor’s book is the first in this new series—a series I can’t wait to read more of! This book is without a doubt emotional and I was very invested in the story… in the characters and in their much deserved HEA. As emotional as Promise Her is, it’s also entertaining as well. Sweet and lightly sexy with characters that you truly want to see achieve that ultimate HEA. Your heart will be invested in this one. It’s a story of the emotional devastation of losing your first love… only to find new love as a result! Having read many of the books in Andrea’s catalog this year, I would say that Taylor is my favorite hero she’s written. Getting into his head and learning more about him has always been on my mind, and I was thrilled when Andrea announced her intention to release his story. So yes, I was totally Gah Gah for Taylor… But I won’t lie, the real draw for this story came after I read Small-Town Heart, which has cameos from Henry and Scarlett. I was dying to know the story behind the happy couple that was introduced in the café… and the woman who becomes Mercy’s best friend. I was also drawn to the connection I have to a story regarding the wife of a service member. As a military spouse myself, I found it easy to identify with Scarlett as the heroine, although we have little in common—yet, Andrea really wrote a woman that we can all see in ourselves. Her skill with creating characters that we find a connection to is something I look forward to in each book I read by Andrea and it’s what keeps her on the top of my TBR for the books I have yet to get to read by this author.

Q: I won’t tell Taylor that one of the biggest kinks in our armor, in our marriage, was Henry’s never-ending jealousy of his best friend.

I cannot recommend this story enough and would tell you to sit with tissues because they will be put to use. I don’t cry easily—and it’s rare that a book makes tissues a necessity for me—but I used them while reading Promise Her more than one. Promise Her is without a doubt a solid 5-star read and you’re missing out if you’re still pursuing reviews and not one-clicking this book immediately!!!

Quotes:
I’ve loved Henry Gilbert for ten years and for each of those years, I prepared myself for his deployments and the possibility he may not return. What I didn’t know was that one senseless act would completely change everything I had prepared for.

Our friendship was tested over the years, but nothing caused a rift between us, brothers by choice at a young age, until Scarlett. Henry’s inability to appreciate the gift he had at home pissed me off.

It’s important to be strong for Scarlett. That I’m here for her like Henry would want.

These men were brothers in the truest form, and as much as they loved one another, they were also each other’s worst enemy at times.

Choosing to love without regret!!!

Truly amazing! This authors writing is phenomenal and her talent to deliver the perfect amounts of romance, suspense, mystery and sexy times blows me away with every book she writes. The characters are downright beautiful inside and out; they drew me in and I felt their emotions throughout the entire story.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for more stories from this fantastic group of family/friends.

I have to preface this review by saying, Andrea Johnston is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her books speak to me in a way that many, especially in the romance genre can not, because her characters always feel so real.

Promise Her is a little bit different. There are a lot of “feels” in Taylor and Scarlett’s story. From the beginning when Scarlett is left a widow and pregnant, to the drama that unfolds at the end.

This is a slow burn type story too, as the two of them work to figure out their feelings and how things will look as Scarlett’s hubby was Taylor’s best friend.

To add another trope to the mix, its a military romance as well, as Henry and Taylor all served together. I have to admit, I’m not usually a fan of military romances, but I’ve read a few recently and they’ve all been stellar, and really, in my eyes Andrea Johnston can do no wrong.

What makes this story so real and so darned good is how Scarlett, Taylor and all of the support group that surround her after Henry’s death, become more than characters on the page. There life plays out just as though you were standing in the room with them.

This story takes you through the ups and downs of her pregnancy, while she sorts out her feelings for Taylor and deals with a bit of intrigue in her life as well.

I loved that the romance was slow although the chemistry was there from the start and that includes the sex.

This story was just superb. It tugs at your heartstrings in all the right places. It makes you cry. It makes you cheer. It makes you have hope for happy endings for everyone.

In preparation to meeting several authors at Holidays with the Belles next month, I am trying desperately to read the attending authors I have not read before. This is one of them. Though this was my first book by this author, I guarantee it will not be my last. The most difficult thing is going to be not picking up the next book in this series until I finish reading other attending authors and the arcs I am committed to read. Promise Her is written in first person from an alternating dual POV.

Taylor is a former soldier and current bar owner who is loyal to family, his friends who are like family, and his business. When his childhood best friend is suddenly killed, he steps in to care for his friend’s widow who is pregnant. Scarlett is a strong heroine who goes through some difficult things in her journey in this book.

The author does an amazing job of respecting the brotherhood between the men. I believe she also does an amazing job capturing Scarlett’s grief, her anger, and her guilt. I was 100% emotionally invested. I love that they both struggle, regardless of extenuating circumstances, to really commit to the attraction between them. I love that Scarlett knows without a doubt that Taylor is there for her. Their journey is beautiful. There are so many emotions they go through as they continue living after Henry’s death. I love the passion that emerges between them but also that it is built on friendship, respect, and caring for each other. To say I loved this is an understatement. I am really looking forward to meeting this author in Dallas soon.

Andrea Johnston always seems to blow me away with her words. Promise Her is no different. From start to finish, I was whisked away down the rabbit hole of these characters, the friends-to-lovers which is my ultimate favorite trope. Her writing creates the small-town world and I couldn’t get enough of it. Five stars isn’t enough for this one. All I can say is I want more!!! From sweet to suspense, this one is a MUST READ. Andrea Johnston

Promise Her by Andrea Johnston was really good, this book intrigued me so much after reading the blurb.

This was a book about two people who are both going through the same pain, one if suffering from the loss of a friend, the other from the loss of the father of her child, and because of the secret she is holding. Taylor was amazing; he was so sweet and cared so much. Scarlett was amazing, she deserved the best and to be happy. Being trapped in a lie that she cannot handle, she must decide to let it out and learn to think of herself and be happy.

These two were perfect, they deserved to be happy and to find someone they love, this was a book that will make you see just how love can overcome. A must read

This book is definitely a departure from this author’s usual, but I love where Johnston takes us in Promise Her!

We’ve met Taylor before – he and his bar, Country Road, make appearances in the Country Road series. But this book allows us to get to know him up close and personal. And I really liked what I see! Taylor is swoony, we know that. But he’s also such a good man and a stand up guy. He’s dealing with the loss of Henry, his best friend since childhood, and trying to make sure Henry’s widow and unborn baby have everything they need.

Scarlett, pregnant and widowed. But there’s so much more to Scarlett & Henry’s story that people don’t know. We watch her deal with that, with the thought of being a single parent, and with her feelings for Taylor.

Sparks fly but they both try so hard to fight any feelings because of Henry. This book has a super slow burn, but anything else would not have been true to the story and their feelings. The anticipation, the “will they” will keep you reading! This book reminds you that everyone deserves happiness and it doesn’t always come tied up in a neat little package with a bow. I love a book that hits me hard in my feelings, and this one did just that. I had tears, I laughed, I cheered! Taylor is definitely one of those characters the women are going to love, but I also found myself wanting to wrap Scarlett up in a hug and be friends – she is an amazing woman who, while vulnerable due to her situation, has so much strength and grace despite what life has dealt her!

Add in a little mystery/intrigue, and some wonderful minor characters that I hope we see again very soon (hello Grant & Connor!!), and some appearances by some old favorites make this book nothing short of amazing!