Promise Me This (4.5 stars) and Promise Me Forever (5 stars) by Sarah Ashley Jones

About Promise Me This

Welcome to the South—where the tea is sweet and the accents are sweeter. This Southern way of life is all Charlie has ever known. It’s not until she loses the only person who pushed her to break free of the Southern Belle mold that she starts living the life she needs and not the life her parents forced on her.

Jhett has lived on the edge for as long as he could remember - constantly teetering back and forth between being a rock star and living a normal life. His rebellious and sometimes arrogant attitude is known to get him into trouble, especially with the girls who hang on his every move.

Charlie never thought that a trip to pack up her brother’s apartment would leave her feeling even more unsettled about the grainy details of her brother’s death. Her quest for information leads her straight to his old hangout and into arms of Jhett, who suspiciously knows more about her situation than he ever should.

Only a few questions remain: Can you trust someone based on their word alone? And if you make a promise, how far will you go to keep it?

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Review

On the surface, Charlie and Jhett have nothing in common. She's the good girl to his experienced bad boy. But they share an intense bond--the loss of someone very important in both their lives. Cameron was Jhett's best friend and Charlie's brother. 

Charlie has come to Southern California to clean out her brother's apartment and try to find some closure before returning to Tennessee and her parent's wishes. Jhett is drawn to her at first glance. Sparks fly. But can what they find mend two broken hearts?

Trying to sum up what you love about a book in a way so as to encourage others to read it is quite difficult. But here goes nothing...

First, I loved the characters. Charlie is lost, but not just because of the devastation over losing her brother. It's because she hasn't had the opportunity to realize her own dreams. She needs to find her strength, even though she's full of spitfire. Jhett is strong, but still damaged. Their romance is the perfect blend of sweet and sexy--a trait I adore and one I've found a bit hard to find in NA contemporary romance.

What I loved most was the depth of emotion. Both of these characters are in pain. They don't wallow in it, but they are honest and hurting. Both have family, but they are reeling from their own pain. Finding each other is what they both needed. Although their journey to love is bumpy, it is real and it's worth rooting for.

If you are looking for a New Adult romance with tingling romance and a poignant storyline, please take a chance on Promise Me This. It's a real winner. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

About Promise Me Forever
Promise Me Forever, #1.5 (a novella)

Charlie Jennings and Jhett Hudson knew that a single moment could change everything.

It took them one song to find each other, one question to give them a chance, one kiss to fall in love, and one night to almost lose it all. But they had one thing other couples lack—pure, unconditional love—and that takes more than a moment to walk away from.

Falling in love is only the beginning. Forever is what happens next.

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Review

What a treat to get to read these two books back to back. When Promise Me This ended with "to be continued", I almost cried. I desperately wanted to know how Charlie and Jhett's love story turned out. Book one ended with hope, but I wanted more than that.

I have an intense sweet tooth. No matter how great a meal is, I often feel cheated without an equally great--if not better--dessert. That's what Promise Me Forever is... the perfect dessert.

Every word spoke to the heart of these characters, without prolonging drama or conjuring up some out-there conflict to throw one last wrench into potential happiness. It was everything I hoped it would be. Sorry to be vague, but I want readers to experience this gem for themselves.

Bravo to Sarah Ashley Jones for a pair of excellent reads.

Rating: 5 stars

About the Author

Sarah Ashley Jones was raised in San Diego, California, but currently wrangles her husband and three dogs in Clarksville, Tennessee. When she’s not writing she works in a pottery studio and comes home covered in paint on a daily basis. She has a slightly unhealthy obsession with cupcakes and chapstick. She is an eternal optimist and can often be found dancing and singing to music at any given time. It’s rare to see her not smiling or laughing, but if you do, just bring her a cupcake and it will cheer her up. Her huge imagination was always in overdrive as a child and now she is beyond excited to put it to good use as an adult. She plans to write as long as she has stories that need to be told.

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Thanks to Grapevine Book Tours for including me on this tour. Please visit other stops on the Promise Me This blog tour page.