is a great story with many twists and turns, The characters were well developed and likeable, The ending turned out just right, WHEN A PROMISE BECOMES A TEMPTATION, . .
Look after his best friend's widow and kids, It was a promise Levi Talbot was determined to keep, But returning to Whispering Pines, New Mexico, where he was once known as the local troublemaker, wasn't easy for the former soldier, Especially when gorgeous Valerie Lopez really wants nothing to do with him, . . and Levi can't get her out of his head!
Val knows she needs Levi's helpher house is in chaos and she's juggling two young kids with a fledgling business.
So she lets him take over the repairsbut there's no way she's letting Levi make himself at home! Since her husband's death, Val has kept her heart locked away.
. . but what if the handsome veteran next door is the key to her future Boy, am I behind in marking my books read.
. . I'm also behind in reading them, Anyway, three months ago, I read this book, and I liked it a lot, but it was November and I was really busy.
So. The hero is just out of the army, The heroine is the widow of his best friend and he promised his friend to look after her, Except the heroine doesnt want anything to do with him, because she blames him for her husband joining the army and getting himself killed.
Plus, there are kids and dogs and an interesting story in how they work out their differences, Really good stuff. I was kinda disappointed with Levi, He seemed to be the badguy through much of the novel, or the bad boy, but he was actually just a really good and kinda boring guy.
The story itself isn't bad, though I really don't understand Val'syear old she seems a lot older than, and her language doesn't seem to match her age.
It's a solid story, I just don't think there was a lot more to that, The Talbot boysWed in the West series,
Setting: Northern NM near Sangre de Christo mntns,
More a.for me. I want to read the rest of this series too,
Lots of notes recorded, A touching story of healing after loss and finding the strength to overcome your fears to live and possibly love again,
When he returns from the Army, the first place Levi Talbot goes is back home to Whispering Pines, New Mexico, He made a promise to his best friend, and he intends to keep it,
Valerie Lopez isn't happy to see Levi walk up her driveway, He might have been her husband Tommy's best friend, but he isn't anything to her except a reminder of what she lost,
Levi is determined to help Val and the kids in any way he possibly can, even if she's not happy about it.
He can't let Tommy down, Will he be able to convince her that it's okay to be happy again
Received free in exchange for an honest review "Promises, starting over and letting go describes Templeton's poignant pageturner.
Her moving and at times playful, plus firstrate GI jargon, give this emotional roller coaster a genuine feel, The frenemies make the story unforgettable, as do her tyke and furbaby costars" RT Book s,stars,
Miniseries: sitelinkWed in the West I really enjoyed A Soldier's Promise and it is a great start to the series.
This is more than a story of romance and love, it is a story and journey of friendship, promises, and a window into what not only our veterans but of the family's left behind and what they go through.
So grab your drink of choice, find a comfy spot and get lost in A Soldier's promise, “A Soldiers Promise” is a credible contemporary romance read, The characters live in the real world and the impact of the world shows in their everyday lives,
The hero, Levi, is just out of the military, having seen battle up close and personal, Val is left a widow with two small children because of the war, Levi and Val are both strong characters and doing their best to figure out life without Tomas, Vals husband and Levis best friend, and their struggles to adjust are realistic.
This story isnt a light read, showing how war can affect both the soldiers who come back and the families left to fend for themselves when their loved ones dont return.
I dont give many booksstars, and Ill give this one, I had two reservations. There were a number of characters introduced, specifically Levis brothers, who will likely have stories of their own, but I didnt feel a real connection to them, or to Vals inlaws, who are supportive but seem to have gotten over their sons death very quickly.
Also, the characters never simply “breathed” or “sighed, ” Instead, they “huffed out a breath” or “pushed out a sigh” or something similar in almost every scene until the authors attempt for unusual or distinctive phrasing became a bit distracting.
How a character says or does something shouldnt detract from theyre actually saying or doing,
Still, “A Soldiers Promise” is a good read with a nice steady pace and enough description of their small town in New Mexico to make the setting into a character, as well, and Id recommend it for readers looking for realistic modern romance with a guaranteed HEA.
.Stars
Val is a woman who has had her fair share of troubles in the past and refuses to let her late husbands trouble maker friend Levi make an appearance in her and her daughter's life.
If he was honest with himself and others Levi didn't just come back into Val's live just because his friend requested it, He's been in love with her for a very long time and would do anything for her,
I liked this book it was sweet and heartwarming, Thing is I feel like I've read this book over and over many times, I don't feel like this book really stood out too much, I'm fond of the publisher which is why I decided to check this book out without reading much into what the book was about.
It was a really sweet book though and I did enjoy it, I liked that there was multiple point of views, I loved the way Levi interacted with the kids, I liked seeing Val get to a place to open her heart and learn that she is not her mother, Overall it was a nice book and I enjoyed it, Instead of a romance, this story was more of a journey of several people, a journey towards happiness and joy, and love, from all the devastation life has offered them in the past.
Levi has been a lot of trouble in his younger years, always ready for mischief and adventure, trying the limits, gaining of a reputation of being trouble.
But he was a kind, caring, loyal man, who took his responsibilities seriously, and had a heart to help others around him,
Val has faced so much in her life, her father abandoned her at a young age, her mother wasn't an easy person to be around with, and had a reputation in town, she lived up to, and she lost her husband, Tommy, in the war.
Now back in her hometown, she is trying to find happiness again, trying to accept that Tommy isn't coming home, learn to accept the troubled childhood, while remodeling a house, working as a waitress and a baker, and being a mother to her two children.
While working on the house for Val, Levi is making a connection with Val and her daughters, As they get to know each other, learn to trust each other, they open up, share painful memories, heal together from the past, and find love, devotion, and affection with each other, that turn into a passion and desire to build a life together, support each other through the rest of the journey, and to be a team as they face the future they have planned for themselves.
The story is touching and tender, There's so much Levi, and especially Val, has to work, face, and deal with, I love how Levi was with the kids, his kind soul was obvious during those encounters,
Even though the story moved on a little slow at times, it is a poignant tale, that will touch your heart,
Four Spoons As a longtime reader of Karen Templeton's books, I was very pleased to receive a complimentary copy of her newest release, "A Soldier's Promise".
Karen Templeton's books are about 'real' people imperfect people who struggle with their circumstances, This book starts a new series with Valerie Lopez and Levi Talbot as the romantic interest, I enjoyed the book and appreciated that the couple had a long back shared back history with one another, rather than meeting and falling into bed with one another the same night.
The pace of the book is slow and thoughtful worthy of the characters, I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Great story of friendship, families, and love, reviewed for publication I absolutely loved this book, Firstly, the descriptions in this book were wonderful, I was able to imagine the mental setting as well as the physical setting of the characters, Secondly, the story line has so many journeys for the main characters Val and Levi, as well as their family, It shows grief, love, and acceptance, There are so many examples of trials these characters have gone through like childhood trauma, military life, loss of loved ones, and the toll these all take.
The struggle inside to heal and move forward is beautifully shown, Thank you for such a beautiful book, c I enjoyed reading A Soldier's Promise because my husband had been in the military, This story shows that deployments are hard for the family, but also the soldier too, Excellent story. Good book about two people who learn to live and love again after loss, Levi has come home after leaving the army, He's not sure what is next in his life, but he has a promise to keep in the meantime, His best friend was killed in the war and Levi had promised Tommy that he would look out for his wife and kids if anything happened.
He wasn't one of Val's favorite people, so the promise was going to be a challenge,
Val is just trying to make it through one day at a time, She's living in a house that needs significant repairs, raising her two daughters, and embarking on a business as a baker, The last thing she wants is Levi hanging around, reminding her of what she's lost, but he won't stay away, So she agrees to let him do the repairs, but tries to keep him at a distance,
I really liked Levi, He had been a bit of a troublemaker as a kid, but never in a mean or dangerous way, Looking for direction, he decided to enlist, never expecting his recently married best friend to join him, He tried to talk Tommy out of it, but couldn't, and was filled with guilt when Tommy died, He doesn't have an easy time talking Val into letting him help, as he knows she holds him responsible, It soon becomes obvious that there's more than keeping his
promise behind his actions, Levi has always had feelings for Val which is an additional motivator for what he does, Helping her out with her repairs has another benefit it is giving him time to decide what he's going to do with the rest of his life.
As more of his past is revealed and faced, Levi is able to move forward and see what he is meant to do.
I loved the event that showed him what that was, as it once more showed what a good man he really is,
It took me a little longer to warm up to Val, She was a great mother and doing her best to move through her grief, But her attitude toward Levi really bugged me, He was nothing but nice and helpful and she treated him like he couldn't be trusted, Her attitude slowly changed as she realized how unfair she was being to him, She also had some unresolved issues about her relationship with her husband that she had to work through, I liked seeing her be able to talk about Tommy with Levi and how some of the things he said helped her see what she needed to do.
I liked seeing their relationship grow, Levi was sweet and persistent, doing his best to show Val that he was no threat, His feelings for her were always there, but he didn't think anything would come of them, I liked that he saw her strength even when she didn't, Val slowly began to see that Levi was very different than he had been before and that the new Levi was beginning to mean something special to her.
But those growing feelings scared her and made her question things about herself, I liked Levi's patience as he let her work through her issues, though it certainly wasn't easy for him, I loved the ending, as Val's eyes and heart are opened,
I really liked the closeness of the families, Val gets the love and support she needs from her inlaws, I liked her motherinlaw's honesty and kindness as she helps Val work through her grief, She also plays a big part in getting Val and Levi together, Val's daughter Josie was adorable, She is important to the development of the relationship between Levi and Val, For a seven year old kid she has some pretty profound things to say to both her mom and Levi, I also liked Levi's family, The part with his mom about the steak was pretty funny, I loved seeing his relationship with his father change, I liked the scenes with his brothers and look forward to reading their stories, .