RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars
A SOLDIER’S PROMISE by Tory Richards is a new contemporary romance set during the holidays. This is a standalone story.
Shannon Hayes and her small daughter have been invited to spend the holidays with her deceased husband’s extended family. David was killed in action overseas this past year and she is happy to be surrounded by his large family’s love after having grown up in an orphanage. David’s mother, Marsha treats Shannon as one of her own.
Shortly after Shannon arrives, she is surprised by the arrival of Ryan Hayes. Ryan is a career Marine, and David’s older brother. He rarely makes it home and Shannon knows how important this is to the whole family, but there is an obvious tension between the two. Shannon is attracted to her brother-in-law even as he tries to ignore her and her attempts at friendship to the point of being harsh. Ryan is dealing with the guilt of lusting after his sister-in-law even before the death of his brother. That is one of the reasons he has stayed away.
Their attraction grows and consumes them, but their guilt could end everything. Both made a promise to David, but can they fulfill it together?
I loved the Hayes family and their holiday traditions. Marsha was a loving matriarch who was happiest when all of her family was around her. She understood Ryan and his feelings and was able to give Shannon advice and understanding. All of the Hayes siblings, partners and grandkids were entertaining and great secondary characters.
I enjoyed this romance. Shannon was a loving and caring person, but I felt that Ryan was unemotional and a jerk for much too long into the story. I know he was hiding his true feelings and was filled with guilt, but I could not fully engage with him until half way through the book. He did redeem himself in the end. The sex scenes were explicit and hot, but each scene had Shannon biting Ryan and for me, it was repetitive and a little weird when it always happened. I was glad to see Ryan and Shannon get their HEA and I liked the family holiday setting. The characters make this romance.
Written for and posted first on The Romance Reviews.
