Friday, July 3, 2015

Release Week Blitz, Review & 2 Giveaways: A Promise Of Forever (A Tallgrass Novel #4) by Marilyn Pappano...


 Giveaway:
 1 LUCKY commentor will WIN a paperback copy of A Promise Of Forever. All you have to do is leave a comment under this post. Contest ends July 5th. 
(US/Can only) Good Luck!!!


A PROMISE OF FOREVER 
A Tallgrass Novel #4
by Marilyn Pappano 
Forever Mass Market
June 30, 2015

Sergeant First Class Avi Grant's return to Tallgrass, Oklahoma is a long-deferred wish come true. With her final tour in Afghanistan over, Avi can focus on her future-a job here at home and a family of her own. There's just one thing she has to do first: visit her beloved commanding officer's widow and share her grief. The last thing she expected was to feel an instant attraction to the woman's son. Too bad the sexy surgeon is impossible to ignore . . . and even harder to resist. 

The sting of his parents' divorce still niggles at Ben Noble. So when a warm, funny, and beautiful young sergeant arrives, mourning his stepfather's loss as strongly as his mother does, Ben can't help but feel conflicted. If his parents taught him anything, it's that love doesn't last-especially with a career soldier. But try as he might to keep his distance, Ben begins to see that Avi-and the spark she brings to his life-is the stuff forever is made of. As Avi's leave ticks away, can Ben convince her to take a chance on forever with him?

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Excerpt:

Outside, the sounds of children playing were louder, the splashes indicating that the kids across the street were enjoying one of the last swims of the summer. Avi and Ben walked silently to her car, parked in the driveway.
She nestled the pie plate into the passenger seat, tucked her purse around to hold it in place, then closed the door before turning to him.
So . . . Would he ask for her cell number? Offer his? Make firm plans to see her again before driving away?
For the first time in a long time, the answers mattered.
Linking his fingers with hers, he pulled her to the driver’s side of the car, then stood, invading her personal She liked it.
“Do you have any plans for tomorrow night?”
Yes! “Not a single one.”
He combed his fingers through his hair. “Would you like to go out to dinner?”
She wanted to blurt out the affirmative as quickly as it had echoed in her head, but he went on. “You would have to drive to Tulsa. Tuesday is surgery day, so if I come here, I can’t get here before seven, and I’ll have to head back before nine.”
Drive to Tulsa? An hour or less. No big deal. She’d had commutes between apartments and forts that took longer, and that was just to work. An evening with Ben was such a nicer payoff. “I don’t mind.”
“I usually get out of clinic around six. We could meet at my house around six thirty?”
A smile spread across her face. “I can handle that.”
“Good.” He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes showed something just as encouraging. Relief, maybe, or satisfaction. Hmm. She could show him satisfaction.
He leaned closer, just slightly, and lowered his voice. “I’d kiss you good night, but we have an audience.”
Glancing over her shoulder toward the house, she caught just a glimpse of Patricia before the blinds at the living room window settled. Looking back at Ben, she smiled. “Kiss me anyway.”
He closed the last of the distance between them, lowering his mouth to hers, giving her a sweet, gentle, tender kiss that set her blood on fire. It was impressive and surprising and just a bit scary, considering she’d had tons of kisses that were a whole lot more passionate and evoked a whole lot less of a response.
When he lifted his head, her fingers curled, wanting to wrap around the back of his neck and pull him down again. Her heart skipped a beat or two, and something deep inside her felt deprived.
In the dim light, Ben looked impressed and surprised and a bit scared, too. For a moment, he stared at her, all intense and searching, then he gave a rueful shake of his head. Stepping back, he asked for her cell phone, input his number, and texted it to himself to get her number.
“Six thirty,” he said when he handed it back, his voice rough-edged. “I’ll send you the address.”
“I’ll be there.”

My Review:
I've been a HUGE fan of this series since reading A Love To Call Her Own.  I started out of order, reading that 3rd book first, and then went back to read the first two books. I was hooked!!

Military romance is one of my favorite themes to read and A Promise Of Forever is certainly that and so much more. The concept of this series is what initially drew me but it was the characters and their stories, brilliantly written, that have kept my interest growing and coming back for more. I love that in each book you get a glimpse of the characters from the previous books along with the addition of new characters. 

The members of the Margarita Club have each touched me in some way through their grief and struggle to move on after suffering such unimaginable loss. That they all found friendship in one another through that experience was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.  Out of all of these strong and courageous characters, Lucy is the one who captured my heart the most and I so wanted her to find her HEA again. In  A Love To Call Her Own I was hoping that she would finally find that with Ben, while at the same time, secretly wishing it would be with Joe. ;)  So when I saw that A Promise Of Forever was about Ben and Avi, I was both disappointed and excited!! I was so happy that Ben and Lucy remained close friends and I actually enjoyed them more like that. The way they teased each other was so funny - like a brother and sister.  After reading the snippet from A Chance Of A Lifetime, at the end of this book, I'm even more excited for Joe and Lucy!!! It's going to be so good!!!

I really liked Ben and Avi together. They were perfect for each other. I fell in love with Ben a little more with the choices that he made to be with Avi and the way he was with his mother. That he felt the way he did about his mother leaving and still came to support and comfort her, just showed what a truly great man he was. I love that through Avi he was finally able to forgive his mom and move on from what happened in the past. I'm not sure that I could have been so forgiving had I been in his position. 

Another awesome book in an already awesome series. I'm so looking forward to A Chance Of A Lifetime and hopefully many more books to follow. (*hint*Fia*hint*)

Thank you Marilyn Pappano and Marissa Sangiacomo with Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read and review A Promise Of Forever.

About the author:
Known for her intensely emotional stories, Marilyn Pappano is the USA Today bestselling author of nearly eighty books. She has made regular appearances on bestseller lists and has received recognition for her work in the form of numerous awards. Though her husband's Navy career took them across the United States, he and Ms. Pappano now live in Oklahoma high on a hill that overlooks her hometown. They have one son and daughter-in-law, an adorable grandson, and a pack of mischievous dogs.

Social Media Links:


The Release Week Blitz Giveaway:

Grand Prize: 

The Tallgrass Series by Marilyn Pappano:

A Hero to Come Home To   
A Man to Hold on To
A Love to Call Her Own
A Promise of Forever


3 comments:

  1. A really good storyline, thanks for the chance to win


    cenya2@ hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Marjorie,

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Good Luck!! :)

      Mariann

      Delete
    2. Yeah....Marjorie...You're the WINNER!!! I just sent you an email for your mailing address. Thanks again for commenting. :)

      Delete