Promise You Forever

Promises Duet #2

by Nichole Greene

It’s been three years since I’ve been back to my family’s ranch in Colorado. If I had it my way, it’d be never again. Not because I don’t love my family or the ranch but because of my grandpa’s right hand man, Luke Stone. He shattered my heart with a few reckless sentences and I vowed to never see him again. A sudden tragedy has changed all that. I just hope I’m strong enough to keep him at arm’s length this time.Nothing is going to stop me from winning back Eli Hart. Not the ring on her finger or the fear in her heart. I wasn’t good enough for her three years ago but I’ve worked hard to remedy that. I’m going to prove that I can be the man she needs while we navigate our new reality.

Genres: Second Chance, Westerns, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance, Romance, Second Chance Romance, Contemporary Romance

265 pages, ebook

Published April 8, 2024

About the author

Nichole is a contemporary romance author. When she isn't writing, she's chasing her four children around. Writing has always been her aspiration but it wasn't until her husband suggested she actually follow dreams that she took the biggest step. Her debut novel, Cold and Broken exceeded her expectations and she can't wait to share more of the stories taking up space in her mind.

Her other hobbies include baking, listening to music, and reading. She also has an obsession with true crime podcasts and cheesy 80s movies.

Reviews

[Capt. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a 2nd chance romance but the garbage MMC didn’t try to see her out of his own volition. They reunited because of a chance, the FMC’s grandma has died so that’s why she had to go back to her hometown. That’s the cause of their reunion. So from the start the so called affections and love of the MMC was worthless just like his pathetic existence.

Initially I was happy because the FMC was engaged BUT fucking hell I should’ve expected better. The OM was a jerk (though I still stand by that Luke is a much meaner cruel jerk in Book 1).
What do I expect 😭 a woman CANNOT have a decent and nice partner in 2nd chance books. They always have to be an ass to boost the author’s immaculate and grieving and so so hurt in his eeny-minie heart (huhuhu) grumpy man. Fucking Revolting.
Can a girl have an ex that they really love and really cared about??? 🤠

A lot of the side characters started harping on Eli about her engagement and pushing her to Luke as if she owed him a single conversation but they were reallyyyy quiet when Luke’s being an asshole and started spouting casual cruelty but they never advised her to stay away. Just WTF.

Also she’s getting tingles from him already 😭 just in chapter 6 or 7(I think?). The body betraying syndrome is really overused and gross. Can’t authors find a way to write women without it?? I think it’s because they know that if they write women with dignity, these women wouldn’t even bat a single eyelash to those scumbag men like Luke.

—Some really amazing (but really garbage) quotes—

“I don’t turn to acknowledge that comment. Mainly because I don’t want him to see how my chest still flushes when he calls me that. I hate him. I hate the hold he has over me and the reaction he pulls from deep within me.”
—> EWWWW girl STAND UP where the fuck is your spine?

“ I hate how attractive everything he does is. Even his gait is hot, the way his long strides are matched by his pushed back shoulders and head held high. Confidence just oozes out of him. Makes me sick.”
—> YOU make me sick you pathetic doormat. 🤢

“Not so much better that I’ll let her marry Benny though. Nope. I’ll break that engagement right up with no regrets. She doesn’t belong with him, she belongs with me. I’ll just have to figure out how to prove it to her.”
—>WHAT an entitled prick after he was unnecessarily nasty to her all throughout the 1st book.

“I regretted those words before they even came out of my mouth. It killed me to do that. I was scared.”
—> BUT you still continued to say them??? What kind of stupid logic is that?? Pleas just k1ll yaself.

“Having a breakdown over my dead wife’s letters and wedding dress doesn’t excuse what I did to her.”
—> NO it doesn’t dickhhead. You’re still a vulgar, abominable man repulsive man.

Reviewers said he groveled btw. I think they were high when they read this cuz What grovel? LOL. The only way he would redeem himself is for him to go fuck all the way to his ex’s grave then dry hump the hell out of that gravestone. Then boom! HEA.
They were also raving about the “crawl scene” that moment would’ve been perfect, superb and beautiful if he dived, head first, then choked into horse’s manure.

Whew. I got into this review more than I expected. It’s all right now. This book is a heaping stinky garbage, is all and emotions (mine) are high cuz PMS is a bitch so I became one 🙈

[Grisette · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 stars

And one duet done with! My opinion for this book remains more or less the same as Book 1. It was a very sweet romance that was competently written by NG. Essentially, I connected intellectually to the romance but not on the emotional level. Interestingly, the first chapters (TW: relatives' illness/demise) that did not focus on the romance were very well written emotionally. Probably a me thing, but this feeling did not carry over the romance part.

There was that little spark missing for me to really get the 'feels' (angst) from the romance. Case in point, the reasons Eli clung to so as to not trust Luke: intellectually, I get why his words (scene from Book 1 end) may have cut, but the way that scene was written did not translate as deeply cutting as the hurt Eli felt would suggest. It felt imbalanced. And the sex scenes, though hot, felt like too many by the end. But apart from that, both Eli and Luke were likeable characters (and Luke does say the most sweet declarations! 😊) and the pace of their relationship development as they came back together was well done. All in all, it was a decent book, with a good take on the widower trope.


My review for Book 1: here

[BookishRaquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

My Star Rating: 5/5 ⭐
My Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️

What to Expect:
- Small Town Romance
- Second Chance Romance
- Age Gap
- Close Proximity
- One Bed
- No Third Act Breakup

Welcome back to Hartstone Ranch! Be prepared for an emotional roller coaster 😩

Book 1 (Promise Me Never) ended on a cliffhanger, so I was excited to read this book. The story picks up three years later. Eli has been living in LA and is now engaged to Brandon (or is it Bobby, Barney, Bernie, or Billy? IYKYK 🤣). After receiving awful news, Eli returns to her grandparents' ranch in Colorado. Seeing Luke again after walking away three years ago is certainly not something Eli looks forward to. What Eli doesn't know is that Luke regrets breaking her heart and will do what is necessary to win back her love.

Promise Me Never broke my heart into pieces. Promise You Forever broke my heart a little more, but thankfully put every piece back together. Luke and Eli's love story is beautiful. Luke makes me want to move to a ranch and find a cowboy. I love a man who prioritizes healing and does the work to be his best self. Luke and Eli's connection is genuine, organic, and strong. There is no denying they are meant to be together. I loved how they put all their cards on the table and fought hard for their happy ending. This was an emotional ride and a great ending to the Promises Duet.

Thanks to Nichole Greene for the e-ARC.

[Tori Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most perfect way to finish off this duet 🥹

I was dying for 2 months waiting for this book. I remember reading book 1 and I just KEPT CLICKING for the next page and nothing came.

I’m not sure what I anticipated… I had a lot of theories. But this book really was so great to me because the MMC went through a few years of massive healing and it was like reading a new character. Our grumpy cowboy who said things that made our hearts drop into our stomachs has changed… and through therapy 🥹🥹🥹

I loved every second. I loved them learning their new dynamic together. I loved his unapologetic actions. I loved everything about them.

Eli being on that ranch was just meant to be… no doubt about it. She didn’t belong anywhere else in the world.

The epilogue had me sobbing. I love happy endings where you find out who everyone ends up with. 😭

4.5⭐️ | 3🌶️

A huge thank you to Nichole and the Author Agency for the ARC to read and review. 🫶🏻

[Van]

DNF
Sorry but I didn’t enjoy any page… sorry
No grovel, too much of a jerk and a childish woman
He did nothing to get her back, nothing
I like my heroines angry and she has every right to be angry, he was really cruel and hurtful to her Three Years ago!!!
Honestly I’m really disappointed because I never read a cliffhanger book but I made an exception with this duet because the good grovel was promised!
I’m sorry and I wish the author the best because is new but there’s no grovel at 50% of the book
I hate when she is the one who come back, a funeral is always convenient but after that the weeks pass and he does nothing to have her again

[Bailey (Myveinsbleedink) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! I’ve waited on bated breath for the finale of this duet and Nichole did not disappoint.
One thing our author knows how to do is suck you dry emotionally but my goodness does she know how to make everything peachy again.
I love love love the MCs in this book. Luke develops so much as a character that you can’t help but love everything about him, even his broken pieces. Eli…what can I say I’m jealous she gets Luke ha!
The story is well crafted and put together. The supporting characters fit in perfectly and are fun to read about where they’ve ended up in their lives as well.
This storyline is not even in the same league emotionally as the first book. I was destroyed after book 1. Book 2 played with my heart but I still carried so much hope that it didn’t leave me a complete sobbing mess.
This duet will go down as one of my favs and I can’t wait for what Nichole rips my heart out with next. 🩷🩷🩷

[Bryanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful ending to this duet!

This will go down as one of my favorite romantic duets of all time!

The perfect balance fun, spicy and heartwarming!

For additional information, see my review for part 1.

[Megan Coggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️
Alright what a solid end to this duet.

Happy to report:
-FMC was not a complete doormat and grew up with the time apart
-MMC put in the work and did some groveling

If you like messy books about cowboys and ranches, this may just be for you.

Keeping this review short and simple.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺. 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲.”

A lot can change in 3 years & that's right where we pick back up with Eli and Luke. They're the same people but changed in so many positive ways.

Eli finished school and set out into her professional career. Not a spoiler, but she is now engaged (I won't tell you to who). When she receives terrible news from her grandparents ranch, she's immediately on the private jet back to Colorado. She's hit with a lot of emotionally charged information, but Luke is there, ready to be all she needs while also respecting the hurt he put her through.

Luke has put it the work. When I say work, I mean clearly intense (and needed) therapy for the loss he suffered. This was one of my favorite parts of the book honestly, seeing how emotionally healthy he is now. He did it for himself, Eli and to honor his late wife. I've said it before, men in therapy is sexy! Crawling is also VERY sexy, IYKYK 😉

“𝐈’𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬. 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧.”

Watching this couple work through the issues, challenges and ommissions (Luke!!) in an effective way let you know Eli never stopped loving him and he always loved her. Sometimes, you just take the long way to get there. Another beautiful part was dinner with her parents. Talk about the long way, but they seemed genuine & I love that for Eli and their relationship.

This book was the perfect ending to a beautiful and flawed love story. We all deserve to be loved wildly despite our flaws. The epilogues were everything I didn't know I needed & I DEMAND Amber's story (asking nicely).🫶🏽

[Stephanie Hubenak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it possible to actually LIVE inside a fictional world? Because, if so, I wanna live here. When Promise Me Never ended the way it did...criminal honestly...I didn't know what to do with myself. So, I did what I normally do...I took it upon myself to force Nichole to be my friend and then constantly asked her when she was going to fix it. ;)

But let me tell you, Luke and Eli were WORTH THE WAIT! I loved every single second of this book and am truly just sad that it's over. The way that they found their way back to each other, albeit sad, was just breath taking to watch. The LOVE that they still had for each other was absolute perfection.

I've always gravitated toward emotionally damaging reads. I LOVE to cry...I want to FEEL when I'm reading. And this one? This one checked all the boxes.

Nichole is truly beyond talented and not only have a demanded she remain my friend, but I will aggressively shove her books at everyone who even looks in my direction. This duet is absolute perfection. I am obsessed. So...go. read. it. now.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Promises Duet books is probably the best I’ve read so far this year. I mean it’s only April but yes so far this duet blew me away. I hate cliffhangers so I waited patiently for Promise You forever to be released so I could read both books.

When it comes to losing a spouse I’m always sketchy on how it’ll be. If the FMC is always going to feel second best…it really depends on what direction the author takes it and Nichole did it perfectly. In promise me never we get the infuriating, closed off Luke. Still stuck on his guilt and grief from losing his wife even if it’s been a long time. We read about him struggling to give into his feelings for Eli and not feel like he’s betraying his dead wife. He fucks up at the end and breaks Eli’s heart. Now in the second book, he’s changed, they both have. Eli isn’t as naive as before, she’s put up walls to protect herself and refuses to acknowledge what happened between her and Luke 3 years ago. Luke has been going through therapy after hurting Eli. He knew if he ever were to get a second chance with Eli he needed to let the guilt and grief not consume him. He was amazing and patient with her in the second book, he wanted her to see the changes in him and hopefully decide to give him a second chance.

Nichole did a beautiful job having Luke describe the difference between his love for his dead wife Amy and his love for Eli. With Amy their love was comfortable and familiar because they grew up together, with Eli it’s deep and he pretty much aches for her when she’s not with him. I fucking loved this duet 😄

[Heather Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! This was a great ending to an amazing duet. To say I definitely love this duet is an understatement!

In this book, you find it's been three years since Eli moved back to finish college. Eli comes back to Colorado due to some heartbreaking news. She also runs into her summer fling, Luke. While Eli has supposed moved on, has a fiance. Luke has not and still loves her.

I loved how during the time they were apart, Luke went to therapy regularly to work through his trauma and emotions. He's definitely grown to be a better man.

Eli realizes while she's back at her grandparents ranch that she's where she is supposed to be. And that her fiance is not the man for her and breaks it off with him.

I love how Luke works on gaining Eli's trust and love after breaking her heart at the end of book one.

There's definitely strong emotions in this book that brought tears to my eyes. I also felt love and laughter. And the spice was on point! I truly love these characters and was so so happy to see Luke and Eli get their HEA!!!

I definitely recommend this duet!!

[MarissaIsBooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly I’m glad I read these back to back and didn’t have to wait in between books. Book 1 ends with such a punch to the gut, I immediately had to start book 2.

I went into this needing to see a LOT of groveling and remorse from Luke, and honestly I got what I wanted. However, I’m confused on what his plan was if the tragedy hadn’t brought Eli back to Colorado? Yes, he did the work to get himself mentally healthy and make it so he’s a man worthy of Eli. Yes, he provided himself to her. But outside of that, there wasn’t anything to indicate he was planning to fight for her if she hadn’t had to suddenly come back to Colorado? Idk, maybe I’m overthinking things.

Outside of that, the chemistry between Eli and Luke was great and I’m happy he was able to redeem himself.

Highlights:
- Romance: MF
- Second chance romance
- Small town
- Cowboy/rancher
- Life after loss

Check TWs/CWs inside book before reading as there are a number of heavy topics discussed.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

For the most part, I liked this second half of Luke and Eli’s story. He ripped her heart out at the end of the first book and I really needed to see him redeem himself. This review may contain SPOILERS….

This book takes place three years later after he finally gets therapy and deals with his grief over his wife’s death. Eli is begrudgingly engaged to someone she doesn’t really love. She comes back the ranch because her grandma died. Luke decides he’s going to do everything he can to get her back.

I know some readers didn’t think he groveled enough, but I thought he groveled the entire book—it was definitely enough for me. What I liked most was that even though in the first book, it seemed like Luke would never get over his wife’s death, it turns out he loved/loves Eli even more intensely than Amy(his late wife) and that was the reason for the massive guilt he felt. But I do admit that what he said to her at the end of the first book was almost irredeemable.

Eli held her ground for the most part, but Luke was able to slowly chip away at her walls. I felt it was well done.

Now I need to preface what I’m about to say with the fact that I do NOT read clean romances. I have to have spice in my books. But the sex scenes in this book were almost too much for me. There were so many sex scenes and it just stole some of the emotion and intimacy for me.

The main thing that bothered me though was after he got therapy, why did he never go after Eli???? If she never came back the ranch, he would have never seen her again. That part almost ruins this book for me. The epilogue was excellent and satisfying though.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Luke and Eli's journey evolved.

They both needed time. He needed to grieve properly. She needed to live life away from his toxic behavior.

I did not expect to have tears in my eyes reading their story, but I did. Multiple times. Some from sadness but most from joy. Getting to watch them fight for what they wanted both separately and together was beautiful.

I still can't believe she was that close to ending up with Brandon. 🤢 I was beyond happy when she finally kicked that bodyshaming, irritating manchild to the curb. I'm happy she wasn't a doormat. Did she melt for Luke? Yes. But he did grovel, and he did make up for his past mistakes, so I'm okay with it.

Luke and Eli will forever be living at the ranch enjoying each other and their children in my mind. 🥰❤️

[Danes_booksta · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

YOU GUYS! I don’t even have words. But…The love. The heartbreak. The anguish. The tears i shed. The hearts in my eyes. The swoony feelings i had. Nichole definitely ended this duet perfectly.

At the end of promise me never, i literally wanted to both slap and hug Luke. I knew he was hurting and trying to protect himself but it happened at the expense of hurting Eli in the worst way, by breaking her heart. But Luke! Oh sweet and sexy Luke. He definitely made up for it in this book. Plus, I love a man who acknowledges that he needs help. And going to therapy? Yes please! He became the most emotionally available man and a freaking catch.

Eli had her reservations with Luke and it was completely understandable. She needed to gain back trust when it came to him. And with everything that’s happening in her life…she was so strong and determined to make her life hers.

She was dealt such a crap hand all at once, but she powered through with so much grace and eventually realized that Luke was genuine and just wanted to be there for her.

The way this book was written, was done so well. The dementia, which is such a sensitive subject was handled with such care. It’s such a hard thing to navigate in life and Nichole wrote it wonderfully.

I loved the friends turned family in the book as well. Seeing them love and support each other is one of my favorite things in books. I love a good found family.

And the passion between these two could set fire to the wettest surfaces. Yes please 🔥

I definitely recommend these books. They are so good.




*I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review, it in no way swayed my reading.!

[Yames Bond · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 🍭🍭

Exactly what I was fearing. A book that was unnecessary to tell the story of this couple.
I skimmed thought a lot of the book.

The characters seemed completely different from what I read. She was way more immature. He was now saying his first wife, who died, was puppy love and not the real suffocating love even though he was in denial for 8 years…

It just seemed as if everyone has a personality transplant 🙄

What could have been a great book, everything in a standalone became eye rolling with the second part

[A.D. McCammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wasn’t worthy of her three years ago, but I’m not letting that stop me now.”

Did I devour this book? Yes, yes I did. I’ve been waiting to see Luke make things right with Eli. And she didn’t make it easy on him either. There may or may not have been some crawling and begging involved.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't give him a second chance after what he said to me.

[Cindy Fong · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I thought you were going to drop me.” ~ Eli
“The only place I’ll ever let you fall is back in love with me.”~Luke

Swoon. Eli and Luke get their HEA but it is hard won. Luke broke Eli on her 21st birthday. Now they are different people. When death brings Eli back to the ranch, back to Luke, it was only a matter of time before they couldn't resist the pull. This story was full of all the emotions and high heat. This story was fun to read with a satisfying HEA.

[VoraciousReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

1. “I don’t have the stomach for hurting the women I love”. I call bull$hit. This was at least the third time Luke lashed out and deliberately hurt Eli.
2. Paul had dementia; he was bad enough that he had to have a nurse during the day and Luke had to move into the house to take care of him at night. However, they expected Paul to be able to remember to take his meds on his own???
3. After the way Luke hurt Eli, all she could think about when she saw him was how hot he was. When will authors understand how much readers hate BBS?
4. I’m at 35% and Luke hasn’t even made the slightest attempt to apologize to Eli or try to do anything to earn her forgiveness. All he has done is smirk and make sexual innuendos and tell her how much he is going to enjoy making her beg for him. 🤬🤬🤬
5. Luke spent all that time in therapy yet never made a single effort to talk to Eli, apologize to her or earn her forgiveness. The only reason that he ever saw her again was that she had to come home when her grandmother died.
6. The author is completely rewriting what happened in the first book. Amy has gone from being the love of Luke’s life to nothing but “puppy love” and “teenage lust” with Luke saying, “I’m not sure we would have lasted”.
I’m out. DNF

[Elyvia (eliv_bookstagram) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑
𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙳𝚞𝚎𝚝 #𝟸
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
ꜱᴘɪᴄᴇ: 🌶️🌶️���️

⁀➷ “The only place I’ll ever let you fall is back in love with me.”

💚𝚂𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚃𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚁𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
☀️𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚡 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕
💚𝙶𝚛𝚞𝚖𝚙𝚢/𝚂𝚞𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎
☀️𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘/𝚅𝚒𝚛𝚐𝚒𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚎
💚𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎
☀️𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘

💓𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲: 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗮𝗺☀️

Promise You Forever is the second book of the Promises Duet, the book begins 3 years after Luke broke her heart, and she goes back to the city. I picked this up and didn’t know that this was a duet, but surprisingly, I was not completely lost. There’s no flashback, but I get the context from their conversation on what happened in book 1. I love Second Chance romance, and this book is a good example of how Second Chance should be written. There’s got to be a valid reason for their initial break-up and real work done by them to change.

⁀➷ “Do I need to beg? I will. There is nothing I won’t do for you.”

Luke was grieving and blamed himself for ever thinking to move on from his deceased wife, but he went to therapy during their separation, so he could be the man that Eli deserved. He’s determined to do everything to get Eli back, even when she comes home with an engagement ring on her finger. I LOVE Luke to death, his grovel? Top-notch, the man CRAWL for Godsake, there’s no way Eli stands a chance. But I love Eli too, cause as much as Luke begs her, she didnt give in right away. Also, the way she kicks off her jerk of ex-fiance? Yes QUEEN!

⁀➷ “You know what, Luke? Sure. Crawl over to me.”
And crawl to her he did🥵

Initially, I wanted to read the first book, since I liked this one so much. BUT, I can feel that book will rip my heart apart, so I’m good for now. I have everything I need to know to be able to enjoy this book, but you should read the first book before this, don’t be like me🤭
I’m glad I picked this book, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. Highly recommend it for fans of small-town romance!

🅆🄷🄰🅃 🅈🄾🅄 🄶🄴🅃 🄸🄽 🅃🄷🄸🅂 🄱🄾🄾🄺:
✅𝙲𝚘𝚠𝚋𝚘𝚢 & 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝙶𝚒𝚛𝚕
✅𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝙰𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜
✅𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚘 𝙼𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝
✅𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝙷𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝙴𝚗𝚐𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 💍
✅𝙷𝚎 𝙶𝚛𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕 & 𝙲𝚛𝚊𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍! 🥵
✅𝙱𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚐𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏
✅𝙽𝚘 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝙰𝚌𝚝 𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚞𝚙

⚠️𝗖𝗪/𝗧𝗪/𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀⚠️
- Grief
- Fatshaming
- Toxic relationship
- Character with dementia

[Books and Debauchery · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Forgiveness isn’t mine to ask for. It’s yours to give when you’re ready. Just know that I am not going anywhere.”

Promise You Forever by Nicole Greene is book 2 in a spicy small town romance duet (book 1 is Promise Me Never). I loved book 1 and while the ending ripped my heart out, I didn’t hate Luke because I understood where he was coming from and knew with the right steps he could redeem himself. So I was super excited to get an early copy of book 2 to see how he did, and man did he do good!

Eli and Luke haven’t seen each other for 3 years since their summer fling ended after unresolved grief/guilt over his wife’s death sends him spiraling and lashing out at Eli. But a family tragedy has Eli packing her bags to return to her grandparents ranch and work with Luke. Despite the time and ring on her finger (her fiancé is a tool and he doesn’t last long), it’s obvious that they’re destined to be. 3 years is a long time but book 1 made it clear Luke had some deep rooted issues and 3 years is a good amount of time to make real progress on them.

Luke healing was one of my favorite parts - this man went to therapy for years, fixed his issues, crawled to her, and was patient but also persistent in trying to win her back while respecting her boundaries and validating that he deserved every bit of pushback she gave him. And Eli defintiely didn’t cave easy - she’s still attracted to him and cares for him, but she is reisistsnt to really giving him another chance and he has to earn it. In the three years apart, Eli really grew into her own and gained a lot of strength.

Their love is really incredible and it’s exactly why I love second chance romance. Sometimes a relationship doesn’t work out because you’re not ready for it and aren’t healed enough to be the partner the other person needs but that can be fixed with time + effort on yourself. I love this duet so much - the character development, spice, angst, and tension is incredible.

[Cat Nunez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading Eli and Luke's second book and seeing what would happen between them after three years of not seeing each other. Eli had to go back to her grandparents' ranch after her grandmother died, so she had to see Luke again after things ended abruptly because of him. Eli was now engaged, but her fiancé wasn't pleasant, so after finding out about her grandfather's health, she decided to stay at the ranch and break things off with him.

Luke regretted hurting Eli, so he went to therapy to get help and be the man worthy of Eli's love. Their first interactions were a bit tense, but Luke was determined to show Eli that he had changed and had never forgotten her and the moments they had shared in the past. Eli had a lot on her plate, taking care of the ranch and her grandfather's health, and although she wanted to be away from Luke, she knew she needed all the help she could get to figure out what to do with her new responsibilities.

Eli and Luke started working together, so they spent most of their time with each other. Although Eli was still hurt by Luke's actions in the past, she couldn't deny that their attraction was still there, especially when Luke was always there for her. It took them a while to finally talk things through, but in the end, Eli knew her love for Luke was too strong to keep him away, so they opened up about their feelings and gave their relationship a second chance.

This book was also an easy read, and thanks to the cliffhanger in the previous book, I was dying to know how Eli and Luke's story would end, so I devoured it in less than a day. I loved how Eli finally had a better relationship with her parents and how she and Luke made their dreams of starting a family come true. It was nice to read the epilogue and see them with their kids, surrounded by their family and friends, but most of all, with each other.

[Only.ever.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
✨Promise You Forever✨
Promises Duet #2

By Nichole Greene

⭐ 5/5 ❤️ 5/5 🌶️5/5

✨ Small Town Romance
✨ Second Chance
✨ Forced Proximity

Such a wonderful love story

Luke
A man determined to get a second chance and his girl

Eliana
A girl who doesn't know if she can get over her broken heart

”...If you ever grant me another chance, I will dedicate myself to making it up to you.”

A highly anticipated conclusion to this duet and a story which has all the feels.
Eli´s life is full of hurt, tragedy and loss at the start. Her Grams just died, her Gramps is sick, she sticks in a love-lacking relationship and has to go back to where she got her heart broken three years ago.
Determined to get her facade up and let nobody see how she really feels she comes back and is confronted with Luke right away.
Luke knew he made a mistake these years ago, and the hurt he inflicted in Eli. It took a lot of work to be at the place where he is today with himself.
Determined to make it up to Eli and get her to give him a second chance. No matter what or how long that will take.
Their journey is a long process of groveling, explaining, excuses and hurts. Going back to the past and navigating in the present at the same time.
While they have to make heavy decisions with the ranch and her sick Grandpa, Eli has to think of her actual relationship too.
Attraction and chemistry is and were never their problem. Trust, honesty and love are the issues.
A long and rocky way spiked with obstacles and tears lays ahead of Luke and Eli. They take us with them through every step of their way to the ultimate happy end and an epilogue that makes one sigh and cry at the same.
I liked the characters and side characters and how they grew throughout the story even more than they did in the meantime between book one and two.
There was no overwhelming drama or unnecessary plots. The whole story spoke for itself in a perfectly second chance romance with two broken hearts meant to beat together as one.

[Alaina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed book 1, but this one fell flat for me. I didn’t expect a 3 year time jump where neither of them reached out, I felt like the whole conflict could’ve (and should’ve) been resolved much sooner, and I just felt like there was a lot going on yet I didn’t feel an emotional connection to any of it.

I didn’t really like Eli in this book despite liking her in the first one. I was interested in the situation with her grandparents and looked forward to exploring the family’s emotional journey throughout the story. However, so many chapters focused on her crying and it just didn’t feel emotional, but it began to feel repetitive.

For the most part, the writing felt mechanical and spelled everything out instead of showing the reader in an organic way. I noticed this a lot when there was a character being painted as a villain (like Brandon and Eli’s parents); they often explicitly made a comment that was so over the top rude and out of pocket that it didn’t even feel natural. Even Luke’s behavior felt unrealistic and honestly cringe-worthy at times (the crawling?). Chapters often ended abruptly which made the book feel stilted in a way.

Finally, although Brandon sucked, Eli pretended she was fully clear about breaking up with him for good when really she just rod him she needed a break and then proceeded to pursue a sexual relationship with Luke. I didn’t care much about this, but I’m not sure why she was engaged to Brandon in the first place if she was clear from the start that she wasn’t going to marry him. It didn’t add a lick of angst.

Full disclosure, I started skimming at the 65% mark. I would give this 1.5-2 ⭐️ mostly for the setting and side characters.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW- PROMISE YOU FOREVER

Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
____________________
🩵Second Chance Romance
🩵Age Gap
🩵Forced Proximity
🩵Only One Bed
🩵THE GROVELING
_____________________

Thanks to Nichole Greene and The Author Agency for the ARC! I received an advance copy of the book and am leaving an honest review. All opinions are my own. 
_______________________
Nichole! Girl what did I just read??! I was absolutely FERAL for the conclusion of the Promises Duet and couldn’t believe you left me like that on a cliffhanger! This did not disappoint and I loved every page!

This is the second story in the Promises duet, picking up THREE. F*CKING. YEARS. later. At first, I was NOT okay with this. It follows Eli, who left her grandparents ranch three years previously after being devastated by Luke, the ranch hand/manager who flat out did not deal with his wife’s death 8 years previously.

Oh Luke, you had some MAJOR grovelling to do. I didn’t know if I could get over it. But he had grown so much in three years and was so much more in touch with his emotions and feelings (yay therapy)! I knew it was going to take a lot for Eli to forgive him.

Eli, girl, I get that he hurt you. But getting ENGAGED to that total douche? Not a good look. I’m glad she made Luke work for her, work at getting her back. The journey back to each other was a tough one, but it was so satisfying to read.

Y’all NEED this duet in your life!! I can’t praise it enough and it got me hooked from page one, both stories! Luke Stone is certified FRESH COWBOY and book boyfriend material.

[Misty (Reds Romance Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three years ago he shattered her heart into a million pieces and she's worked hard to put it back together... without his help. When she left for Los Angeles it was with the intent to never return to the family ranch, but life has a funny way of forcing you to do things you don't want to. Now she is about to face Luke again, but this time she is prepared... or is she?

Promise You Forever brings us back into the lives of Luke and Eli and it doesn't take long to remember that things ended in heartbreaking fashion the last time we were with them. Luke said things back then that completely broke every hope Eli had of them having a happily ever after, so she made the choice to leave. Her new life is treating her well, she's engaged to someone else, and found her happiness... or so she thinks.

Between the pages of this book you will find a beautiful love story, one that will hurt a little before it brings joy, but I guarantee your heart will find it's happy in the end. This book was a redemption book for me, after the first go with this couple I was certain Luke would never work his way into my good graces, but I have to admit that he surprised me. You just have to give him a chance to make things right first, and do a lot of groveling of course. I really enjoyed this one, it had all the things needed to leave my heart happy... and then some! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by the author in return for an honest review.

I WAS WAITING. And it was worth all of the waiting. I like nothing more than hating a fictional man and then having him work hard to be utterly redeemed. Luke Stone gets redemption and it's going to melt your heart.

A bit of time has passed and Eli has made questionable decisions in the name of protecting herself - and when tragedy occurs she has to go back to the one place she'd been avoiding: her grandparent's ranch. She knows its time to confront Luke and at least put on the show that he didn't break her.

At least Luke knows better. He knows what he did, and he never for a second tries to justify. Ya boy has done a lot of work in the intervening years, stepped up where he needed to, and confronted all of the emotional hurricane that was going on inside his head. It's Eli or nothing for him this time.

For a book that made me cry multiple times, it also made me laugh. The way they rebuild their relationship, falling into old habits, and establishing new ones, feels so safe and soothing even as struggles are going on around them. Luke gets chances to prove himself, and Eli gets opportunities to prove she is as strong as she thinks she is. That she can do things on her own.

Some of the storylines didn't wrap up the way I thought they would, for the better, and others we needed to be in a mafia book so a hit could be taken out. I was surprised and felt like I was in a familiar place at the same time, and that's the best kind of romance to me.

There's a lot more confidence in Eli during their spicy scenes and flirting this time, and I LOVED it. You're screaming at them to bang it out and are delighted when they finally do.

This was so swoony, and I forgive Luke entirely for all the stupid things he said.

[Soph · Rating 4 out of 5]

★★★★. Thank you so much to the author agency for this arc!!

A beautiful end to a tragic ending in the first book. Nichole came through with this duet with all pain, angst and happiness. I loved all the characters and how the story progressed. I have a guilty pleasure for the dead wife trope and Nichole threw in my favorite trope, second chance, so there was no way I wouldn’t love this book.

Eli was so strong. She came back after three years to horrible news and the news just kept getting worse as the days went on. I truly felt so bad for her, but I love show strong she was through it all. She didn’t take back Luke right away which I loved, however I do wish she made him grovel just a bit more considering how he treated her the last time.

Now for Luke. I liked him, I did. I loved his growth and how he went to therapy to help himself with the grieving process. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he loved Eli and she wasn’t at all a second choice. Him explaining the different types of love he had for Amy and Eli was what we needed. Again, I do wish there was more groveling but now thinking back it was more or so him just being there and being emotionally and mentally ready for her.

“Forever.” I watch her brows scrunch together as the weight of the word sinks in. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about my life before you, during you, and the future I want. There’s no one else I want forever with.”