Promise Me

by Kelly Walker

Self-professed Harry Potter addict and math genius River Jacobsen can count on one hand the people who matter in her life. Really, it’s just Dean, the boy who loves her despite her odd habit of counting everything around her when she needs to quiet her mind. When Dean promises her forever she never imagines it will be a lie. After Marine hacker Ian Maclean is mistakenly declared dead by the US government, he’s happy to correct them the moment he escapes captivity. He wants nothing more than to get home to the wife he left behind. Discovering she’s been cheating on him since the moment he deployed wasn’t in the plan. Devastated, he walks away from everything, even his name. With the futures they were counting on destroyed, Ian and River find themselves starting over. Ian reminds River of things she’d much rather forget, but pushing him away is harder than she expected. Ian wants a second chance at happily ever after, but the more he gets to know River, the more he worries she isn’t trying to figure out how to live again, she’s figuring out how to die.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary

560 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 23, 2018

About the author

Kelly Walker is a YA and NA author of several romantic titles, including the Souls of the Stones series. She has an unhealthy appreciation for chocolate, and a soft spot for rescued animals. Her best lessons on writing came from a lifetime of reading. She loves the fantastical, and the magical, and believes a captivating romance can be the most realistic magic of all. Kelly, her husband and her two children share their Virginia home with three dogs who walk her, and two cats who permit her to occasionally share their couch.

**A Kind Request** If you want to send me a message about one of my books, please do it through facebook or email. I don't check my GoodReads messages often and messages get lost beneath group messages.**

Reviews

[Bex (Beckie Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟🌟🌟🌟STARS.
So I didn't realise "Promise Me" by Kelly Walker was from an ongoing series and I think if I had read the others in this series then I would have liked this a lot more.
Saying that in my opinion this can be read as a stand-alone, I just think overall you would be more invested if you had some insight into the world this is actually set in.
For me, I struggled with the first 4o% of this, which I found extremely slow after this mark things did pick up and I raced through the rest.
I Ummed and awwed between a three and four rating, but eventually went with the four as this is so well written and it explored the mental health aspect of things so sensitively and I feel my disconnect came from not being invested in this series because of lack of previous exposure.
"Promise me" basically tells the tale of two emotionally damaged individuals.
River Jacobsen who is hiding and existing after losing the husband she adored and Marine hacker Ian Maclean, who is starting over after being captured and mistakenly declared dead by the government and then returning home to find a cheating spouse.
While just trying to survive life a friendship and later tentative feelings first with Ian and then later with River develop between the two.
But with Rivers emotional issues especially, and Ian knowing she needs real help, well let's just say it's not the greatest start to a fledgeling new relationship.
So both River and Ian were extremely likeable characters and as I said previously this is well written and the story flowed well.
"Promise me" also tackled some very big issues that it managed to excel in.
It was refreshing to see the topic of mental illness portrayed and explored so well fictionally.
So, in conclusion, this for me was a good read that I found did have a slow start, but it managed to pick itself up along the way.
So yeh give it a go.
NetGalley provided me with an ARC of Promise Me by Kelly Walker of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own

Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/.
www.beckiebookworm.com.

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can totally see how much heart, sweat, tears and effort the author put into writing this book. Which is why I feel so bad for not giving a higher rating.
But there were just too many things that bugged me.

Take the female lead, for example. I'm aware that River was grieving. She was depressed, struggling with anxiety, loneliness and immense sorrow. Of course she's overly emotional, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that she would lose her shit every once in a while. Except that "every once in a while" turned out to be practically every freaking chapter. I feel like there isn't one single chapter in her POV where she doesn't tear up, sob, scream, snap or make some other kind of scene, hiding, running or pushing away the people that show concern for her.

Then there was the way people kept dealing with her issues. Her mental lability and self-destructive, sometimes borderline suicidal behavior must have been obvious for anyone interacting with her, yet the first time someone ever mentioned getting professional help was about the 90% mark and all people, Ian in particular, kept doing was to hug her and let her cry all night.

Speaking of which, another thing I found myself struggling with was the perfection that was Ian Maclean. In the first few chapters, Ian seemed like a guy lacking people skills, more in tune with computers than actual living creatures, while later on he proved he was actually very intuitive and a great judge of character. He was an intriguing hero and there even was a stretch somewhere around the halfway mark when I was certain I'd found myself my new favorite book boyfriend. From then on, though, my infatuation with him dwindled rapidly.
There is such a thing as "too perfect". As in perfectly kind, perfectly sexy, perfectly protective, perfectly generous, and of course, perfect in bed. He always knew the perfect thing to do and say, and I soon ended up repeatedly rolling my eyes at him.

By the way... How old were the characters supposed to be anyway? Either I'm blind or there really wasn't any mention of their age. For all I know they could've been in their twenties or in their thirties.. hell, even in their fourties if it weren't for a few timeline inconsistencies. The labeling as New Adult suggests twenty-something?

Also, I feel like this wasn't planned to be released as a standalone, but rather as part of a series. A look into Kelly Walker's published works confirmed that quite a few of the featured secondary characters already have their own books. The issue I had with that is that some of these characters had their own little side plot going on (like weddings and adoptions and strange half siblings appearing out of nowhere), yet the author failed to properly introduce them to me. I feel like I was supposed to know all about them anyway, which I didn't, so it was rather tedious to read through those bits. I really didn't care for either of them, and I kept mixing up their names.

Okay. All that being said, if you're looking for a very emotional read, one that deals with serious topics such as depression, anxiety and PTSD, you might want to check this one out. It had a nice flow (despite its considerable length I devoured it within a day), the writing was beautiful (kudos for that) and I can totally see myself enjoying another book by this author, one that isn't quite as draining as this one.
I'll be keeping my eyes peeled.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dee/ bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

#PromiseMe #NetGalley

publisher synopsis: Self-professed Harry Potter addict and math genius River Jacobsen can count on one hand the people who matter in her life. Really, it's just Dean, the boy who loves her despite her odd habit of counting everything around her when she needs to quiet her mind. When Dean promises her forever she never imagines it will be a lie.

After Marine hacker Ian Maclean is mistakenly declared dead by the US government, he's happy to correct them the moment he escapes captivity. He wants nothing more than to get home to the wife he left behind. Discovering she's been cheating on him since the moment he deployed wasn't in the plan. Devastated, he walks away from everything, even his name.

With the futures they were counting on destroyed, Ian and River find themselves starting over. Ian reminds River of things she'd much rather forget, but pushing him away is harder than she expected. Ian wants a second chance at happily ever after, but the more he gets to know River, the more he worries she isn't trying to figure out how to live again, she's figuring out how to die.

This book takes you on an emotional roller coaster, but in the end you love the book and its characters. Ian and River are both damaged, but maybe just maybe they understand the pain they are each going through better than the others around them. Like calls to like.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

River & Ian's story is a heartbreaking, beautiful journey. They will make you cry and laugh out loud and want to give out hugs to all your loved ones.

This can absolutely be read as a stand alone, but if you've read the Chadwell Hearts series, I would suggest a refresher before going into this one. All the books in that series take place around the same time frame, as does this one, and it's nice to see all the different angles.

I loved the pacing & way this story is told - the writing is beautiful & the impact feels important. Definitely a recommendation and joins the Chadwell stories as a favorite on my shelf!! : )

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

To say that River has hit a rough patch is putting it lightly.  River has run away from her hometown, her family, and most of all, her memories.  She gets by through working at a bar in a small town that she ran into during her escape.  But she gets stuck in a vicious cycle of self-abuse.  Until Ian walked in and changed everything.

Ian is only in this small town for a security job for a buddy.  He's called "Ghost" because you don't see him but he sees you and everything you do.  If you've got something to hide, he'll find it.  If you've got a security issue, he'll fix it.  What he doesn't know is how to fix someone and their insecurity.

This book is full of emotion! It is a seesaw with the extreme sorrow, anger, and grief on the one end and joy, progress, and hope on the other.  It does seem very apparent that the author did a lot of research on mental illness, cyber safety, and grief.  I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy emotional highs and lows in a plot.  I would also recommend this book for readers who enjoy swooning over a very protective and strong (yet sensitive) hero as we certainly get that with Ian. 

The story alternates between River and Ian's respective perspectives.  I wish I could say differently but I honestly didn't care for River.  I didn't like how she physically attacked Ian when she was angry, how she was quick to either have a violent outburst or run away.  I also didn't like how every situation got turned around to how she felt that no one thought about her.  However, I will say that I do appreciate the author's intention on focusing on mental health struggles people can have through developing a character like River.  

Another negative that I had about the book was that there were some pieces that didn't seem to fit right.  The first piece that did not fit is River's Harry Potter obsession.  In the summary of the book it claims that she is a "self-professed Harry Potter addict" but it does not really come up until River, more than halfway into the book, is letting her guard down instead of combating her feelings for Ian.  **Spoiler Alert** Then she and Ian have one conversation about the relationship of Snape and Lily at the end of one chapter and immediately afterwards the next chapter begins with River stating that she's falling in love with Ian.  Because of one conversation?  It just kind of felt rushed and out of place, in my opinion**Spoiler Alert**. 

The second piece that didn't fit was that I found a lot of the character's names to be confusing as they went from their last names to nicknames.  I was not aware until after wards that this book references characters in Kelly Walker's Chadwell Hearts series.  This book is a standalone book that seems to be more of a bonus book to the series.   However, maybe reading the other books in the series would have better prepared me to follow along with the sudden name changes.  The most confusing was Ian's.  Towards the end it comes out that his name is not actually Ian, so she's supposed to call him "Ghost" unless she's mad at him.  But she alternates from Ian to Ghost at random, regardless of her level of emotion, and so it got kind of confusing. 

I would not recommend this book for those who may be triggered or sensitive to these topics: grief, mental illness, violence, sexually explicit scenarios, foul language, miscarriage, murder, child sex slavery, alcohol abuse, and suicidal thoughts.

Please note: An electronic copy of this book was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Promise Me was a nice read. The characters and storyline were very intriguing and I was interested to see how it would all play out. If you have read The Chadwell series before then this book is a great one to read. The timelines overlap so we get a different take on situations we’ve previously seen and more insight.

River and Ian were very complex characters with complicated backstories. Their story was heartbreaking but also uplifting at times. I felt for River. She was so broken after a tragedy, living but not really alive. However there was a spark when it came to Ian. Ian, who also has suffered a devastation, gravitates towards River. Reading about the battles of wills and the push-and-pull was fascinating. Something had to give and when it did, it was beautiful. River and Ian brought the best out of each other. Their story was significant and it was heartfelt to read. I also loved seeing the rest of the Chadwell gang. Overall, Promise Me is a moving story.

[Ashley Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a ARC of this book fo a honest review. This book started out way to slow. It finally got interesting about 30% in. When it finally grabbed my attention, it didn’t let go. This book is about love and lost and how others deal with it. Both main characters have connections to the military, either by joining or having a spouse join. The biggest problem I had with this book was that you learned what she is trying to get over and why she is the way she is, but with him, he kind of seems like a coward. This book had good heart, but it could have been a lot better with just a few more details about Ian. The epilogue kind of summed some of the questions up, but it then it made you question more!! All in all, I would give this book a 4 star!

[Kim]

DNF

I don't know if it is because of the time I started reading it or if it was the story or characters, but I've been trying to keep going with this one and it's impossible for me to finish it. One DNF a year doesn't hurt.

[Marisela M. Chavez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely enjoyed this book.

River and Ian story was everything and more. I absolutely enjoyed every page of this incredible story. I was glad to see past characters and enjoyed all the obstacles both Ian and River had. I absolutely loved the outcome in the end. 💜💜

[Cee · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

DNF @34%

I did try to stick with this one, I swear. Over 30% into a book though, I expect to feel a connection forming with the characters or feel the confusion over events and names slowly fading.

The thing is, it took a while before I even realized some of the names where the same people. Last name is mentioned or first, but for awhile not together. So, when I finally figured out which first and last names went together, I almost felt like restarting the book! Even when I gave up I had a difficult time connected the right people to the right names--most likely because I had assumed they were different people to begin with. So, if full names were used early on, that would have been helpful.

My biggest problem was the romance and how the main characters acted with one another. It seemed to me, in their minds or inner dialogue, the characters were different than when they talked or interacted with one another. This was weird. To be so depressed and then flirt with a guy, then immediately go back to sadness.... I feel this is possible, yes, but it was written in an unbelievable way for me. Also, sleeping in a car with someone you don't trust--barely know?! Yeah, no way. The way the romance was building too, was strange, since they barely talked to one another , especially rare if there is no bad feelings in the talking.

Some of the writing felt awkward to me too. I skipped ahead to an emotional scene which just made me blink and think, "I suppose people might act that way...?"

So, I didn't want to continue on. I think some people might enjoy this and the writing isn't terrible, which is why 2 stars instead of one, but I don't think I'll recommend this often.

[Elena Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*

This is more of a 3.5 star read for me but, it leans a bit more towards 4 stars than 3 so, there we go! Now that, that's cleared up, let's get on to the actual review!

Promise me follows River and Ian, whose paths intertwine under extremely tragic circumstances that bring them together but, have the ability to easily tear them apart. Grief has torn River's life apart and after losing the one person who promised her forever, she can't find the strength to move on. She's barely surviving a life riddled with pain and despair, slowly sinking and ready to drown as the darkness creeps closer. Ian also carries his own demons and has been through things most people wouldn't even have survived. When he meets River, he's inexplicably drawn to the sadness he can clearly see surrounding her entire being. And when Ian is scared of the darkness swallowing River and taking her away from him, he has to make a choice that will either break them apart or make them stronger than they could've ever been otherwise!

First of all, I want to express my appreciation towards Ian. He was amazing, caring and most important of all, loyal! Towards his country, those he loved and of course, River. I don't know if he sets expectations way up high for me, as a reader, in the sense that his personality is basically impossible to come across. He's so understanding and respectful towards River. He gives her space when she needs it and leaves her set her own pace in their relationship. The choice he had to make towards the end of this book was very tough but, he sacrificed River in exchange for her getting better and finding her way back to the light! I really loved that about him and would've definitely fallen for someone like him in real life.

River was also a very strong but, emotionally unstable main character! I was heartbroken over everything she had to go through and got extremely angry at how her parents handled her choices. Her grief can be felt through the pages of this book from the very beginning and I feel like the author did a great job at giving life to her characters through her writing and vivid descriptions! I couldn't relate to her in the way one would expect since, I have never been through something similar but, I could feel my heart break throughout the book and as more of her past came to light. I really enjoyed the fact that, nothing was revealed from the very beginning and the author revealed information about her past slowly and steadily. It wasn't unpredictable in the sense that, I could actually figure out what had happened in River's life and what she had to go through from the beginning of the book but, it didn't affect how the story progressed or how I felt about its development. I wasn't surprised by the facts but, at the same time, I wasn't unaffected by them.

The story is told through both River and Ian's perspectives, which I actually prefer when it comes to these types of books. That way, it's easier to see things through the eyes of the characters involved and identify with them on a deeper level. The only thing that frustrated me was how repetitive thins got at times. It briefly felt like the story dragged a bit during some parts of the book which, wasn't a huge deal but, it definitely affected my reading in general.

I feel like I would've also enjoyed this so much more if there were more flashbacks involved. This particular technique is one of my favorites when it comes to reading or writing because, it can offer vital information to a character's past and what they really went through. Not enough of the characters' pasts were revealed throughout the story and even though we got an image of what really happened to them both, I personally didn't get my closure by the end of the book. Considering that, they played a huge part in how the story progressed and they greatly affected both of them, it was like not enough attention was given to them, as a whole. I sincerely think that, they would've made a huge difference for me because I would've gotten to know River and Ian better through their pasts and would've eventually left everything behind with them!

Overall, Promise Me was a heartbreaking and quick read that broke my heart many times before finally putting it back together! It definitely does get emotional and could be a trigger for some readers so, keep that in mind if you're debating on whether to pick it up or not. It's on the darker side of Contemporary/Romance novels but, I really enjoyed how the characters found the light in each other by the end of it. Lastly, their development was something I was very grateful for because, that can be tricky sometimes when you're dealing with story lines similar to this one!

[Jessie Seymour · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from Netgalley

I gave this book 4 stars. Holy crap this book had an amazing plot. I didn’t want to stop reading once I really got into it.

I have to admit I felt a bit cheated near the end. There was a confrontation I was so looking forward to, but it ended up being very anticlimactic and we never really got to see it happen. I really wish the author had included it.

I also wish that I had been warned that this contained characters from the authors Chadwell Hearts series. I was a bit confused about some of the characters like I was supposed to know all about them already but didn’t. I would have appreciated at least a warning so I could have read those other books first. In a way, it sort of spoiled a lot of what happened in that series, so if you haven’t read that series yet and you plan to, then read them before this one.

I loved River. I could relate to River. River spends a lot of time crying and reading Harry Potter. The only thing unrelatable about her is that she likes Professor Snape and is good at math.

As a love interest, Ian is a good guy, but I wasn’t particularly wowed by him. I really enjoyed his plotline, but again, his personality wasn’t enough for me to forget about every other book boyfriend. I also can’t get behind his nickname being Ghost. It just doesn’t fit with his appearance or personality. I just don’t see it.

I’m glad that the author didn’t stick with the trope of the dead husband/boyfriend secretly being horrible and the protagonist finds out about it after they die. I hate that trope and I’m glad this wasn’t the case in this book.

If you love NA romances then I would 100% recommend this one to you. It has every mark of a good NA novel.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promise Me while not part of the Chadwell Hearts series (which I love, I could read No Ones Angel a million times and not tire of it) allows you to see into bits of the Chadwell characters lives threw the story of River and Ian.

How hard could it be for “Ghost” to take on simple security job for friend while he reacquainted himself with civilian life? After serving in the military it should be nothing to solve some break ins and set up better security for Mr Chadwell. But what happens when things you don’t want to feel appear in the form a broken, mystery girl running from who knows what?

This book talks about issues a lot of authors skirt around or seem to find magic cures to and while River is depressed and had many copping mechanisms I love that unlike most authors love wasn’t a magic cure in this book. It helped but wasn’t a fix all. I feel like River was very easy to relate to and she drew you into the story.

I think Kelly Walkers writing style is fabulous and she includes characters that are very relatable and that makes the books so much easier to get into. I also like that her “damsels in distress” may need some proding from their male counterparts but are fully capable of saving themselves and still they work together as a couple. They need to be there for each other.

If you like a touch of mystery, well thought out chart tees with backstories that make sense this is the book for you. I would also like to note that while this uses characters from Chadwell Hearts it isn’t necessary to have read that first (but may contain spoilers if you intend to read that later)

[Becky Wise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and sad all at the same time. Promise Me is a great read and did make me a bit emotional. River is lost, grieving and trying to survive. She is one strong cookie even though it may not seem like it. River runs from her grief steamed from the lost of her husband and child. Bam when she doesn't realize it Ian (Cole, Ghost) enters the picture. Ian is healing from his own battles both as a captive and of betrayal. You can't deny the attraction between Ian and River. There is plenty of love and heartbreak through out this read to keep you turning the pages. Ian and River heal each other and its beautiful. I can't wait to dig into more of Kelly Walker's books.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual stars....3.75
What I wish I knew: I didn't realize this was a book that is part of a series. I did just fine reading it as a standalone, but I got confused in some relationships...I think if I had read the others, that would have made more sense to me. Easy enough to read without the other books, but maybe a bit easier to follow the sub-lines.
What I loved: This book wasn't run of the mill. There were some twists to the story line.
What I liked: in the end it was romance novel.
What I hated: I don't think I really hated anything about this one. It was just nice read.