The Promise (The 'Burg #5) by Kristen Ashley - Blog Tour

Description... Since his brother’s death, Benny Bianchi has been nursing his grudge against the woman he thinks led to his brother’s downfall. He does this to bury the feelings he has for Francesca Concetti, his brother’s girl. But when Frankie takes a bullet while on the run with Benny’s cousin’s woman, Benny has to face those feelings.

The problem is Frankie has decided she’s paid her penance. Penance she didn’t deserve to pay. She’s done with Benny and the Bianchi family. She’s starting a new life away from Chicago and her heartbreaking history.

Benny has decided differently.

But Frankie has more demons she’s battling. Demons Benny wants to help her face. But life has landed so many hard knocks on Frankie she’s terrified of believing in the promise of Benny Bianchi and the good life he’s offering.

Frankie’s new life leads her to The ‘Burg, where Benny has ties, and she finds she not only hasn’t succeeded in getting away, she’s doesn’t want to.

Before I share my review...

I have to thank my fellow escapism reading friends on Goodreads who introduced me to the world of Kristen Ashley’s stories. If I could hug you, I would, and some of you I have. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! From the bottom of my heart... I can't imagine not having the beauty of Kristen Ashley's stories in my life.

My review...

If you’re like me and live love to read, and you wake up in the morning looking forward to the stolen moments throughout the day you’ll be able to get lost in a story, you know exactly what I mean when I say that when you’re in a reading slump, it’s almost painful to get out of bed some days.

Do. Not. Judge me - yes, I said painful – and sadly, that’s where I’ve often found myself lately. So when I heard my iPad ‘ding’ with a ‘you’ve got mail’ notification and I saw that my blog had been approved for an ARC of The Promise, I nearly wept with joy because reading a Kristen Ashley story is one of the most exciting, comforting, beautiful things I can think of.

And The Promise has given me exactly that. Excitement, comfort, and beauty. Start to finish, first word to the last, I fell in love with Frankie and Benny. They are people I can relate to, people I can cheer for, and yeah... people I can fall in love with.

An added benefit, as if any Kristen Ashley book needs something more to make it shine, spending time with Joe, Vi, and the girls... the icing on top of the icing on this already scrumptious cake!

Blithely Bookish Reviews was given an eARC of The Promise, and in return I'm giving the author an honest review... honestly, it is wonderful!

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi

With her best friend Zeb’s Titanic-themed wedding looming ahead, new vampire Jane Jameson struggles to develop her budding relationship with her enigmatic sire, Gabriel. It seems unfair that she’s expected to master undead dating while dealing with a groom heading for a nuptial nervous breakdown, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and the ugliest bridesmaid dress in the history of marriage.

Meanwhile, the passing of Jane’s future step-grandpa puts Grandma Ruthie back on the market. Her new fiancee, Wilbur, has his own history of suspiciously dead spouses, and he may or may not have died ten years ago. Half-Moon Hollow’s own Black Widow has finally met her match.

Should Jane warn her grandmother of Wilbur’s marital habits or let things run their course? Will Jane always be an undead bridesmaid, never the undead bride?

Combining Mary Janice Davidson’s sass and the charm of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels, this is an incredibly satisfying read for fans of paranormal romantic comedy.

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Audio Book Review

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men, the second book in Molly Harper's Jane Jameson series, is another fun, witty, quirky romp through Half Moon Hollow.

The Story:

With Zeb and Jolene's wedding day quickly approaching and more and more obstacles being thrown in their path to wedded bliss, Jane seems to have become their couples counselor - much to her chagrin. But with Gabe and Jane's relationship feeling no small amount of strain, can Jane help her best friend make it to the altar while dealing with her own less than supportive relatives and a boyfriend who might be cheating on her?

My Review:

As I said in My Review of Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs, the writer/narrator team of Molly Harper and Amanda Ronconi makes these stories shine in a way that reading from a book just can't match. The story itself is funny, quirky, unique, sexy and poignant, but with Ms. Ronconi narrating - it comes to life.

I'm not usually a fan of stories where there's not a happily ever after for the hero and heroine at the end of their book, but Gabriel and Jane's relationship dynamic works for me. I do have to admit, though, I'm starting to wonder what Gabriel's secret is, and I hope we find out soon. Too much dragging out of the main character's happily ever after makes me lose interest, but I'm looking forward to the next book and hoping those nagging questions are answered.




Shelves:

2013-reads, 4-stars, amazing-narration, author-molly-harper, chick-lit, contemporary-romance, format-audio-book, funny-witty-dialog, great-secondary-storylines, great-supporting-cast, hypnosis, interfering-future-mother-in-law, is-he-cheating-or-not, marriage, narrated-by-amanda-ronconi, own-have-read, paranormal-romance, sassy-heroine, sexy-mysterious-hero, shifters-werewolves, steam-3-of-5, vampires, wedding-plans