A Promise of Forever
By Marilyn Pappano
Publisher: Forever
After completing her fifth tour of duty in a war zone,
Sergeant First Class Avery Grant is happy to be stateside again with a new
assignment at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia. But first, Avi is looking
forward to thirty days in Tallgrass, Oklahoma, a town which holds a special
place in her memories from childhood summers spent there with her grandparents
who owned the flower shop that now belongs to Avi’s parents. As eager as she is
to see her parents, Avi is pleased to have a week on her own while her parents
are on a cruise. She needs time alone, and she needs to pay a visit to Patricia
Sanderson, widow of Col. George Sanderson, Avi’s mentor and her commanding
officer at the time of his death in Afghanistan. A friend of her father’s since
their West Point days, George Sanderson inspired a ten-year-old Avi to aim for
a military career, and he served as her model of all a soldier should be. Her
esteem and affection for him and for Patricia are great.
Ben Noble’s image of George Sanderson is quite different from
Avi’s. He remembers him only as the man for whom his mother left her husband
and three children. It was not until after George’s death, and at the urging of
his mother’s neighbor Lucy Hart, another military widow, that Ben ended his
estrangement from his mother. Even now, although he visits Patricia in
Tallgrass when he has free time from his schedule as a successful orthopedic
surgeon, he still has not fully forgiven her for leaving her husband and three
children to marry George, a blow from which Ben’s beloved father never
recovered.
Despite their very different views of George Sanderson, Ben
and Avi fall for one another quickly. The chemistry is strong, and they
genuinely enjoy one another. They begin a relationship with each reminding
himself/herself that their circumstances mean that their relationship comes
with an expiration date. Avi will soon leave for her new assignment in Georgia,
and she is wholly committed to the life of a career soldier and another twelve
years in military service. Ben’s thriving practice and his loyalty to his two
younger sisters for whom he felt a deep responsibility after their mother’s
departure mean that he is deeply rooted in Oklahoma. Happy-for-a-while seems the
best for which they can hope, but their hearts ignore reason.
I am a long-time fan of Pappano’s fiction. Her Bethlehem
series holds a spot in my bookcase that is reserved for keepers I reread often.
I think her Tallgrass novels are among her best work, and A Promise of Forever is an excellent addition to the series. Ben
and Avi are good, although imperfect, people who have endured pain and
heartbreak, and it is easy to root for them to find their HEA. Their story
offers the poignancy, warmth, and believably complex characters that have
become hallmarks of this series. The gender role reversal with a hero with
strong ties to place and family and a heroine pledged to military service
offers a rare take on military romance.
Secondary characters add interest to the tale. Patricia is a
still grieving widow. She lives with regrets, but she doesn’t regret a day that
she spent with George. Avi’s parents present a portrait of a long, happy
marriage. Additional secondary characters include other members of the Tuesday
Night Margarita Club, otherwise known as The Fort Murphy Widow’s Club.
Particularly prominent is the delightful Lucy Hart, who is still struggling
with her weight issues and hoping to find a second love with whom she can find
the magic she knew with her Mike.
A Promise of Forever
can be read as a standalone, but it will be more engaging and nuanced read as
part of the series. If you like military romance or small-town romance, I think
you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I have already pre-ordered A Chance of a Lifetime (December 22),
the next book in the series and the story of Benita Ford,
another Margarita Club widow. And I am hoping that in 2016 Lucy will find her
second chance at magic. I highly recommend the full series.
This one sounds intriguing. I'll have to check out the series.
ReplyDeleteIt's unusual, Nikki, in that it focuses on military widows. It is one of the best portrayals of different ways people handle grief that I've come across in fiction. I think it is an exceptional series.
DeleteI always enjoy reading your reviews, Janga. I agree on this series; it is one of the best portrayals of the way people handle grief. I find I have to be in the right mood to read a Tallgrass novel, maybe needing a little lift after a tough week. One of the aspects I really enjoy is the simple expressions of faith throughout the books even though they are not sweet or inspirational romances. I'll be adding A Promise of Forever to the TBR file and will also be waiting for Lucy's story.
ReplyDeleteThanks, LauraL. I'm glad to hear from someone who shares my affection for the series. I think it is a series that deserves more readers.
DeleteI love this series and finished this book last week.
ReplyDeletepatoct