ABOUT THE BOOK
Promises are meant to be broken.
When her supervisor tasks her with galvanizing support for a local food bank, she directs her energy toward the underprivileged in her community—some of whom are her own students. Problem is, the responsibility requires her to involve celebrity chef, Bryan J. Carlyle, her almost-husband whose participation assures great results.
For all his success, Bryan hasn’t come up with a recipe for how to be restored to his family. Doesn’t help that abandoning Adelyn threatens to spoil his reputation and ruin his career. But when he encounters hungry children scrounging for food behind his restaurant, he agrees to get behind Adelyn’s worthy cause. The collaboration with Adelyn might shed light on the incriminating image he’d discovered minutes before the ceremony—her lip-locked with another man after the rehearsal dinner.
Can Adelyn trust Bryan to make good on his promise—without risking her heart? Will the love that led them to the altar be the key ingredient for reconciliation? Maybe. But his absence on the big day to which he’d committed might be beyond forgiveness.
MY REVIEW
What a charming prequel! If the rest of this series is anything like this beginning then we are all in for a treat!
Adelyn Ormond is trying to pick up the pieces of a broken heart. She was literally left at the altar by her fiance, famed chef Bryan Carlyle, with no explanation whatsoever. So, instead of taking the path she thought her life would be taking at this point, she is going on her journey alone, filling her life with her young students, volunteering, and doing all she can to forget about the chef that shall not be mentioned.
Bryan feels the same as Adelyn, but he knows exactly why he walked out of their wedding. His whole world was turned on its axis by glimpsing one thing right before he was to walk out to marry the supposed love of his life, and instead of confronting Adelyn to find out the truth he ran. His cooking show took a major hit, as everything was very public, and he’s flailing and just trying to survive, just like Adelyn.
With Bryan being a chef, as well as the charity that Adelyn is working with, there is a lot of food talk and every time I picked up this book I would get hungry. The mouth watering descriptions sprinkled throughout are just delicious, and were one of my favorite parts of the story, as it gives the narrative such flavor.
Though This I Promise You has an incredibly predictable plot line, this doesn’t take anything away from its heart or message. Hunger is a major theme throughout the story, and this is a real problem in our country, and one that does not get near enough spotlight. I appreciate the author using her platform to bring attention to this very real need in our nation without being pushy, but instead showing the importance of feeding the hungry.
Though I loved the relationship with Bryan and Adelyn some of my favorite parts didn’t have to do with their relationship, but their relationships with others. Bryan putting the needs of others ahead of his own, and seeing the need firsthand, was beautifully written, and the reconciliations were such a wonderful picture of God’s grace and forgiveness.
I truly enjoyed reading This I Promise You and am excited to see where this series will take us!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raised in Houston, Texas (and forever a Lone Star girl), Mary and her husband Bruce moved to the foothills of North Carolina in 1997. They have four young adult children.
She can be lured from her desk if presented with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick, although she’d likely pass out.
If she likes your first or last name, expect to see it show up in one of her novels.
To receive Mary’s weekly story-style devotions and quarterly book news, join other inspirational romance fans at www.maryfelkins.com.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I received from the author/publisher through JustRead Tours. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.
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