Blog Tour ~ "The Promise" by Kristen Ashley

Title: The Promise (The 'Burg #5)
Author: Kristen Ashley

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Smashwords
Release Date: July 8, 2014

Buy Links: Amazon | B&N 

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.

Honestly, every time I get to read a new KA book, I feel a bit scared. There's already a list of stories that are on the "favorite" list, beginning with Knight (yep, that was my very first KA read) and it's not easy to surpass those lovely characters I go back to on regular basis. If you're already a KA fan, I'm sure you get me. If not, I strongly suggest you give her a shot. But, don't start with this book, or you'll miss a lot.

Before you grab The Promise, you should definitely read At Peace (The 'Burg #2), as the story picks up where it left off in At Peace. Another reason is the fact that you DO NOT want to miss Joe. So, if you already love the guy, you sure will have a lot of great moments with him, Vi and the girls here. In a way, The Promise feels like a sequel to Joe's story, and I couldn't be happier that he got to have such a huge part here. It's always nice to learn more, and see what your favorite characters are up to, right? Especially when there's a wedding involved. And, if you're a fan of Lee or Luke... Okay, I'll stop here.

The Promise definitely is a bit different than the rest of the series. Only one part of it is actually happening in the 'Burg, and there's less drama, suspense and bad-decision-making. Hm, maybe not that last bit, but you'll live. Well, you will get a nice mystery, but overall it won't make you bite your nails that much. Hopefully. On the one hand, that's probably the reason I had to go back and reread some parts, because I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that no one is wielding an ax or something. On the other hand, both Benny and Frankie already suffered enough, went through all that crazy stuff, and they definitely deserve some calmish times.

Benny is the guy I already loved, and couldn't wait to read more about. He's an alpha, hot, protective, hot-headed, classic KA guy through and through. He's also funny, charming, swoon-worthy... in a word - awesome. Benny is everything I hoped he would be. Except for that one time, when he really annoyed the hell out of me, but hey, it had to happen, right? Right.

Frankie, though, is nothing like I thought she would be. There's a lot going on in her life, and most of it bad, so I get that she had to find a way to battle her demons. I just hoped she'd find a way to do it closer. She was the greatest surprise, and I gotta give her credit for making the unimaginable happen. More than once.
Another great surprise is Sal. Though I already had a soft spot for him, he managed to win me over completely and irrevocably just by being human. If that didn't make any sense, once you read the book I'm sure it will.

I'll leave you with this - if you are a KA fan, or simply a Joe fan, do not miss this book. You'll get a lovely story about love, family, history, friendship, forgiveness, good times, hot times (wink wink), emotional moments, and an epilogue that will make you melt. What more can you ask for, right? Right. Rock on!

*** ARC kindly provided by the Author in exchange for an honest review ***