Review: Beautiful, Amazing, Heartfelt
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
The ‘Burg Series by Kristen Ashley is my favorite. The quality and time spent on developing the relationships between the characters is such an enjoyment to read. The Promise did not disappoint in that respect. Frankie and Benny have quite a few obstacles to overcome before they find themselves. Some real heady stuff. Frankie has been on her own for quite some time and opening herself up to a man and a family that shunned her for over seven years can be rather scary. The Promise begins directly after Frankie was shot in the woods by Daniel Hart. You know, the psycho that was going after Vi in AT PEACE. That was a huge wake up call to Benny and I loved his passion as he strived to take care of Frankie and make her believe in the promise of him.“You got nothin’ but good comin’ your way, Frankie, I can promise you that.”Frankie never really had anyone in her life to show her how beautiful she truly is, inside and out. She is the big sister, the one that everyone leans on. She has a rather large family and they are, well, screwed up. Everyone has their problems, and the Concetti family definitely has their fair share. Frankie just rolls with the punches, while secretly punishing herself by not allowing Benny in. He just wants IN, to take care of her, to love her. He knows that he has a rough road ahead of him, with Frankie putting up road blocks that he doesn’t understand, but they make a promise to each other:“Minute by minute, honey,” I whispered.“Minute by minute, baby.”When Frankie breaks this promise, it nearly kills the idea of THEM. Benny waits though and boy is it worth it. In true Kristen Ashley fashion, they find themselves and the sparks fly, and that is it. They work hard at their relationship by showing each other the promises they want to keep for each other.“This was because Benny Bianchi was always going to be a promise at the same time Benny Bianchi was the prize at the end of a crazy life.”“Every day is a new promise, Ben,” I told him sharply. “Every night I go to sleep knowin’ it’s a promise, every day I wake knowin’ in some way it’s gonna be fulfilled. And repeat. For..hopefully…ever.”The other aspect of the ‘Burg Series that I absolutely love is the criminal element. There is a sense of mystery and danger that thrills me to the bones! In this story, Frankie works for a pharmaceutical company and the mystery and intrigue surrounding a co-workers murder, and a launch of a new drug sends her right into the arms of one of our most favorite Private Detectives. EEEK. You Kristen Ashley fans are going to be so thrilled! Of course this gets wrapped up, because the best is on the case and Frankie and Benny can live happily ever after.“There I was. Safe. At home. With my man and my family. A moment that was the beginning of the rest of my life. It was full of promise.”Oh and, one of the more cry-inducing moments was with Joe. Yes, Cal and his family make quite a few appearances in this one. For the lovers of this series, you will be ecstatic, and experience over the top swoon-worthiness! I loved Frankie and Benny’s story. It was sweet, and real, and sexy as hell. I finished the day with what I like to call a KA headache; this is because I read the epilogue through a fog of tears and had to blow my nose twice and get myself together in order to finish the book. To me, she is the queen of epilogues. This one does NOT disappoint.5 ENORMOUS SMOOCHESNicoleRed Cheeks Reads Bloggerette