Review: Promise Me This by Karla Sorensen

Promise Me This by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Wildfire Marketing Solutions, all opinions are my own.

This is the third book in the Wilder Family series, however it does read as a standalone.  It does reference other members of Ian's family and events that occurred in other books, but they are not pivotal to Ian and Harlow's story.  I do highly recommend reading them if you want to get to know the rest of the family.  They are awesome!

Friends to lovers might be my favorite trope when it comes to romance, and this one was excellent.  This is pretty slow burn, and is more sweet than spicy which actually fit the storyline well.  Harlow and Ian have been friends forever.  They drifted apart after high school, but life has brought them back together in their hometown once again.  They both need someone to lean on, with Ian still processing his father's passing and Harlow's writing career suffering from a debilitating case of writer's block.  Even after years apart they quickly settle back into their old routines of being each other's support person and knowing what each other needs.  Their friendship is solid, but they both start to notice an attraction that hasn't been here before.

This will take you through all of the emotions.  Chapter 29 had me in tears, so have some tissues ready.   This deals with the loss of a loved one, family drama, insecurity, and so much more.  This has a wonderful supporting cast of characters while our two main characters work through their big feelings.  While this is a slow burn, I felt the pacing of the book was well done as the characters figure out what they are doing with their lives, how they fit together as friends, if there is more than friendship to their arrangement, and how to deal with the other stressors in their lives.  They had good character development both with each other and with their families.  

I love this series, this might be my favorite book to date!  I'm looking forward to reading Poppy's book this fall, but you can't go wrong with any of the books in the series.  

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RELEASE DAY LAUNCH: Head Over Heels by Karla Sorensen

 

HEAD OVER HEELS

Karla Sorensen

Release Date: January 24

FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

There’s only one course of action when your dad wants you to marry a clammy-handed wimp to make one of his board members happy—you get yourself stuck in an elevator with a hot stranger and have the steamiest make-out session of your life. Years of etiquette lessons went out the window thanks to Cameron Wilder, who managed to unleash my hidden bad girl with naught but his talented mouth and deliciously rough hands.

Afterwards, he went back to his small-town life, and I marched home to inform my dad there would be no business-centric nuptials. As punishment, he shipped me off to Sisters, Oregon and demanded I turn a healthy profit on a not-so-healthy property.

You see where I’m going with this—the buttoned-up city girl stuck in a small town hires a local builder to help her … and he’s the hot stranger from the elevator. Turns out, I have a weakness for the broad-shouldered nice guy who’s not so nice behind closed doors. Keeping things professional gets harder the longer I’m in town, until the only lesson I have left to learn is how to keep both our hearts from getting broken.

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https://amzn.to/47vuHnt

Meet Karla Sorensen:

Karla Sorensen is an Amazon top 20 bestselling author who refuses to read or write anything without a happily ever after. When she's not devouring historical romance or avoiding the laundry, you can find her watching football (British AND American), HGTV or listening to Enneagram podcasts so she can psychoanalyze everyone in her life, in no particular order of importance. With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Grand Valley State University, she made her living in senior healthcare prior to writing full-time. Karla lives in Michigan with her husband, two boys and a big, shaggy rescue dog named Bear.

 

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Review: Head Over Heels by Karla Sorensen

Head Over Heels by Karla Sorensen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via the author and Wildfire Marketing, all opinions are my own.

This is book 2 in The Wilder Family Series, however you can read it as a complete standalone.  This follows Cameron, one of the many Wilder siblings in a battle of wills with Ivy as he tries to break through her very thick walls and soften her sharp edges.  They were unexpectedly stuck in an elevator, and that chance meeting was one of the few times Ivy let someone see the real her.  Ivy was running from a wedding dress fitting after having a panic attack about her upcoming marriage that her father arranged because it was good for his business.  Cameron quickly calms her down with his down to earth, good natured charm which leads to a life changing kiss that Ivy wasn't expecting.  Ivy has had her entire life scripted and carefully curated by her father.  She has done everything he has asked to gain his approval and praise.   When she refuses to marry a family friend because it is a good business partnership, her father sends her away to a small town to "work on a project" as punishment for disobeying him.  She is naturally crushed, but when she arrives she is surprised that the builder on her project is none other than Cameron, the man who she made out with in the elevator.  

Ivy doesn't know how to interact with the people of Sisters, Oregon.  Everyone knows everyone, and they are genuinely friendly.  She is all business and doesn't understand relationships that aren't business transactions.  She certainly doesn't understand the Wilder family who joke and argue, but still love each other at the end of the day.  They don't want anything from her but her company, especially Cameron who despite being her opposite can't deny his attraction to her.  The more time they spend together the harder is it for Ivy to stay away from Cameron.  It is also hard for her to stay away from his welcoming family, who despite having their own troubles welcome her with open arms and show her that love doesn't need to be earned with straight As and profitable business deals and professionalism.  

This was an emotional rollercoaster.  Keep some tissues handy.  I'm going to be upfront and say that it took me a while to warm up to Ivy.  She was a bit unlikable in the beginning, but as the story develops we get to know and understand her.  She opens up about how she was raised and that she wasn't shown alot of love and affection growing up.  She doesn't people very well, but the more time she spends with Cameron and the Wilders, she is willing to try.  Cameron was a great balance to Ivy, he was patient and kind and went at her pace.  He gave her the time and space to figure out what she wanted and needed, and I appreciate that she eventually stood up to her father.  The character development in this was excellent! The side story with Sheila and Tim was heartbreaking.  We've met the Wilder parents in previous books, and have known about Tim's situation, but I have to admit I was not ready for it (this is where you need the tissues).  It was beautifully done, but still sad.  I don't often cry in books, but the family reunion prior to the fall festival and just afterward had me balling.  

Overall I loved this, and I love the series.  I love Karla's books and can't wait for more in the future.  If you are looking for an emotional romance with great characters, give this a read!

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