A review by katemc7
Forsaken Oath by Penelope Black

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This is the second book in the Avalon Falls series but can be read as a standalone as you only get a few glimpses of Cora and Jasper. I have to say I did NOT see this book coming. I was thinking small town with a motorcycle group like book 1, but Penelope took us on another path, and I am HERE FOR IT! This was like Fast and the Furious in a small town with wonderful characters, intrigue/kind of suspense, and an HEA. I LOVED Beau Carter. His meet cute with Eloise was epic- I felt like I was reading the OG Twister in book form. I hated that they got separated after that but love how Beau kept referring to fate and kismet for them. They just had this insta connection. I am REALLY enjoying the books where the guy falls first and in this one Beau does- and OMG is it so cute when he realizes! I liked the thrill of reading the racing scenes. I liked the found family that Eloise had. Man that woman is a strong one- so protective of her family and putting everyone first. It was amazing to see her get treated like a queen while respecting what all she had been able to accomplish. 

Eloise is working her way towards her main goal in life which is providing for her sisters. She only has a small amount of her loan to Seven Pines and Levi left to pay before they are free and clear. She is working through getting custody of her sisters so she can also get the woman called her mother off her back. With all of this in mind, she doesn't do things for herself ever. So when on a whim she ends up at a drive in and has an immediate connection with a blue eyed hottie- she kind of ignores it. But then they go through a crisis together and kind of get to know each other. The time with the unnamed man is the most comfortable she has been around someone in a long time. But she can't hang on to it. So even though they have an earth shattering kiss- she dips without giving him her name. Fast forward a month and Eloise has been entered into the Gauntlet which is an underground race. The winner gets an exorbitant amount of money which is what she needs. She has been trained in this area if you will. She is ready to put her name out there. What she is not ready for is seeing her man at the qualifier. Not as a racer but because he owns the track. He is none other than Beau Carter. Racing royalty. And he seems to have his sights on her. But she has to play it cool. Because now he has entered the contest and is her competition. But she finds herself drawn to him. She finds herself doing things for her and feeling supported by him. She finds herself letting him in more than anyone ever has been. But now they are towards the end of the race and the stakes are high. The owner of Seven Pines has threatened her situation if she doesnt cut ties- but how can she do that when it feels so right? When her sisters even like him. Will she be able to take back what she said before it's too late? Will their kismet come to fruition like Beau keeps saying it will? 

Beau is in a bit of a rut. He has always raced and done well at it. But after he got the conditions for his grandmother's inheritance= his priorities have shifted. Now he is on the sidelines and feeling like he wants more in life than he thought he did before. So when he has a fated night as he calls it with a beautiful stranger, the feeling gets stronger. He believes it's fate when he runs into her again at the qualifier for the Gauntlet. And then again at the next race. He can't stop thinking about her. He wants to know everything about her. He wants to have a future with her but first he has to get her on board. He doesn't want to scare her away. He realizes there is more going on than he thought. She thinks her baggage will make him run, but clearly she has underestimated how much she means to him. Because he will do everything in her power for her to be free. He just hopes she doesn't disappear in the meantime. 

This series has been great so far! Both books have had great characters. I can't say that I have read an underground racing book which just added to this one. I liked the found family aspect for Eloise and her sister's. I liked the glimpses into Cora and Jagger's life. I liked the bomb Graham dropped but haven't been able to figure out who he is "being forced" to marry- any one know?? Also love the hints dropped about Mason and Beau's sister- I am calling them as a book in this series! Anywho if you haven't picked this one up already, I definitely recommend it. 

Thank you to Valentine PR and Penelope for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!