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love_within_pages 's review for:
Where We Promise
by Ashley Munoz
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This time, I stayed up until 3 am finishing this book. But if you think I was going to just put this book down and go to sleep, then you’re insane!
This story is all about Penelope Pruitt and Jameson King who are from a different motorcycle club, The Chaos Kings. Jameson is the president of the club, but he and some other members loyal to him are essentially on the run from the rest of the Chaos Kings and the vice president, Luke Holloway. Luke is the father of Penelope’s baby, but he completely disowns Pen and the baby and most of the Chaos Kings then threaten Pen and her baby afterward because Luke allowed it. Jameson wasn’t having that, though, and promised Pen’s mom, Wanda, that he would get her and the baby away from the club and keep them safe. Jameson’s only hope is the Stone Riders MC because Jameson knows that the Stone Riders aren’t mean to their women and they even have a woman from another club being kept safe in their club already, Natty. After speaking to Natty, Jameson is sure that the Stone Riders will keep Pen and her baby safe while he can figure out how to get his club back in hand. Pen has been living with the Chaos Kings since she was 13, so it was hard for her to leave, but she knew she had to do it to keep her baby safe from Luke and his threats. Unfortunately for Jameson and Pen, even the members of the Chaos Kings loyal to Jamie weren’t loyal to Pen and her baby. So, Jamie needed to take drastic measures to ensure their safety, and the only thing he was sure would keep them safe would be marriage. So, Pen and Jameson got married but decided it would only be real to the outside world to convince the Chaos Kings. But, Pen and Jamie both had a big secret: they both still had very real feelings for each other and had since the day they met at 13, but they couldn’t admit it to each other. So, they agreed on a fake marriage, but they both had high hopes that it would eventually be real.
Something that Ashley is amazing at is what I’m calling the “right one, wrong time” trope; her characters meet the right person for them, their soulmates, but it’s always at the wrong time for the universe. It’s such a wild ride reading about characters who you know are meant to be together, and who desperately want to be together, but circumstances keep them apart for so long. But, it also makes them incredible slow-burn romances and when they finally find each other at the right time, things are so amazingly beautiful after that! Penelope and Jameson have both had feelings for each other since they met when they were 13, but neither one thought the feelings were reciprocated, so their lives drifted apart more than once. But, when they finally get married to keep Pen and her baby safe, things get explosive after that. It was so amazing to see them finally come together after so many years. This book is similar to Where We Started in that we get both present day chapters and flashback chapters, so we’ve gotten to see Pen and Jameson’s relationship hardships throughout the years, and that makes them finally getting together all that much more sweet.
Penelope was so amazing and such a badass, even if she didn’t always feel that way. I know she was scared of the Chaos Kings a lot after Luke burned her, but she was still always willing to do whatever it took to protect her baby, which was awesome to see. She was willing to put her feelings for Jamie on the back burner just so that she could pretend to marry him for her baby’s sake. She tried so hard for many years to get Jameson to pay attention to her and eventually, she had to just let things go for her sanity even though it was hard. I loved watching Pen bond with Natty after they got to the Stone Riders’ clubhouse. Pen never really had friends because she was linked to a motorcycle club, but once she met Natty (and Laura and Callie), she was able to make some more friends and bond with them. I loved watching her get a father figure in Harris, as well. Their relationship was out of necessity since Harris was protecting Pen and the baby, but they still bonded all the same and he became more than just her protector and I loved it!
Jameson King. Jameson Freaking King is absolutely top-tier book boyfriend material, peeps! Jameson is a big, buff, broody, tattooed, bearded, motorcycle-riding, possessive, kinda shy and kinda bookish, secret cinnamon roll with a filthy mouth so he’s literally the definition of a perfect man, at least for me. I loved everything about Jameson, but I especially loved that he was so willing to do whatever it took to protect Penelope and her baby, even though the baby wasn’t his. It takes a strong and self-assured man to love a baby that isn’t his, especially when he knows and is somewhat close to the father, but Jamie was exactly that. Jameson was also always coming in hot with the “my wife” and the touch her and die vibes…literally. 👀 I loved watching him open up to Pen during the story and watching him let her see his vulnerabilities.
I am so in love with this book and I can’t say enough amazing things about it, so it’ll just be living rent-free in my head for a while. Jameson and Penelope’s story has officially taken the top Stone Riders MC spot for me (but don’t tell the others…who knows what they’ll do to me!). I will tell you that you need to get the bonus content for this story! Even if you just get it to read the first scene, do it! That scene left me with all the thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, and wildflower wishes, and I can’t wait to see if we get more of it later! While I don’t know that they’ll beat Jameson and Penelope in my book, I can’t wait to see what happens in Natty and Silas’s story!
Quotes I Loved:
"Those caramel eyes would land on me and for just a few seconds, I'd feel like a hole had been pierced in my heart, allowing in the first glimpse of sunlight. He was warm and safe. He was what I imagined having a steady home must feel like." -Penelope
"Penelope and I had a complicated past. One full of unspoken truths, missed chances, and stolen moments. I'd hurt her. She had hurt me. It was fate's twisted sense of humor that we were now thrown together in some odd, domesticated role." -Jameson
"I always felt so cold in the wake of his gaze leaving me. It was like having a cloud move in when you've been craving the sun." -Penelope
"I had stolen her first kiss, and it was only because at the time, I refused to accept that another would claim it. ...but that first kiss would always trace back to me. I'd be branded on her forever, whether she wanted me or not." -Jameson
"Living with her had become hellfire to deal with because I was always burning now. Burning to touch her. Burning to see her, to look at those curves she occasionally showed off." -Jameson
"Stardust. Silent prayers and hope. So much hope it would burst through my chest and break my fucking heart." -Jameson
"You're a tragedy in your own way, just hanging around in my chest like a poison, slowly infecting my heart." -Jameson
"He was warm sunshine on a lazy summer day. Heat soaked dirt and fresh grass. He was peace. My peace. The one steady thing I'd clung to for half my life." -Penelope
"...she looked like sin and stardust. All midnight hair and fucking porcelain perfection." -Jameson
My midnight ruin. Starlight eyes, burning flesh and bone. A bruised heart, crushed by all our good intentions. -Jameson's tattoo
Thank you, Ashley, for providing me with an ARC!
This story is all about Penelope Pruitt and Jameson King who are from a different motorcycle club, The Chaos Kings. Jameson is the president of the club, but he and some other members loyal to him are essentially on the run from the rest of the Chaos Kings and the vice president, Luke Holloway. Luke is the father of Penelope’s baby, but he completely disowns Pen and the baby and most of the Chaos Kings then threaten Pen and her baby afterward because Luke allowed it. Jameson wasn’t having that, though, and promised Pen’s mom, Wanda, that he would get her and the baby away from the club and keep them safe. Jameson’s only hope is the Stone Riders MC because Jameson knows that the Stone Riders aren’t mean to their women and they even have a woman from another club being kept safe in their club already, Natty. After speaking to Natty, Jameson is sure that the Stone Riders will keep Pen and her baby safe while he can figure out how to get his club back in hand. Pen has been living with the Chaos Kings since she was 13, so it was hard for her to leave, but she knew she had to do it to keep her baby safe from Luke and his threats. Unfortunately for Jameson and Pen, even the members of the Chaos Kings loyal to Jamie weren’t loyal to Pen and her baby. So, Jamie needed to take drastic measures to ensure their safety, and the only thing he was sure would keep them safe would be marriage. So, Pen and Jameson got married but decided it would only be real to the outside world to convince the Chaos Kings. But, Pen and Jamie both had a big secret: they both still had very real feelings for each other and had since the day they met at 13, but they couldn’t admit it to each other. So, they agreed on a fake marriage, but they both had high hopes that it would eventually be real.
Something that Ashley is amazing at is what I’m calling the “right one, wrong time” trope; her characters meet the right person for them, their soulmates, but it’s always at the wrong time for the universe. It’s such a wild ride reading about characters who you know are meant to be together, and who desperately want to be together, but circumstances keep them apart for so long. But, it also makes them incredible slow-burn romances and when they finally find each other at the right time, things are so amazingly beautiful after that! Penelope and Jameson have both had feelings for each other since they met when they were 13, but neither one thought the feelings were reciprocated, so their lives drifted apart more than once. But, when they finally get married to keep Pen and her baby safe, things get explosive after that. It was so amazing to see them finally come together after so many years. This book is similar to Where We Started in that we get both present day chapters and flashback chapters, so we’ve gotten to see Pen and Jameson’s relationship hardships throughout the years, and that makes them finally getting together all that much more sweet.
Penelope was so amazing and such a badass, even if she didn’t always feel that way. I know she was scared of the Chaos Kings a lot after Luke burned her, but she was still always willing to do whatever it took to protect her baby, which was awesome to see. She was willing to put her feelings for Jamie on the back burner just so that she could pretend to marry him for her baby’s sake. She tried so hard for many years to get Jameson to pay attention to her and eventually, she had to just let things go for her sanity even though it was hard. I loved watching Pen bond with Natty after they got to the Stone Riders’ clubhouse. Pen never really had friends because she was linked to a motorcycle club, but once she met Natty (and Laura and Callie), she was able to make some more friends and bond with them. I loved watching her get a father figure in Harris, as well. Their relationship was out of necessity since Harris was protecting Pen and the baby, but they still bonded all the same and he became more than just her protector and I loved it!
Jameson King. Jameson Freaking King is absolutely top-tier book boyfriend material, peeps! Jameson is a big, buff, broody, tattooed, bearded, motorcycle-riding, possessive, kinda shy and kinda bookish, secret cinnamon roll with a filthy mouth so he’s literally the definition of a perfect man, at least for me. I loved everything about Jameson, but I especially loved that he was so willing to do whatever it took to protect Penelope and her baby, even though the baby wasn’t his. It takes a strong and self-assured man to love a baby that isn’t his, especially when he knows and is somewhat close to the father, but Jamie was exactly that. Jameson was also always coming in hot with the “my wife” and the touch her and die vibes…literally. 👀 I loved watching him open up to Pen during the story and watching him let her see his vulnerabilities.
I am so in love with this book and I can’t say enough amazing things about it, so it’ll just be living rent-free in my head for a while. Jameson and Penelope’s story has officially taken the top Stone Riders MC spot for me (but don’t tell the others…who knows what they’ll do to me!). I will tell you that you need to get the bonus content for this story! Even if you just get it to read the first scene, do it! That scene left me with all the thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, and wildflower wishes, and I can’t wait to see if we get more of it later! While I don’t know that they’ll beat Jameson and Penelope in my book, I can’t wait to see what happens in Natty and Silas’s story!
Quotes I Loved:
"Those caramel eyes would land on me and for just a few seconds, I'd feel like a hole had been pierced in my heart, allowing in the first glimpse of sunlight. He was warm and safe. He was what I imagined having a steady home must feel like." -Penelope
"Penelope and I had a complicated past. One full of unspoken truths, missed chances, and stolen moments. I'd hurt her. She had hurt me. It was fate's twisted sense of humor that we were now thrown together in some odd, domesticated role." -Jameson
"I always felt so cold in the wake of his gaze leaving me. It was like having a cloud move in when you've been craving the sun." -Penelope
"I had stolen her first kiss, and it was only because at the time, I refused to accept that another would claim it. ...but that first kiss would always trace back to me. I'd be branded on her forever, whether she wanted me or not." -Jameson
"Living with her had become hellfire to deal with because I was always burning now. Burning to touch her. Burning to see her, to look at those curves she occasionally showed off." -Jameson
"Stardust. Silent prayers and hope. So much hope it would burst through my chest and break my fucking heart." -Jameson
"You're a tragedy in your own way, just hanging around in my chest like a poison, slowly infecting my heart." -Jameson
"He was warm sunshine on a lazy summer day. Heat soaked dirt and fresh grass. He was peace. My peace. The one steady thing I'd clung to for half my life." -Penelope
"...she looked like sin and stardust. All midnight hair and fucking porcelain perfection." -Jameson
My midnight ruin. Starlight eyes, burning flesh and bone. A bruised heart, crushed by all our good intentions. -Jameson's tattoo
Thank you, Ashley, for providing me with an ARC!