Forbidden Promises (Jackson Falls, #1) by Synithia Williams ARC Review

Forbidden Promises (Jackson Falls, #1) by Synithia Williams


Add to Your Goodreads

Buy it on Amazon

What do you do when you want the one person you can never have?Get in and get out. That was India Robidoux’s plan for this family visit. But when her brother needs her help with his high-profile political campaign, India has no choice but to stay and face the one man she’s been running from for years—Travis, her sister’s ex-husband. One hot summer night when Travis was still free, they celebrated her birthday with whiskey and an unforgettable kiss. The memory is as strong as ever—and so are the feelings she’s tried so hard to forget.

Travis Strickland owes everything to the Robidoux family. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for them—his divorce could never change that. Still, he has one regret. Impulsive and passionate, India always understood him better than anyone else. And the longer they work together on the campaign, the more torn he is. Coming between her and her sister is out of the question. But how can he let love pass him by a second time?

*A special thanks to the author for this review copy. This freely supplied copy does not affect my opinion.*

If I could describe this book in one word, it'd be heartfelt. Williams really captures and hones in on the emotional compass of the reader. While this is a romance, I found it to be less romantic and more heart-tugging.

India is back home for a short stint. She has no intention of staying, however, her family ropes her into another familial obligation.

But once she's done helping with her brother's campaign, she's gone. However, she never planned to bump into Travis again after that tumultuous summer night. She never planned for all the feelings she tried to bury to come back up, but isn't that how love works?

Let me start off by warning you, this might rub some of you the wrong way. With India dating her sister's ex-husband, there might be some disdain there. But once you get into the story and understand the series of events, you might reconsider. The way it's all handled is respectable and admirable.

What I liked most about the book is the backstory. Of course, I wanted the pair to hook up because that's what we're all here for. But Williams does a good job of setting up the world and the family involved. You get a true sense of all the characters losing none of the momentum.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, the story tugs at the heartstrings before it brings the characters together. Before it allows anything to develop fully, it allowed for the backstories to blossom and make sense to the reader. That's so important because a baseless romance is not as fun as one that takes the time to do the groundwork.

There's not a lot that goes on in terms of "action," but I found the book hard to put down. There's a lot of familial drama and resistance between the couple, but it's perfectly paced. It marks all of its points and it does so well.

This will be a layered familial drama series and I think readers will find themselves immersed in Williams's easy-going writing and the slow-building romance.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable read and will make a perfect addition to any romance lover's shelf.