Rating: 4 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Leo is a cop, and he’s a pretty happy guy. He’s got two of the best friends in the world, a huge family that loves him, and the greatest dog ever. There’s nobody special in his life…unless you count Jason, an ex con Leo kissed at a ceremony honoring Jason’s bravery in fighting a huge wildfire as a prison volunteer.
Jason is on the run with his daughter, Daisy. Daisy’s mother, Rain, is in the hospital having overdosed on drugs. Rain’s ex made an attempt to take Daisy and tried to kill Jason. Knowing the pair are in trouble, Leo winds up offering to help Jason, but Jason isn’t sure who to trust and he doesn’t want to owe anything to anyone.
Gradually, Jason becomes more comfortable with Leo, and the two men begin to develop feelings for each other. Now, they have to make sure Jason and Daisy are safe before they can act upon those feelings. Will the men and little Daisy get their happily ever after? Or will everything be over before it begins?
I’ve been with the Single Dads series from the beginning and have been enjoying them. This third installment is a good one, but I feel it sort of missed the mark a little for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still enjoyable with the same great character development and stories I’ve become used to. However, Promise dragged a bit for me. The concept is solid. Jason’s on the run with this little girl…a little girl he barely knows. Someone’s trying to kill him and take Daisy. He needs help, and he needs it badly. He just doesn’t seem to be willing to accept it from Leo. I get that. I totally do. To me, though, Jason winds up coming off like a martyr, and the “We’re going to leave. You can’t keep us here” thing started to get a little repetitive. I felt myself becoming frustrated with Jason, and I didn’t want that because I know, deep down, Jason’s a good man who only wants best for his daughter.
Leo is great. He wants nothing more than to help. Of course, being a cop, he does have to be careful. He doesn’t want to put his career on the line, but he can’t resist Jason and little Daisy. Remembering that kiss he shared with Jason, Leo does want more, even though Jason keeps pushing him away. Once again, I wound up feeling a little frustrated. This part of the story just dragged on a little long for me.
As with every R.J. Scott book I’ve read, the puzzle pieces start to fit within the last 25% or so. Once Jason got past his trust issues and confided in Leo, Eric, and some other friends, the story really takes off. This is one of my favorite things about the author’s writing style. The plot is obviously well thought out and researched. Every I is dotted, and every T is crossed. The pace picked up and I felt such a relief, I was finally able to relax and sink my teeth into the meat of the story. I can tell you that the idea of a sort of Kingpin character getting his comeuppance is quite satisfying. The same goes for Billy. What a great feeling it is to see love triumph over adversity…and murderers.
As I mentioned, this is the third installment in the Single Dads series. While I absolutely recommend Promise, I do not recommend you start with it. The characters cross over, and they’re all important to the whole of the books. Start with Single, move on to Today, and finally this one. It’s an excellent series of books, and I hope Scott will be continuing on. Grab these for yourself and see what I mean.
