Every Promise Broken

Copper Lake #5

by Ashley James

Word to the wise: Getting hot and heavy one night with the broody, hot rancher in town is rarely ever a good idea.

Especially when said rancher is your ex-husband.

Conrad Strauss is the owner of Grazing Acres Ranch, home to some of the sharpest bucking bulls around.

And as Copper Lake’s only veterinarian in our small town, I have to see him more than I’d like.

It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s become manageable.

Until, of course, that night my need for him burned too hot to ignore.

The night I let my walls down and allowed myself to soak in his comfort and strong arms once more.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, now his Nana is coming to visit and she doesn’t know we’re divorced.

Conrad Strauss is many things, but a beggar he is not. So when he asks—no, pleads with—me to pretend we’re still married while she’s here, I lose all rational thoughts and tell him yes.

But this means temporarily moving back into the house where we shared so many memories. It means sleeping in our bed again. It means having his eyes on me like they never left. It means pretending I’m in love with him… when I don’t think it’s pretending at all.

It’s just a few weeks, though… how bad could it be?

Genres: M M Romance, Second Chance, Romance, Westerns, Forced Proximity, Small Town Romance, Second Chance Romance

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2024

About the author

Ashley James is a romance author who enjoys writing (and reading) LGBTQIA+ books. She is from Washington State—and no, not Seattle—and currently resides in South Carolina with her two kids and hairless kitties, Goose, Maverick, and Houston. Ashley is introverted and slightly (okay, majorly) awkward. She refuses to make this section sound like a tacky dating app profile, so she won't be telling you how much she enjoys music, how she thoroughly enjoys dancing and singing in her kitchen, despite not being able to carry a tune, and she won't be telling you about her love of toxic and broken fictional men.

Reviews

[Noa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Nobody actually wants anything that comes too easily. The best things in life are those you have to work for."

Conrad Strauss.
Owner of Grazing Acres Ranch. Sharpest bucking bulls around.
And also Whit Bowman's ex-husband.
It's been 5 years since they got divorced.
But who says that connection went away?
One night it got too hot to deny.
It was supposed to only be one night, but when Conrad's grandmother comes to town there is just one problem.
She doesn't know Conrad and Whit are divorced.
So when Conrad begs Whit to play along just for a little while, Whit just can't say no.
It's just pretend right?

"Seeing him never gets any easier, no matter how much time has passed."

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review 🩷🩷

"You will always be mine, Whit. Always. No amount of time or distance will change that."

I have had the immense honor and pleasure of ARC reading this series and it is probably the best decision I have ever made. This book was so bittersweet because it is the end of an era but it was TOO DAMN GOOD!! Throughout the story I have been waiting for Whit and Conrad - always in the background, always picking up little hints and Ashley James the QUEEN that you are - this book was everything I wanted it to be and Conrad and Whit were just amazing (cue stars in my eyes and warmth in my heart). While their story is hard and you go through this journey with them - it is so good and again I cannot recommend this series enough 🩷🩷

"Every single time you look at me, it's like you truly see me."

Now you know how I love my country playlists and Ashley James made an amazing one but you already know me so these are the songs that I added 🩷🔥

(Link - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Di... )

🎶 "Crazy Angels" - Carrie Underwood
🎶 "Lonely Road" - mgk, Jelly Roll
🎶 "I Had Some Help" - Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
🎶 "Grow as We Go" - Ben Platt
🎶 "I miss you, I'm sorry" - Gracie Abrams
🎶 "Degenerates" - A Day To Remember
🎶 "Pink Skies" - Zach Bryan
🎶 "You're Still The One" - Shania Twain
🎶 "Blindsided (Yeah, Sure, Okay)" - Kelsea Ballerini
🎶 "Break My Heart Again" - Danielle Bradbery
🎶 "Little Rain" - Morgan Wallen
🎶 "Shackles" - Steven Rodriguez
🎶 "Roses Are Falling" - Orville Peck
🎶 "Good Boy" - ZEE MACHINE
🎶 "Chokehold" - Sleep Token
🎶 "Unsteady" - X Ambassadors
🎶 "Someone You Loved" - Lewis Capaldi
🎶 "Beautiful Things - Acoustic" - Benson Boone
🎶 "In The Kitchen" - Renee Rapp
🎶 "Glimpse of Us" - Joji
🎶 "Moth to a Flame" - Morgan Wade
🎶 "Death Wish Love" - Benson Boone
🎶 "Half A Man" - Dean Lewis
🎶 "We Can't Be Friends (Acoustic)" - Madilyn Bailey
🎶 "SOS" - SOAP
🎶 "More" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "The Village" - Wrabel
🎶 "Francesca" - Hozier
🎶 "From Eden" - Hozier
🎶 "FOR YOUR LOVE" - Maneskin
🎶 "Tell Me You Love Me - Live Acoustic" - Demi Lovato
🎶 "HIM" - Sam Smith
🎶 "Bigger Person" - Lauren Spencer Smith
🎶 "Family Line" - Conan Gray
🎶 "The Exit" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Jigsaw" - Conan Gray
🎶 "Love Me Again" - John Newman
🎶 "Sunday Crossword" - Janani K. Jha
🎶 "DEVILISH" - Chase Atlantic
🎶 "Bones" - Russell Dickerson
🎶 "Silence" - Marshmello, Khalid
🎶 "Before You Leave Me" - Alex Warren
🎶 "Make It To Me" - Sam Smith
🎶 "Hands To Myself" - Selena Gomez
🎶 "Always Been You" - Shawn Mendes
🎶 "What If I Never Get Over You" - Lady A
🎶 "Stay Away From My Man" - Paisley Fields, Lavender Country
🎶 "Bets On Us" - Cheat Codes, Dolly Parton
🎶 "I Like It" - Alesso, Nate Smith
🎶 "I'm Not A Saint" - Billy Raffoul
🎶 "Spectrum (Say My Name)" - Florence + The Machine
🎶 "Call Out My Name - Live" - The Weeknd
🎶 "I'm yours" - Isabel LaRosa
🎶 "Better Man" - 5 Seconds of Summer
🎶 "You Proof" - Morgan Wallen
🎶 "Nobody Like You" - Little Mix
🎶 "Forget Me - Piano Acoustic" - Lewis Capaldi
🎶 "Back To You" - Selena Gomez
🎶 "When I Was Your Man (Acoustic Version)" - Tyler Ward
🎶 "Figure You Out" - VOILA
🎶 "Forever And For Always" - Hayden Joseph
🎶 "Slow Hands - Acoustic" - Niall Horan
🎶 "Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
🎶 "Not Over You" - Gavin DeGraw
🎶 "Wait For You" - Myles Smith
🎶 "Taste" - Sabrina Carpenter
🎶 "golden hour" - JVKE
🎶 "Yours" - Russell Dickerson
🎶 "Need You Now" - Lady A
🎶 "Home" - Todrick Hall
🎶 "You Found Me" - The Fray
🎶 "Without You" - David Guetta, Usher
🎶 "Hesitate" - Jonas Brothers
🎶 "Whatever" - Alex Coles
🎶 "Love The Hell Out Of You" - Lewis Capaldi
🎶 "I'm Gonna Love You" - Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
🎶 "Music" - Kelsea Ballerini
🎶 "Can I Be Him" - James Arthur
🎶 "Drive Me, Crazy" - Orville Peck
🎶 "Die With A Smile - Acoustic" - Shan and Matt
🎶 "Forever and a Day" - Benson Boone
🎶 "Build Me Up Buttercup" - Kina Grannis
🎶 "Like I Can" - Sam Smith
🎶 "Us" - Hannah Ellis
🎶 "The Bones" - Maren Morris, Hozier
🎶 "Carry You Home" - Alex Warren
🎶 "Heavenly Kind Of State Of Mind" - Lewis Capaldi
🎶 "Home" - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

And YOU JUST KNOW THAT ASHLEY JAMES SERVED US WITH SPICE HOT ON THE PLATTER 🔥🌶️

"What a good boy you are. I see you can still follow directions nicely."

"That’s right, baby. Let me hear you scream for me. Let me hear how good I give it to you. How nobody has ever given it to you except me."

"Let me see how fucking needy you are. How wet you get from choking on me."

🩺 Tropes 🩺

🔥 Second Chance Romance
🔥 One Night Stand
🔥 Age Gap (15 Years)
🔥 Small Town x Cowboy
🔥 Fake Marriage
🔥 Forced Proximity
🔥 Cheating (with, not on)
🔥 Mental Health Rep
🔥 ASD Rep

Book Edit - https://www.instagram.com/p/DCHHsukg6...

[Cat the bookworm (still at the cottage in AO3 land) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written second chance romance, but less well written smut 😕

I’m not usually a huge fan of second chance romances, but here, it was done beautifully: Conrad and Whit’s marriage ended 5 years ago, and Whit moved on. But Conrad had never given up hope, and when his Nana (whom he hadn’t told that he’s no longer married to Whit) comes over, Whit agrees to be Conrad’s temporary (fake) husband again.

I loved the relationship part: the way both of them still had feelings for each other, and how Conrad tried to make amends and convince Whit to give him (and them) another chance: that was done beautifully. Was it a bit OTT at times? Definitely, but that I didn’t mind. And the texting / the letter? Let me just melt here 🫠

Another thing I LOVED: the narration by Nick J. Russo and Aiden Snow. There’s a reason why I love them both, and they more than lived up to their reputation. 5+++ out of 5 stars.

What I wasn’t a fan of: the sex scenes felt off. It dabbed into daddy/boy D/s kink, with slightly derogatory dirty talk as a cherry on top. I didn’t feel like it was a good fit for their personalities - neither Conrad as a daddy/dom nor Whit as boy/sub felt right. And dirtytalking about a “sweet little cunt”… not to ick someone’s yum, but I cringe whenever I’m reading about it.

And the cringy factor is the main reason why I’m rounding my 3.5 rating down. I just can’t give it the 4 stars it would have gotten otherwise 😕

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

re-listen March 2025

Damn, Daddy Conrad with Aiden Snow’s voice really does it for me.


4.25**** stars
audio: 5 stars


Fuck, I ate this up. I’m such a sucker for second-chance romances. And paired with that audio? Damn near perfection.

And on that note, a side note: does anybody else remember when Aiden Snow read a Christmas dinner menu in his sultry sex voice two years ago on his Insta? No? Delicious, I tell you. 🔥🫠


And yes, this book, Conrad’s and Whit’s story, is a fabulous example why I love second chance so damn much. All the hurt, the longing, the love that never really went away despite everything that had happened and ofc the intense reunion. God, I love it. Admitted, it was a bit OTT at times it still was probably not the last time I’ve listened to this book.

Pleasure zips through my body as it all sinks in. Nobody has ever had Whit the way I’ve had him.

Swallowing harshly, I pause for a moment. “I’ve never been with anybody either,” I admit.
He blinks at me. “At all?”
“Whit, I haven’t even looked at another person in that way since that night we danced in the barn.” [15 years ago]

And I stand by my everlasting opinion. Authors definitely use that trope waaaaayyyy too little for their books. Puhleeaaase give us more!!!


*************
Copper Lake Series

Book 1 - Eight Seconds to Ride - dropped
Book 2 - Dirt Road Secrets
Book 3 - Burning the Midnight Oil
Book 4 - The History Between Us - 3.5 stars
Book 5 - Every Promise Broken - 4.25 stars

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story and it was the one most everyone was waiting for. This series is now complete and I’m happy that I enjoyed it. Book 2 was my favorite by far.

I think I felt that something was missing in this book. We saw a brief glimpse into how Conrad and Whit had their first kiss and also how Conrad was so closed off with Whit before the divorce. I wanted more of their backstory. I would’ve loved to see how they got together and how their beginning to being married transpired. I also felt like it’s not stressed enough how long Conrad shut Whit out before he left. I’m assuming close to a year but I’m not sure. It seems easy to leave a long term relationship when someone is grieving their parents so if it was close to a year that Whit tried with Conrad before leaving that makes more sense than if it was a few months.

Overall this was good. I’m sure many who have been waiting for this story are happy!!!

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a me problem, but this book managed to combine all the things I don't like into one story unfortunately!

I hate flashbacks. I find them pretty pointless and uninteresting and honestly I would rather the characters have to talk in the present day to resolve their issues or reminisce. I'm never going to like them and they always take me out of the story completely, and with the amount of flashbacks this book had it was really difficult for me to get back into it.

I also love second chance romance BUT the chararcters have to be having the hard conversations and getting to know each other as they are now. None of this happened until almost the very end of the book and they'd already restarted a sexual relationship pretty near the beginning, which I found hard to understand, especially when Whit was so adamant about how he wanted things to be? The fact they don't have the conversations they need to have about their relationship until after they've effectively broken up again just felt weird to me. Why would you not talk about the reason why you broke up in the first place if you actively want to try again? You can't bury your head in the sand about the reasons, especially when they're alluded to throughout the book! For me, I needed them to have the conversation first, to get to know each other as they are now and not rely on their past knowledge of each other, and then to move forward. It felt disjointed to me and Whit's reactions to everything then felt off because he'd allowed the situation to happen and then was mad about it?

Proposals and flowery love declarations also make me cringe so hard 😂 I don't know what it is, they just make my skin crawl. There's very few proposals I've ever read where my skin doesn't feel like it wants to get up and leave my body! There's a lot of love declarations, gushy speeches and flowery proposals and wedding vows and they're just not for me 😂

So yeah, it was like the opposite of what I love in a second chance romance unfortunately 😂😂

What I did love though was Shooter. I really love how he's been the mainstay in every book in the series. He links everyone together, he's a great friend and he's blunt with his opinions and advice which I really love, yet he's got such a big heart and wants his friends to be as happy and in love as he is. I also loved getting to see glimpses of Shooter and Sterling's relationship progression throughout the series too. Book one is by far my favourite in this series, and as much as I've enjoyed getting to know the characters of Copper Lake, no one else really came close to the way I loved Shooter and Sterling!

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful conclusion to this series. Team Whit and Connie forever! They are really meant for each other.
I thought this book was the slowest of them all, it was nice but I did get bored at times.

Favorite book from the series is a tie between Eight Seconds to ride and Dirt Road Secrets.
Shooter is my favorite character and it’s weird I’m going to miss him the most lol

I’m going to miss Copper Lake so so much, I’ll wait a few more weeks and I’m definitely doing a re read.

[Katie Beasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was everything I wanted for Whit & Conrad!!! I have been waiting for their book since Shooter and Sterling's book and Ashley delivered yall! The angst. The chemistry. The clear feelings these guys have felt for each other that has shown through in the other books just blew up in this one. I liked the flashbacks that we got and that they were from both characters POV. I thought they tied in perfectly to what was happening in the present. And obviously the spice was HOT!! The way that the fake marriage lured them back together and Conrad's plan to show Whit how much he has changed was done perfectly. I loved the side characters as well and how much support they gave both characters in their journey. These two clearly were meant to be and I was so happy to be along for the ride :)

Whit is stressed beyond belief. He is responsible for his dad's care and in doing so has gotten himself in a bit of a financial bind. He is dating Reggie but not really into it like he was with Conrad. Everything circles back to how he was with Conrad. But he can't think like that because that chapter of his life is closed until one night when things change. They have a wild night of passion which Whit later realizes was a mistake but now he realizes he definitely can't be with Reggie anymore. He decides he will continue to be professional with Conrad until he gets the visit from him. The one where Conrad asks him to pretend to be his husband for a few weeks while his Nana is in town. You see Conrad never told her they had gotten divorced. Which is a whole other thing to unpack. Whit goes back and forth but decides that he will do it. This one last thing but his terms are that Conrad HAS to tell his Nana after she leaves. Now Whit has to figure out how is going to survive sleeping in the bed of the man he loves to hate but clearly still has feelings for. He has to witness the changes that have taken place in Conrad and adjust to the fact that now Conrad wants to talk about feelings when Whit doesn't. Whit realize his feelings for Conrad are still very much alive. But then Conrad does a favor that puts Whit in a tailspin. Can he trust Conrad to see him as his partner and not someone who needs taking care of? Will their love for each other be enough to overcome everything they have endured?

Conrad has been fine with his life. He isn't happy with how things went down with Whit, but he has decided that at least he gets to see Whit on occasion. He recognizes that he lost him for good. But then Whit comes onto him one night and they have a wonderful night of passion that has Conrad questioning whether they are really done. I mean Conrad has never stopped loving him so maybe he just has to get Whit on the same page. Then the perfect opportunity happens- his Nana is coming into town and Conrad never told her that him and Whit got divorced. Now Conrad is planning on how to get Whit to come back into his life so he can show him how much he has changed as a man and what he could offer him as a husband. Conrad gets glimpses and sees that Whit is interested. Their passion never went away. It's the relationship part that they need to figure out. And when Conrad does something that he thinks will help Whit leaves. Now Conrad has to prove to him that Whit is the partner he has always wanted and is willing to do anything to prove it to him.

This book had me on an emotional roller coaster. I seriously LOVE second chances, and this one was done right. I kind of laughed. I was holding my breath. I was at the edge of my seat. I was fanning myself and blushing while my husband asked what I was reading. I mean kitten- come on Ashley!! Though this can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the series though to get a better idea of their relationship. I highly recommend this series and what a way to end it :)

Thank you to The Author Agency and Ashley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whit and Conrad 🖤 Yes please. Perfect ending to a great series.

"It's always been you", second chance romance.

....

"I'm a butterfly, and he's the cocoon. My safety. My shelter."

"What's the matter, kitten? Your little boyfriend doesn't give it to you like I used to?"

"Nothing good is going to come of this, not with the way he's towering over me like a lion about to feast on its prey. He's hungry and on a mission, and I'm defenseless against him."

"When Conrad kisses me, it's like nothing else matters. Nothing else exists when I'm here, in his arms. We're so lost in this moment, in the taste and feel of one another, that the outside world vanishes."

"He makes my pulse race and my palms sweat, but not in an anxious way. In a he-soothes-my-soul type of way."

"Conrad kisses me like he's a dying man and I'm his last meal, and I can do nothing more than hold on tight and hang on for the ride."

"I think its time I remind you just how much you belong to me, kitten. Remind you just how much you need me."

"My chest tightens, throat thick with emotion as I state down at him, truly taking him in. My Whit. The boy who became a man and stole my heart. Who couldn't be more different from me, yet his soul speaks to mine all the same."

"How do you always manage to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make me feel so safe and seen."

"Come sit on my face."
"What?"
"You heard me, kitten. Toss that leg over and let me eat that sweet little cunt before I sink into it with my cock."

"Thats right, baby. Let me hear how you scream for me. Let me hear how good I give it to you. How nobody has given it to you except me."

....

⚠️ possible spoilers below in tropes and triggers






Tropes:
Second chance
Ex husbands
Cheating (with, not on)
Size difference
Opposites attract
Rancher, veterinarian
Fake relationship
"It's always been you"
Feminization

TWs:
Cheating (with, not on)
Death of parents mentioned
Unhealthy relationship with parent
Some minor feminization (calling his hole a "cunt" a couple times)

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is it, the one I’ve been waiting for since book one in the Copper Lake series, and it was so worth the wait. I absolutely loved Whit and Conrad’s story, it was so beautiful. I loved them together, and I loved getting to see the beginning of their relationship. I’m so sad that this is the end for this series, I loved every single book.

[Shannon Rugg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I, like everyone else, was ecstatic to get my hands on this book. The final book in the CL series. Conrad and Whit. We’ve waited a long time for their story! That being said, after re-reading this book after release, since I also alpha read it (but don’t worry I’m not listed in the acknowledgements because Ashley yet again dropped another member of her team for not cowing to her huge ego) here’s my honest review.

It was super sad to see that the ASD rep was STILL treated like a dirty secret and Ashley didn’t fully commit to writing about it. Through Whit’s quirks we can ASSUME he is autistic, but just mentioning the diagnosis ONE time? Commit to it. Don’t hide behind listing it within the tropes. Don’t make people assume what you’re writing about it. But yet again, Ashley James adds in a trope, mentions it one time and considers that good…

That being said, there are multiple other tropes in this book that were mentioned and come off as lacking, or we get a sentence or two, maybe a scene, and that’s it. The shock factor feeling is strong when it comes to reading through the tropes and not actually getting the follow through or commitment to each one.

I love Whit and Conrad together. Adore them, really. Were they my favorite couple? No. There was some immaturity there with both of them that I wasn’t expecting, but it DID help portray the jealousy and possessiveness on Conrad’s part—how far he was willing to go to get Whit back.

Yet again, Shooter steals the show! He was hilarious and I loved every single cameo we got of him. That being said I wish, in the final book, we would have gotten MORE of the entire found family. This is definitely where Ashley thrives and it was somewhat disappointing not to see more of that found family that she is so good at writing!

This book did feel rushed. Especially the ending. Which seeing as there was a sneak peak of her MF book included at the end, it seems like her sole focus is there, like she had already moved on from Whit and Conrad before the ink was even dry. It then makes sense as to why it felt like there was a lack of follow through and commitment to several elements of Whit and Conrad’s story. It seems as though MM may be set on the back burner to this MF project, so I wouldn’t hold out hope for anything life changing in the future on the MM side.

[Brat · Rating 5 out of 5]

book 5 last of copper lake series
age gap
second chance
grief
miscommunication
both pining
fake marriage

[Marthea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ta książka jest przykładem na to, jak NAPRAWDĘ gust ludzki może być różny...
83% czytelników dało tej historii oceną 5 lub 4 gwiazdkową...
No cóż, ja się mieszczę w tym niepełnym procencie, który daje 1 👀

Usiłowałam znaleźć choć jedną pozytywną rzecz, którą mogłabym napisać o tej książce.
Tylko JEDNĄ....
I nic mi do głowy nie przychodzi 🤦‍♀️

Historia była okropna.
Bohaterowie byli OKROPNI, zwłaszcza Whit. Nie cierpiałam ich wręcz pasjami.
Nie znosiłam ich, dynamiki między nimi - zarówno w przysłowiowej sypialni, jak i poza nią.

Powinnam zrobić DNF już po 3/4 rozdziale, kiedy doszło do zdrady. Nie cierpię tego. Nie jestem w stanie usprawiedliwić takiego zachowania. Nawet, jeżeli zdradziło się swojego obecnego chłopaka ze swoim byłym mężem. Cytat z Whita:

"I cheated on my boyfriend.
With my ex-husband.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Thirty-five days later, and I still can’t wrap my head around that decision. It makes zero sense. It’s completely out of character for me. I’m not a cheater, and Conrad and I have been over for years. I’ve moved on; Reggie and I have been together almost three years now. I just don’t understand what would possess me to do what I did. And to top it off, as if that’s not bad enough, I initiated it all! I practically begged him to help me cheat on my nice, loyal, sweet boyfriend."

Cóż tu więcej dodawać?
A ja, jak ta masochistka, którą najwidoczniej jestem, poleciałam dalej...
Whit zerwał ze swoim naprawdę przyzwoitym, dobrym, fajnym i oddanym chłopakiem dopiero pod koniec 9 rozdziału - tak mniej więcej po 1,5-2 miesiącach od zdrady (do której zresztą nigdy się nie przyznał). W dodatku w takim stylu, że nic, tylko zapodać mu kopa w dupę, bo inaczej tego nazwać nie można 👀

Autorka dodatkowo z nieznanych mi przyczyn postanowiła, że Whit będzie w spektrum autyzmu. Dlaczego? Myślę, że to tajemnica dla Archiwum X...

Ile było niekonsekwencji lub durnot 🤦‍♀️
Tylko dwie dla przykładu:
1. Matka Whita zmarła i - wg Whita - to ona była tym spoiwem rodziny, która trzymała ją razem. Ale... okazało się, że tak naprawdę była funkcjonującą alkoholiczką, która wyżywała się na ojcu, kiedy tylko mogła, robiła mu non stop awantury - ale ten jej nie opuścił, bo bardziej ją kochał, niż nienawidził jej nałogu. No cóż, dla mnie nie brzmi to jak świetna rodzina, której spoiwem była matka. Ale co ja tam wiem, nie znam się najwidoczniej 😜
2. Po śmierci rodziców Conrad był na nich m.in. wściekły (bo oczywiście był też smutek, żałoba itd.). Dlaczego? Bo zostawili go samego z prowadzeniem rancza i odpowiedzialnością za nie, a on je miał przejąć dużo później. Koleś, kiedy jego rodzice zginęli tragicznie, miał jakieś 42-43 lata... Naprawdę? W takim wieku był wściekły, że musiał wziąć na siebie odpowiedzialność za ranczo??? Na którym zapieprzał od najmłodszych lat i wiedział, że je przejmie wcześniej czy późnej? Jak na mój gust, to było raczej później... Ale jak widać, znowu się nie znam 😜

I takich idiotyzmów było dużo więcej, ale te dwa wystarczą, bo nie chce mi się więcej tego opisywać...

A końcówka była tak słodka i ckliwa, że mało mnie na wymioty nie zebrało. Autorka wykorzystała chyba wszystkie możliwe chwyty i stereotypy, które po prostu dla mnie są na wielkie NIE...

To miała być najlepsza część tej serii - przynajmniej wg komentarzy, które czytałam - dlatego się za nią wzięłam. Ale po raz kolejny się przekonałam, żeby raczej ufać swoim wewnętrznym przeczuciom, niż opinii innych w takim przypadku...

Z pięciu tomów tej serii średnia wychodzi mi 2,4 - co oznacza, że ta autorka po prostu totalnie nie jest dla mnie 🤷‍♀️

A najbardziej chyba jestem wściekła na siebie, że zmarnowałam na tę historię kilka dni - w tym weekend - w który mogłam zupełnie coś innego czytać...

[Laura Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Promise Broken is book five in the Copper Lake series. This MM second chance small town romance story is about Whit and Conrad.

I have been trying to patiently wait for Whit and Conrad’s story ever since we met them in book one, Eight Seconds To Ride. Now that we finally get it, I can say it was amazing and worth the wait.

We find ourselves back in Copper Lake where we already know that Whit and Conrad are divorced. Whit is the town veterinarian who took over his father’s practice. Conrad is a well known rancher who inherited Grazing Acres Ranch from his parents after their tragic passing. There is a fifteen year age gap between Whit and Conrad, but that didn’t stop them from falling in love and getting married. Unfortunately, they are now divorced and everyone knows this except for Conrad’s Nana. The same Nana that is coming to visit and stay with Conrad and Whit.

Conrad pleads with Whit to pretend they are still married while Nana is in town. Whit agrees and temporarily moves back in the home on the ranch that they once shared. We soon see that Conrad never stopped loving Whit, and that Whit might not be as over Conrad as he thinks.

Conrad and Whit have some super steamy moments that I just ate up. Their chemistry was amazing and they were so incredibly hot together. And that mouth on Connie and his possessiveness was everything.

This story was definitely an emotional one. My heart broke for everything Whit and Conrad went through. Things certainly weren’t easy for them, but you could see how much they loved each other and were meant to be. And I have to give a shoutout to Nana and Shooter because they were simply the best! I am so happy Whit and Conrad were able to get their HEA. It was a great ending to a wonderful series.

I received an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review.

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Shooter and Sterling were my favourite but Whit and Conrad are definitely giving them a run for their money!!! I LOVE their story. Sheer perfection where rich emotion meets insanely hot chemistry as there two discover a second chance to an HEA in this epically written story!

Holy smokes Conrad is hot, I clearly wasn’t paying enough attention in the first few books. Also I love it when an MC is willing to change, to fix things, to take responsibility in such a real way. I loved Whit, he took a piece of my heart, I loved his growth and journey through the book. The author has done such an amazing job of taking us to the past and rooting us in the present as I read their story I experience everything.
I loved Nana (and I kinda saw that twist coming iykyk hehehe) and that letter 😭😭!!
I just cannot recommend this book enough, please read it!

Expect:

* Second Chance
* Age Gap (15 years)
* Cheating (with, not on)
* Small Town
* Cowboy/ Rancher
* Fake Marriage
* Forced Proximity
* Mental Health Rep
* Neurodiversity rep
* Found family

[meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Promise Broken: ★ ★ ★

Ashley James (Copper Lake, #5)

“I promise to never let you forget how much I love you, how much you mean to me. I will never stop showing you, for as long as I live. You will never, ever question my love for you ever again.”

When ex husbands Whit and Conrad have to pretend to be together for a family visit, they discover that their feelings might not be all gone after all.

Tropes:
— Fake marriage
— Forced proximity
— Age gap
— Second chance
— Cheating

Whit & Conrad’s book is finally here!! Let me start by saying that I have enjoyed this series and it makes me so sad that this is the last book. However, it is so nice to end with a couple that we have been getting crumbs from the beginning of the series. As with every other book, the spice in this delivered, and the small town setting is so wholesome.

I definitely would have loved to see more of all of the other couples instead of JUST repeated appearances from Shooter (and Sterling) because as it is the last book, I just wanted that little sense of found family but not a big deal at all. Hope we get some bonus scenes for them in the future, I would really love that!

There’s a couple things in this book that were just really weird for me:
– The past/present wasn’t really uniform. It just sort of popped up every couple chapters and then it didn’t go chronologically. Sometimes it would be five years ago sometimes it would be five months ago. It was just really confusing.
– Second of all, it felt like their connection, or rather reconnection, was entirely physical. It’s very clear that at one point they obviously had a romantic bond, but I felt like the foundation of their relationship was purely based on them falling into bed together.
– Third, Conrad’s emotional maturity was really disappointing. It felt like he didn’t develop it at all over the five years that they weren’t together and then was almost getting together with his ex-husband just out of… not knowing anything else?
– Finally, but most importantly, the ASD rep. This is probably the part that bothered me the most because it’s mentioned once very briefly in the beginning of the book and then never addressed again. It just felt to me like if it was going to be brought up then it should be appropriately discussed and pertaining to the story, and I don’t think it was. I have researched and studied autism for years so just felt a bit disappointed with that.

Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed my time with the series overall and definitely recommend it for people looking for a small-town series that has hot bull-riders and a whole lotta steam.

ARC kindly shared by the Author Agency for an honest review.

[Syria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️
a pleasant story to read and not too dramatic, personally given the theme I would have liked a deeper and more poignant reading, but overall a good book.

[read_romance.withgloria Gloria Worlikar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this whole series.

This book was a perfect ending for this series and though I am going to miss Cooper Lake and all the characters, I was so happy for Whit and Conrad.

I have been looking forward for Whit and Conrad story since the first book and gah I was not disappointed. Loved every second of it. Might have shed few tears here and there with how raw some emotions were written and damn I have became Ashley's fan once again after this book. The way she wrote the characters and emotions was just so amazing and poetic at times I enjoyed reading it.
I devoured the spicy scenes in this book, Conrad had such a dirty mouth and damn they both were sizzling hot together.

Whit was an amazing character and I loved his growth and how he stood for himself. Conrad also has went through alot but he tried his best to work through everything because he still loved Whit. They both were just perfect for eachother.

Nana was an amazing character and I loved how she and Shooter teamed up. Shooter gah he is always going to be my favourite and yes he was still obnoxious here but you could also see a mature part of him and how amazing friend he was to Whit. The epilogue's were so beautiful and perfect end for this series though I keep wanting more, I loved every second of this book.

[Ellie ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, Conrad and Whit should never have gotten divorced. Separated for a while, maybe, but never divorced. They never stopped loving each other and we’re talking about the big, strong, “you’re the only one for me” kind of love. Conrad was grieving his parents, so it makes sense that he was depressed and couldn’t put his marriage first for a while. And let’s face it, he’s bad at communicating. Whit already knew that. Maybe they just needed a little time apart, but five years? Nope. And Whit had a boyfriend for three years. THREE. And then he just left him like an old sock. The guy wasn’t a bad person, he didn’t deserve that.

Anyway, it might not seem like it, but I loved the book. Despite all that, it was a great story. Whit and Conrad are so sweet together and I really love their kinky side too. This book was very different from the others in the series but it was a fantastic conclusion.

[Bettina · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐ What an amazing ending to a great series! In the final edition of the Copper Lake-series, we finally get the story of Conrad and Whit. I have been looking forward to find out what happend with these two and to read their story. And their story was bautiful.

“You hung the stars in his sky. It’s clear to see.” 🖤

When Conrads grandmother are coming back to the small town to visit after being away for many years, the former couple are forced to live together and pretend they are still as happily married like ever before. With the tension between them, that never really went away, the two of them struggel ut keep their emotions under control. This book was just as sweet as heartbreaking. There is a lot of history between these two, and it is not all pretty. But what is clear from the beginning is that they are not done with eachother, and feelings are still very strong.

I had a fantastic time with the final Copper Lake-book, and I think Ashley James gave the series the ending it deserved. This book is sweet, loving, funny and heartbreaking, but most of all, it is a beautiful love story about two people who belong together.

Thank you so, so much Ashley James for providing med with an ARC of this book, I'm forever grateful! 🖤

[Marina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been really looking forward to this and I thought I would love this more but for some reason it kind of felt off.
It felt as if there were continuous declarations to one another when I would really have liked to see the whole build up of their relationship. And unfortunately, I didn't like Whit's character.

[Lady Macbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This was a great end of series, a very well done second chance romance.
Like everyone else who has read thses books, I was waiting for Whit and Conrad's reunion too: it has been a painful and highly emotional journey, but it was definitely worth it.
There's a lot of sadness in this book and, not going to lie, I cried several times. Whit's personal story it's not nice: he came out at 16 as gay and his father, the town vet, kicked him out, while his mother was drowning herself into alcohol. Luckily With was welcomed by Conrad's father who not only offered him a job and a roof over his head, but also a caring and welcoming family. Over the years, Whit made peace with his father but they never were really close. His mom also died.
So when his parents in law died and his marriage with Conrad imploded, Whit not only lost his husband, but also a loving home and the only family he had left. For the first time in his life he was completely alone and had to rebuild his own life all by himself.

Conrad was completely devastated by his own grief about the unexpected loss of his parents and as a result he pushed Whit away, he couldn't lean on him, he couldn't let himself find comfort in his own husband's arm and that's very very sad. Moreover, it must have been very hard for Whit to see Conrad always drinking, since alcohol was the cause of his mom's death.
In the years they've been apart, Whit tried to find happiness with another man, Reggie, while Conrad remained celibate.
A forced proximity/only one bed situation is the chance for them to try to make things work again.

What prevented me from giving a higher rate:
I didn't like that Conrad never made actual plans to win Whit back, but he sort of got lucky when his Nana came back and took advantage of the situation. I would have loved for him to be more determined and to make his move years before.
I didn't appreaciate that Conrad didn't use a condom during penetrative sex without checking with Whit if it was okay, acting like he owned him.
Lastly, the confusing timeline annoyed me a bit, because the events of the past are not always set straight: for example, sometimes the author says With left Conrad five years before, other times it was four; one time their marriage was twelve years before, another time it was ten.

The third act break up was actually great: I'm not a fan of that but Whit and Conrad's confrontation was very much needed and it was good for Whit to let go of all his frustration because finally for the first time Conrad realised how much he hurt his husband both in the past and in the present days. It was the reality check that Conrad needed to understand how he had to change his behaviour to have a sane relationship with Whit.
Their reconnection is also very good and I was glad that they finally could start again by being honest with each other.
The two epilogues are beautiful I loved to see all the MCs again.

A little sad that this series has ended, I look forward to see what this author has in store for the future.

I received an ARC of this book from The Author Agency and this is my honest review.

[⭒ Kyra ⭒ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i've been waiting for their book since i read book 1 a few months ago. getting little snippets of their relationship over the last four books was really a treat

conrad and whit love each other so much and it's so obvious to everyone - everyone except whit, apparently. watching them come back together, whit learning to trust conrad again, and conrad more than willing to go the distance to make things work this time, was so great to read

i enjoyed the flashback chapters. there weren't too many, they weren't too long, and got straight to the point. but boy, did that first one HURT

there were only a few major things i wished to have gotten from this book:

- more discussion about their relationship (past and present). their marriage and divorce was mentioned a lot in their own narratives, but they never really spoke about it in person often enough for my liking. i wanted that angst

- i was glad to have a lot of shooter & sterling cameo's, along with will, but i was hoping everyone else from the series would show up (seriously its like boone and grady just vanished after their book lmao) and we'd get one last group appearance

overall it was a satifying conclusion and happily ever after for whit and conrad. they'd been a couple i wanted to know more about since i read book 1, and im excited to see what she comes up with next!!

[peoniesandmm · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was super cute, all up until that third act breakup crap 🙃 that was annoying lol
overall i loved this sweet book! he calls him Kitten 🥹

[Manic killer]

ARC REVIEW-
The only thing one could takeaway from this book was the spice and I skipped those scenes also.

Now that I waited this long to write my review, I don’t have the energy in me anymore to go on a rant. I did post a review on tiktok stating the reasons I don’t like this book and why I can’t even give it 1⭐️

Going into this book after reading the blurb I thought I’d be getting a cute Second Chance romance, that will be filled with swoon worthy moments, date nights, and reminiscing good times and Conrad trying his hardest to win back his husband.

Contrary to that, this book gave me the Ick so bad it was irritating. And the dynamic of their relationship, the power imbalance felt very predatory to me.

I’ve never had issues with age gap, it’s one of my favourite tropes when done correctly. And this was just bad. Yeah, Conrad and Whit got together when Conrad was 33 and Whit was 18. Whit was legal and that’s fine, but that boy was a in a bad mental state when he started dating a man who already had his life together, got married to that man and was dependent on the man for almost all his life. Then had to live life as a sole adult for the first time in his life after the divorce.

I get the whole second chance bla bla, but there was nothing about this book that convinced me that Conrad was ever in love with Whit. What Conrad loved was the control and access he had over Whit’s body. The power and mental hold he knew he had over Whit. Why was it when Whit was going through another rough mental state did they have to get together? Almost like Whit was back in that place as an 18year old inexperienced kid with mental issues. And even as a 30+ adult now, Conrad took advantage of that.

You can’t tell me in all the years you’ve been separated from a man you claimed you love, you never came up with the perfect plan to win him back. No date ideas, no gift ideas, no sweet gestures. No attempt to apologise or grovel. Nothing, you didn’t care about him enough to work through the issue that caused your divorce and be better for him and learn to communicate. No? You had five years, five years to come up with so many amazing ideas and all you had was to use the power you have over him when it’s come down to sex. Are you for real? That was all this was, Conrad wielding the hold he had over Whit’s sexual pleasure, using it as a tool to drag him back into his life and I was disgusted by him.

You don’t claim you love someone, and sit on your ass for the past five years. And then sent him pathetic text messages as apologies when your friends had to point out that you were in the wrong again.

This was a mess of problematic shits that weren’t even addressed or acknowledged.

[ranmao · Rating 1 out of 5]

Debe ser que a pesar de que tenía muchas ganas de leerlo, saber que su relación la empezaron con uno de 18 años y el otro de 32/33, y que en el Capítulo 4 !!! whit engañara a su novio (con quien lleva 3 años de relación) con su ex esposo, y no lo haya terminado hasta 1 mes después, sin explicarle por qué, y que hayan dejado todo eso así; hizo que le agarrara mala voluntad al libro y todo me pareció una mierda, su relación, los personajes (obviamente) y hasta las escenas de sexo que me daban cringe.

[Sazzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one I've been waiting for. Whit and Conrard have been on my mind since book 1 and I was desperately hoping they'd get their book... And boy did they ever!

These 2 have featured in all 4 previous books in one way or another and we already know their backstory (previously married, now divorced) but that's all we've known. Enter book 5 of this series (and the last 😭😭😭😭) and we finally get to know everything about them as a couple, as individuals and why they split up (I mean we already know why but now we get alllll the info!!)

Book 2 has always been my favourite of this series but this one absolutely blew me away. I didn't want to read it because it's the last one but I couldn't resist it. Once I started I didn't want to put it down!

These 2 characters absolutely destroyed me, pieced me back together again, obliterated my heart then mended it just as fast. They are perfect to read, easy to visualise and their story is just stunning.

Whit is probably my favourite character from all 5 books. He's such an interesting character to read because he's so clear in what he wants, even when he thinks he doesn't. Plus, he's a kinky little fucker and I LOVE that for him!

Conrard is more your almost silent, brooding type. He's a bit moody (unless he's with Whit) and he's so lost without his husband you can feel his sadness and loneliness come through the pages 😢

🔥Second Chance
🔥One Night Stand
🔥Age Gap (15 years)
🔥Cheating (with, not on)
🔥Small Town x Cowboy
🔥Fake Marriage
🔥Forced Proximity
🔥Mental Health Rep
🔥ASD Rep
😺 Kitten

NGL, nana stole the show too, LOVE her!! ❤️🧓

Gutted this series is over but so so happy I found it in the first place 💙

I received an ARC of this book from the author and this is my honest review.

[Kazza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote a review on Audible but it's more miss than hit that they publish a review - way to waste my time. I liked this book. I liked the MCs, Conrad and Whit. It was also a bonus that Nick J Russo and Aiden Snow narrated together because that was a match made in audio heaven. Two books in this series had narration perfection, Burning the Midnight Oil and this one. I've enjoyed the Copper Lake series. I've read them all out of order and it makes no difference where you start. The author clearly loves Shooter, book #1, he's not my favourite, because he pops up everywhere.
Every Promise Broken, while predominately in current time, spanned around fifteen years, I think. It's a non-linear timeline because the two MCs were married and then they divorced. So you see them go back and forward during that time. You see the genesis of their relationship. Conrad wants Whit back with every fibre of his being. I enjoyed that. He pushed Whit away after his parents died. Nanna was a plot driver to get the guys under the same roof, because Conrad hasn't told Nanna that they're apart, but the idea was still cute.
I know the author labelled Whit as being neurodivergent but there was no ASD rep in this book. It was a throwaway. I let it spin off into the ether to relax into the book because it wasn't like James was disrespectful to the character. Just a tad lazy in terms of truly incorporating ND rep into the book. Easy listening and a nice wrap up of the series. 4 stars,

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 HUGE AMAZING STARS;
omg this series has been such an absolute treat to read. This one was my second favorite after Dirt Road Secrets. I cried so much during this book, and it was so hard and painful at times, but it was so incredibly beautiful and romantic. I loved every moment of this book and this series. This will stick with me for a long time and be books I revisit for a long long time.

tropes;
second chance
ex husbands
cheating (not between MC's)
opposites attract
autism rep
bdsm and feminization lite
"it's always been you"

[Ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was iffy about leaving a public review given the current state of events but I feel like Conrad and Whit earned it.

This is the long awaited finale. And it sure delivered 🥹

I loved getting their story and I loved watching them find each other again.

They didn’t make it easy on themselves but they got their long earned HEA.

*This is a me thing* I think the reason it wasn’t 5 stars for me is because of the third act conflict. It didn’t make a ton of sense to me and it seemed like something that was just blown out of proportion until someone had to grovel. It might just be me but the reaction didn’t fit the problem at all imo. It just left me feeling sad for them. I related to Shooter most during the whole debacle 😂

The rest of their story was phenomenal but that third act really spoiled it for me. 😔

I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary review! 🖤

[Samantha Ramsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating : ♾️⭐️
Spice : 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5
Release Date : November 15th
_________________________________________
Although I’m so sad this series has come to an end — I’m so glad it ended with Will and Conrad’s story .

It was everything I needed - it broke my heart and put all the pieces back together . The hurt they both experienced and the way their love brought them back together was just so beautiful . The letter really did it for me — and it really showed us how Conrad felt and how grief consumed his life and his relationship . What he did after their split to become the man Will deserved . It takes alot for me to cry and this book did it .

This book was so beautiful and I can’t stop thinking about Will and Conrad . Thank you so much @authorashleyjames & @theauthor.agency for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion !