Promise to Keep

Promises #2

by Jessica Wood

Promise to Keep is book two in the New York Times bestselling three-book series Promises.Book Promise to MarryBook Promise to KeepBook Promise of ForeverI’ve loved her since we were seven. We were best friends. We even made a pact to marry each other if we were both still single at thirty. I grew up thinking I would always love her for the rest of my life.But I was proven wrong. Because the first time I made love to her turned out to be the first time I hated her. It became the first time she hurt me, and the first time I wanted nothing to do with her.Today, nine years after the day that broke us apart, we are both thirty and single, and fate decided to intervene. I finally discovered that the reasons behind her betrayal were far different from the ones I’d created years ago in my mind.Now I’m torn between my hatred over what she did and my undying love for the one girl who I’ve held close to my heart for most of my life.But is the truth enough for me to forgive her?New Adult Contemporary Romance with **Mature Content** Recommended for 17+ due to mature language and adult situations.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, College, Second Chance, Drama

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2015

About the author

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Jessica Wood writes contemporary romance.

While she has lived in countless cities throughout the U.S., her heart belongs to San Francisco. To her, there’s something seductively romantic about the Golden Gate Bridge, the steep rolling hills of the city streets, the cable cars, and the Victorian-style architecture.

She loves a strong, masculine man with a witty personality. While she is headstrong and extremely independent, she can’t resist a man who takes control of the relationship, both outside and inside of the bedroom.

She loves to travel internationally, and tries to plan a yearly trip abroad. She also loves to cook and bake, and—to the benefit of her friends—she loves to share. She also enjoys ceramics and being creative with her hands. She has a weakness for good (maybe bad) TV shows; she’s up-to-date on over 25 current shows, and no, that wasn’t a joke.

And it goes without saying, she loves books—they’re like old and dear friends who have always been there to make her laugh and make her cry.

The one thing she wished she had more of is time.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought the first book was bad, but this topped it. So let's go through the list of things that are just fucked up: Jackson's dad not only basically tricks Chole into sleeping with him he admits to being into her since she was 16. Making him a total perv. Chole tries to confide in Jax multiple times but he's too busy banging everything in sight including Amber. Chole becomes an escort because of guilt she shouldn't feel. Oh and to top off the what the fuck moment in this book Jackson's father might actually be Chole's father too! Yeah and it makes it seem like he knew. Boy was I wrong when I called the first book perverted because this one topped the charts on fucked up shit!
After reading the first I swore I wouldn't read this one, but when someone sent me the book of course I had to see what her motive was for sleeping with his father. This series is a MUST PASS SERIES. Save your money and time!

[Jessica~loves to hate a cliffy~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the 1st book I don't know why I put myself though this, except that I HAD to see how all this panned out.

Chloe & Jax are grown up now and Jax is torn between listening to his heart or his head. I was with Jax (for not wanting to speak to Chloe ever again after the ending in book 1) for the quite a bit of the book. Then we went into the past & realized that Chloe tried on numerous occasions to talk/see Jax & he was a terrible friend to her plain & simple. He was sleeping with her arch nemesis, for God's sake, what kind of friend does that??



That ending! OMG I thought the last book had a shocking & gut punching ending...well this one is SOOOOOOO
much worse. Jax's dad is ONE sick MF'er and needs to be put to ground

[Edlira Dibrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the 'Promises' series.



I loved this book so much.



Jackson and Chloe

Friendship was their most important thing for them in the world. Friends since 7 years old, Jackson and Chloe had been for each other for everything.

"For as long as I could remember, my life hadn’t been a perfect one. It’d been the opposite of perfect. Things were never black and white, but more gradients of gray—and many ugly fucking grays. When I’d met Jackson, he had become the one part of my life that had been different—the one part of my life that’d been perfect and uncomplicated. The one part of my life that’d made me happy." Chloe



But as they grew up and their lives are separated because of college, everything changed, except their friendship.

The long distance that was between them made them do things to be ashamed of. Especially Chloe, out of the love for her family.

But this one mistake that she did completely had destroyed their friendship and after ten years of hatred for her, Jackson finally realised why she had done it. Now, trying to put back together everything that happened in the past she learns something from her past.

A shocking truth.



I hope it is a lie though.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT. THE. FUCK?!

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

i gave this book three stars because we got more of an understanding as to why Chloe made the decisions she made. what i didn't like was the turn of where the story was going. for one the fact that Jackson is being pretty much blamed for her decisions is just a little insane to me. she should have never based her decisions because he told her 'to do what she wanted to do' because he didn't care. i don't give a fuck what he said is still no excuse for you to go and fucking sleep with his father. i felt bad for Jackson when he found out the woman he loved was sleeping with his father for a few years.

in this one we get the back and forth of past and present and we find out that Jackson father John pretty much manipulated Chloe into sleeping with him. i don't give a damn about the rules or contracts you signed with the escort service the moment you found out it was him and you weren't comfortable sleeping with him you should have quit your fucking job. i understand she did it because of her cousin and she wanted to help her aunt and uncle because she felt what happened was her fault. but no is still no fucking excuse. the fact that she felt that Jackson was wrong for acting the way he did when they finally saw each other after so many years i don't fucking blame him for doing it. as a matter of fact had i been in his shoes i would have never spoken to her again. ever!

when her aunt told her why she did it and he instantly was ready to forgive her just like that only pissed me the fuck off. because the way the author made it sound like Jackson was at fault for the decisions a grown ass woman made. grow the fuck up Chloe stop blaming others for your mistakes.

i knew there was something wrong with Jackson's dad and the way he was with Chloe getting those in the past scene pretty much explained everything. he was a fucking perverted piece of shit. the fact that he even confessed to having something for her since she was sixteen was just disgusting and the fact that he thought that she somehow might have wanted it too is just a little sad. he manipulated her into a fantasy relationship by telling her that his son never loved her and saw her as a little sister. i wanted to knock some sense into Chloe because she believed everything she was fucking told. she was stupid to be honest and i just couldn't connect with her.

through out the book i often asked myself did Chloe want the relationship with his father? did she have feelings for him? because the fact that she stayed working as an escort made me wonder did she develop feelings for him? in the previous book when she was getting ready to meet her last client the way she spoke about him was like she did like doing what she did with Jackson's father. going so far as to wearing skimpy things because it was what he liked. that was why i couldn't for the life of me feel sorry for her in this book. the decisions she made were based on the fact that she felt alone.

while there were plenty of times where she tried to tell Jackson about it and confess to him what she was doing and he obviously didn't want to hear it because come on. do you really want to hear that the person you love is screwing other people? hell fucking no. i didn't blame him for pretty much telling her that he didn't want to know. if she was really concerned about telling him of the situation she should have yelled it at him and then let it sink in and left him to think about what she just confessed if you really wanted him to know. from the looks of it she really didn't to say anything.

my best friend and i went to separate colleges and grew apart for a while because we had our own social life's and path to follow but we still kept in touch. so i don't blame him for having a freaking social life he was in college for Christ sake. yes sleeping with amber was really messed up and i was pissed at him for thinking otherwise but that is not enough to think of him as a bad friend. boys will be boys and all they think about is who they going to hook up with next.

and then the end of the book holy fuck! i was so disgusted at the twist in the end. it is just disturbing where Woods is taking this story and i really can't believe it went there. to be honest i don't think i will be reading the next book because i can't get past the fact that Chloe could have possibly slept with not only her father (john) but if john is her father then that would make Jackson her Half brother and she slept with both of them. that is just disturbing and books like this are not my cup of tea.

[Holly Noelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

So am I supposed to like him? Because I don't like him. I don't see how anyone can like him.

At first, I could understand why he was mad. It was an absolutely ridiculous situation that I doubt would ever happen in reality, but I got his point of view for being upset.

However, when he finds out she may have had her 'reasons' for doing what she did, he thinks about all his past mistakes.

Uhhh can you say douchebag?

So he's in love with her, but knows that at thirty they promised to marry so it's fine to play the field. He'll have her thirty - might as well bone as many girls beforehand. It doesn't mean anything. She's upset and crying on the phone, but he's got pledge priorities. As someone that's been to college, I always get annoyed with how douchey they imply all fraternities and sororities are. I wasn't even in a sorority, but I met plenty of nice people in them.

He promises to call her, but gets hung up with a beer pong game and some girl. Oh and he just so happens to have sex with her arch nemesis from high school. He apparently had no idea how mean she was.



Why on earth would she spend nine years mourning the loss of this friendship?

Just no.

[Stacy Hahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promise to Keep is book 2 in the Promises series. It continues with Chloe and Jackson's story. In this book we see all the back history between these two and what led to the jaw dropping ending of Promise to Marry. I can promise you that you will both love and hate Jackson in this book. I definitely felt for both of them and I developed a soft spot for Chloe. Things are not always as black and white as they appear. Prepare yourself for another holy cow cliffhanger that will once again have you picking up your jaw from the floor. I am beyond excited to see where Jessica is going to take us in the final book!

[Ezza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving Promise to keep 4.5 stars

Wow and I though the cliffhanger from the first book was an interesting one....


A lot of things get explained during this book, we get to see Jackson and Chloe at different stages of life and see how and why Chloe made the decisions and why she did what she did in book 1, and to be honest they make a lot of sense and you get to see that Jax is not a total innocent party in what happened with their friendship.

But that ending OMG! well i'm hoping since there is book 3 that all will be well, but wow those letters hmm I'm thinking they will not be what Chloe automatically assumed, hard to put that without spoilers.

Cant wait to see how it all pans out in book 3

[Jenny Jo Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I get it! I may not like it, I may wish it didn't happen that way, I may have wanted it to play out differently; but I get it! Sometimes, the reason may seem so good at the time and then looking back you realize...hmmm, maybe not.

She did what she felt she needed to do. He did what any normal immature college boy would do. It's very easy to believe and understand both points of view even though I may not like them.

[Lori Margolis · Rating 5 out of 5]

amaziing ! can't believe the way you ended it

I'm glad it finally came out. Today was a horrible day. But spending the evening reading the book took my mind off of this day

Can't wait for book 3 if you need someone to read the third book I'm be glad too since I'm going to have surgery and can't go anywhere for seven weeks

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This whole story is like a train wreck. The girl is sleeping with her loves father. Ick!

[Sidhra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm actually giving this book 1.5 stars. 1 for it being well written, and 0.5 for the story line. I read this book just because I read the first and wanted to know how it would end. Now apparently I have to go through the pain of reading the third to actually know the final verdict.

When I got through about 50 percent of the book I was actually starting to like it. It was definitely better than the first I would say. Where in the first book I was all for Jackson, this book made me full on Chloe. It was actually good of the author to write about why Chloe made such decisions that was mentioned in book 1.

And just when I was starting to like the book *BOOM* the story is ruined again. I mean WHY?!?


John Pierce is her father? Seriously? I didn't see that coming, but... Seriously?? That's just plain disgusting. And now that means Jackson is her half-brother. Again. D.I.S.G.U.S.T.I.N.G.

When she came across the letters written to her mother and it being signed John The first person she should have thought of was John Pierce, but apparently he wasn't. I know John is a common name, but it was pretty damn obvious that THAT John was THE John.

And then the part where she recklessly drives away wanting to clear her mind and the car flipping over. I predicted that ending when she left the attic.


Anyway, it was a book with a messed up story which hurt my brain. Unless you forget about reading the final chapter, then it's a good book.
I'll probably take a break before jumping into book 3. Just to see what other twist it would have. I still hope that Jax and Clo don't get their HEA (would be kind of gross if they did :/ ). Maybe an HEA with different people would make me like this series. At least I'm hoping that I would like the series after the final book. Fingers Crossed!!

[Annmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers, the eff word and some other stuff. Read at your own risk...

Um, Jackson is a POS. That's #1. This book had me flip everything I felt in the first book. Chloe is trying to do the right thing by everyone and Jackson is only thinking of himself and getting laid. When Chloe walks in on his having sex with a girl who tormented her in school and he yells at her like she's crazy saying it's only sex and doesn't mean anything, I was done. He's not worth anything. Just an asshole. I felt bad for him in the first book but now..,F him! She tried to tell him what happened with his dad and he basically said "go fuck who you want, I don't care or want to know, it has nothing to do with our friendship". Um okay, asshole. She is obviously there to tell you something and you treat her like that and talk to her like that? After throwing Amber off your lap when she found you two together? Fucking asshole. I was hoping she found some hot Alpha to love her so intensely that Jackson was left with his whore groupies in regret but it looks like there may be a HEA. There is a cliffy but let's face it, we all know it's not going to be John as her ******. It does end a the cliffy though so the next book with be about that and the conclusion of this saga. Damn, Jackson was just worthless. I can't imagine why she even continued to talk to him. And screw his feelings, he was sleeping with 2 girls at a time when she was trying to call him about the accident. Oh, but he cares for her... Right.. I can tell :/ Anyway, that's my rant. The writing was good, I like this author, I just hate Jackson.

[Christine Woo]

*SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT*




UGGGH!! Okay so I was not ready for that ending again! It was another damn cliffhanger! And with the same scenario of her fainting!!

I gotta say though. The author did clear some things up in this book. I liked that she made Chloe look somewhat presentable. Was what she did still right? No. But I can see how and why she got into the situation that she ended with in the last book.

With this book, I think there was still a love hate relationship between ME and Chloe. Or at least me wanting to like Chloe. I was able to "understand" what happened and why she did what she did, but I still didn't like some of her decisions.

Still, the author really did put some thought into the problem and did come up with a way to make Chloe look more honorable. I also like how she made Jackson a bit responsible for it too. She was creative, which isn't an easy thing, mind you.

I think even though the other book ended so badly, people should read this book. I really think people would understand why she did it, and it would clear things up a bit. So read it, if you dare...

[Carrie Franks Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

In book 2 of the Promises series, you find out what exactly pushed Chloe to do the things she did. You get to find out what happened to Chloe and Jax's friendship while they were in college, and at separate colleges to boot. Jax learns the real reason Chloe was sleeping with his father all those years ago and that she did try to tell him when it happened, but he brushed her off by saying he didn't want to hear any of it. The ending took me by surprise and I pray that what Chloe thinks when she read her mothers love letters from "John" isn't true. Chloe and Jax deserve to be happy together, it has taken them 23 years to get where that finally are at. I can not wait for book 3 to be released. Jessica you are the best, thank you!!

[Neanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ummm, I'm at a loss for better words then "OMG, What the f***". I think I need time to fully process this without repeating the phrases " This is sick " or "The author is a sicko".

One thing I can say is that I found this book to be an emotional read and I felt bad for Chloe and ashamed of Jackson's behavior.

[Tracey Champion · Rating 5 out of 5]

read me..

WTH.....I can't breath. This is what a good book is all about. Draws on your emotions. Makes you feel for the characters. Then Bam...the end...


CAN I SAY WHAT AN ENDING....no no no...I won't believe it...it cannot be true....this will be changed or I will be very sad....but Jessica thank you thank you I can't wait to read the next one.

[Octavia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucks. The story is dull and the main guy is an asshat. The story is so off topic. The whole thing blows. The pact is only mentioned as an afterthought. And it took a disappointing Flower in the Attic turn. Count me out for the next book.

[Trudy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the book but I really hate how short it is, the first book was short as well, which just left me hanging. That cliffhanger is why I will be reading book 3, hopefully its a bit longer. So 2 stars because of how short the book is, because in all honesty, it really ruins it!

[Lisa Slover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for the conclusion

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

OMG this book is frustrating! seriously!!!!!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are all kinds of messed up! I am only reading because I am curious what happens!

[Autumn Miller ~ autumnbookreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I love how Jessica Wood incorporates flashbacks into the story so, while the story is going, we still get a look at the past and the backstory of the characters. I enjoyed this book for the most part. While I love the flashbacks, there were so many of them, that I felt like it took away from the story. We didn't get a lot of time in the present for this installment and I really wish we would have. The cliffhanger at the end was definitely unexpected and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[Jolene Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

It really isn't what it seems. It may be even worse.

And another. WOW. I didn't see that one coming. This book is the second in the series. I would suggest reading the them in order. You would be lost in this series without it. After Jax talks to Aunt Betty he decides ne may have read things wrong with Chloe and decides to talk to her to see what really happened. And why she did what she did. It all goes well till that cliff jumps up again! This series is absolutely page turning.

[Myprivatebookclub · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was disgusting.

Yes, we had answers to some ridiculous decisions of Chloe in the first book and yes, some of them were even acceptable.

But, Chloe was an immature whining creature and I hated her for asking her aunt and her family to go celebrate her birthday at the verge of a snow storm.

And then came the disgusting part again, which I believe will be somehow disregarded in book 3.

[Letitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really kicks up the story of Jackson and Chloe in to high gear. Really starting to understand the complexity of their relationship. And the end is just to odd I'm dying to find out what happens next!

[Blanca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m still here listening to the audiobook and it’s not getting any better... I really wish this series would have turned out to be better but it seems impossible the characters haven’t matured at all and continue to second guess themselves and make dumb decisions.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love!!

Oh my goodness! This is getting so freaking good! I've been on the edge of my seat! I can not put it down. I can not wait to start the next one.

[Carol Sandford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my!

Flipping heck! I gotta go buy the last one now! Can't believe the twist I've just read. Wow, I've just gotta see how the next book plays out...

[Amie Drobnick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This was a good book but seemed to drag on. I do like the back story aspect but I feel like I wanted it to keep going.