Promises, Promises (Silhoutte Intimate Moments, No. 1109)

Rating:
Summary: Last request
Review: Back Cover description: "have a wild, crazy affair." Of all the promises Gretchen Montgomery was asked to keep after her friend's death, this one posed a problem. Gretchen was not wild or crazy. She didn't even know any eligible men-except her tenant, Dr. Marco Garibaldi. A look from him made her toes curl. Could she have an afffair with him? Well, she had promised... Marco had made a promise, too. Never marry. A physician's life was too demanding. But as his attraction to Gretchen grew, he couldn't resist her sweet seduction. Their wild, crazy affair had begun. But it was suddenly interruped when Gretchen announced she was pregnant. And Marco amazed himself when he considered doing something he'd promised never to do-propose!

I started out liking this book, but towards the end I just wished both Gretchen and Marco would stop emoting and just get on with the business of living. The plot moved along, but towards the end it stalled. It did have some interesting discussions about the choices we make, but the story could have moved along at a faster pace.

Rating:
Summary: Emotional depth, honesty, humor
Review: Cooper mines a wellspring of human emotions with such honesty, freshness and realism that PROMISES, PROMISES never descends into stock characterization or cliche. (She even spins a new twist on the oft-trite but de rigueur "baby" plot.)

This book has plenty of substance -- Cooper poses some big, real-life questions her characters answer only after considerable soul-searching -- but the story is anything but solemn. Her heroine's opening gambit -- trying to seduce a tenant she's hardly said two words to -- is a doozy of a scene, funny and fun, and the disastrous result is something anyone who's ever put themselves on the line and failed can identify with.

And sure, there's frivolity, but that doesn't make this a cotton-candy read. Gretchen and Marco are well-rounded characters trying to get through life the best they can, and darn it all if you don't fall in love with them almost immediately. I wasn't too keen on Gretchen at first -- she seemed a bit too drab and doormat-ish -- but I loved how she summoned the courage to reach for that brass ring.

Rating:
Summary: Appealing characters -- Recommended
Review: Three months after her best friend died, Gretchen Montgomery received a tape made by Jill. On the tape, Jill extracts three promises: take the money Jill left her out of the safe money market account and spend it on frivolities; enter a piano competition; have a wild, crazy affair. So Ms. Practicality CPA finds herself embarking on a new life style. New clothes, new cosmetics and a new sports car lead her to propositioning the sexy doctor next door. Too bad he flat turns her down.

Dr. Marco Garibaldi likewise always honors his promises. He's seen the strain being a doctor place on a family life. So he's made a couple of promises to himself: never loose touch with the human side of his job; never marry. When he weakens on his promise, he thinks of his best friend and the struggles he and his wife face. Ironically, his best friend convinces him to baby sit his seven month old so he and his wife can take the weekend for time together to hopefully save their marriage. Marco's inadequate baby skills lead to Gretchen's assistance and his change of heart regarding an affair.

What PROMISES, PROMISES lacks in substance, it compensates with frivolity. This delightfully pleasant read results in first-rate escape fiction. As promises draw Gretchen and Marco into experiencing life and learning to risk their hearts. As this couple struggles with the stress every couple faces, they do so with pain, with humor, and with grace. These appealing characters result in a delightful afternoon's read. PROMISES, PROMISES comes recommended.