Having the support of loved ones can help you deal with any of the changes that life might send your way.

A story that brings us up to date on the lives of the characters from the first three novels. Deacon and Crick are doing great, but they really want children. Crick’s sister, Benny, has just offered to help them fulfill that dream. Jeff and Collin are married and taking everything day by day. Shane and Mikhail are taking care of the teenagers that come to the Promise House. There was a large focus on the Promise House activities and the teens that are living there.

The story is told from multiple points of view, with almost every character getting a chance to speak their mind. I loved this approach and thought it worked so well because the characters were strongly developed in the prior books. Deacon actually talked quite a bit more in this book, and I felt like I got to know him even better and fell in love with him. I really enjoyed the time with Deacon and Crick together, including the steamier scenes in the book. The other characters were true to form, and I loved all of them. Life isn’t perfect for these wonderful people, but they always stick together and do whatever they can to help each other out.

The only thing that really bothered me about the whole story was the underlying reason for Benny to have Deacon’s baby. Since that was a major plot point and I just couldn’t get it to make sense to me personally, I really struggled to just ignore it. Outside of that issue, I enjoyed seeing everybody and catching up on their lives.

If you are a huge fan of the series, and you really want to see how everybody is getting along after several years of being together, then I think you will love this book. You get a true idea of the life that the couples and their friends are living on a daily basis. If you haven’t read the series, I think you’ll struggle to follow everything that is taking place without the history behind it.

A wonderful end to a strong series with a story of love, challenges, and people coming together to truly support one another.

Originally reviewed for The Romance Reviews. Complimentary copy provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

BLURB

Crick has been home from Iraq for five years, Jeff and Collin are finally married, and Shane and Mikhail are quietly making lives better for the dispossessed teenagers who come their way. Everything is right in Deacon’s world, but nothing ever stays the same.

When Deacon’s best friends, Jon and Amy, answer the call of an opportunity in Washington, DC, Deacon figures that’s life. You love people, and they leave you, and you survive. Even Benny, Crick’s little sister, is close to grown and ready to start her own future. But Benny loves Deacon, and she owes him—she may move beyond The Pulpit and Levee Oaks one day, but not without leaving something of herself behind. And so she offers Deacon and Crick an amazing gift… and a terrifying decision.

Benny’s offer forces Deacon and Crick to dredge up every past mistake and offer of redemption. And not just the two of them—everybody is forced to examine the chances they’ve been given and the promises they’ve made. In a real family, a child is a promise, and to the men and women of Promise Rock, keeping that promise will change their lives forever.