Promise Me Forever (Avon Romantic Treasure) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lorraine Heath (Author)

Book Description

Series: Avon Romantic Treasure | Publication Date: March 28, 2006

On the outside, Lauren Fairfield appears the very picture of cool, contained nobility and blueblood British sophistication. Inside, however, she longs for Tom, the charming rogue she loved—and lost.

Now a sinfully handsome would-be gentleman has arrived in London—and Lauren nearly swoons when she realizes it is her Tom, grown to magnificent manhood. He has come to claim his lost title as Earl of Sachse . . .and to fulfill an oath once made by two young lovers beneath a long-ago moon, a scandalous promise no proper lady would dare honor.

Lauren could never love a staid and stifling lord, and Tom's future is the aristocracy. So she will teach him their ways before she exits his life forever. But the wildness she adored still lives in Tom's heart—and he will not rest until he proves to the proud, resisting beauty that "forever" is a promise that must be kept . . .

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lorraine Heath wrote her first story at seven, and it involved a fisherman who fell in love with a mermaid. She has since moved on to writing about sexy cowboys and dashing English lords (and sometimes, cleverly, in the same book!). Publishers Weekly says she is a "master of her craft." She is, indeed, and along with being a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, she has won the RITA^® Award, Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, and a Career Achievement Award.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Avon (March 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060749822
• ISBN-13: 978-0060749828
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lorraine Heath always dreamed of being a writer. After graduating from the University of Texas, she wrote training manuals, press releases for a publicist, articles, and computer code, but something was always missing. In 1990, she read a romance novel and became not only hooked on the genre, but quickly realized what her writing lacked: rebels, scoundrels, and rogues. She's been writing about them ever since, for both adult and young adult readers (as Rachel Hawthorne). Her work has been recognized with numerous industry awards including RWA's RITA(R), a HOLT medallion, a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award, three Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, and several Texas Gold Awards. Her novels have appeared on bestseller lists, including USA Today, Waldenbooks, and most recently, the New York Times.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and poignant love story, July 30, 2006

By 

Neilisa (Tulsa, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Promise Me Forever (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

Lauren left her heart in Texas when, at the age of fourteen, she and her family moved to England with her new stepfather. Ten years later, Lauren thought that the love she had for Tom is long gone, forgotten and buried deep in her heart. That is, until Tom shows up on her doorstep as the new Earl of Sachse. There is a whole back-story on how Tom Warner, orphan and self-made cattle baron, became the new Earl. Suffice it to say, it brought him and Lauren together on the same soil again.

Unbeknownst to her parents, Lauren had plans of her own besides finding a suitable husband as is the custom in their society. She had been secretly working at a dress shop to earn enough money for passage back to Texas. Lauren was never happy in England and had convinced herself it was because she always considered Texas her home and she won't be happy anywhere else. She, by this time, refused to believe that a big part of her reason for returning to Texas was Tom.

Lauren is shocked to find Tom in her life again but believes that whatever affection they had for each other when they were teenagers is long gone. Tom, however, is unsure. They can't both deny the mutual attraction they feel for each other, or the fact that they feel as they're two halves of a coin that seems incomplete unless they're together.

This was such a great read. Tom and Lauren's love story is so poignant, so palpable that I, well, couldn't help but sigh after I reached the last page. There isn't much action or plots to the storyline, but Lorraine Heath weaves such a moving tale that I didn't miss any of it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorry to say...., September 28, 2009

By 

Krista Lyn (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Promise Me Forever (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

.....I just don't get this one!

I am a big fan of Lorraine Heath, but this left a mediocre impression on me. Here's some reasons why:
1. I just got done reading Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas. It has an almost identical plot, but it really is just so much better. I felt like I was reading a bad imitation.
2. I LOVE Heath's cowboy's.....but keep them OUT of England and BACK in Texas where they belong. This book took a major plunge for me when Tom show's up in Regency England with a Texas drawl saying "Darl'in"!
3. There are a host of characters (too many to mention) that either appear in this book or play large roles. I felt lost and "out of the loop" a lot of times. I guess with this author it's good to read her books in order. Heath obviously book hops her characters which is AWESOME if you've read the books and FRUSTRATING if you haven't!
4. This book had the whole "big misunderstanding" thing going on. If, and only if, you are Judith McNaught should this be attempted IMHO.

BUT.....
1. This book contains one of the most touching final four paragraphs of any book I've ever read. Classic Heath, I finished this book with tears on my cheeks and a smile on my face! For that reason, I would recommend this book...or maybe I should say....this author!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vintage Heath., March 29, 2006

By 

MaryGrace Meloche (Ontario, Canada.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Promise Me Forever (Avon Romantic Treasure) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is so much better - so much better than A MATTER OF TEMPTATION, Lorraine Heath's last book! PROMISE ME FOREVER is the Heath I love to read, because the hero is true Heath genius - her Texas cowboy. Mind you, a misplaced Texas cowboy - nevertheless a Heath cowboy! Who else can utter "Darlin' " quite like a hunky Texas male and who else can write a Texas hero better than Lorraine Heath?

The man infuriated her, confused her, and excited her. Ten years ago, a sixteen-year-old boy had promised forever! Ten years ago, Tom Warner vowed he would never forget her and someday he would come. He had promised! Now, standing before her, Tom brought up some silly childhood debt - a silly debt he now wished to collect. Tom Warner had finally come, but not for her! He had come to England to take his place among the peer. It seemed, Tom Warner was the long lost Earl of Sachse and she, Lauren Fairfield, was merely an uncomfortable afterthought!

Under the blazing Texas sun, Tom stood silently, and watched Lauren ride away. Unbearable agony filled his heart and that bitter pain never went away. Now they were together again, but Lauren Fairfield wanted to leave. She wanted to go back to Texas. Lauren hated living in England. She hated living in this tight, suffocating society where monitored behavior and shrewd gossip made English life detestable. Yet, as the new Earl of Sachse, Tom had numerous duties and obligations. He could not turn his back on his ancestral roots. So once again, Tom knew he would lose Lauren; once again, the endless agony would return.

Sigh! Soft words whispered over an injured girl, a Texas scoundrel, and two, brilliantly conceived, final paragraphs earn Lorraine Heath's PROMISE ME FOREVER a secure recommendation. What a finish! Ms. Heath's final two paragraphs are absolutely terrific, agonizingly painful, and shrewdly placed. Sadly, this reader closed the book with burning, tear-filled eyes. Ah, Yes! This . . . this is vintage Lorraine Heath.

Just a note: PROMISE ME FOREVER is yet another entry in an exhausted series that began, more or less 10 books ago, with A ROGUE IN TEXAS. Understandably, a "new" reader must truly experience utter frustration in, "Who are ALL these people and why are they here?" As a Heath devotee, I have faithfully endured. I have read all the good and I have read all the bad. As a reader, I am tuckered out; I have reached the end of the "English rogues in Texas" theme! It is time to move on. I want to go on a new journey; I want to go to the Texas of yesteryear with a completely new set of characters!
Grade: A-

MaryGrace Meloche.