SEALed with a Promise [Mass Market Paperback]

Mary Margret Daughtridge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2009

He'll do anything to move the mission forward, no matter the cost…
Navy SEAL Caleb Delaude is deadly charming. When he discovers that professor Emmie Caddington's personal connections can help him get the dirty work done, he sets out to win her over. But her quick intelligence and quirky personality sure do start to get under his skin…

She may just be the key to his salvation…
Emmie's smart and independent and isn't looking for a brawny guy to take over her life. But this rugged Navy SEAL, who seems so determined to get close to her, hides a fi erce intelligence and deep sensitivity.

When plans go wrong and a child's life is on the line, Emmie learns what it means to be a SEAL in action, and Caleb discovers that even a hero can get hurt sometimes…

PRAISE FOR MARY MARGRET DAUGHTRIDGE:

"A wonderful story that will have readers experiencing a whirlwind of emotions and that culminates with an awesome scene that will have your pulse pounding."
Romance Junkies

" ... [D]elivers in a huge way... A heart-touching story that will keep you smiling and cheering for the characters clear through to the happy ending."
The Romantic Times, 4.5/5 Stars

"Sealed with a Kiss astounded me with it's sensitivity."
Romance Reviews Today

"A beautifully written and often poignant contemporary romance. Mary Margret Daughtridge is a compelling new voice whose gift for storytelling makes her an author to watch."
Book Loons

"Greatly touching and heartwarming, a cozy read for a rainy day. I can't wait to read the next SEALs romance!"
Revisiting the Moon's Library

"What an incredibly powerful book! I laughed and sniffled, was turned on and turned inside out."
Queue My Review (20090209)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Don't miss SEALED WITH A PROMISE, I can't recommend it enough! (Kristen Metson Wild on Books 20090331)

I would recommend this story for anyone who likes to read about alpha men falling in love with unlikely heroines. (Lisa Freeman The Romance Studio 20090402)

Readers who look for heroes in the armed forces have SEALed with a Promise by Mary Margret Daughtridge to enjoy this month.
(BookPage 20090403)

It's a well-crafted, character-driven romance (my favorite kind) with a memorable, distinctive couple. (Nicola Onychuck Alpha Heroes 20090406)

I loved it that a plain, pea hen type of woman is the heroine of the book and actually has the man totally falling for her because of her personality and not her looks. (Debbie Suzuki Debbie's World 20090406)

Mary Margret Daughtridge's descriptions awaken the senses to a level that makes a reader gasp for breath and sigh with satisfactions. Primal and earthy at times, sensual, enchanting, and tender at others, the love scenes simmer, sizzle, and soar. (Camellia Long and Short of It 20090416)

The author infuses humor, realistic characters, emotion filled situations, and in some cases brutal honesty to create a storyline that's utterly captivating from beginning to end. (Chrissy Dionne Romance Junkies 20090505)

it's definitely a good book to curl up with or to just escape the day to day with. (Marta Hoelscher marta's meanderings 20090515)

I loved this book... I liked a warrior tale set in USA with NO 'big bad' or 'major danger'. Just human emotions and relationships. (Reading is Passion 20090519)

If you enjoy a good "Men in Uniform" story then I'd recommend you pick it up and give it a try. (Dani Atwater Confessions of a Romance Book Addict 20090522)

Ms. Daughtridge is definitely a gifted storyteller with the ability to create relatable and likeable characters complete with flaws and imperfections that you would expect to see in real life. (Jennifer Yates Random Romance Reviews 20090528)

Pulls and tugs on your heart will keep you reading chapter to chapter as Mary weaves characters who come to life amid southern values, old secrets, and normal family problems. (Nancy Lee Badger Rescuing Romance 20090814)

This is another heartwarming and involving tale created by an author whose star is definitely on the rise. (Martina Bexte Book Loons 20110606)

If you want an easy, romantic read that might put a tear or two in your eyes, check out SEALed with a Promise. Romance fans will read it in one setting. (Angela Wilson Pop Syndicate's Book Addict )

[A] fun, clever and emotionally gripping story. Mary Margret Daughtridge is an author to keep on your radar. (Jill Dunlop Romance Rookie )

It is nice to see two not traditionally beautiful characters appreciate each other fully, and it is especially nice to see a SEAL who is not mythologized as an alpha god. (Dear Author )

About the Author

Mary Margret Daughtridge has been a grade school teacher, speech therapist, family educator, biofeedback therapist, and Transpersonal Hypnotherapist. She is a member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Romancing the Military Soul, and is a sought-after judge in writing contests. She resides in North Carolina.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402217633
• ISBN-13: 978-1402217630
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #670,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you don't count a thirty-seven page novel this North Carolina native wrote when she was twelve, then SEALed with a Kiss was not merely Mary Margret Daughtridge's first published novel, it was the first novel she ever wrote. She wrote it for fun--just to prove to herself that she could.

Since she was writing only for herself, she had one guiding principle: she put everything she liked into the book and left out everything she didn't like. She likes dogs [check], children [check], heroines with a sense of humor [check], strong honorable men who are doing the right thing--by their lights. Check.

She actually likes description when it evokes the mood of a place so she added that. And she wants fallible heroines and vulnerable heroes--who can make her mad or break her heart. So she created a story about a Navy SEAL who was about to make a bad mistake with his son and a young woman who had yet to discover how strong and courageous she was.

And since she really likes a romance and a happy ending she made them fall in love, learn their lessons, make sacrifices, and be stronger and more whole in the end.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Mary Margret has a BA in Speech Communication, and an M.Ed in Speech Pathology and Audiology. All her professional life she has been a therapist of one kind or another, desiring more than anything to empower people to reach beyond whatever limits them. As her alter-ego, MM Holloman, she is a landscape artist whose paintings of North Carolina rivers, swamps, fields, forest, and coast hang in corporate and private collections across the state.

Staying true to her guiding principles she wrote SEALed with a Promise, and SEALed with a Ring. She's at work on a fourth SEALed book, SEALed Forever. She still thinks it's fun.

She's between dogs right now, so she's thrilled when Fergus, a West Highland terrier, can come for a sleepover, even if the resident cat, Crystal gets in a snit. Born in Ahoskie, Mary Margret still lives in North Carolina and visits places like Windsor, Elizabeth City, Scotland Neck and Topsail Island as often as she can.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sealed With a Promise, August 31, 2009

By 

nancy badger "Badger Press" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SEALed with a Promise (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book and wondered if it would draw me in as well as her first book had. Yes, Mary has a knack for bringing real men to life. Pulls and tugs between our hero-straight from Afghanistan-and the woman he meets at a North Carolina wedding (amid southern values, old secrets, and normal family problems) kept me reading page after page. A great addition to my bookshelf.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies, April 5, 2009

By 

C. Dionne "Chrissy Dionne" (Cloverdale, OREGON USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SEALed with a Promise (Mass Market Paperback)

Navy SEAL Caleb `Do-Lord' Dulaude approaches circumstances using logic, stealth and if need be raw brawn. However, none of those prepared him for the ordeal of being the best man in his comrade Jax's wedding - and so he's working his way through books on etiquette hoping to muddle his way through. Of course, just when he thinks he knows exactly how to behave and what's expected he meets the maid of honor and finds himself enchanted by the `mouse' who fades into the background.

Emmie Caddington is extremely book smart and learned from an early age that it's safest for her to blend into the surroundings and let others standout. She wears ill-fitting clothing, no makeup and really doesn't have a whole lot of social skills. She was `adopted' into the Hale family when she went to college with Pickett and she has a special fondness for each member of the family. Her close friendship with Pickett is what incites her to enlist Caleb's assistance with her great cake swap plan.

Because Pickett has celiac's disease which means she can't eat anything made with wheat flour - Emmie's determined that it be safe for Pickett to eat her own wedding cake and that means swapping it but with her arm in a sling it's impossible for her to carry out her plan. That's why she decides to enlist Caleb's help. At first Caleb doesn't want to have anything to do with swapping out the wedding cakes but then he sees a picture of a different Hale family wedding and recognizes one of the guests as the man he's had a personal vendetta against since childhood. If he agrees to help Emmie then he'll have an `in' to get to Calhoun and he certainly can't pass that up!

Emmie may not be a raving beauty and her intelligence would be intimidating to a lesser man but Caleb sees a unique faelike beauty in her that is utterly irresistible. Since he possesses a high IQ himself he's able to hold his own in a conversation. There's no denying that there's a strong attraction between them but Emmie is very cautious about getting involved with Caleb. She's positive that he's using her for some reason and she's certain it has something to do with his intense interest in Calhoun. Will anything dissuade Caleb from his hatred of Calhoun? And how will his vendetta affect his foundling relationship with Emmie?

SEALed WITH A PROMISE is the second book in Mary Margret Daughtridge SEALed series - and I have to tell you, this addition is just as delightful as SEALed WITH A KISS. The author infuses humor, realistic characters, emotion filled situations, and in some cases brutal honesty to create a storyline that's utterly captivating from beginning to end. I believe I fell in love with Caleb before the story even really began when it's revealed how he came by the nickname Do-Lord. He's a strong man with a vulnerable nature and a quirky sense of humor that strikes me as very sweet. Emmie has her own vulnerabilities and it's absolutely delightful to `watch' her come out of her shell and be the woman she was meant to be.

Navy SEALS are the object of many women's fantasies but through Ms. Daughtridge's writing we get the opportunity to view these strong praiseworthy military men and understand that they're individuals with feelings and needs. This story is beautifully written and I'll definitely be on the lookout for more writing from Ms. Daughtridge in the future - and will keep my fingers crossed for stories about some of the other SEALS we've gotten to know in these first two stories.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Took too long to get to the point but worth it., August 3, 2011

By 

B. G. Young (Philly Pa.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SEALed with a Promise (Kindle Edition)

Enjoyed the first and third books in the series. This one I am torn. This book does have its good points touching on the subjects of redemption,forgiveness,growth,family,healing and what loyalty and commitment is all about and for that I am rating it a four. I love how these books touch on the personal sacrifices of the men and women who are trained to do the unthinkable to keep us all safe.

However with this book there was mostly analysis of the characters motivations for their actions and a very thin plot. This book was more like eavesdropping on a therapy session. Good for understanding who these brave men are and what their commitment to service costs them and their families. Bad for being a romance novel. Again I am torn. I gained much more of an understanding of who a SEAL is and a new perspective of the values I listed above than I did from the first and third book even though it was the weaker of the books story and plot wise. So for that reason it is worth reading.