A Best Selling Western Holiday Romance (Heart of Texas)

I liked the story very much. Stories about this town and its people are heartwarming and make you wish to be a part of it. Happy stories are a good thing even if the characters take a while to get there-life is like that sometimes.

I liked the story very much. Stories about this town and its people are heartwarming and make you wish to be a part of it. Happy stories are a good thing even if the characters take a while to get there-life is like that sometimes.

This was a great continuation to the "Promise" stories. I hope there will be more. Macomber writes such good, clean stories of everyday life and it's problems as well as the good times. I really enjoy them.

Another great story about love, children , Christmas, and keeling families together at all cost! And as usual the story ended way to soon. I hope you have another story about Promise, Texas I just love all the people.

Rating: 1.5 stars. __ G-rated. No sexual content.
Note: Stands alone read. 8th of Heart of Texas Series.

EASY READ. Nicely written, angst-filled plot, strong characters, strong family theme, and a few interesting secondary characters, especially the woman-stealing siren. HOWEVER, some family members are not particularly admirable; the heroine's mother is whiny and needy, the uncle is a selfish opportunist, and others randomly butt-in or butt-out ineffectively. The hero and heroine are not all that likable either; the hero is selfish, arrogant, self-righteous, and has a whole bunch of half-assed excuses for everything, and the martyred heroine is accusatory and ignores the obvious marital problems. Ultimately, it is hard to find any romance under all that mean-spirited behavior. Also, their inability to communicate is simply not credible. Are these two adults or are they ten? The sad part is, neither the hero or heroine seems willing to work at resolving their conflicts until they have simultaneous epiphanies which fixes everything.

RETURN TO PROMISE follows Cal and Jane Patterson as they face family and marital crisis. Jane must leave to care for her ailing father and needy mother which places a tremendous strain on their marriage which is already suffering from Cal's general thoughtlessness and lack of communication. After her father improves and Jane returns home, neither puts their marriage or each other first. Trust become increasingly difficult when the death of Jane's father forces another separation and the hidden agendas of those around them cause further discord, until both finally discover what is really important.

OVERALL, SKIP IT! This is an empathetic, but depressing storyline that drags in places. It is probably a realistic depiction of a troubled marriage, but who wants to read about it. The HEART OF TEXAS series includes Lonesome Cowboy, Texas Two-Step, Caroline's Child, Dr. Texas, Neel's Cowboy, Lone Star Baby, Promise, Texas, and Return to Promise.

You may also enjoy the complex characters and storytelling of N. Bruhns, A. Stuart, and E. Palfrey. For sweet, funny, heart touching romances with great descriptive imagery try Susan Fox and Cara Colter.

The schism in their marriage started when Cal Peterson hid from his wife Jane that he signed up to participate in the Promise, Texas Labor Day Rodeo bull-riding event. The next incident begins when Jane's mother calls to inform them that her father is ill. Jane, accompanied by her three-year-old son and eighteen-month-old daughter, travels to her California home while Cal stays behind.

Meanwhile, Nicole Nelson, best friend to the woman who jilted Cal years ago, has returned to town. Nicole makes a bold bid to catch Cal's interests, having romanticized her image of him over the years. However, her machinations lead to a separation between Cal and Jane as each misinterprets the situation to fit their thoughts. Jane thinks Cal is having an affair while Cal believes his constant running into Nicole is a coincidence. With Jane in California and Cal in Texas, it seems that this relationship is over unless the duo comes to their senses.

The RETURN TO PROMISE will satisfy die-hard fans of the warm uplifting series and newcomers who will gain a taste of that mighty Macomber magic. Cal and Jane have appeared as secondary charcaters in previous books, so that their starring role feels like coming home. However, the plot is occasionally detoured by flashbacks that Ms. Macomber told in previous novels. Still, the latest book in the Promise series works because of the lead couple, who substantiates that men and women occupy different galaxies.

Harriet Klausner

Cal Patterson knew his wife would be furious when she learned that he entered the bull riding event without telling her. Eight seconds of thrilling accomplishment doesn't keep trouble at bay when Jane threatens to leave the arena with their three-year-old son and eighteen-month-old daughter. Such incidents leave Jane feeling that her husband has been less than honest with her. An attractive young woman reintroduces herself to Cal following his ride. Little does he suspect the threat she poses to his marriage or the damage she will purposefully cause to his reputation around town.
As trouble begins to escalate between Cal and Jane, she finds herself called away to California to offer support to her mother while her father's hospitalized. Miscommunication and wounded feelings leave both Cal and Jane feeling bereft and frustrated. As frustrations continue to increase, their marriage's strength continues to be undermined.
New York Times best-selling author Debbie Macomber returns readers to Promise, Texas. I haven't read the previous books in Debbie Macomber's Promise series, and found that RETURN TO PROMISE reads well as a stand-alone. With heart-warming characters and realistic challenges to this five-year marriage, RETURN TO PROMISE approaches romance with a mature outlook and a practical understanding. Recommended.

The plot was just extremely cliche. Happily married husband and wife with 2 children. Wife and children go out-of-town. Sexy girl in town now interested in husband. Both are seen together and gossip around town starts. Wife and children get back and wife is the last to know about girl and husband being seen together. She automatically assumes he cheated on her without knowing the context. Miscommunication, assumptions, and jumping to conclusions ensue and causes their marriage to be in jeopardy. This is such a typical plot. I rolled my eyes many times at how cliche the book progressed.

Return to Promise was a very good book. The whole Heart of Texas series by Debbie Macomber is a great series. Please start with book one and read all of the books in order to understand the whole series with all of the great characters. Look up the Heart of Texas series which will give you the order and titles of the books.

Cal Patterson and Jane have been married for several years and have two children.Jane is called back to her family in California resulting in her staying longer than expected.When Jane returns to her home in Promise,she is met with disturbing awarness that her marriage is being tested.
I enjoyed the book very much and I believe you will also.It is easy reading and relaxing.

After spending 2 late nights reading the other 7 series this one single-handily destroyed the heart of texas series. Sure the message about miscommunication and pride in marriage was well thought and true but Macomber should have stick with what made the series a successful and after reading this has left a sour taste mouth in my mouth and though there was a happy ending it couldn't repair what was damaged.