Review: Bittersweet Promises by Carrie Ann Ryan

The start of a new series with the ever-expanding Montgomery family, Bittersweet Promises is smooth, sweet, with a little dash of tartness. Ms. Ryan is now a must-read author for me. If you loved the family series books by Nora Roberts, then you will love the ones from Ms. Ryan. I cannot get enough of Ms. Ryan's books. These are feel-good romances with realistic problems set in a contemporary setting. This new one is the next generation of the Montgomery Ink side of the family and promises to be angsty with a dollop of honey sweetness.

Leif is one of the oldest children in his generation. As one of the many cousins, his life now enters a new phase. With such a large family, how can he not think about starting one of his own? Now if he could only find a woman and not have any more well-intentioned blind dates. It must be fate when the one woman fell for, years ago in another phase of his life and in a different country shows up next door to his cousin. "Of all the gin joints . . ."

Brooke is no longer the starry-eyed girl in Paris experiencing romance in the air. As a single mother starting a new job as a physics professor at a competitive university, there is a lot of change going on in her life. Stumbling over the boy who broke her heart and then tripping over family member after family member was not her idea of adjusting to her new life. Then again, sometimes, serendipity happens.

This second-chance romance which clears up lost time is an easy read. Learning about the two of them and how they lost each other is bittersweet like the book title. There are a couple of plot devices in this story that took away from the story yet enriched it. The two specific ones I'm thinking of are an altercation at work for Brooke and Leif's cousin. Both are predictable and create a gut-clenching moment. The one with Leif's cousin I could see coming from a mile away. I am 100% invested in her story and I want to see what happens. I'm so upset. I digress. These two plot devices make the story more than just a romance. It gives a holistic feel to the book and builds out the Montgomery world even better. Love it! This reuniting romance is recommended to readers who love lost love found themes.

* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.