Promises to Keep

D.L. Larson
Helm Publishing (2006)
ISBN 9780977820566
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (12/06)

Annie and Joe Douglas started life like most newlyweds, in love and with commitments to each other.  But Joe had a stronger commitment to gambling and drinking than he ever had to Annie.  Ignoring his family was a way of life for Joe. He knew that if he didn’t get his act together he was going to lose Annie; he knew that an eye-catching woman like Annie could easily attract other men and Derek wanted her.  Derek was willing to love her and her children.  Annie was lonely and Joe wasn’t home much, so it was easy for her to love Derek but she’d made a commitment to Joe.  Was she strong enough to pull her marriage back together, to deal with an angry lover and a despondent husband?

Christine had a beautiful home, large and so formally furnished that it seemed cold.  She loved Francis when she married him.  But she wanted a home that could be lived in and a husband who would love her back as intensely as she loved him.  When she found out that Francis was using a prostitute she was devastated; he rarely touched her and yet he would turn to Ruby at the saloon to meet his physical needs.  After being apart the two attempt to put the pieces of their marriage back together   But Francis had a deep secret, one he was afraid to share with anyone, even Christine; a secret that was destroying their marriage, a secret that was destroying him.

“Promises to Keep,” by D.L. Larson, is a story that will touch your heart.  Annie and Christine are strong women, women who do not take commitment lightly.  Larson is a talented writer.  The story flows smoothly; intertwining the lives of these two women.  I felt I knew these two women intimately.  There was one part that bothered me -- knowing the secret, how could Francis take the chance of exposing his son to what he suffered.  But it was a different era.  I recommend “Promises to Keep” to those that enjoy fiction, drama and romance.

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