About the Book

HE’LL RISK EVERYTHING TO KEEP HIS WORD

April 18, 1906. A massive earthquake has decimated much of San Francisco, leaving thousands without food, water or shelter. Patrolling the streets to help those in need, Army corporal Ben Tilson meets a young woman named Charlotte who touches his heart, making him think of a future with her in it. In the heat of the moment he makes a promise to her family that even he realizes will be almost impossible to keep.

Because on the heels of the earthquake, a much worse disaster looms: a fire that threatens to consume everything and everyone in its path.

It will take everything Ben’s got to make it back to the woman he loves—and even that may not be enough.

The Promise, a stand-alone novella, is the latest offering from A.B. Michaels’ multi-genre series “Sinner’s Grove.”

Review

The Promise, was definitely a pleasant surprise. I’m always cautiously optimistic when I dive into a book within the historical fiction genre but this one definitely was worth the read. Everything about this was gorgeous. Not only did it captured a nostalgic innocence that places the reader in that time period but through her words it portrayed a beautiful moving story that was so engaging.

The Promise, a novella in the Sinner’s Grove series, centered around the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The story dually told by the perspectives of Charlotte and Ben, captures the story of a family devastated by grief blended with the devastating effects of the earthquake and aftermath. The other tells of a young soldier who finds himself captivated by this family, especially Charlotte, in the midst of helping them during the earthquake and in the process, makes a promise that he moves heaven and earth to try and keep.

This is the first book that I read from this author and was after reading will definitely venture into the other books in the series. I will say how much I was impressed that such a well thought out, paced story fit into a book of that size. This was a really good character driven story that will have your heart in several moments break. I did feel a couple of moments in the end rush a bit for me but that didn’t take away from my utter joy of the overall experience. I loved everything about it and know if you are a fan of historical fiction, this is one that you will enjoy.