Reviewed by Ro
TITLE: Promised Summer
SERIES: Promises, Promises #2
AUTHOR: Rye Cox
PUBLISHER: Eternal Spring Publishing
LENGTH:
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2025
BLURB:
Our summers were everlasting… until he broke his promise.
Many seasons have passed since I last saw Ryan. He used to visit Kither Springs in the summer, and though we only had those couple months together every year, he was my best friend… until the day we shared the most earth-shattering kiss over the fields we’d claimed as ours. Then he stopped answering my calls and never returned to town again.
Now, a decade later, he’s back and looking even more breathtaking than in my memories. Feelings I thought I’d gotten over come rushing back.
But Ryan didn’t come back alone.
Karla’s the sweetest little girl I’ve ever met, with beautiful, bright blue eyes, just like her daddy. It wasn’t hard for her to capture my heart, but spending more time with her and her daddy is a bad idea.
I just got out of a relationship, and I’m not looking for a new one, but how do I keep myself from falling for someone who’s already captured my heart once before?
REVIEW:
Jones begins in this story by finding out his boyfriend, Deke, is cheating on him, in the handmade bed they shared. Ouch. I appreciated that while Deke did such a dreadful thing, he isn’t made out to be a villain. People can be hurtful and stupid without being a totally bad person. Jones isn’t all that broken up about it, as he was wondering what to do about Deke. He wants a partner, but “The problem was, when I closed my eyes and imagined the face by my side, a single face always came to mind.” Ten years ago, in high school, he had a love he saw every summer, Ryan, until they share a kiss and then he gets ghosted.
It’s just serendipity, or maybe bad luck, that as Jones is outside his cabin taking a walk he hears a little girl crying. Leading her back to the main trail, cursing the inattentive father she keeps calling for, he gets the shock of his life to find Ryan is that dad. Ryan and his daughter, Karla, are back in town to stay after the death of Karla’s mom. Definitely pulled the heart strings with Karla. She’s gone through trauma and as a result doesn’t speak much any more. She will break your heart sometimes.
When Karla gets scratched on the trail, Jones brings both Ryan and Karla back to his cabin for some first aid. Ryan also apologizes repeatedly for both losing Karla for a minute and for ten years ago, though they don’t explain what happened yet.
This begins the two of them getting to know each other again and pretty much picking up where they left off in high school. They do the small town get together, meet (or remeet) the friends, and get along well. Ryan is the doubting one, which was odd since he was the one that ghosted in the first place. “Well, I had to have faith his heart wouldn’t stray.” Ryan does a few things that I wanted to slap him and say COMMUNICATE. Because there is a history there and you have to be clear on things. Don’t put Jones through any worry. But part of it is the small-town rumor mill, which isn’t always clear. (There is a rumor about Jones being a masochist that made me laugh).
I wanted to love this. It had all the things I adore, second-chance, single dad, small town. And I did like it. What kept it in the “like” category and not “love” was the fact that while Jones was supposedly heartbroken over Ryan for ten years, since the epic kiss and ghost, we don’t really get that at all. Yes, Jones is a sweet, kind man. But Ryan shows up with Karla and things are just…OK. I kept reading things that just didn’t add up to someone who was so crushed. Rather, it was someone who was forgiving without so much as a conversation. Jones buys a car seat for Karla after literally one meeting? Or offers for Karla and Ryan to spend the night at his house (with his new dog, Lily), immediately? That was a little much for me.
Ryan’s mom is lovely and I adored her. Setting up the bedroom for Karla because of course Ryan and Karla won’t live there but OF COURSE Karla needs her own room! So sweet. I also loved the whole friend group, but especially Atlas, the server at the restaurant. Bubbly, bouncy, and so lovely.
RATING: 
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