Blurb:

Imagine this: an author with a raging case of writer’s block finds an unexpected source of inspiration in her grumpy, gorgeous new roommate. Sounds amazing, right? Except that new roommate is my childhood best friend. And Ian Wilder has been off-limits since I was five.

It’s been over a decade since I’ve seen him, but when I return to my hometown after years away, Ian’s exactly the man I remembered. The same guy who gave me his coat on a playground when we were kids and promised he’d take care of me forever. I need a quiet place to work with this deadline looming. I need a place where my daughter can unwind. Enter Ian with an offer I can’t refuse: his spare bedroom.

It’s an easy yes. Except now the problem is I can’t stop thinking about him, and these thoughts? They’re wandering out of the friend zone. I keep imagining very creative ways to rip off his clothes. And Ian starts giving me looks of his own, the kind that make my heart race.

One night, we cross a line we can’t uncross. The lines have blurred, and our friendship is hanging by a thread.

Imagine this: a woman falling for her best friend. And she has no idea if he feels the same.

My 4* Review:

Promise Me This by Karla Sorensen is book three in the Wilder Family series and we are back with this large and entertaining family. This time it is childhood friends Ian Wilder and Harlow Keaton. A very slow burn best friends to lovers, a little frustrating at times but then again they had waited seventeen years !! Have they always been waiting for the perfect time? When would he realise he’d found his person !

“I came because you’re always the person I want to be around when life feels unsteady.”

Ian and Harlow were five when they became friends. Growing up he showed her kindness and was the only man she ever trusted. He always looked out for her but they never crossed the line and put their friendship at risk. Somehow these two lost touch and haven’t spoken for a few years but now circumstances find them both back home in Sisters, Oregon.

Ian was living in London but returned when his dad became ill. After he died, he started working for the family business and bought Ivy’s house. He is the quiet, broody brother and likes being alone so his family is used to his growling and snapping ways. Harlow is a single mum to ten year old Sage, and recently moved back home to live with her parents. She is determined to be a good mum because her relationship with her mother isn’t great. She is an author of serial killer novels but has writers block.

Ian’s sister Poppy recognises Harlow in town and takes her to surprise Ian. Turns out they have both missed each other. Would they go back to the way they always were or would they finally become romantically involved. He seems unfriendly and grumpy to everyone else but to her, he is thoughtful and she is the only person who sees his soft side. When she still can’t write, Ian suggests they both move in with him to get away from her parents and hopefully give her the surroundings to find the words. She has always been important to him and she has always counted on him.

Their banter an conversations are very honest except when admitting how they felt. They are both terrified of changing the dynamics of their friendship. He is still grieving, is very stubborn and keeps all his emotions locked down tight. She knows when to push him and when to hold back but she over thinks everything and worries about the effect on their friendship. When her birthday arrives events lead her to wonder if she could she push the boundaries between them? She is confused over the growing attraction and worried what will happen if they act on wanting each other. Would it be a potential disaster and leave them both heartbroken or will they get the HEA they both deserve.

Their families are total opposites but Sage helps mend some old wounds. The Wilder siblings love teasing each other and have their own ways of dealing with the others. They all knew this couple should be together but luckily don’t push them. Jax is very insightful and calls the situation. Poppy is funny and loves to interfere. To me Sage is the star of the book and I couldn’t wait for each time she appeared. I loved how much she liked football and her reactions to finding out about all the players in Ian’s family. There are some really sweet interactions between her and Ian.

It is amusing when she starts to put her thoughts and feelings into her new book. I hoped he’d see what was in front of him because he’d already lost so much, he couldn’t lose his ‘Sparky’. They do take a while to finally give in but once they agree to go for it, they really do and the last part of the book races to the end. Nice epilogue to finish. We are left worrying about Parker and wishing Poppy and Jax can work things out.