Marine's Promise

Colin, Alex, and Emily were best friends in high school. They did EVERYTHING together. When Colin decided to follow in the footsteps of his brothers and enlist, he stepped aside and watched as Alex and Emily married. Emily didn’t marry for love, she married for stability. She lost her dad to death while enlisted and vowed to never love a man who chose military over love. After sharing a secret kiss with Colin before deployment, Emily knew Colin was “the one”. She was just too scared to admit it. Fast forward.....Emily’s husband, Alex, falls in with a bad crowd. Alex secretly skimmed money out of several of his clients accounts to pay for fertility treatments. He and their unborn child are killed and someone is still after Emily. Colin is on leave from the Marines to help his family search for his missing father. When he finds out Emily’s life is in jeopardy, he takes it upon himself to protect her. He believes his dad's disappearance and Alex’s murder are somehow connected. And protecting Emily will allow him the time he needs to prove to Emily they’re meant to be. The only frustrating part of this story is, I still don’t know what happened to McKinnon’s father. I need the next novel ASAP! Otherwise, it’s a well written, action packed, emotional story. Hot topics of fertility struggles and the costs of treatments are very realistic. It was also ironic how Emily’s fear kept her from choosing love. She chose Alex because he wasn’t enlisting, yet he’s the one who dies. Life is NOT guaranteed! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book and I am voluntarily reviewing it. I adore the Iron Horse Legacy Series. Duncan McKinnon went missing several weeks ago. Since then, his sons have taken leave of their military assignments and come home to help search for him. This is the third book of this series. Colin McKinnon has gone to Bozeman as the latest clue in the patriarch's disappearance is his ring was pawned by a blonde woman with a unicorn tattoo on her wrist. Taking a break in the search, he goes to his favorite tavern for a beer. A woman runs into the tavern and straight into him. Seconds later, her vehicle comes crashing through the wall!! The woman turns out to be his best friend growing up. Colin, Emily along with Alex Tremont were so close that they were considered to be the Three Musketeers. Unfortunately Emily couldn't accept Colin's decision to join the Marines after high school and married Alex instead. Now 10 years later, Emily is being chased by someone who possibly murdered Alex 3 months ago. The story of Colin and Emily's HEA is one that is filled with suspense and mystery. Why was Alex murdered also still where is Duncan McKinnon? The story is written in a dual POV format, which is my favorite. Getting into the characters' mind really helps me to fully understand them better. Especially in this instance with Emily marrying Alex and not Colin. I could see the chemistry right from the beginning with these two so I really wanted to understand Emily's decision. The McKinnon family along with Hank Patterson and his wife (from the author's series, Brotherhood Protector) make appearances as well. The plot was well written and flowed beautifully. I was able to read this story in an afternoon. While this story can be read as a stand-alone, I highly suggest that anyone start at the beginning. This book has a sexy scene that is well written and doesn't go into multiple page after page of explicit detail so it is not erotica by any mean. That being said, this is not a sweet, clean second chance romance. I highly suggest that anyone OVER the 18 can read this especially if you adore military men and love a strong female but with a good head on her shoulders.

Elle James - Marine's Promise - (Iron Horse Legacy - Book 3) This series is about the McKinnon family and the Iron Horse Ranch where James & Hanna McKinnon raised their four (4) sons and one (1) daughter. The family has close ties and would do anything for each other. The premise of the series is that all four (4) sons who are in the military come home to look for their father, James McKinnon the patriarch, who is missing. James was one of the many posse members looking for an escaped convict. Things become more complicated because he goes missing during a snowstorm, and landslide making searching for him that much harder. - Angus is the oldest at 33 and a Delta Force soldier. - Duncan is the biggest of the brothers and an Airborne Ranger in the Army. Duncan is injured from a deployment and maybe medically discharged. - Colin is a Marine. - Sebastian (Bastian) is a Navy Seal. - Molly is the youngest and lives and breaths the Ranch. She must have her horses surrounding her and can’t imagine living anywhere but on the Iron Horse. Colin McKinnon and his two best friends from high school, Emily and Alex were called the musketeers. Since Emily’s father had been killed while in the military, she was afraid to acknowledge her authentic fillings for him because she didn’t want to end up like her mother, who never got over the death of her father. So, Emily chose Alex, an accountant who was safe and home every night. When Alex was killed, and Emily almost died in an automobile accident resulting in her aborting a miscarriage. When Emily realizes that Alex had taken money from dangerous people, leaving her in danger too, Colin steps in to protect her. Find out if Colin can keep Emily safe and if they can find the love they felt for each other so many years ago. Each book in this series can be read as a stand-alone, each with their own HEA. However, keep in mind that James McKinnon (patriarch) hasn’t been found yet, dead or alive, in books 1,2 or3. My recommendation is that you read this series in order because it will be worth your time and money. I volunteered to read this ARC for an honest review.