Page Princess: SOUL PROMISE by Rachel Walter

Title: SOUL PROMISE

Series: Soul Mate #2

Author: Rachel Walter

Publish Date: 07.20.14

Publisher: Rachel Walter

Category /Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

Recommended for: 15+ due to language and violence

Received from: Rachel Walter (in exchange for an honest review)

Grammar/editing: book received as an unedited ARC / errors excused

Tour by: Crazy Girl Blog Tours

Date completed: 08.08.14

Goodreads link: Soul Promise

Description from the publisher:

“Broken is finding the light and the healing you crave,
and knowing you can never have it.”

After the attack on his sister and his newfound abilities forming, Henry Williams is struggling to keep it all together. His wolf does not allow him to sleep, and he is beginning to hear voices, torturing him mercilessly.

Henry feels as though there is a war brewing inside of him and he is unable to control it. As a protector, he must find a way to fight his inner demons before he is left vulnerable to the real ones.

But an unexpected love finds Henry and he tries hard to resist it. Will Henry be able to overcome his inner demons? Will he be able to protect his mate?

*** This is book number 2 in this series. Please note that it is suggested to read the series in sequential order. ***

*Warning* This novel is intended for mature YA readers. 15 + for language and mild violence.

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Finding Dad and Sophie’s graves, I shift back to my human form and slip the elastic belt loose to release my shorts. I put them on and walk between the stones to sit right in front of Dad’s headstone. Seeing his name, Curtis James Williams, I nearly lose myself. I break my stillness by wiping away some dirt from the face of the stone.

“Hey, Dad,” I whisper. Taking a seat in the grass, I begin pulling weeds, my usual routine. “Things have been...well, pretty insane.”

I think back over the last few weeks since the last time I visited. Between finals in school, working out, pack duties, learning things of this world that I never knew possible, fighting and not fighting with Skeeter, things have been intense and nonstop crazy.

“Football will start in August. I don’t think I’m doing the playbook boot camp again this year. I know it’s important, but I’ve got a lot on my plate now. I won’t give up football,” I promise my dad.

With a hard swallow, I decide to move into updating him on the family. “Mom is trying to be Mom,” I say, yanking a weed from in front of his headstone. “She’s okay, I think. I know it’s harder on her than she lets on, but she’s trying to live for us, which is more than she did a few months ago. She has days where the tears just won’t stop, but they’re not as constant now. She seems angrier than usual.” I wince as memories zoom around me. Mom got angry at me for throwing my wet towel in the hamper, ripped into Leland over a brand of peanut butter he bought, and has been suspicious of Jaz and Seth for no reason. I’d rather not rehash all that again, so I continue on with the family updates.

“Alex is talking more. Sometimes we can understand him. He just started calling me Heywe the other day,” I say proudly. Alex is Leland’s son and is a little over a year old. He only says “dada” and “Heywe.” Mom and Jaz were a bit upset about that and are still trying to teach him new words.

“He’s getting a lot better with walking, too. He’s not tottering as much and doesn’t need help all the time. Mom fusses when he falls down, but I know she’s enjoying watching him walk and try to reach different milestones.

Leland had to baby proof the living room and kitchen, too, because Alex thought his gold fish crackers belonged in the VCR and DVD player. That was a mess. Leland just tossed it after attempting to shake out all the crackers.” I snort.

I don’t tell him about the time Alex put his teddy in the cabinet next to the oven. None of us could find it and he had no way of letting us know where it was, even if he could remember. I can laugh now, but that was a rough two days. He screamed almost non-stop for that thing. Jazzy finally found it when she went to make waffles, and he conked out as soon as he got his little hands on it. Dad had picked out that teddy bear just for Alex the day Psycho Sammy, Leland’s ex, dropped him off, calling him freak spawn. That teddy is Alex’s best friend now.

I grab a few more weeds and pile them off to the side. It’s not many, and the landscapers usually get them all, but they don’t come out often.

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This is the second book in the Soul Mate series. They do need to be read in order.

Henry Williams is dealing with his new abilities and accepting his sister’s relationship with her Soul Mate. Now, it seems his two identities are at odds and he must face the relationships within his own body and mind or risking losing all that he loves.

Return to Lupiterra, PA, and rejoin our friends in the next battle between evil and normal, protecting the innocents (humans) who do not even know that others are real. I loved Henry in this story. He tries so hard to protect everyone around him that he forgets to protect himself. This is like so many people that I know in real life. You know them too: the mother who will not buy a winter coat for herself so that her child can have a coveted pair of jeans and the father who works a second job so that his son can see how a real man provides for his family.

Once again, I loved reading characters who use the colloquialisms that were a part of where I grew up. Oh, and “jaggoff” doesn’t mean what you think it does. It means idiot in Pittsburghese.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series! See yinz next time!!