A Second Chance (Promises to Keep Book 4)

So happy that I was compelled by the tragedy of the first book in this series to read the entire series. The first book is depressing, and sad, but well written and I was drawn into the tragic life of 15 year old Amy. I had high hopes that our heroine Amy would see some improvement in her life so I could not resist buying the next 3 books of the sequel. Shayne Parkinson describes in detail the plight of women of the era. Treated frequently as personal property without rights, women existed subservient to the men in their family.Amy's comfortable childhood abruptly comes to a halt and years of mental and physical abuse become her way of life. Naive and childlike she initially blames herself for the bad things that happen to her. As she grows up, Amy's sweet and forgiving nature remarkably never changes, but she comes to realize that all of the bad things that happen are not her fault. Amy is a complex character and development of that character continues through the 4 books. The series is well worth reading. I was intrigued and could not stop reading until the 4th book was complete.

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I have enjoyed the Promises To Keep series. I got Sentence of Marriage as a free download quite sometime ago and I bought up the remaining three and just couldn’t stop. Shayne Parkinson is a very talented author. I haven’t felt such emotion for a character such as Amy in many years. Her story was gut wrenching and beautiful and I’m happy I got a chance to read them. I honestly can say these are now my favorite series. Seriously I have never enjoyed a story more than this. I have read many books and nothing has quite been like Amy’s. You follow her from her childhood and the very unexpected and painful things her innocence leads her into along with the people who fail her along the way. You feel every heartbreak every stifled cry..every ache ..as she suffers through life..the fourth and final book this one is a glimpse at peace ..at redemption that good things do come ..painstakingly so ..to one that deserves it more than anyone. Good things come to those that fight and persevere. I love this book and I love this series!!!

As others here have said, I tried the first book as a free download, and was so riveted that I had to read the entire series in only a few days! As I finished each book, I immediately had to click to buy the next one! I was so completely drawn in and riveted that I forgot I was reading a book. I felt like I'd gone through a time machine and was living in this tiny New Zealand village in the 1800's, watching the people live their day-to-day lives.What makes this 4th book so especially satisfying is that after following Amy's trials and tribulations over three books, now it all pays off with a wonderful happy ending! In book 4, she's living a wonderful life that she so richly deserves and all her dreams come true. It made me so happy to read. The other great thing about book 4 is that EVERY loose end of the series is tied up. Characters who were long missing reappear, questions are answered, mysteries are solved, and everyone gets what they deserve, whether good or bad. I finished reading the book with a happy, satisfied sigh, but also sad that it was over!But I see that the author has written two additional books about Daisy -- Frank and Lizzie's youngest who was only a baby in book 4 -- so I'm looking forward to reading her story and returning to this memorable village and characters that I've fallen in love with!

This is a remarkable series of historical novels. One can search for positive reviews by internationally famous authors and find none. Try noting all the awards for National, International or local awards; or perhaps, book of the month, year, or decade...!Nada - nil - rien. Nothing....This series (and so far - book four for me), they are ALL recognizable by my personal 'color aura' that I place delicately on those novels,(meaning ALL novels) which after reading, not only meet and beat my expectations but also - added a little glow of joy and satisfaction in having been placed magically by words, phrases, punctuation and authorship tools that go out of the box and translate into a special new personal zest. What do I mean by that?Well for a moment think of me or yourself suddenly transfixed in realizing growing and revise my thinking, adapt to new and/or revolutionary ideas, ameliorate any personal empathy, innate or learned - especially about relationships amongst humans (to be continued...)

This set of four books was an incredible read. I honestly couldn't put the books down from the first one, A Sentence of Marriage, to the last, A Second Chance. Now I've just learned Daisy's War continues the family story! The author weaves a story that is both heart breaking in parts and heartwarming in many others. She was able to bring the story to !ife so that I felt !ike I was right there in New Zealand with the characters. These books occupied a great majority of my time over that last five days. I found myself rearranging my schedule to allow myself more time to read. The four books are a "must read". Read them; you'll be glad you did!

I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The characters became friends of mine. It was wonderful to experience their lives and learn to forgive past events. This series, though gritty and violent at times, made me appreciate my life in this modern age. Living through Amy and watching her grow from a young girl to a middle-aged woman was quite a journey.This is the last book of this series and it ends without any fan fair or "you have got to be kidding" cliff hanger. Things finally work out for Amy and her past demons are all but a memory. A good way to end a good series.There are books that follow this cast of characters but I need to give Amy, her children and grand children a bit of a break before I tackle their lives. Right now I just want to reflect on what Amy endured throughout this series.