A LOVE TO LAST (Prophecy of Love #1) by Kelsey Browning-a review

Add A LOVE TO LAST to Goodreads

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca  / KOBO / BAM / Apple

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 9, 2015

Her boots were made for walking…

Drifter Delaney Shields plans to breeze through Prophecy, Texas, before setting off on an around-the-world trip of a lifetime. She never expects to see sexy-as-sin Cal Maddox, the man she ran out on a decade ago. One look between them and their past attraction ignites, flaming hotter than ever. But acting on it would be disastrous because she’s not the sticking kind, and Cal has roots a mile deep.

Cal Maddox left the military only to find both the health of his dad and his hometown failing. When Delaney walks into his father’s custom boot shop, she spurs emotional memories and sexual fantasies Cal has no business indulging in. Especially once he realizes she’s the next Prophecy boot maker, the only person who can design custom cowboy boots with the power to change a person’s destiny. But if fanning those old flames will keep her in Prophecy, he’s willing to take the heat, even if it means keeping secrets and risking his heart again.

Duty and desire throw Cal and Delaney together, but will their feelings be strong enough to forge a new bond or will they destroy their second chance at love?

••••••••••••••

REVIEW: A LOVE TO LAST is the first installment in Kelsey Browning’s contemporary, adult PROPHECY OF LOVE ‘slightly paranormal’ romance series. This is Delaney Shields, and Cal Maddox’s story line.

Told from dual third person perspectives (Cal and Delaney) A LOVE TO LAST focuses on second chances – a second chance at love for Cal and Delaney, and a second chance for Prophecy, Texas-a small town crumbling under the weight of financial debt and a dependency upon a prophetic boot maker whose own life isn’t long for this world.

For several generations the Maddox family has been the ‘boot makers’ of legend: families would bring in their young children for a chance at a one of a kind leather book that prophesied their future. But Prophecy’s boot maker Whit Maddox is ill, and his replacement hasn’t been seen for close to ten years. Delaney Shields is Prophecy’s next boot maker (foretold by Whit Maddox himself) but Delaney left town years before in search of something else; something more than a prophesied boot maker; and a life that didn’t involve family and kids. But a return to Prophecy, Texas found Delaney pulled into the town’s emotional blackmail, and into the arms of the only man she has ever loved. What ensues is a rekindling of the relationship between Cal and Delaney, and Prophecy, Texas’s final attempts to breath life back into a dying town.

The relationship between Cal and Delaney is one of lost love; about a woman afraid to destroy a man’s heart and soul because of her inability to stay in one place for too long. Delaney’s past is shrouded in betrayal and heartbreak; her parent’s need to run and follow the next big thing has caught Delaney in a nightmare of her own making, and she isn’t willing to add more heartbreak to an already dying town. Cal’s love for Delaney has never waivered; he has held on to the belief that Delaney is the only woman he will ever love. The $ex scenes are seductive and intimate without the use of erotic, graphic imagery.

Now to backtrack: Delaney Shields is a drifter; a woman who cannot and will not remain in one place for very long. Her family history proves that she is incapable of commitment or falling in love. Delaney has booked a trip around the world, and with it she intends to leave all of Prophecy and the ‘prophecy’ behind. But with this comes attitude; a determination to run, and run fast; and a back and forth ideation about what it is she wants, and cannot have. She has told everyone she will not stay but Prophecy intends to tie down their prodigal daughter to keep their town alive and well. At times, Delaney is a difficult character to like or love; her need to escape doesn’t bode well for the people of Prophecy, Texas or the man who professes his love one last time.

The world building focuses on the small town of Prophecy, Texas: the people, the shops, the gossip and the magic. The tale of a prophecy boot maker foretelling the future is the staple and backdrop to Prophecy’s livelihood (and the story) -without the boot maker, people no longer visit Prophecy and the town is slowly succumbing to its’ own death. But saying that the ‘prophecy/Prophecy’ repetition felt overwhelming-the constant reminders made this reader want to run, and run fast at several points in the story.

A LOVE TO LAST is an interesting and entertaining storyline about betrayal and trust; letting go and moving forward; a slightly paranormal or ‘magical’ tale about a prophesied boot maker whose designs and craftsmanship speak of a future and a happily ever after. But not all prophecies speak of fairy tales and happily ever afters, and in this, there is something to be said about not knowing what the future has in store. The premise is engaging; the characters are colorful and real but, with small towns, comes small town attitudes and beliefs; the romance is slow to rebuild as Delaney continues to push away that man that she loves.

Kelsey Browning weaves a tale of magic and second chances; of romance and love; of prophecy and forgiveness. If you are a fan of small town romances with happily ever afters, then check out Kelsey Browning’s PROPHECY OF LOVE series.

Copy supplied by the promoter.

Reviewed by Sandy

Kelsey Browning writes sexy contemporary romances that readers describe as funny, sassy, and full of sizzling chemistry. She also co-authors humorous Southern women’s fiction with a sprinkling of mystery. Originally from a Texas town smaller than the ones she writes about, Kelsey has also lived in the Middle East and Los Angeles, proving she’s either adventurous or downright nuts. These days, she makes her home in Athens, Georgia, with her tech-savvy husband, her smart-talking son, a rescue dog from Qatar, and her (fingers crossed) future therapy pup.

Connect with Kelsey: Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Pinterest / Instagram / Join Kelsey’s Dangerous Darlings Reader Group

Add A LOVE TO LAST to Goodreads