5-Star Review of "Promise to Keep"

Review of Promise to Keep (The Promise of Sunrise #3)

by Elizabeth Byler Younts

World War II Marine Joe Garrison returns home from war longing to be a father to his deaf daughter, Daisy, only to find that she is attached to Esther Detweiler, the Amish woman who has raised her since his wife’s death in this touching historical romance.

Orphaned as a child, Esther Detweiler is used to caring for herself and her ailing grandmother. They made the best out of a hard life and poverty without asking for help. They even take in her shunned cousin’s deaf daughter, Daisy, when her mother dies and her father goes off to war. When Esther’s grandmother dies, Daisy is all she has.

When war veteran Joe Garrison returns, all he can think about is recovering from the horrors of war and building a relationship with his seven-year-old daughter. Daisy, however, is unwilling to leave Esther, whom she loves. Joe and Daisy get to know each other again, but Joe struggles with nightmares and fatherhood is proving to be more difficult than he imagined. Esther loves Daisy and despite her Amish ways, Joe finds himself drawn to her as a woman and not just a caregiver.

As their love blossoms, Joe decides to send Daisy away to a school for the deaf which propels their lives into turmoil and a battle for love and family.

MY REVIEW:  I read several books each week and I have to say that this book is the favorite of the many I have read this entire year!    I would rate it more than 5 stars if possible.   This book is simply breathtaking.  Esther's pain gripped my heart but so did Joe and Daisy's deep emotional scars.   Having taught special needs' preschoolers for several years in the past, Daisy stole my heart.  I longed to reach out and help her to learn even more than her dear substitute mother, Esther, had taught her.   Esther has given her entire life to raising, loving, and teaching Daisy and now her father has returned and she stands to lose everything that is dear to her own heart.  
         Esther and Daisy both know the pain and grief of losing a father, but in different ways.  Esther's father died when she was young and Daisy's father abandoned her to run away to fight in the war after losing his wife and newborn baby son during childbirth.   What will happen to Esther and Daisy now that Joe has returned and wants to take over his duties to his daughter?   When a long held secret returns to haunt Esther, how will she handle her own pain and can she offer forgiveness ?   Can Joe overcome the ravages of the war and the nightmares that plague him and drive him to destruction?   Will Daisy ever be able to leave the only family and home she remembers?   What happens when love and sparks fly between Joe and Esther?   Readers, I will warn you that you may need a few tissues for this one.   Elizabeth addresses some major issues in this book including PTSD, forgiveness, abandonment, and deafness.  
          I rated this book 5 stars but I would give it more if that were possible.  I loved it that much and more!    This book had me shedding tears of joy and sadness both.   
          I received a kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.  

About the Author:


Elizabeth Byler Younts is an Air Force officer's wife and a homeschooling mom with two young daughters, currently living in central Pennsylvania. Elizabeth was Amish as a child and after her parents left the church she still grew up among her Amish family and continues to speak Pennsylvania Dutch. Elizabeth is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Elizabeth's first book SEASONS: A REAL STORY OF AN AMISH GIRL, her Amish grandmother's memoir, was an #1 Amazon Bestseller and winner of a BRAG Medallion. PROMISE TO RETURN, her first novel in the Promise of Sunrise series through Howard Books (Simon & Schuster), is a finalist for a 2014 RITA Award. Through her love for storytelling and her Amish heritage, Elizabeth shares with readers worldwide authentic stories filled with little known Amish history, faith, and romance.

Go to www.elizabethbyleryounts.com to learn more.