Promise Me Not (Boys of Avix, 2)

Zero stars.
Zero chilis.
This FMC is a horrible person. She unapologetically strings Mason on by turning hot and cold for over a year. I mean, she let him cut the baby's umbilical cord and then stops talking to him for months even though he texts and calls her at least once a day? She ruins him and his first semester at college. We never find out if he loses his starting position or not (plot hole). They are only together in the last chapter, and there is a one night sex scene that was not descriptive and boring.
If I could go back in time and dnf book 1 and never read this one, either I would.

This hurt because Say You Swear is one of my all-time favorite romance books. But something about this book didn't click the same for me. Maybe I am comparing too much but the biggest issue I had this book that I praised in Say You Swear was the communication. Payton and Mason were not on the same page and kept leading the other on which from what I remember of Mason's character isn't really his thing. Payton just wasn't that likeable to me. I kept telling myself that she was grieving but it wasn't working.

Also, the timeline just kept throwing me off. I get that there were things to explain because their story started in the middle of Say You Swear but sometimes the chapters weren't label past or present and it was confusing.

Okay so, this book is good, the first one was AMAZING. This book still has lots of emotional chapters, makes you feel so many feelings. However, it was pretty repetitive, it was the SLOWEST burn I’ve ever read (with not much burn), and there was only spice in the very last few chapters. Overall, this book is okay, but the first one, Noah Riley, is UNMATCHED.

Payton & Mason Payton got pregnant in high school to her childhood sweet heart Deaton. Her mother was horrible and made her starve herself so she could be a beauty queen she emotionally and mentally abused her. Paytons brother lived with there dad after the parents divorced but her mother stopped her having contact with him. Deatons family were also horrid to him. Payton escaped to her brothers beach house after finding out she was pregnant, deaton found her but his family ordered him back where he was in a car crash and died. Payton was devastated and wracked with guilty and grief. She decided to keep the baby. Mason (her brothers friend) is a footballer at high school he fell for Payton when he first saw her. He supported her through her pregnancy and was there when baby deaton was born. Payton tried to push him away because she felt to guilty for deaton and thinking she was holding Mason back. Payton spoke to deaton in her dreams and he tells him that she needs to be with Mason he is a good man. They end up realising they was supposed to be together and Mason raised the baby as his own whilst also speaking about his biological dad and keep his memory alive.

This was good but it didn’t live up to ‘Say you swear’. Still worth the read and if the series continues I’ll keep going. 7/10