Yesterday's Promise
by Delia Latham
From: The Long and the Short of It Reviews
This is a book I'll be recommending to everyone I know.
Hannah Johns is the type of a young Christian woman who always did the right thing and prayed before she acted. Then she meets Brock Ellis and takes a leap. It ends in such a disaster she wonders if it was God's will after all.
Brock Ellis is confident and successful with kind gray eyes. He walks back into Hannah's life four years later, bringing Hannah anger and confusion at Brock's behavior. He was her one indiscretion, but it's also how she got her son, Davey. Brock is the father of Hannah's child but he doesn't know it and he doesn't even react as if he recalls their marriage.
Yesterday's Promise is a reunion love story, my favorite kind. Lovely readable style that captures you within the first few pages. I must comment on the flashback sequences. Most authors love to include these kinds of scenes and more often than not, they are unnecessary and slow down the flow of the story. The flashback scenes in this book were done with such poignancy and beauty that I couldn't imagine the story without them. Very well done.
This is the kind of book to curl up with and continue reading all afternoon. I absolutely loved it. The characters, the writing—all beautifully done. Such an emotional tale tenderly told. Tell your friends, tell your family. They will want to read this book.
Reviewed by J. Thomas
Cindy K. Green, Romance Author
Ms. Latham captures the heart in this wonderful book. Emotions run high in this highly charged story. A story and characters which linger in your mind long after it is finished. It had interesting turns and twists I wasn't expecting. An original story I thoroughly enjoyed. It's rare for any book to touch me to such a level as Yesterday's Promise. Thank you Delia Latham for such a special story.
Miralee Ferrell, Author
I finished this book a few days ago and very much enjoyed it. In fact, I had another project that I should have been working on, and set it aside because I had to see how the heroine fared. The author did a lovely job conveying the heroine's emotional needs, her fears and her growth. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews before reading this, however, as I didn't want to know ahead of time the what and why of the situation that the hero and heroine found themselves in, or how they got there. That was part of the pleasure of the story for me... finding out what happened to the heroine in the past, and trying to figure out exactly how the hero fit into it all.
One of the things I especially appreciated was the well-drawn descriptions of areas I've never seen. I truly was able to picture things as they were described and often felt I was in the middle of the scene.
I won't reiterate the story line, as many have already done so here, but I will say I'd definitely recommend this tender love story to anyone who loves a good romance.
I'm looking forward to seeing what else the author creates in the future. She's a gifted storyteller and I truly enjoyed this book.
From: The Romance Studio
Ms. Delia Latham has, once again, fascinated me with her writing ability. I read this book previously—this updated version is fabulous. I love the way Latham takes her characters and develops them into multi-faceted people that capture the readers’ attention. The manner in which she presents her main couple is amazing. Her imagination and her storytelling skills are truly touched by God.
The plot of this book was so unbelievable that it actually could have happened. I found it impossible to put the book down. Her secondary cast of characters were no less expanded. This book, once again, has proven that Latham has the ability to write a top-seller and create interest without compromising her principles. She was able to tell this story without explicit sexual content but still maintain reality.
I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you’ve never read Delia Latham’s work, this would be an excellent place to start. You will definitely not be disappointed.
Reviewed by Brenda Talley
Marianne Evans, Inspirational Author
Without even realizing it at first, Hannah Johns holds the key to unlocking a number of troubling `blank spots' in Brock Ellis' mind - and heart. Their whirlwind marriage and his subsequent abandonment of Hannah, possess the answers to a series of events in Brock's past that weave a complex, relationship-driven conflict. This is a story I thoroughly enjoyed, and definitely kept me turning the pages.
An added bonus to Yesterday's Promise is the authentic, loving portrait Delia Latham paints of Yosemite. I love it when a skilled author places a reader deep into a setting without overwhelming the book with too much detail.
I was won by the struggles Brock confronts both in his memory loss, and an embattled relationship with God. I also found Hannah to be a most admirable heroine - fully devoted to her son and her and the manner in which Hannah asserts herself as a heroine of the first order - using smart logic, her head and her heart, to help Brock , and herself, move past pain, and into a life-long love as well as a renewal of faith.
Delia Latham's Yesterday's Promise makes good use of the conventions of the romance novel. The tensions, frustrations, and fears are all rolled up into the sort of too-good-to-be-true story line that induces sighs from countless readers every year. It is idealistic and optimistic in the extreme, with a protagonist who draws the diamond out of the rough that is the roguish and dashing man she's fallen for. Latham throws together all the stuff of which the romance novel is made, and Yesterday's Promise is the final product.
While I am personally resistant to the tendency to focus on our relationships as "meant to be" (rather than a result of our choices) — a tendency that Yesterday's Promise plays to the extreme — I still found the book an enjoyable read. The pacing is good, and the writing is smooth. The situations and their resolutions are, of course, impossibly convoluted, but then, it all seems to work within the logic of the novel.
I especially appreciated the book's treatment of one idea — the situation of Hannah's position as a single mother. At one point, Hannah refers to her "fall from grace," to which her friend Lori responds, “Darlin’, you did not fall from grace, you fell into it. Now, I’m no rocket scientist, but as near as I can figure it, that’s what His grace is there for. So how ’bout you just stop beatin’ yourself up already?” That, I think, is the right way of looking at human failings in the light of God's perfection.
While Yesterday's Promise is not exactly in the niche of writing that I most prefer, I did enjoy the novel and appreciate its take on a topic that can be a troubling point for many who were raised in an environment like that in which Hannah grew up. Any book that celebrates grace can't be all bad — and that's just one of the things this book has going for it.
Reviewed by Shelly Bryant @ 2010
Review from: Associated Content
Five stars, Delia - very well done!
I found this to be a truly delightful read. Hannah was a person I could easily relate to, wanting to walk with the Lord, but unsure of where He was leading. The young woman questions whether it is the Lord, or simply her own heart doing the leading. I think that is something a lot of us young woman go through. I know I have. Hannah's son, David, was endearing. At three years old, he seems to be able to charm anyone. Brock seems much more elusive to me. Ms. Latham's story totally drew me in. I think I read the whole book in three or four days. And I loved every minute of that book.
Reviewed by Sarah Coiner
Review from Pix ‘N Pens
The way Latham tells the story reminds me of the gothic novels I loved as a teen, by authors such as Mary Stewart and Victoria Holt. The difference is that Yesterday’s Promise is a much simpler story. It doesn’t have a second love interest to distract Hannah or a secondary plot to complicate the story. Nor does it have any deep themes. It’s a simple love story with an intriguing premise.
I enjoyed reading it and liked the characters. The descriptions of Yosemite National Park grounded the story in a real setting. ...The book isn’t very long and definitely worth devoting an afternoon to read it.
Review by Phee Paradise