I Promise You: Stand-Alone College Sports Romance (Waylon University)

I Promise You, Ilsa Madden-Mills newest second chance, sports romance is everything! Five years ago, I discovered an author I literally couldn’t get enough of although at the time and she couldn’t write fast enough to satisfy my avid (or perhaps rabid would be the better choice? 😉) enthusiasm! That author was Ilsa Madden-Mills and to this day, I devour each and every word she writes with a zeal I reserve solely for her storytelling! Every single time I see that Ilsa’s got a new book coming out, I’m all about turning my schedule around and upside down to get an early bloggers copy and devouring the story in one go. And that’s EXACTLY what I do. I don’t go to sleep until I read them cover to cover. And it’s a solid fact that it’s impossible to go wrong with any book Ilsa’s written. Whether you’re looking for your next favorite author, or a single read to pass the time, you’re sure to love any book written by IMM. Ilsa’s most recent series is the Waylon U books, which are sports romances and share the same motif…or in this case, the university's legend: “𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁. 𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲. 𝗦𝗵𝗲’𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁.” The legend at Waylon University brought about a sexy series of interconnected, heartfelt, contemporary romance standalones which include: I Dare You, I Bet You, I Hate You and now, I Promise You. These books can be read entirely independently and out of order but if you are anything like me, you’ll pick up the first and binge read all. Ilsa’s writing is lightly angsty, sexy, heartfelt and at times, down right LOL funny. The banter between the characters is usually some of my favorite parts of the story and she includes secondary characters that you are just dying to get to know and see in their own spin-offs. I Promise You is Dillion McQueen’s book, a secondary character featured most prominently in I Bet You. He’s the football team captain now that Ryker’s graduated and the quarterback with an ax to grind and a burning desire to prove himself. He’s handsome, charming and has the ladies falling at his feet… literally. But Dillion is so much more than the guy he portrays—he’s slightly broke, and completely hung up on a girl he kissed his at his freshman bonfire and hasn’t seen anywhere since. He’s adorably awkward at times and overconfident at others but it’s the perfect blend. Enter heroine, Serena Jenson, the quirky journalist and lover of words who is barely hanging on with the weight of the world on her shoulders… until Dillion and his entourage of beauties show up in the Piggly Wiggly turning her world topsy turvy. Until the chance to have a little fun at the cocky football player’s expense…and dine on the $500 bet she has going with her co-workers. She’s awkward and shy and bold all at once and I was instantly intrigued. Her life has been full of tragedy and yet, her family life is rich and one of my favorite things about her! Raising her 17-year-old little sister with her Grandmother had me rolling with laughter and no joke, my husband kicking me out of the room at 3 am because he couldn’t sleep with my nonstop ‘baying’. (But I digress… ) Dillion and Serena’s characters were perfectly penned to pull at your heartstrings and root for their HEA from the beginning. Their chemistry is undeniable and the. Neither character has had it easy and the pull they feel towards one another is startling but while one is willing to chase it down and hold on tight, the other practically sprints the opposite direction to kept the chance at more heartbreak at bay. You’ll be swooning over Dillion from the very beginning—I was. Yet, between the trip to the Safari Park and the midnight Paintball raid, I completely fell hook, line and sinker for Dillion and dubbed him my newest book boyfriend—as I’m sure you will as well! If you’re a fan of contemporary or sports romance, you’ll can go wrong with I Promise You. It’s perfectly paced and well written to keep you turning page after page until you too have devoured the book in one sitting! I Promise You is without a doubt your next five star read. It’s a charming, steamy, second chance at love that will sell you instantly on Ilsa Madden-Mills storytelling prowess and have you one-clicking every single book she’s written!

I went into I Promise You not liking our Hero, Dillon. He was a character in I Hate You. I didn't find him funny when he talked about how hot he was. It was a turn off. It gave me the impression that he was a tool. So, I had to make myself read this book. Well, I'm glad I read it. The Dillon in this book was nothing like the Dillon in the previous book in the series. What a relief that was. He was real, and genuine, and although he still had a healthy ego, it was small enough to fit inside his helmet. He was likeable and committed to Serena so it was easy to see the attraction. Serena was smart and a little damaged, as well. She was pretty confident and strong so she did everything she could to keep him at a distance. The chemistry was there to stay. Of course, things never go that way but I won't say anymore. Serena's family were a bit on the crazy side but it only added some fun. Then there were the Thetas but these became friends with Serena because they weren't of the mean girl Thetas. They also might lead to future books or not. But never say never. Dillon's roomies and the rookey he was babysitting were fun, as well. I have a soft spot for Owen. And to bring it altogether we have an author who excels in college sports romance. She knows how to build her characters and write a story that pulls you in and makes you feel everything they feel and like it. There is just one tiny thing that bugged me in this book. The word grouse or grouses is an ugly word and it's a bird. It was used eight times in the story. Correctly, I must add. I'm just a weirdo. I wish the author had used a few different synonyms in place of a few grouses so it wouldn't stand out to me and distract me from the story. It's probably more me than anyone else but I needed to get it out, just in case. The book is still another great story, from a great series, from a great author. I definitely recommend it for those who love this trope as much as I do. I'm giving it 4.5 shiny stars, a thumbs up, and a heart emoji. ***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.***

ALEXA, PLAY “ Simply the best” I devoured Dillon and Serena’s story and fell in love hard with both characters. Their past, their pain, their hope... their LOVE... I FELT IT ALL!! I got so engrossed in the story my emotions were all over the place. Dillon’s family is his team and his one love is Football, until he kisses the mysterious girl at a bonfire night. Despite appearances, Dillon is not just the cocky , sexy and hot quarterback he is more than that... his vulnerability was so endearing , I wanted to give him a big hug! Serena has made mistakes in her past and refuse to let those define her future. She now cares for Romy and her nana- NANA IS THE BEST , I love her!! When she starts to hang out with Dillon “ the Lacrosse” player , she swears to herself that it’ll be professional between them- she is just writing an article for the gazette! However the more she gets to know the real him the more attracted to him she is... Can she let her guard down and follow her heart? “The truth is, Dillon is the hottest freaking man alive, and when he gets close, I’m a firework waiting to be lit.” This book was pure, decadent, un-put-downable, SEXY FUN!! A well-written, perfect blend of all things happy, romantic and more.

Loved this book. H was caring and soooo sweet. A QB that is nice and not intimidating is refreshing. Lots of family fun dialogue from h and that really makes a book and it’s characters more dynamic and multi dimensional.

Let’s begin with this: it was disappointing and a tad boring. In this genre, you usually expect some ingredients that make the dish a good one, no surprise. Like pasta or pizza. Good. Not wow not extraordinary but never disappointing either. What I call low risk romances. If you twist it up, you better be sure to deliver. In this case, everything was underwhelming, the writing, the characters, the plot. Dull. The first scene in the supermarket was good though. The banter was good. But then it went meh. So, long story short, if you exhausted all your reading options, why not? If not, keep going.

I love Ilsa, my favourite books are the ones that make you forget reality. Her stories have all the rights amount of angst, tension, passion, twists and hot hot romance. Dillion’s lack of control when it comes to Serena was so refreshing. I’m so use to the composed on the outside/repression of all emotion alphas. And although I do love me those kinda Alphas. Dillion and his quirks were everything. Serena’s unpredictable personality and her ability to call her self out on certain behaviours were my favourite. Ilsa’s story telling is always epic. I literally devour her books in hours. I need more. ASAP. (Yes I’ve read all her available books 😌 obsessed.)

great story great characters great book. stupid reason for the fight but i guess authors think there always has to be something bad. i would love a book where