Sworn to Remember, The Sworn Sisters Series
Blindsided by her husband’s infidelity, Samantha Winslow, an up-and-coming NYC family law attorney, takes a leave of absence, jeopardizing her rise to partnership. Facing divorce, she heads to the shore town of Crescent Beach to pull herself together.
Buoyed by advice and solace from her lifelong girlfriends, known as the Sworn Sisters, Sam gains insight into how her complicated teen years set her on her workaholic path—a path which destroyed her marriage and her spirit.
Although not looking for male distraction, she finds one in local lawyer, Michael McCain. Having spurned his high-powered job in the city, he knows the importance of leading a balanced life. Their time together is magical. But it comes to an abrupt end when Sam goes back to her job in NYC and achieves partnership. Yet, happiness is missing.
Will Sam finally recognize that life is about balance, compromise, and love?
Praise for "Sworn to Remember"
The second book in this series tugs at every heart string. The women of this series support each other through rough and real life issues. The romance gets a little steamy, but mostly you feel achy for these two to make it. You'll end up rooting for Sam to recover from her ex's betrayal and for Michael to finally find the love he has wanted. Can be read on its own not part of the series. - Kate F. on Amazon
Samantha Winslow felt she had the perfect life. She couldn't ask for more. She did everything her family could dream she would do and more. Then every thing started to disappear and a new reality set in, Samantha's reality.
Michael McCain is a very laid back attorney who works hard and plays even harder. He loves his time away from New York and now at Crescent Beach. He couldn't ask for more, until his past meets his present.
Samantha has dealt with so much frustration once getting the news from her husband that life is about to change and fast. With his move and career change she is forced to come to terms with some new choices and some out of her hands.
I won't spoil the surprise of what the biggest changes are. What you want to know is whether this book is a good read. It is and more. The plot, characters, & setting, are so compatible thst you will want to read this from beginning to end in one sitting if you like a good contemporary romance novel. I gave this 5 stars as the author did a brilliant job! Please keep writing and shedding your light of positivity! I am giving an honest review in exchange for the ARC I received of this novel! - Trully on Amazon
I love the beach, the waves, the smell of the salt in the air, and the chance to play volleyball on the sand. Unfortunately, I can't make it down the shore as often as I wish, so the next best thing is to read a good story that takes place at the shore. That's why I so enjoyed Sworn to Remember.
The Jersey shore is the refuge for Samantha Winslowe, the heroine in this intriguing story, when her husband leaves her and what she considers a happy marriage. Devastated, she takes a leave of absence from her hectic job as a lawyer in New York City for the summer, needing time to understand and accept her new life situation.
I loved reading about Samantha's attempts to come to grips with her husband's betrayal. Because this story is part of the Sworn Sisters Series, Samantha's college girlfriends come to visit to provide emotional support. Samantha also meets a handsome lawyer in town--Michael--who turns out to be a someone she knew from high school and who quickly wins her heart.
Ms. Imbalzano does a great job of creating an amazing cast of characters who come together over the summer to help Samantha through her trauma, but who also play a key role in another story that begins to unfold that make this novel more than just your typical good summer read.
I highly recommend Sworn to Remember to any reader who is looking for an intriguing story to read at the beach or when you are stuck at home, which you were at the beach! - Kate L. on Amazon
It was my preconceived notion that this would be a “beach read”, so I waited until I was at the beach to begin reading Sworn to Remember. Incorrect!! It is a beautiful story full of romance, conflicts and friendships and the end of each chapter begs to begin the next. So, I started on the beach, picked up on the porch and read in bed until all hours of the night.
This book is part of a series but can stand on its own. The ‘Sworn Sisters’ who we met in the first book are all here to support Samantha whose marriage has fallen apart. I like the character development of Sam. She starts out feeling sorry for her divorce clients thinking her own marriage was so perfect. While she is on the fast track to becoming a partner at her firm, she believes her husband is happy and so supportive of her career until he shocks her with his real feelings and leaves her. Sam retreats to the beach for the summer and calls in her girlfriends for comfort and support. Friends since high school, the ‘sworn sisters’ remain close notwithstanding the different life path each has taken over the past fifteen years. Sam runs into an old high school crush in Crescent Beach who she tries to avoid but the attraction is too hot and its mutual. Secrets of the past are revealed that actually prove to be life saving in a surprise side story to Sam’s summer of finding herself.
I absolutely enjoyed this book. It is well written and more than a romance novel. I feel like these women are my friends and look forward to Ms. Imbalzano’s next book. - ds on Amazon
After an incredible start to the series, the second book “Sworn to Remember” matches the bar set by “Sworn to Forget”. Sam is a very relatable character, trying to start over after her marriage falls apart. I found myself laughing out loud during the scenes where she experiences a few unfortunate events because of how relatable her reactions were depicted. When Sam meets her love interest, I fell in love with him as well. Ms. Imbalzano writes characters that I felt like I knew personally, and I think many women would find a little piece of Sam inside of them. I give this book 5 stars, more if I could. A great summer beach read. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series to find out how the other friends lives are shaping up. A true story of friendships that stand the test of time, but of course with a little romance that keeps the reader hooked from page 1 to the last. - Alex on Amazon
I loved Sam's story. She was put in a difficult position between a regretful but cheating husband and a man who seemed afraid to commit. In telling the story, the author beautifully incorporated themes of love, loss, and (of course) friendship! The closeness of Sam's friends (the Sworn sisters) is my favorite part of the book! Highly recommend. - Leanne on Amazon
Excerpt from "Sworn to Remember"
Dwelling on her future took the better part of an hour. Finally tired of her own musings, she thought about stopping by the volley ball court to say hello to Michael. She could be a groupie too. Maybe she’d meet some new people, have a gang of newfound friends. She could certainly use the distraction.
But when she arrived back, the court was empty, eerily silent. Only footprints in the sand remained, along with a lone volley ball which someone had left behind. Sam picked it up and tossed it over the net.
“You need more than one player if you want the ball returned.” A voice behind her sent a tremble through her gut.
She turned, and the melancholy that surrounded her, dissipated with his smile.
“Michael. You’re still here.”
“I forgot my ball.”
Sam ducked under the net and picked it up. She held it out to him, forcing him to come closer. Her heart beat wildly and she tried desperately to come up with something to say, but her tongue tied.
“Michael! Are you coming?” An impatient cry echoed from the boardwalk.
Both Michael and Sam looked up. It was one of the models, the one with the red bikini. Sam’s hope for some time and conversation with Michael evaporated like the mist from a crashing wave.
“I’ll meet you there,” he called.
“Okay,” she pouted. “But hurry. We’re all starving.”
Michael turned back to Sam. “Would you like to come and get something to eat with us? We’re going to Bill’s Ale House.”
What had seemed like a wonderful plan during her solitary walk on the beach, now seemed awful. She didn’t want to make idle chitchat with rowdy strangers, vying for attention, having to scream above the other voices to be heard. Besides, she wasn’t in the mood to compete with the clones.
“Thanks. But I don’t think I’d be very good company tonight.”
“Did you sign the Complaint?”
“Yes but . . . “She was about to say that wasn’t the reason for her glumness. She shook her head. “Yes. I signed the Complaint.”
“Would you like to talk?” His empathetic voice curled around her and warmed her heart.
Not about that. “No, thanks.”
She blinked and looked back up toward the boardwalk. “Your friends are waiting for you. You should go.”
Her walls inched up. She was pushing him away, not permitting him to see her vulnerable side.
“If you change your mind, I’ll be at Bill’s.”
“Thanks, but I won’t.” She watched his back as he headed toward his friends.
Sam kicked at the sand, then smoothed it, wondering if she was stepping on Michael’s footprints, yearning to take back the words which made him leave. He had offered to stay and talk, but she had stubbornly refused his proposal even though she’d wanted to spend time with him more than anything. Only she didn’t want to talk about the demise of her marriage, or her feelings about filing for divorce. She wanted to talk about his day. About how many points he scored in the game, or what his plans were for the weekend. Michael had offered consolation. She needed distraction. And maybe even excitement, which she felt every time she laid eyes on him.
She longed to forget about her divorce when with him. The two were mutually exclusive. Michael made her feel alive, confident, sexy. Yet she felt guilty over her attraction toward him.
Last night she had melted like liquid gold in his arms, desire washing over her with every touch of his lips, his hands, his tongue. Her blood pulsed merely thinking about his body pressing into hers, the evidence of his lust straining against the clothes she had ached to rip off. And she had been halfway there, her shirt discarded in a heap on the floor as his hands and tongue awakened every nerve, every synapse, along their route. She wanted him. And he wanted her.
But some misguided sense of moral behavior had made her stop. It wasn’t because she was married. That was in name only. Was it because of the possibility that Michael collected women and she didn’t want to be one of many? That shouldn’t bother her. She was leaving in a month and a half anyway. Hadn’t she previously attempted to convince herself that a fling was what she needed to move on? And Michael was the perfect candidate. The only candidate.
She knew the answer. She just didn’t want to believe it.
She was afraid of getting hurt.
Again.
She was afraid she could care about Michael. That her fling to get over the remnants of her failed marriage could turn into a romance that would do more damage to her than good.
Sam walked toward her house. She needed a friend to talk to. These conversations with herself were getting her nowhere. Thankfully, her Sworn Sisters were only a phone call away.
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As a thank you, I will send you the deleted Prologue from "Sworn to Remember".
