Promises to Keep (Lean on Me #1)

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Kathryn Shay combines her extensive research on the Secret Service with her vast experience in the high school classroom to create this powerhouse of a novel!

“A wonderful work of contemporary romance, with a plot ripped straight from the headlines. Kathryn Shay never disappoints.” NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Lisa Gardner

By-the-book Secret Service Agent Joe Stonehouse and unpredictable Agent Luke Ludzecky go under cover in a high school which has been flagged by their School Threat Assessment Team as having the potential for violence. They expect their differences will cause them conflict. What they don’t expect are the two women who blow their careful plan apart. Suzanna Quinn is the principal and hates being attracted to the new school psychologist. Worse, thirty year old Social Studies teacher Kelsey Cunningham is horrified by her feelings for Luke, her new “student.” But the very real threat of school violence from more than one student forces them to work together and face their feelings for each other. Suicide, gang warfare and bullying all play a part as this stunning drama unfolds.

If you like romance novels about teacher student relationships, teacher romance, as well as single parent romance and opposites attract romance, read more of Kathryn Shay books with an educational theme: A PRICE WORTH PAYING, THE FATHER FACTOR, THE EDUCATORS series and THE BAYVIEW HEIGHTS series.

Special Note: Luke Ludzecky’s seven amazing sisters have their own stories: the second O’Neil book, CLOSE TO YOU, and the new series that focuses on the other six: BEGIN AGAIN, PRIMARY COLORS, RISKY BUSINESS, THE WAY WE WERE, HANDLE WITH CARE and LOVE STORY.

Praise for PROMISES TO KEEP:

"Shay does an admirable job with a difficult subject, writing about school violence with sensitivity and realism and without shying away from any of the hard issues, such as the balance between the students' protection and their civil liberties." Shelley Mosley Booklist

“Kathryn Shay’s storytelling grabbed me on page one and her characters held me until the very last word.” Barbara Bretton, USA TODAY bestselling author.

“Kathryn Shay is a master of her craft. PROMISES TO KEEP will hold you on the edge of your seat with an ending you’ll remember long after you turn the last page.” USA TODAY bestselling author Catherine Anderson.

"Kathryn Shay’s first mainstream romantic suspense is a gripping story that will haunt readers with its authenticity. And those who pick up a copy will find not one, but two absorbing romance threads, full of sensuality and fire. If ever the label of “sure thing” were deserved by a book, PROMISES TO KEEP is such a book.” The Romance Reader

“These are all living breathing people you might meet anywhere at any time. The action and suspense balance well with the love, so that neither plot is skimped upon. I eagerly await her next release.” Huntress Reviews