| Title | : | Keeping Promise Rock (Promises, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1615813470 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781615813476 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | ebook |
| Number of Pages | : | 344 |
| Publication | : | First published January 17, 2010 |
Deacon's greatest wish is to see Crick escape his memories and the town they grew up in so Crick can enjoy a shining future. But after two years of growing feelings and temptation, the painfully shy Deacon finally succumbs to Crick's determined advances and admits he sees himself as part of Crick's life.
It nearly destroys Deacon when he discovers Crick has been waiting for him to push him away, just like Crick's family did in the past. When Crick's knack for volatile decisions lands him far away from home, Deacon is left, shell-shocked and alone, struggling to reforge his heart in a world where love with Crick is a promise, but by no means a certainty.
Keeping Promise Rock (Promises, #1) Reviews
-
THE MOTHERFUCKING FEELZ.
This is my third Amy Lane book. From reading those three and perusing her catalogue, I've come to the following conclusions:
1. She's not always so good at naming these things.
Before I read a word of her, I was turned off by odd, off-putting, or juvenile-sounding titles. I've been kicking myself ever since, for allowing that to get in the way of enjoying her writing.
2. She's got some serious storytelling Kung-Fu.
Serious. Legit-legit. Like, weeping onto your e-reader serious. Like, laughing so hard you fart, serious. Like, never forget the words so long as you live, serious. The girl's got a gift, and it manifests in spectacular plenitude throughout. This, friends, is an absurdly compelling story that will gut you as easily as it will require a change in underpants.
3. The girl can write.
Thus I bow my head in prayer: O My Lord in Heaven, You should probably proceed to bestow Your divine beneficence upon somebody else, for verily she has her bloody share, obvs.
I am in love with Amy Lane. -
**4.5 stars**
Holy crap Amy Lane, you did NOT go easy on these guys!! Cheating, friends and family dying, child abuse, countless life threatening injuries... this is the most ANGSTY Amy Lane book I have read to date! It is a wonder the MCs made it out alive!!
I am already an Amy Lane fan-girl, so I went into this book expecting greatness. Did I get greatness? I think I did, despite my issues with this book.
I actually didn't like the beginning. I wasn't into the way the characters were introduced. I wanted to know more about Parish and Deacon and they were kind of just thrown in there. I actually debated putting this one down for a little while but my inner voice said, "Heather, come on, it is AMY LANE. Push through, girl!" And I am so glad that I did.
What Amy Lane does better than anyone else is create these EPIC romances that feel so so real. You get a sense of the absolute depth of the love that these guys have for each other. These two fought tooth and nail for their love and their relationship and it left me feeling haggard and in awe of them as a couple. Amy Lane manages to create this affect, time and time again.
She also creates characters that are deeply flawed yet honorable. I love that she made Deacon not a saint (he is stubborn, proud, and has substance abuse issues), and Crick is rash and insecure. It makes the character feel REAL.
On the negative side, this book was almost teetering on the edge of angsty to the point of being ridiculous. I mean, what these characters went through was just unbelievable. However, Amy Lane's incredible skill as a storyteller allows her to pull this story off.
I want to keep going in the series because I want to see what happens with the secondary characters. I also want to give a shout out to Jon. I can't tell you how much I loved his relationship with Deacon. These characters all stole my heart and made me want more and more.
**Find this review and more like it on myfictionnook.com** -
I need you, like I want you. Always and forever. I want you like I love you. Always and forever.
Consider that a promise.
~Deacon~
Gahhhh, this book gave me feelz. ALL. THE. GODDAMNED. FEELZ.
Going by the premises, this book shouldn't have worked for me on so many levels... Hit or miss author. YA/NA. A storyline over a time span of almost two decades. Both guys being apart for roughly half of the book. And yet....
It grabbed me right from the start. I mean, two absolutely loveable guys, one of them running a horse ranch - sooooo, lots of horses!!! -, the other one in the Army - for me as a military brat (I wish! Umm, in another life probably) a wet dream, amazing side characters, all the angst I could have wished for to keep my inner angst-junkie happy, and I was in book heaven.
Was the story with what all these guys had to go through likely? Probably not. No, scratch that and let's say God, I hope not! To say it in Deacon's words: the only thing missing would have been a plague of goddamned locusts, but there were times where tears were streaming freely down my face and times I had to read through my fingers, but there were also times that just made my bloody heart swell in my chest, so all in all it was worth everything and I rooted with all I had for them to get their HEA!
***4.5 Stars*** -
Warning! I have been reading and reviewing while wearing my cranky pants.
I will say some nice things about this book. It was nicely written, and it has some nice characters. It was a nice setup for a friends to lovers story. It ended in a nice place. With one exception, I found the sexy scenes sexy. I can see why people like this book.
I will say some not so nice things about this book. It was melodrama of the highest order. This book broke my unbelievable-o-meter. I was rolling my eyes practically the whole book. Some examples (SPOILER WARNING):Crick runs off to join the Army because he didn't listen to the second half of Deacon's sentence.
Crick fails to mention to Army recruiters that he has medic or equine experience.
Deacon becomes an alcoholic and hits rock bottom all in a span of 3 months.
Step-Bob comes off as a parody of a bad guy.
Biblical scale disasters featuring storms and snakes where a horse named Comet had to be put down.
The whole way that Deacon dealt with money and did not discuss anything with Crick.
For being in lurve, Deacon and Crick really don't communicate about important things.
Amy saying at the end that her husband didn't even need to consult with her about moving with the rest of the "family".
And then what's up with caveman Deacon rage fucking Crick yelling "DON'T EVER LEAVE ME" when all Crick wanted to do was visit his deceased friend's grieving parents for a couple of days. Seriously, did anyone actually find that sexy?
Ok, I am done ranting. This book is widely liked and if you are a fan of angst and high drama, this might be a winner for you. -
Occasionally, I stumble across a book my friends all love to pieces, and I just don't get it. Happens to all of us. It's a little disappointing because here I am expecting this epic read that I can fall into, and instead I spend the entire time trying to figure out why it's supposed to be so great.
I didn't think this was bad. I liked it. I just felt kind of numb the entire time I was reading, I had zero feelz. I guess I didn't connect with the characters, or their story. Nothing here is going to stick with me for long. It was ok, just not memorable.
I'm still reading the next one though. Maybe Making Promises will have more luck at awakening my cold, dead heart. -
I don't think this book needs another full length review. All the others should be enough to convince you this is stellar book that is a no brainer to pick up and read. Even the 1 star review where the reader gave up on the book has some legitimate points. I think she gave up too soon and missed out on an amazing read, but yeah, in the interest of snake tolerance a little less description into the snake killing wouldn't have been amiss. However, that's missing the forest for the trees and I am sad for that reader that didn't stick it through to the amazing end.
It's a long book, full of emotional ups and downs. The only thing I will say that I don't think the other reviews have said is that I am awed by Amy Lane's ability to make these too very manly, flawed and prideful men so damn romantic and endearing in the way they talk to each other. She did it without making them saccharine, unrealistic, eye-rollable or ridiculous. That is an amazing success. I can’t get over how well she wrote their emotions out of their mouths and through their twitter account. That’s not to say the communication skills were all that great but damn, when they said it, they said it right.
I assume we are going to get Jeff's story and be able to revisit the whole family again. And Jeff is just the kind of character that is so rare but is so fascinating to read about too. My fingers are crossed for that story next.
ETA: From the authors blog:
Yes. There will be three sequels. Making Promises will be about Shane and Mikhail, Living Promises will be about Jeff and Collin, and Return To Promise Rock will see the final HEA of all the characters, including a wrap up of Benny and Drew (which I can't go too much into, because people get upset when there's girl cooties in their m/m, but we really need to see them happy too.) -
A love story that spans 14 years...3.5 Stars, rounded upto 4 Stars
At the age of 9 Carrick Francis, whilst playing truant from Sunday School, happens on a ranch owned by Parish Winters and his son Deacon. The moment Crick sees Deacon, he has eyes for no other and spends the next 14 years in total adoration of this boy who has become his friend and protector.
Carrick has had a troubled childhood, his mother has no time for him and 'StepBob' spends most of his time drinking. So when Parish and Deacon take him under their wing and offer him comfort and a haven of sorts, he jumps at the chance. For the first time in his short life he truly feels safe, cared for and part of a family, with Parish and Deacon taking on the self imposed role of guardians for this naive and wayward boy, often running interference with the school and Cricks family.
Crick is in love, he is totally besotted, starry eyed and whole heartedly 'IN LOVE' with Deacon, no other can dim the light that shines so brightly for him. He lives in hope that one day Deacon will finally SEE him, not as his brother or friend but as his lover! Deacon, so selfless, strong and reserved comes across as impassive when really he is just painfully shy and self-conscious. Hiding beneath his modesty is a man completely honourable, wanting nothing for himself, but everything for Crick. Giving into his emotions and loving Crick is not part of his self sacrificing plan, he wants him to get out, go to college, see the World and not have to deal with the 'small town mentality' to being 'Gay' that he now lives with!
Finally, thanks to their friends, who are only too aware of the attraction and love between them, they see 'the light' only for a misunderstanding to separate them before they even have chance to explore a relationship. This leaves Deacon in a desperate state of depression, beside himself with grief and worry, falling apart whilst his life spirals out of control and all he holds dear starts to crumble around him.... and all because, he is way too stubborn and proud to ask for help! and Crick, well he is off in Iraq fighting for his country!
Amy Lane is a master at giving us great characters and 'real' love stories. This is no exception, however I became a little frustrated at the misunderstandings and lack of communication between our two MC's especially considering they had known each other for so long! and, had lived together, be it as family rather than lovers! There are some great characters in this book which we had the pleasure of getting to know, some of which were true friends and family in every sense of the word.
For me this is not her best book, I have a feeling that it may not be down to the book but rather my own reading preferences, having read some pretty intense books lately this seemed a little flat and nice, if a little frustrating. With that in mind I have rated accordingly.
Sinfully Sexy Books -
I bought this book 3 or 4 months ago and have been studiously avoiding reading it, ever since. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I just knew that Amy Lane would shred my heart. Again. And I would end up thanking her for it. Again. And probably ask for more (yeah, like there's actually a 'probably' there). I really never knew I was such a masochist. And this book made me ugly cry, I won't lie. A lot. It was brutal at times. And so fucking beautiful I cried some more.
Keeping Promise Rock is about finding the people that not only love you for who you are, but wouldn't have you any other way. No matter how much you might screw up, they're there for you - even when the rest of the world tries to beat you down. Carrick Francis (Crick) first meets Deacon Winters when Crick was just 9 years old. From that moment, Crick idolizes Deacon and he falls in love with him, too. But Crick doesn't think he'll ever be able to have Deacon, so he tries (very unsuccessfully) to keep it all inside.
The prologue starts out with Crick being in the Army and me wondering how the hell he got there. Then we go back in time to when Crick was a child and first sees Deacon and we watch him grow up, and watch his feelings for Deacon grow until I thought they were free and clear. But no. Remember that prologue? Yeah.
Crick is used to being pushed away, of being thought of as worthless. Deacon has never done either of those things, but the conditioning is still hard to shake. Crick is also rather impulsive. And that, friends, is how he ends up in Iraq serving his country; all over a misunderstanding. Now while it is possible to get out of enlistment, Crick never once considered trying to find a way out. He made a promise and he has integrity. So, Crick goes to Iraq, knowing full well he might not make it back.
You'd think that the worst of the tragedy would happen to Crick, in the middle of a desert in a foreign country, in the middle of a war. And you'd be wrong. It's no picnic, of course, but I swear, Amy Lane called up the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as a special gift for Deacon. He goes through so much while Crick is gone and he nearly loses everything, starting with himself.
But, you know, before we figure out what is really really important, we sometimes have to fall spectacularly hard. And the people there helping you get up and dust yourself off? Those people would be family, no matter the blood. By the end of this book, there is not a single shred of a doubt that Crick and Deacon are a forever thing and there is not a single doubt that they have a wonderful family among their friends.
So, yeah, I'm thanking Amy Lane for shredding my heart - again - before she stitched it all back together. The journey was most definitely worth the pain and ugly cries along the way. -
Thanks to the friends here that read it with me!
__________________________________________
My review is based on Carrick´s feelings list number:
1=emotionally repressed and in agony
2=emotionally repressed and in pain
3=not taking the question seriously
4=possibly dealing but still in pain
5=will be fine.
I felt n.º 1 and n.º4 almost the entire book except when they meet again :
“God, Carrick… it’s like I can feel my skin for the first time two years.”
and at the end 5!
This story drained all my tears… HEARTWRECHING BEAUTIFUL!!
My favourite was Deacon<3<3
-
dnf at 30%
this is not a book, it's a list of obituaries and bad luck and soap opera dramas!
Maybe I would have appreciated it more if I'd read it a year ago.
But on the bright side I can use a Karen Walker's gif!!
This was me while reading:
-
3.5 stars for the blog Of Sid love
Well … that just about squeezed the life out of me. I’m drained and exhausted after that marathon.
Keeping Promise Rock has been read and reviewed by everyone I know; it’s like the m/m rite of passage now. If you read m/m romance, then you have to read Amy Lane, and if you read Amy Lane, then you have to read Keeping Promise Rock. It’s quite simple.
This is a coming of age romance that spans a decade or more. Levee Oaks, redneck capital of the world is home to Crick and Deacon. Deacon is Parish’s son and lives on The Pulpit (a horse ranch) Crick is a half-mex kid with a no good mother and a drunkard step-Bob – life’s not great for Crick until he wanders onto The Pulpit and lays eyes on Deacon - thinking him the most beautiful boy he ever did see, and they was gonna be friends forever. And they were. They were friends and then they were brothers, and then … they were more.
Crick and Deacon have a long way to go before they overcome their stubborn self-sacrificing ways, their anger (Deacon) and immaturity(Crick). They have even further to go to believe in themselves and recognise their self-worth. It’s a road worth travelling if you can stand it.
There are some battles to wage and I honestly can’t tell you how many times I threw my hands up in the air, in defeat. “God! No more, please! This is too much!”
And really, it is too much. I think Amy Lane took the catastrophic events too far and I really was waiting for that plague of locusts to descend.
There is only so much emotional drama I can take before it becomes emotional manipulation, and Ms Lane crossed that line about halfway through in my opinion.
Like I said, this is a must read. It’s very well told: its hard going, but its hope, and its love and it’s exhausting. I still liked it. -
1.5 stars rounded to 2, for now. I'm reserving the right to drop it to 1 once I think about it a bit more.
About a third of the way through this book the first word that came to mind was ordinary, then about half way through the word changed to an exaggerated melodramatic mess. Ok that's more than one word but the only thing that didn't happen to these MC's was being hit by the plague. Oh wait, that might have happened too. The rest of the story was one catastrophe after another. Then both MC's would declare what f*ck-ups they are, followed by them declaring their promises of love and devotion with the tears and stars twinkling in their eyes. I thought MY eyes were going to tear up and get stuck from all the eye-rolling.
So, why the reason for the half star? Well my heart isn't completely made of stone. Some of it actually pulled at a few my heartstrings. The texting and tweeting was fun. Probably because Crick and Deacon had to keep it short and sweet. No BS. I also liked all the side characters, especially Benny. She wasn't immune to the catastrophe bug though. No one was!
This was my first solo Amy Lane and I have a few other books of hers but I think I am going to have to wait a long time before I pick one up again. -
Hmmmm....
Well, after reading all the great reviews for this book, I have to say that it just didn't do it for me. I felt the book was MUCH too long. The middle section went on FOR-E-VERRRRRRRR and didn't seem to really add that much to the book for its length.
The beginning of the story was okay. I found reading about a young high-school kid jacking off in a school closet a little inappropriate, and I just didn't really want to spend that many pages reading about adolescent sex fantasies. From the author's bio, it seems that most of her professional experience is with high-schoolers.
I was totally disappointed in the Deacon character. He was depressing and got weaker throughout the book. Crick gained strength. Maybe that was the point, but it wasn't very satisfying for me. Even towards the end of the book Deacon pitched a total hissy-fit just because Crick wanted to go to Puget Sound for a couple days to comfort a family who'd lost a daughter in Iraq.
The first thing you learn in an English class is to write from your own experience. If that advice was good enough for American greats like Hemingway, Steinbeck, Cather and Buck, it should be good enough for m/m romance authors. I felt that the author showed very little understanding of military life and procedures. Her image of military life seems to have come from Google and maybe a couple of interviews. It certainly doesn't reflect any kind of deep understanding. Unfortunately, most of the book was based upon this sophomoric and trite level of writing.
I'm also oh so tired of all the homophobia. It just gets SO boring when a book spends half of its time dwelling on homophobics. We all know it's there. Can't we just focus on something else???
If you REALLY want to read a m/m romance about military life read "I'll be your Drill, Soldier". It avoids all the homophobia and presents a wonderfully realistic and humorous perspective of military life. I found that refreshing.
By far the best m/m military book I've read is
Wingmen. It puts most others to shame and is in a class all by itself. This book is not even in the same league.
My review of that book here.
This book turned out to be over 700 pages on my Android Nook reader. It just wasn't worth 700 pages. I know I'm going against the grain of most of the reviewers, that that's how I see it. -
Upcoming BUDDY READ with MARCO, MARTE, MANDY, KAT, ELSBETH, EVA, BARBARA, ISABEL AND BRADEN on July 28!!!
THE
MEGA BUDDY READ!!! :D
(Join us if you like!)
Now time to prepare this
Just in case we
or if it escalates to this...
Sigh...another mega angst read from Ms.
Amy Lane...
Maybe...
-
Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Classic Amy Lane.
"This one is dedicated to all of those people who chose family first and dreams second, because they know that making a dream come true isn’t nearly as much fun without someone to share it with."
A love story that spans 14 years, when Crick first came into Deacon's life when he was 9 years old and Deacon was 13 years old. All the years, Deacon kept Crick grounded, and dreamed for Crick to have a better life.
But Crick only wanted Deacon. And then... the unthinkable...“Someone once called fate “the only cosmic force with a tragic sense of humor,” and Carrick would have agreed. Once again, the thing, the big obvious thing that didn’t occur to him at the outset, managed to make its presence known in the most painful way possible, with Crick as a witness."
Oh, dear God, this book is probably one of the best stories I read this year. Crick and Deacon are two incredibly moving characters so flawed and so perfect at the same time. Almost half of this book spans over Crick's life in Iraq and Deacon's life in Leeve Oaks. I suffered deeply for their losses, the hardships, the hurt that they brought unto to themselves and each other...but the constancy and unrelenting certainty that they were each other's to hold forever. *Sigh*
It reminded me of one of my all time favourites
Special Forces. How the two of them, separated, but still keep the love going, even if each of them fighting with their own demons. So emotional and heartbreaking and ...real. So good.
This book is not an easy read. It will turn you inside out and you will shred some tears for sure. Some moments were just so heart wrenching..."So I’ve got nothing, God. I’ve just got “please.” Please. Please."
For me this book is an epic love story. A beautiful take on love and devotion, while it might be hard, when you are working on it, it is worth it. Also a story about trading dreams for the people close to your heart."You’re the reason to have faith."
Loved to pieces.
Highly recommended read about family and strength in love. So very excellent.
Amy Lane-fest and a big
Mega Buddy Read with Alvin, Marco, Marte, Mandy, Kat, Elsbeth, Barbara, Isabel, and Braden here
-
Crick and Deacon's relationship passed for 14 years, when Crick first came into Deacon's life when he was 9 years old and Deacon was 13 years old. All the years, Deacon kept Crick grounded, and dreamed for the younger guy to have a better life. But Crick only wanted Deacon. Until one day, when Deacon finally gave in to Crick, and meant to tell Crick that they could still be together even if Crick went away to school, Crick took this in a wrong way, and ended up signing for two years tour serving his country in Iraq instead. Separated, the two tried to stay alive for one another, as Crick fought in Iraq and Deacon fought for the home he lived in, the one he promised Crick to still be there when his lover returned
Oh, GOD, this is probably one of the most rounded and best stories I read this year, and it's only January. Almost half of this book spans over Crick's life in Iraq and Deacon's life in Leeve Oaks. At some point, it reminded me of the beautiful story of "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frasier. How the two of them, separated, but still keep the love going, even if they're fighting with their own demons. I love the way they did it with letters, then computer, then Blackberry and twitter (gosh, technology ROCKS)
Deacon seems to be the more shy here, he doesn't have grand ambition. His only wish is for Crick to have a better life. He loves his home and his friends and that is enough for him. He knows that Crick worships him, see him as a god, and he struggles to be that man worthy of Crick. This makes him hide his lonely feeling and depression for other people. So when Crick returned, he knew that he needed to get this man to understand how he didn't need to stay perfect for Crick to love him still. That it was okay to show weakness, because Deacon was only human.
The secondary characters are amazing as well, they are they people who stay with Deacon, who help him get through: his best friends (Jon and Amy), Crick's little sister (Benny), one of the soldier Crick's helped while in Iraq (Andrew). They are Deacon's family, while his lover is away from him.
For me, this book feels like an epic journey. A beautiful take on love, while it might be hard, when you are working on it, it is worth it. And, it is also a story about trading dreams for the people close to your heart. As written by Ms. Lane in the dedication: "This one is dedicated to all of those people who chose family first and dreams second, because they know that making a dream come true isn’t nearly as much fun without someone to share it with."
This books is PERFECT. -
Keeping Promise Rock was one of my best m/m reads of this year. I know the year isn't that old yet, but I'm quite sure that it will stay among my top reads of 2016. It actually came as a very nice suprise, because I've been putting this book off for quite a while now. I started the series with the second part and I never really connected with the main characters; I was however quite curious to read more about Deacond and Crick and their beloved ranch.
And I loved their story. Amy Lane is a great author and she managed to break my heart and to put it back together again. Keeping Promise Rock was a hell of a read; it's an epic story about friendship, devotion, love, hope and pain.
You don't love people at their best, sweetheart. You just love them because you can't help it.
It has quite a high angst level, but that's basically what Amy Lane is known for, so I knew that this wouldn't be the book you want to right before going to bed; because worrying about these great main characters would keep you up all night!
I won't try to give a summary of this great story; there are enough reviews out there doing a great job in it. I just want to say that I completely fell in love with Deacon and Crick. They are both such amazing characters. And they are facing real life problems; unfortunately an aspect way too uncommon in m/m romance! Death, loss, illness, addiction, money issues ... the plot won't get boring, but it didn't feel surcharged either. It felt perfectly balanced!
I'm suddenly looking forward to finish these series, I want to meet them and their beautiful family again and again and again.
5 stars for Deacon and Crick! -
Original rating: 4.5 stars
Re-read August 2021: 3.5 stars
It has been ten years since I first read this book. The first time I did I fell in love with the book and the writer - her books helped me through some tough times in my life.
But since then I've fell out of love with the writer, partly because of some personal issues, but mainly because her characters started sounding the same to me. And the more they did the less I cared about them (they felt like Bilbo did on his 111th birthday - thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread), and reading angsty stories without the benefit of caring for the characters first is a level of masochism I'm not comfortable with.
I was afraid I wouldn't like re-reading this book for that reason, but I shouldn't have been. This book was like meeting an old friend after several years - you still love them and enjoy their company but the shine is kind of off, and you have less things in common now than when you first met.
Some scenes that I remember were gut-wrenching left a lukewarm impression now. Some of the drama made me only roll my eyes now when before I was almost out of my seat with emotion. But I still can't say I didn't enjoy returning to this universe and all of my once-favorite characters. -
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! This book is beyond fabulous!!!!
I can't, I just can't. I don't know how in the hell I'm ever going to write a review for this!
Amazing! Just beyond perfect, touching, heart wrenching, wonderful...and adjective after adjective."
I'm going to just say that for now and try to write a real review here in a little bit once my heart has settled. Perfect doesn't even begin to describe this book.
------------------------------------------------------------
I just don’t know what possessed me to resist reading this book for this long. I was a complete and utter idiot. This book is getting moved immediately to my favorites list and I know I’ll re-read it time and time again.
I had been warned before starting this book that it was going to make me cry. I was all prepared for angst central. And of course it succeeded. Now if you define angst as “book that makes you cry,” which I quite frankly have asserted as recently as last night, then I guess this book qualifies as angst. But I gotta break my own rules here. This wasn’t angst, tear your heart out in pain angst, this was just honest, pure, true love and hope, and misunderstanding and I cried more happy tears than anything. It defies my definition!
Carrick “Crick” Francis has had a troubled life. Abused by his stepfather and neglected completely by his mother, somehow he’s managed to find a home for himself at a neighboring ranch, The Pulpit. Along with a job mucking out stables Crick has got himself a case of adoration and hero worship for the slightly older high school boy whose ranch it is.
Deacon Winters quickly becomes Crick’s salvation and it’s only fair as Crick has fast becomes Deacon’s calm in the storm. Deacon has always been fairly uncomfortable around people; painfully shy he lets almost no one into his inner circle. Yet somehow Crick has always just been there, from the minute they first met. Losing his father puts all of Deacon’s plans on hold and leaves the two boys with only each other for support. While Crick may have owned up to being gay and unintentionally outed himself to the town, neither boy has ever stated what they truly want to each other. The day that changes is the day everything changes.
I don’t know how coherent this review will ever be since I can’t seem to make my brain focus on how to say how much I loved this book. It’s all…
and
This book so beautifully tracks the life of Crick and Deacon’s epic romance. The misunderstandings these two go through and the suffering that results will break your heart. Watching Deacon waste away when Crick leaves, I just wanted to rush in and wrap in a big hug!
Thank god for Benny! Her relationship with Deacon is just exactly what he needed and everything I wanted to read. She’s insecure and irreverent all at the same time. She doesn’t take his crap, but also needs all the reassurance she can get. Her final action at the end of the book…*HAPPY TEARS A PLENTY!*
While I know Crick over reacted in the moment I absolutely understand why he did. His running away to the military is so sad and yet you respect him for his stand up nature when he refuses to take the one out he knows he has available to him when he finds out how wrong he was. His honor and standing up to his commitments means something to him even if the military would kick him out for being who he is.
I wanted to crush 90% of this backwoods little town under my boot heel for the stupid immature nastiness they unleashed on the sweetest boys ever! Horse-Aids…I mean really?!?!?! And Benny’s sperm donor of a parent…
I loved the way Ms. Lane used Twitter/Text messaging to have Deacon and Crick communicate with each other while Crick was over seas. Some of their banter there were my favorite little gems, especially when Benny would interject her two cents.
There there’s Lisa…just cry now!
I can’t…I really don’t know what to say. There’s no adequate descriptions to say how fabulous and must read this book is. Do it! Do it now! You won’t be sorry. -
read to 47% when
already wasn't liking cricket and he is nonredeemable IMO he really has not though of anyone but himself this whole book so far and I just can't read about a character I hate as much as Cricket -
The pacing of this book, the writer's language is so beautiful that I fell in love with the writing as much as the characters.
-
BUDDY "ORGY" READ with Alvin,
Marco, Marte, Mandy, Kat, Elsbeth, Eva, Barbara & Isabel
This will be my message for Crick after he comes back from Iraq (If he's a true person). Bastard.
This will probably sums up my reading experience.
It was not bad. Actually the story was awesome. It was flawless, profound. Everything what you wish for for a complicated romance book. It's here. And I'm a big sucker for childhood friends/lovers and stories that drag for years!
But everything was not good enough for me. Maybe because I expected too much. There was some scenes that was so heartfelt and I'm on the verge of crying. All because of Deacon, of course. My heart breaks for him. Every time. But not enough to made me cry like every one else says that it would be. *shrugs*
And what was with blushing? Too much blushing. Is it a white people thing?
Anyway, nice reading with ya, girls and Alvin! ;)
Who run the world? -
i have a lot of conflicting feelings about this book? like i definitely..... well, enjoyed is probably not the right word, but i was certainly invested in what happened with these characters, particularly deacon, who i fell in love with over the course of the book. the poor guy went through it, too.
so, yeah, definitely invested in the characters and their story, but a lot of things that happened kind of pissed me off too? and that’s not necessarily a negative for me; i can still enjoy a story while disliking certain aspects of it, as long as those aspects feel organic to the story and make sense for the characters. they do here, but i still hated them lol - especially crick’s whole berlin interlude... man, that that whole bit was so annoying and unnecessary.
also, there were a LOT of slurs in this book, and not just the f-word, which shows up in every other m/m book i’ve read lately (insert eyeroll emoji), but also the n-word with a hard r and a lot of extremely misogynistic language, too. it’s kind of hard to root for the mcs when they’re calling every female character in the book a b*tch, whore, or c*nt... like come on. one of the mcs is also sexually assaulted, but the whole thing is kind of brushed off and almost made a joke of, which pissed me off, too.
i’ve read that one of the sequels in this series features deacon and crick again, but based on the synopsis of that book and some of the reviews i skimmed through, i think i’m good leaving their story here. -
4.5 stars
Damn, this was painful. But so worth it.
Both Crick and Deacon make many mistakes. They're great at hurting themselves and each other. The two are far from perfect.
But what's undeniable is that Deacon and Crick were so clearly made to be together. They're two halves of a whole, incomplete without the other.
I fell for the two from the beginning. I loved seeing how Deacon was Crick's rock throughout Crick's childhood, and how that slowly turned into something more. And my heart hurt for them when a series of mistakes and unfortunate events threatened to rip everything away.
I think Amy Lane highlighted something important in this book: life is rarely ever perfect, but any bit of happiness is worth the effort. Deacon, Crick, and their ragtag family, all suffer in one way or another, but they don't let that stop them from working towards something better.
Though Amy Lane put me through the wringer, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I just needed Deacon and Crick to get their happy ever after.
And once they finally do, it makes up for the years of pain. Crick and Deacon, and their perfectly imperfect romance, are going to stay on my mind for a while! -
I read almost every word of this book, so it deserves an expanded review, which I haven't been writing a lot lately. Just haven't read a whole lot that made me want to expound.
Well, I'll expound here.
This review contains spoilers so read on at your own discretion.
This book could have totally been 5 stars but for a couple of points, which are hard lines for me, but which I toned down because I kind of get it. (but still didn't like it).
Let's start with the positives.
1. The writing was fantastic.
It wasn't always easy to read with the convoluted sentences sometimes, but they were all appropriate because they were in the voice of the POV, even though it's 3rd person throughout. There were some deep thoughts but conveyed in an absorbable manner. Like someone you know running through their thoughts. Made me like the MCs, being in their head. They were deep characters that were flawed but so lovable.
Which brings me to point 2. The MCs and them together as a couple are well-rounded characters who are REAL MEN and their love was for the ages.
I'm a sucker for a truly deep, intensely felt passionate love story. And this was one of those. From the time they first met, viewed through each of the MCs' eyes, you knew they were meant to be together, come hell or high water. (And those totally did come).
They were individuals in their own right, 3D. Crick is the brash, impulse, loud-mouth but so loyal and loving free spirit. And Deacon is the still-waters-run-deep man's man who has a lot of pride but so protective and vulnerable inside. Needing to be taken care of as much as he always took care of others.
I think I love Deacon more. And because of that, I forgave his "transgressions" more than Crick's. But we'll get to that.
3. All of the side characters are well developed too, esp. Benny and Popcorn.
This was about family and home as much as the love between two people. It was about acceptance, forgiveness, fear and courage.
Well done.
So now I get to some of the areas that made me take off a whole star. Not even just half a star, but a whole star.
First, there's cheating. Which is a HELL NO for me. And in any other book I might have ripped off at least 2 if not more stars, but they were part of the story, not some random thing thrown in to stir stuff up. Even so I didn't like it.
Some might argue that it didn't count. When Crick cheated, it was 1 time in Germany and Deacon already gave him permission in advance so he wouldn't be lonely, even stuffed condoms in his pack for this very purpose. And when Crick came, he called out Deac's name, etc.
It wasn't really cheating.
To me, it totally was. Why? Because it hurt Deacon badly. Yes, he'd given permission because he loves Crick more than himself. Because he wants Crick to be safe most of all and didn't want anything to distract him from that. But it devastated him.
We don't get a lot about this from Deac's perspective because he's the type to downplay everything, to store all his hurts deep inside. But we hear from Benny how she wanted to rip Crick's balls off and kill him for it, her own fave bro. So, yeah, Crick broke Deac's heart all over again with this MISTAKE (as the chapter was titled), and clearly it was, tho they talk and joke about it later. It was a MISTAKE in a moment of weakness and therefore it was TOTALLY CHEATING.
And after how much Crick had broken Deacon's heart over 70% of this book, I really hated Crick for that. And if Deac has the love in him to forgive Crick, I don't. So there.
The other instance was when Deacon cheated on Crick. Now, this was also explained away - 1) Deac wasn't in his right mind thinking Crick might be dead. 2) he was accosted by that bitch Becca who spiked his drink. And of course, he also calls out Crick's name in the throes of sort of being date raped essentially by Becca.
Deacon doesn't excuse himself even tho Crick does. He decided to walk into a bar even tho he's a recovering alcoholic. He decided to drink the gin even tho he smelled and tasted it when Becca spiked his drink. He had his moment of weakness and just wanted to black out. In that case, I do sort of excuse Deacon. But I still didn't like it.
Ultimately, because these things are "realistic" and well woven into the fabric of the story, I didn't get on a star-ripping rampage. These 2 things (mostly Crick's) meant 1/2 star off.
Finally, the other half star was taken off because of the central angst in the whole book and all the drama that followed.
It was a tad too melodramatic. One tiny miscommunication led to Crick signing up for the military and Deac totally devastated and heartbroken to the point of self-harm.
On the one hand it spoke to the intensity of their love; on the other hand, REALLY????!!!! Does this stuff happen in real life???? ONE TINY miscommunication! And within hours, the world is upside down!
It niggles at me.
There's also a whole helluva other drama in the book from parents dying to bf dying to hospitalization due to flu to floods and bombs and other ppl dying and hate crimes and jail and courts and bankruptcy...
Seriously, ALL of that has to happen to 2 people?????
It just got to be too much sometimes and I started skipping those pages.
So that's it. If those last 2 things could have unfolded differently (with the cheating being entirely removed) I would have probably put this book on my re-read shelf. But right now, it's not go-to re-read material.
However, I will check out this author's other stuff. And you should too! -
It is a rare thing for me to come across a book that I don’t want to end. I’m usually in a big hurry for things to finish up so I can move on to the next one, especially when the book is over 300 or so pages. Not so here. I could’ve read another 1000 pages and still wanted more! And it wasn’t because things weren’t wrapped up (because they were) but because the bond between the main characters was so warm and real that I felt sad leaving them. I was as if my cuddly warm blanket had just been ripped forever from my cold, shivering body. Sniff. I’m going to miss these people and will have to buy and read the sequels when I finish writing this (unless I already have them in my shamefully large pile of TBR’s).
Carrick (Crick) Francis fell in love with Deacon Winters the moment he set eyes on him. Crick was just a lonely child living with an abusive stepdad and emotionally absent mother and caring for his many younger sisters when he first spied gloriously beautiful Deacon sitting calmly and confidently astride a horse. It was then he knew he would do anything to get the attention of that godlike older boy. Deacon is drawn to Crick as well and takes him under his wing, little brother-like and teaches him all about horses. Being around Deacon and his kind, loving dad change Crick and though he is impulsive and makes dumbass choices, they bring out the best in him. As the boys’ grow, so does their bond and their undeniable feelings of love for each other. Deacon, reserved and responsible, keeps his desire for Crick to himself for years, waiting for him to grow up and wanting him to live a full life. A life that doesn’t chain him to the ranch. Deacon’s life is the ranch and he has no desire to go off to college or have exciting adventures. Good lord, I loved Deacon. He is a guy who wants to make everyone happy, even if it means denying himself what he wants most in this world. Ouch, my eyes are watering again.
Promise Rock is an angst-a-thon. Deacon and Crick can’t catch a break. The author piles one traumatic event atop another and until the oh-so-sweet and hard earned conclusion. There is a huge misunderstanding that keeps them apart for two years which takes up a good chunk of the book. Normally a separation of this length would put me off a romance but it works here. Damn, does it ever work here. Their love grows stronger, they talk via letters and later by tweets and both characters grow and change as they are forced to deal with loneliness and a grief so strong it’ll bring you to your knees. And of course the never-ending trauma and setbacks that befall them and those they love. This book ripped my heart into little, itty bitty, raw pieces and healed them all with its beautiful storytelling, characterization and satisfying conclusion.
I could go on for days about this sexy, lovely, pain-filled romance and its incredibly well drawn cast of characters but I’m going to stop here because my mascara is starting to run and that's never pretty and this is a book that should be experienced and not spoiled by my big mouth. -
I have owned this book for over a year but hadn't read it because I heard there was so much angst in this. Boy howdy is there angst in this. Additionally, my old nemesis Miscommunication came to party with Angst and brought his asshole brother, Misunderstanding, too.
So Angst, Miscommunication and Misunderstanding are at the party playing their loud music, being assholes and just generally making it hard for Hope, Joy and Love to hear themselves over the racket and din. For a second it looked like Hope was just going to ditch entirely, when finally, Common Sense showed up and told Angst, Miscommunication and Misunderstanding to get the fuck out.
I was grateful for Sean Crisden's narration. I'll tell you, he kept me going on this one through all the extraordinarily difficult times Amy Lane put her characters through. Seriously, there's death, amputation of limbs, flooding, explosions, abuse, cheating, rape, depression...the only thing that didn't happen to these characters was a plague of locusts.
Yet, Lane composes it all brilliantly like a gorgeous symphony of emotions and feelings, and Crisden delivers it like a pro. Bring a box of tissues with you for this one, folks - you probably aren't getting out dry-eyed.
Now I need a damn hug.
Recommended.
This review has been cross-posted at
Gay Book Reviews. -
Wow! This was a tough book to get through and I hadn't expected that.
There were so many feelings to sift through: joy and pain, humor and sadness, love and hate, sweetness and ugliness. My heart was shredded along with Crick's and Deacon's but, after many tears and raging, it was also put back together again.
I loved the story and the deep, real emotions the author managed to portray in this book. It all felt genuine and I was happy dancing by the time the MCs got what they deserved all along and what they fought for with their whole hearts and souls for so many years: a happy ending and being surrounded by loving friends and family in the only place that ever felt like home to them. -
Wow. I have cried more the last two days than I did over my last divorce. There is no way you can write a synopsis about this book and even get close to what it is. If you are looking for light-hearted, I wouldn't read this yet. But read it sometime. It is full of emotion, love, misunderstandings, understandings and hope. I've read a lot of books and this one has wrung more emotions from me than anything I've read. Thank you Amy Lane for another exceptional book!
-
The only reason I didn’t spend half of this m/m romance sobbing my eyes out is because I took frequent breaks when I started to get wound up. :) Parts of it were gut-wrenching. And parts weren’t. As a whole, this was a powerful, excellent read that I highly recommend.
