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Keeping Promise Rock (Promises #1)

by Amy Lane (Goodreads Author)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 2,564 ratings · 283 reviews

Carrick Francis has spent most of his life jumping into trouble with both feet. The only thing saving him from prison or worse is his absolute devotion to Deacon Winters. Deacon was Crick's sanity and salvation during a miserable, abusive childhood, and Crick would do anything to stay with him forever. So when Deacon's father dies, Crick puts his college plans on hold to h...more

ebook, Dreamspinner Press, 332 pages

Published January 18th 2010 (first published January 17th 2010)

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Nov 29, 2012 JenMcJ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, mm-mmm-a-few-mmf-too, z-5-star-reads

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 s...more

20 likes · like · see review

Jun 17, 2013 GymGuy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance

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 th...more 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.(less)

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Jan 19, 2013 Julio-Alexi Genao rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone with eyeballs.

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 for allowing that to get in the way of enjoying her writing, ever since.

2. She's got some serious storytelling Kung-Fu.

Serious. Like, weeping onto your e-reader serious. Like, laughing so hard you fart, s...more

35 likes · like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Shirley Frances rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Shirley by: Tj

Shelves: mm-bingo-2012, mm-read, mm-series, 2012, favorites

Amy Lane has done it to me again. She has turned me inside out by giving me an insight into Crick's and Deacon's love story. And what a story it was! She wrapped me up from the very beginning, making sure I was as tightly wrapped up in the story as all the characters were. The pace was amazing, giving us glimpses of two great characters, their everyday life, inner struggles and interaction with others. First, introducing me to Crick, who my heart went out to immediately. Then, I got to know Deac...more

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Aug 05, 2010 Shell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m not sure it’s possible for me to adequately describe how much I enjoyed this story.

Carrick and Deacon’s story isn’t solely a tale about two lovers, but also about life struggles, forgiveness and the value of family and friends. It begins with the two characters as kids, when they meet and progresses from there through their high school years and into their twenties, when the two finally get together, only to be ripped apart by insecurities. When Deacon is really trying to tell Carrick that h...more I’m not sure it’s possible for me to adequately describe how much I enjoyed this story.

Carrick and Deacon’s story isn’t solely a tale about two lovers, but also about life struggles, forgiveness and the value of family and friends. It begins with the two characters as kids, when they meet and progresses from there through their high school years and into their twenties, when the two finally get together, only to be ripped apart by insecurities. When Deacon is really trying to tell Carrick that he loves him and wants him, Carrick misunderstands and believes he’s being cast aside. This simple miscommunication, along with self-doubts derived from his past, leads to Carrick running off and enlisting in the Army, deploying for a two year stint in Iraq.

The author then takes you through those two years of separation and what each man goes through when away from the other. Maybe I empathized with the characters more, being a military wife, but I thought that Amy Lane did an excellent job of depicting how one would feel being apart from the person you love most. She also made the characters real; they had flaws, they made mistakes, they did really asinine things sometimes, they unintentionally hurt one another, but throughout it all they loved each other.

When it comes time for Carrick to return home, the two are nervous, scared and unsure of what to expect. They know they still love each other, but after so much time apart they are unclear about how their relationship will be once they’re together again. All of these doubts are dismissed when, on the way to the airport for Carrick to fly home, his convoy is attacked. Carrick is seriously injured and flown to Germany, where he undergoes surgery. He’s then flown to Virginia, where Deacon, Benny and Parry Angel (Carrick’s sister and niece) go to see him.

The remaining portion of the book focuses on Carrick’s return home, his healing process, their struggle to keep the home they both love, learning to trust each other to always be there and the incredible determination to overcome anything together, with the support of those they call family.

This story had me laughing, crying, cursing and hoping that the next book in this series is as amazing as this one was.

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Mar 15, 2013 Heather C marked it as to-be-continued

Shelves: contemporary-romance, ebook, m-m, series, read-with-b, pdoc

April 2011 - made it to 47%.

April 2012 - made it to 56%

6 likes · like · see review

Oct 22, 2010 Karen K rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook-owned, gay-cowboys, gay-disabilities-physical-mental, gay-drama, gay-faves, gay-first-time, gay-for-you, gay-hurt-comfort, gay-romance, gay-series-or-related, gay-tear-jerkers, gay-friends-to-lovers

I think I'm speechless at just how beautiful this story was and how much I loved it. Strong characters, sweet sadness and angst, loving men - just too much beauty to describe. I admit I wasn't sure when the book started with the boys at such young ages, was a little tempted to put aside but then I fell hard for Deacon and he became my shining light throughout the whole book - much the way he was Crick's I guess.

He broke my heart so many times, not in a mean way but a wanting to reach out and ho...more

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Jan 25, 2010 Ami rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Eyre

Shelves: mm-romance-or-erotica, 5-stars_rating

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...more 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.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2011 Tj rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone seemed to really like this book but I put it off for a really long time. The blurb just wasn't doing it for me. I finally read it and it was wonderful. Sure you want to smack both characters at several points but still wonderful. There is real depth to the story and characters. Everything flowed really smoothly and though the time line jumped around some it was easy to follow and I think made the story work that much better.

6 likes · like · see review

Jan 16, 2013 Val Kovalin rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.75 out of 5.0 stars

Conflict: numerous, including physical separation, family obligation, addiction, prejudice, war, trauma.
Genre: contemporary romance
Length: 119,464 words
Rating: 4.75 stars
Sex scenes: some detailed, no kink, fits the story
Themes: family-of-choice, coming of age, war, addiction, prejudice, guilt, horse ranching, small towns
Tone: lushly romantic and emotional, angst balanced with hope.
Viewpoint: two third-person viewpoints alternating by chapter.

Summary. A prolog acquaints us w...more

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Jun 01, 2011 Beatrice rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gay-romance, kindle-lendable, contemporary, tearjerker

A bit of a fair warning to all, I am writing this as I go so some spoilers may be scattered here and there - not much, but it might give away some prominent points of the story if you linger too long on what I have to say.

There isn't much that I can coherently say about this book, seeing that I only finished this a couple of minutes ago - there is simply not enough time in the world to compose myself properly and give a more-than-worthy review for this book. Now that I think about it, I don't th...more

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Sep 01, 2010 Tara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, m-m, cowboys, featured, romance-contemporary, tearjerker, won-it

This is the story of Carrick (Crick) Francis & Deacon Winters. The two meet when Crick sneaks away from Sunday school and finds the ranch where Deacon works. Crick is around 8 and Deacon is about 12 or 13. This epic story follows them from that meeting through the next 14 years. You grow up with these two. You see the problems they face as individuals and as a couple. And when I say couple, I don't always mean romance. They are friends they are family and they are each other's home.

Also, th...more

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May 25, 2013 Heather K (dentist in my spare time) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: auto-buy-authors, contemporary, favorites-2013, full-of-angst, great-chemistry, hot-hot-hot, losing-the-v-card, loved-it, m-m, made-me-cry, police-or-military, romance

**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...more

17 likes · like · see review

Jul 11, 2012 Jess Candela rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m, favorites, read-in-2010, read-in-2011

I wrote this review when I first read the book back in June 2010, but apparently hadn't posted it here. Oops! Considering this is one of my most favorite m/m books EVER, that's quite an oversight. The book has held up to multiple re-readings, and is one of a few books whose characters I find myself thinking about at odd times, wondering how they're doing, like old friends I haven't seen in a while.

Here's my original review:

I read this book in two gulps: staying up way too late, until I literally...more I wrote this review when I first read the book back in June 2010, but apparently hadn't posted it here. Oops! Considering this is one of my most favorite m/m books EVER, that's quite an oversight. The book has held up to multiple re-readings, and is one of a few books whose characters I find myself thinking about at odd times, wondering how they're doing, like old friends I haven't seen in a while.

Here's my original review:

I read this book in two gulps: staying up way too late, until I literally couldn't keep my eyes open a moment longer, and then finishing it first thing the next morning. As others have said, the characters (even most of the secondary ones) are fully developed and fully real. They were real people with real strengths and weaknesses, who lived with the effects of their decisions and actions based on those strengths and weaknesses. While the romance was wonderful, this book was so much more than that; it had all the fullness of real life.

Even when things started to seem almost over-the-top with Deacon (or should we call him 'Job'?), his response kept it grounded in reality. It may not often happen that life keeps throwing more and more and more at you, to where you think you can't possible take one more thing (and then you do), but it does happen. Deacon's reactions were entirely in line with who he was, so it was believable and made believable other things that followed which might otherwise have seemed a bit fairytaleish.

I think I caught an editing error or two, but so few and far between that it's difficult to recall and definitely didn't detract from the story. That is - unfortunately! - extremely rare in m/m books, especially for someone raised by my mother (a writer and English teacher, who would correct me as I told her about my day: "Mommy, me and so-and-so..." "No, so-and-so and you.").

I cried a lot while reading this book, but I also laughed a lot (sometimes simultaneously). I didn't just LOL, I guffawed - loudly and uncontrollably enough a few times to be nervous I was disturbing the neighbors, considering the late hour. This was a complete story unto itself, with a satisfying ending, but I am eagerly awaiting the next book. I can't wait to spend more time with these people. If I could give this book more than five stars, I so would.(less)

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Apr 27, 2011 BarkLessWagMore rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, romance

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 rip...more 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.
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Oct 31, 2010 Adara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gangbang2010q4, favorites

So, the blurb for this story never really caught my attention - that's why I put off reading it for so long even though I really enjoy reading Amy's work. I honestly have no idea what I was expecting the story to be, but it wasn't this. And I wish I hadn't put off reading it for so long now.

I love to read the stories that take place over longer periods of time, in which characters have to overcome obstacles in their relationships before things finally work out in the end, and that's exactly what...more

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Jun 13, 2010 DarkHeart "Vehngeance" rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, m-m, 2010

A wonderful romance between two fabulous characters. Amy Lane's character development has never failed to impress me, and this book was no different. In Deacon and Crick she's created two characters with great emotional depth, sense of humor, strength of character and believable flaws. I loved watching their lives unfold and seeing how they dealt with the blows the world threw at them, and the heartache they caused themselves. There were well developed supporting characters as well, but the stor...more

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Sep 11, 2012 SilkeeeeeeReads rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-erotic-romance, favorites

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!

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Feb 04, 2012 Mountie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: contemporary, cowboy, m-m, m-m-favourites, comfort-re-reads, gr-m-m-romance-award

Read first Jan 3 2011, read 2nd Jan 30 2012. This is the first book in the Promise series by Amy lane and was the first book written by this author I had read. Ms. Lanes writing is SOLID and for me is always a delight to find. Since the story covers many years it allowed for a rich texture to the story, bringing to it not only the story of Deacon and Carrick but many secondary characters whom I enjoyed getting to know. They are a family, not a traditional one but one with all the chaos, joys and...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I have no ideas how to review this book.. It had me gripped to the point I started planning my day to include reading time, like going to meetings half an hour early to read whilst waiting. The story of Crick and Deacon was so heartbreaking, it just never let my poor heart recover between assaults. If this was the first book I ever read by this author I am not sure I'd have dared picked up another. Really its a very well written book, so very full of emotion and anguish it will dictate your life...more

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May 16, 2011 Anita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

I am soooo loving this book! I love the setting, the background characters, the constant challenges, the agnst, the 300+ pages and Crick!! But I must say that I have fallen head-over-heels, knocked-my-socks off in love with Deacon(of course, so does everyone that meets him, other than Step-Bob...and I think he's just jealous!). Deacon is finer than frog hair split four ways! What an amazing character! As for the book, it is entertaining, exciting, sad, and funny. Everything I want in a Good Read...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Elisa Ramblings added it · review of another edition

Contrary to my habit, I had already read book 2 in this series, and so most of the events in this one I already knew. Plus I’m not new to Amy Lane’s novel, and her mostly romantic point of view on things with just that touch of bittersweet to make it more realistic.

Carrick and Deacon’s story is probably quite common but unfortunately the happily ever after is not; Carrick met Deacon when they were still kids, Deacon older and steadier, actually the only steady point in Carrick’s young life. Whe...more Contrary to my habit, I had already read book 2 in this series, and so most of the events in this one I already knew. Plus I’m not new to Amy Lane’s novel, and her mostly romantic point of view on things with just that touch of bittersweet to make it more realistic.

Carrick and Deacon’s story is probably quite common but unfortunately the happily ever after is not; Carrick met Deacon when they were still kids, Deacon older and steadier, actually the only steady point in Carrick’s young life. When Carrick fell in love with Deacon he didn’t even know what love meant, but he knew that no one would replace him in his heart; Carrick was the first son of a, at the time, single mother, and he was not welcomed by his stepfather, even less when the bigot man found out he was gay. Deacon and his father were there for Carrick when both his mother and stepfather weren’t, and they probably saved his life; how couldn’t Carrick being not in love with Deacon? He was not only his dream lover, he was brother, family, shelter and everything and more.

What Deacon was for Crick, he was also for many other people, that in years gathered around him, his former girlfriend Amy, now married to Deacon’s bestfriend Jon (that once upon a time tried to be something more to Deacon), Crick’s sister Benny, teenager single mother who like Crick was kicked out of home when she didn’t meet her father’s expectations, and along the story many others; all of them wanted to save Deacon’s ranch, but not actually for the place, but for Deacon. It’s not the ranch that makes the home they love, it’s the man inside, Deacon, that like his name, is almost like a father to all of them, and like a father, he is the one who has always the right words to comfort but also the strong willing to correct their mistakes and learn from them. Sure someone can think that Deacon is too young for that role, but as the reader will learn during the story, he is actually born like that, always ready to take care of himself and atop of that of who is around him.

Sure the story is pretty much romance, and as in other story by Amy Lane, there are two strong characterization, the strong and silent lover and the bratty and talkative one, but that is a style, a genre, not a lack for me in the story.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615813462/?...(less)

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Apr 23, 2013 ARe Cafe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: vals-picks

Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane is such a strong novel that it could easily be considered another Wildfire Top Pick. It stands out on the m/m landscape, avoiding many of the commonalities such as superficial length, themes, and plots that can sometimes make us readers feel like we’re encountering rehashes of the same basic m/m plot. It’s a HUGE book by m/m standards, weighing in a relatively epic 313 pages (Word Count: 119,464), which is almost unheard-of in our genre where e-novelettes and e-n...more Keeping Promise Rock by Amy Lane is such a strong novel that it could easily be considered another Wildfire Top Pick. It stands out on the m/m landscape, avoiding many of the commonalities such as superficial length, themes, and plots that can sometimes make us readers feel like we’re encountering rehashes of the same basic m/m plot. It’s a HUGE book by m/m standards, weighing in a relatively epic 313 pages (Word Count: 119,464), which is almost unheard-of in our genre where e-novelettes and e-novellas come out every week. Even better, every scene delivers something to the story. I saw nothing sluggish, meandering, superfluous, or otherwise deserving of deletion. We readers get a strong story and plenty of it! What more could we want? Well, here we also get a deeply emotional saga, involving family and lovers, that is firmly grounded in realistic, specific details involving small town life and the unusual profession of horse ranching. There is nothing superficial about Keeping Promise Rock.

The story opens with Crick, a medic in the Iraq War longing to return home to his true love Deacon, who runs a horse ranch in Levee Oaks, California. We view his childhood in Levee Oaks, which got complicated when he turned seven by his mother’s remarriage to a Bible-thumping bigot. Crick finds solace with the Winters family that runs a horse ranch, and he adores serious thirteen year-old Deacon Winters who is learning to train horses.

As the years pass, Crick falls for Deacon who is a mysteriously self-contained character. Does Deacon return his feelings? The section told from Deacon’s point of view provides many insights into his complex character, including his anguish at the misunderstanding that leads to Crick’s involvement in the Iraq War. Keeping Promise Rock fearlessly throws obstacles into the characters’ lives: war, alcoholism, teen pregnancy, homophobia, and imminent financial ruin. However, it never descends to melodrama or gets depressing because these strong, complicated characters earn every victory in a satisfyingly realistic way. I’m greatly looking forward to this author’s next novel.

Val for AReCafe(less)

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Jan 18, 2013 Lidia rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have read this book for last so I knew yet of Promise rock family. Like other books by Amy Lane I loved the writing and the story because I felt emotionally and intensely involved . Also if once seemed to me too long and once I didn't want it the end. So I know the dinamic of plot, that Deacon is principal protagonist but I think that the part played of Crick is little, especially when him came back from Iraq. Seem to me that only Deacon has get problems, has suffered and has been lonely . It...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Lirajean rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mm-romance

I read through the reviews for this book, focusing on the few with low ratings. I can see some of their points about the military aspects not being represented accurately. My understanding of things-military come through seeing my daughter in the army, and yeah, some things were off. I didn't feel a strong need for more accurate details, though. Those details didn't seem important to the story which was about the overwhelming attachment and love these two guys had for each other. Which was power...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Cathy Brockman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, favorite-authors, favorites, m-m

Keeping Promise rock starts out with a bang. Literally. The story starts in Iraq then goes back to when Crick first met Deacon and why. The story encompasses both men’s lives in a very sweet interesting way. This book is also well written and formatted and so easy to read with chapters separated with catchy chapter titles that pull you into the next chapter like magnets. No page numbers or author names in the middle of the page like in most eBooks s I have read.
Crick met Deacon when he was eigh...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read all my reviews at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...

Rating: 5 stars

All it took was one look at Deacon Winter putting Lucy Star through her paces in the workout ring for Carrick Francis to fall in love. At first Carrick, aka “Crick”, thought it was the horse he loved and the farm called The Pulpit where the horse lived. But it wasn’t long before the “little Mex kid” as his stepfather Bob called him, realized that the beautiful boy in the ring was his true and final love. Deacon Winter...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Charly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I’m glad I read it, but I don’t think I could handle reading it a second time

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- There’s a lot of depth to the romance because we get to see the whole course of the men’s years-long relationship. Not just that two guys meet and fall in love, but that they meet when they’re kids, become best friends, have fights and disagreements, fall deep in love, and then get torn apart by a variety of circumstances while re...more I’m glad I read it, but I don’t think I could handle reading it a second time

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.

Rating: 8/10

PROS:
- There’s a lot of depth to the romance because we get to see the whole course of the men’s years-long relationship. Not just that two guys meet and fall in love, but that they meet when they’re kids, become best friends, have fights and disagreements, fall deep in love, and then get torn apart by a variety of circumstances while repeatedly finding their way back to each other.
- Lane obviously did her research in a number of different areas. I know little about the military, for instance, but the scenes in Iraq seem well-founded; and the details related to the barn, the horses, riding, breaking, etc. are spot-on.
- The book is decently long (330 pages in paperback), and there are only a handful of sex scenes. Now, I’m the sort of reader who is capable of reading books with a ton of sex or with none at all; what I liked here is that the sex never seems to be thrown in just for the sake of being there. Those scenes always serve a purpose: showing a hard-won emotional connection between the two men, displaying a sense of desperation, etc.
- The ending is wonderfully sweet. There’s a beautiful sense of family (not just with the characters who are related to Deacon and Crick by blood) by the conclusion of the story.

CONS:
- This is in almost every other review, so I won’t dwell on it much here. Still, it has to be said: these guys can’t catch a break. One of the most poignant lines in the book is this: “People hurt each other all the time just by being.” And this is true--some of the hurt *is* caused just by the men’s lives moving at different paces. But some of it is caused by them being stupid.
- (Disclaimer on this one: I’m not in the military, so I don’t know precisely what lengths people had to go to in order to hide their homosexuality back in the hardcore Don’t Ask Don’t Tell days.) That said, some of the things Crick does in this book while he’s on an overseas tour in the Army seemed incredibly foolish to me. He doesn’t come right out and say anything about loving another man, but sometimes he doesn’t do much to hide it, either. I suppose my criticism here is that I found that a little hard to believe, that he would be so open in some ways about his relationship with Deacon.

Overall comments: I’ve had this book for over two years and just now brought myself to read it because I heard so many horror stories about the amount of angst in it. There IS a lot of angst here--so much that I basically had to force my way through it. I’m glad I did read it, though. It’s well written, the characters seem more real than most romance novel characters, and the emotion portrayed is unusually vivid and deep.(less)

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May 16, 2012 Dustin Rhodes rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemp-fiction

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Sep 09, 2011 D. E. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a lovely book with an outstanding voice. Its very long and has a few sagging moments here and there, but the character development with the two heroes and a couple of the supporting characters is outstanding. I lived in the general area the book is set in and she's really captured the essence of the geography...having driven through flooding, worked out in 107 degree heat and killed a rattlesnake or two, I can attest that a lot of her ground research was really excellent.

I didn't go for...more This is a lovely book with an outstanding voice. Its very long and has a few sagging moments here and there, but the character development with the two heroes and a couple of the supporting characters is outstanding. I lived in the general area the book is set in and she's really captured the essence of the geography...having driven through flooding, worked out in 107 degree heat and killed a rattlesnake or two, I can attest that a lot of her ground research was really excellent.

I didn't go for 5 stars because there were enough niggles that jumped out at me. The town, for example. I never got a real sense of the area outside the ranch. Considering how many civil rights violations took place, just how isolated is the community? What does the town look like? There are hints, but not enough to make it real. Since the "town" was such an important element in the story, I'd like to know more about it.

A major plot element was the discrimination against the protagonists when they were outed.
I'm not too familiar with the horse industry, but up here, business is business in the livestock industry. There are gay stable owners, trainers and ranchers. The vet who handles a lot of the horse breeding around here is a lesbian. And even in good economic times, most vendors run too close to red to surrender an account. Yeah, there are small, Bible thumping pockets of towns but the extremity of the plot device stretched my credibility.

The POV was a problem. The first part of the book was deep POV, from Crick, then after several chapters, it shifted to Deacon. No problem. Later, the POV shifts within scenes and I'd be well into a paragraph and realize it was Deacon, not Crick. Then it split out to deep POV again. The lack of consistency was a little jarring.

For me, this book was a mixed bag. A lot of brilliance, some improbability, some cheating, (when the HUGE problem is resolved a little too easily) lovely voice, complex plotting and so forth. This book is a gem, and like many books from Dreamspinner, could be darn near flawless with a little editorial polishing.

In spite of the few issues I had with it, its going on my keeper shelf. (less)

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About Amy Lane

Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at www.greenshill.com orwww.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail u...more

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Quotes from Keeping Promise Rock

“You don't love people at their best, sweetheart. You just love them because you can't help it.” — 90 people liked it

“I love you. I want to shout it sometimes. I know you worry about our letters and texts getting read--shades of WWII, haunting us still, I guess, and I'm well aware that nothing's safe on the internet. I worry too. You need to know that when I say it, when I ask you to say it, it's because my lungs feel full of dark water, and seeing it or writing it lets me breathe.” — 31 people liked it

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