302 books
—
516 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Making Promises (Promises, #2)” as Want to Read:
Making Promises
(Promises #2)
by
All Shane Perkins ever wanted to be was a hero. But after a career-shattering decision to go down fighting, Shane comes home from the hospital to four empty walls, a pile of money, and a burning desire for someone to miss him the next time he gets hurt in the line of duty. He ends up an officer in the small town of Levee Oaks, and, addicted to the promise of family, he mak
...more
Get A Copy
ebook, 376 pages
Published
July 26th 2010
by Dreamspinner Press
(first published July 8th 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Making Promises,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Making Promises
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Making Promises (Promises, #2)

This book started out great. Bit of drama. Starts a new life. Meets a guy. But then it drones on and on and halfway through I’m like when is this book gonna end. Then I almost thought they forgot entirely about the sisters evil boyfriend plot entirely till they threw it back in randomly at the end. The story itself was good but the writing...not so much.

I didn't like it. :-(
I got through most of it. 13+ hours out of the 15+ of narration. But I didn't like the narrator's voice for Mikhail. Not that it mattered much because I didn't like Mikhail. At all. He was selfish and rude and very self absorbed. Shane was a sweetheart who deserves so much better than Micky. This story was also too sad. I mean, sheesh, give me a little happy.
I'll likely continue with the series because I do love this author and the first book here was pretty damn awesome in ...more
I got through most of it. 13+ hours out of the 15+ of narration. But I didn't like the narrator's voice for Mikhail. Not that it mattered much because I didn't like Mikhail. At all. He was selfish and rude and very self absorbed. Shane was a sweetheart who deserves so much better than Micky. This story was also too sad. I mean, sheesh, give me a little happy.
I'll likely continue with the series because I do love this author and the first book here was pretty damn awesome in ...more

If you have seen a grown man behind the steering wheel of his car in a traffic jam sobbing his eyes out, then it was probably me! Once again Amy Lane reduced me to tears, but also put all the pieces back together again for one wonderful HEA.
This time it’s Shane’s story. We are introduced to him briefly in the first book as the nice new cop in town who calls on the family at The Pulpit regarding Benny and her child. He finds himself accepted and also ends up with his feet under the table and bein ...more
This time it’s Shane’s story. We are introduced to him briefly in the first book as the nice new cop in town who calls on the family at The Pulpit regarding Benny and her child. He finds himself accepted and also ends up with his feet under the table and bein ...more

It's been years since I read Keeping Promise Rock but I put off reading this book for a while after I bought it. Why? I honestly have no idea. Maybe I didn't want my heart to be ripped out of my chest, ran over by a stampede then put back together with glue?
In any case, when I finally read this, I absolutely loved it. Even more than Keeping Promise Rock. Ms. Lane has such an amazing ability to get me so drawn into a story I don't want to put it down. I absolutely loved Mikhail and Shane. They b ...more
In any case, when I finally read this, I absolutely loved it. Even more than Keeping Promise Rock. Ms. Lane has such an amazing ability to get me so drawn into a story I don't want to put it down. I absolutely loved Mikhail and Shane. They b ...more

Time of death - chapter 8
I'm sorry but I just can't with this any more. Firstly I'm having problems with the narration, and secondly I can't be doing with stupid, I really can't. By that I mean that this is a MM romance - yes? So why is Mikhail hell-bent on Shane finding himself a nice girl to marry so she can look after him. What?
I'm out before my head explodes. ...more
I'm sorry but I just can't with this any more. Firstly I'm having problems with the narration, and secondly I can't be doing with stupid, I really can't. By that I mean that this is a MM romance - yes? So why is Mikhail hell-bent on Shane finding himself a nice girl to marry so she can look after him. What?
I'm out before my head explodes. ...more

Nov 18, 2010
Ang -PNR Book Lover Reviews
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
favorites-fromthe-last-decade
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Aug 30, 2012
Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!)
rated it
it was amazing
Recommended to Rissa (an M/M kinda Girl!!) by:
Jaymie
Shelves:
m-m
What a wonderful second book for the series! It's been a while since I read the first book so some of the details were a bit fuzzy but as I read this book...I started to remember Deacon & Cricks journey and I wondered to myself WHY has it taken me so long to read this story.
Shane was an all around great guy. He just wants to see everyone in his life happy even if it means that he's not. Mikhail..oh goodness. This fiesty Russian is by far one of my absolute favorite characters I've ever read! He ...more
Shane was an all around great guy. He just wants to see everyone in his life happy even if it means that he's not. Mikhail..oh goodness. This fiesty Russian is by far one of my absolute favorite characters I've ever read! He ...more

Jun 29, 2014
Eva
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
m-m,
amy-lane,
recommended,
angst,
hot-as-hell,
favorites,
cops-military,
to-review,
family
Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Loved.

Oh I loved this story! Shane is a fascinating character with all his quirks and "weirdness" and secrets, but Mikhail was the one I grabbed onto - his beauty and aloofness and underlying vulnerability just kept me holding my breath for him at times, hoping he'd let some of his frailties and fears escape for Shane to take care of.
“Just when you think you got it down.
“Promises in the Dark”—Pat Benatar

Oh I loved this story! Shane is a fascinating character with all his quirks and "weirdness" and secrets, but Mikhail was the one I grabbed onto - his beauty and aloofness and underlying vulnerability just kept me holding my breath for him at times, hoping he'd let some of his frailties and fears escape for Shane to take care of.
“ You are still my hope, and now, I’m your pro...more

Amy Lane writes so beautifully that I get lost in the language as much as the story. I loved Shane, we should all be so blessed to have someone so strong and solid in our lives and Mikhail...the way he is short and curt with Shane speaks volumes of the overwhelming love he feels for him. Mikhail's characterization is so real, his ups and downs, he comes right off the page. This book made me laugh really hard, Crick and Deacon's banter is nice to read again, and cry...I looked like an iguana afte
...more

Amy Lane is an awesome writer.
This is the second book in the Promises Series. In this we follow Officer Shane Perkins (who joined the family at The Pulpit in the last 40 or so pages of Keeping Promise Rock) and Mikhail Vasilyovitch Bayul (who we also met briefly the previous book). Shane is big hearted and Mikhail is damaged and they need each other but they just have to figure that out. We follow them from their meeting through their courtship and them finding themselves and each other. This bo ...more
This is the second book in the Promises Series. In this we follow Officer Shane Perkins (who joined the family at The Pulpit in the last 40 or so pages of Keeping Promise Rock) and Mikhail Vasilyovitch Bayul (who we also met briefly the previous book). Shane is big hearted and Mikhail is damaged and they need each other but they just have to figure that out. We follow them from their meeting through their courtship and them finding themselves and each other. This bo ...more

Amazingly treacley small town gay romance – he’s a cop, he’s a dancer (not like that). Hit some buttons of mine, missed others, details uninteresting to anyone who isn’t me.
But this book did make me think about the value of romance as a genre. This is a story about two people coming together while one loses his adored mother to slow, wasting disease. And it’s about their friends’s struggle to keep a business alive, and a soldier come home but not the same, and making the best of the baby you did ...more
But this book did make me think about the value of romance as a genre. This is a story about two people coming together while one loses his adored mother to slow, wasting disease. And it’s about their friends’s struggle to keep a business alive, and a soldier come home but not the same, and making the best of the baby you did ...more

I liked this book even more than Keeping Promise Rock. The characters seemed real and engaging, and their difficulties were more external than internal. I prefer when the big obstacles to a relationship are not just the characters misunderstanding and doubting themselves and each other, although some of that in the mix is fine. These two guys had a nice assortment of issues and personal qualities and a story line that was intense without seeming over-dramatic. Mikhail in particular is damaged an
...more

Such a lovely installment in this series! While there isn’t quite as much angst as in “Keeping Promise Rock”, I didn’t mind not having my heart ripped out of my chest with every page. Shane really is the hero everyone dreams would be there to stand up for them when they most need it. Mikhail has had such a trying life you can’t help want him to have some happiness now.
Shane Perkins has always wanted to help save people. The best way, he always thought, was to become a cop, but after being left w ...more
Shane Perkins has always wanted to help save people. The best way, he always thought, was to become a cop, but after being left w ...more

OH YES, I’M IN A LOVE FEST!
Book 2 in this series and i absolutely loved it! Amy does it again and delivers a story that has everything I love. This story has a great romance, angst (not as much as book 1), great chemistry and heat and emotions that just had me hugging my kindle at the end. *sigh*
In this one we have Shane, who we met briefly in book 1. He is a cop and part of the Pulpit Ranch family. A weekend to a Renaissance Fair to reconnect with his sister after many years changes his life. H ...more
Book 2 in this series and i absolutely loved it! Amy does it again and delivers a story that has everything I love. This story has a great romance, angst (not as much as book 1), great chemistry and heat and emotions that just had me hugging my kindle at the end. *sigh*
In this one we have Shane, who we met briefly in book 1. He is a cop and part of the Pulpit Ranch family. A weekend to a Renaissance Fair to reconnect with his sister after many years changes his life. H ...more

DNF
This first word that comes to mind is “weird.” The book opens with the very embarrassing outing of the main character which results in his call for backup not being answered and his being hurt on the job. After that, as if by magic, he shows up surrounded by a whole cast of people and animals and somehow I guess I was supposed to know who they all were and how they were related because the author just threw all the names at me. Unless you’ve read the previous book right before this one, it’s ...more
This first word that comes to mind is “weird.” The book opens with the very embarrassing outing of the main character which results in his call for backup not being answered and his being hurt on the job. After that, as if by magic, he shows up surrounded by a whole cast of people and animals and somehow I guess I was supposed to know who they all were and how they were related because the author just threw all the names at me. Unless you’ve read the previous book right before this one, it’s ...more

The title of this book is so appropriate. Promises are made and Promises are broken but more importantly Promises are kept.

The story of two men who are both lost in their own way and looking to find something that will make them whole again. Shane is a police officer who has faced more than his fair share of abuse at the hands of his co-workers. He also has somewhat of a super-hero complex and this is much to his own detriment.
“You know that ‘blue wall’ you always hear about when people talk abo ...more

The story of two men who are both lost in their own way and looking to find something that will make them whole again. Shane is a police officer who has faced more than his fair share of abuse at the hands of his co-workers. He also has somewhat of a super-hero complex and this is much to his own detriment.

“You know that ‘blue wall’ you always hear about when people talk abo ...more

Absolutely LOVED this book. A much lighter read than the first in the series, even though they dealt with many very serious issues. Mikhail and Shane were a joy. Lots of love, determination, patience and humor went into the foundation of that relationship and it showed. Pretty much a flawless book in my opinion, with guest appearances by the extended family. I love the way they rally around each other in times of trouble. Definitely one I will read again. Oh, and if I wasn't convinced before, I
...more

1st read March 26th, 2011
2nd read July 16th, 2011
3rd read July 16th, 2013
4th read Dec 22nd 2017 (Audiobook)
5th read Dec 5th, 2018
I'm sitting here trying to think what to write because I want this review to do justice to how much I loved this story. Both these characters, Mikhail and Shane, have had such sad and hurtful histories, though not at all similar.
Shane grew up with cold and uncaring parents and the people he's been in relationships with seem to fit the same mold. They just don't seem to ...more
2nd read July 16th, 2011
3rd read July 16th, 2013
4th read Dec 22nd 2017 (Audiobook)
5th read Dec 5th, 2018
I'm sitting here trying to think what to write because I want this review to do justice to how much I loved this story. Both these characters, Mikhail and Shane, have had such sad and hurtful histories, though not at all similar.
Shane grew up with cold and uncaring parents and the people he's been in relationships with seem to fit the same mold. They just don't seem to ...more

Feb 10, 2012
Barb ~rede-2-read~
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
angst-a-lot,
to-re-read,
read-2013,
part-of-a-series,
favorites,
favorite-couples,
read-2012
I feel like I just had a reunion with old friends, and now I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I first read this book over a year and a half ago, early in my m/m reading days, and although I loved it then, I didn't appreciate the full extent of the story as much as I did this time.
This sequel to Keeping Promise Rock is about Shane, the police officer befriended by Deacon and his family, and Mikhail, a dancer who works with Shane's sister Kimmy in the Renaissance Faire.
It's about love and re ...more
This sequel to Keeping Promise Rock is about Shane, the police officer befriended by Deacon and his family, and Mikhail, a dancer who works with Shane's sister Kimmy in the Renaissance Faire.
It's about love and re ...more

4.5 stars
Awww. What a sweet book :) I loved dorky Shane and narky Mikhail! Shane had so much more patience than I could have managed, dealing with Mickey; but it was beautiful to read about. Ylena was delightful; and the ongoing insight into Crick and Deacon's family life was great. Amy Lane has a talent for taking the 'nerds' and making us look beyond the initial 'flaws' to see the beautiful and desirable characters they really are. We all need an Amy Lane in our lives :)
I want to start on Livi ...more
Awww. What a sweet book :) I loved dorky Shane and narky Mikhail! Shane had so much more patience than I could have managed, dealing with Mickey; but it was beautiful to read about. Ylena was delightful; and the ongoing insight into Crick and Deacon's family life was great. Amy Lane has a talent for taking the 'nerds' and making us look beyond the initial 'flaws' to see the beautiful and desirable characters they really are. We all need an Amy Lane in our lives :)
I want to start on Livi ...more

It's difficult to write a comment at 5AM. SO maybe the best way to do it is chronicle what all I did in the 24 hours from beginning to end as I read. Opened the book, got mad, got sad, cried, blew my noise criesd some more. Had to get up and get something to drink so I could see because tears would stop flowing. Pulled myself together. Giggled, got sad, cried again, blew my nose about 10 times and gave up and just cried it out. Peed. Started reading again. Cried, blew my nose, giggled. Get the p
...more

oh this was such a romantic and sweet read I loved it.
Yes there are some weak points but all in all it was a great and enjoyable read
Shane is a great guy and sometimes a bit too perfect. I appreciate how he cares for his family and for Mikhail ... oh what he does for his guy is just perfect.
but I would have loved for him to have more edges - so he was a bit bland at times. which is really a pity because I think if we knew more about his past his character would have been a bit more pronaunced
Mi ...more
Yes there are some weak points but all in all it was a great and enjoyable read
Shane is a great guy and sometimes a bit too perfect. I appreciate how he cares for his family and for Mikhail ... oh what he does for his guy is just perfect.
but I would have loved for him to have more edges - so he was a bit bland at times. which is really a pity because I think if we knew more about his past his character would have been a bit more pronaunced
Mi ...more

It's not as intense and heart-wrenching as Keeping Promise Rock, so maybe there's a WOW factor missing, but I think this sequel is just as good. It deals with less cataclysmic events, but it deals all the same with emotions stemming from traumatic events (addiction, death, homophobia). The relationship between Shane and Mikhail is more private and it involves The Pulpit's family, but it focuses especially on the main couple.
Shane is a big, good bear of a cop, who'd like to be a hero, to be the o ...more
Shane is a big, good bear of a cop, who'd like to be a hero, to be the o ...more


I worried before I started this. Mainly because it's over fifteen hours long and after Keeping Promise Rock I honestly didn't know if I had it in me if this story took the same kinds of twists and turns. I swear - Amy Lane can rip out my heart like few others.
This story is beautiful in its simplicity. It's all about redemption, love, and, ultimately, finding home and family. I loved every aspect of this story. It touched a little piece of my soul, and I'm better for it.
Paul Morey's narration isn ...more

Loved it.
I’m so happy right now.
This book right here is why I love me some Amy Lane. It’s the characters. Their detailed personalities, their often painful backstories, and their loveability, flaws and all. I like the way they wiggle their way into my heart so effortlessly. Even though, once there they tend to squeeze all the emotions out.
Shane is this giant, sensitive Teddy Bear. Skilled in the art of sentence tangles. Mikhail is this beautiful, cynical dancer. Fully equipped with his own word ...more
I’m so happy right now.
This book right here is why I love me some Amy Lane. It’s the characters. Their detailed personalities, their often painful backstories, and their loveability, flaws and all. I like the way they wiggle their way into my heart so effortlessly. Even though, once there they tend to squeeze all the emotions out.
Shane is this giant, sensitive Teddy Bear. Skilled in the art of sentence tangles. Mikhail is this beautiful, cynical dancer. Fully equipped with his own word ...more

That felt very different to the first book. I even though I loved the first one, I'm glad it wasn't the same feeling.
I adored Mikhail. He overcame a horrible past. Every time he called Shane "insufferable man" I smiled. I loved it. Shane was very sweet and understanding. Taking things slow, and knowing what would spook Mikhail off.
I loved getting to check in with the cast from the first book.
Very enjoyable story.
...more
I adored Mikhail. He overcame a horrible past. Every time he called Shane "insufferable man" I smiled. I loved it. Shane was very sweet and understanding. Taking things slow, and knowing what would spook Mikhail off.
I loved getting to check in with the cast from the first book.
Very enjoyable story.
...more

Shane Perkins came to Levee Oaks, CA from Los Angeles after he was outed to the department by his (work) partner, who was also his lover. That partner threw Shane to the wolves and left, unscathed. Shane, though, was blackballed and then sent into an ambush in a bad neighborhood with no backup. He's not stupid, though, and he made sure there was evidence of what, exactly, went down. Once he recovered, he got a huge settlement from the department and he decided to move somewhere a little less exc
...more

This was even better than the first book.
I loved this story of Shane and Mikhail, I found them both to be too good to be true, with some exceptions of course, but what I loved above all was them together. Oh my, it makes me get all mushy just thinking about these two sweet people finding each other, overcoming difficult odds to be together, doubts and all and then knowing that they were meant to be. All in one book of course. I did not miss the biblical disasters that were in the first book but ...more
I loved this story of Shane and Mikhail, I found them both to be too good to be true, with some exceptions of course, but what I loved above all was them together. Oh my, it makes me get all mushy just thinking about these two sweet people finding each other, overcoming difficult odds to be together, doubts and all and then knowing that they were meant to be. All in one book of course. I did not miss the biblical disasters that were in the first book but ...more

Great second book in the Promises series. I loved getting to know Shane and Mikhail and I was especially pleased to see how much "air play" the rest of the gang got - yeah, I'm still a Deacon-junkie from the last book. I thought the story was wound beautifully around "Shane's new family" without taking away from the new relationship. Shane is an interesting character with all his quirks and secrets, but Mikhail was the one I grabbed onto - his beauty and aloofness and underlying vulnerability ju
...more

Wonderful follow-up to Keeping Promise Rock. It was great to catch up with Deacon, Crick, Benny and the rest of the gang. I had previously liked Shane but he was new to town and we didn't know him so well. Nice to see him finally come out of his shell.
Mikhail was kinda bitchy but that's just his way and also his defense mechanism. He's had a very difficult youth and without his mom Ylena he would have died. He desperately tries to push Shane away...it's a good thing that Shane can be stubborn t ...more
Mikhail was kinda bitchy but that's just his way and also his defense mechanism. He's had a very difficult youth and without his mom Ylena he would have died. He desperately tries to push Shane away...it's a good thing that Shane can be stubborn t ...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
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
Other books in the series
Promises
(4 books)
News & Interviews
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
45 likes · 12 comments
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“How’re the cats?” he asked, smiling a little. He did miss Angel Marie. Hell, he missed them all.
“Feral,” Benny sniffed. “And horny. Every time one of us walks in, they all start humping our shoes.”
“They’re fixed,” Shane mumbled, but the conversation was oddly reassuring. It sounded normal, and like home.
“Tell that to the big fuzzy brown one….”
“Orlando Bloom?”
“Yeah, whatever. Last time I was there that damned animal violated my knitting.”
Shane lost a battle with a laugh and then whined because it hurt his ribs.
“Violated?”
[...]
“Let’s just say that wool is no longer virgin,” she quipped dryly, and Shane’s chest shook.”
—
15 likes
“Feral,” Benny sniffed. “And horny. Every time one of us walks in, they all start humping our shoes.”
“They’re fixed,” Shane mumbled, but the conversation was oddly reassuring. It sounded normal, and like home.
“Tell that to the big fuzzy brown one….”
“Orlando Bloom?”
“Yeah, whatever. Last time I was there that damned animal violated my knitting.”
Shane lost a battle with a laugh and then whined because it hurt his ribs.
“Violated?”
[...]
“Let’s just say that wool is no longer virgin,” she quipped dryly, and Shane’s chest shook.”
“It was like when a midde-aged woman, happily married, found out that her favorite movie star was gay. It broke her heart just a litte to know that there wasn't even a chance in fantasyland for the two of them to ever touch.”
—
7 likes
More quotes…