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He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did. Wilderness guide Xander Reed has spent fifteen years trying to forget the night he turned to his best friend in his darkest hour, only to find the young man who'd sworn to always have his back was turning his on Xander instead. Two thousand miles and fifteen years of building a new life in the quiet backcountry of the Rocky Mountains should have been enough to put the memory of Bennett Crawford out of his mind.
Ten years ago Sheriff's Deputy Aaron George lost his wife and moved to Colton, hoping growing up in a small town would be better for his children. He's gotten to know his community, including Mr. Larkin, the bouncy, funny science teacher. But when Larx is dragged unwillingly into administration, he stops coaching the track team and starts running alone. Aaron - who thought life began and ended with his kids - is distracted by a glistening chest and a principal running on a dangerous road.
I left my family and tiny Texas hometown 15 years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I'm shocked out of the steady life I've built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco. The thing is: I don't do babies. And I don't do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don't do family.
Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living. With a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that - until Otter comes home. Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect.
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful...oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me. But now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want.
Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones has a reputation for being calm and collected under fire. These traits serve him well with his hotshot partner, Ian Doyle, the kind of guy who can start a fight in an empty room. In the past three years of their life-and-death job, they've gone from strangers to professional coworkers to devoted teammates and best friends. Miro’s cultivated blind faith in the man who has his back… faith and something more.
He promised to never leave me. But when I needed him the most, that was exactly what he did. Wilderness guide Xander Reed has spent fifteen years trying to forget the night he turned to his best friend in his darkest hour, only to find the young man who'd sworn to always have his back was turning his on Xander instead. Two thousand miles and fifteen years of building a new life in the quiet backcountry of the Rocky Mountains should have been enough to put the memory of Bennett Crawford out of his mind.
Ten years ago Sheriff's Deputy Aaron George lost his wife and moved to Colton, hoping growing up in a small town would be better for his children. He's gotten to know his community, including Mr. Larkin, the bouncy, funny science teacher. But when Larx is dragged unwillingly into administration, he stops coaching the track team and starts running alone. Aaron - who thought life began and ended with his kids - is distracted by a glistening chest and a principal running on a dangerous road.
I left my family and tiny Texas hometown 15 years ago to escape small-town gossips and to give my mom and sister the chance at a better life. But when a phone call from an attorney back home informs me that my sister passed away, leaving me custody of her newborn baby, I'm shocked out of the steady life I've built for myself running a tattoo shop in San Francisco. The thing is: I don't do babies. And I don't do small towns. Or commitment. And I especially don't do family.
Three years ago, Bear McKenna’s mother took off for parts unknown with her new boyfriend, leaving Bear to raise his six-year-old brother Tyson, aka the Kid. Somehow they’ve muddled through, but since he’s totally devoted to the Kid, Bear isn’t actually doing much living. With a few exceptions, he’s retreated from the world, and he’s mostly okay with that - until Otter comes home. Otter is Bear’s best friend’s older brother, and as they’ve done for their whole lives, Bear and Otter crash and collide in ways neither expect.
If England had yearbooks, I'd probably be "Arden St. Ives: Man Least Likely to Set the World on Fire." I've no idea what I'm doing at Oxford and, until a week ago, I had no idea who Caspian Hart was. Turns out, he's brilliant, beautiful...oh yeah, and a billionaire. It's impossible not to be captivated by someone like that. But Caspian Hart makes his own rules. And he has a lot of them. About when I can be with him. What I can do with him. And when he'll be through with me. But now that Caspian's shown me glimpses of the man behind the billionaire I know it's him I want.
Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones has a reputation for being calm and collected under fire. These traits serve him well with his hotshot partner, Ian Doyle, the kind of guy who can start a fight in an empty room. In the past three years of their life-and-death job, they've gone from strangers to professional coworkers to devoted teammates and best friends. Miro’s cultivated blind faith in the man who has his back… faith and something more.
Mason Hanks has returned to Rainbow Cove, Oregon with one goal in mind: turn the struggling coastal community into a thriving LGBTQ tourism destination. Step one is transforming an old bar and grill into a gay-friendly eatery. Step two? Don't piss off Nash Flint, the very hot, very stern chief of police who's not so sure he's on board with Mason's big plans. Nash Flint just wants to keep his community safe and enjoy the occasional burger in peace. He's not big on change nor is he a fan of Mason's troublemaking family, especially his rowdy older brothers.
When homicide detective Dexter J. Daley’s testimony helps send his partner away for murder, the consequences - and the media frenzy - aren’t far behind. He soon finds himself sans boyfriend, sans friends, and, after an unpleasant encounter in a parking garage after the trial, he’s lucky he doesn’t find himself sans teeth. Dex fears he’ll get transferred from the Human Police Force’s Sixth Precinct, or worse, get dismissed.
I don’t want Jason Vega. Not at all. It’s the worst idea ever. Ah, hell... Jason is handsome. Smart. Dangerous. Hot. He’s goddamn gorgeous - but he’s also sleeping on the street, hanging out with the local biker gang, and selling his body for a living. Our lives, our paths, couldn’t be further apart. I’m crawling toward the light while he’s falling into the dark. But it doesn’t matter how different we are or what logic dictates.
Ox was 23 when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his blood red eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces. It's been three years since that fateful day and the boy is back. Except now he's a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.
Daniel Mulligan is tough, snarky, and tattooed, hiding his self-consciousness behind sarcasm. Daniel has never fit in - not at home in Philadelphia with his auto mechanic father and brothers, and not at school where his Ivy League classmates looked down on him. Now, Daniel's relieved to have a job at a small college in Holiday, Northern Michigan, but he's a city boy through and through, and it's clear that this small town is one more place he won't fit in.
Jake Moore's world fits too tightly around him. Every penny he makes as a welder goes to care for his dying father, an abusive, controlling man who's the only family Jake has left. Because of a promise to his dead mother, Jake resists his desire for other men, but it leaves him consumed by darkness. It takes all of Dallas Yates's imagination to see the possibilities in the fatigued art deco building on WeHo's outskirts, but what seals the deal is a shy smile from the handsome metal worker across the street.
Blue: When my ex walks into the resort bar with his new husband on his arm, I want nothing more than to prove to him that I've moved on. Thankfully, the sexy stranger sitting next to me is more than willing to share a few kisses in the name of revenge. It gets even better when those scorching kisses turn into a night of fiery passion. The only problem? Turns out the stranger's brother is marrying my sister later this week.
Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wisecracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were 18? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.
Once upon a time, in an alleyway in the slums of the City of Lockes, a young and somewhat lonely boy named Sam Haversford turns a group of teenage douchebags into stone completely by accident. Of course, this catches the attention of a higher power, and Sam's pulled from the only world he knows to become an apprentice to the king's wizard, Morgan of Shadows.
Moving from a Texas ranch to an Australian Outback station was a life-changing decision for Travis Craig. Though it wasn’t really a decision at all. Something in his bones told him to go, though he had no clue as to why. Until he met Sutton Station’s owner, Charlie. Loving Charlie shouldn’t have been easy. The man was stubborn and riddled with crippling self-doubt. No, it shouldn’t have been easy at all. Yet somehow, falling in love with Charlie was the easiest thing in the world.
Zack never intended to become a phone sex operator, but with half a college degree and a smart mouth, his options were limited. It helps that he has a knack for thinking on his feet and a willingness to roll with whatever his clients throw at him. Sure, he gets his fair share of creeps and unconventional requests, but it pays the bills, and he's in no danger of breaking his one rule: never fall for a client. Until a man named "John" starts calling, and Zack finds himself interested in more than a paycheck.
10 years after leaving his small Minnesota hometown in his rear view mirror for what Nolan Grainger was sure would be the last time, life has decided to throw the talented musician a curveball and send him back to the town he lived in but was never really home. When he’s forced to use the last of his own money to keep from losing the family home, desperation has him turning to the one man he’d hoped never to see again....
Crick has been home from Iraq for five years, Jeff and Collin are finally married, and Shane and Mikhail are quietly making lives better for the dispossessed teenagers who come their way. Everything is right in Deacon's world, but nothing ever stays the same.
When Deacon's best friends, Jon and Amy, answer the call of an opportunity in Washington, DC, Deacon figures that's life. You love people, and they leave you, and you survive. Even Benny, Crick's little sister, is close to grown and ready to start her own future. But Benny loves Deacon, and she owes him - she may move beyond The Pulpit and Levee Oaks one day, but not without leaving something of herself behind. And so she offers Deacon and Crick an amazing gift... and a terrifying decision.
Benny's offer forces Deacon and Crick to dredge up every past mistake and offer of redemption. And not just the two of them - everybody is forced to examine the chances they've been given and the promises they've made. In a real family, a child is a promise, and to the men and women of Promise Rock, keeping that promise will change their lives forever.
When I first seen the release of this book, I was a bit confused because I just assumed that the cast of characters that Amy Lane conjured had reached an amenable conclusion. So with that, I reluctantly began reading/listening to this story and the first character was about Bennie, which further confused me. I almost stopped listening because I did not want the images in my head and the conclusion to this wonderful journey that I had concocted to be tarnished...but I continued. Never to disappoint, Amy finished this series with laughter, heartache, tears, and joy and I cannot recommend this book more! An excellent story to imagine and Paul Morey did a fantastic job with the cast of characters. These characters: Deacon, Crick, John, Amy, Parrish, Bennie, Perrie Angel, Drew, Jeff, Colin, Shane, Mickey, Kimmy, Lucas, Patrick, Martin...all have touched my soul and spirit and I will carry them and the hope, dreams, and love that they exemplify with me always and FOREVER...
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Any additional comments?
This is the final installment of the Promises series and once again it's narrated by Paul Morey. I loved Paul Morey's narration. It's what kept me going for this one.
Forever Promised is narrated by a lot of the characters: Benny, Deacon, Mikhail, Collin, Crick, Jeff, Shane, and Jon. Seriously, it was too much for me. It was way too many POVs and it lost a little shine because of it. You know what? That's not true. I would have been fine with it if it weren't for Benny. I mainly didn't particularly care for Benny's POV. I could have happily had her continue to be the strong thread interwoven in the group, being a sort of mother/sister to them all, but happily never residing in her mind. I just wanted more of my boys.
In the end though, it *is* about the boys. That's who I've come to love, and that's who I got to spend time with. Seeing them come through all their trials and tribulations to be triumphant on the other side. This story reads like a love letter to the fans who love these characters, I dare say almost as much as Amy Lane does.
Fans of the series will be prepared for all the angst and twists, because we expect them at this point. If you don't - you haven't been paying close enough attention.
I love them all and wish them all well. When I find myself in the future missing Deacon, Crick, Shane, Mikhail, Jeff and Collin, I will listen or read these books again to visit with them.
“It's why they all gathered here, weddings, funerals, the introduction of their son - it was the promise and the heartbreak of the place Deacon's family called home. It was the legacy of a community, a simple swimming hole, a place made sacred by love. Promise Rock."
Recommended.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
It took FOREVER for this to come out as an Audiobook! Thank you, thank you, thank you Paul Morey for doing this and to Dreamspinner for finally producing it!
This book nicely joins all three of the previous books for a last(?) look at their lives as couples.
Without giving away too much – Benny wants to give Deacon and Crick a baby to help complete their family. She knows how important children are to Deacon and she knows that with her DNA and Deacon’s she can do the next-best-thing to having Crick and Deacon actually make a baby together. Of course this is FULL of drama and hand-wringing and of course, tears – Amy always makes me cry!
Mickey and Shane are dealing with their own house full of crises. Kimmy and her fertility problems. Two of the girls in Promise house are not getting along – one is Crick’s sister and the other is a sweet girl Martin has eyes for.
Jeffy and Collin are adjusting to married life and making their own decisions about family.
Jon and Amy have their own bomb-shell to drop and it, too, shakes up the Promise-universe.
**
What I loved about this book was that it didn’t feel like an afterthought. These stories felt like they NEEDED to be told and it was the perfect way to give some of these guys closure.
Now I would absolutely ADORE another book, but barring that kind of miracle, this is a nice way to cap off the drama and leave everyone – more or less – in a really happy place.
As for the narration. Well, you know I just love Paul Morey and his Mickey just makes me so happy! There is a particular moment, when Mickey has gotten some devastating news (it’s and Amy book – of course there’s devastating news!) – and Paul’s voice is so full of emotion and it just feels so damn REAL!
I can’t say enough that the listening to these books makes the amazing stories even that much more amazing and like “being there”.
Though I read them again and again, I also listen to this series again and again because the narration is so strong.
I can’t recommend them enough! 6 of 5 stars
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you consider the audio edition of Forever Promised to be better than the print version?
I did like the audio better than the written. For some reason, the book seemed really long!
What was one of the most memorable moments of Forever Promised?
The death of Sweety
What does Paul Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His voices are great!
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
no, it was a long audio as well, a lot of loose ends to tie up
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
I am very happy Amy ended the series the way she did. I'm definitely a fan.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely! The story was well crafted and the narration was very good, oh and Amy Lane...need I say more?
Who was your favorite character and why?
At this point in the series, I loved them all but the short list is Crick, Mikhail, Shane, Benny, and, well that will have to do.
Have you listened to any of Paul Morey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
This performance was very good, I did have issues with his narration in one of the other books in the series but this one was well done.
Who was the most memorable character of Forever Promised and why?
See above.
Any additional comments?
Get the whole series, you won't regret it!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This was a wonderful ending to a BEAUTIFUL series. Paul Morey's narration made me want to purchase the whole series in audio books! Well done
fitting ending to a great story and family. would love to have more!!!!! awesome writing.
This was the final installment in this series of books and unfortunately it has been a while since I listened to the last one. Because of this it was difficult remembering who all the characters were and following their stories. It seems like the author tried to tie up all the loose ends of all the characters mentioned in each story whether they were minor or major characters. I wish she had just concentrated on the major characters and spent more time on them rather than wasting time on those who played a minor role in things. Of course Deacon and Crick were the most important characters as far as I'm concerned and not nearly enough time was spent on their story. Since the book jump the room following all the different characters and their plot lines it made listing to this confusing. I suppose if I had listened to this back when I had listened to the rest of the it may have made more sense.
As for the narrator, I love Paul Morey but felt like he went a little too fast in this one which added to the confusion.
The author is one of the best in the business -– check
Known, loved characters –– check
Known backstories –– check
With all those checks how could it fail? It's the pits. Confusion. Weak stories, Feels like the great Amy Lane just stuck together pieces of stories to make sure the series was all tied up in bows so she could call it finished. Too bad instead of bows it's all tied up in knots.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful