Keeping Promise Rock: Volume 1 (Keeping Promise Rock Series) Paperback – 17 Jan. 2010

Very strange review from J. Robinson - nope, didn't understand it either!! This was a very engaging and endearing story. The two main characters Deacon and Crick were great together, once Deacon admitted that it was Crick he wanted. There was heartache, joy, quite a few tears, and for me anyway, quite an uplifting feeling when I'd finished the book. I loved the fact that Deacon blushed so much when he was the centre of attention that his whole body turned pink, that Benny thought so much of Deacon as a surrogate father for Parry (strange name though) that she did eventually make it legal, that Crick loved Deacon so much and had done for so many years - it must be awesome to be loved like that! Deacon was my favourite character I have to admit, but Crick did run him a close second, and then of course the secondary characters like Lisa (sad) and 'Blood Loss', Jon and Amy were as steadfast a pair of friends as you could wish to hope for, and the new characters that appeared towards the end (Jeff and Shane) of course have their own books later in the series, which I will def. be buying. The less said about Melanie and 'Step-Bob' the better!

I love these books, they are full of warm and generous characters. Though each of them hurt in their own way, together they are able to make it through.Each character is unique, individual, yet there are things to love about all of them.Some of the issues raised in these books are very close to my heart and Amy Lane handles them beautifully.Though some of the scenes can be quite explicit, this is by no means the crux of the series. Warmth, generosity, love and family are what this series is about and I will definitely be checking out more from this author.

Ok, so I cried nearly all the way through this book, and sometimes that's all you need from a great story. When you're feeling sorry for yourself, suffering from "Man-Flu", a box of tissues and an emotional story is all that works. This novel is character driven. The two protagonists, seperated when one opts for a two year stint in the Army, in Iraq no less become "family" to the reader.Great read for me as I don't like too much graphic sex, but I love the slushy stuff. Tweets are a great way of progressing the two years of seperation. Loved it. Will def. buy the other two in the series.

This is the first Amy Lane I have ever read and I can't wait to read more. I am an avid reader but this book was really the most 'unputdownable' that I have read in ages!The story grabs you from the start and you instantly fall in love with both main characters.Highly, highly recommended

I'm very late in the game when it comes to promise rock. What can I say a very heart felt and wonderful book. Made me fall in love with all the characters. Going to start the 2nd now : )

Best in the series; I fell thoroughly in love with Deacon. Amy is an amazing writer.

I love this story to bits. I have cried myself to sleep for the last two nights after reading a chapter before bedtime. It is so beautiful and has become so real to me. I don't want the story to end...

Okay l love a heart wrenching romance as much as any one ,, l do ,, THIS BOOKS IS SO RIDICULOUS , IT SHOULD BE CALLED A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS ,, THE COUPLE FACE EVERYTHING FROM DEATH , CHEATING , HOMOPHOBIA AND OF COURSE IRAQ , THIS BOOK IS NOT EVEN THAT LONG . NOT VERY GOOD.

My god this was a heart wringer, but such a good one!There are those times when one comes across not only a really good plot, but good writing and real imperfect characters that won’t make you feel like you‘re not just reading a novel. You get completely lost in it.I have yet to come across a book from this author that hasn’t stunned or gripped me!

Amy Lane and her Promise Rock series is so damn good, I cried when it ended because it was just so fine. Set over four books, her talent is clear as a bell here, weaving very real and believable characters into life and making them so much larger than ink on page.Deacon Winters, amazing, shy strong, loyal and brave, at fourteen he falls for a scruffy brown haired boy and it's a love that slowly evolved from friendship into a deep soul connecting love. Over the course of the series its a devotion that has never wavered.Carrick Francis, young, emotionally fragile, fierce and reckless thanks to his awful upbringing, he falters when he should have known better and while I was a bit frustrated by his lack of insight and immature response, I fully understood why he was the way he was. The first book covers a lot of years between the two men, from Deacon and Carrick's first meeting when they are fourteen and eight, up until Carrick comes home from Afghanistan a period of about fifteen years. Here we also meet Parrish, Deacons' father who helped raise and shape two amazing men, and John and Amy, Deacon's teenage girlfriend and his best friend. Both remain very intrinsic characters throughout the series right up until the last paragraph in book four.The real star of the entire series is Deacon Winters. I wanted him to be real and come and live with me, I loved him that much. He's the Sun that the other characters and there's plenty of them, revolve around, and so they should. His soul burned bright, like a beacon that drew everyone in, his kindness shone open and honest and the man pulsed friendship and loyalty like a supernova. He's madly in love with Carrick Francis, a boy he meets when they are kids and through all the drama that only comes with a silly miscommunication, their lives change for the worst and its almost enough to destroy both men.As with most Amy Lane books there's plenty of emotional upheaval, bigotry, angst, sadness, anger, disappointment and danger and a bucket load of men from all walks of life learning to forgive, while they fall in love. Deacon and Carrick are two main characters that ride the Promise Rock series right to the end and honestly it was a journey I never wanted to end. The whole series is hands down definite keeper value for re-reading pleasure.

Another Review from Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words. of my reviews at [...]Rating: 5 starsAll 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 was everything that was fine as far as Crick was concerned. He was patient, beautiful with his green-hazel eyes and sun streaked blond hair. Deacon was also silent, being painfully shy. For Deacon hardly ever talked but when he did, Crick listened. When Deacon's dad took Crick home one evening and realized how bad the situation was with Crick's stepfather, Parrish Winter told Crick's mom that he would be taking the boy every weekend to help at the farm. Those weekends became Crick's salvation, and refuge as Crick's stepfather became ever more abusive. Crick stayed only to protect his younger sister from Bob's rage.As the years flew by, Crick's love for Deacon thrived and deepened. As did Deacon's love for Crick, as everyone around them but Crick knew. Just when Crick was set to leave for college, Deacon's father dies and Crick stays in Levee Oaks to help run The Pulpet with Deacon. The sexual tension between them grows to the breaking point and Deacon gives in to Crick's advances with tragic consequences for both of them. Crick takes Deacon's stunned behavior after they make love as a rejection and makes an impulsive decision that will haunt both of them for the rest of their lives. Deacon is actually just stunned to recognize the depths of the feelings that Crick has carried within him for Deacon all these years. When Deacon realizes that his hesitation has been taken as rejection he runs after Crick but it is too late. He is gone.The loss of Crick almost destroys Deacon. The separation does the same for Crick, the two men left demoralized and despondent by one rash decision. But the men had also made a promise to each other. "I need you, like I want you. Always and forever. I want you like I love you. Always and forever. Consider that a promise." Now if only the world will listen and let them make that promise a certainty.Keeping Promise Rock is one of my all time favorite reads. It's my "go to" book when I need comfort, it's the book I grab when I need to revisit old friends, curled up on a long winter's night. It's the book I reach for when I want to lose myself in beloved universe, full of people I have come to love and events that take me one more time on an immensely satisfying roller coaster ride of emotions. There's tears of joy to go with the heartbreak and overwhelming love to conquer the despair of the events within. How I cherish this book.Amy Lane is a master of characterization and the people she has created for Keeping Promise Rock are as timeless as they are memorable. We meet both Deacon and Crick as teenagers and watch them mature into men dealing with the tumultuous events that life has thrown at them. And not once does it ever feel less than completely real. It's not just the depth and dimension of each character that makes them so authentic, it's their dialog too. I could have someone read a conversation from the book between Crick, Deacon, and Deacon's friend, Jon to me and I would never be confused as to which "voice" I am hearing. In fact, most of the time I am so completely enveloped in the story that I am shocked to find that the hours have flown by as I read.Amy Lane understands people so well that how her characters react to life's roadblocks and misunderstandings comes across as being as true to life as possible. It doesn't matter whether Deacon is reacting to Crick fighting in the high school hallway or a devastated Crick sitting at Deacon's hospital bedside after a car accident, trying to find the courage to tell Deacon what he had done. Every circumstance the boys find themselves in is a place others would find familiar. There is bullying, both at home and at school. And being out and gay in a high school where tolerance is an issue along with the consequences that comes with trying to deal with the issues stemming from intolerance in the classroom and on the playing field. The author gives us parental abuse where there should have been love and support. And we see how growing up under those conditions will leave their mark on the person, both in behavior and trust.With that foundation laid, then certain actions become not only understandable but relatable. Lane never lets us forget that her characters conduct or behavior stems from a source that has a basis in reality. The fact that life is unfair can be visited upon the unwary in so many ways and Amy Lane delivers that emotional moment to us time and again and never to less than shattering impact. But if Amy Lane is outstanding in delivering life's blows and making us feel them along with her characters, she is also balances the pain they feel with life's joys and successes. We celebrate as they do when life and love comes triumphantly together, knowing full well that the path getting to that point was as hard and tortuous as real life itself.What can be better than this? With Amy Lane's books we acknowledge life's fleeting moments and their impact in peoples lives as well as those relationships that speak of permanence and the costs carried with them. We get insight into human interactions no matter the age through characters like Deacon, Crick, Benny, Jon, and many others we want to visit again and again. Luckily for us, Amy Lane feels the same way, as Keeping Promise Rock is the first in the Promise series. Start with Keeping Promise Rock and read them all. You will love them as much as I do.Here is the Promises series in the order they were written and should be read to throughly understand the characters and the events mentioned:Keeping Promise Rock (Promises #1)Making Promises (Promises #2)Living Promises (Promises #3)Paul Richmond's wonderful cover is perfect for the story within. Read more

義父から虐待を受けてた9歳のクリックが、教会にいかずに町をうろついてディーコンのいる牧場にきて、馬と、5歳年上のディーコンにひとめぼれ。ディーコンが父親に頼み、クリックはそこで土日に働かせてもらうことになる。困っている子供をみると助けずにはいられないディーコンの父親は、クリックにとってははじめての家族になって、寡黙で人からの信頼の厚いディーコンは、クリックにとっては英雄になった。高校1年生のとき、クリックがゲイであることが街中にばれて家から追い出されたときには、ディーコンがクリックの荷物を積んでディーコンの家につれてきて、そこからは家族として一緒に暮らすようになる。最初のころの視点はずっとクリックのものなので、読者にとっても、ディーコンは英雄のように見える。でももちろん、ディーコンはスーパーヒーローなんかじゃなくてただの人で、それが、クリックがイラクに行ってしまった２年間にひどい形で現れる。その、英雄から人間へ転落するところが、とてもよかった。ディーコンの寡黙さというのは、人付き合いが苦手だというだけのこと、若くして父親を亡くして跡をついでしっかりやっていたのも、自分に頼っているクリックがそばにいたからがんばれたというだけのこと。クリックがいなくなって、さびしくて生きていけないくらいになってしまったディーコンが、ほんとによかった。クリックに英雄視されてたことをわかってて、今の自分はとてもそうは思われないと自覚して合わせる顔がないと思っていたところも、それでも一生懸命に、自分に頼っている人たちを幸せにしようとがんばるところも、ディーコンってば、なんていい男…。大学にいって自分のやりたいことをやれ、とクリックに言うくせに、亡くなった戦友の両親に会いに行こうと思う、と言うクリックを、たった２日ほどのことなのに、「二度と俺を置いていくな！」と怒って我を忘れて抱いちゃうところはたまらない。それが本音で、ディーコンはたぶんもうクリックを離すことができない。ああ、かわいい！！長い話だったけど、ディーコンの魅力で読み通した。ディーコンの周りの登場人物がちゃんと生きてて、世界ができててすばらしかった。「長い…」と思わなければ☆５つしたいくらいだけど、長いって思っちゃったから☆４つで。

Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 8/10PROS:- 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.