Dreamspinner Presents http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3492
Blurb
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 makes an effort to reconcile with his flighty, troubled sister. Kimmy makes her living as a dancer, and her partner steals Shane’s breath at first sight. Mikhail Vasilyovitch Bayul dances like an angel, but his past is less than heavenly. Since he left Russia, he’s made only two promises: to stay off the streets and stay clean, and to take his mother someplace beautiful before she dies. Making promises to anybody else is completely out of the question-but then, Mikhail has never met anybody like Shane. Earnest, brave, and self-deprecating, Shane seems to speak Mikhail’s language, and no one is more surprised than Mikhail to find that keeping promises is Shane’s best talent of all.
Review
Book 2 in the Keeping Promise Series is every bit as good as book one – it may be my favorite in the series, and it is certainly my favorite couple of the series.
Shane is a bi-sexual, hunky bear of a man, kind of a doofus, who constantly puts his faith in people who let him down. He almost dies when he’s outed in front of his police force by his no-good-ass-hole-cowardly-double-crossing-“boyfriend”, given a ton of money when it’s found out WHY he was injured, but insists on still working in the dangerous field because he has a deep need to be needed.
Mikhail “Mickey” is an ex-prostitute from Russia who dances in the Renaissance Faire circuit with Shane’s twin, Kimmy. Mickey is cantankerous, cranky, snarky, and prickly – but underneath all that he has a huge heart and really only wants someone to love him.
Mickey does everything he can think of to keep Shane at arms length, but Shane has seen through the prickly exterior to the real man Mickey hides from the world and he’s smitten through and through.
Together the weather the storm of Mickey’s mother’s death, Shane’s innumerable injuries, tragedies at the Pulpit and Kimmy’s devastating break-up with her drug-dealing boyfriend.
In the end the ever doubtful Mickey must decide that he’s worthy of love and let Shane in, or risk losing him forever.
**
Mickey is one of my favorite Amy Lane characters of all time. He is so damn funny and snarky but sweet at the same time. He and Shane are so perfect together because Shane is just too good to be true and he needs some salty to counter all that sweet.
As we see in the later novels, Mickey and Shane make this amazing duo who just give and give and give and they end up being true pillars in the extended Pulpit family.
I also thought the smexy times between Shane and Mickey were some of the hottest in the series. That crazy Russian really knows how to push Shane’s buttons and vice versa.
Amy knows how to make us cry and for me the moment when Mickey eviscerates Shane in a ploy to keep himself from needing Shane’s help and love is it for me. It just gutted me how strong Shane was and how truly viscous Mickey was – BUT it made their reconnection so much sweeter by comparison. It was so REAL – don’t we hurt the ones we love the most because we know JUST how to get them where it hurts the most?
Audio
Paul Morey is my hero in this narration! He does this amazing Russian accent for Mickey that just turns my crank. He is perfect! When he does the growly voice of Deacon and the more crazy voice of Crick or the snippy voice of Jeff I just KNOW he understands and “gets” these characters. Even the girls, Kimmy and Benny sound great.
I make no bones about my devotion to the “Queen of Angst” and I think this is one her finest. This is one of the audio books that I listen to over and over because Paul Morey did such genius work.
Of course I give it 6 of 5 hearts ☺
