Review: Promises by Marie Sexton

Title: Promises (Coda Books #1)
Author: Marie Sexton
Date of publication: 8 Jan 2010
Genre: Contemporary Romance, M/M

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 3.5 stars

Goodreads Blurb

Jared Thomas has lived his whole life in the small mountain town of Coda, Colorado. He can't imagine living anywhere else. Unfortunately, the only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so Jared is resigned to spending his life alone. Until Matt Richards walks into his life, that is. Matt has just been hired by the Coda Police Department, and he and Jared immediately become friends. Matt claims he is straight, but for Jared, having a sexy friend like Matt is way too tempting. Facing Matt's affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt's co-workers, Jared fears they'll never find a way to be together-if he can even convince Matt to try.

My Review

Since I got this book for free on Amazon, this review goes to my monthly feature Free Books Reviewed.

This was my first male/male romance and I was hesitant at first but after reading some great praises for it I decided to give it a try. It was a nice love story well told. I liked everything about it - the author's writing style, the general plot, the characters and the happy end. 

It has the feel of small town romance - sweet and cute, not realistic but makes you feel good.

The love between Jared and Matt happened slowly and had a a few bumps along the road. On the surface things seems to be more difficult for Matt, and they were to some extend, since he had to admit to himself that he was gay. Yet, their relationship despite being very much desired by Jared, proved to be difficult for him as well. He was open with his sexuality, yet he feared showing it freely in public 

Both Jared and Matt were well drawn, complex characters and they went through a whole set of different emotions. I liked how the author presented their lives in their fullness - their friends, family, work were very much present in the story. The focus was not solely on their relationship but also on the ways it affected their lives and the lives of those around them. This gave completeness and fullness to the story. 

Sadly, the book employs some general homophobic stereotypes - the military father, the narrow-minded police force. I also felt that the supporting characters, Jared's brother, especially, were underdeveloped and flat. The story would have benefited from a more active role/detailed presentation of Jared and Matt's families. 

I enjoyed this book and consider my first attempt in m/m romance a success, so I don't think I will shy away from it in the future :)