Amy Lane’s Keeping Promise Rock is a quintessential m/m romance, a nearly flawless example of the genre with all its virtues. “Nearly flawless” is hardly a criticism. For me, the strength of the novel lies in the “flaws” it does not share with the genre as a whole and which I suspect most readers want. I have yet to read the perfect m/m romance. This book comes as close as any.

I have two bones to pick with the genre. First, that romances are love stories in which larger issues take second place if they are to be found at all. Lane tackles these issues head on. Second, that the happily ever after ending is often too facile, leaving underlying problems unresolved and me unconvinced. Everything works out for the best because the author lets the characters kiss, make up, and ignore the elephant in the living room. From start to finish, Lane keeps her characters focused on that elephant.

Jealousy, resentment, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and unintentionally hurting one’s partner, these are the meat and potatoes of a love story and Keeping Promise Rock has them all and more. But these problems all stem from human weakness. Lane digs beneath the surface to grapple with the fears that make relationships problematical — fear to trust, fear of letting others see your vulnerability, and “protecting” those you love from the truth because you fear they will not be able to cope with it. It takes courage to be entirely open with your loved ones, and the greater your self-doubt, the more courage it takes, but without that courage, you isolate yourself, the surest way to destroy a relationship.

Crick and Deacon so fear abandonment that they push each other away sooner than risk the pain of rejection. Neither holds back when it comes to making a commitment; both are too insecure to hear the commitment the other has made. So when Deacon tells Crick he wants him to be free and urges him to go off to college, Crick, a child unloved by his parents, interprets it as “I don’t want you” and enlists to fight in Iraq, all the way to other side of the world. He does not realize that Deacon, who he thinks grew up in a happy family, is no less insecure.

While Crick and Deacon have no trouble saying “I love you,” their love is only half the truth: they need each other. To admit that need seems to both a declaration of helplessness and a terrible burden to place on the other. Both promise they’ll always be there for the other, but how can you be there if the other won’t let you in? They lock each other out and then blame each other for not being there. And, of course, they also blame themselves. Love emphatically does not mean never having to say you’re sorry.

The need these two men have for each other is not just an emotional need. They also must deal with the spiteful, small-minded bigotry of the community they live in. Lane does not pretend that two people in love can stand up to the rest of the world. We all need the support of friends and family, and they need ours, too. Crick and Deacon’s family include Crick’s teenage sister and her baby daughter, Deacon’s best friend and his wife (who used to be Deacon’s girlfriend), a hired hand who has worked Deacon’s horse ranch since Deacon was a kid, and a man whose life Crick saved in Iraq. The mutual dependence of this motley crew serves as an example for what Crick and Deacon need to do to set their love right.

What makes this novel so satisfying is that instead of a Band-Aid, Amy Lane gives us true healing. Crick and Deacon come to realize their mistakes and work to fix things up. Their love is more important than the wrongs they have done. They make amends and forgive each other. That is still not enough; they must forgive themselves.

Keeping Promise Rock reminds us that “Love conquers all” is a platitude. Love needs nurturing or it will not flourish. By the end of the book, Crick and Deacon have not ironed out all their problems, but they have learned that making a commitment to each other means making a commitment to nurture their love.

Dreamspinner Press, January 2010

ISBN 978-1-61581-346-9 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-61581-347-6 (e-book)

ISBN 978-1-61581-980-5 (audiobook)

While Crick and Deacon have no trouble saying “I love you,” their love is only half the truth: they need each other. To admit that need seems to both a declaration of helplessness and a terrible burden to place on the other. Both promise they’ll always be there for the other, but how can you be there if the other won’t let you in? They lock each other out and then blame each other for not being there. And, of course, they also blame themselves. Love emphatically does not mean never having to say you’re sorry.