Review: Promises: Part 2 by A.E. Via

Title: Promises: Part 2

Author: A.E. Via

Publisher: Self-Published

Pages/Word Count: 336 Pages

At a Glance: There is one thing about A.E. Via’s stories—she does manage to get me involved in them emotionally, whether I like it or not.

Reviewed By: Kim

Blurb: Roman “Quick” Webb is one badass bounty hunter on the crime-filled streets of Atlanta. He’s fearless when it comes to carrying out his dangerous job alongside his longtime best friend and business partner, Duke. However, there is one thing that has begun to cause Quick concern and it’s the dreadful thought of living out the rest of his life alone. Seeing his best friend and his son fall in love and sharing the special connection that only true soul mates can, has made him all the more aware of what’s lacking in his life.

Love.

Dr. Cayson Chauncey has been wildly attracted to the big, tattooed hunter for almost a year, ever since he performed the surgery that saved Quick’s best friend’s life. Cayson must’ve mistaken Quick’s gratitude for something more, because the one time he tried to make his desires known, he was harshly rebuffed and left on the man’s doorstep feeling stupid for hitting on an obviously very straight man.

Cayson never dated a man who was willing to come out of hiding and be with him. Now at almost forty, Cayson is intent on no longer being anyone’s dirty secret. Having experienced countless disappointments, and having taken a stand not to fall for any more tricks, Cayson is more than a little skeptical when Quick comes around asking for a second chance to prove himself. The gorgeous man had already made it clear that he was not interested in Cayson… or so he’d thought.

Dr. Chauncey stirred up Quick’s suppressed, most carnal desires from a place deep down inside of him. He’d reacted so badly the first time that now his sexy surgeon wanted nothing to do with him. It was going to take a fair amount of patience and a whole lot of wooing involved as Quick sets out to convince Cayson that he’s worth another chance and that he is the brave lover who Cayson has been looking for.

With a scorned ex and a very dangerous job thrown into the mix, Cayson’s happiness and all of Quick’s promises may not be as easy to keep as they’d hoped.

Review: I’m going to start off by saying that I love the cover for Promises: Part 2, and I am such a huge fan of A.E. Via’s work that I will read anything she puts out. As soon as I finished reading Promises: Part 1, I was eagerly awaiting the sequel for Cayson and Quick’s story. Especially since the ending promised so much more between these two characters.

Each chapter was written from either Cayson’s or Quick’s POV, which I didn’t mind because I was able to understand each of the guys’ perspectives on what was happening with them in any given situation, from chapter to chapter. The first chapter started off with Quick realizing that he’s getting up there in age, and he’s slightly envious of his friend Duke’s sudden happiness since falling for his (Quick’s) son, Vaughan. Quick is a bit lonely and he realizes that he needs to do something about it.

Now, in chapter two Cayson is realizing that his closeted friend-with-benefits, Joe, is no longer benefitting him, and he’s swearing not to allow himself to be mistreated by other men. By chapter three, the sparks between Quick and Cayson start to fly, with some light comical misunderstandings. The good doctor is trying his best to be professional, but Quick is proving to be a bit of a tease! Not to mention that in the last book, when Cayson tried to flirt, he was soundly rejected by Quick to the point of downright rudeness, and he’s wondering what the heck kind of game Quick is playing with him. Well, it turns out that Quick has been interested in men in the past but has never acted on it, and with the help of Duke and Vaughan, he sets out to woo the good doctor.

I really enjoyed this part of the story because I just love the dance of romance between two MCs as they get to know each other. Especially when they end up in the bathtub together. ~eyebrows waggling~

Buuut…

There were a couple of things that bothered me as I was reading Promises: Part 2. One involved some public bullying by Quick and Duke towards Joe, the ex, when it seemed that he was going to let Cayson go without a fight. I think it caused the situation that then occurred throughout the story, and I was glad that Cayson wanted nothing to do with that type of bullying for any reason, good or bad. And, in a weird way, I felt kind of bad for Joe, that his fear of being outed and yet wanting some kind of companionship, whether healthy or not, made him go a little over the top with craziness.

And the second—this one really bothered me the most—was when Quick lost his temper over something that happened to Cayson, and he put his hand to Cayson’s throat and squeezed hard enough to leave a mark. I grew up in DV situations and reading this actually caused me to have a negative reaction to it. It kind of upset me even though Quick was ashamed of himself afterwards, and Cayson was secretly turned on by it. But it’s why I’m not a big fan of BDSM novels.

All in all, there is one thing about A.E. Via’s stories—she does manage to get me involved in them emotionally, whether I like it or not. And now, Brian: I would love to find out more about him and what cause his muteness.

You can buy Promises: Part 2 here: