Easton Belle is living his college dream: living with his best friend, underage drinking, working part-time at a local pet kennel, and running a successful social media campaign to keep a hardline theist out of Congress. However, that dream never included his horrid choice in men causing an unhealthy need to be wanted and his multiple sclerosis with its unpredictable symptoms. He also never expected to accidentally end up at a frat party that leads to a crazy drunk call and maybe the best days of his life. As long as this guy doesn’t find out about his illness, maybe it’ll be different this time.
Paul Acre doesn’t know what his dream is. All he’s ever really wanted was to get as far away from Kansas City as possible. So he did. But running away from the demons of his past doesn’t stop them from catching up to him when his new roommate, Huxley, and the annoying AF man-child who smells like spicy citrus challenge his entire perception on life. Then he gets a random call at 2 am from a number he doesn’t know, and a drunk voice he recognizes demands a knight in shining armor come to his rescue. But can he trust his thoughts and feelings? After all, trust is a weakness that’s hurt him far too many times.
🔸 great characters 🔸
🔸 funny dialogue🔸
🔸 challenging subject matter🔸
🔸 sweet at the same time🔸
Back to the Noahverse! This I Promise you is co-authored by Jordon Greene and Kalob Dàniel and is set in the Noahverse created by Greene. Don’t despair… even though this book is set in the same world as some of Greene’s other books, you don’t have to read them all to enjoy the story. I’m going to put this out there now thought, you’ll want to read them! The characters from previous books pop up from time to time in other novels – nothing that you’ll miss out on in this book. I love this new book – but if you love the queer stories, then I would suggest reading all the books from this verse.
On to This I Promise you! Two distinct voices by two great authors make this book a joy to read. This has all the steam and complexity you could want in a story while, at the same time, it’s sweet and tender. I will admit that this story brought tears to my eyes a few times; not so much because of what the characters went through, but because of the choices they made and the motivation behind it. These are characters I fell in love with as I got to know them… they’ll be sticking with me.
Easton is a college student and activist living with MS. His own special way of running from his woes involves drinking and partying and sex. The problem is that Easton isn’t really happy – there are things he is struggling to deal with and growth that needs to happen.
Paul is foul mouthed, gruff and desperately avoiding a past he doesn’t want to confront. He is quite the opposite of Easton in some ways but it’s not that simple as you’ll discover while reading.
When these two characters come together, it’s with a clash of personalities. There’s instant chemistry but there’s also instant friction which brings some of the humour to the story. After all, it’s quite possible to be attracted to someone that annoys the hell out of you; I’m sure we’ve all been there. Sparks fly and it’s only because of a meddling friend that these two characters end up speaking to one another again and again.
I think what I enjoyed most about this novel is the growth that each of the characters experienced. Easton and Paul are on two very different journeys but they struggle to find ways to support one another. Despite the trauma that each character has lived with, they are open and gentle. It’s a pleasure to read a book that presents such realistic characters who react in genuine ways to things that happen to them. This book has a real authentic feel and that is a pleasure.
This I Promise You is a wonderful novel. There are switching POVs which I find always lends itself well to character development. I really enjoy being able to see both sides of a story. In this story in particular, there’s a lot going on in the characters minds and it was great to have a window to each of them. The switching POV made the initial meet up of Easton and Paul even more entertaining.
There is an undercurrent of seriousness in this novel. If you’ve read Greene’s books before, this won’t surprise you. His characters are always multi-dimensional and have a variety of experiences. I’m new to Dàniel’s writing but will definitely look up more! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good queer story with great characters.
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) Mention of Rape/Sexual Assault, Mention of Abuse to a Minor, Mental Health, Chronic Illness, Underage Drinking, Adult Content
I received an ARC of This I Promise You by Jordon Greene and Kabob Dàniel from Franklin Kerr Press via the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 