Got this book mainly because I liked the cover and also like the author. Was pleasantly surprised, never read anything quite like it. Very good world building, interesting and well-written characters. Some elements of BDSM and a threesome. It takes the MCs about half the book to come together, but after that there's a lot of very hot sex. The ending is kind of a HFN, leaving a lot of threats hanging and I look forward to the second book in the series. ( )

I really need half stars. I'd give this 2.5 stars. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. It's one of those take it or leave it for me books. Just not as good for me as the other Marie Sexton books I've read. Her stories usually suck me in quickly, but I just couldn't get into this one, and I just wanted it to be over. ( )

I really need half stars. I'd give this 2.5 stars. I didn't like it, but I didn't hate it either. It's one of those take it or leave it for me books. Just not as good for me as the other Marie Sexton books I've read. Her stories usually suck me in quickly, but I just couldn't get into this one, and I just wanted it to be over. ( )

I adore Marie Sexton, have read all her books, and this one was not a disappointment--it was a great story with great characters. Although I love the "Promises" series, this book and Sexton's other fantasies--"Blind Space," "Cinder"--hold a special place in my heart because of the way they allow love to be love, whether the people who share it are male or female. When Deacon and Aren decide to be together, the fact that they're both men is not a cause for censure or anger or disappointment, except perhaps for the girl who was hoping to make Aren her husband. It's the same for Tristan and Valero in "Blind Space"; the relationship between the two men does not inspire concern or disgust. In fact, the men who have worked with Valero the longest are glad that he's finally found someone after having lost his last lover years before. For me, the virtually unquestioning acceptance of same-sex relationships takes these stories to an entirely new and higher level and makes me hope that one day that kind of acceptance will be the norm in our own world. My thanks to Marie Sexton for giving us these wonderful characters and for situating them in places where their love is embraced. Maybe someday Jared and Matt, Zach and Angelo, Jon and Cole, Levi and Jaime, and everyone else who is in any way dismissed or marginalized for his or her choice of lover will someday be accorded the same respect. ( )

Completely engrossing. The romance between the two character grows slowly allowing the reader to know each character. This is a sci-fi/western, but it's not so beyond the whelm of reality that it become an obstacle. Highly recommend. ( )