Cory Easton, a tattoo artist at Raw Ink, has a bit of a crush...near obsession...on Jude York, a mysterious skateboarder with a sexy British accent. Whenever they are in each other's presence there is definite tension. But Cory can't tell if it is one sided and what Jude really thinks since Jude is a man of few words. It made me realize just how hard it would be for a gay man to find the courage to try to figure out if another man is interested in him. Guessing wrong could really lead to some tense situations.

I loved Cory. He had a self deprecating and vulnerable side, but was also a bit alpha, sexy, and charismatic. He had demons that haunted him, but tried to hide them under a friendly, outgoing persona. 

"Why is talking so damn hard for you?" (Cory)
"Why is silence so bloody hard for you?" (Jude)

Cory Easton, tattoo artist at Raw Ink, is a lively chatterbox. Always near the center of attention, he is quick to jump into conversation or fill silence. But he is living in pain, both emotional and physical, from a tragedy.

Jude York appeared in town quietly, rarely speaks beyond the most necessary conversation, and is surrounded by rumors and mystery. He catches Cory’s attention as he skates in the local skate park, but not knowing if the quiet mystery man is gay or straight keeps Cory from pursuing anything beyond watching from a distance.

When Jude comes into Raw Ink for some new ink work, Cory finally has an opportunity to ask some of the questions he’s been pondering. But every time he gets the courage to ask a personal question, Jude shuts down. But over time, the quiet man begins sharing. And the man ever ready to jump into conversation soon finds himself settling and quieting.

This is the second M/M book I’ve read in the last couple weeks, and while I don’t seek them out as stand alones, I love the way they sit within the series in which they occur. This one had a great build up of feeling rather than characters jumping into bed together, for those who are hesitant to read M/M from that perspective.

I liked the bridge that Cory’s dogs played in bringing these two men together. Jude has a quiet confidence that speaks even to the most challenging of Cory’s dogs, to the point where Chopper begins seeking out Jude long before the men have had more than a few one-sided conversations.

At some point in this one, I just wanted things to move a little bit faster. I spent a lot of the time wondering what else was going to happen, because for a while it seemed their only hold-up was Jude’s reluctance to open up. But when he began to let Cory in, the reason behind his taciturn nature and his reluctance to open up made so much more sense.

This had a good mix of elements: quiet threats, an MC influence, the mystery of Jude’s past. I liked the way characters from previous books made their presence known, through the shop scenes, and their weekly meetups after work. There is some tension running in the background between Emmy and Tristan at the animal shelter, and I am looking forward to their story and others.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Promise Me This (Book 4)