Despite his degrees in physics and teaching, Jared Thomas lives in the small town he grew up in and works at the hardware store he owns with his brother and sister-in-law.  He’s basically content with his life, but he gets lonely.  Then Matt Richards, the town’s new police officer, comes to the hardware store to look at the Jeep Jared’s sister-in-law is selling, and Jared thinks he might have found a friend.  Jared’s gay and Matt’s straight, but Jared’s so happy to have met a kindred spirit he doesn’t care—at least at first.  Will Jared’s growing feelings, and Matt’s obvious confusion, ruin everything?

I really enjoyed Promises.  Marie Sexton takes the friends-to-lovers and seemingly straight guy tropes and turns them into a story that’s emotional, dramatic, and has just the right amount of angst and conflict.  Even the fact that the narration is first person (from Jared’s point of view) didn’t diminish my enjoyment of Promises.  Outwardly confident and secure in his sexuality, but inwardly conflicted and afraid, Jared is a great character.  Having lived in a small town myself, I couldn’t help sympathizing with his feelings of isolation at being different.  Matt is also a realistic and sympathetic character.  He’s a good cop and friend, and he does an admirable job of ignoring the whispers about his friendship with Jared.  His confusion about his sexuality, and his relationship with his parents and coworkers, lead him to make some hurtful decisions, but I understood why he made the choices he did (even when I wanted to slap him).  The conflicts, both internal and external, are well done.  The small-town setting is nicely drawn too.  Secondary characters, Jared’s brother and sister-in-law, Matt’s family, Matt’s fellow police officers, and others, help to explain a lot of the aspects of the story we wouldn’t ordinarily get to see through a first-person narrator’s eyes.  At different points, Promises made me smile, laugh, frown, and even tear up a few times.  I felt emotions right along with Jared and Matt.  Not too many books have made me do that lately, but Promises more than lived up to its title.  I’ll definitely be seeking out more of Ms. Sexton’s work.