Reviewed by Nikyta

TITLE: Eli’s Promise
SERIES: The Bar Next Door #2
AUTHOR: Lissa Matthews
PUBLISHER: Samhain Publishing
LENGTH: 95 pages
BLURB: Time and distance have a way of sneaking up on feelings thought long buried.

Five years ago, Eli held the hand of his dying lover and made a promise he never intended to keep. Find someone new to love? Be happy? Fat chance. Eli’s happiness died that day. He’s doing well to put one foot in front of the other, much less risk his heart again.

The only thorn in his side is Asa, part-time waiter at The Bar Next Door, who can’t seem to take a hint.

After years of carrying more responsibility on his broad, cowboy shoulders than most people twice his age, Asa knows what he wants when he sees it. Eli. Shadows haunt the gorgeous older bartender, who also happens to be one of Asa’s bosses, but Asa doesn’t care about potential complications. He only wants to banish Eli’s ghosts—and bring Eli back to life.

Persistence, a little impatience, and Asa’s very wicked mouth go to work on Eli’s grumpy, prickly defenses. But Asa may have to block the door to love with his foot—or his heart—before Eli slams it in his face.

Click here for Nikyta’s review of Malachi’s Word!

REVIEW:

Asa and Eli have been circling around each other since Asa was hired to work as a waiter in Eli and Malachi’s bar. Asa knows exactly what he wants and always makes sure that Eli understands his intentions. The attraction between the two is strong but one thing is in their way – Eli doesn’t want to move on. After losing his partner years ago, he’s had no intentions of getting over Thad but Asa proves too much of a temptation. If Asa pushes enough, will Eli finally give? Or will Eli hurt not only himself but Asa too if he doesn’t fulfill the promise he made to Thad?

We first meet Eli and Asa in Malachi’s Word. Eli is Malachi’s best friend and business partner while Asa is one of the waiters at The Bar Next Door. I knew when I read Malachi and Danny’s story that I immediately wanted to read Eli and Asa’s story. While Eli was a sweet, enlightening friend to Malachi, he was also grumpy and snappy and takes no bullshit. The only person who can get under his skin is Asa, the sexy as sin cowboy. I loved Asa and his ability to know exactly how far he could push Eli to make progress but also knew when to back off. Eli needs Asa and Asa recognizes that and is willing to give Eli what he needs. I liked that Eli was so vulnerable but such a hardass as well and I absolutely adored the fact that Asa knew exactly what Eli needed. The two together are perfect and I really liked the connection they had.

At the same time, my biggest issue is the length of the story. It’s longer than Malachi’s Word, thankfully, but it’s not as in depth as it could have been. We get to know the characters a little better but I still feel like they’re a mystery by the end of the story. I really wished this had been longer and more fleshed out because I just loved the way the author handled Asa and Eli. One thing I did love about this story, though, is the glimpse into Malachi and Danny’s, more specifically into their fathers’, lives. Soooooo cute and totally loved that!

All in all, I enjoyed this story more than the previous one but I still feel like they could have been longer. I love all the characters and I do enjoy the plots but they’re lack of depth really hinders the story. I can’t wait to read the next one in this series and really hope it’ll be about Abe!

Nikyta rates it –

BUY LINKS: Samhain Publishing :: Amazon