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Rory & Jack #2

An Easter Promise

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A springtime love story.

It’s time to meet the family. . .

Rory Kincaid’s in a spin. He’s leaving his London life to spend Easter deep in the countryside with boyfriend Jack De Lacy – and Jack’s wealthy, aristocratic family. Rory’s under pressure to make a good impression, but with no class, connections, or money, he’s not so sure he’ll be welcomed with open arms – especially when they find out how he and Jack met.

. . .but will the family want to meet Rory?

Jack’s convinced his family will love Rory as much as he does, but it’s not the plain he thought it would be. With their age-old traditions, it’s not long before Rory’s presence is sending ripples through the calm waters of the De Lacy’s settled, rural life.  

It’s a testing time for Rory and Jack. Can they convince Jack’s family that two men from opposite sides of the class barrier can be not only who the other wants, but needs?


***Warning: this book contains a village fete bake-off for the coveted Golden Ribbon, a cuddliest pet competition, and the undying devotion of a dog called Badger***


An Easter Promise is a 42,000 word short novel.


163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2019

43 people are currently reading
69 people want to read

About the author

A.E. Ryecart

22 books112 followers
A born and bred Londoner, she may have moved to someplace more leafy but the city is still very much part of her DNA, which is why her books are set in and around present-day London, providing a thrilling, metropolitan backdrop to the main action.


https://www.facebook.com/AE-Ryecart-1...

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5 stars
98 (43%)
4 stars
83 (37%)
3 stars
35 (15%)
2 stars
5 (2%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Ula'ndi Hart.
987 reviews15 followers
October 2, 2020
Overall book rating: 3.5
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 3.5

I didn't feel the warm and fuzzies like the first one. But I still enjoyed it.
Not so fond of Jack's mom there
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,444 reviews194 followers
December 1, 2021
Just like the first one, this is short and to the point with a lot happening in just a few pages. I enjoyed Jack and Rory being solid in this one. I did not enjoy Jack's mother as much.

After having been a couple for a couple of months, Jack and Rory are finally traveling to meet Jack's parents. Jack is sure that his family will welcome Rory with open arms and an open mind. Rory, is not as sure. What follows is some ridiculous easter traditions, family drama and some very sweet love growing between Rory and Jack. On the the next and finally book about Rory and Jack.
Profile Image for J.
1,561 reviews37 followers
January 2, 2024
Not as sweet as the first book, as we had to put up with Jack's mother a LOT. She was a bit of the stereotypical busybody, putting her nose into places where she didn't need to. She was a bit tiresome after a while. Then there was the manufactured drama near the end (not between Jack and Rory, thankfully) that was just OTT for me. Still, this was a nice read and I like the MCs a good bit.
Profile Image for Len Evans Jr.
1,503 reviews224 followers
April 26, 2019
I need more stars! A gave "A Kiss Before Christmas", book one of this series 5 stars back in December when I read it. As good as that book was, this book surpasses it by leaps and bounds. So now I find myself with a dilemma... I need more stars! I'd like to give this book 10 stars, but sadly 5 is the most Goodreads and Amazon have built in, so here are my additional 5 over the top Rory's Chocolate Caramel Cherry Brownie Stars *****. This book was such an incredible thrill ride of laughs and tears that I know I will be revisiting it and its predecessor each year and possibly even more often. The addition of Jack's family of characters added a whole new layer of richness and complexity to this story. Book One was about a couple... this book is about a family! What a truly amazing experience reading this story was! Oh and as an added incentive... Yes at the end of the book the author does give us the recipe for Rory's Chocolate Caramel Cherry Brownies and you can be sure I will be trying it out in the very near future!
Profile Image for Vfields Don't touch my happy! .
3,500 reviews
January 13, 2020
“I will say the ending was a bit abrupt and I really could’ve done with more story in general like...the next twelve months. I guess that’s just me, she sucked me in enough that I wanted to know where we could go with these interesting characters.”- This is what I wrote last winter concerning the first book in the series. So Thank you for this follow up.
First, Jack you must get a grip. Rory is a big boy.
Second, Rory speak up for yourself more.
I liked the little village and its happenings. The family and their bumpy road to getting to know each other was entertaining. Oh and the dogs were on point
Profile Image for George.
628 reviews71 followers
April 15, 2022
4- Stars

Even though I hadn’t read A Kiss Before Christmas, the first book in Ali Ryecart’s ‘Rory & Jack’ series, the basic events of that fateful Christmas Eve meeting between Rory Kincaid and Jack De Lacy are sufficiently explained in An Easter Promise to make this second book in her series work perfectly well as a stand alone novella.

With the exception of Jack’s mother, Lady Diana De Lacy, An Easter Promise is a delightful read. In the end, even Diana becomes almost human.

While there’s never any doubt how the story will end, the events of Rory’s first visit to meet Jack’s aristocratic family in their Devonshire manor home, were great fun to devour. Ryecart's secondary characters and the the situations in which she places them could not have been better.

Of course any book with a golden retriever puppy, in this case a fluffy Golden named, Badger, is bound to have me hooked from the beginning.
Profile Image for Sandra .
1,984 reviews348 followers
January 18, 2023
So this was somewhat disappointing, which sequels often are. There was just nothing much happening plot-wise, and what plot could be found inside was basically family drama. I did like that Jack stood by Rory no matter what, and that he stood up to his mother when she was out of line.

But yeah, it's basically family drama with a couple of humorous moments and Easter festivities.

Love the MCs, though. Pure perfect love. Almost too perfect, perhaps.
Profile Image for Robert Fontenot.
2,051 reviews29 followers
January 15, 2022
While it's great to see Rory and Jack on solid ground and equal footing in their relationship, parts of this were repetitive and felt manufactured. Also, It's weird to see that Jack has been researching a rather major project without even discussing it with Rory first.
Profile Image for Sandy Kay.
766 reviews60 followers
January 2, 2026
Delightful! Rory and Jack's story continues.

The formerly unhomed Rory and the completely smitten Jack are still shacking up in Jack's flat and have been there for months now. Rory found work in a cafe. Jack...might...be a bit wealthier than he's ever let on, and now it's time to take Rory home to meet the family...

By a bit wealthier, I mean there could—COULD, mind you—be titles involved...

I absolutely love the commoner beloved being brought home to meet the family, especially when the family isn't quite sure he should be given a chance and has to test him, and he's so gloriously awesome that it makes them look bad. I'm looking at you, Jonty Bloom book 2, one of my favorites of that scenario (by Barbara Elsborg, for anyone else who adores it). This has shades of Jonty, with Rory taking one look at the estate Jack is bringing him to and about falling over in disbelief, then being examined and tested and pushed into participating in the local scene and a baking contest overseen by the lord and lady of the manor, aka, Jack's parents. This was so much fun, and seeing Rory be true to himself and win over everyone because he's amazing was great.

of course Jack isn't happy with how Rory's treated, and stands by his man, and there's a dramatic disappearance and rescue including a fabulous dog, and it just...was such a good time. These two are terrific together and I can't wait to read the next novella.

HEA, commoner meets the (rich titled) parents, shenanigans ensue. Cheers for Jack's sister, she was awesome and supportive all the way. And I loved that his parents weren't caricatures...I understood their doubts, even if the way they went about testing Rory wasn't the greatest. No OM action, some OM drama from that awful ex, but he gets the boot for good this time, no more doubts. Safe for me! Recommended. And so cute and sweet.
Profile Image for Grammy 1.
805 reviews18 followers
March 22, 2020
4****1/2 Stars
Novella: A Kiss Before Christmas,
Novella: An Easter Promise
Novella : Christmas Wedding
Series: Rory and Jack #1 #2 and #3
Author: A.E. Ryecart
Publisher: Self Published
Genre: Romance
Rated: Mature LGBTQ
Pages: 157
Released: Nov 15, 2018, April 16, 2019, and Nov 19, 2019

I love Ali Rycart….I have read and reviewed the Deviant Hearts Series and her Barista Boys Series previously….A Kiss Before Christmas and An Easter Promise I somehow missed. When I saw the third of the Trilogy came out November 2019, I grabbed all three to read the entire trilogy.

For those of us who are hunkered down during the World’s Medical Pandemic, you are certainly lucky to get to read these to while away the days; if you have kindle unlimited you also can read these free free.
Book #2 An Easter Promise

***Warning: this book contains a village fete bake-off for the coveted Golden Ribbon, a cuddliest pet competition, and the undying devotion of a dog called Badger***

It’s Easter and Jack has invited Rory home to meet his family. We had noted that Jack was brought up in a more upper class setting than Rory had. The De Lacey ‘family house’ in the country and clothing needed for the event has made both mine and Rory’s head spin. Jack is sure that his family will love Rory just as he does. This trip I knew would be trouble and our author didn’t disappoint. The ‘Estate” was mind boggling, Rory really was better than I would have been, him realizing Jack was like a Prince…….

The backlash from a mother protecting her young was not surprising but to his credit Jack handled it better than most. I loved the small town and its respect for history. The relationship between Jack and Rory is still sweet and growing….Loved this Book 2

Profile Image for Nese's reads.
340 reviews14 followers
April 28, 2019
I adored Rory and Jack's first book, about how they met and got together.
It was a pretty emotional and thought provoking story, that ended beautifully.

In this follow up story we delve more into Jack's background and family.
This is where the story blossomed for me, the aristocratic family with a stoic
matriarch , and lots of traditions. Loyal dogs, very energetic nephews,
a hard working housekeeper, a huge mansion, even their very own village and church.
Lots and lots of points that had poor Rory shaking in his wellies.
Jack had his work cut out to keep his man from running,
especially after a heated discussion with his stern mother.

The best part of this story was the local village fete,
there were so many delightfully eccentric characters, and competitions.
Page after page had me chuckling at the idiosyncrasies of the locals.
Who knew that there was so much politics involved in a village fete ?

This story was a delightful and humours look at a very British life.
The life of the gentry with land and villagers and many out dated traditions.
However in the heart of it all was a family with strong connections and
love for each other. It was hard for Rory to try and win their hearts as much
as it was hard for Jack to walk a tight rope of family expectations.

An enjoyable and heart warming story.
1,787 reviews26 followers
July 31, 2019
Double Feature

This review covers both books in the "Rory & Jack" series since they so far are apart in theme and action that it only seems fair to bring it all together on the same page.

First of all, this is a wonderful couple of novellas. The first one hints at Jack's society status and how awful Rory's life has been until Jack found him homeless and huddled on his doorstep. There is a growing fondness for each other which they manage to develop during a fake-boyfriend stint which is basically the cocoon of the narrative. There is no sex, and that may disappoint some readers but the last page gives us a glance into what is to come at Easter.

The second book is a beautifully drawn, somewhat angsty, and eventually fitfully frightening experience for both Rory and Jack who are now together and set out to visit Jack's family home for Easter after being snowed out of their trip for Christmas.

This story brings us more intimate moments between the two and a quite believable display of courage and stubbornness on both their parts. It also pierces the calm demeanors of Jack's mother and father who are perfectly drawn as wealthy, powerful, but basically normal folk who scare the life out of Rory until he decides, with Jack's help, that no one is better than anyone just because of their wealth and public standing.

There are encounters and near tragic developments which move the story along in this edition, and you know there will be a HEA rather than an HFN, but the Epilogue is truly gifted and just makes you want to do a jig.
Profile Image for Mandy.
4,910 reviews46 followers
March 8, 2023
Rory Kincaid is about to meet his boyfriend Jack De Lacy's family on a visit over Easter to their countryside home. As Jack's family is wealthy and aristocratic Rory feels under pressure to make a good impression even though he has no class, connections or money, especially considering how they met. Jack expects his family to love Rory as much as he does but it is not so plain sailing as just by being there Rory will send ripples through their settled rural lives. In a testing time for Rory and Jack. Can they convince Jack’s family that two men from opposite sides of the class barrier can be not only who the other wants, but needs?

I loved this story which was definitely fiery at times but throughout the love that Jack and Rory had was clear and shone through. Even after all the rows and discussions I loved the way that the family came together in order to make sure that they had the chance at the future together that they both desperately wanted. Easy to read, feel and understand. This short MM book contains mature content and contains a village fete baking competition, the cuddliest pet competition and the undying devotion of a dog called Badger.
Profile Image for Xanthe.
2,531 reviews46 followers
April 25, 2019
A wonderful follow up to Rory and Jack's first story. You can easily feel the love they have for each other through Ali's writing and there's a rollercoaster of emotion that both men go through in this story with each other and individually and I was fully along for the ride.
It was good to read the world that Jack came from and how Rory's introduction to Jack's family goes. With them coming from such different backgrounds there were bound to be some questions and who better than family to bring it all up.
There are some great new character's we meet in Jack's family, strong, opinionated and very entertaining. I felt for Rory on several occasions but it was good when he had those moments to connect with Jack again. And Badger has become my new favourite dog :-)
I'd recommend first reading A Kiss Before Christmas as it will help to give understanding to Jack and Rory's history and this makes for a lovely read, a chance to catch up with much loved characters.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Profile Image for L.D..
1,578 reviews1 follower
December 28, 2020
An Easter Promise is the second book in the Rory and Jack series, a contemporary romance that takes place right after the first book. Rory and Jack are now an established couple who have found happiness with each other, but now Rory will finally meet Jack’s wealthy family. Meeting the family is always nerve wracking for anyone, but Rory also struggles with feelings of inadequacy and insecurity. However, despite all the ups and downs that Rory and Jack experience during their visit, they still have a solid and strong relationship that’s full of tenderness and sweetness.

The audiobook was narrated by Dan Calley who narrated the first book in the series. Dan has a wonderful voice and did a really great job with the performance of this audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to this book and the audiobook production was well done.
3,546 reviews38 followers
April 19, 2019
This is a wonderful extension of Rory and Jack's story. They've come to Devonshire to celebrate Easter...which leads to Rory meeting Jack's family for the first time.

Village politics are addressed when Rory is entered into the Bake-Off at Jack's mom request and humor is injected as they judge the Cutest Pet contest. Jack's mom struggles to accept Rory as she tries to accept that her son is an adult, and has the skills and emotions, in place to make decisions for himself. Jack's dad and sister are drawn into the skirmish, especially when Jack tells them his and Rory's plans for the future.

An HEA that is richly deserved!

Profile Image for Fay MMBookworm.
3,077 reviews67 followers
April 21, 2019
4.5 stars.🌟 A great adventure story as I felt for Rory and Jack and their journey together wasn't easy. Hopefully after the ending they'll have smooth sailing..lol The finish of this is one of drama but they find there calm waters and thing workout especially with Jack's mother.
Rory is still adjusting to Jack's status and thinks he's not good enough to be with Jack. The scenes that follow when there at Jack's parents place were tough for them both to deal with.  I loved the boating and navigating metaphors included.

A continuing story of Jack and Rory from "A Kiss Before Christmas" which was a great book. Now 4 months on they where visiting Jacks parents.
Profile Image for Raven and Chris.
3,288 reviews30 followers
August 13, 2022
Finding home

Oh this one was so good. I think it was even better than the first one. Jack has blinders on when it comes to his home, but bringing Rory opens his eyes in a not pleasant way. Rory is determined to make nice and get to know the De Lacy family, even if the matriarch isn’t all that keen on him. I love his attitude and his determination to win over Jack’s family and not be a wedge between them. Diana may think she is just speaking her mind about what is honest for her youngest son, but she is being far from the open minded person her son thought she was. This was so well written and I loved this part of Jack and Rory’s story. I can’t wait to see the HEA.
Profile Image for Joseph.
788 reviews4 followers
December 16, 2020
This is the second of three books in the Rory and Jack series. It was good - meeting the in laws is always something interesting! But I didn’t think this one was as good as the first one. I really didn’t like Jack in this one. He was a bit naive, not overly thoughtful to Rory and how this visit would affect him and it just wasn’t my favorite. That being said, I love Rory and the story overall was worth it!
Profile Image for SJ.
2,379 reviews15 followers
July 18, 2025
the story continues

Continuing on from book one, Rory and Jack continue on together. A visit to Jacks parents has Rory feeling terrified and like a fish out of water. Agreeing to tell Jacks parents how they met doesn’t help. A beautiful storyline low steam medium angst well written gave me the feels, happy sad angry and scared. I am Looking forward to reading the final instalment
Profile Image for Lorraine.
955 reviews11 followers
May 2, 2019
A lovely Easter treat

This is the second part of Rory and Jack's story and takes place over an Easter holiday. Having been together since Christmas, this book tells of the awaited trip to visit Jack's family and all the ups and downs which occur. It was a really enjoyable read and I particularly loved the epilogue as it finished the story nicely.
Profile Image for Manfred.
799 reviews48 followers
December 25, 2019
First, I found the story lacking a plot and some drama, the little plot there was felt repetitive, at the end when there was some drama I didn't like it either. It was exaggerated and offered a convenient solution to the family problems.
This was not a terrible story, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one.
3 stars and for the moment I don't think I will continue with part three...
Profile Image for Maureen.
3,720 reviews39 followers
August 29, 2023
A touching but stress filled tale in the continuing story of Rory and Jack. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first but it was a nice enough read. Jack's slightly pompous and very judgmental mother could give you heartburn, but the father more than makes up for it, and let's not forget Badger, the sweetest dog who fell in love with Rory.
Profile Image for Patti.
989 reviews7 followers
September 22, 2019
Sweet.

A very sweet follow up story for Rory and Jack. There are some tense and awkward moments when Rory meets Jack's family especially when Jack's mum finds out how they met. An incident on the moors shakes them all. I enjoyed this. A great ending too.
Profile Image for Tj.
2,225 reviews68 followers
April 16, 2022
Cute short story. I admit I haven't read the first book and I assume it would have helped to enjoy this book more. There are lots of interesting, humorous items occurring. Overall it just was a sweet, low angst story.
Profile Image for DeeNeez.
2,004 reviews13 followers
December 8, 2024
I loved this sequel to Jack and Rory’s story. Rory finally meets Jacks family, Sir Roger and Lady Diana for the Easter Fete, from the manor house to the village traditions. Rory feels he needs to prove himself worthy of Jack.
Profile Image for Shawna (endemictoearth).
2,335 reviews33 followers
December 5, 2019
This has a higher overall rating than the first book, but this is the book where things get sticky. A little too much stickiness for my liking, but I am looking forward to reading the conclusion.
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