Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Dakota Landry just got out of prison after twelve years. If anyone can understand how that feels, it’s his new friend, Sage, who is determined to help him get used to life on the outside—and believes Dakota didn’t commit the crime he was in for.
Jayden Wilson is a former prosecutor who agrees to look into the case at the request of Sage’s lover, Adam. He sets out to prove Dakota is just another “innocent” ex-con, but once they meet, Jayden is more and more convinced Dakota just didn’t do what everyone thinks he did.
Trouble follows Dakota, and nothing is easy as he struggles to figure out how to live, now that he has choices. And Jayden isn’t sure how Dakota, or any lover for that matter, fits into his life. Their path from friendship to romance is a slow one, but Dakota begins to believe he deserves a chance at life, and Jayden falls a little more for Dakota every day. Now they just need to tell each other how they feel.
The Release series from BA Tortuga has followed individuals, in this case a young man, released from prison and their adjustment to freedom. The second story, The Articles of Release (The Release #2), varied slightly from this format, in that the person was adjusting to civilian life who came into the circle of friends containing the original couple of Adam (Win) Winchester and Sage Redding from Terms of Release. But here in Catch and Release, Tortuga returns to her heartrending baseline of a teen thrown into prison, in this case an innocent, for twelve years on a trumped up case of rape. This author doesn’t shy away from exactly what those years entailed for Dakota. We may not get the raw details, but what the author delivers is gut wrenching enough. Laundry whore, scars, first night in prison. Its enough to make you run and find the commode yourself. And it should be as these facts of prison life are delivered matter of factly by Dakota when asked. Yes, there are some nightmares but after 12 years? He’s had to come to terms. Well, you’ll get the picture. Now its freedom that’s scary, returning to a life of choices, change and constant judgement.
This story and these characters pack an emotional punch that hits you not only in the heart but then goes for the mental hit too. It makes you think about your own judgements about the judicial system and prison sentences. About the percentages of innocent people that actually are incarcerated and the high price they pay. Dakota comes alive here and stands in for all those who have paid such a price. Trust me when I say his story will make your heart weep with the pain his character has suffered because you know that there are those who have gone/are going through the exact same thing. Tortuga has done her research well.
As Dakota struggles through his adjustment, with help from Sage, Jayden, and others, you are standing along side him, hoping for a better life and maybe even justice. I liked how frank the discussions were between Dakota and Jayden, nothing hidden. How could there be when the scars are carved into your body? And your files something Jayden has access to? No, everything here is adult, realistic and believable. Even some parts at the end, where I wanted to say, ‘no, you can’t leave it at that’, made me acknowledge the fact that things don’t end up with everyone getting the answers they wanted, all tidy and neat. Life’s not like that. And for this story to stay raw, gritty and real, that ending had to stay that way too.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved that ending. You will too. But some of you will want it to be perfect. And it can’t. As Dakota would say, you can’t take back 12 years in prison. That doesn’t go away. He will always be an ex-con with those experiences in his head and on his body. Fair? No, but that’s life. What’s joyful is the journey that Tortuga had him make after prison that led to love and a better life.
The Release series just keeps getting better with each story. I can’t recommend Catch and Release (The Release #3) and the series itself highly enough. That goes for B.A. Tortuga too.
Cover art by Bree Archer is alright, but it seems more generic than pertinent to the story and character.
Sales Links
Book Details:
ebook, 230 pages
Expected publication: December 19th 2016 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1634778863 (ISBN13: 9781634778862)
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesThe Release
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 