A MelanieM Review: Cherish the Land (Lang Downs #5) by Ariel Tachna

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Sequel to Conquer the Flames
Lang Downs: Book Five

Seth Simms never wanted to be a cowboy, although to listen to his best friend, Jason Thompson, tell it, he isn’t one. He just happens to have lucked out in coming to live on Lang Downs with his brother ten years ago. He found enough stability to finish high school and go off to university, but he never really believed Lang Downs would be the same haven for him that it had become for so many others. He’s too messed up in the head. No one would accept someone with his issues.

All his life, Jason has had one goal: to come home to Lang Downs as resident veterinarian when they need his skills and jackaroo when they don’t. And it means he gets to spend time with Seth during his occasional visits, even though his dream of going from friends to lovers is hopeless since Seth is straight.

When Seth unexpectedly comes home to stay, Jason takes it as the boon it is. But juggling a relationship with another jackaroo and his friendship with Seth isn’t easy, and that’s before Jason realizes how deep Seth’s issues run and how dangerously Seth chooses to cope with them.

With Ariel Tachna’s Cherish The Land, another heartwarming series comes to a close and does so beautifully. I have never been to Australia (a long held desire) but I have felt like I have been transported there by several authors and their incredible stories, including Ariel Tachna’s Lang Downs series. My introduction to Lang Downs, a cattle station in the Northern Territory, came with Inherit the Sky (Lang Downs, #1). With that story Ariel Tachna brought Lang Downs Station, the men that love and live on it, and the “close to nature” lifestyle inherent with living on land that is both beautiful and extreme. By the end of that amazing story, I felt that not only did I know these men but that I had spent actual time at Lang Downs, getting a feel for the land and the roll call of seasons that sweep over it.

Now through five stories, it comes to an end, and it sort of breaks my heart to let it and all these couples go. But just as in nature, there is a natural cycle to things, so it happens here. Tachna takes most of the loose plot stories and floating characters and brings them home, whether to Lang Downs or somewhere close by and does it in the manner that all the previous stories have been written-gentle, persuasive and loving.

There are no explosions here, just a narrative that moves with the unstoppable progression and a quietness that is so unflinching, so natural that the events seem as though they were written in the red dust of the land covers all that enters it. Lang Downs has always been a sanctuary…for gay men, for those in need of safety and acceptance. Seth Simms accepted that haven once, with his brother, Chris Simms of Chase the Stars (Lang Downs #2) years ago. But he left for heartbreaking reasons. And those same reasons are now pulling him home. Seth is a vulnerable character, his fears deep and his pain secret. Its affect on him has become one of shame and withdrawal. I had forgotten over the course of the series how complicated Seth was and this story renews that believable characterization once more.

Jason Thompson was an original member of the first story along with his family. He has grown tremendously (including his age as well as depth) as each book appeared and fully takes his place as a main character here. I have always loved him and his family, never more so than in the events that occur here with Seth, who is such a damaged soul.

All the couples get pulled into the tragedy that occurs (all too commonplace in the removed outback), and the situation as it works itself out and resolves was one that I had hoped would lead to an all new series, not an end to this one. Ah well….

What happens involves the adjacent station run by the rigid and homophobic brother of Jeremy Taylor who now lives at Lang Downs, along with his lover, manager Sam Emery of Outlast the Night (Lang Downs #3). Also involved? Thorne Lachlan and Ian Duncan of Conquer the Flames (Lang Downs #4). Each has an important role at Lang Downs and each has an important part to play as this final installment rolls out. Did I say how much I will miss them all? Yes indeed, and that includes all the various dogs, cats and horses that have appeared to become part of the family as well.

Did all the loose plot threads get resolved? Did all the characters find their HEA? No, realistically so. And while that lead to a small amount of frustration with this story, it also serves to keep hope alive that Ariel Tachna might revisit this series once more to update us on all the lives and goings on of the people of Lang Downs and beyond. Hope is good, right?

Haven’t read this series yet? Need a new contemporary saga to fall in love with? I absolutely recommend Ariel Tachna’s Lang Downs series and Cherish the Land (Lang Downs #5). The writing is evocative and seamless. The images deeply moving and sometimes emotionally shattering. And the love these men feel for each other and the land flows off the pages and into your hearts in stories you won’t easily forget in books its hard to put down. Here’s hoping this won’t be the last time to journey to Lang Downs and men I adore.

Cover art by Anne Cain is simply beautiful as it has been for each book in the series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It here

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published June 8th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press LLC
ISBN139781634760881
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
seriesLang Downs #5

Books in the Lang Downs Series in the order they were written and should be read are:

Inherit the Sky (Lang Downs, #1)
Chase the Stars (Lang Downs, #2)
Outlast the Night (Lang Downs #3)
Conquer the Flames (Lang Downs #4)
Cherish the Land (Lang Downs #5) – series finale

A MelanieM Review: Bulldust by D.J. Brumb

Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

Romance is lost and found in the dusty emptiness of the Australian outback, where love and friendship prove stronger than the harsh environment.

During a violent storm at sea on an immigrant ship bound for Australia, young British student, Paul Canfield, meets and falls in love with Mike Armstrong, an adventurous American on his way to Port Hedland in the far north to work at his father’s mining concerns.

Due to a disastrous event, Mike is injured and lost in the vast and hostile desert. He is found by a roving tribe of aborigines and nurtured back to almost complete health.

Paul is determined to trace the tracks of his lost lover and undergoes many varied and perilous adventures on his quest to bring Mike back.

Bulldust by D.J. Brumb starts off with a Prologue in the year 2012. Paul and Mike are living in South Beach, CA and Mike has an accident and is transported to the hospital where Paul waits to see what happened to him. Chapter 1 flashes back to 1956. Paul and his family are on board the passenger ship MV Georgic. His parents are emigrating from Liverpool to Australia and this ship is taking them to their new home. The voyage has become turbulent and Paul is saved from falling overboard by American Mike Armstrong. Mike is also headed to Australia to work in one of his father’s mining concerns. From moment, the two young men become inseparable during the voyage, discovering not only that both are gay but that they are seriously attracted to one another.

Brumb is quick to authenticate the era the boys meet in. Mike is reading Nevil Shute’s A Town Like Alice (a favorite of mine) which was published in 1950. The ship is detailed down to the chairs bolted on the deck and the passage it takes from England to Australia is well documents as it sails through the Straits of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean toward Malta and on to Port Said and the Suez Canal. The author is meticulous in their research and it shows. However instead of an exciting journey, the voyage felt more like a stuffy travelogue, an unfortunate side effect of a narrative that felt more like a “as told to” then one we are in the middle of experiencing. Which is a shame because this cruise and the places it passes by offer untold promise and excitement that is never fulfilled.

Mike and Paul become close on the trip and sexually intimate to the point that saying goodbye at the end is heartbreaking for both. Perhaps not the reader but the main characters certainly. For me, I never could get invested in their relationship. It felt lacking any charisma or sex appeal or life for that matter. The dry tone of the travelogue carried over into every part of this story, including the new relationship between Mike and Paul.

It doesn’t get any better when Mike rents a car to travel by himself up to the mining town, a perilous journey he takes blithely. When the boys separate so does the narrative and the story starts jumping back and forth between Mike and Paul’s point of view. Sometimes, in other books, this format is successful in allowing the reader to become intimate with the interior thoughts and feelings of each individual. And sometimes it just muddies the flow of the plot. In Bulldust, it was definitely a case of the latter.

As you can guess from the blurb, Mike is injured and lost. So lost that he and us lose all sight of what little we had learned about who he was and what he was doing there. Mike becomes someone else and that takes us away from our connection to him and his relationship with Paul, what little of it is left at this point. Plus there was the factor that this segment of the story contains one of the best possibilities for bringing us into the native aboriginal culture of Australia and fails utterly to make it fascinating and believable. Not that the author didn’t do the research…Brumb did. But it never comes alive or allows us to feel as though we are part of the story and Mike’s situation.

Meanwhile back at the city or wherever Paul finds himself, time passes in multiple ways until Paul decides to look for Mike. Dusty travels ensue, via railroad and other methods of transportation and so does the lifeless tone of the novel.

I so wished I liked this story more. That darn blurb hooked me in with all the sort of details that trigger my interest. But that blurb turned out to be the most exciting thing about this story. Loved the research, but barely made it through the narrative. Plus that Prologue and Epilogue which pulls us back to 2012 adds little to the story other than to put it in a modern context and act as its own spoiler because the men are together in the present day. So much for the suspense of if Paul will find Mike.

What Bulldust has in factual information and length, it missing its equal in vitality and connection. This story felt as dry as the outback without ever making us feel as though we had been there. So much promise lost, so much potential in the plot wasted. I certainly hope that the next story I read by this author contains the research as well as the ability to lose us in whatever story Brumb wants to tell and makes us believe it with all our hearts. I want to be transported in feeling instead of being told I was on a journey.

Art work by Christine Griffin. I sort of liked the “oldtimey” feel to the cover. Could have been one of those adventure novels of the 50’s. But it didn’t take that far enough, and finally falls flat.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

book, 150 pages
Published June 10th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632168931
edition languageEnglish

Cover Art by

Sales Links:

Book Details:

ebook, 150 pages
Published June 10th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632168931
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Lessons for Idle Tongues (Cambridge Fellows #11) by Charlie Cochrane

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Cambridge, 1910

Amateur detectives Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith seem to have nothing more taxing on their plate than locating a missing wooden cat and solving the dilemma of seating thirteen for dinner. But one of the guests brings a conundrum: a young woman has been found dead, and her boyfriend is convinced she was murdered. The trouble is, nobody else agrees.

Investigation reveals that several young people in the local area have died in strange circumstances, and rumours abound of poisonings at the hands of Lord Toothill, a local mysterious recluse. Toothill’s angry, gun-toting gamekeeper isn’t doing anything to quell suspicions, either.

But even with a gun to his head, Jonty can tell there’s more going on in this surprisingly treacherous village than meets the eye. And even Orlando’s vaunted logic is stymied by the baffling inconsistencies they uncover. Together, the Cambridge Fellows must pick their way through gossip and misdirection to discover the truth.

When I first fell in love with Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart in Charley Cochrane’s first Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, Lessons in Love (Cambridge Fellows, #1), I had no idea I was letting myself into a long time love affair with these characters and this amazing author. Yes, the attention to time period minutiae was perfection, as was the way the author folded it into the story. Yes, even the conversations were spiced up and made relevant to the era and social strata by the appropriate language and verbiage the author employed to great impact in her narrative. So much so I often had to resort to some research of my own to figure out what certain terms and slang meant to a modern-age American. Some of the elements of the story were steeped in English history and others simply in the English culture but whatever my temporary source of bafflement, my interest in this unique and fascinating couple never wavered…not once.

Orlando and Jonty were so very different in those early days. They had the struggle to adjust to each other’s presence, and then to each other’s attraction and then the unalterable fact they were falling into love…all during a time when this mean jail and often death. And it was carried out in the somewhat cloistered halls of St. Bride’s College, a place of high learning, occasional high spirits and hijinks until murder finds its way there. And then the sleuths were off on a perilous investigation that included self discovery and more than a little affection.

I have laughed and bawled my eyes out along the way as Jonty and Orlando moved through the years and the vagaries of their changing culture and historical events. And with each book, mystery, and time frame, I fell completely under their spell and forever in love. And that’s due to the superb talent and depth of characterization that Charley Cochrane employs.

Like punting along a waterway (as Jonty and Orlando are fond of doing), all can seem serene in one of the Cambridge Fellow Mysteries but it’s what lurks underneath that gives these characters and their stories such dimension and sometimes shocking humanity…and you would never suspect that its there, at least not at first. Because the civility and tone of the story and language lulls you into a state similar to a promenade or arm in arm stroll in the gardens. It’s a lovely feeling, carefree and delightful. Until murder strikes or some horrific fact pops up to let you know that the deep waters were there all the time and you were merely treading water.

Here in the 11th story, that is never more apparent. A simple mystery leads to the deeper, more complex one, and then the smoke and shadows of multiple lies or omissions lead Orlando and Jonty into a maze of betrayals, murder, and complicity. And even as Cochrane is leading us and our Cambridge Fellows on a deep and convoluted trail, she manages to allude to some of this series most horrific elements and facts with a deft turn of phrase or haunted look. I will tell you that Orlando can suffer from deep depression (a fact that figures greatly into the earlier stories). And that something extremely damaging happened to Jonty in his early days at boarding school. And nothing more. For those momentous discoveries, I will send you back to the beginning story and ask that you wind your own way through the various stages of their relationship and personal disclosures. It’s a journey not to be missed and one you will take again and again. And that knowledge will enhance your enjoyment here in Lessons for Idle Tongues (Cambridge Fellows Mysteries #11).

I didn’t figure out all the intelligent clues and facts strewn about the story. How I adore that! There are wonderful literary allusions, more terminology to investigate (Bertillon measurement, anyone), and that magnificent Stewart family as a whole to enjoy and revel in. I laughed, frowned in puzzlement, and throughly enjoyed myself at every page. And then started the story all over again. Lessons in Idle Tongues is amazing, Charley Cochrane’s writing is deftly accomplished, the pace sprightly for a complicated mystery, and the whole story comes together just as it should and will leave you still wanting more. Thank goodness, we are going to get it.

Can you read this as a stand alone story? Probably (I say with great reluctance). There is enough context here that you don’t need to have read the other stories to get great pleasure from Lessons for Idle Tongues. But that statement comes with a caveat…the same cannot be said for the earlier stories. This especially holds true for the books All Lessons Learned and Lessons for Survivors (#8 and #9). Remember as the men are moving into their relationship, the years are changing as is history. Those have to be the two most memorable books Cochrane has yet written for Orlando and Jonty. But their power and impact is built upon the foundation stones of the previous stories. Why not grab up all of them together and binge read? Riptide and Samhain Publishing are working together so that’s possible. Two new books and a complete set of stories…I love it! Charlie Cochrane’s Cambridge Fellows Mysteries remains one of my most highly recommended series. Lessons for Idle Tongues is a marvelous new addition to that amazing group of novels.

I have listed them all for you at the bottom. Use it as a checklist or TBR list, whatever works best for you. Don’t let this story or any of those books pass you by!

Cover art by Lou Harper does the couple and series justice. I love it!

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 241 pages

Published June 29th 2015 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626492714
edition language,English
url http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/lessons-for-idle-tongues
series Cambridge Fellows #1

Cambridge Fellows Mysteries in the order they were written and should be read (imo):

Get 30% off books 1-8 of the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, exclusively in a bundle from Samhain!

A MelanieM Review: Velocity (Flight HA1710 #2) by Sara York

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

The crash of Flight HA1710 brings life into focus for Phil Stewart. Before meeting Davin Tierney, love seemed only a myth to Phil, but one night in New York City changed everything, giving him something he didn’t even know existed. But Phil wasn’t comfortable saying I love you. During the crash, Davin suffers a brain injury, leaving him in a coma. Phil wonders how love can be so cruel to give him Davin and then take him away so suddenly.

Davin never intended to give Phil a second look, but Phil broke through barriers and made amazing overtures before stalling on the word love. The crash changes everything, and he’s no longer willing to play it safe, but can Phil actually change from the playboy Davin first met?

Velocity by Sara York is the second in the airline disaster series HA1710 from a group of writers. Six authors are telling the stories of six couples deeply impacted by this tragedy because they were on the plane when it went down or because they were closely connected to it. The idea behind this series is a moving and emotional one. Book one, Retrograde by RJ Scott, kicked off the series with a terrific installment from the surviving pilot’s POV. Now comes Sara York’s Velocity and we’re caught up in the aftermath from the perspective of a couple that were passengers on the flight who survived the crash…just.

The couple, Phil Stewart and Davin Tierney, are flying to Chicago from their home in Ireland in order for Davin to meet Phil’s mother, who’s health has left her unable to travel. Phil is taking their 6-month relationship to the next level and this indicates just how serious he is about David and their future together. Then the plane crashes shortly after takeoff.

The story opens a day after the crash. Phil is hospitalized with his injuries and desperate to find out what happened to Davin. Its one frantic, pain filled scene after another and its Phil’s anguish and uncertainty that pulls us into their story. We understand his panic and frustration with the hospital personnel, and the lack of information available since the crash is still so fresh. I thought this was actually the best section of the story. Its impact is immediate and deeply felt.

Interspersed with scenes from the present day activities and Phil’s attempts to find Davin, we get flashbacks to the night when player Phil first encounters Davin leaving a club in Chicago. Their first connection is electric and it changes their lives in an instant. That is especially true for Phil, who is a “love them and leave them” sort of individual. These scenes worked too. I believed in Phil and Davin’s bond and Phil’s surprise at the strength of his own feelings.

For the majority of Velocity, I found the story and the couple realistic and believable. Their plight was moving, and the situation around them had the authentic feel of the aftermath of a catastrophe. But then something almost indefinable occurs and the story and their relationship (or perhaps more realistically my interest in their relationship) started to wain. The narrative becomes a bit jumbled as the men try to pick up their lives again.

York only partially addresses the mental and emotional state of those who have just survived a tragedy of such enormous measure, the impact upon them felt fleeting and unbelievable. There is one scene that appears with an emotional explosion that lifts the ennui that has settled over the plot, which would be fine (and authentic) except the author has laid no foundation for it previously in her story. It comes out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly. And the fact that this element was a fascinating turn of events (one of the better ones), left this reader feeling frustrated at its promise and loss.

Velocity is a sweet story that had the potential of a terrific one, the promise of which dribbles away as the story moves to its conclusion. Still, I’m happy to have made Phil and Davin’s acquaintance and look forward to the next story in the series, Flashbulb by Clare London. We meet up with Rory Kendrick from RJ Scott’s story, Retrograde, in a moving scene at the hospital and I hope that’s an element we will have in each story as the investigation of the crash and the impact on peoples lives moves forward. I really like this series and can’t wait to see where the stories and characters go next.

If you love reading sweet M/M romance with a hint of angst, this story is for you.

Cover art by Meredith Russell is amazing. I love the way the artist has branded the series and yet still keep each cover individual in design. Great job.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 19th 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781310523052
seriesFlight HA1710 #2

Flight HA1710 series

6 authors, 6 primary works

When Flight HA1710 crashes killing seven people the after effects are too many to think on. But how does the crash change people’s lives? From the pilot to the guy who missed the plane we chart the stories of those whose lives were impacted by the crash.

Retrograde (Flight HA1710 #1) by R.J. Scott
Velocity (Flight HA1710 #2) by Sara York
Flashbulb (Flight HA1710 #3) by Clare London
Fallout (Flight HA1710 #4) by Meredith Russell
Aviophobia (Flight HA1710, #5) by Serena Yates
Fracture (Flight HA1710 #6) by Amber Kell

A MelanieM Review: Forging the Future (Change of Heart #5) by Mary Calmes

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Jin Church is back where he started, alone, wandering, and uncertain of his path. It’s not by choice but by circumstance, as he remembers he’s a werepanther… but not much else. He knows one thing for sure—he needs to find the beautiful blond man who haunts his dreams.

Logan Church is trapped in a living hell. His mate is missing, his tribe is falling apart, and he’s estranged from the son he loves with all his heart. His world is unraveling without his mate by his side, and he has no one to blame but himself.

If Jin can regain his memory and Logan can overcome the threats to his leadership, then perhaps they can resume their lives. The question is: Is that what they want? Back to the same house, the same tribe, the same troubles? They can choose from various roads leading to their future… or they can forge their own path.

When an author or publisher announces a book that ends a beloved series, it unleashes a flood of mixed feelings. Shock…the series is ending? Sadness…I love this series and can’t bear to seem them go. Happiness…I get to read about some of my favorite couples and characters. Fear…how will the series end and will I be happy? Anticipation…how will the author pull it all together and will I be content to let them go? Mary Calmes gave me the perfect answer to all my questions with Forging the Future, the last in the Change of Heart series.

I fell deeply and totally in love with Jin Raine and Logan Church, Mary Calmes’ panther shifters, from the moment I met them in Change of Heart (Change of Heart #1). Each character had such a rich and varied back history to them, it had a interesting location of Reno, Nevada, and the drama that swirled around them was layered, full of pain, discrimination, and race pride. I couldn’t get enough of them or their story. I read the book twice. Finished it the first time and started rereading it all over again. Yep, hooked.

But it wasn’t just the characters that drew me in, it was the fascinating culture and enthralling species history that Mary Calmes built book by book that had its origin in Egypt and egyptian mythology. Especially when the plot and characters ended up on Sobek, Egypt, ancestral home of their kind, then I was riveted. Calmes wove the plight of her characters (often horrific and gutwrenching) into the idea of Egyptian myths come alive and an ancient shifter tribe on the brink of change and the result was gripping and magnificent.

So what does Mary Calmes do with her last Jin and Logan story? She terrifies us! From the very first sentence, the reader is plunged into a living nightmare. It’s Jin at his most heartbreaking and horrific. Jin has been stripped of everything he fought so hard and so long to have. He’s alone, amnesiac, and heartsick, although he doesn’t know why. No Logan, no family or friends or tribe. Its chilling, and his panic and uncertainty becomes ours from the outset. And overtop of what Jin is feeling is the fact that we can imagine just what Logan and the others must be going through at Jin’s absence. Above all, the question looms for Jin and us….what the hell happened to blow everything to bits?

That answer comes slowly and with great suspense. Mary Calmes’ approach here is masterful. It is suspenseful, gripping, and excruciating in the anticipation it creates along the way. I loved it. And when the reunion comes, the scene explodes with just the sort of power and emotion we have come to expect from this story and characters. My heart was pounding along with Jin’s. But it doesn’t stop there but just starts gather more strength and energy as the pieces start to fall into place and Jin’s memory returns. I went back and forth reading and rereading passages for the shear amazement and total enjoyment that brought to me as a reader and fan of this series.

What else did I love? That the author brings her saga full circle, back almost to the beginning and then launches it upward with new direction and hope for the future. This story has all the elements I look forward to in a Change of Heart story and then some. Calmes gave us more mythology and also filled in some world building that was extremely practical and down to earth. Things made sense at the end. I found myself nodding “yes” at certain turning points and crosspaths in the narrative.

And it all made me want to go read it from the start all over again. Which I am going to do.

What can I say? I thought this was perfection. It ended better than I hoped, with a smile and laughter and utter joy in all the characters and the new future ahead for them all. Am I sorry its over? Absolutely. But did Mary Calmes give Jin, Logan, Yuri, and all the rest the ending they deserved? Without question. Change of Heart remains a series close to my heart and Forging the Future is one of the Best of 2015! I highly recommend this book and the entire series. Now you must excuse me, I have a series to reread!

Cover art by Anne Cain is just perfection. Perfect for the last cover in the series.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 180 pages
Expected publication: June 29th 2015 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781634763042
edition languageEnglish
seriesChange of Heart

Books in the Change of Heart series in the order they were written and should be read for character and plot development.

Change of Heart (Change of Heart, #1)
Trusted Bond (Change of Heart #2)
Honored Vow (Change of Heart, #3)
Crucible of Fate (Change of Heart, #4)
Forging the Future (Change of Heart, #5)

A MelanieM Review: Retrograde (Flight HA1710 #1) by R.J. Scott

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

Co-Pilot Lachlan Donaghue wakes up in hospital, a survivor of the crash of Flight HA1710, with memory loss and the suspicion that he could be at fault for the tragic accident. When everything becomes too much he is taken home to hide, back to the small Irish town he grew up in and to the home he once shared with Rory.

Rory Kendrick watches the news, sees every hour of the disaster unfold and somehow just knows that Lachlan was in the middle of it all. What he doesn’t know is that Lachlan will be forced to come back home to hide and to heal. Lachlan needs a friend, not a lover, but sometimes the lines are just too blurred to make any sense.

Retrograde by RJ Scott is the first in a new series that revolves around a doomed flight. Each story is told from the perspective of a survivor of the airline disaster and each story is written by a different author. I love series like this one because for each person we get a author with their own style of writing and take on characters.

RJ Scott was a terrific choice for the unfortunate co-pilot Lachlan Donaghue. Scott’s gift for characterization and ability to convey an intimate relationship is needed when one of the character’s caught in a mental and physical trauma that has cost him his memory and so many people their lives. We have to jump immediately over to his side and we do. Right from the start.

So much responsibility rests on his shoulders and he is unable to remember any of it…at first. Told from Lachlan’s POV, when Lachlan awakes in the hospital room, the world has become a painful, scary, guilt-ridden place where people are demanding answers from him that his traumatized mind can’t provide.

RJ Scott makes this man someone we immediately empathize with even though we know almost nothing about him. Lachlan hears the doubt in the investigator’s voice and the angry, loud accusations from the ever present reporters trying to invade his hospital room and temporary sanctuary. Lachlan doesn’t remember what happens…just that his friends and colleagues as well as passengers have died in the awful crash. Alone, aching and in unmeasurable mental anguish, Lachlan is easy to connect with. But he becomes someone we can love when his past arrives at his hospital room.

Rescue comes in the form of farmer Rory Kendrick, childhood friend and ex fiance. Rory offers Lachlan his support, his farm and “their house” as a place to recuperate and be safe as the investigation continues. Lachlan’s lack of memory doesn’t extend to their relationship and last fight that saw them split up. That painful time is something that Lachlan’s remembers all too well. RJ Scott takes us easily from their estranged present to their past and back again. She establishes a loving relationship that really hasn’t faltered no matter what angry words and stubbornness has passed between them. As a couple Rory and Lachlan are people we can love and do by the end of the story.

An ending that arrives too soon for me. I wanted to know more about what happens next and how the investigation was moving along. That will play out over the next stories and we will see it happen through various survivor’s eyes. I can’t wait for that to happen.

While each story stands on its own, I believe that reading them in order will round out the series narrative in the right way. I have listed them all at the bottom. Use it to add to your TBR pile as I have mine. I definitely recommend Retrograde by RJ Scott. It was a quick, dramatic and satisfying story. I loved the characters and the series format. Wonderful job all the way around.

Cover by Meredith Russell is perfect for the story and the series.

Sales Links: Love Lane Books ♦ All Romance (ARe) ♦ Amazon ♦ Buy It Here

Book Details:

Published by Love Lane Books Limited (first published June 12th 2015)
seriesFlight HA1710 #1

Flight HA1710 series

6 authors, 6 stories, 1 disaster

Retrograde (Flight HA1710 #1) by R.J. Scott
Velocity (Flight HA1710 #2) by Sara York
Flashbulb (Flight HA1710 #3) by Clare London
Fallout (Flight HA1710 #4) by Meredith Russell
Aviophobia (Flight HA1710, #5) by Serena Yates
Fracture (Flight HA1710, #6) by Amber Kell

A MelanieM Review: Scent of the Heart (Shifting Needs #2) by Parker Williams

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Casey Scott grew up being told he’d never amount to anything, and despite the unwavering love and support from his best friend, Jake, the idea sticks in the back of Casey’s mind. When he discovers he has a unique destiny in an enclave where shifters and humans live together, he seizes the chance, wanting for once in his life to be someone special.

Tsvetok Yerokhin lost his parents to the evil ruler of the enclave when he was a boy. The responsibilities of raising his two younger brothers nearly overwhelmed him and self- doubt took over. When the new Alpha and his Protector arrive in time to save his life, Sev is grateful, but he’s even more shocked when he scents his mate with them.

Casey isn’t prepared for the feelings that sweep over him when he meets Sev, but he refuses to act on them because he’s straight. Still, there is something so alluring about Sev that Casey can’t help being drawn to him.

As the two explore the edges of their new discovery, an evil returns, determined to control the enclave or destroy it. The Alpha and Protector are powerless to stop it, but Casey holds the key to victory. If he can discover what it is, he has a chance to save them all. To be the hero.

Unfortunately, the hero has to be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, and for Casey that means losing his heart.

Ever fallen in love with a secondary character? Maybe two? That happened for me in the first story of this series, Protector of the Alpha. It was there that I met Casey Scott, best friend of Jake Davis. Casey ends up getting pulled into the drama and heartbreak that surrounds his friend and Jake’s mate, Zak. The most human and confused of the three, he was the character who came across as the most accessible and vulnerable. A secondary character, Casey grew in strength and depth until by the end of the story, he was their equal.

Except in accessibility. In that area, he continued to surpass them just because he was the most human.

Especially at the end, where it seemed he was the unlikely target of the ire of a skunk, one who repeatedly sprayed him to the others endless amusement. Why was Casey the one who got “skunked”? The last paragraph supplied only part of the answer. This book does the rest. Who knew a skunk shifter could be so endearing? Apparently Parker Williams, that’s who.

With Scent of the Heart, Parker Williams continues to build his isolated shifter universe in Alaska, filling in more of its past history and current status with its village inhabitants. And for the most part, its a universe still on shaky ground. Once the false Protector took over, the place became the site of torture, depravation, and constant terror for most of those who lived under his rule. What that means exactly dribbles out in horrific details that surface throughout this story. It cements Elizar and his wolf enforcer Kell as evils that must be defeated at all possible cost and highlights just how desperate and essential it is that they, Jake, Zake, Casey and Hakim succeed in overthrowing him.

We bought into their mission and into these marvelous characters first, and now we see what has happened after they think they have achieved their goals. Pretty realistically, some things are working out great, others not so much. All three have resigned themselves to staying in Alaska. For the most past, they like their lives and have shouldered their responsibilities but Casey is missing a relationship of his alone. That answer to the hole in his heart is an endearing skunk shifter, Tsvetok Yerokhin aka Sev. Sev matches Casey in his vulnerability and engaging personality. But his past is full of pain and loss, just as Casey’s is, but in a vastly different way. That comes into focus when it becomes apparent that he is the guardian of his two younger brothers and had had to do things he is not proud of in order to keep them alive.

As if its not enough for them to adjust to all the changes going on in their lives, it turns out that they are mated, shocking when neither has been attracted to men before. This book is all about changes, fundamental upheavels in outlook and status that both characters must undergo and adjust to if both are to survive. It’s a dramatic and heart-stopping journey and I loved every bit of it. Parker Williams has made us care deeply about these men and the village they live in. Our hearts are as engaged as Casey and Sev’s in their journey to love and HEA, a path fraught with peril and even death.

And its not over yet. The end, of course, brings another intriguing (if foreseen) element and the jumping off point for the next story in the series. Its delicious and frustrating because it will make you want that story now…and it’s not even written.

Until I get my hands on that next story, I recommend that you pick up and settle into reading the first two books in Parker Williams’ Shifting Needs series. It has romance and so many different types of shifters to love along with drama, hot sex and endearing characters you can’t get enough of. Now if only that third book would magically appear…

Cover art by Laura Harner. I like the woods element but the design is different enough from the first story that it doesn’t exactly pull them together. Only the framing of the title serves to brand the series, not the graphic.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook
Published June 15th 2015 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781941841204
seriesShifting Needs #2

Shifting Needs Series in the order they were written and should be read:

Protector of the Alpha (Shifting Needs #1)
Scent of the Heart (Shifting Needs #2)

A MelanieM Review: Drama Queen: A Nicky and Noah Mystery by Joe Cosentino

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

It could be curtains for college theatre professor Nicky Abbondanza. With dead bodies popping up all over campus, Nicky must use his drama skills to figure out who is playing the role of murderer before it is lights out for Nicky and his colleagues. Complicating matters is Nicky’s huge crush on Noah Oliver, a gorgeous assistant professor in his department, who may or may not be involved with a cocky graduate assistant…and is also the top suspect for the murders! You will be applauding and shouting Bravo for Joe Cosentino’s fast-paced, side-splittingly funny, edge-of-your-seat, delightfully entertaining novel. Curtain up!

Reading Drama Queen by Joe Cosentino reminded me of watching some of those early tv detective shows…you know the light hearted ones that didn’t take themselves too seriously. Unlike shows along the lines of Criminal Minds or CSI, back then the formula called for a lively and fast paced storyline and a couple in love. Think “Moonlighting” (my favorite), “Hart to Hart”, “McMillan and Wife”..well you get the idea. The quips came fast and furious, the love between the main characters never in doubt (mostly), something their repartees reinforce, and the investigations are launched as the body(ies) start to fall almost as soon as the opening credits are over. It was enjoyable, accessible, and if it was sort of predictable, well there was comfort in that as well.

Quite frankly we never got to know the people being killed off, so their murders didn’t leave much of an impression other than to act as the starting point of the script and mystery. That sort of happens here. Nicky and Noah’s grand murder mystery adventure takes place within the cloistered, somewhat incestuous hothouse atmosphere of a small town college drama department. Even without the murders, this department has enough angst and maneuvering going on “backstage” it doesn’t need the drama in the play that is being staged as the book opens. Professors are vying for tenure, students and teachers are swapping more than reposts, and a long seated crush is about to be revealed! Its over the top, melodramatic and viewed through the lively, inquisitive and theatrical eyes of Professor Nicky Abbondanza. Outside of the Treemeadow College theater club and the Drama Department, Nicky has two things he obsesses about…his nine and a half inch long penis and Noah Oliver, the stunning assistant professor going for tenure in his department. We get to “hear” lots and lots about both of them, so just be prepared.

Noah is younger, holding a few secrets of his own but clearly meant for Nicky from the get go. That they are going to get together is never in doubt as the bodies, yes as in more than one, start to fall. As members of the Theater Club and Drama Department dwindle down by various lethal means, Nicky and Noah’s romance takes flight along with the investigation.

Did I enjoy myself? Absolutely! There’s nary a dark and scary grit to be found here, nothing raw or actually terribly believable. It’s lighthearted fare, meant to be fun and that’s the spirit that I read it in. Outside of hearing a little too much about Nicky’s giant appendage and how he wields it, I thought the interdepartmental manipulations and tactics fun and realistic, more so than some of the characters. No matter, they often came to a quick end before their lack of substance started to bother me.

Want something quick and lively to read? A story that won’t stress your heart or thoughts for that matter? A “feel good” (in more ways than one) story for murder enthusiasts and lovers of detective stories? Then Drama Queen: A Nicky and Noah Mystery by Joe Cosentino might just be the thing for you. I’m hoping that this is just the start for Nicky and Noah. If Jessica Fletcher could have so many murderers in Cabot Cove, why shouldn’t the same hold true for Treemeadow College?

Cover art works. Its got drama galore from the design to the fonts used. I like it!

Sales Links: Lethe Press (paperback) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 176 pages
Published May 26th 2015 by Lethe Press
ASINB00YCJSEJO
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Protector of the Alpha (Shifting Needs #1) by Parker Williams

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Adopted at an early age by a wealthy family, Jake Davis has always seemed to have an easy life. Even in college he was blessed with good grades and an apparently clear path to a pro football career. Good thing his best friend keeps hanging around to keep his head from getting too swollen.

Zakiya Incekara has always been…odd. Being fluent in six languages and having a flair for international cooking should open the world to him, but those skills leave him isolated.

When Jake sees Zak for the first time, with water beading down his slender form, something inside him shifts, and it hungers for Zak. To have him. To claim him. And Jake knows that whatever it is, it won’t be denied.

When they are approached by a man who claims knowledge of a secret past they share, Jake and Zak are thrust into a world they would never have believed existed. The forests of Alaska might seem an odd place to find your destiny, but these men will meet the challenges head on, as they learn that sometimes you have to make sacrifices to be Protector of the Alpha.

There are so many little surprises awaiting readers in Protector of the Alpha by Parker Williams and none can be divulged because they are spoilers (big and small). That makes writing this review a tad frustrating, trust me, it really does. Parker Williams doesn’t go for the typical here. That in itself delighted me when my expectations were upended as to where the story and characters were going. The discarding of the expected starts with the main characters.

Jake Davis is a muscular, athletic to the point of perfection, hot man on campus. Adopted by a wealthy family when a toddler, Jake has sailed through his life so far, even if it meant the odd nightmare or so. But suddenly everything in Jake’s life starts to go so very wrong. And its starts with another young man new at school.

Zakiya Incekara speaks 6 languages, cooks like a high paid chef, and has the (hidden) martial arts skills of a master. All that, a small physique, delicate features with long black hair,combined with a small town collegiate atmosphere, make Zak not just the weird boy on campus but a target for bullies.

Then Jake meets Zak and both lives turn upside down forever. As well as those lives of the people around them, especially Jake’s best friend since childhood, Casey Scott.

I loved all three characters, each as different from the other as can be. Jake who would be obnoxious, except his personality is kind, protective, and fair. Zak could be overly quirky except he comes with his own fair amount of past pain and uncertainty. And Casey, well, I think most people are going to adore Casey because it’s so easy to relate to him. Casey has stood in Jake’s shadow for his entire life and thought college would be his ticket to being his own man and to making his own reputation. Until his father informs him that he will be going to the same college as Jake, no argument and no questions. The resentment Casey feels and the guilt because it involves his best friend is a situation and emotional state the reader will believe in and understand. Yep, adore all three.

The mystery you are anticipating creeps into the story slowly at first and then rapidly as events start to shatter the calm of their lives on campus. Death and anguish are soon to follow as is a journey for all into their pasts and nightmares of their youth. Then the run to safety is on and so is the pace of the story and the action of the adventure.

Williams tightens his focus on these young men to the extent that others in their story feel less substantial. And perhaps that’s necessary because the secondary characters here for the most part are temporary ones. With a few exceptions. I wished for a little more backstory at first, but that arrives with quite a few shockers of its own so it’s a tricky balance that the author needs to achieve between giving the reader a firm foundation and not revealing too much before the narrative calls for it. Parker Williams manages that here. I loved being lured into the new world along with Jake, Zak, and Casey. It made me their companion and never was I so happy to be along for the ride.

There are some light hearted moments to break up the dread and awfulness that meets them along the way. Williams is also setting the stage with the characters and events to come in the next story.

Protector of the Alpha was a wonderful read. It was fun, suspenseful, sexy and full of adventure. I can’t wait for it to continue in Scent of the Heart. I highly recommend this story to all that love romance and shifters in love.

Cover art by Laura Harner. Lovely cover. I loved the simplicity of the outline although that embellishment around the title was a little too fancy for me.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 195 pages
Published November 10th 2014 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN139781937252939
seriesShifting Needs #1

Shifting Needs Series in the Order They Should be Read:

The Protector of the Alpha (Shifting Needs #1)
Scent of the Heart (Shifting Needs #2)

A MelanieM Review: Diamond Draw: Ace of Diamonds #2 (Pulp Friction 2015: Altered States Book 8) by Laura Harner

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Nico Sanzio da Urbino stays busy with his Odd Squad job investigating paranormal crimes, but he’s still haunted by the idea that the usurper he killed at Jet’s pack meeting was familiar. As an ancient enforcer, it’s always possible the werewolf was a relative of someone from Nico’s past, but if he wants to make sure the local Alpha keeps his head, Nico needs to find the connection before revenge comes calling.

Running background checks as part of the upgraded security measures for his pack, Alpha Jet Gorman discovers not everyone can be accounted for in the usual manner. In fact, several of the young rogue wolves he’s ordered to his pack are from human families…with no history of a bite to account for their wolfy tendencies. No wonder they were runaways. Before he can verify they pose no danger to the other werewolves, he must first discover the secret of their existence. A secret worth killing for.

Despite their differences, there is an undeniable connection between the ancient vampire and the young Alpha that seems to go beyond the blood they’ve exchanged—and keeps them circling around their very obvious mutual attraction. But while one man is looking for a way to move their relationship into the bedroom, the other is searching for a reason to stay true to his past.

I love it when a book veers off into a direction I hadn’t anticipated. That is what happened with Diamond Draw by Laura Harner, the 2nd story in the 2nd group of stories from this year’s Altered States Pulp Friction 2015 series (yes, I know, what a mouth full). That it happened at the end of what was already a marvelously sexy and intriguing installment…well, that was the cherry on top of a deliciously satisfying sundae of a narrative.

In each Pulp Friction year, I end up switching back and forth as to who are my favorite couples/trios of the moment. This year the authors have made it especially difficult because each pairing is so unlike the others. It feels more like comparing apples or oranges, or in this in series, vampire or succubus, ghost or werewolf, seer or what exactly? So many possibilities and variables. But with this story, Harner’s grief stricken Jet and the ancient, powerful vampire Nico inched ever so slightly ahead in the pairings. Man, are those two hot together! Their scene on the dance floor is positively incendiary. Underneath that sexual heat generated exist two men with complex, pain-filled pasts, convoluted present lives, and the intelligence to question every moment of the strange bond pulling them closer by the minute. And that’s the hook that has me completely enthralled. I suspect it has you hooked as well.

Diamond Draw moves the series and overall group plot forward with some new twists and turns, including one that I never expected at the end. We see bits of what is occurring with the other couples but it’s the horrific turn of events happening within Jet’s pack that sets the stage for the major drama that unfolds and potentially lethal plot twists ahead. And I can’t reference any of it, because each is a spoiler on its own.

Harner’s characters are beautifully crafted. They pull you in, let you feel both their pain and their joys. This is true as much for her secondary characters, such as a brother and sister werewolves found here, as it is for her main characters. That attention to the well rounded personas, combined with a narrative that never falters in its swift pace makes this one of my highly recommended reads this year.

Start at the beginning and read as each story is released or as one major binge read at the end, its just the order that matters in order to understand the characters and plot development. No matter your approach, just make sure this story and series are on your TBR list! Its one you won’t want to miss.

Cover art by Laura Harner. Love this cover. At first the covers for PF2015 were a little “light” in tone for me. But as each new group of stories rolls out, you can see the covers getting darker in tone and design. This one really does it for me.

Sales Links: All Romance (ARe) – Amazon Buy It Here

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 61 pages
Published May 31st 2015 by Hot Corner Press
ASINB00YM4SU2U
edition languageEnglish

About Pulp Friction 2015

Lee Brazil ~ Havan Fellows ~ Parker Williams ~ Laura Harner

The Pulp Friction 2015 Altered States Collection.
Four authors.
Four Series.
Twenty books.
One supernatural finale.

Spend a year with the creatures that go bump in the night…fighting for their rights to exist and protecting the innocents of The Big Easy. A diverse group of friends trying to find their place in a world they never had to “fit” into before.

Although each series can stand alone, we believe reading the books in the order they are released will increase your enjoyment.
Round One:
Drawing Dead (Jack of Spades: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blind Stud (King of Hearts: 1) by Haven Fellows
The Devil’s Bedpost (Four of Clubs: 1) by Parker Williams
Diamonds and Dust (Ace of Diamonds: 1) by Laura Harner

Round Two:
Dead Blind (Jack of Spades: 2) by Lee Brazil
Stud Player (King of Hearts: 2) by Haven Fellows
Up the Ante (Four of Clubs: 2 ), Parker Williams
Diamond Draw (Ace of Diamonds: 2) by Laura Harner

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Flight HA1710 series

6 authors, 6 primary works

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Flight HA1710 series

6 authors, 6 stories, 1 disaster

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