Anne Cain cover – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

In the four years since the death of his wife, Travis Bennett has become a shell of the man he used to be. Travis raises his three children, manages his business, and works as a ranch hand, his only companion his dog, Dunkyn. The hole inside Travis feels as deep and recent as the day she died, a situation that often leaves him depressed and unable to shake off the moods it leaves him in.

Fond memories of the small Ozark town of El Dorado Springs and the need to leave his broken relationship behind, find Wesley Ryan moving into his grandparents’ old home and temporarily taking over the local veterinary clinic while that owner goes on a much needed sabbatical. But while the loving memories remain, the small town atmosphere isn’t exactly conducive to his colorful clothes and admittedly “gay” nature. Wesley is feeling pretty lonely until Travis brings in his corgi for treatment.

Travis’ reaction to Wes’ recommendation of surgery is far beyond Wes’ expectations. Travis is adamant that Dunkyn, his dog, be treated without surgery, something Wes knows the dog needs. Wes is sure he will be seeing the duo again. Travis, dog and all, is exactly the type of man Wesley goes for. But with three kids and a beloved wife in the past, Wes is sure he is straight. Or is he? Wes does know he came to El Dorado to get away from his man issues and he’s not looking for a relationship,, especially one with someone as complicated and loaded down with baggage as Travis Bennett. Fate, however, has plans for Travis and Wesley whether they want it or not…

First that gorgeous cover and then the synopsis drew me to this book but it’s the story within that has kept me thinking and repeatedly revising my overall connection to and perception of Then The Stars Fall by Brandon Witt.

So many elements about this story had me off balance right from the start. The plot is situated in a small (pop 3000 plus) conservative town, El Dorado Springs, in Missouri. There some of the citizens, including main characters, think nothing of dropping words like “faggot” and “retard” frequently into their conversations. These offensive terms are thrown about so carelessly that I almost put the book down before I had gotten past the opening chapters. That the main character, Travis Bennett, and his best friend are the main offenders made it worse. Yes, they were called on it, by Caleb,Travis’ oldest son, but did it stop? No. And I was appalled that the author thought I would be able to connect with a man such as Travis. But I did….eventually. Because Travis for all his faults (and there are so many) comes across as a complex human being, a realistic work in progress, especially at age 42. The world of pain, loss, and conflict in his background, combined with episodes of good deeds and even better behavior will have the reader flip flopping like a fish out of water in their opinions of this tormented man.

Next up his crude, loud and over the top best friend, Jason Baker, who spews such slurs,derogatory remarks, and unfair judgements with an equally unsettling ease that again I couldn’t believe we were supposed to like him. Quite frankly, I was afraid that was never going to occur but it did as well. Between Jason and Travis the almost constant barrage of offensive terms and slurs almost derailed this story. Luckily, the author balanced such raw characters with ones that were easier to empathize with and enjoy. Characters such as Wesley Ryan, Travis’ sister Wendy who I adored,, the Bennett children, and even the Corgis Dunkyn and Dolan, all lined up to pull the reader along the rippling narrative and keep us afloat until most of the people of the town combine to win us over. Quirky, obstinate, surprising and recognizably human, the folks of El Dorado Springs continue to show new facets of their personalities each time they appear in the story. And it’s these layers that will make the reader grow fond of the town and fonder of its people.

What else threw me off? The constantly changing point of view. After a while it felt more like the play Our Town than a novel. Everyone gets a chance to chime in here, even Dunkyn the dog. I have to admit at times I thought him far more admirable than some of the others characters, but then Corgis are like that. That large number of voices took some time getting adjusted to, but when you do, then this strange format enables the reader to get a real, intimate feel for El Dorado, its history, its present, and hopefully its future. We get a sense of community and that’s necessary for the reader to achieve because this town is so much a part of its people that it acts as just one more main character in a story full of them.

Looking back I can’t even remember when the shift of perspective started, when the affection I felt towards the characters and story outgrew my irritations until those faded away. It was a slow changeover for me, and yes, for Wesley as well. This is a town that takes a lot of getting used to. In Brandon Witt’s Authors Notes, he writes about his childhood which prompted this story. Here it is in his words:

I KNEW I would return to the world of The Shattered Door, the town I grew up in, one day. I wasn’t sure when or how, but then Travis and Wesley showed up, asking to be with Dunkyn and Dolan—or maybe it was the other way around. Shattered told the tale of the pain, fear, guilt, bullying, etc. that I felt growing up. However, there was another part during those years in El Dorado Springs. Lightning bugs. Thunderstorms. My grandpa’s buffalo. My chickens. Friends that I loved dearly. Simone’s Drive-in (if you’re ever driving on 54 and pass through El Do, you have to stop and get a burger. They’re perfect!). Despite the pain I felt a lot of the time, there was so much good, as well. So much beauty and love. I hope I was able to capture that aspect of El Do with Then the Stars Fall.

By the end of this story, Brandon Witt had really captured it all. The joys, the hardship and pain, the gorgeous memories and the manner in which a town grows a part of you, no matter your age or location. It was quite the emotional journey that Then the Stars Fell and its characters took this reader on. It constantly challenged me to think about the people, Wes and Travis’ romance, and the town as well as my own opinions and judgements. It held me firm to the story until I was completely won over. It’s a journey you shouldn’t miss. Then the Stars Fell by Brandon Witt is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words must reads of the year. If Brandon Witt isn’t on your list of authors whose stories are automatic buys, he should be and this is just one more example why he belongs there. Grab it up today!

Cover Artist: Anne Cain. What an astonishing cover. So evocative of the farm and township of the story. One of the best of the year.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook & Paperback All Romance (ARe) amazon Buy it Here

Book Details:

ebook, 350 pages
Published September 29th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN 1632162598 (ISBN13: 9781632162595)
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.brandonwitt.com/

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5 (rounded up to 5)

Anthony Redbourn, Earl of Crofton,and Sebastian Hewell have found happiness and love with each other during the perilous era of Queen Elizabeth. A marriage born out of politics and deception, Sebastian has to play the role of his twin sister, Bronwyn, as the wife of the Earl in order for them to be together. Just as they had adjusted to their married state and become a family than another threat arrives at Crofton Hall. Someone has started to spread rumors that Lady “Bronwyn” is a witch who used her powers to ensnare her rich husband. As the rumors gather momentum, small herbs and items used in witchcraft are planted to make sure that Bronwyn/Sebastian is investigated by the Sheriff. Such an accusation would ensure that Anthony and Sebastian’s deception would be uncovered when the Sheriff arrives to take “Bronwyn” off to jail, destroying them both.

While Anthony and Sebastian try to figure out who is behind the plot against them, they decide that they have no other course but to “lay Bronwyn to rest” sooner than they had anticipated. But first they have to delay the Sheriff’s investigation while beginning their own, and all the while planning Bronwyn’s final illness and funeral. With so much at stake, including their heads, will they be able to find a way to stay together long after “Lady Bronwyn” has been laid to rest?

The first two stories in the Crofton Chronicles were wonderful, somewhat frothy fare that I throughly enjoyed. Rebecca Cohen put her two main characters through a romantic romp while staying true to the period and the perilous politics found at Queen Elizabeth’s court. In The Actor and the Earl and Duty to the Crown, we have gotten to know and love actor Sebastian Hewell and the Earl of Crofton, Anthony Redbourne. First as their planned marriage was designed by court politics and Sebastian’s uncle. Sebastian’s decision to impersonate his identical twin sister, Bronwyn, was born out of desperation when she decided to elope with her blacksmith love. Astonishingly, Sebastian’s deception was met with delight by Anthony whose proclivities for men had to remain hidden. Their subsequent marriage and love surprised them both with its happiness and success while delighting us with all the obstacles and adjustments that had to be made by both men and the few staff in on the switch. From the wigs and corsets that plagued Sebastian to the gossips and maneuverings at court, all the details Cohen included just added depth and authenticity that was remarkable as it was subtle.

From the beginning of the Crofton Chronicles, Rebecca Cohen crafted a lively, entertaining romance that spread across two years. And while she was entertaining us with their lusty antics, jealous stages, and finally love, she was also educating, however gently, about the reign of Queen Elizabeth the First and the politics of that era. Court intrigue was only as far away as a pot of vermilion or ceruse, face paint favored by the Queen and demanded at court. The court and social intrigue seen was due to Anthony’s title and status as a Queen favorite. But the reader is also steeped in stage and plays of William Shakespeare as well as the construction of the Globe Theatre because of Sebastian’s profession as an actor. We are lucky to get both of their worlds and everything in between. It brought these stories to life just as assuredly it did Cohen’s characters. I loved all the minutiae and atmosphere as much as I did the characters. It never felt overdone. Instead it came across as an intelligent, marvelous bit of staging.

But unlike the first two novels, Forever Hold His Peace concerns the dissolution of a marriage through a “death” instead of two men in love adjusting to their union and deception. The first two were fun, and while danger was never far away, the romance and happiness were at the center. Not so here. Forever Hold His Peace is a much darker, sadder story. As it has to be. Sebastian and Anthony’s deception was never expected to last and always present was the idea that “Bronwyn” came with a time limitation. So their happiness was always a fragile thing. Now, someone has maneuvered Sebastian and Anthony into killing off Bronwyn sooner then they had anticipated. The plot that forces their hand is a ruthless and potentially deadly one. Rebecca Cohen’s knowledge of that era is displayed in the references to the herbal plants and roots that also have “witchcraft” overtones, like the mandrake. The very idea of witchcraft was taken seriously and the end result for the person identified as a witch was horrific.

There are so many plot threads at work here. The plan to force Anthony and Sebastian to get rid of Bronwyn, their investigation, and Bronwyn’s death. And finally Anthony’s revenge on the person behind it all. And overlaying it all, is the sadness and uncertainty of Sebastian and Anthony at their changing relationship and new status. I was surprised by how much this upset me even though I knew it was coming. From Sebastian’s maid/substitute mother Miriam saying goodbye to the idea of young William losing one more mother, I admit to weeping more than a few tears. But what really put me over the edge was the Epilogue.

Epilogues tend to be hit or miss with me. Either they miss the point of an epilogue entirely or they go too far. I am still trying to decide about the epilogue here. Part of me wants to think it went too far into the future giving me more than I wanted to know and another side of me is content to see how it all played out. I’m still thinking about it so I guess it did its job and then some.

Some elements here felt a tad long, such as intricacies of Anthony’s revenge plot and its resolution. It managed to reveal the opposition to Queen Elizabeth and the plots against her while discussing some of the issues that came from having a “virgin” Queen. I’m not sure it needed all that but enjoyed the information anyway. Still, Forever Hold His Peace is my favorite story of the series, for all its sadness and weight or maybe because of it. The characterizations felt deeper and more layered, perhaps because of the seriousness of the issues they were dealing with. Even Sebastian’s real sister Bronwyn came across more fully realized than ever before. The threat of death will do that. There is room to add to the Crofton Chronicles here as a new heir apparent appears at the end with all of Anthony’s appreciation of men intact. I would love to see Rebecca Cohen continue with the Croftons to see where it may take them, perhaps to the New World and beyond.

Whether that happens or not, I absolutely recommend The Crofton Chronicles to all lovers of m/m romance and m/m historical fiction. Read all the books in the order that they were written to see the romance begin, mature, and perhaps even end in a way. I loved these stories and think you will too. I’m still thinking about them, Anthony and Sebastian. So what does that tell you? They are a most memorable couple. Make your introduction to them today.

Book Details:

book, 200 pages
Published June 16th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published June 15th 2014)
edition languageEnglish
url http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5090&cPath=55_462
seriesThe Crofton Chronicles #3

Cover art by Anne Cain. My favorite cover of the three stories, love the models and the emotion conveyed. Lovely.

Buy Links: Dreamspinner Press Amazon ARe

Books in The Crofton Chronicles:

The Actor and the Earl (The Actor and the Earl #1)
Duty to the Crown (The Actor and the Earl #2)
Forever Hold His Peace (The Crofton Chronicles #3)

Tag: Anne Cain cover

A MelanieM Review: Then the Stars Fall by Brandon Witt

Review: Forever Hold His Peace (The Crofton Chronicles #3) by Rebecca Cohen

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