Tag: Australian Author John Wiltshire

Barb, A Zany Old Lady Review: Catch Me When I Fall by John Wiltshire

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Catch Me When I FallJake, a forest ranger and former Army Ranger, is shocked when what he thought was a meteor landed in his front yard. He was more shocked to discover that it wasn’t a meteor, but a man. In fact, it’s not really even a man—it’s an angel named Gabriel, not THE Gabriel, but it turns out to be Jake’s personal guardian angel, and he’s been kicked out of heaven for killing another angel in defense of a human—his human.

It seems Gabe loves Jake and, unfortunately, he let that be known up there so he’s gotten on the wrong side of the gates, so to speak. Actually, this is a great love story with both humor and angst and it caught me off-guard when I was expecting it to be very light and fluffy. It is, but it also has depth and character and becomes a gripping drama before it’s complete.

When Gabe forces Jake to remember an event that happened with a fellow soldier during the time he was deployed, an event in which the other soldier made a sexual advance and Jake rejected him, Jake starts to question his sexuality. Jake wants no part of being gay, no matter what—at least, that’s what he keeps saying. And even though it’s evident Gabriel is attracted to Jake, Jake refuses to acknowledge a reciprocal attraction.

Gabe arranges for Jono, the man who made the sexual overtures to Jake years before, to come to visit Jake for a hiking trip and to bring his boyfriend along with him. When the foursome hit the woods, things change, and Jake starts to see that his outsides haven’t matched his insides in a number of years. He is attracted to Jono, but it turns out that it’s Gabe he wants. And he can’t have him. Gabe has to go back. He’s inhabited the body of a young man who’s being kept in a dream state, and Gabe knows that’s wrong.

What happens and how it all works out makes this a story well worth reading. It’s fun. It’s heartbreaking, and it’s magical. I have to add a side note here about Bob, the dog. Gabe’s conversations with Bob were classic! Between those, his earlier conversation with a bear, and later conversations with other critters, I couldn’t stop smiling.

I’d recommend this story to all those who enjoy a visit from the angels and those who love to see true love overcome all obstacles—earthly and otherwise.

Cover art by Deanna Jamroz – I found the cover to be very bland and not representative of the story. It would have been much better if there were at least angel wings or a representation of the forest since Jake is a ranger. At the very least, Bob or the bear could have been pictured as they spoke to the angel.

Sales Links:   MLR Press LLC      All Romance (ARe)        Amazon       Buy it here

Book Details

ebook, 110 pages
Published October 2014 by MLR Press
ASINB00ODF2U2E
edition languageEnglish

Note:  John Wiltshire is a STRW Down Under Author.

A MelanieM Review: Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1) by John Wiltshire

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Loving a total stranger can be very hard work sometimes.

Love is a Stranger coverEx-SAS soldier Ben Rider falls in love with his enigmatic married boss and secret lover Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen.  It was supposed to be only an affair of lust not of the heart.  Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen isn’t what he seems and one explosive event shatters the lie that Nikolas has been living. It’s a lie so profound that when the shadows are lifted, Ben realises he’s in love with a very dangerous stranger. Ben has to choose between Nikolas and safety, but sometimes danger comes in a very seductive package.

John Wiltshire’s Love Is A Stranger is a packed full, suspenseful tale of betrayal, danger, and lies.  The first story in Wiltshire’s More Heat Than The Sun series, it introduces us to the main players in this convoluted tale of secret identities and a struggle for love.  First there is Ben Rider, ex-soldier, cold, determined and fierce.  Ben is model gorgeous and black samba deadly.  He’s been having a supposedly “sex only” affair with his married,upper echelon boss, Sir Nikolas Mikkelsen.  A member of high society, at home in the fox hunting fields as well as the powerful political draw rooms, Nikolas draws Ben in with his intelligence, attractive body and a personality that seems to change with the light.    Wiltshire’s characters are layered, complex, and never exactly what you think they are,  each more Rubik’s Cube than solid persona.   Just when you (and Ben) think you have a handle on who and what Nikolas is and does, a bullet or something worse shatters that picture permanently.

I loved the myriad plot layers built into this story of suspense, love, and, yes, revenge.  Like Alice throwing herself down a warped rabbit hole, the twists and turns can’t be seen, only appreciated after the fact.  One fact is revealed or violent episode occurs, and you think, hmmm…I should have seen that one coming.  But you don’t.  And that immediately amps up the anticipation for the next turn or shock that is sure to come. This story is full of them, each better than the last.

Sexy?  Definitely.  Remember, this starts as an affair of lust not love, however, it ends up.  Only it doesn’t end.  In fact, this story has a bit of a cliffhanger.  Some or most might not be too happy about that but definitives in any aspect are not to be expected here.  Any foundations that exist under each man and their growing relationship is as fluid and safe as mercury.   The only sure thing is their love for that shaggy hound, Radulf, that was obtained from a shelter under dubious conditions.  I love Radulf and he helps to cement the idea that these two men might have any future between them as his addition helps to give an air of normality (perhaps the only one) to Nik and Ben.

I can’t get enough of this wild and dangerous couple and am moving on to the next stories in the series.  I hope you join me along with way.  If you love suspense and action/adventure to go along with your sexy men, this is the story and series for you.

Cover Artist: Michelle Cary.  It’s dark,  a little hard to see.  I wish there were more elements to it from the story itself. That would include the charismatic Radulf.

Sales Links:  MLR Press LLC       All Romance (ARe)       Amazon              Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook
Published 2014 by MLR Press LLC
original titleLove is a Stranger
ISBN 1020140242
edition languageEnglish
seriesMore Heat Than the Sun #1

Books in the Series:

  • Love is a Stranger (More Heat Than the Sun #1)
  • Conscious Decisions of the Heart (More Heat Than the Sun #2)
  • The Bridge of Silver Wings (More Heat Than the Sun, #3)
  • This Other Country (More Heat Than the Sun, #4)
  • The Bruise Black Sky (More Heat Than the Sun, #5) coming soon