A MelanieM Release Day Review: Blueprint (Out of the Blue #4) by R.J. Jones

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

blueprintIf only building the foundation for a lasting relationship was as easy as drafting the blueprint.

Jet Black doesn’t date. Even if he wanted a man beyond sex, his ever-watchful identical twin scares potential suitors away. Jet lives with his brother, but since Gray fell in love with Kris, Jet feels like a third wheel. Despite their bond, Jet knows he needs to move out and experience life for himself, whether Gray likes it or not.

After his father dies in a boating accident, Ethan Nichols is devastated. As the last survivor of his family, he feels the need to put down roots. He leaves Australia and returns home to San Francisco and his old architectural firm. But there’s more to building a new life than simply moving house.

Jet and Ethan’s first encounter is brash and anonymous, but when Ethan moves across the hall, their lives become irrevocably linked. Jet is quirky and fun loving, while Ethan is rock steady and dependable. There’s no denying the passionate spark between them.

But Ethan is looking for a more solid foundation than Jet is ready to offer. Until Jet learns to spread his wings and trust Ethan with his darkest secrets, building a life together will be impossible.

I read Blueprint (Out of the Blue #4) by R.J. Jones as a standalone novel and loved it but upon reading the notes I can only imagine what my rating might have been had I read it as a part of the series as the author had intended.  As it was, the characters of Jet, Gray, Kris and Ethan drew me in and connected me deeply to their lives and past history.  The twins brutal past history  is more than adequately explained here, In fact, its crushing enough in some details, that I can’t imagine what prior books must go into.

But oh how these twins climb into your heart.  Here its Jet finding love with Ethan, but where there’s one, the other is right behind as is his partner.  Its a package deal, one we are so grateful for.

Jones brings all these people vividly to life, foibles, heartache, past histories.  Its there.  From the moment I moved into the story, I was sunk deep into the storyline.  It moved along swiftly, almost too much so.  I wanted it to slow down at parts so I could savor the relationships forming between all four men, the surprises that popped up, the rollercoaster ride of emotions that comes with dating someone like Jet.  Its quite the story and romance.

And yes, it  ended too soon.  I wanted more.  I hope I will get it  in the form of another story.  In the meantime.  I will be returning to all the previous novels in the series that I missed.  I highly recommend this story.  You can read it like me, as a standalone or as part of a series.  Your choice.  But read it,  its a wonderful story.

Cover works for the story and character.

Sales Links

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Book Details:

**This can be read as a standalone, however it is best enjoyed reading the series in order as side characters play a major role.**ebook, 221 pages

Expected publication: October 14th 2016 by Vivid Blue Press
Edition LanguageEnglish
URL https://rjjonesauthor.com/my-books/blueprint/
Series Out of the Blue – Goodreads links here:

A Mika Review: Indigo Road by R.J. Jones

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Indigo RoadTwo best friends take a year off to find themselves… and end up finding each other.

Joshua Simpson has just finished four years at Purdue University, but that’s not why he’s buzzing with excitement. Once they’ve said goodbye to their families, Josh and his best friend Alex are taking off to discover America in an old but reliable VW van, planning on not seeing snow for an entire year.

Josh has always considered himself straight—except for that one time in college—so when he and Alex are living in such close proximity on the road, he’s unsure what these new feelings mean. Is it because they’re spending 24/7 together, or is it something deeper? And does it really matter since Josh has only ever seen Alex with women?

While in Oregon, Josh meets Johnno, a sexy but confusing Aussie surfer. While having an impromptu surfing lesson, Johnno helps Josh realize who he is and what he wants—but Alex’s reaction leaves Josh confused.

From a Montana ranch to the bright lights and dangerous streets of Los Angeles, to a dark and lonely deserted highway in Alabama, join Josh and Alex as they drive around the US, discovering not only who they are, but who they can be together.

Bored is not even the word to describe how I felt by this story. I didn’t connect one time to these characters. For me it was no highs or lows, just straight line from beginning to end. Neither character made an impact on me in the story. I just felt like a passenger on a road trip around the country with them. Actually these two felt like brothers to me. I didn’t get the friends to lover’s vibe at all. If anything; they’ve claimed to be friends as long as they have then this situation should have happened differently. It just seems like it just happened.

I didn’t buy Josh’s come to Jesus moment about his sexuality. Not if he claimed to be this “big man towards the ladies”. I’m not a gay man, so I’m unsure if it happens like this, but his coming to terms with his sexuality felt unbelievable. I would be okay if he never questioned it if we had some sort of past on his liking guys. It seemed sporadic at best. I don’t buy into Alex’s character as well. He had this hot/cold demeanor that had me questioning who was the true him. Other issues were their physical descriptions that seemed so similar as we can see from the cover. Besides the height issue, and the less blonde hair again I felt like I was reading about two brothers. It never gained momentum to me. I felt like the pacing was stagnant throughout the story. Some of the plot seemed random. A couple of the issues in the story I felt like it could have made some ground but it needed to be acted on.

All in all, this was a complete miss for me. I really do like the author’s previous work so I’d definitely read more from her, I just did not care for this one.

Cover Art by Meredith Russell. I’m not really enjoying the cover. For me their was no physical differences in the guys so it seems like to bros hanging out to me.

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

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 175 pages
Published December 4th 2015 by Vivid Blue Press
ASINB01867I9M4
Edition LanguageEnglish