A MelanieM Review: The Path by Ariel Tachna

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Benicio Quispe is finally fulfilling the dream of his life, he is about to become a guide on the Inca Trail, a goal he has striven for from the moment he heard his grandfather’s stories as a young boy in the mountains of Peru. Benicio has just been hired by Huaman Travel, the top travel agency in Cusco, Peru and has been assigned Alberto Salazar, a seasoned and respected guide as his mentor. Benecio is overjoyed to find that he has so much in common with Alberto but they share far more than a passion for the Inca Trail.

Alberto Salazar learned a long time ago to hide his sexuality from all but his employer and friend, Miguel Ramirez. The small town he lives in and those around him, outside his closest friends, are unaware that he is gay. They all just assume his profession as a guide keeps him from forming lasting relationships. While that may be true, Alberto feels that to find someone who understands and shares his passions for the Incan culture as well as his passion for men….well, Alberto feels that will never happen. Until Benicio Quispe enters his life.

Benicio and Alberto find their attachment to each other growing deeper the longer they spend with each other on the trail and outside of work. But the fear of discovery and losing the respect of those they need to do their job as well as the friends and family around them keep them from acting on theie feelings for each other. It takes a group of old friends and their anniversary journey to Machu Picchu to convince Benicio and Alberto that it is worth reaching for the one thing lacking in their lives…a loving relationship and lasting partnership.

“The risks on the trail are easy compared to finding a path through the challenges keeping them apart.”

I have always wanted to hike the Inca Trail to see the Sun Gate and the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu. For many reasons I never got there. Until now. Ariel Tachna’s amazing novel, The Path, finally made that possible. Ariel Tachna took this journey in July of 2013, The sights, sounds and experiences of the Inca Trail must have imprinted itself deeply upon this author because it translated into a story powerful enough to transport readers on to the Inca Trail itself through descriptions and imagery so vivid and compelling that I felt I was another traveler among them as they set out for 4 days of arduous hiking and inspirational wonders.

Tachna’s story allowed me to hike with a group of people up the steep trail to Inti Punki. Our knees and musclues groaned and breezing was labored at that high elevation. And every step of the way up the Monkey Trail to the rocks that form the Sun Gate that overlooks Machu Picchu was exhausting. But then to sit and watch in awe as the sun paints the sacred city in golden lights as it has for centuries? Incredible. More than once I found myself in tears of joy and discovery over section after section of a book who celebrated the ancient past of Mayan culture while continuing a journey of the present and future with two men who share their passions for the Inca Trail and culture as well as a deep abiding love for each other and life as a trail guide.

Ariel Tachna has done this before, steeped her readers in various cultures and landscapes both familiar and foreign but never have I felt so connected, so involved in the past and present as I did here in The Path. The Inca Trail once stretched from Cusco to Machu Picchu and in this story the author takes her characters and readers on that pathway once more. Tachna brings us intimately into the lives of the Peruvian people, especially those from the villages at elevations close to the heavens. Benecio’s home of Cancha Cancha, itself a small village, in the mountains at four thousand feet, a place for the few people, guinea pigs and llamas who can tolerate that high elevation. We walk through their homes made of mud and brick, through the characters and scenes, we taste the corn based beer of chica where each person is likely to have their own more favored recipe. We feel a part of these peoples lives and a part of this story.

I loved all the people I met in The Path. Benecio is believable and authentic as the Incan ruins he loves. The author brings us into his life on his last day as a non professional on the trail. Benicio is hiking the trail and listening and watching his guide, taking notes and thinking how he would handle the tour. And yet still Benicio is overcome with emotion as he sits and waits for the sun to rise over the tops of the mountains at Inti Punki. Here is a sample:

Prologue

BENICIO QUISPE took a deep breath as he stood at the base of the Monkey Steps and stared up at the last section of the climb before Machu Picchu. They had been hiking for more than an hour already, with the sky slowly lightening over their heads, but the sun had yet to make an appearance over the highest peaks. Sheltered between the mountains as they were, they would not see the sun for another hour or more. Atop the Sun Gate, though, the view would be entirely different.

Gripping his walking sticks more firmly and ignoring the pain in his knees from overuse, he set his foot on the first step and began to climb.

His thighs burned by the time he reached the final step. He was glad there were only fifty steps in this flight, because they were too narrow and too steep to climb with the typical zigzag walk that had made the first three days of the hike bearable.

He paused for a moment to appreciate the clean lines of the Sun Gate. He had studied it, along with all the other Inca remains along the trail, as part of his preparation for becoming a guide, but this was the first time he had ever seen it in person.

The sun peeked over the mountain behind him, reminding him of the time and driving him forward so he would not miss the highlight of the trip and the whole reason for the three-thirty wake-up call that morning.

He stepped beneath the arch and froze, heedless of anyone on the trail behind him.

Machu Picchu lay spread out in the valley before him, cloaked in shadow still, though the sun?s rays had begun their descent into the valley.

All his life he had seen pictures of it, even before he started studying to be a guide. He had learned about it in school, seen pictures his friends and fellow guides had taken, but standing there and seeing it with his own eyes after three days of hiking stole his breath. His eyes prickled with tears as he forced his legs to work while, around him, other hikers snapped photos.

His guide began to give information about the Sun Gate and Machu Picchu and the final leg of the hike. Benicio knew he should pay attention to what the other man was saying. In a few weeks, he would be the one standing there with tourists looking to him for information, but the voice was a wordless drone in his ears. He had attention only for the holy city and the inexorable march of the sun?s rays down the mountainside. The sunlight reached stone and turned it golden, and Benicio could only imagine what it must have looked like during the reign of the Inca, when the city would have been filled with real gold. Even now, a ruin instead of the vibrant center of worship it had once been, the city captivated him.

That’s just a sampling from the prologue and already the magic of these characters and story has you in thrall. The pull only gets stronger the longer the time you spend on the trail with Benecio and Alberto.

Alberto is as strong a character as Benecio, although in a totally different way. Whereas Benecio is still so much a part of the mountain culture (he specks Quechua his native tongue along with Spanish), Alberto is more worldly. He is older, a seasoned guide of 10 years. Alberto is also gay and familiar with being discreet about his passions and hookups unlike Benecio who has known he was gay but had little opportunity to explore his sexuality in his remote village. The contrast between the two men helps Tachna bring her readers all the different worlds connecting on the Trail, two ostensibly Peruvian yet so unalike. And its not just the differences between Benecio and Alberto but those of the tourists themselves whether they are from a large Indian family on holiday (so funny and telling culturally) or a group from the States returning to hike the path together once more as part of a larger celebration.

The Path is a journey not to be missed. Ariel Tachna brings alive people, places and cultures you might not actually ever meet or travel to but when you have finished this story you feel like you have made a once in a life time pilgrimage to places that will continue to awe and inspire. An incredible trip taken with a author I can’t recommend highly enough.

I read this book twice, and each time its magic grew as did its hold on my imagination and heart. The Path by Ariel Tachna is definitely one of the best books of 2014. It’s one I highly recommend and will pick up to read again. I hope you will do the same.

Cover photograph by Ariel Tachna. Just amazing.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook Paperback All Romance eBook (ARe) Amazon The Path

Book Details:

ebook, 254 pages
Published September 1st 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781632162236
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: A Forbidden Rumspringa (Gay Amish #1) by Keira Andrews

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

When two young Amish men find love, will they risk losing everything?

Isaac Byler’s life changed when his family moved from their Amish home in Ohio to follow their new bishop to northern Minnesota. Their previous bishop and settlement, while holding to the Amish ways, was never as strict as the Swartzentruber Amish life they are expected to lead in Zebulon. All it took to shake up their community was a horrible accident that cost their small Ohio town the lives of several of their teenagers on a Rumspringa. Now in Zebulon, that outlet and glimpse into the English world is forbidden as is all but the smallest contact with the outside world. Every aspect of their lives is rigorously charted, inspected and regulated by their bishop and laws. And Isaac is feeling smothered and guilty about the fact.

Isaac is also turning 18, an age where he is expected to join the church and marry, two things he has been avoiding at all costs. The reasons behind his continued postponement are ones Isaac refuses to acknowledge. But that’s about to change as well. His parents have apprenticed Isaac to the community’s carpenter, David Lantz, a young man supporting his mother and sibling after his father died. Isaac has been avoiding David too because being near the carpenter raises unseemly and forbidden feelings in him that he is supposed to save for his wife.

When David and Isaac start to work together, their attraction and feelings towards each other grows as does their guilt and confusion over their futures. David too shares Isaac’s desires, and he harbors another secret as well. But can their love withstand the pressures of their families, community, and religion to conform and marry? Or will they take the chance on a life together outside in the English world and face the possibility of never seeing home and family again?

What a fantastic book! I had heard rumors about this novel circulating around certain LGBTQ internet groups for a little while but it still I was unprepared for the engrossing stunner of a story that is A Forbidden Rumspringa by Keira Andrews. Andrews brings us into the heart of the Amish, in particular the type of Amish known as the Swartzentruber, a super conservative, almost fundamentalist, religious sect within the Amish community that believes in zero contact with the outside world. I mean a total rejection of anything that could be said to be modern, English, or prideful. That includes rubber wheels for their buggies, shoes outside of church, and a rigid adherence to a strict “by the bishop” lifestyle where everyone is under constant surveillance and every part of their lives dictated by their bishop and religion.

Keira Andrews introduces us to this society and new settlement through the eyes of Isaac Byler, a 18 year boy, who is questioning their new lifestyle under their bishop and his future as it has been laid out for him by his parents and community. What little freedoms they had in their previous Amish community in Ohio have been left behind them when they fled their settlement because of an accident that killed several teenagers on a Rumspringa. For those readers unfamiliar with the Amish lifestyle and religion, the Rumspringa is (in some Amish communities) “a period of adolescence in which boys and girls are given greater personal freedom and allowed to form romantic relationships, usually ending with the choice of baptism into the church or leaving the community.” In other words, a time to get wild and get it out of their system before accepting communion and becoming a part of the church and community. But due to that tragedy, an Ohio settlement shatters and a splinter group that includes the new bishop and several families leaves, heading to Minnesota in search of an isolated stricter life.

All this information as to their past history is imparted through Isaac’s memories and musings. How I loved and understood Isaac. He is at a juncture in his life where he is expected to join the church, marry and start a farm of his own. None of which he wants to do. Not only is Isaac (and his best friend) chafing under the new restrictions but Isaac’s beloved older brother has left for the outside world and been shunned for his actions. Isaac is a bundle of questions,, guilt, and forbidden attractions towards men, especially the carpenter, David Lantz, to whom he is to be apprenticed. Andrews pulls us completely into Isaac’s world, so intimately that we feel as though we are his constant companion, privy to all his thoughts and feelings. We are so much a part of Isaac that we feel connected to him by his interactions with his family, his love for his brothers and sisters, the responsibility he feels towards his parents, everything that he treasures that is now starting to butt up against the clear realities of life in Zebulon. Because nothing is thriving in Zebulon except the bishop.

Slowly as the narrative proceeds, the author enlarges the reader’s view of Isaac and Zebulon to include the community’s farms, neighbors, and the group in general as Isaac interacts with various members of Zebulon. What a contrast between the healthy Amish community in Ohio they left and the starving, reduced one in Minnesota. That no family can grow enough, make enough supplies or have enough resources to survive is adding to the pressure for Isaac to stay and help support his family. The portrait of this type of Amish community is startling. I am sure that the pressures and strains represented here are the last ones to come to mind when you think of an Amish family but this story and its well drawn characters push the reader into forming other opinions or perspectives here. Another gem of this story and author.

Especially well done is the familial bonds and community ties that hold Isaac and David in place. You feel the emotions and love that tugs at them at the same time you totally understand the guilt and fear that threatens to overwhelm them. David’s character is one that straddles both communities, that of the English or outside world and that of the Amish. But deep within David remains that love and ingrained religious beliefs that continue to frame his life if not his thoughts. He is another great character, someone who is brave, troubled,and confused yet is still the impetus for the actions and events to come.

If those ties are all you have known, what amount of courage does it take to even think of leaving it and your families forever behind? Huge questions posed by the author and characters on an intimate scale. And every bit of emotional turmoil and pain is relayed from page to reader in believable scene after scene. The descriptions, the dialog, and the settings are all so authentically elevated and yet on the same level as each other. It all rings true. Not one aspect appears more realistic or well researched than another. The reader will throw their heart into this story and characters. And that will make it hard to leave them all behind by the time this tale is over. Luckily for us, Keira Andrews will pick up their story in a sequel to come.

A Forbidden Rumspringa is one of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words’ best stories of 2014. As is that remarkable cover, so evocative of the novel and the Amish community found within. I highly recommend this book to all readers, add it to your TBR list today.

Cover Design by Dar Albert. Best cover of the month and of 2014. Love it.

Sales Links: All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon A Forbidden Rumspringa

Book Details:

ebook, 231 pages
Published September 3rd 2014 by KA Books (first published August 31st 2014)
ISBN139780993859823
edition languageEnglish
seriesGay Amish #1
settingMinnesota (United States)

A MelanieM Review: Finally Home (The Traveler and the Tourist #2) by Zee Kensington

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Bangkok, Thailand. 2011. Seasoned traveler and noted cuisine writer Christopher J. Springer meets/rescues Marco Mineo at the airport. Marco is making his first trip away from home and chose Thailand as his destination only to be overwhelmed upon his arrival. Meeting Chris changed his life as the culinary author takes Marco under his wing, showing him the true Thailand over the next 10 days. But it was more than that. During that time, Chris and Marco became lovers, another first for Marco, a closeted gay at home. When the time came for Marco to return home and Chris to journey on to his next destination, neither was prepared for how much it hurt to part and how deeply they would miss each other later on.

Los Angeles, CA. Once home, Marco finds himself sliding back into a life that’s no longer enough to satisfy him. He’s unhappy about working for his uncle, he’s throughly back in the closet because of his fears, and he’s missing Chris more than he ever thought possible. Then he gets a text from Chris who is coming to L.A. and everything seems possible and scary once more.

Chris has traveled the world, free to go where he wants and hook up whenever it was possible with no strings attached. But something changed in Thailand when he met Marco. Now in Mexico, Chris finds his thoughts consumed with the young man back in L.A. When his publisher cancels the third leg of his assignment and offers him a replacement city in the U.S., Chris jumps at the chance to see Marco again and chooses L.A. The Marco he finds is a deeply unhappy one. Chris understands Marco’s fears and hopes to help him slowly out of the closet. But a family crisis pulls Chris away and Marco is left to decide what and who is important in his life. His fears that keep him in the closet or his love of Chris?

I was reading the anthology Two Tickets to Paradise when I came across my first Zee Kensington story, Krung Thep, City of Angels. That story blew me away. From the moment Marco steps off the plane onto the runway at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and meets Chris Springer, the author pulls us deep into the Thai culture, from the street food vendors to the back alleys of this mesmerizing city. Her descriptions of the food made my mouth water and the vivid imagery of the sights and sounds of Bangkok had me itching to catch the next plane out for my own adventure. And the relationship that sprang up between Marco and Chris in that short story? Believable and sort of magical. It was one of my favorite stories in that anthology for good reason. So imagine my joy in finding Finally Home, the sequel to that amazing story. My only trepidation? Would it measure up to the original I remembered so well?

Well, yes and no. And no, primarily for just one reason. That only the prologue takes place in Bangkok. Here the author brings those readers unfamiliar with Marco and Chris up to date on the circumstances of their first meeting and the beginning of their relationship. Readers, its not nearly enough. Run, don’t walk and grab up that story. It’s a must read. But the prologue does a good job in bringing some of that initial magic home here. Than this story really gets started in Los Angelos, Marco’s home. Again, Zee Kensington applies her wonderful skills in bringing places and people to life. For Marco comes (and lives) with his very close knit Italian family where the very idea of personal space is lost. His mother is constantly fixing her son up on blind dates with women Marco has no intention of ever seeing again. For reasons that will be revealed in the story, Marco has a very good reason for remaining in the closet at home. And his love for his family, which telegraphs beautifully in scene after scene , makes his fear realistic and at times overwhelming. Helping Marco stay closeted is his uncertainty about his relationship with Chris. He has so little experience that he’s afraid to ask Chris where they stand. And again we get that too.

Kensington has chosen to make Chris nine years older than Marco. It works as Chris has been traveling for years. But while Chris is a seasoned world traveler, he is almost on the same level as Marco when it comes to commitment and relationships. He too has had problems with his family over his homosexuality so Chris understands Marco’s fears of abandonment. That’s a nice touch. I thought the dynamics between Chris and Marco worked because Chris isn’t trying to push Marco further than he can accept, knowing it must be Marco’s decision. There is also a nice playoff between their ages, backgrounds, and yes, experience. It works on all levels.

What did I miss? The cultural and sensual experience that was Thailand. Zee Kensington relayed that so well that I felt I was there. The author’s stay there conveyed a vividness to the scenes and an immediacy to all Marco and Chris’s travels that I remember today. In its place are the street vendors of the less visited side of Los Angeles, the truck vendors and the East L.A. food scene. It’s good but no replacement for the culinary banquet that was the first story.

What will the readers find frustrating? The realistic give and take, the misunderstandings and the shaky course of Chris and Marco’s relationship. It’s a path strewn with obstacles, many of their own making and you will find yourself wanting to give each a shake or two. But that’s because you have become so involved in their future together and deeply connected to these characters along the way. I so hope that this is not the end for Chris and Marco. There are other places and culinary adventures awaiting them. I wanted to see them together through Mexico and Kenya. Perhaps later, one can always hope. In the meantime, I will reread Krung Thep again and enjoy my taste of Bangkok and the beginnings of Chris and Marco’s journey to HEA.

I highly recommend Krung Thep, Finally Home and Zee Kensington to all lovers of food, travel, and hot men in love. I can’t wait to see what this author has in store for us next.

Cover art: Paul Richmond. While I liked elements of this cover, the model for Chris is just too young. That throws it off for me completely.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon Finally Home

Book Notes: Sequel to Krung Thep, City of Angels
The Traveler and the Tourist: Book Two
Krung Thep, book one of the series, can be found in the Two Tickets to Paradise anthology.

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published August 29th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781627989077
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Traveler and the Tourist #2

A MelanieM Review: No Fae Is An Island (Endangered Fae #4) by Angel Martinez

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Three years ago Diego Sandoval was banished from the human world as punishment for the crimes he committed while out of his mind. With him went his Pookie lover, Finnochad. Now the time of their banishment is up and Diego and Finn are returning to Tearmann Island, and to all the friends they left behind. Living amongst the wild Fae has taught Diego many lessons he needed to learn and time to assuage the pain deep inside himself. But has it been enough?

The human world and Tearmann Island has moved on in Diego’s absence. Theo Aguilar, the rogue vampire, is now head of Prince Lugh’s security while Zack moved into Diego’s spot as Chief Liaison for the Fae Collective. What will happen when Diego and Finn return? It’s not just Diego who is uncertain about what happens next for them all.

To further complicate an already complicated situation, a number of Fae and gifted humans have been imprisoned by country who sees magic as dangerous and forbidden. A diplomatic mission mounted to save them turns deadly and its left to Theo and a surprise stowaway to save the day. And the stowaway? Well, that would be a young curious selkie who followed Diego and Finn home from the wild Fae lands. He wanted to see the world and got far more than he ever expected. When the world goes crazy once more, its up to the inhabitants of Tearmann Island to find a way out of the precarious position Diego and Finn find themselves in and save them all.

No Fae Is An Island, the fourth story in the Endangered Fae series by Angel Martinez, picks up three years after Danu’s banishment of Diego to the wild lands of the Fae. Its been 3 years and 3 days and now its time for Diego and Finn to return home. During that time Diego has listeneed and learned from many of the Fae in the Otherworld. From the counsel of dragons to learning about the singular joys of laughter and living in the moment from a pod of selkies, Diego finds himself older, wiser, and finally more at peace with himself and the damage he caused while temporarily deranged. From the darkness of Semper Fae emerges a quieter, more uncertain Diego and that change in character translates realistically and beautifully here in the opening chapter.

I have been eagerly awaiting this story since I finished Semper Fae, an outstanding novel at every aspect but one that was darker in scope than the previous stories. Like the rest of the inhabitants of Tearmann Island, the Fae nation locale on the human world, I have waited to see what the banishment and time has done for Diego and his lover, Finn. I was teary eyed as I “watched” them go, so I was overjoyed to find this story opens up on a sandy beach in the Otherworld with Diego watching Finn play with a pod of selkies in the ocean. It’s joyful, peaceful, and the Diego found here is the one I was hoping to see. He’s not yet fully healed but clearly on his way. I love how believable Diego and his journey towards becoming the man/mage he is capable of being. Each book has seen Diego become a more nuanced and layered being, complete with moments of depression, pride and arrogance vying with guilt and humility to arrive at a person who acknowledges he is still a work in progress. I believe in Diego wholeheartedly, and with that, comes a belief in Finn, his Pookie lover who has also made some important transitions of his own. They change, their relationship changes and deepens and so does their place in the world they have had a share in making.

Angel Martinez manages to temper her moments of seriousness and angst with those of laughter and joy. Attaining that balance can be tricky but Martinez handles that beautifully here in the form of Limpet, a young selkie (150 years young) who is one of the most endearing characters of recent memory. Limpet is the levity and heart of innocence of this story. It’s his pod that’s playing with Finn in the opening chapter but the pod’s life has gotten too small for Limpet who wishes to see the human world of Finn’s stories and tall tales. Limpet is the balm to Theo’s pain and watching those two beings connect and establish a relationship is one of this story’s strengths and delights. He may come across as simple at first but nothing in this series is ever as simple as it appears. The author does a tremendous job in providing layer upon layer to her story and characters, The characters change and grow as the plot twists and turns in a pattern as complex as a mandala.

To all the other mythic lore Martinez has introduced in the previous stories, in No Fae Is An Island adds yet another culture’s myths, this time those of the Middle East and Tales of the Arabian Nights. Here it makes sense and brings a whole new cast of characters to fold into her universe and Fae collection. And what a startling group it is. Especially Nusair but I will let you discover him on your own.

The author’s on-going themes of identity, self awareness, and the journey towards a completeness of being continues in No Fae Is An Island and not just in the character of Diego. Others are on that path too. Its a tortuous journey but a believable one. Is it tough to suspend our belief in our universe to take in all the mythical creatures Martinez brings to her world? Not at all. You slide into this world and universe building with an ease and pleasure that never lets up. I love this story and series. And I can’t wait to see where it goes next, some place dark if any of the portents I read here are an indication. I will be waiting to see where these amazing characters and series go next. It’s an astonishing trip, make sure you come with us every step of the way.

No Fae Is An Island is a story I can highly recommend as I do the entire Endangered Fae series. Pick them all up today but make sure you read them in the order they were written, a must to understand the characters, their growth and relationships. I will leave you an excerpt at the end of this review. Succinct and charming…meet Limpet!

Cover art by Winterheart Designs. Love that cover. That is Theo and Limpet to perfection.

Sales links: MLR Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon No Fae Is An Island

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 255 pages
Published September 5th 2014 by MLR Press
ASINB00NBI2UP6
edition languageEnglish
seriesEndangered Fae #4

I have listed all the Endangered Fae stories in the order they were written and should be read to understand the events and character development. Put all on your must read list today!

Finn (Endangered Fae #1) (includes Finn’s Christmas)
Diego (Endangered Fae #2)
Semper Fae (Endangered Fae #3)
No Fae Is An Island (Endangered Fae #4)

No Fae Is An Island Excerpt

“You don’t need to come with me.” Theo fought clenched teeth. The selkie was a friend of Mr. Sandoval’s and Finn’s, too—Finn who had been so kind to him after accidentally squashing him in dragon form. No need to be rude.

“Quite all right. I’ve nothing better to do.”

“You can’t come with me,” Theo said in the chilliest, sternest tone he could muster.

“Oh, of course I can. I see quite well at night.”

Theo squeezed his eyes shut against the headache. It shouldn’t have been there. He’d fed that morning and napped the rest of the day in lethargic, sated bliss. Fine. He’ll get bored and leave soon. “All right. But you have to be quiet.”

“Yes, yes, of course. In case something bad is here. A pack of nixes maybe. Oh, they’re bad. Or a kraken tries to swim close and ambush you, yes? You’re a real warrior, then? Have you seen many battles? Do you have scars? I have scars, but only because I was very young—”

“Limpet.” Theo stopped and took the selkie’s chin in his hand, holding his head still. “Whispering is not being quiet.”

“Right you are. Sorry. You have beautiful eyes.”

Theo dropped his hand and walked away, shaking his head. It was going to be long night.

A MelanieM Review: The Last Thing He Needs by J.H. Knight

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Tommy O’Shea is raising his seven younger brothers and sisters the best he can under the worst of circumstances. With an alcoholic, drug addicted father and stepmother to contend with, only the fact that the house they live in was their grandmother’s keeps a roof over their heads. The money needed for food and other living expenses is cobbled together by a collection of part time jobs, petty thefts and other desperate measures. This includes selling sexual favors in alleys to get by. And it’s been that way since Tommy was 15. Here living on the edge is razor sharp, pain is common place and despairs its companion. Between trying to make sure his brothers and sisters are fed, attend school, and stay out of the foster care system, Tommy has room for little else in his life, including a relationship.

Police officer Bobby McAlister has known Tommy and his family since they were kids. Unbeknownst to Tommy he has been trying to keep an eye out for their safety. A chance meeting with Tommy gives Bobby a chance to help out while trying to strike up a friendship once more. But Tommy has erected a wall of anger, diffidence and shame to keep others away and he tries to do the same with Bobby. Bobby sees how desperate the situation has become and refuses to be pushed away and a tentative friendship and relationship is formed.

A shattering event tests the fragile bonds that has formed between Tommy, Bobby and Tommy’s family. Will they be strong enough to withstand the tragedy that befalls the O’Shea family, or will all be lost forever under the aftermath?

The Last Thing He Needs by J. H. Knight is that story that slips along the edges of what could have been a Lifetime movie yet surmounts that overwrought template to become a deeply moving and emotionally wrenching story of family and love. J. H. Knight is another new author and a terrific one if this story is any indication. I have to admit I approached this story from two very different viewpoints. One, the side of me that’s addicted to those Christmas Hallmark movies, and the other side? That’s the one that looks at life through George Carlin glasses. The blurb hooked me in while my suspicious nature said to beware the maudlin elements that could have made this a manipulative sob fest.

I shouldn’t have worried. Knight took all the suspect elements, the impoverished family, the kids in danger, the drug addled parents…all of it and made it believable and heartrending. It all starts with Tommy O’Shea for he is the anchor of his family and for this story. If Tommy had not come across as real as he does, this would be a very different novel. But Knight makes us believe in Tommy. In his anger, and pain, and desperation. The descriptions of the O’Shea family’s living conditions ring in as authentic and gritty. The condition of the house, exterior and interior rooms, reads as desperation,especially the bedroom crammed with bodies. The teenagers shouldering burdens they were never meant to cope with, young kids on the edge of delinquency but for reasons that make your heart break, and the toddlers unaware of how shaky is the foundation their family rests on. Knight has a clear enough idea of the reality of poor families these days to make the O’Shea family existence spare, gritty and desperate without coating it in dramatic prose and imagery. It’s a grim life and Knight depicts it as such.

Bobby McAlister comes from a very different background. The only son of two loving parents, the loss of his father has left Bobby and his mother trying to cope with the hole in their lives and a future without the man they both loved deeply. His life and upbringing could not be any more different and the manner in which Tommy and the kids are living is almost too much for Bobby to comprehend, even as a police officer. His emotional and familial solidity is the bulwark Tommy needs for himself and for his brothers and sisters against the reality their lives have become. Bobby isn’t perfect and that just pulls us into his personality even further. Then add to that his grieving mother, Judy, and our love for the McAlister family just grows and grows.

All the characters here managed to be fleshed out to a level that enables the reader to believe in them too. Tommy’s father and step mother are characters whose addictions and behaviors are heinous yet Knight is careful to show that Cal and step mother Cheryl were once so very different from the people they are now after years of substance abuse, bad decisions, and parental neglect has made them. Life is choices and sometimes it only takes a slip or a push for you to go one way or the way. Or in Tommy’s case, realize that to ask and accept help when you need it does not have to be dangerous or belittling.

Knight is quick not to deliver any easy answers for a desperate and painful situation. Tommy’s life and that of his siblings remain precarious for most of the story. But the resolution, while slow to arrive, is ultimately satisfying and emotionally heartwarming. This story and its characters earns its ending. It’s wonderful and realistic. And it puts J.H. Knight squarely on my must read list. I think after reading this story you will find yourself doing the same. Consider this highly recommended by Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.

Cover art by AngstyG. I like the cover but its lacking a little something in design.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon The Last Thing He Needs

Book Details:

ebook, 220 pages
Published July 28th 2014 by Dreamspinner Press (first published July 27th 2014)
ISBN139781627988605
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Blown Chance (Whispering Winds, #4) (Pulp Friction 2014 #15) by Havan Fellows

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Rowen Smithe had been anticipating the worst when his past came calling in the form of his former partner. Once through the initial explosions (and when all first aide supplies were put away), the truth about Rowen, the warped nature of his childhood, previous profession, everything came to light. And his Mountain Shadow family didn’t abandon him. In fact it brought them all closer together.

But not everyone in Rowen’s past is willing to let Rowen off so easily. An old acquaintance arrives quietly in Mountain Shadows and his target is Rowen Smithe. Recovering from the turmoil of the recent events, none of Mountain Shadows campground are prepared for what is to come, the least of which is Mick Rutger.

Mick Rutgers is in love with Rowen Smithe and has been working hard to break down the barriers Rowen has raised to protect himself. But when Rowen’s former partner appears and their history together comes out, Mick thinks the time has finally come for them to have a future together. It seems that Fate has one last hurdle for the pair to overcome. One more dangerous element from Rowen’s past. Is this the one that brings them closer together? Or is it the one to break Mick’s resolve and destroy their chance at happiness forever?

Blown Chance is guaranteed to break your heart in more ways than you might think possible. The previous 3.5 (yes, .5) stories have been setting us up for this emotional rollercoaster. The scrabbled together family of Mountain Shadows has just undergone an emotional tsunami resulting from the revelations about Rowen’s past, including childhood and dubious profession. Still once the shocks have worn off and the wounds patched up (ok part of that was deadly funny), all the characters we have come to love over this series (and some from last year’s) pull together once more in love and support. Its has been emotionally draining for all, and yes, I am including the reader here too. But peace is such a fragile thing, especially when the people involved are such explosive individuals with past histories that refuse to stay in the past.

I have to admit I laughed out loud at portions of Wicked Winds (Whispering Winds 3.5). But humor has little place here. Rowen’s past is one of horrific events of which sometimes he has been the cause. And that past refuses to let him go. It returns silently and swiftly just when you think Rowen and Mick are settling down enough to talk about a relationship. Havan Fellows lulls us into temporary complacency and then smacks us down with a tide of events and people that we really should have seen coming. She builds us up and then brings us down but not so far at first that we think we’re safe. Because no one is.

I love the suspense and anticipation Fellows builds into her plot. It’s crazy white knuckle ride of action, stealth, and surprise! Still, amongst all the shocks and tremors here, Havan Fellows never forgets the complicated men at the center and their strained journey towards love and acceptance. Rowen quickly became a favorite of mine with his tortured demeanor and his ability to become a part of the woodland environment around him. Rowen is such an interesting, quixotic personality that he just draws you to him. So we can understand Mick Rutger’s fascination with Rowen and ultimately his love for him as well. Their tentative bonds have been constantly under stress, but the worst is about to confront them all. How is all plays out is wildly inventive, crazily satisfying, and totally frustrating.

I get the ending, I really do. It makes absolute sense. But now I need book 5. I need to see what happens next. I care for these characters and want them to have their happily ever after. They deserve it and so do the readers. I know its coming but waiting is get harder by the minute. How I love the anticipation!

This is an outstanding series. The fact that it gets intertwined with the Pulp Friction 2013 series is just the icing on the cake. Loved that series, love this series too. Whispering Winds and all the other Elemental Connections series are easily at the top of Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words Best of 2014. If you have started reading them yet, (perhaps there is a binge reading fest ahead), start at the first story and work your way through. It’s the best way to understand the characters and to watch the relationships change and grow. Pick them up today.

Cover art by Laura Harner. These covers are tremendous, great for branding the series and the characters.

Sales links: All Romance eBooks Amazon Blown Chances

Here are the books in the Elemental Connections series to date:

Round One:

Firestorm (Fighting Fire: 1) by Laura Harner
Cold Snap (In From the Cold: 1) by Lee Brazil
Blown Away (Whispering Winds: 1) by Havan Fellows
Higher Ground (Earthquake: 1) by T.A. Webb
Kismet & Cartwheels – bonus book, Fighting Fire

Round Two:

Controlled Burn by Laura Harner
Cold Comfort by Lee Brazil
Blown Kisses by Havan Fellows
Moving Earth by T.A. Webb

Round Three:

Backburn by Laura Harner
Cold Feet by Lee Brazil
Blow Hard by Havan Fellows
Tremors by T.A. Webb
Taking Chances by Lee Brazil– bonus book, In From the Cold

Round Four:

Flare-up by Laura Harner
Out In The Cold by Lee Brazil
Wicked Winds by Havan Fellows – bonus book, Whispering Winds
Blown Chance by Havan Fellows
Aftershocks by T.A. Webb

Book Details:
Published August 15th 2014 by Appleton Publishing Avenue (first published August 14th 2014)
seriesPulp Friction 2014 #15, Whispering Winds #4

A MelanieM Review: Frankie’s Knight (Elemental Connections: IV) (Earthquake #3.5) by T.A. Webb

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Atlanta Detective Frankie Prater is working a case where young boys working as prositutes have gone missing. Then he gets a lead on his case from a most unexpected source…the Arizona Flagstaff Police Department where a joint task force has convened after the arrest of a serial rapist murderer and sadist.. Turns out that this monster is responsible for the abduction of 40 boys and girls from around the country and among them just might be the young boy missing Frankie is looking for in Atlanta.

Frankie journeys to Flagstaff hoping for answers and perhaps even the boy himself. With him is Brady Owens. Brady lived six years as a prostitute after his parents threw him out at the age of twelve. While on the streets, his boyfriend was killed by a rogue cop and he himself was tortured before being saved by Frankie’s brother, the City Knight and his friends. Now he lives with Frankie and his kids. Brady has turned eighteen. Brady knows what and who he wants. It’s Frankie Prater and he is pretty sure that Frankie wants him back. But how to convince him that he’s all grownup and ready for a relationship?

In the middle of an investigation where the missing kids are plentiful, their bodies are missing, and clues are scarce, will Frankie figure out his feelings for Brady before the investigation turns deadly once more?

T.A. Webb is killing me here. Never have I handed out so many high ratings as I have with this series and authors. And with Frankie’s Knight, a side story from this year’s Pulp Friction’s Elemental Connections series, the pattern continues. Once more, T.A. Webb is able to combine the two series (City Knight) and (Earthquake) in a realistic and dramatic fashion. Here the connecting element is missing boys, both in Atlanta and Flagstaff. Unfortunately from the last Earthquake novel, Tremors (Earthquake #3), we have learned the identity of the culprit behind a main character’s kidnapping. It is revealed that he is not only a sadist but a serial rapist and murderer of more than 40 boys and girls across the US. That horrific discovery reverberates across agencies and states where the children were kidnapped, among them Atlanta.

There is always an element of angst to these stories whether it is kidnapping, torture, abuse or murder. But in Frankie’s Knight, that aspect is heartbreaking as Webb works the reality of those discarded LGBTQ children on the streets and the life that awaits them there as castoffs from family and society. There are so many of them, a fact highlighted by the shear number of children this person was able to kidnap and kill without raising alarm. Unfortunately this is another realistic element here as the media and law enforcement can attest. T.A. Webb’s treatment and characterizations of these kids is both authentic and profoundly painful. We have seen it in Brady Owens and his friends from the City Knight series last year. Here Brady’s background of abuse and prostitution will come into play in a most unexpected way.

T.A. Webb’s plot is gripping. The suspense builds as the hunt for the Atlanta boy intensifies. All the law enforcement agents gathered combine forces and resources to put this person away for good, find the boys and girls missing, even if they think it is only bodies to locate at this point. And through it all, Brady and Frankie are trying to find their way to each other and a HEA. Webb gives us tension with a capital T, whether it is the building sexual tension between Brady and Frankie or the stress and tension caused by the investigation that comes with a time restriction. It all builds into an explosive finale worth of the plot and characters. Just amazing. And once more, T.A. Webb leaves the reader wanting more of all the people and couple involved.

I highly recommend Frankie’s Knight and all of the Earthquake and Elemental Connections series. I have listed them for you at the bottom. However, in order to avoid spoilers and to understand the sequence of events and character development, they should be read in the order they were written. Grab them all up today. This is one amazing author and series!

Cover art by Laura Harner. Amazing cover, I love it.

Sales links: All Romance eBooks Amazon Frankie’s Knight

Books in the Earthquake (Pulp Friction 2014) series in the order they should be read:

Higher Ground (Earthquake #1) (Pulp Friction 2014 #4)
Moving Earth (Earthquake #2) (Pulp Friction 2014 #8)
Tremors (Earthquake #3) (Pulp Friction #12)
Frankie’s Knight (Elemental Connections: IV) (Earthquake #3.5)
Aftershocks (Earthquake #4) (Pulp Friction 2014 #16)

Book Details:
ebook, 65 pages
Published August 26th 2014 by A Bear on Books
ISBN139781310928611
edition languageEnglish

A MelanieM Review: Yakuza Courage (The Way of the Yakuza #2) by H.J. Brues

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Ex-Navy SEAL Brendan O’Farrihy’s life was never the same after his SEAL team deployed to Afghanistan on a near suicidal covert mission. It ended disastrously, killing two of his team members and shattering the lives of the remaining SEALS. Now Brendan works for a Washington lawyer and boyfriend, helping his clients by conducting investigations and acting as security. Then Brendan is sent to Honolulu on a new job for their client, Senator Harris. It seems that the Senator’s youngest son has gotten involved with the Yakuza and brought them back with him from Japan where he had been kidnapped. The Senator’s son, Kenneth Harris, is living and working at Honolulu dojo , a suspected front for a yakuza syndicate. Brendon’s job is to investigate and extract the son as necessary. The first step in Brendan’s investigation? Enroll in a kendo class being given at the dojo in question to get close to his subject and observe the situation.

Kendo instructor, the cocky, short-fused, gorgeous Kinosuke Yonekawa has arrived in Honolulu along with his former yakuza underboss Shigure Matsunaga, other ex yakuza members and of course, Ken Harris, Matsunaga’s gajin lover who is helping to see them established in the US. Kinosuke feels cutoff from all he knew, especially his place in Japanese and Yakuza society. American culture and customs confuse him and he feels adrift from the very people who make up his family. Then a new student arrives in class. Freckled, outgoing, handsome and yet respectful. The feelings he engenders in Kinosuke just add to his jumbled state of mind.

As Brendan becomes more involved with Kinosuke, the less sure he is that the Senator has been telling him the truth. The Yakuza are protectiave of Ken and seem to have left their criminal connections behind them in Japan. So what exactly is going on? When Ken disappears from the dojo, Brendan must decide whether to stick to his original plan or reveal his investigation to Kinosuke and the others in order to help them find Ken and bring him home. But will Kinosuke ever forgive him? And will it all be in time to rescue Ken from a danger closer than Brendan had imagined.

Yakuza Courage, the second story in H.J. Brues’ The Way of the Yakuza series, represents yet another new series and author for me. Her special combination of suspense, romance and all the elements that a variety of cultures bring really made this story (and series) a real highlight for me. I am working backwards here so I was missing the first installment, Yakuza Pride, where Ken Harris and Shigure Matsunaga met in Japan and the kidnapping that occurred there. However, I didn’t feel as though that lack of a complete backstory was necessary in order to get connected to the men, the romances and histories central to the plot here.

Words that come to mind when trying to describe the characters, and plot? Densely packed, beautifully constructed, and always complex. That applies to everything here. The characters are especially marvelous. On one side you have Brendan O’Farrihy and the remaining members of his SEAL family, a damaged, closeknit, and over the top competent group of warriors devastated by a mission gone wrong. And soon to be reunited in Hawaii. On the other side? A closeknit group of Japanese warriors…a segment of the criminal gang that is Yakuza. They too have been separated, not from each other, but from their material and emotional foundation in the Yakuza organization in Japan. Two teams or families adrift by circumstances and one man who will bring them all together. What a great plot! And to make them all feel alive H. J. Brues steeps her story and characters deep in the culture of Hawaii. Here it is the white people or haole who are outsiders. Not so those of multiracial backgrounds found throughout the Hawaiian Islands, where it can take a true polyglot to understand the mixture of dialects, colloquialisms, pidgin mashups of English, Japanese, Samoan, and much, much more that has become the language of the people there.

I loved the manner in which Brues folded her knowledge of the various cultures (of Japan, Yakuza, Hawaii, and SEAL) together in such a way that they remain distinct yet commonplace elements of the people and story lines. Her characters speak the language of their home and cultures and it feels as natural as breathing. Along the way other details and facets are thrown in, such as the clothing worn by kendo masters and the slippers and furnishings found there. Want to know more about what it is like to don (and take off) the hakama pants worn by Kendo Masters and students? Then read the scene that highlights the difficulty and time it took Brendan and Kinosuke to remove their hakama pants while half crazed with lust. It comes across as both authentic, and funny. Dialects swing back and forth from Japanese to colloquial Hawaii then to standard SEAL speak and English and then around again. A tremendous merry-go-round of vivid imagery, local flavor, and layering that can make your head swim if other cultures and languages are not your thing. For me it felt as if each new page brought another present to unwrap.

There is a tremendous amount of information here and plot complications to include so at times the reading can slow down, the narrative sluggish under the weight of all those great elements and tactical maneuverings. Then its starts to pick up as the other SEAL team members arrive and the rush is on to accomplish several missions, save Ken, and complete a HEA for all. That race towards the resolution is really gripping, the author’s sentences creating a picture of tension, danger, and imminent discovery. So many great action sequences coming together for a jam packed explosive finale.

I loved this story so much that I went back and grabbed up the first in the series, Yakuza Pride. But that is a review for a later time. But if you haven’t read that story, don’t worry you can start here as I did. From that glorious cover to the equally stunning story inside, this is one of ScatteredThoughtsandRogueWords Best of 2014 and highly recommended reads!

Cover artist Reese Dante’s cover is lush, beautifully rendered and spot on for this story.

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press (on sale) All Romance eBooks Amazon Yakuza Courage

Book Details:

ebook, 336 pages
Published August 1st 2014 by Dreamspinner Press LLC (first published July 31st 2014)
ISBN139781627988667
edition languageEnglish
seriesThe Way of the Yakuza #2

Book in the Series to date:

Yakuza Pride (The Way of the Yakuza #1)
Yakuza Courage (The Way of the Yakuza #2)

A MelanieM Review: Firestorm (SoulShares #4) by Rory Ni Coileain

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Cuinn an Dearmad is the last surviving Fae Loremaster, and he’s just seen the beginning of the death of the Realm, the land the Fae fled to after the battle with the Marfach. The Fae sealed off The Realm from Earth to protect the last of the Fae and insure that the Marfach didn’t follow them. The method they used cost them all the Loremasters but one. But now cutoff from Earth’s magic, the Realm is dying and the only hope of stopping it starts with Cuinn finding the Prince Royal of Fire, a baby he stole from the cradle, and lost in the human world, many years ago. But where to start looking? It seems that Fate and Fae have combined to make the impossible happen.

Rian Sheridan was found and adopted by a Northern Irish Catholic family who whose Da was already deeply involved with the IRA and the liberation movement in Belfast. For all his 21 years, fire has been Rian’s companion and curse. His human parents loved him without knowing who exactly Rian was, a Prince of the Demesne of Fire and the hope of the Fae Realm. But fire was both his pain and salvation when his world and sense of self was destroyed by the Orangemen on July 12. Now all Rian knows is pain, and a need for punishment. But he is about to get something more…much, much more. A future and a name for who and what he is.

Cuinn an Dearmad or Cuinn the Exiled and Prince Rian Aodan whose signet ring, Croi na Dothan, means he’s the heart of the Flame, are on a collision course with Fate and each other. For Cuinn and Rian are SoulShares, something Cuinn thought only happened between Fae and Human, not Fae and Fae. But will Rian be able to accept Cuinn, the man responsible for stealing him away from his Fae mother and the agony he experienced on Earth? And Cuinn? Can he overcome his guilt and foresworn duty to heal his SoulShare and with him save both worlds?

Firestorm is the last and, quite naturally, the most incendiary book in the SoulShares series by Rory Ni Coileain. Through three stories and elements, we have watched the Fae of the Demesnes of Earth (Tiernan), Air (Conall), and Water (Lochlann Doran) find their human SoulShares and engage in battle with the Marfach. Now time has run out for The Realm and Earth with the last of the magic dries up killing The Realm in the process and the Marfach plans for Armageddon on Earth. Three couples stand prepared but they are incomplete without the last element of fire.

Having brought her characters and readers to this highly suspenseful and anticipatory state, author Rory Ni Coileain ups the stakes with her last two major characters. One is Cuinn an Dearmad or Cuinn the Exiled, the last Fae Loremaster, the missing chink in the Pattern. The absent Fae of the Demesne of Fire? A Prince stolen at birth from Queen Nuala, the Fae ruler and deposited with a human Irish family. The culprit? That would be Cuinn an Dearmad who to the day carries the burden and guilt of the pain he inflicted on an innocent.

Ni Coileain’s complicated plot becomes even more convoluted with the pairing of Cuinn and Rian, each carrying with them a past and foretold future even more tortuous and tangled then any of the others. Cuinn has been the willing puppet of the Loremasters plans and manipulations with Rian one of their subjects in the harshest way. Rian has paid in anguish and torment just as he turned 21 and came into his magic. Now Cuinn must not only heal Rian, convince him about the reality of Fae and his own true birthright but get all of them prepared for the final stage of the Loremasters machinations. Rory Ni Coileain is quite the puppetmaster herself to keep all these major themes and plot threads unreeling simultaneously while building the suspense and anxiety for all involved.

The point of view changes from the SoulShares (all of them) to Marfach’s zombie host and back again. Its effective and harrowing if a little complicated. But it’s Rian who captures our empathy and shared pain with his constant, overwhelming need for abuse and sexual punishment. The basis for this need is shattering for the readers and for Cuinn who by then has become his SoulShare. Cuinn also has secrets he has been hiding and all must come out. Not just to Rian but all the other couples involved in the battle against the Marfach and the ley lines under Purgatory, the DC leather bar.

How I loved this part. I adored having all the couples I have become so fond of here at the final installment and still managed to make more room in my affections for the tormented couple of Cuinn and Rian. Rian is fire! The images that Rory Ni Coileain uses to build his portrait are as combustible as his element. Hot, powerful and quick tempered, Rian is as incendiary as it comes. But the center of Rian is total darkness and pain and the author brings that to life as well. Cuinn is all cold guilt and responsibility to Rian’s heat. Cuinn’s character is more removed from emotion, more bound to service and the change that happens to Cuinn is purposeful and believable. Great characters both of them, Ni Coileain balances the growing relationship between Rian and Cuinn against the ever increasing desperation of the Marfach and the Realm. And at times, the balance is undone by the emotions and events that are occurring within the story. The march towards action or Rian and Cuinn? More of the story comes down on Rian and Cuinn here and while that works beautifully towards making their SoulShare real, it takes away from the Marfach’s impact at times.

Never more so than at the ending. Some will love it,, others not so much. Yes, there is resolution to be found here and yet there are also plenty of openings for this series to continue. I wish I knew which way the author was leaning. I was almost satisfied and yet….I left the story and the series with a vague sense of incompleteness and a bit of irritation. Normally, that would bring the rating down considerably. But Firestorm and the entire SoulShares series is so beautifully woven through with its lore, imagery, characters, and plot, that its hard not to celebrate Rory Ni Coileain’s writing in this series with a high rating.

Do I recommend this book and series? Absolutely. Its remarkable, its entertaining, and its magical, full of pain,obstacles, heartache and love. Don’t miss out on any of the four stories and like me, continue to hope for a fifth.

Cover artist: Allen Penn. Of all 4 covers, this is my favorite. Dramatic and hot!

Sales Links: Ravenous Romance All Romance eBooks Amazon Firestorm

Books in the SoulShares series in the order they were written and should be read are:

Hard As Stone (SoulShares #1)
Gale Force (Soulshares #2)
Deep Plunge (SoulShares #3)
Firestorm (SoulShares #4)

Book Details:
Kindle Edition, 248 pages
Published February 27th 2014 by Ravenous Romance
ASINB00IOWB2BW
edition languageEnglish
seriesSoulShares #4

A Barb the Zany Lady Review: Bliss by Heidi Belleau and Lisa Henry

Rating: 4.5 stars

Tate Patterson comes to Beulah because he’s heard that it’s easy pickings. Unlike his hometown, there’s no crime, and therefore, no locks on doors. It would be simple to make a quick haul and get away, but just as he’s doing that, a cop grabs him at the train station, and he makes a run for it. He has to get back to Tophet, no matter what, but when it looks like there’s no escape, he seeks a diversion by punching a young man in the face, breaking his nose. Tate’s captured anyway, and the young man, Rory James, is sent to the hospital while Tate learns his punishment—rehabilitation through restitution. How hard could that be? Tate finds out when he’s sentenced to seven years of service to the man he hurt. He knew he shouldn’t have thrown that punch, but seven years?

Review:

Beulah is the perfect town with the perfect justice system. In fact, it seems to exist in a bubble. There is very little crime and there are no jails. Almost everyone arrested plea bargains for a 7-year sentence, because, if they go to trial and are convicted, the sentence is life. Once found guilty, the criminal is fitted with an implanted chip in the brain, one that guarantees that they will remain docile. What many people don’t know, however, is that the chip will not allow that man to resist any command given to him by his “master”, the sponsor, who in almost all cases is the victim of the crime perpetrated.

When Rory receives custody of Tate, his new “rezzy”, the nickname given to those in the restitution program, he’s initially very wary, quite fearful of having this man in his home. He’s so new to the town himself, that he doesn’t yet understand or trust the system. But he comes to see that Tate is constantly looking for guidance and expressing his regret. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry” is a constant refrain. Then he discovers that Tate would prefer to be naked and on his knees as he begs for sex every time he greets Rory at the front door. When Rory finally gives in, feeling like a heel for doing so, he can’t quite reconcile Tate’s pleas for “more” and “harder”, when Tate is actually crying and moaning as if in pain.

Despite his better judgment, and under the guidance and counsel of his supervisor, Justice Lowell, he keeps Tate and continues to have sex with him. Justice Lowell acts as his friendly confidante and advisor, as Rory acclimates to Beulah and to his new job in the court system. He’s left Tophet, his hometown, behind him—a dirty, crime- and grime-filled dump, and he’s really happy to have that behind him, but he starts to question why Tate is so obedient and so obsessed with servitude and sex, especially when Tate is never able to verbalize answers to any questions about his own past in Tophet. If anything, the more he is ordered to perform certain tasks, both household and sex, the more he appears to enter a state of happiness that can only be described as bliss. Rory is told, “They’re always happy”, so many times that he feels he needs to believe that to assuage his own conscience.

As the tale unfolds, the authors delve more deeply into the personalities and complexities of the secondary characters. Justice Lowell is the type of guy who is friendly with all of his office staff, and one night, convinces Rory to host an impromptu office party for all of them. It’s then that Rory notices that Aaron, their cute and exuberant office intern seems uncomfortable around Lowell, especially once Lowell gets drunk and starts to make a pass at him. Two days later, he finds out that Aaron has been “caught” stealing and is now Lowell’s rezzy. Shocked, Rory tries to find out more, but is met with a dead end and a boss who tells him that he needs to learn to accept the way things are done in Beulah.

As time goes on and more and more incidents cause Rory to question what is really going on in this town, he endangers himself through his rebelliousness and will be lucky to escape the same fate as Tate and Aaron.

It… It hurts. Help. Me.

As a reader, I was particularly troubled during the times when Tate tried to break through the chip to speak to Rory to make him aware of what was going on. The chip causes tremendous pain each time a rezzy tries to break through the barrier. And, though we spend more time listening to Tate’s inner turmoil and powerlessness, we also share in Aaron’s pain which is manifested through excessive nosebleeds, so we see these very engaging characters struggling through extreme physical pain and, though we know what they want to say, we bear witness to what is actually said, and it’ s never what is intended. They’re always happy. But they really aren’t, and I found it painful to read these passages.

In fact, I started feeling depressed and reluctant to pick up the story again. Not because it was so poorly written, like others that I’ve hesitated to continue to read in the past, but because it was so well-written that I became one with the character. I hurt for Tate and Aaron so much!

On the flip side, I loved the surprising twist the story takes when Rory finally takes action. On the one hand, I knew something good would happen, but on the other hand, I was indeed surprised when it happened the way it did. And, of course, this dynamic author duo provided us with a satisfying HEA for all involved, though it was hard-earned.

So, I’m torn in my rating, because I realize it was so well written and the plot was extremely imaginative and well executed, that it might deserve a 5, yet it had so many dark and depressing elements that I may not have finished it if I hadn’t committed to a review. Therefore, I’m going with 4.5 stars.

I recommend it to those who enjoy a dark tale with non-con and dub-con scenes and/or a look into a non-conventional, yet Earth-based, world. And if you love angst, this is the story for you!

Cover Art by Kanaxa, http://www.kanaxa.com
Layout: L.C. Chase
— The cover depicts a very “blissful” expression on a handsome young man’s face. Sweet!

Sales Links: Riptide Publishing All Romance eBooks (ARe) Amazon <a href=”Bliss

Book Details:

ebook, 230 pages
Published August 18th 2014 by Riptide Publishing
ISBN139781626491380
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://www.riptidepublishing.com/titles/bliss

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press eBook Paperback All Romance eBook (ARe) Amazon The Path

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No Fae Is An Island Excerpt

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Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Sales links: All Romance eBooks Amazon Blown Chances

Here are the books in the Elemental Connections series to date:

Round One:

Round Two:

Round Three:

Round Four:

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Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5

Cover art by Laura Harner. Amazing cover, I love it.

Sales links: All Romance eBooks Amazon Frankie’s Knight

Books in the Earthquake (Pulp Friction 2014) series in the order they should be read:

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Books in the SoulShares series in the order they were written and should be read are:

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