Day: March 16, 2015

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Everything Changes by Melanie Hansen

Dreamspinner Presents:
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=6039

everything changesBlurb

What happens when friendship catches fire?

Former Marine and lower-leg amputee Carey Everett keeps a grueling schedule of counseling fellow war veterans and their families. The injury he received in Afghanistan forces him to rely on a reserve of strength he didn’t even know he had. A much deserved vacation will let him reconnect with his best friend, who saved his life and has been there for him through devastating injury and painful recovery.

Part-time EMT and aspiring singer Jase DeSantis has been in love with Carey for years, but he’s come to accept that his straight friend will never be able to offer more. Jase fills his days with band rehearsals, ambulance shifts, and willing groupies, all while trying to cope with debilitating PTSD.

A week of sun, fun, and music in San Diego changes Jase and Carey’s lives forever when their relationship takes an unexpected turn. Jase has been longing for that change, but it leaves Carey reeling with confusion. As Jase fights to hold things together, Carey deals with doubts, fears, and his own preconceived notions about labels and the true nature of love.

Review

Carey and Jase are friends from the military. Carey is an amputee and dealing with a new body, Jase has PTSD and is dealing with leading a normal life. They lean on each other physically and emotionally until, one day, those emotions begin to change from friend to a more sexual relationship.

Jase has always identified as bi-sexual, so he is not surprised by his attraction to Carey. Carey, is a staunch “straight” guy, who is confused by the change in his feelings and his attraction to his best friend.

In a nutshell, Carey has to come to grips with his possibly being other than “straight” and Jase needs to find room in his busy life for a real relationship.

**

This is a new author for me, and I think this is her first full length novel in this genre. As such she did an excellent job. Her writing is clear and captivating. I was definitely hooked by the story line and though she did a great job with her character development and realism as regards her subject matter.

I loved the “hurt/abuse” part of this story. I thought the PTSD and the amputation was handled realistically and compassionately. It plucked my heartstrings and felt authentic and seemed well-researched.

I loved the idea of the GFY/friends to lovers part of this story, but it didn’t pan out for me. Their relationship started out with a real sensuous bang and I thought that having them “sort of “ hook up but then go back to being friends was a nice twist on the familiar story-line. I thought, “Yeah, that feels authentic. Carey needs someone, anyone and the low-level-of-commitment- hand-job wouldn’t necessarily make him “gay” but would get him started on that track of thinking.” So when they went back to being friends, though it was frustrating and hard to read (in terms of Jase) it felt – real. But when they do finally embark on a fully physical relationship (which Carey was weirdly eager for and not anxious about) and then Carey suddenly leaves again, both physically and emotionally, I was very put off. If it had been a quick bout of recriminations and worries, that would have been fine, but months?… and a new potential relationship for both MCs? I didn’t like it. I really felt Carey treated Jase poorly and didn’t do much to earn back his trust. The end was just too quick and didn’t feel solid enough for my tastes. I appreciated that no relationship runs smoothly, but after all the build-up, the quick apology and epilogue just felt rushed.

I liked this enough to read another by this author and truly liked, but didn’t love this story.

Writing/Editing 4
Romance 3
Sex/Heat 3
Storyline 3
World Building/Characterizations 4

3.4 of 4 hearts

3.5

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Rise and Fall (THIRDS 4) -Charlie Cochet

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb: 

After an attack by the Coalition leaves THIRDS Team Leader Sloane Brodie critically injured, agent Dexter J. Daley swears to make Beck Hogan pay for what he’s done. But Dex’s plans for retribution are short-lived. With Ash still on leave with his own injuries, Sloane in the hospital, and Destructive Delta in the Coalition’s crosshairs, Lieutenant Sparks isn’t taking any chances. Dex’s team is pulled from the case, with the investigation handed to Team Leader Sebastian Hobbs. Dex refuses to stand by while another team goes after Hogan, and decides to put his old HPF detective skills to work to find Hogan before Theta Destructive, no matter the cost. 

With a lengthy and painful recovery ahead of him, the last thing Sloane needs is his partner out scouring the city, especially when the lies—however well-intentioned—begin to spiral out of control. Sloane is all too familiar with the desire to retaliate, but some things are more important, like the man who’s pledged to stand beside him. As Dex starts down a dark path, it’s up to Sloane to show him what’s at stake, and finally put a name to what’s in his heart.



Review: 

This is the fourth installment of THIRDS and in this part, the THIRDS unit takes a huge hit when team leader Sloane and Ash are out of commission. With both Sloane and Ash facing lengthy recoveries and the rest of their team made targets by Beck Hogan and his merry band of asshats, the higher ups at the THIRDS decide to put the remaining team members on leave and hand the investigation over to Sebastian Hobbs and his team. Of course, this doesn’t sit well with Dexter and he goes against orders and decides to bring down Hogan and his cohorts himself. 

This is an awesome series Cochet has here. The characters are absolutely wonderful and I think it’s fantastic how she manages to create storylines for each character without losing sight of the main characters. In this book, you see a different, more serious side to Dex. You get to see the serious, vulnerable, stubborn and determined side of Dex, understand the reason behind his weird 80s music obsession, why he feels he has to try go after Hogan and his army of maniacs on his own, what caused the problems in his and his ex’s relationship and all of that. Not only that, but you also get more of the other characters’ stories and their backgrounds in this book. In this, the author is laying the groundwork for the other books in the series and I for one am eager for the releases of them. I absolutely love Cael and Dex’s father and I laughed so hard at the ending of this book. I can’t wait to see more interaction between Tony, Sloane and Ash. I love how protective he is of his sons. The relationship between this father and his two sons gives me life! This book is filled with bad 80s music, a bizarre Gummy Bear and cheesy doodle addiction, a baseball bat named Old Bessie and an irate father. It was funny and hot and the action was fantastic. I highly recommend this series to everyone.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Amazing⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️