Quick Reads, Quick Reviews 43

  

• I Swear to You, Sloan Parker
• Only in Time: Touched by Magic Prequel/Mystique Antiques Book 1, Kelli McCracken
• Seduced on Bear Mountain: Bear Mountain Shifters Book 3, Sloane Meyers

One mistake, one moment where Grady could have everything his heart and body wanted.  But his fear robbed him of that happiness.  It wasn't just he that was robbed, though, the object of all his desire suffered for his fear as well.  I always have a hard time with second-chance stories where their first parting was due to hurtful things said or done.  This was no exception.  Despite my misgivings, though, this story was full of love, confessions, and a path of healing was forged for those that needed it most.

The more dramatic elements were quite large for a story so short and detracted from the reconciliation.  As for the relationship, the story ended with so much promise.  Grady was difficult to like at first and without the earnest way he pursued Mateo once he pulled his out he would have remained unlikable, but he really won me over in the end.  There wasn't much about Mateo, though what we got ran the gamut of emotions from hesitant and besotted to fearful and resentful.  We got a pretty good idea of both guys but I felt that there was a bit of growth missing.  Were dreams really enough for Grady to accept himself?  The grand gesture wasn't exactly grand and seemed pretty passive.  Also, Grady's brother wasn't humorous in the least, in fact he was offensively obnoxious and unnecessary.  His job didn't even help them out in the end, it was just a side note that he was there.  If the story were more focused on the men and their evolution it would have been way better, but I will definitely say the tenderness and steam was absolutely spot on.  3 stars.

Miscommunications and lack of communication separated two friends who could have had so much more.  With the meddling of friends, family, and a mysterious watch, Ally and Jonah get a second chance at their love.  If this story rose above the overdone "I'm not going to listen to you," "You hurt me so I'll hurt you back," pettiness, I would have really loved it.  Unfortunately, it just gets a pass for me because the refusal to listen, the lack of strong communication, and the avoidance of reasonable reactions were all so predictable that I had a hard time looking past those things to the sweetness underneath.  If there had been more attention paid to their sweet moments, a true reconciliation, it would have been amazing, especially in light of what Ally witnessed between Jonah and her father.  The best parts were the prologue, the event with the mysterious watch, and the ending with the hints at their well-deserved happiness.  3 stars.

In a world where humans don't know about shifters, there's a mountain whose inhabitants are finding life mates in humans, something that could bring them all a danger they don't need.  If Evan had his way, he'd stay far away from all of them and hide out in his cabin on Bear Mountain, but one roadside rescue sets his world spinning.  His gruff manner is a little more off-putting than endearing, but mostly because we don't get to see a lot of the sweetness underneath.  And with very little actual words coming out of his mouth, it's a lot of cranky thoughts that are the only clues as to who he is and why we should have faith in him.

For a partner he gets the positive, hardworking, upbeat, and curious Jackie.  It's clear right from the start that she's the type to shake things up all while putting herself last in order to keep the peace.  She's aware that her life in California is comfortable but not something she's driven to hold on to and when she gets the opportunity to live closer to the enigmatic shifter, it's no wonder she goes about making things work.  Whether that sticks is up to Evan and if he can offer her more than she's leaving behind.  Their pairing bodes well for the mountain's clan, but when it comes to the increasing turmoil between the humans of the area and the shifters, it's clear that something big is brewing and I'm mildly interested to see how that all turns out.  3 stars.