Guest Review: Smashed Into Pieces by Scarlet Blackwell

Posted July 2, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Tracy’s review of Smashed Into Pieces (Clear Water Creek Chronicles #2) by Scarlet Blackwell

Sheriff Brandon Schofield is smitten by the new arrival in Clear Water Creek, Finn Austen. But Finn is living in the house by the lake where a murder took place and his story is no less unhappy than the previous occupant’s. Finn is on the run from a violent past and he trusts no one.

Brandon is desperate to break down his defenses and win Finn’s love and trust but time is running out and perhaps he can only protect Finn for so long.

Brandon is the relatively new sheriff in town. When he discovers that there’s a new man in town and no one seems to know anything about him he goes about trying to get information. But from the get go I was curious as to his motivations. Yes, he needed to keep his town safe but there was the attraction that he felt toward this new man as well that had him butting into Finn’s business.

Brandon’s attempts at info are unsuccessful so he decides to go to the source. He pretty much badgers Finn until the man literally crumbles emotionally and tells him about how his previous boyfriend abused him. It’s horrifying and I felt so badly for Finn but instead of leaving Finn to deal with his personal demons Brandon is determined to keep him safe. He’s the Sheriff, I get that, but it was more than personal and Brandon was in love with Finn.

Finn was a broken man. He endured physical and emotional pain and anguish for 10 years until he finally got the nerve to leave. I understand that abuse victims get so beaten down that they don’t feel they’re worth anything to anyone so they stay with their abusers. I was so happy to see that Finn had finally broken away but the man just wanted to be left alone. But Brandon wouldn’t let him be. He kept at Finn and it made me a bit nuts. Brandon crowded Finn and took over at times like an alpha male and that was the last thing on earth that Finn needed. Sure Brandon felt bad about it afterwards but it didn’t stop him from doing it again and again. I can’t tell you how many times Finn told Brandon to just go away and leave him alone. Brandon started to seem more like a stalker to me than someone who was concerned about Finn’s well-being. And when Brandon declares his love? Oh holy crap, why? Not that Finn isn’t worthy but Brandon knew nothing about him as a person – nothing. How could he love someone he didn’t even know?? Though there was an HEA it truly felt like a one-sided relationship to me (and even that I highly questioned) and that just doesn’t speak of romance in my book.

I’m sure this story was written with the intention of showing us that everyone needs and deserves love and that there’s someone out there for everyone but I just couldn’t drum up that feeling. As much as we’d like to believe it, loved does not conquer all.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

The Series:

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Silver Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

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Tagged: 1.5 Reviews, Contemporary, Guest Reviews, M/M romantic suspense, Reviews, Scarlet Blackwell, Silver Publishing, Tracy's Reviews

Guest Review: Hunter and the Hawk by Gale Stanley

Posted June 16, 2011 by Tracy in Reviews | 0 Comments

Genres: Paranormal Romance

Tracy’s review of Hunter and the Hawk (Symbiotic Mates #1) by Gale Stanley

Vampires and Lycans have one thing in common hatred for each other. Only two things stand between them and all out war – an ancient peace treaty and dwindling populations that have put both species on the path to extinction. One vampire may have the secret to survival but he needs the cooperation of the Lycans to test his theory.

When Aidan walks into the Wolf Den and asks to see the Alpha, he doesn’t get a warm welcome. He’s barely through the door before he’s attacked. The Vampire’s arm is broken and he fears his totem animal, a Hawk, will never fly again.

Hunter, a Lycan Enforcer, comes to his aid and takes him aside for questioning. Aidan claims to have information about the murder of Hunter’s mate and he’ll trade for Lycan blood. At first, Hunter thinks it’s a trap, but Aidan convinces him that the answer to both species’ survival may lie in their blood. Hunter agrees to secretly help Aidan in exchange for the killer’s name. But he gets more than he bargained for when he finds himself falling for the seductive vampire. When the research goes awry, he’s sure he’s been used by the scheming bloodsuckers. But is Aidan the real enemy or is it someone closer to home?

Hunter is a wolf-shifter, a Lycan, and though the Lycans and Vampires (aka the Kindred) have had a treaty for many years they still hate each other. So when Hunter “saves” a vamp after he enters a Lycan bar he’s not quite sure what to make of the man. The vampire, Aidan, says that he has information about a Lycan woman who was recently killed (who was Hunters mate) but he won’t say who it is until the Lycans help him. You see Aidan’s sister is a doctor and has been working on trying to find a reason behind the vampire’s infertility issues and he wants the Lycans to cooperate and see if the blood of the Lycans can help the vampires. Hunter’s not sure he can go to his alpha with this information but he tries to see how the alpha feels about the possibility in a round about way. When Hunter finds the alpha is more than resistant to anything having to do with the Kindred and is actually searching for a way to end the treaty he knows that he will have to help Aidan on his own.

After Aidan and Hunter share sex and Aidan takes his blood they both start seeing physical changes in themselves. Eventually Aidan’s sister, Abbi, comes to Hunter for help because she fears that Aidan is dying. What is happening is that the men are becoming symbiotic mates and taking on characteristics of the other species. But how can Hunter go back to his people when he now sports fangs? And once he knows exactly who is responsible for his mates death.

This was a good first installment in what looks like might be an interesting series. I really liked Aidan and his willingness to aid his people. Sure he got the benefit of meeting and mating with Hunter but he had no clue that would happen. We saw things from Hunter’s POV more than Aidan’s so he was still somewhat of a mystery by the end of the book. I liked what I saw though. Hunter? I didn’t care for him all that much for most of the book but at one part I disliked his character intensely. He seemed to be caught somewhere between a beta and an alpha male with regard to his personality. He had all the makings of an alpha…in some ways – but then he just followed whatever his alpha told him – to the point of mating with a woman for 20 years when he preferred men. He never strayed while married even though his alpha encouraged him to since he was a “proven breeder”. When the alpha tries to get him to marry yet another woman after his mate is murdered he wants to help his pack but the “woman” is only 17 and he ends up having sex with her only to shut her up about the vampire bite marks on his body. This was after having sex with Aidan and knowing that he was having feelings for the other man. That’s when I stopped liking Hunter all together. Ok, I know he was trying to do the right thing and help his pack but there comes a time you need to stand up for yourself!

The story left the reader hanging a bit as there wasn’t any true conclusion to the infertility issue nor the fact that Hunter was now living with and was being protected by the vamps. I’m assuming we’ll get more information in future books – I’ll just hope that I’ll let both characters equally in those stories.

Rating: 3 out of 5

You can read more from Tracy at Tracy’s Place

This book is available from Silver Publishing. You can buy it here or here in e-format.