Title: On Solid Ground Author: Melissa Collins
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: January 15, 2014
Plot: When Jacob “Dax” Daxton returns home from war, he has to fight a new battle – the one to find his place in the world. The man who normally has a clear path to victory surrounded by brothers in combat is suddenly lost and alone. After meeting Beckett Ridge, a bearded tattoo artist, Dax’s journey begins winding down an unexpected path.
Still reeling from events that shook his foundation, Beck has never been part of anything meaningful. Now faced with responsibilities foreign and daunting, Dax’s broken spirit mends Beck in ways he never even knew he was destroyed.
As both struggle to find balance, they are healed by the comfort they find in one other. On the other side of chaos, they hope to find themselves On Solid Ground.
☆✮ My Review ✮☆
☆ I received an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ☆
**Wow!! What a way to pop my cherry into the world of Author Melissa Collins!**
On Solid Ground was MUCH MORE than a M/M romance. It was about love, life, loss, forgiveness, and family. And most importantly, it was about self- acceptance.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not read many M/M romances, and not because I don’t like them or have any reservations against them. I just haven't clicked with many of their plot lines to want to divest my time on them is all.
What did it in for me in regards to On Solid Ground, was its refreshing and out of the box synopsis. It just called and appealed to me on a whole another level that I just had to read it! And I’m glad that I did!
On Solid Ground genuinely opened my eyes to things that I had never come across in other books. It had: conviction, it had feelings, AND, it had heart.
While Dax is battling with-- horrific PTSD trauma and the devastation of losing a loved one in battle. NOT TO MENTION, coming to terms with his hidden sexual orientation and dealing with his family's shaky infrastructure….Beck, on the other hand, is dealing with a crippling childhood past, the newly appointed guardianship of his *adorable* niece...AND, being the sole protector and lifeline to his troubled sister.
With these tumultuous developments set against them... it is easy to gauge that Beck and Dax's relationship is not an easy one, as is any relationship for that matter, as they both go through their own stages of highs and lows and come to a breaking point of no return. But hey, who said the course of love was ever meant to be easy, right?
Another thing I would like to point out is the sexual aspect of this book. Usually in romances, while I do like my some dirty sex at times, I do not enjoy excessive amounts of unnecessary andpointless sex that I feel some authors use to spice up or use as fillers for their characters.
What I enjoy what author Melissa Collins does here is that she bases Dax and Beck’s sexual intimacies purely out of need and connection. There was no insta-love or nuances of lust driving their decision making. Almost every single thing they did was pure, selfless, beautiful and yet primitive (*’cause they’re alpha, hunky men! ~wink wink~*) testaments of unwavering commitment and devotion to one another.
So, all in all, a great, great story that made me think of 1)♬Shinedown’s 45♬ whenever I thought of Dax and his internal struggle from the battlefield; 2)as well as ♬Jessie J’s Who You Are♬ whenever times got hard for Dax and Beck.
I was nearly moved to tears with many of the heartwarming, tear-jerking, and realistic plot trials and scenarios that these characters were presented with, and relished their multi-faceted and compassionate personalities to face their fears head on.
After all, this is what this story primarily centered about-- learning and growing from life’s uphills and tribulations. And picking yourself up and moving forward even when things may seem fruitless and bleak.
#I love, loved, this story Melissa!! A splendid and touching novel with so much life lessons and advice that many of us could use in our everyday lives!!
☆ I received an ARC via the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ☆
**Wow!! What a way to pop my cherry into the world of Author Melissa Collins!**
“Some people are drawn together, pulled to one another by some ineffable force, their lives forever entwined, despite the circumstances the world may hand them. That’s how I felt about you, talking with you, laughing with you, loving you.”
On Solid Ground was MUCH MORE than a M/M romance. It was about love, life, loss, forgiveness, and family. And most importantly, it was about self- acceptance.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I have not read many M/M romances, and not because I don’t like them or have any reservations against them. I just haven't clicked with many of their plot lines to want to divest my time on them is all.
What did it in for me in regards to On Solid Ground, was its refreshing and out of the box synopsis. It just called and appealed to me on a whole another level that I just had to read it! And I’m glad that I did!
On Solid Ground genuinely opened my eyes to things that I had never come across in other books. It had: conviction, it had feelings, AND, it had heart.
While Dax is battling with-- horrific PTSD trauma and the devastation of losing a loved one in battle. NOT TO MENTION, coming to terms with his hidden sexual orientation and dealing with his family's shaky infrastructure….Beck, on the other hand, is dealing with a crippling childhood past, the newly appointed guardianship of his *adorable* niece...AND, being the sole protector and lifeline to his troubled sister.
With these tumultuous developments set against them... it is easy to gauge that Beck and Dax's relationship is not an easy one, as is any relationship for that matter, as they both go through their own stages of highs and lows and come to a breaking point of no return. But hey, who said the course of love was ever meant to be easy, right?
Another thing I would like to point out is the sexual aspect of this book. Usually in romances, while I do like my some dirty sex at times, I do not enjoy excessive amounts of unnecessary and
What I enjoy what author Melissa Collins does here is that she bases Dax and Beck’s sexual intimacies purely out of need and connection. There was no insta-love or nuances of lust driving their decision making. Almost every single thing they did was pure, selfless, beautiful and yet primitive (*’cause they’re alpha, hunky men! ~wink wink~*) testaments of unwavering commitment and devotion to one another.
So, all in all, a great, great story that made me think of 1)♬Shinedown’s 45♬ whenever I thought of Dax and his internal struggle from the battlefield; 2)as well as ♬Jessie J’s Who You Are♬ whenever times got hard for Dax and Beck.
I was nearly moved to tears with many of the heartwarming, tear-jerking, and realistic plot trials and scenarios that these characters were presented with, and relished their multi-faceted and compassionate personalities to face their fears head on.
After all, this is what this story primarily centered about-- learning and growing from life’s uphills and tribulations. And picking yourself up and moving forward even when things may seem fruitless and bleak.
#I love, loved, this story Melissa!! A splendid and touching novel with so much life lessons and advice that many of us could use in our everyday lives!!
My Rating:
♥♥♥♥♡
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☆✮ About the Author ✮☆
Melissa Collins has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice: English teacher. Her hope was to share her passion for reading and the escapism of books to her students. Having spent more than a decade in front of a classroom, she can easily say that it’s been a dream.
Her passion for writing didn’t start until more recently. When she was home on maternity leave in early 2012, she read her first romance novel and her head filled with the passion, angst and laughter of the characters who she read about it. It wasn’t long before characters of her own took shape in her mind. Their lives took over Melissa’s brain and The Love Series was born.
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