Title: On Solid Ground
Author: Melissa Collins
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: January 15, 2015
Synopsis:
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.
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Christina’s Review:
On Solid Ground by Melissa Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars (or tissue boxes which is how i might start rating books)
so, this book will put you through the ringer a bit. lots of emotion right from the start and a lot of broken character – not just the MC’s.
we meet dax first. even though he’s suffering from PTSD and is suffering severe panic attacks he doesn’t seem suicidal which is really what i expected. he wants to recover and figure out what to do with himself now that he’s home. he knows he doesn’t want to stay with his parents, he’s just not sure what to do next – especially since they are unaware of his sexuality. his relationship with his brother is strained at best. he really feels he only has 1 person in his life and that’s his best friend chloe. he ends up in california with her…the ocean air and beach are soothing to him.
dax meets beck when decides he wants to get a tattoo. as we get to know beck, he appears to have it pretty together. we quickly find out that’s not the case and he’s dealt with a bunch of bad stuff. he’s dealing with as much guilt as dax is but they appear to calm each other when together which surprises them both. he is convinced he doesn’t need to start a relationship right now with all the stuff he’s dealing with but neither one of them can deny what’s going on.
there are so many ups and downs through this book that it feels like a roller coaster ride. just when you think everything is going to work out, something else happens. the chemistry between them is palpable but every time they get their footing to try make things work one of them takes a step back. there is a bit of heartache and growth for them to get there happy ending. there were a couple of surprises near the end – both of which will require the aforementioned tissues. however, the epilogue completely makes up for that.
overall, it was a beautiful story that i’m glad i picked up.
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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