Genre: Paranormal, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Tony
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About The Book
With the construction for their shifter rehabilitation clinic in Haven underway, Xavier and Josh couldn’t be happier, professionally. But their busy lives leave them little alone time. It’s putting a strain on their relationship, and they still haven’t had anything close to a honeymoon.
Josh realizes Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and sees an opportunity he can’t let get away. But never having observed the holiday before, he has no idea what Xavier might want. All Xavier knows is that Josh wants to celebrate, but he has no clue how.
Before either of them makes a concrete decision, a bear shifter attacks Haven and threatens to trample their romantic plans.
Second Edition with revised text. A Shifter Chronicles story, sequel to Healing Minds.
The Review
Hearts and Minds focuses on Xander and Josh, and takes place sometime after book 5 and before book 13 in The Shifter Chronicles. The action happens on the lead up to Valentine’s Day.
Both Josh and Xander have been so busy that they have not had a moment to think about taking time out for themselves, let alone for some commercial love fest con.
The population of Haven is split on this. The majority go for it, as they do for Halloween, while there is a significant number of haters of all fake celebrations.
Yeah, I might just be with Xander and Jack, the sheriff of Haven. Just shut up and pass the humbugs!
The work on the Healing Hearts, Bodies, and Minds Clinic is progressing well, and some shifter victims of the Knights are receiving counselling. Freddie, a teenage bear shifter who was tortured and had his left foot severed while in the clutches of the Knights features here. He’s having a bad time just existing, but it seems he is slowly improving. He has a setback just as Josh and Xander have decided to take a moment for themselves.
He shifts and heads into town as a bear, hurting in ways few would understand. His retrieval / rescue puts an additional strain on Josh and Xander’s relationship. The story is about them coming to an understanding and making time for each other.
The interactions between the characters are very believable and effective. As with most of the books in the series, there are revelations that will have significance in the books to come. Some are interesting and some verge on frightening. In this one, we get a sense of how precarious the survival of the clinic might be, and an insight into the developing feelings between agents of the Agency.
The book has a light feel, which sets off the serious events and discussions that take place. It’s a fast read and a really good one.
The Reviewer
Tony is an Englishman living amongst the Welsh and the Other Folk in the mountains of Wales. He lives with his partner of thirty-six years, four dogs, two ponies, various birds, and his bees. He is a retired lecturer and a writer of no renown but that doesn’t stop him enjoying what he used to think of as ‘sensible’ fantasy and sf. He’s surprised to find that if the story is well written and has likeable characters undergoing the trails of life, i.e. falling in love, falling out of love, having a bit of nooky (but not all the time), fending off foes, aliens and monsters, etc., he’ll be happy as a sandperson who has just offloaded a wagon of sand at the going market price. As long as there’s a story, he’s in. He aims to write fair and honest reviews. If he finds he is not the target reader he’ll move on.