Release Day Blitz and Review::: On Solid Ground by Melissa Collins
Title: On Solid Ground
Author: Melissa Collins
Genre: M/M, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: January 15, 2015
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.
Review by Lora Jarvis
5 out of 5 Hearts
Let me start with WOW! That’s about all I can say about this book. Melissa has such a great way of putting the reader right into the story. I love that she tells it from both points of view so that the reader can better understand both sides of the story. I love that her characters are so real to life. I love that the story can stand on it’s own regardless of what people might think going into it.
I also must admit that she made me a convert! I never would have thought I would enjoy a story about two men and how they found love and each other, but Let Love Live was so beautiful that I had to give On Solid Ground a chance, too...and I am so happy I did!!
Jacob “Dax” Daxton is returning from the war a changed man. Though he hasn’t completely changed, he knows that he can’t stay home with his family so he decides to go live with his best friend far away from his childhood home. He isn’t sure what to expect when he gets there, but he definitely finds more than he bargained for.
Beckett is a tattoo artist who isn’t without his own demons, but is totally comfortable with the fact that he’s a gay man. Dax comes to Beck’s tattoo shop for a tattoo to honor the soldier who died that Dax couldn't save.When they meet, Beck knows there is an immediate physical attraction, but he isn’t sure if Dax feels the same way, or even if he’s gay!
One of my favorite lines comes from Beck immediately after giving Dax his new tattoo.
“Whether you deserve it or not, whatever that means, it’s a part of you now. Whether you love what it means or hate how it came to be there, it always will be.”
I think Beck is really one of my all-time favorite characters because he has so much compassion and love in his heart that he shares with ease. He takes care of those he loves and he loves with his whole being.
Dax is struggling with panic attacks and not being comfortable with who he is, but with Beck by his side, he really discovers a lot about life and comes into his own person.
Both men have huge hearts and both men have a lot of love to share, but both me also have a lot needs as well which Dax understands in another of my favorite passages:
“That’s the state we’re both in, after all. Need. I need him to calm me; he needs me to steady him. I need him to rouse me back to life; he needs me to remind him that his is a good life, not one of meaningless nothingness.”
Of course their relationship isn’t without hills and valleys, but Dax and Beck are such strong men that they keep going thru the toughest times.
Melissa does such an amazing job of putting the reader right there in the story and I went thru every emotion while reading this book. There were moments of pure joy and there were moments of absolute devastation. I don’t know how she does it, but I hope she keeps doing it!
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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