Release Day Review ~ The Quality Of Mercy (Bent Oak Saga: Book 2) by Ari McKay
Title: The Quality of Mercy
Series: Bent Oak Saga: Book 2
Author: Ari McKay
Release Date: January 2, 2018
Category: Historical
Pages: 200
Jules Wingate hopes to start over in Mercy as the schoolmaster after a scandal sent him and his son fleeing their former home. But he discovers he’s left one bad situation for another when he encounters his former student and lover, Carlos. No matter how Jules tries to resist, he yearns for the passionate connection they once shared… before Carlos broke his heart.
Carlos knows his foolish, immature actions hurt Jules, but he desperately wants a second chance and to show Jules he’s changed. But trust so badly broken is hard to repair. While he works to earn Jules’s forgiveness, someone else at the ranch has his sights set on Carlos—and he doesn’t care how many lives he has to ruin to make Carlos his and his alone.
3.75 Stars!
Carlos Hernandez is finally ready to put down some roots and has chosen Gil and Matt's ranch in Mercy to do so, the only thing he's missing now is the man he foolishly lost ten years ago. The last thing he expects is to find out that Mercy's new schoolmaster is none other than Jules Wingate or that he'll have a second chance to make things right if he convinces Jules that he's truly changed.
I really liked Carlos and his scheming ways in book 1, Finding Forgiveness, so I was excited to read his story. I actually felt kind of bad for the way things ended up for him and Jules before, but it was understandable. Carlos was twenty back then, and while he loved Jules, he wasn't ready to settle down. Jules was thirty, so he was more mature and wanted more, which Carlos couldn't give him then. It was kind of a recipe for disaster. Now, ten years later, they're both on the same page, but Jules can't forget how Carlos broke his trust and he also has his 18-year-old stepson to think about.
I liked Jules, but there were a lot of times while reading that I just wanted to scream at him to just get over it all. I mean, come on, there's slow burn and there's literally not getting together until almost the very last moment. I could understand Jules's reasoning, but Carlos truly proved himself over and over and over again. I was actually about to lose hope, especially when another twist was thrown into the mix and things got messed up near the 80% mark, when they finally got it right, so there's that.
I loved catching up with Gil and Matt, Jeannie and Tabitha and meeting Al, Jules's stepson. And while I despised Caleb, he was the blandest villain ever.
The book is well-written. I think it reads more like a historical than the first book, maybe because some of the scenes are outside the ranch, so I could see more of the town and the school. I do think the ending was a bit rushed, though, whereas we had some sense of closure after the first book, this one was left a bit too open-ended for my taste. I wanted to know what happened with Caleb and also, I wanted Al's reaction to finding out Jules and Carlos were together. Other than that, this was an entertaining read, that I have no trouble recommending.
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Finding Forgiveness by Ari McKay
Bent Oak Saga: Book 1
Boston in 1888 is quite urbane, but unfortunately for Gil Porter, that isn’t the same thing as being understanding. When his sexuality is exposed by the scandalous suicide of his lover, Gil is exiled to the small town of Mercy, Texas, by his domineering father, George, who believes life on Vernon Porter's ranch will cure Gil of his “unnatural” desires. Grieving and ashamed, Gil is determined to keep his distance from everyone until he can return home. To his surprise, he finds acceptance at Bent Oak Ranch, especially from Matt Grayson, the handsome son of the ranch foreman. Knowing he must fight his attraction to Matt, Gil courts a local girl, but an unexpected encounter with Matt leads to his discovery of Matt’s feelings for him. Torn between Matt and his desire to be “normal," between returning to his old life and building a new one in Texas, Gil is faced with a choice—appeasing his father or becoming the man Matt knows he can be.
4 Stars!
Gil Porter is sent from his family's home in Boston to his uncle Vernon's ranch in Mercy, Texas after the scandal of his lover committing suicide. He's resolved to not let anyone close to him, but Matt, the ranch's foreman's son, is equally determined to become Gil's friend. As time goes by, so do some of Gil's reservations, other than wanting to marry a woman and be 'normal', no matter if he's more attracted to the handsome cowboy than his intended.
I loved Matt. He was a great character, friendly and supportive and truly, he had the patience of a saint with Gil, who didn't always deserve it. It took me a while to warm up to Gil. He was so arrogant and prickly when he first came to Mercy and I just wanted to shake him when he would go on and on about getting married and being the 'normal' son his father wanted. Especially, since his father really didn't deserve it, he was a horrible man. Despite that, I liked seeing the character growth in Gil as he learned more about the ranch and became involved in all the daily activities. Matt and Gil had great chemistry and when Gil finally gave into his attraction to Matt, it was both sweet and hot.
This book had a great set of secondary characters, like Jeannie, Matt's sister, Carlos, Matt's ex-lover and friend, Tabitha, Gil's intended and Gil's uncle Vernon. I even liked Matt's father after a bit. I absolutely hated Gil's father, who didn't quite deserve the name and I wanted to throat punch.
Finding Forgiveness was a great start to the series, interesting and even if it held a lot of information regarding the day-to-day activities at the ranch, I was never bored. There were a lot of surprising twists and turns, especially near the end and one very sweet last chapter that I loved. One thing, though, is that I didn't quite feel like I was reading a historical book, which has happened to me with another western, too, I guess ranching in 1890 isn't all that difficult from doing it in the modern day.
Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
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