Rhys Ford

Kai Gracen has quickly jumped into my top 5 all-time favorite urban fantasy series, right up there with Harry Dresden, Cal Leandros and Mercy Thompson. I cannot get enough. The series has it all: detailed worldbuilding, exciting action sequences, a well-developed protagonist and a fun cast of characters.

Like the others in the series, the book opens with Kai on a monster-hunting run. Dempsey, desperate to get out of the house, is along for the ride but the adventure ends with him in the show more medical center and Kai in the waiting room. Before Kai’s mentor and father-figure loses his battle with cancer, he shares a heart-wrenching secret with Kai that drives him away from his found-family. He has a new, personal mission. Someone has a contract out on him, and Dempsey’s estranged brother may hold the key. Ryder insists on accompanying him and on that journey, Kai’s emotional walls begin to crumble.

The plot here was fairly straightforward, but that was to the benefit of character development. Kai finally begins to open up to Ryder, but more importantly, Ryder begins to see Kai in a new light. He finally realizes that while he is very, very young by Sidhe standards, his hard life has aged him in a way he didn’t understand until now. Ryder develops new respect for Kai’s reputation as a Stalker and also for the walls he has built around himself to keep people out. Walls he is finally letting Ryder see behind. I loved how their relationship evolves over this story. Though not as action-packed as prior entries, the book still had an exciting story. And the tease at the end about the unknown Sidhe half of Kai’s heritage has me desperate for the next book. Please write faster, Rhys. show less

I've put off reading this one for quite some time. Why? Well, that's the question I'm now asking myself as well. I think the blurb really made me wonder what the heck the story was about. Especially the opening statement threw me off to be perfectly honest.

Once I started reading however, I was completely caught. My WTH thoughts turned to OMG why didn't I read this earlier very quickly.

This story could have been a cliche. There could have been all kinds of overwhelming angst and despair. And show more yes, poor little poor boy makes it big, only to lose it all. And yes, the story isn't only about sunshine and rainbows. But none of this is made the sole focus of this tale. There is a balance between the good, the bad and the downright ugly. And the suspense of "who done it" and "what's going to happen next?" was very well done.

There was also no angst for angst-sake, which is a pet peeve of mine. Instead I was left with a book I only put down when I absolutely had to (why do I have to celebrate my DD birthday lol? I wanted to read!) and the overwhelming desire to read more about these guys. show less

This entire series is composed of compelling journeys of healing and love. This is the second story in the 415 Ink series, and it can diffidently be read as a standalone, but I also highly recommend the first book in the series be read as situations and characters swarm throughout each of the stories. Mason “Mace” Crawford is a firefighter that has worked hard to put his extremely dysfunctional and abusive childhood behind him. His father was a nasty piece of work. He has been mostly show more successful by having devised a few coping mechanisms that help hold the demons back. Then an unexpected rescue at the scene of a fire revives some of those haunting memories from his past. He fears the reactions of what he calls his "brothers of his heart", so he doesn't reveal any of these heart-stopping experiences to any of them. He also struggles with low self-worth, so he avoids relationships which is why he finds his reaction to 415 Ink tattoo artist Rob Claussen more than a little troubling. Mace tries to ignore this very inconvenient attraction but realistically, how long can these two men ignore their desire for one another? On the surface, Mace appears to have moved past his troubled childhood since he shares a tight bond with the "family" that he has made for himself. He has a few quirks that the folks he calls friends simply accept. However, none of the guys at 415 Ink have any inkling, (no pun intended), of the secrets he is keeping, and he happy for it to stay that way. When he receives shocking news and all of the shameful memories come rushing back, Rob convince Mace to trust him enough to confide in him. Rob’s relationship with his actual family isn't much better than Maces, but he is much happier since he decided to follow his dream of becoming a tattoo artist. The two guys spend most of the story circling around each other until a cataclysmic event finally leads to them acting on what their hearts have been telling them. It's not until Mace’s past collides head on with his present that Rob finally persuades him it is time to talk about the events from his childhood. There is a romantic aspect to the plot, but the main focus of the novel is Mace making peace with his childhood. Savior is a heartwarming story with a marvelous band of characters and a deeply moving storyline. Rhys Ford brings the novel to a heartfelt conclusion that is also quite satisfying. Readers will be pleased with the intriguing glimpse of the couple who will be featured in the next installment in the 415 Ink series. show less

I don’t know when I have found characters that I reacted so to as much as Kane Morgan and his big Irish family of cops. I loved how they respected and treated one another and how they welcomed Miki St. John into their home and hearts when the people that abused him as a boy were hunting and trying to kill him. The Morgan’s never questioned it when their second son, Kane, said that Miki was someone very special to him... “I love him more than the next beat of my heart or the next breath show more I will take”, is how he said it, and how tirelessly he and his partner worked to try and stop the killing and further destruction of Miki’s remaining world, is how he proved it. Life had left Miki a tortured soul. He had previously found a sense of home and family with the band “Sinner’s Gin.” On the way home, after they had won a Grammy Award, a terrible car accident happened that left Miki as the sole survivor. He was alone, he was struggling, and he was simply lost. Then Kane Morgan enters his life ...a cop, from a family of cops, and he’s strong and steady, and willing to be Miki’s anchor and much more. The romance between the two of them is beautiful and honest. I thought that story was well written, for me it was a background to Miki’s path to peace and Kane’s growing adoration. I had two favorite parts...one is when Kane rattles off all the little things he knows about Miki, making it so clear that every little part of Miki is important to him, and loved. The second one was when Kane’s father and Miki talk about life, and what real love means while just the two of them are making lunch. I found this first book by accident, but I will diffidently find the second book on purpose. show less