Reviewed by Marieke

TITLE:  To Touch The Sky

SERIES: Leap Of Faith, book two

AUTHOR: M.A. Church

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:  214 pages

BLURB:
He can run, but he can’t hide…

Centuries ago, Hawk made a terrible mistake which has haunted him since. Fear of responsibility and feelings of unworthiness leads him to denying the mate Wha-tay showed him in a vision. So now Hawk runs his bar, has casual sex, and never, ever dates men with blond hair and brown eyes. But then Simon walks into his bar, and the future he’s feared is about to end up in a brawl if Hawk doesn’t do something—fast.

Simon Carter has a smart mouth and a bulldog temperament. So when Hawk runs, Simon pursues the sexy man, only to be rejected. Just as Simon decides to give up, someone—or something—visits him to change his mind… and scares him to death. Now Simon is backpedaling, and Hawk is in pursuit.

Desperate to reassure Simon and keep him safe, Hawk is forced to reveal his secrets before he’s ready. Can Simon learn to accept things aren’t always as they seem? Is the connection between them strong enough to help Hawk overcome centuries of pain? The only way the two men will move beyond Hawk’s past is for both of them to take a leap of faith.

REVIEW:

In the beginning of the book we see Hawk in the past, way before the white people came to America. He goes by the name Chetan, is a hawk shifter, and the leader of a buffalo hunt. But something goes wrong and an endless circle of guilt and negative thinking is born. Chetan has a dream about his mate but his mate is white…

Centuries later Chetan goes by the name Gus Hawkins, aka Hawk. He’s the proud owner of a bar where everyone feels welcome. Only a few of the original shifter clan survived and have adapted to the world. It’s very nice to see them as you met them in the beginning of the story, but also in the previous book.

One day Simon Carter walks into the bar (no this isn’t the start of a bad joke) to try to hook up with someone. He starts playing pool with a good-looking guy but they end up almost in a fight with a homophobe. Enter Hawk… He stops the fight and smells his mate. So, now Simon wants Hawk, Hawk wants Simon but is stuck in his ‘rules’ of not dating blondes.

This story is just as wonderful as the previous book in this series. There’s not a lot of action like fights or dangerous situations, but it’s more about the journey of how Hawk learns to trust again. How Simon learns about shifters and how Wah-tay cares about them. It’s beautifully written, and there’s a lot of humor in it. I was especially cracking up at the parts where Hawk’s totem spirit talks to Hawk. It’s hilarious.

The love story isn’t overly romantic or sappy, it’s more about how Simon and Hawk connect on a fun level. They hang out, fish, talk and genuinely get to know each other. Of course there is some sex. Hawk is kinda dominant when it comes to the bedroom, so this makes the sex different, but fun.

All in all, you could say that this book is funny, well written with a nice paranormal story line. There’s not a lot of action or angst, but it didn’t matter in this story. The connection between Simon and Hawk is strong but fun, and so is the one between Hawk and his totem. The side characters are promising a next book, and that always makes me happy when a series is well written.

I definitely recommend this book.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

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