Reviewed by Amber

TITLE: Forging the Future

SERIES:  Change of Heart #5

AUTHOR: Mary Calmes

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 180 pages

BLURB:

Jin Church is back where he started, alone, wandering, and uncertain of his path. It’s not by choice but by circumstance, as he remembers he’s a werepanther… but not much else. He knows one thing for sure—he needs to find the beautiful blond man who haunts his dreams.

Logan Church is trapped in a living hell. His mate is missing, his tribe is falling apart, and he’s estranged from the son he loves with all his heart. His world is unraveling without his mate by his side, and he has no one to blame but himself.

If Jin can regain his memory and Logan can overcome the threats to his leadership, then perhaps they can resume their lives. The question is: Is that what they want? Back to the same house, the same tribe, the same troubles? They can choose from various roads leading to their future… or they can forge their own path.

REVIEW:

Cheese and friggin RICE!!! I honestly do not think there are words built in the English language to describe my anticipation and subsequent satisfaction in this book.

I was introduced and fell in love with Logan and Jin years ago. I melted and bled with each book that Mary Calmes produced. These men, their families, friends, and inner circle feel imprinted in my soul. True to Mary Calmes form this story sinks its teeth in you from the beginning and doesn’t let go. Emotionally, it wrung me out. I cried, I cried so hard I felt my heart shatter. This author can break you in a few key strokes but its uncanny how she can build you back up again into something even stronger.

This story starts off with tons of questions. Jin has no memory aside from a few scant, disturbing details. He doesn’t even know his name. He’s been able to align himself with a woman who takes him under her wing and protects him like a son. He’s got a job, a place to live, but no memory. The panther tribe he currently lives with can’t even pick up a scent from him. It’s all very perplexing.

Slowly and with help from his current tribes semel’s inquires Jin learns where he came from and who he belongs to. He’s anxious to “meet” his semel, Logan Church. He innately feels a bond with him even though he remembers nothing else about him.

Understandably, their reunion is like a volcanic explosion of passion, lust, and desire. But Jin still doesn’t remember Logan so the love is missing and that deeply affects Logan.

I loved how Mary spun this story with the most exquisite re-introduction of the most important people to Jin. It tickled me to pieces and made me fall in love with them all over again. We also get to meet Jin and Logan’s son, Ilia and not surprising he’s absolutely perfect and precious and incredibly powerful.

By far, this is the most emotional book in the series. Every bond was at its strongest so everything that could possibly fracture that bond or harm it, hurt all the more. There were gut wrenching, heart breaking, painful moments of loss and betrayal.

But the beautiful, hopeful, loving moments overshadowed those. And while this book shone a bright light on the magnificence that is Jin and Logan together, as one. It also brought home the fact that blood isn’t all that matters. This story was just as much about the strength and importance of friendship, as true love and bonds.

This is one of the best endings to a beloved series that I’ve ever read. Any Change of Heart fan will fall in love with all these characters over again. And if you’ve never read them, you have to get them. Start with book 1 and enjoy!! I absolutely recommend!!!

RATING:  

Note by Danielle

Once in a while you feel like you stumble on something amazingly unique. It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Miss Mary Calmes, refering to her as the queen in this genre might have given that away. This is one of the reasons I didn’t want to officially review the final part of a series that has been with me throughout the years when I started reading m/m and went on to blogging etc …. Knowing upfront the final part was coming it made me anxious, curious and excited but also just a bit sad. Most of all, though, it made me long to read it. When I finally got the opportunity, it put me through the wringer.  Mary pulled my heart out and put it back in again. I felt so many emotions during this read: love, hurt, devastation and want just to name a few. This final part is everything you could long for, everything you could have expected and more. It is more than fabulous and I wish for reading expreriences like this that I had an extra addition to the 5 hearts rating. One thing I will be sure to do is start from the top at book one and read it all the way through till the end of part 5. Thanks Mary for taking me by the hand in my m/m experiences and giving me Jin and Logan to keep forever.

Where Amber did the original review I wanted to add my 2 cents with her permission.

Dani(elle)

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner Press

Amazon

ARe