Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: Stag and the Ash
SERIES: The Rowan Harbor Cycle #5
AUTHOR: Sam Burns
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 158 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2018
BLURB:
Jesse Hunter is finally trying to be an adult, but still feels like an act. His place on the town council is a sham. He’s rarely called on to do anything. His boyfriend is grieving the loss of his mother, and while everyone seems to think he’s doing a great job caring for Sean, Jesse feels like he’s more of a distraction than a real help.
March is shaping up to be a bad month. First, random chance leads him to the realization that the town’s recent trouble is his fault. Then new werewolves come into town, and it turns out they’re also Jesse’s responsibility. He feels like he may be at his breaking point, and he doesn’t want to drag his friends and loved ones down with him. But how will he handle it alone?
REVIEW:
Wow, can’t believe it is time again to review the newest addition to Sam Burns’ Rowan Harbor Cycle. I’m kinda stupidly impressed that she is able to turn out these books so fast, and yet still have them end up being so good.
Anyways, if you have been keeping up with the series (and if you haven’t, turn back now, this is a series that must be read in order), you will know that we are back again with Jesse and Sean in the second of three stories devoted to them. Book five picks up not long after the conclusion of the previous book, and we find the characters at a bit of a low point. Sean is still grieving the loss of his mother–as well as having to deal with his succubus powers kicking in–and Jesse finds out not long into the book that he might be kinda responsible for not only the events that led to Sean’s mother’s death, but some of the other shit that has taken place over the last few months. But even learning more about the threat coming towards Rowan Harbor might not be enough to save it, especially when the danger could already be inside the borders.
There is not much to say about this book that hasn’t already be stated (and restated) in the ones I wrote for the previous stories in this series. The characters remain well written and engaging, the town and its people are fun to learn about as the series progresses, and I can’t help but feel increasingly more invested in Rowan Harbor with each new book.
Sam Burns is very good at these slightly light, with just a hint of danger, tones that she writes into her stories. They are relaxing to read, but have enough going on in them that you feel compelled to keep reading to find out what happens next. While I think the twist in this book is rather heavily telegraphed, I didn’t mind what ends up happening.
Well, ok, I have a slight niggle about how cozy people were willing to get with certain other people. Being nice is all well and good, but if you think there is even a 50% chance that they might try and kill you or someone you love…maybe err on the side of caution a bit more? Nothing was certain, I’m sure, but surely there had to be other options. And the town’s folk rather horrible handling of the whole situation annoyed me enough that I didn’t quite enjoy this book as I have some of the others.
Be that as it may, I really enjoyed this, though I wish there had been a bit more Sean in this one. I think the series so far has kinda short-changed him character-wise. We don’t know nearly as much about him as we do some of the others. Which is a shame because what I do know is rather interesting. But with four more books to go, hopefully that will improve.
As always, my recommendation for this book hinges on you having read the previous books in the series. They are quick reads, I feel, and well worth picking up if you like paranormal stories that are a bit on the light side. And, hey, with how quickly they are being published, you probably won’t have to wait very long to finish up the entire series.
RATING: 
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