Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Stuck in the Mud

SERIES: Mystic Pines #2

AUTHOR: Shea Balik

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 200 pages

RELEASE DATE: May 15, 2020

BLURB:

Come join us for a fun-filled vacation in Mystic Pines, Alaska, where the weather isn’t always warm, but our hospitality is.

Kip Larson moved to Mystic Pines to fulfill his dream of owning his own spa. Too bad Alaska wasn’t the nature lover’s paradise he’d hoped it would be, especially when he was stuck knee deep in mud with a grizzly bear staring him down and licking his chops. Kip had always been an animal lover but that was put to the test as he had to decide which of them should die.

Rogue Jennings had grown up in Mystic Pines which, at the time, had been declining into a dying town. Now he’s back and happy to be so. Hunting has been in his blood since the day he could hold a rifle, which seemed to cause a rift between him and the man he was beginning to care for. Can Rogue show Kip that if he’d open his mind and his heart, despite their differences, they could build a wonderful life together?

Warning: This series takes place in the middle of the Alaskan Triangle. Anything could happen, including Bigfoot, aliens, disappearance, sinking in a mud pit, upside-down trees and even coming face to face with some of the most dangerous predators on the planet, so expect the unexpected.

PLEASE NOTE: This installment ends in an HEA, but the series is better enjoyed when read in order.

REVIEW:

I tell you what, if this book doesn’t make people take a second look at themselves, something is wrong. It made me think. You know, people don’t want to be judged. Whether for their religion, sexuality, career, whatever. But while they don’t want to be judged, they turn around and judge someone else for the same thing. I know I’m guilty of it at some point. I try to not but I know I have. And it’s not fair. Everyone is entitled to be different and none of us has the right to judge. Unless you’re like an axe murderer or something. Then, ya know….

Kip was trying to make sure everything was all ready for his spa at the trial run. He had his brochures and helpers. Well two of them anyway. And he was excited, until Rogue came in and basically dissed everything about the place. Which set Kip on edge. Especially when he learned what Rogue does for a living. He hunts. And with Kip being vegan, it’s tearing him up and making him mad. Plus he’s being super judgemental. But he doesn’t see it as that until he hurts his friend Axom with something else. And Rogue has had enough. It’s fine for Kip to believe in his beliefs about living things. It’s ok for him to disagree, but not to judge. And Kip has realized, he may have just lost a best friend and someone he’s very much attracted to. But if he can’t get past his stuffy attitude, he won’t have much of anything. And he has to make a choice on what’s really worth it.

I understand where Kip is coming from. I really do. I eat meat yes, but even I don’t want animals unnecessarily hurt. Hunting for sport ticks me off severely. So I get where he’s coming from. But when you are feeding people who are hungry and not wasting, it’s different. And I was ok with Kip standing up for what he believed in, to a point. He didn’t need to be as big of a butt about it as he was being, but he had a right to make his stand. Even if he’s super attracted to Rogue. But where he crossed a line with me, was with Axom. He was way out of line. And I hate that it took Axom and Rogue both to wake him up to see what he was doing. Because both men are gentle men. They don’t want to hurt anyone. They just want to love their lives and find love. And Rogue thought he might have that with Kip, but not if Kip was going to continue to be the way he is. There has to be a compromise somewhere. 

It is, of course, an HEA. But it still should make you think. It did me, for sure. I have the right to my beliefs as well, but not a right to force them on someone. I think this was an excellent story and a good message for everyone. 

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

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