Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: The Rising Tide 
SERIES: The Luck Mechanics Book 1
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 291 Pages
RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2022
BLURB:
The tidal archipelago of Spinner’s Drift is a refuge for misfits. Can the island’s magic help a pie-in-the-sky dreamer and a wounded soul find a home in each other?
In a flash of light and a clap of thunder, Scout Quintero is banished from his home. Once he’s sneaked his sister out too, he’s happy, but their power-hungry father is after them, and they need a place to lie low. The thriving resort business on Spinner’s Drift provides the perfect way to blend in.
They aren’t the only ones who think so.
Six months ago Lucky left his life behind and went on the run from mobsters. Spinner’s Drift brings solace to his battered soul, but one look at Scout and he’s suddenly terrified of having one more thing to lose.
Lucky tries to keep his distance, but Scout is charming, and the island isn’t that big. When they finally connect, all kinds of things come to light, including supernatural mysteries that have been buried for years. But while Scout and Lucky grow closer working on the secret, pissed-off mobsters, supernatural entities, and Scout’s father are getting closer to them. Can they hold tight to each other and weather the rising tide together?
REVIEW:
Scout is a sweet, loving man who just so happens to be a little (or a lot) magical. Once he’s free of father, he devotes his time to learning how to live in the outside world and taking care of his sister…
Lucky hasn’t really ever lived up to his name…mostly. There’s been a few times when he’s been favored by fortune, but the lonely life he’s been living hasn’t really felt like a win.
Scout knows he likes guys but doesn’t have a clue on how to go about getting one interested in him. Lucky is busy trying to stay unattached to human kind in general but something about Scout just keeps catching his eye.
I don’t give out too many 5 heart reviews but this book really earned it. It sets us up with a really interesting back story and a fascinating premise. Then we are given a whole posse of characters that are very easy to love. Scout’s sister Kayleigh is a strong, funny person who is not going to let her father make decisions about her future for her.
Helen and Marcus are exactly the kind of people that these young folks need in their lives to help them get a leg up. There’s a few more fun people we get to meet along the way but I don’t want to spoil to much for you.
Scout and Lucky’s relationship moves a little fast, but sometimes thats how it goes in scary times. Finding someone who’s willing to stick their neck out for you is a real treasure. Watching them fumble their way through getting to know each other is adorable and I love that they talk to each other about the issues they have instead of just sexing them all away.
But there is sex. It’s steamy and sweet and perfectly portayed. It doesn’t take over the plot and it doesn’t become a time filler. I like that a lot.
Amy Lane always writes compelling characters and these young men are no different. The magical elements to this story never over-shadow the characters and that really is a major accomplishment. The dialogue is witty and fun when it needs to be and heartbreaking at the times it really needs to be. Scout, Lucky, Kayleigh and all the rest are characters I was rooting for through the whole story and in fact, there is only one complaint that I have….
I need more. More of Scout and Lucky and where they go from there. I want to see Kayleigh find her happiness. There’s a few more people we meet along the way who deserve stories of their own.
And of course, I want to see what happens in Spinner’s Drift. It seems like a very interesting place to have an adventure or two.
I hope you enjoy this 5 Heart story as much as I did. Now excuse me while I got harass Amy Lane for the next book. (By harass I mean wait patiently. I’m not a jerk, lol)
RATING: 
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