Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Changes Coming Down
SERIES: Changes #1 of 3
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 266 Pages
RELEASE DATE: November 27, 2019
BLURB:
For three gay men in love, opening the closet door could be a risky move.
Sheriff Casey Barlow has a slick, media-savvy challenger out to beat him in the upcoming election. Casey’s damned good at his job, but he hasn’t kissed the right asses, and early polls suggest voters like his opponent’s style. Coming out now, let alone revealing his relationship with two men, could sink any hope of keeping his badge.
Scott Edison has a real shot at the NHL. He’s playing the best hockey of his life. Whenever he can, he travels home to his gruff sheriff and their laid-back cowboy, but there are no out gay players in the NHL. As a rookie working his ass off to be called up, he can’t afford to make waves.
Will Rice always figured he’d live alone, managing Graham and Annmarie Slater’s cattle ranch, but a hot, young hockey player and a compact, muscled lawman rearranged his plans. Even though he’s older and lanky and ordinary, he’s been sharing their lives and their beds. He doesn’t need to be out— isn’t sure he ever wants the Slaters to know about him. Life’s good the way things are.
Then Graham and Annmarie are killed in a hit and run that may not be an accident. As Will grieves, and Casey investigates, the coming changes will shake all their lives.
** this is a re-edit and expansion of the story in the “Hunting Under Covers” anthology
REVIEW:
A cop, a cowboy, and an ice hockey player. Add an election, murder, and ambitions for the NHL while juggling a polyamorous relationship and staying in the closet, and you get one hell of a story about who is doing what, what will give first, and how.
Wow, what a story. This is one of those tales that pulled me in and kept me there until I finished the last page. The writing is exquisite, with each character displaying their own style on the page. Instinctively, I knew exactly whose voice I was hearing, and I never lost track at any part of the story. This is a classy piece of work where everything had its place, nothing was gratuitous, and words proved to be more powerful than fists.
The story is written in the third person, from the perspectives of Casey, Will, and Scott. As for the technical details, overall, nothing glaring stood out to me, and I was too absorbed in the story to notice any issues. The narrative shifts between the ranch, ice hockey, and the police. This effectively gives insight into each man’s world and demonstrates that their personalities are suited outside their areas of expertise. I appreciated the author’s restraint with the sex scenes. Don’t get me wrong—there’s some steamy content, but it varies in intensity, and these intimate moments serve to enhance the story rather than being inserted purely for spice.
Casey is an ex-Marine, now a cop, with an interesting family background. He is intelligent, tough, and doesn’t suffer fools lightly. I like that if someone has been a numpty, he calls them out on it. He can internalize things, but this is where Scotty steps in and calls bull.
Will, too, can internalize his thoughts and emotions. He is everything one would expect from a cowboy. An honest, good day’s work suits him well. He is steadfast and gorgeous, loving the land and its animals.
Scotty is the youngest of the trio and is the glue that holds them together. He calls each man on their shit, and forces them to talk or fuck out their problems. As the hockey player, he can’t always be with his men, but he has a loud voice and a long reach.
The three men are as diverse in personality as they are physically different.
As for the extended cast, it is small and has the potential to get bigger in future books.
I’m not sure why I haven’t given this story top marks. Perhaps I was hoping for the odd fist instead of talk, or to hear Casey give a telling off to one of the townsfolk who’d been a numpty. Maybe a closer shave than what was given. I understand why these things didn’t happen, but I was hoping – it would have been the cherry on top. Regardless, this is the first of a three-book series, and I eagerly intend to keep reading.
RATING: 
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