Nic Starr

The Ellery Mountain Series

• The Fireman and the Cop (book 1)
• The Teacher and the Soldier (book 2)
• The Carpenter and the Actor (book 3) - click here for review
• The Doctor and the Bad Boy (book 4) - click here for review
• The Paramedic and the Writer (book 5) -click here for review
• The Barman and the SEAL - in this review

The Agent and the Model - expected 1st November 2013

The Barman and the SEAL by R.J. Scott

The Blurb...

A Navy SEAL with PTSD, a Barman starting a new life. Maybe they can find love in Ellery. Travis Baranski, Navy SEAL, is the first veteran to attend the Ellery Mountain Veteran Center. He is having a hard time coming to terms with what he had seen and what he has done. When he has a very public meltdown in Ellery stores it is Avery Gideon who steps up to the plate and helps him.

Avery Gideon, a man cut off from his family for being gay, runs the only bar in town - The Alibi - and listens to many a person's problems whilst trying to forget his own. He sees something in the wounded warrior who needs a friend and very soon finds himself falling in love with Travis. Nothing will deter him from helping Travis, or from making Travis see he's still capable of loving Avery in return.

So what did I think?

The Ellery Mountain series is dear to my heart and this addition to the series didn't let me down! I was totally drawn into the story from the very first pages and found the beginning very emotional. It was so descriptive that I could feel the pain being experienced by Travis. This introduction to Travis provided insight into the experiences that had impacted Travis and resulted in him coming to Ellery Mountain to heal.

It was great to see the Veteran Center, that had been mentioned so much through the earlier books in the series, finally open it's doors and once again, through this story we get to reacquaint ourselves with the wonderful men of Ellery Mountain.

It was interesting to see the character of Travis develop through the story, It isn't a long book but there is enough depth and emotion to see the changes in Travis. The story doesn't gloss over his mental condition and he does have some tense moments when he is not coping. It is not a 'love will fix everything' situation, rather a gradual opening up and realisation that love is still possible, even with all his issues.

Avery was a special man and so perfect for Travis. I loved that their love came before sex and the slow pace of the development of their romance reflected Travis' slow recovery time. Avery and Travis' happy ending was wonderful! I am now eagerly waiting for Mikey's story in The Agent and the Model.

To find out more about R.J. Scott and her books, visit her website.

Buy The Barman and the SEAL from Amazon.

Buy The Barman and the SEAL from Total-e-Bound Publishing.