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A review by bookish_notes
On Solid Ground by Melissa Collins
1.0
I just feel really betrayed. Even the cover is a lie. One of the characters is supposed to be covered in tattoos, and yet the cover already should have told me everything I needed to know about this book. On Solid Ground started out really well. I was totally on board with Dax and Beckett, but around the halfway mark, the story started to unravel. Or maybe I just thought the story would be one thing, and then it just took a very different turn from what I was expecting.
Dax has just come home from war and he has PTSD. He moves in with his friend in California, and wants to get a tattoo to memorialize his friend who died during the war. One of the tattoo shop owners, Beckett, instantly finds Dax attractive.
I guess this book has elements of insta-love? Maybe that's my main issue. There's really nothing gradual about their relationship. One minute they're making eyes at each other across the tattoo shop, and the next, they're declaring their love for one another. Also, I'm an annoying stickler for timelines. And the first three-quarters of the story seemingly takes place over a week. EXCEPT. It's revealed that six weeks have passed. SIX. I don't even know where that number came from, to be honest. The beginning of this book was fine. It was honestly fun to read at first. To help him with his PTSD, Dax got assigned a service dog, and it's cute. But the part that starts unraveling the story, for me at least, is with the introduction to Beckett's four-year-old niece, Violet.
The story behind Violet is that she was taken into Child Protective Services after her mother (Beckett's younger sister) was arrested and placed into rehab. He fought for that darling girl and got to take custody of her. I love Violet. I think she's adorable. However, this goes back to the unknown timeline issue. It's like Dax and Beckett have only known each other for less than a week, they've gone on one date together (in which, Dax has an a panic attack at the bar and knees Beckett's friend in the stomach), and SUDDENLY...Beckett just leaves Violet in Dax's care.
I'm glad this book is told in dual first-person perspectives, because this could have gone very wrong, very quickly. No one would just give over a child to someone they barely know. What if Dax was a pedophile, or a serial killer? Like, Beckett wouldn't know. It's a good thing Dax is a lovable character, because this storyline could have turned very dark. Also, wouldn't CPS do checks on houses every so often in a scenario like this one? Even in temporary custody cases, or if he actually did gain full custody (it's unclear), wouldn't CPS be investigating Beckett's home life to determine if it's the best for Violet?
Anyways. That's all just a small part of what I had issues with in this book. The second half of this book just completely lost me as a reader. It's like too much was packed into one book, and the relationship never really got a chance to develop in any way. People were dying left and right, the constant flashback scenes started to be a bit annoying, and the ending just felt abrupt.
At the moment, I'm not going to read the second book. It's about Dax and Beckett again, and I feel like they've gotten their HEA in this book. I had initially started this book, because I had gotten a sample of book three that caught by eye, but now? I think I'll have to really consider if I want to read that book or not after getting so burned by this one. On Solid Ground had great potential, but the story just wasn't for me.
Dax has just come home from war and he has PTSD. He moves in with his friend in California, and wants to get a tattoo to memorialize his friend who died during the war. One of the tattoo shop owners, Beckett, instantly finds Dax attractive.
I guess this book has elements of insta-love? Maybe that's my main issue. There's really nothing gradual about their relationship. One minute they're making eyes at each other across the tattoo shop, and the next, they're declaring their love for one another. Also, I'm an annoying stickler for timelines. And the first three-quarters of the story seemingly takes place over a week. EXCEPT. It's revealed that six weeks have passed. SIX. I don't even know where that number came from, to be honest. The beginning of this book was fine. It was honestly fun to read at first. To help him with his PTSD, Dax got assigned a service dog, and it's cute. But the part that starts unraveling the story, for me at least, is with the introduction to Beckett's four-year-old niece, Violet.
The story behind Violet is that she was taken into Child Protective Services after her mother (Beckett's younger sister) was arrested and placed into rehab. He fought for that darling girl and got to take custody of her. I love Violet. I think she's adorable. However, this goes back to the unknown timeline issue. It's like Dax and Beckett have only known each other for less than a week, they've gone on one date together (in which, Dax has an a panic attack at the bar and knees Beckett's friend in the stomach), and SUDDENLY...Beckett just leaves Violet in Dax's care.
I'm glad this book is told in dual first-person perspectives, because this could have gone very wrong, very quickly. No one would just give over a child to someone they barely know. What if Dax was a pedophile, or a serial killer? Like, Beckett wouldn't know. It's a good thing Dax is a lovable character, because this storyline could have turned very dark. Also, wouldn't CPS do checks on houses every so often in a scenario like this one? Even in temporary custody cases, or if he actually did gain full custody (it's unclear), wouldn't CPS be investigating Beckett's home life to determine if it's the best for Violet?
Anyways. That's all just a small part of what I had issues with in this book. The second half of this book just completely lost me as a reader. It's like too much was packed into one book, and the relationship never really got a chance to develop in any way. People were dying left and right, the constant flashback scenes started to be a bit annoying, and the ending just felt abrupt.
At the moment, I'm not going to read the second book. It's about Dax and Beckett again, and I feel like they've gotten their HEA in this book. I had initially started this book, because I had gotten a sample of book three that caught by eye, but now? I think I'll have to really consider if I want to read that book or not after getting so burned by this one. On Solid Ground had great potential, but the story just wasn't for me.