Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Links:  Amazon | All Romance
Length: Short Story

After sending his father and brother to federal prison, Tanner Tripplett moves away from Whispering Springs Ranch to the remote resort of Mountain Shadows with his boyfriend of mere weeks, Park Williams. Hiding from those who may still want to kill him, Tanner is looking forward to making a new life with his new love.

Park fell head first into a whirlwind romance with Tanner. With their lives turned upside down, the best solution seemed to be to move and start over, and Flagstaff was the perfect option in Park’s opinion. But now that they’re here and he’s had time to think about what he’s doing, Park isn’t so sure moving in with a man he’s barely known three weeks is such a great idea, even if the sex is earth shattering.

But when Tanner disappears and the FBI shows up asking questions, Park goes into rescue mode. Regardless of whether they’re moving too fast or not, Park refuses to lose Tanner. They’ve been through far too much for that.

Kismet and Cartwheels is the first book in Laura Harner’s Elemental Connections series. It’s also a bonus book in the 2014 Pulp Friction series.

Whether you’ve read the Willow Springs Ranch series or not, this is a great book. There are references to the happenings in Park’s Lot, which is the fifth book in the Willow Springs Ranch series, so if that annoys you, then you’d be best to read it. I’ve read both, so I’ll go ahead and tell you that I enjoyed both immensely.

What I think I enjoyed most about this story is that it is a continuation to another series, a book where I was dying to know what happened afterward. This story is only the beginning of this chapter of Park and Tanner’s story, but already I’m hooked. Park and Tanner are an interesting couple and I, for one, wanted to know what happened with them outside of WSR, so yes, I loved this story.

So for those of you who don’t know Park and Tanner yet, let me introduce you. Park is a carefree, vegan, free-spirit artist who is pretty much up for anything. He’s the act first, think later kind of guy. Sometimes it gets him in trouble and sometimes he ends up with the love of his life… whether he knows it or not. Tanner has lived his entire life in the closet and under the thumb of his homophobic, militia-minded father. He was broken and is still insecure in some ways, especially when it comes to Park. Park likes projects and is focused on “fixing” Tanner. Tanner adores Park and is looking forward to making a life with him, if he can get away from the past hanging over his head. I’m dying to see how they fix one another.

This story is its own. Yes, it’s a continuation of a previous story, but it’s not vital to know that story to catch up on Park and Tanner as they only spent three weeks together prior to this book. What I’m looking forward to most is their growth as individuals and as a couple. The author does a great job in this book with highlighting each of their fears and downfalls. From here on, I’m hoping to see these characters use that as a foundation to build on. She also plays on their strengths—Park’s loyalty, Tanner’s kindness. Harner shines hope on Park and Tanner in a way that I have a feeling that even when things blow up, they will still remain standing.

This story is very exciting. A lot happens in a short amount of time and I can’t wait to see where Harner is going with it. She’s gracefully intertwined Park and Tanner into the Mountain Shadows community and made them a wonderful part of the world. I adored this story, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next for these guys. I highly recommend Kismet and Cartwheels.