Rating: 4.75 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Nick Rugo and Brian Kerr have settled into something resembling in normalcy. Or at least, as normal as any relationship between a disgraced cop and the brother of murderer can hope to find. Brian is working to become independent for the first time in his life. Nick is trying to help him in that endeavor, but their relationship is complicated and it’s been hard for both men to find an equal footing with one another. Adding to their stress are the police who have discovered Brian’s ability to Find people. Nick is his handler, but given that he’s persona non grata on the force these days, the entire situation is fraught with tension.
When the police end up abusing Brian’s skills, nearly killing him in the process, Nick finds himself on the edge of a precipice. He loves Brian and he loves being a cop, but those two things can no longer co-exist. As Brian’s violent brother Damon returns, Nick is forced to choose between upholding the law and keeping Brian safe. And Brian must decide if he stays with the brother, who has both protected and used him, or if he’s strong enough to finally be his own man.
Changes is the second in the Tracefinder series and follows Contact. These books are definitely not standalones and must be read in order. I chose Changes for our Self Published Book Week and, as usual, Kaje Harper does not disappoint.
Brian is a unique character and his ongoing conflict with his alter ego, Bry (which is a very simplistic way to describe the situation), creates a lot of the tension between him and the world around him. Everything is affected and, in Changes, we see him really coming to terms with the man he pretended to be and what he can actually achieve. It’s wonderful to see him come into his own and to put both Nick and his brother, Damon, in their place. Nick is harder to get a grasp on and there are times he seems incomplete or more ill defined when compared to Brian. But his own personal growth is no less compelling and in Changes we see him make some irrevocable decisions about the kind of man he’s going to be.
These characters aren’t just dealing with life and death; they’re trying to find a place for themselves in a world that would rather they simply did not exist. The struggles that Brian and Nick confront feel believable because we’re so invested in them as characters. Even Damon and Lori seem adrift and, despite the fact Damon has always protected his family, we get the impression that he’s struggling in a lot of ways. We have several new characters introduced in Changes and, while they’re a bit extraneous at times, they’re far from one note or lacking in depth.
Ultimately Changes is about Brian and Nick and how far they’ll go to make a new life for one another. This book is driven entirely by its a characters and, while the plot is strong enough, Nick and Brian help elevate Changes above the ordinary. This is a strong follow up to Contact and I’m looking forward to the next in the series, Choices. Consider this one highly recommended.
This review is part of our Reading Challenge Month for Self Published Book Week! Leave a relevant comment below and you will be entered to win one of ten HUGE prize bundles donated by some fabulous self published authors (you can see the full prize list here)! Commenters will also be entered to win our amazing grand prize sponsored by NineStar Press: a Kindle Paperwhite loaded with 50 NineStar Press books! You can get more information on our Challenge Month here (including all the contest rules) and more details on Self Published Book Week here.
Sue, I’m not familiar with this series, thank you for bringing it to my attention. Great review.
What an interesting premise and MCs! I wasn’t aware of the series, so thank for the head’s up to read Book 1 first.
I didn’t know about this series, looks intriguing!
I’m so ambivalent about these characters. They’re well-depicted, as is normal for this talented author, but have such twisted and edgy lives. I enjoyed the sequel to this story as well, and was glad to see the characters continue to grow. Thanks for the review!
If anyone is curious, one of our former reviewers read and loved the first book. Sue picked up the series now that the author has released the third book. You can find the first review here: https://joyfullyjay.com/2016/05/review-tracefinder-contact-by-kaje-harper/
I’ve been dithering about whether or not to start this series, so it’s good to hear that the second installment is well worth reading. Thanks for your review, Sue.
(Incidentally, the first volume is 99 cents for Kindle readers.)
Thank you for the link to the review of the first book. Since both sound interesting, I just grabbed the first one to give the series a shot
Awesome, enjoy!
I’ve been meaning to try this series for a while. I should check and see if I have any of it already and give it a try.
I won the first 2 books in this series. I’ll have to unearth them from my TBR pile.
This review gave me a lot to think about. I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t enjoy it the way it deserves to be enjoyed (which is why I seek out reviews in the first place) but I am very happy that indie publishing gives stories like this a place to shine and find their audience. I’m sticking the series into “a maybe later” pile for when the trauma of this year doesn’t feel so immediate and I can read outside my comfort zone.
I have never heard of this series but it sounds interesting.
Thanks for the review. I’ve seen this book around but haven’t wanted to give this a read, It does sound interesting, I do like books that interconnect in the series and is character driven with a plot. Thanks for the heads up about it needing to be read in order.
I’ve read many books written by Kaje, and all of them have been amazing. I was just waiting for the 3rd book in this series go be published, since I usually binge a series.
Thank you for the review, Sue. This series is already in my TBR, and I must recognise I’ve already purchased a couple of them. As you say, Kaje Harper never disappoints, that’s why any new story is an insta-buy for me…
Kaje Harper is normally a go to author for me but somehow this series didn’t click for me reading blurbs etc so not one I bought (I did have it in my mind it was wolf shifters!) but reading this and the linked review I may give it a go!
I’d not even heard about this series, but this review makes me want to check it out. It sounds really good!
I liked this series. I was glad to see Brian gain more confidence.
Wow that sounds dramatic from the blurb before the review! I was confused reading it until I got to the third paragraph where it showed that it’s a sequel in a series. Had to go back and read the review of the first book! Oof. I don’t usually go for ones with mental special situations, as they get too angsty for me. Plus not into suspense. BUT the way these reviews talk about the depth of character does have me somewhat interested.
I like Kaje Harpers books very much. She has always such a realistic style. This is one of her series I have still to read.
Great review, it sounds like a pretty complex story, certainly not a run of the mill love story. I’m definitely intrigued and will be checking out these books. I do enjoy edgy reads and this sounds one!
I’ve read several books by Kaje but not this one. It’s on my TBR list. The guy on the cover looks like a big teddy bear!
I’ve been meaning to read a book by this author for a while and this one definitely sounds like a great place to start. Thank you for the review.
Kaje Harper is one of my favorite authors and this book is one of their best.