Putting Down Roots

by Tam MacNeil

At twenty-nine, Mark is lonely and unhappy. With his teaching degree, he never expected to be scraping by at a dead-end job in a bookstore. So when he’s given the opportunity to do the work he’s always dreamed of, he jumps on it.

But there’s a catch. Mark has just agreed to spend the summer teaching a recalcitrant student at a lonely manor outside the most haunted village in the UK. It doesn’t take Mark long to figure out there’s something strange, really strange, about Thomas, his host and the father of his pupil. They say the village changes people, and it turns out Thomas is living proof. Now Mark has to decide if he should run like hell or stay and become part of the family.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2016 Daily Dose package "A Walk on the Wild Side."

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Short Stories, Fantasy, Shapeshifters, Gay, LGBT

29 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Optimist ♰King's Wench♰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 Hearts

I like the premise of this story and the unusual shifter, but the romance was virtually non-existent. This was my first experience with this author and she has a writing style that’s descriptive and filled with vibrant imagery which I like. However for a short story there was too much interior decorating that I would’ve liked spent either (a) giving a history of the shifters and how they came to be, etc. and/or (b) devoted to the relationship development between the MCs.

This story has a bit of a melancholy tone in that there is no choice in shifting-it happens nightly regardless of whether or not they want it to. And with the intrigue of the Landsdowne estate they are susceptible to trespassers who mean them harm.

Marc is a teacher who’s taken a tutoring job from Thomas to tutor his daughter, Bryony. There are a couple of strange happenings on this reportedly haunted house, but nothing that sends Marc running for the hills. His interactions with Bryony were more frequent than his interactions with Thomas and though I enjoyed them they didn’t advance his relationship with Thomas discernibly. The few interactions they have together held promise and made it clear they were attracted to one another, but weren’t enough to convince me of an HEA. I also felt like Marc’s acceptance was easily won which didn’t seem realistic.

All told, I think this story would’ve been better had it been longer. It needed time to develop before tacking on an HEA. Nevertheless, I would read something longer from her in the future.

See the rest on the blog for Week 4 of Shifter Sunday Funday!


A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Meep · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*
There's some great ideas in this story and I was fascinated by the mythology, but there's not enough. Not enough romance or reveals. It's melancholy in feeling, an inevitability about the shifting with no relief in sight. Nothing is stopped or solved or answered there. I left the story feeling none the wiser. Not sure if the ending is sweet or sad in full context because the future is not explained.

There's no real relationships as the couple spend so little time together, they barely speak before declaring feelings.

I must have misread the blurb because on starting this I was expecting an historical story when it's actually set in modern times. A classic gothic-romance set-up, I'm not sure the modern character fit it, kept thinking Marc would want to visit the pub, see some life. He accepted the isolated spooky village and happenings without much effort. Found I never quite bought into the set-up.

I want to have liked this more.
Made into a longer story; some tension, some relationship development, some more exploring of what's going on, then this could be a great adventure. As it stands it's interesting but not quite satisfying.

[FantasyLiving · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as part of the Boy Meets Boy Review Shifter Sunday Funday for Dreamspinner 2016 Daily Dose: A Walk on the Wild Side Anthology

BR with Ann & Cupcake

3.5 Hearts

Mark has found himself a private, live-in, teaching position with a small town family, teaching Bryony, a fourteen year old who needs Summer English classes. Thomas, Bryony’s father is the employer, and there is something both calming and mysterious about him. As the days of summer pass, Mark finds that his initial apprehension of moving into a hideous Post Victorian era manor, have faded and he dreams of Thomas asking him to stay.

This was weird. I love weird. For a short story I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding Thomas and Bryony. They are keeping secrets, and we go on this journey of discovery with Mark, as he puts the clues together.



A copy was provided by the Publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am easily snagged by a description that doesn't lay out the whole story for me in one fell swoop. I like a little mystery and something I can't immediately predict. 'Putting Down Roots' certainly had that and since I've been enjoying the Daily Dose package very much, it stood to reason that I had to read this.

Poor Mark. Frustrated and lonely, not being able to use his teaching certificate and stuck working in a bookstore for very low wages. I didn't blame him a bit for jumping at the opportunity to escape for the summer to Atley to tutor a teenage girl in English. Even though Atley is known as the most haunted village in all of the UK, with some story about it being built on top of an old fairy village and the longer you stay the more you change, Mark needed to have something better in his life.

Mark's first impression of Thomas eases some of his anxiety. At least until he sees the absolutely hideous home the Lansdowne family owns. Trust me, from the description I would have laughed out loud. Mark managed to be more socially graceful. And that's just the outside! The inside looks like a bad gothic novel in serious need of a few repairs. It's a wonder Mark ever got to sleep that first night. He settles into a routine, though, and discovers that Bryony is quite smart and they get along well. Mark is surprised when he realizes that he's falling for this small village, the strange looking house, and Thomas.

I was utterly charmed by this story. Even though I had a sneaking suspicion what the paranormal aspect was, the author wrote it in such a lovely way that it warmed my heart.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mood the author set for this was really great. It was just a smidge creepy, just a tad dark, but mostly just that apprehensive feeling you get when you know you are going to get treated to a ghost story. Not that this was a ghost story, but you know the feeling I mean. Mark is a teacher, not employed in his chosen profession, who quits his not-chosen-profession job to take a teaching position over the summer in an allegedly haunted village at the allegedly most haunted house in said village.

The time Mark spent with his student, Bryony, and with her father Thomas, was very sweet, but I did feel like I knew Bryony better than I knew Thomas at the end. Thomas was shrouded in mystery, as was the whole village really, but Mark is a smart dude and he’s figuring out what secrets the town holds. I liked the few conversations that Mark and Thomas had. Thomas had an overall sad and lonely vibe to him but the two of them easily admitted the attraction building between them, giving Thomas a little glimmer of hope. The secret gets revealed and declarations were made. It was definitely a happy ending, I would have liked more page time for Thomas and Mark together though so I could really get a feel for them as a couple. I liked Mark a lot, I liked what I knew of Thomas but his character just wasn’t fleshed out enough for me to get the HEA full force.




**copies of the Walk on the Wild Side stories were provided by DSP for honest reviews**

[Daniel Mitton · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Originally reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews with a copy provided by the publisher / author for an honest review. Rated 3.5 out of 5.0 stars.)

I really enjoyed this short story. The main character, Mark, has been working in a shop, but can’t wait to get away to teach a student for the summer. The student Bryony, is the only daughter of a wealthy man in the small town of Atley, rumored to be the most haunted village in the UK.

What will Mark find when he arrives? The student seems less than welcoming, but the father is all that and more, in Mark’s opinion. Why do the rumors persist that something about Atley changes you if you stay too long, and why is Mark cautioned to never go outside after dark??

As I said above, I enjoyed it. It is a story about a type of shifter that I hadn’t read in this genre before, and was glad to see. This is the type of shifter that I’ve always dreamed of becoming since I read a mainstream fantasy that included this type years ago.

No more spoilers. This one is worth a read, so pick it up!

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Putting Down Roots’ had me charmed from the beginning. The title alone is intriguing, the characters are interesting, and while I guessed what was going to happen pretty early on, the lyrical writing and beautiful descriptions kept me interested until the very end. I have a feeling the author wanted this to be slightly creepy, but I just couldn’t see that. Yes, these are unusual shifters, but the dangers they face are unique and the way they live their lives is so different from what I am used to from other shifter stories, that about the only thing I wished for was for this story to be longer. Don’t get me wrong, it is perfect the way it is, but sometimes when something great comes along, I can’t but help to want more f it. I guess I am greedy.

If you’re looking for an unusual paranormal read with a touch of mystery and a great ending, then I can recommend this short story. It’s very memorable.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

[Annie ~ Queer Books Unbound · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit more "serious" than the two stories I've read before this, but I really liked it too. Tree shifters are a bit unusual and original. I would have liked a bit more info on why exactly they turn into trees, more background info. But it's a nice short story and kept me entertained.

[Nikyta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed on The Blogger Girls

3.5 stars

This was a very intriguing story. I loved the concept of a ‘spooky’ town where the longer you stay there the more it changes you. I loved that Mark wasn’t afraid of the rumors but also wasn’t adverse to hearing them. It was interesting to see how Thomas tried to hide his shifting and how Mark slowly came to love being with Thomas & Bryony.

However, while I enjoyed the premise of the story, I felt like the story was way too complex for how short it was. I would have liked to see more of the background behind the village and how it came to host such shifters. I would have liked to see more of Mark and Thomas developing their relationship but mostly, I would have liked to know how there wasn’t more of a police force within the village to stop all the vandalism when the whole town seemed to know of the shifting. You’d think they would have had more law enforcement to stop it all or have more security in place.

All in all, this was a pretty good story. Very intriguing with a lot of potential for how short it was but I would have liked it to have been longer with more depth to explore more of the history and relationship. I still recommend it to those interested in a unique type of shifter story.

[Elaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh, this was one adorable and sweet, lovely romantic story. It was your typical slow-burn, with no heat, no 18+ material, but not really a YA story. It actually had quite a historical vibe to it, in the way Thomas behaved, spoke etc, so it was lovely to see this slow, historical-esque romance burn between them. It felt just right for the characters.

Though it ended too soon, and I would have loved for it to be a novel instead of a short, I felt like it pretty much covered everything I wanted to know. I wouldn't say no to a sequel, or to a rewrite into a novel, however, if the author felt like it.

But, for me, this was short, sweet, and perfect just the way it is.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those stories where I seriously wish it was a full novel. I loved it so much! Tam MacNeil has put a unique spin on the shifter genre with this story.

Mark is a teacher, but he’s stuck working at a bookstore until he can get a job. When he is offered a position tutoring a student in Shakespeare over the summer, he takes the job and moves in with Thomas and his daughter, Bryony. Of course, Bryony is less than thrilled with this arrangement.

Everything seems to be going well. Mark has heard the stories about the village being haunted, but he seems to adjust well to living with Thomas, and he doesn’t really see anything strange. Thomas has warned him about the badgers and not going out at night, but aside from that? Nothing too weird. Except for his freak-outs whenever something happens to the trees in the village or on his property.

I don’t know how much I should reveal because I loved the way the author lets everything play out. It was pretty surprising for me because I thought one thing, but was completely wrong.

The dialogue is great, the characters are excellent, and the setting is well done. My only wish is that the story was longer. I loved Mark and Thomas and even Bryony, and I hope the author decides to explore them even more. I would gladly read it!

Reviewed by Jennifer for The Novel Approach Reviews

[Morgan Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mark, a lonely teacher, moves to a “haunted village” to teach one of the town’s oldest family’s daughter English. Her father, Thomas, is an older but still quite attractive, man who appears as lonely as Mark.

Yes, strange things do appear to happen both around town and in the old home Thomas owns, but Mark can’t help but being attracted to Thomas anyway.

When tourists inadvertently threaten Thomas and his family his secret is exposed and Mark has to decide if he can handle the strangeness and put down some roots of his own.

**

Though this was a very interesting story with great world building, I didn’t feel the romance at all. The characters barely speak two words to one another and the situation Thomas is in feels particularly hopeless.

So, even though I thought it was an interesting story and a unique twist on the shifter theme, as a romance it failed for me.

2 of 5 stars

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookstore clerk gets a teaching job in a haunted village with a unique manor
(full review)

It's almost difficult for me to call this a romance, as it was the slow exploration and realization of the nature of the "haunted" village and manor that was the focus of the story. I thought the author did a great job of quickly teasing out a different and interesting paranormal setting. I am generally not a fan of "haunting" mysteries and stories, but the balance of the supernatural, personal, and intriguing characters worked very nicely for me. The sprouting of attraction and a potential relationship was fine, but the real pull of the writing to me focused on the nice hints and superficial but very intriguing revelations of the nature of the fae blessing/curse covering the setting.

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strange and mysterious tale. This story contains both hope and sadness. You are left with an unsure answer to what the future might hold for not only Mark and Thomas but also for Thomas daughter. Will they someday find a way to stay safe for all time.

[Sadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh this was a really interesting little slice of a story. Not a heated romance, but a lovely earie story set in the English countryside in a village that may or may not have been cursed by some fairies long ago :) A lot is covered in a few pages and all of it enjoyable.

[Tori Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes! That is how you do it... I didn't even miss the sex!

Excellent story!

[Seeilin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird.

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally different approach to shifters. I loved it and would read more from this author about this world. Lovely story.

[Lada · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow, that's quite an unexpected little story. Yes, it's really short and the romance was barely there, but it had power to pull me in.