The Mountains Bundle

The Mountains #1-5, 3.1

by P.D. Singer

The mountains are the best place to find adventure... and romance. In Fire on the Mountain, Jake Landon is looking forward to a summer spent patrolling the mountain with some crusty old mountain man and hiding in the closet-only Old Crusty turns out to be young, hot, and friendly Kurt Carlson. In Snow on the Mountain, Jake and Kurt are working the slopes and trying to navigate a new relationship out in the open. In Fall Down the Mountain, Mark McAvoy falls for chef Allan Tengerdie just as quickly as Allan falls on the slope and breaks his arm. Can Mark and Allan help each other work through their problems together? In Cross the Mountain, Allan decides to give cross-country skiing a try in order to keep up with his ski patrol lover Mark. In Blood on the Mountain, Jake and Kurt are back for another summer of fire patrol in the Rockies, trying to work out their relationship alone, but they quickly stumble onto a dangerous secret. In Return to the Mountain, caddy Gary Richardson hungers for the luxury life his clients have, but his love Seth Morgan is perfectly content with their life as it is. When opportunity knocks, Gary and Seth both have choices that they must make.

See excerpt for individual blurbs.

Genres: M M Romance

897 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2016

About the author

P.D. Singer lived in Colorado with her slightly bemused husband, one young adult, and seventy-nine pounds of pets. She was a big believer in research, first-hand if possible, so the reader can be quite certain PD skied down a mountain face-first, had been stepped on by rodeo horses, acquired a potato burn or two, and rethought a novel that included sky-diving.

When not writing, playing her fiddle, or walking the sheddiest member of the family, she could be found with a book in hand.

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Excellent Series!***

This was my second foray into P.D. Singer’s work, and please allow me to assure you that it will not be my last! Having giggled my way through just one previous book of hers, Otter Chaos, I simply couldn’t wait to see what she had up her sleeve for this group of books. I was not disappointed!

Following Jake and Kurt’s many adventures in the forest, at the ski resort, and all the way into college was a fun endeavor. Witty dialogue, interesting and unique locations, characters with depth and delicious sexy times made for a most interesting series of books.

Mark and Allan’s forays into the relationship pool made me smile and made me want to strangle Mark at the very same time. Slightly less warm and fuzzy than Jake and Kurt, I really liked that Allan knew what he wanted and wasn’t willing to settle for less, nor was he willing to be rushed into things he wasn’t ready for. For all his years, Mark was remarkably immature, and while I loved that he stepped right up to the plate to help Allen’s business, that character was definitely not a favorite. Still, the stories were interesting and unique, and despite being part of the same world as Jake and Kurt, these stories were remarkably different. The complete change in tone surprised and delighted me!

I must admit I did not finish Return to the Mountain. I just could not connect with either of the main characters, Gary and Seth, and in the end, I decided that I couldn’t commit any more time to the story. This is a story of growth and change, but it starts with them young enough that I found myself simply not caring. Don’t judge this one based on me - read it yourself!

All in all, I’m rating the bundle at 3.5 stars, which I’m rounding up for sites that don’t accept halves. Here is the breakdown:

Fire on the Mountain: 4 Stars
Snow on the Mountain: 3.5 Stars
Mistletoe on the Mountain: 3.5 Stars
Fall Down the Mountain: 3.5 Stars
Cross the Mountain: 4 Stars
Storm on the Mountain: 4 Stars
Blood on the Mountain: 4 Stars
Return to the Mountain: No rating since I didn’t finish it



Review copy of The Mountains Bundle provided by the publisher, Dreamspinner Press, for an honest review.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** Copy of the bundle provided by the publisher to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

Fire on the Mountain (Book 1)

Talk about slow burn. The main chunk of this story, which is told in Jake's POV is Jake lusting after Kurt and his belief that Kurt is straight and fearing what would happen if he knew Jake wanted him in that way. While in a way this was good because it allowed them to become friends before they attempted being together, it also made the story seem to drag a bit.

While I enjoyed Kurt's character very much, I had a hard time connecting with him, which I think is due to the fact that we don't get his POV. Jake was overall a likable character, if not a little angsty. They definitely make a good couple and have good chemistry. Kurt is more easygoing and probably my favorite, while Jake is definitely more grounded which is a good match for Kurt.

3.5 Stars!

Snow on the Mountain (Book 2)

Snow On The Mountain is the 2nd book in the Mountains series and picks up a few months after book 1 ends. Kurt and Jake are working at a ski resort where Jake, a novice skier, is assigned the bunny slopes lift and Kurt first struggles to find his place at the lodge. Soon Kurt gets what he thinks is a perfect job, however, it turns out to be more than he bargained for.

While Kurt and Jake are happy in their relationship they are still trying to figure out exactly how it all will work. There are still struggles with coming/being out. Things aren't as easy as they may have imagined they would be.

I'm sorry to say that while I didn't hate Snow on the Mountain, I didn't love it either. I was happy to get not only Jake's point of view but Kurt’s as well this time around, but unfortunately, I just could not get into the story. I found it to be a little far-fetched and over the top. On the plus side, this is a fast, easy read, jam packed full of action.

3 stars!

Fall Down The Mountain (Book 3)

Mark is the main focus of the third book in the Mountain series. This book picks up a little while after the events from book 2 and Mark is having a hard time getting past the avalanche and Ulf's death. Every night he's experiencing nightmares and is quickly losing sleep and not taking care of himself.

Mark's friends can see that he's having problems and decide to step in and help. They plan a potluck at his house and invite a bunch of friends. Mark is not very excited at the prospect of everyone at his place but when he sees Allen, a local chef, things change.

I'm going to be honest, this was not my favorite book in this series. I really didn't feel connected to the two MC's. I found Mark to be much too angsty for my taste. I really didn't care for Allen's character either and it didn't help that we didn't get his POV to get to know him better.

On a positive note, the writing was good and the story seemed to fit with the others in the series. While it wasn't to my taste, I know that many will enjoy the opportunity to see Mark move past his crush on Jake and find someone for himself.

3 Stars!

Cross the Mountain (Short 3.2)

Mark takes Allen Cross Country skiing for the first time. This is a short sweet story where Mark gets Allen on a set of Cross Country skis and Allen learns another one of Mark's favorite activities.

4 Stars!

Blood on the Mountain (Book 4)

Blood on the Mountain is the 4th book in the series and is the return of our favorite rangers to where it all began. However, Jake's second season as a ranger doesn't go as easy and smooth as he'd hoped. Between decisions about Pharmacology school and coming out, Jake has a lot to think about and to make things even more complicated it seems as if he and Kurt stumble into trouble once again.

This was definitely a great addition to the Mountains series and just as good if not better than the first. Again told from Jake's perspective, we are taken on a tense ride where the boys are in serious danger and there is a real possibility that they may not make it out intact this time. I found the situation far more realistic and thrilling than previous books in the series.

Like on the first book, I really liked Kurt's character. Jake, however, frustrated me. I wanted so much for him to just wake up and get over his fears. There were many moments I just wanted to shake him silly.

I loved the end and admit I couldn't stop smiling. When it all comes down to it, I adore Kurt and Jake together. This was a wonderful conclusion to this story. I definitely recommend Blood on the Mountain.

4 Stars!

Return to the Mountain (Book 5)

While the 5th book in the Mountains books is quite different from the others in the series, I actually enjoyed it very much. Gary comes from an abusive home where his alcoholic father steals from him to fund his drinking habit. Seth has been Gary's best friend since they were kids and Gary feels very protective of him. When Seth gets in over his head with a guest at their job, Gary steps in and takes his place.

Seth and Gary grow even closer, finally admitting how they feel about each other. Gary wants to give Seth a good life, the life he deserves, where money isn't such a huge hindrance. When he finds a way to do just that, he takes it. While he believes he's doing it for a better life for both him and Seth, he doesn't realize that Seth finding out the truth could destroy what they have.

I have to say, I actually liked this book more than the others. I know that we only get a glimpse of one of the other Mountains' couples and for some that might be disappointing, but I honestly didn't mind. This was a much different kind of story, the themes were more serious, a little grittier. The characters were not as funny and sweet, but they were real.

I adored Gary. He wanted so badly to get that better life, to provide for Seth. However, he didn't have the "I'm better than" attitude towards the people in his town or the town itself. He just didn't want his father's actions to negatively affect how people saw him. He was flawed, he was naive, he was downright stupid about certain things, but he truly did have the best intentions.

Seth was sweet and likable, but again I had a problem connecting to him. I didn't really feel like we got to know him, not until the end when he showed more moxie and had more dialogue. He was a little too naive and oblivious to me, but I think he was good for Gary.

Would I recommend it? Yes! You don't have to read the others in the series to enjoy Return to the Mountain.

4.5 Stars!