Review: Changes Going On (Changes #2) by Kaje Harper

Three men, one summer of media, mentorship, and murder. 

There's a reason Scott Edison came out as gay and poly on national TV— now no one can try to push him back into the closet. But as his men and his hockey team deal with the fallout from fans and paparazzi, moving forward isn't as easy as he'd hoped. 

Will Rice was looking forward to a quiet summer, sharing the work with his guys and giving Scott a refuge from the spotlight. He's hired a couple of young ranch hands, and finally feels ready to give back some of the mentoring that turned his life around decades ago. But good fences won't be enough to keep trouble off the ranch. 

Casey Barlow left the Sheriff's Department on his own terms, out and proud. But when the new sheriff is murdered— and Casey's one of the few with a watertight alibi— he's asked to investigate, and he can't resist. He's determined to solve the murder, and still take care of his men on the home front. Then one murder becomes two… 

It's a summer of risks and challenges, and working together is the only way they'll make it through.

Changes Coming Down, the first in the Changes series ended on a bombshell that closed all the loops but left the door wide open for more. I do appreciate when that happens when I’m committing to a series. Not to mention committing to characters that I’ve become so enamored with. Scott, Will and Casey are such perfect pieces that fit into their relationship puzzle in the best way. I already knew I was in for the Changes series, maybe a quarter of the way into the first book. Kaje Harper built the foundation so well, it’s a true character driven story, so I want to read about them for the long haul, regardless of what’s going on in their lives. 

And hey, what do you know, there’s a lot going on in their lives. Given how Changes Coming Down ended, with Scott coming out to the world, it’s no wonder. Sometimes it can be tough to pick up where you left off while waiting for the next installment of a series, but the recap was just enough and melded with the beginning of Changes Going On seamlessly. 

Three characters with three story arcs that intersect and weave could be overwhelming, but on the contrary, the stories complimented one another and added even more depth to the already fully fleshed out story. Scott is dealing with the PR fallout of his coming out. Will is finding his place and reconciling with his childhood. Casey is back to work in law enforcement in a role that suits him well. I love how the author builds up each character individually, so I feel like I know them as independently as well as in the context of their relationship. And given they are in a throuple relationship, the separation is so important to be able to take them seriously as characters and not just a vehicle for a three-way.

Each one of the guys bring many things to the table in their relationship. Scott is the light that Will and Casey need. Casey is intense and Will is stoic, they need Scott to remind them to enjoy the little things. Will, oh my sweet, wonderful Will, is a rock. We should all be lucky enough to have a Will in our lives in some capacity. My hear always aches for him a bit and I was so thankful to be able to read his history. It explained why my hear ached every time! I knew he had a rough start, but damn. The fact that he grew into such a good human says so much about his strong character. I just want more people to see him like Scott and Casey do. Casey is the great protector (not that Scott and Will need that necessarily in a literal sense) but everyone needs to feel safe and I think Will and Scott need that especially. 

There was bonus action and mystery to go along with all the evolution happening in the relationship. Like I said, the series is character driven, but there is still plenty of plot to round out the individual stories. There is plenty of conflict, but it’s external and to be expected considering everything happening. The positive and negative are there, anything else would have been, unfortunately, unbelievable. Especially for Scott. The relationship between the three of them is solid. They communicate verbally and physically, so that no matter what is happening, there is confidence that, at the end of the day, they can come home both physically and metaphorically.

The secondary characters are strong, they added to the plots organically and the young ranch hands were the perfect vehicle for Will to define his purpose beyond ranching. His heart is too big and needed more outlet. Did I mention that I love Will? I love Will. 

Everything wrapped up well in Changes Going On and I don’t know if there will be a third book, but I do hope there will be. In the meantime, I’ll just hope that the series shows up in audiobook format so I can revisit the guys in another way.

**a copy of this story was provided for an honest review**