TRAVIS (Pelion Lake #1) by MIA SHERIDAN

‘There are one of two paths for you. Either lose it all. Or lose it all.’

If like us, you still remember how emotionally overwhelmed you were reading Archer’s Voice back in 2014, remember an agonisingly beautiful and painful story that despite the years has lived on in our hearts, then you will have been as excited as us to hear that Travis, his half-brother, was getting his own book. Mia Sheridan writes exquisitely, with such passion and depth, that you cannot help feeling everything her characters do. If we can give one piece of advice though, it’s to do a reread of Archer’s Voice before reading Travis, and that is certainly no hardship. Who doesn’t want to revisit the story of Archer and Bree?! For us, re-reading Archer’s Voice meant we felt the intensity of turmoil and anguish felt by Travis, we lived the moments of feeling lost and displaced. We understood the redemption he needed. So yeah, whilst Travis can absolutely be read as a standalone, we highly recommend reading Archers Voice first to get the complete emotional picture and history of the characters, which in our opinion is crucial.

“Do you fear you’ll be nothing but a forgotten photo someday that everyone left behind?”

The trauma of Travis’ childhood and the sudden loss he experienced has resulted in him feeling like somewhat of an outsider and spectator to life and love. Desperately clinging on to parts he can control. On the surface, it seems as though Travis Hale has it all, but does he really? Once you see past the façade of this gorgeous successful man and unravel the layers leading back to his childhood, it’s no wonder the first cuts are still wide open and that the emotional consequences are all still alive and well. Travis Hale has felt second-best all of his life, seemingly rejected or hurt by those meant to love him. Is it any wonder he guards his heart and has relationship hang-ups, meaning he expects people to leave him? Travis hasn’t always been the man he is now and the guilt of his past actions weigh heavily on his shoulders.

“We’ve all made mistakes, Travis. We get to reinvent ourselves. And if the new version is even better, it means we’ve learned and we’ve grown.”
“How do you know what to change, and what to hold onto?”
“I guess the answer is different for each of us.”

When Travis meets Haven Torres who’s been travelling cross country with her brother, Easton trying to escape her own life of tragedy and hardship, he knows he’s met someone special. Like recognises like. A beautiful cheeky friendship begins and has the possibility to grow into something more, something magnificent and something healing. Haven was a gorgeous character and the banter, the moments of sweet, and the intense chemistry between her and Travis was just wonderful.

‘It was all too much. Too much trauma. Too much pain. Sometimes the world felt so damned sharp.’

Travis was a beautiful story of self-reflection, growth, forgiveness, friendship, and love. Whilst it didn’t have the sombre atmosphere or heart-wrecking emotion of Archer’s Voice, it certainly had moments of pure beauty, heartfelt emotion, and tear-inducing revelations as well as absolute moments of joy. We loved it! If you haven’t met Archer and Travis yet, make sure you add these boys to your reading list!

“It’s meant to work that way, Isn’t it. All the things that have brought us pain, carve a distinct hole in our heart, and there’s someone else out there with the perfect something that will fill the void. And in turn, we get to do the same for them. And suddenly, it all makes sense. It all fits. Because we haven’t been forsaken. We’ve been prepared.”