BLURB: Elaine MacLeod, the most feared and revered Mistress of Rowan House, is frustrated. Overworked, still hurt and angry over the departure of her long-term lover, she refuses to admit Rowan House needs another Mistress to accommodate their guests. Unconvinced anyone will be able to meet her high standards, Elaine grudgingly agrees to audition the sole applicant, Petra Grendhal.
Robin Broadacre would do anything for the woman who rescued her from certain death at the hands of her previous employers. When she volunteers to assist Petra with her audition, Elaine is forced to reckon with her desire for Robin. Drawn to Petra’s fiery strength and icy demeanor as well Robin’s devotion, Elaine finds herself torn between her passion for both women. When Petra disappears on a trip to Oslo, Elaine and Robin’s search leads them to menaces from Robin’s past and a fight for their lives.
REVIEW: This is the 5th book in the Rowan House series and it is excellent! This is a series and I’ve started on this book first. Even though it can be read as a standalone, I feel that they should be read in sequential order as it would be beneficial to give you a better feel of who everyone is when they’re mentioned.
This book was extremely well written. The character development, storyline and flow of this book is top notch. This author has a true talent for writing that should definitely be touted; her ability to make her characters so that you’re able to easily connect with them is just brilliant. The women in her stories are strong, confident, complex and always relatable. What I particularly loved about this story is how it explores dominance and submission; and how that power exchange manifests between women.
Even visual presentation of this book is stunning. The gorgeous cover models, the color pallets, font types, it all blends together to form the perfect vessel for the beautifully written story within.
Brenda Murphy did an exceptional job with this book and reading it has definitely motivated me to purchase the rest in the series.
Brilliant surgeon Galen Jayr has given up on love and moved halfway across the world to escape heartbreak. While working at a relief hospital in Alaska, Galen meets and befriends Navojan, an alien living on Earth but hiding his true identity as a being from another planet.
Over the course of their unlikely friendship, Galen and Navojan spend their days working and spending time together, often discussing their favorite books. It never occurs to Galen that Navojan has a flair for writing himself, until one day he happens upon Navojan’s open tablet and his unfinished romance novel.
The steamy contents of the novel activate Galen’s imagination, sending his feelings for Navojan into overdrive. Could the human character in Navojan’s book be a stand-in for Galen himself? Galen is completely distracted by dreams and fantasies of his friend, whose physiology feels pain as pleasure, and whose features–among them, a tail–are so very alien.
This short read is full of passion and sensuality, exploring the relationship between pleasure and pain, and detailing an alien/human love affair that is a bit sweet, a bit strange, and extremely, delightfully sexy.
REVIEW: I feel compelled to start by saying that science fiction, futuristic, alien/human or dystopia themed books are not my cup of tea, hot or cold. However, the the blurb for this novella piqued my interest. Deciding to step outside of my familiar zone, I gave it a shot.
I am really glad that I did!
Because if I hadn’t, I would’ve missed out on a really great story. This novella was sweet, sensual and sexy. The characters, although a bit strange, were quite interesting. Here you have Galen, a human and Navojan, an alien running from their past lives. In this futuristic semi dystopian world, these two manage for find each other and form a friendship based on a love of literature and companionship. I also feel that their mutual loneliness is something that also brought them together.
Navojan’s character especially drew me in. Here you have this sweet and gentle alien man who altered himself to fit into this planet, this which for him is backwards and somewhat primitive. You’re able to feel that he’s homesick but understands that he can’t return. He’s not a fan of this planet but his friendship with Galen makes it bearable. There’s a trust and a genuine love he feels for his friend.
Galen has always been attracted to his friend but didn’t want to act on it, not totally sure if Navojan shared the same feelings. His attraction reaches new heights when he discovers a few pages of draft of Nav’s book.
The journey these two make together is beautifully written. This is strange story but not in at all in a bad way. Quite the opposite, in fact. This story is truly outside the box. The author successfully combines science fiction with sensual romance and erotica. And it was very well done.
This story pleasantly surprised me! I am really glad that I decided to step outside my comfort zone and read this novella. This author also did a great job making this novella feel like you were reading a full length book.
BLURB: Maxim Hagan’s father taught him one valuable lesson:
Life is like a game of baseball—three strikes and he’s out.
And to make matters worse, Maxim was already born with two strikes against him and has has spent his entire life trying not to swing for strike three. Running from his demons worked until a roadside bomb sends him hurtling back home. When he’s forced to come face to face with the one demon he could never outrun, Maxim has a decision to make.
Ethan Garrick’s life has descended into a world of loneliness after the death of his mother. Meeting new friends is never easy but, he’s managed to fall into a lovable group of brothers. When he meets his new friends’ best friend, Ethan knows one thing for certain:
He can try outrunning his desires for Maxim, but the end of the earth wouldn’t be far enough.
REVIEW: I can’t even begin to tell y’all how much I enjoyed reading this book. Where do I start? Let’s start with the cover. This cover is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The fact that two gorgeous black men grace the cover of this book is in itself amazing. The next amazing this about this book is that black love is front and center in this book. Not just black love, but BLACK MEN in love. This story and these characters were beautifully written. Maxim and Ethan…both of these men are battling demons: loneliness, heartache, pain, disappointment and loss.
These two men deserve happiness, and they find it with each other. This isn’t a book where the men fall into bed without getting to know each other. These guys take the time to build something permanent.
I really enjoy this author’s work. I absolutely love how she portrays her characters of color in general, black men in particular. She shows that black men are capable of love and tenderness. These characters experience the loneliness, heartbreak and pain but was able to find solace and love within and can heal each other. And it was a beautiful thing to read.
Take a bow, Remmy. You’ve done an excellent job with this.
When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.
Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.
But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.
With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.
Excerpt
After one quick knock on Rowe’s door, he stepped inside without waiting for him to call since he was already expected. But he stopped short when he saw the tall man standing next to Rowe’s desk, his hands on his slender hips as he grinned down at Rowe. Quinn couldn’t stop his eyes from quickly sweeping over his broad shoulders and chest that tapered into a narrow waist. His eyes snapped back up to find a pair of brown eyes that twinkled as they finished checking him out as well.
“Sorry,” Quinn mumbled, instantly taking a step backward. “I can come back.” Rowe rarely saw clients. He had customer representatives that handled talking to the clients. Of course, with Rowe’s lack of a filter, it was better if he didn’t talk to the new clients directly.
“No, come in, Quinn,” Rowe said sharply. He stood behind his desk, drawing Quinn’s gaze to his shorter but broader frame. His dark red hair stood up slightly as if he’d been running his fingers through it. Quinn never took that as a particularly good sign.
With a quick jerk of his head, Quinn stepped in and shut the door behind him. The other man was smiling at him, that assessing look still in his eyes, and Quinn didn’t want to think about the fact that he was dying to take another longer look at him, but not with the freaking boss in the room.
“Quinn Lake, this is Shane Stephens. He’s a private investigator with The Merleau Detection Agency,” Rowe introduced.
Shane extended his hand to Quinn and Quinn clenched his teeth, trying to hide his discomfort at taking Shane’s hand. His own palms were sweaty, making the momentary contact awkward. Why the fuck was he always so damn awkward around hot guys?
“Rowe tells me you’re the best,” Shane said, releasing his hand.
Quinn couldn’t help the skeptical look he shot at Rowe, who only shrugged as he sat down again. “Well, I said you <em>and</em> Gidget are the best.”
“Is this about a job?”
“Sit, Quinn.” Rowe absently waved toward the two chairs in front of his desk. He shuffled some papers around without seeming to actually look at them, placing them in piles at the edge of his desk.
Shooting one last uncertain look at Shane, Quinn moved to the farthest chair and sat, his tablet clenched in both hands. His mind raced as he tried to figure out why he’d been called into this meeting. Clients didn’t meet with Rowe, and Quinn didn’t meet with clients unless they’d already been assigned a bodyguard. And while they’d worked with some private investigators in the past, Rowe wasn’t usually involved. He had a company to run.
“Shane recently acquired a client who is the victim of a hacker,” Rowe started.
Quinn looked up at Shane, who was still standing beside Rowe’s desk, his mind finally turning away from too many questions to a problem he could understand. “Identity theft? Bank accounts drained?”
“No, not yet.” Shane shook his head, some of his dark curly hair falling forward against his temple. “At least, not that we’ve uncovered.”
“Then how do you know this client was hacked?”
“There are other signs…but I can’t go into it.”
Quinn frowned for a second. That certainly wasn’t going to make his job easier. “Well, do you just need improved protection? Alerts on accounts? We’ve got a comprehensive list of things we can do to help shore up the client’s account protection and privacy.”
“Shane isn’t looking for protection from the hacker for the client.” Rowe paused until Quinn looked back at him. “His client has hired him to track down the identity of the hacker.”
“Whoa…” Quinn said on an exhale, sitting back in his chair. That…that was not an easy task. Most hackers were pretty damn good at not being found. You had to be if you wanted to survive as one. If you sucked, you were usually snagged by the FBI pretty damn fast. Quinn would know. He’d started hacking at a young age—not stealing other people’s money but just breaking through security systems because he could. It took the feds a solid five years to catch him. But his boss knew all this. Rowe knew everything about the people working for him.
“We’re not equipped to handle this level of…” Shane frowned at Rowe’s computer as if he blamed it for his problems. “Well, we’re not staffed yet to handle computer things like this. I can do some of the forensic research in accounting matters, but I need a computer genius like you.”
“That’s why I agreed to loan you to Shane and his business partner, Ethan, for one month,” Rowe announced.
Quinn was out of his seat in a shot, hovering over the edge of the desk as he looked down at his boss. Pain shot through his chest, and he was suddenly having trouble catching his breath. Panic clouded all of his thoughts. He loved working for Ward Security. He’d been there for just less than two years, and he’d never found another place where he’d felt like he fit so damn perfectly. This was home. These people he worked with, they were his friends. He didn’t have to hide or pretend or feel uncomfortable.
And Rowe…Rowe had always been amazing. Sure, he could be cranky and a little crazy. He was always loud and tended to speak before thinking. But Quinn always knew exactly where he stood with Rowe. He always felt like Rowe had his back.
But this…
“Are you getting rid of me?”
“What?” Rowe snapped. “Where the fuck did you get that idea?”
“You’re hiring another IT person. I saw the listing. And this? Putting me ‘on loan’?”
Rowe groaned and scrubbed a hand over his face. With a heavy sigh, he pointed back at the chair Quinn had just vacated. “Sit.” Grudgingly, Quinn followed direction while Rowe looked over at Shane. “Can you give us a minute?”
Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott have teamed up to combine their evil genius to create intense gay romantic suspense stories that have car chases, shoot outs, explosions, scorching hot love scenes, and tender, tear-jerking moments. Their first joint books are in the Unbreakable Bonds series.
BLURB: Strength is found when surrendering to destiny.
Graham has suffered way too much at the hands of the Nall. Ever since he was enslaved after the invasion, he’s been raped and tortured by the Alasharian Supreme Commander and his cohorts. Condemned to die by hanging for his part in the human rebellion, Graham gives in to the inevitable, no longer caring if he lives or dies. But an unexpected event occurs and, at the last moment, Graham is saved.
Balor is a guard to the Nall, but he’s also a part of the growing rebellion among the Alasharians. When one of the Nall’sadvisors enlists his help in getting a human prisoner to safety, Balor comes to his aid. Startled by the soul match hum that sparks to life when he touches Graham, but unable to do anything about it, Balor is determined to protect his human match at all costs. When Advisor Oman arrives on the scene to rescue Balor as he helps Graham to escape, it becomes clear that yet another alien/human triad is forming—even if Graham may never accept being bonded to two aliens after the trauma he’s endured at the hands of Alasharians.
The time has come to depart to the secret military complex where the human and Alasharian allies will stage their final assault against the Nall and the Void. Families are reunited and others torn apart as they prepare for battle. The allies fear what will become of them all if Chris, the special human Sha Sha Arhas chosen as their spiritual leader, is no longer there to guide them.
REVIEW: This is book 4 in this sci-fi series, and it is absolutely necessary to read these books in order. I also need to mention that this review will contain spoilers from the previous books.
In book 4 we get Graham’s story and I was dying to find out what happened with the mysterious Void. Who is Graham you ask, well he was first mentioned, barely, in the first book. He is the son to Mr. Avery, and brother to Paul. They were the neighbors that lived on the same street and they all had grown up together. Graham had been captured in the nets by the aliens early on. He had a similar build like Chris and Morgan which was obviously a desired type by the Alasharians.
We meet up with Graham at the end of book 3, where he had escaped from the Nall’s torture ceremony and was hiding under a vehicle. As Morgan and his mates attempted to flee the park after witnessing the torture and hanging of the rogue humans, he literally stepped on a human body part that was hiding under a Jeep next to him. To Morgan’s delight the body part belonged to Graham who had survived somehow. He tried to pull Graham with him so they could escape but Graham wanted nothing to do with the aliens that seemed to be very friendly with Morgan. After learning Chris and his family were still alive, Morgan finally convinced Graham to go with him and his mates despite the condition he was in. He had obviously suffered at the hands of the Nall. No specifics were given regarding exactly what was done to Graham, only that he was raped and tortured.
It was a female Alasharian that provided the distraction for Graham to run. But it was Balor, a Alasharian guard to the Nall that made certain Graham was freed. After what happened to Graham he was surprised and almost speechless when he realized that this alien was actually helping him. Then we meet the handsome Advisor Oman, who had saved Balor’s life. Balor had long admired Oman and the feeling was mutual. So there you have it…the third soul match. Oman, Balor, and Graham.
Besides the soul match between Graham and his mates this book was about the human and Alasharian rebellion. In order to fight the Void, who had become increasingly dangerous, they became allies. This book added more depth to the growing suspense of what will happen with Chris and his family when they discover he is the chosen human. Will this tear them apart. Who will survive this war in the end? What happened to Chris and his mates since they left the park? So many questions. Anxiously waiting on the next book, Morticia.??
BLURB: Embracing destiny was never meant to be easy.
Morgan can’t figure out where he belongs anymore now that a new world has emerged in the aftermath of the Alasharian invasion of Earth. Everything is too strange and frightening and all he wants to do is hide from it all. It doesn’t help to ease his confusion when he finds himself being drawn to not one but two aliens. He thought his cousin Chris was insane to fall in love with the muscled warriors who bonded with him as his mates, but his own heart might be in danger when it comes to the warrior Rama, and Hallosh, an advisor to the Alasharian’s Supreme Commander, the Nall.
Chris experiences a terrifying vision from the Soul Healer and it becomes clear that both Alasharian and humans are running out of time to save the Earth from the insidious spread of the Void. A battle is imminent and it becomes imperative to protect those who are allied against the evil that has corrupted the Nall.
Everything on Earth is about to change once again and Morgan finds himself at the brink of discovering his own destiny—and how the two aliens he can’t get out of his mind will be a part of it. A disturbing event triggers the beginning of the fight against the Void. Chris and Morgan must separate for the first time since the invasion, with each of them leaving with their own soul matches. For Morgan, he hopes the goodbye he says to Chris won’t be forever.
Reader Advisory: This book contains scenes of death and violence.
REVIEW: Just a small warning here, that this is the third book in this series and the first two books are vital to the story. This review may contain a few spoilers for anyone who has not read books 1&2.
So in this book we get Morgan’s story. You may recall in my reviews of books 1&2 I found Morgan to be completely annoying. Well, in the beginning Moran is still very cautious about the Alasharians, but he’s beginning to thaw due to the kindness and bravery that his cousin Chris’ alien mates have shown him. He’s also still fearful and bewildered about how Chris was not just in a relationship with the aliens but in love with them. Morgan just needed some time to process everything going on including the uncomfortable feeling he got every time he and Hallosh, the alien that rescued him in book 2, were in the same place.
Then he meets Rama, Lasar’s best friend and fellow warrior. Now Morgan is in Rama’s care where they get to know each other and a sort of friendship develops before the same uncomfortable spark develops between him and Rama. To his shock and surprise, Morgan begins to understand the spark between him and Rama which leads to him uncovering his other match. I will say that the insta-love between Rama, Hallosh and Morgan felt a bit rushed. Rama went from not being interested in anything between him and Morgan to being all in.
I did however thoroughly enjoy this book and the drama of the Void, the Nall, the Soul Healer, and Chris who has become the chosen human to lead this fight for both the Alasharians and the humans.
Chris has had a monumentally bad month. First, an aggressive band of aliens invaded the Earth, conquered the world, and now he’s fighting for survival in the mountains with his family and the neighborhood bigot. Just because he’s barely out of his teens and a bit on the scrawny side doesn’t mean he can’t watch out for his mom, sisters and younger cousin. Chris keeps searching for the brighter side of things, but his humor is wearing thin. Fear can do that to a guy.
Lasar and Nary are a soul matched pair of warriors from Alashar. Lasar is Nary’s Ahna, the one who dominates him, and Nary is the Nasha, or submissive, to Lasar. Every Alasharian, regardless of orientation, needs the balance of the power exchange to exist peacefully within their lifelong soul match bond. When Lasar is awarded a war prize, he sends Nary to look over the recent arrivals.
Chris and his cousin Morgan are captured and sent to the slave cages where they discover from the other imprisoned young men that they are destined to be sex toys for alien pairs. When one of those aliens saves Chris and his cousin from being abused by the slave master, Chris hopes that the seemingly kind alien won’t be too horrible an owner.
Lasar and Nary are finally alone together with their new sex slave, ready to enjoy their reward. However, in the middle of their playtime a shocking event occurs that not only disrupts Chris’ world even more than it already has been, but also challenges everything that Lasar and Nary have always held dear. As Lasar searches for answers, he begins to question the reasons behind the Earth invasion and where his loyalties should really lie. As their Ahna, he must be the one who decides whether they will all be safer together, or apart.
REVIEW: I hesitated about reading this book because even though I love the BDSM genre, I’ve never really been interested in sci-if books. Well I’m happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this one for the most part. The first part of the book vividly describes the aliens, Alashrians, and our planet after an alien invasion. The author gives you details about the events that take place and why those things are happening.
Chris is a 20 year old guy living a normal life when aliens invade earth. Chris is terrified but in order to survive he and his family, which includes his cousin Morgan, have to flee and hide in the woods. He figures with all the camping he did with his dad, the woods will be the safest place for them to be undetected. Well, unfortunately Chris and his cousin are captured by the aliens and taken as sex slaves, toys. Now right around this point in the story you’ve met quite a few characters, some of which I did not care for. His cousin Morgan is one of them. God he was whiny and annoying. I constantly wanted to slap him.
Anyway, one of the things we learn is the dynamics of the relationships between the Alasharians. In their society relationships are made up of a Dominant, called a Anna, and a submissive, called a Nashar. The two in the relationship are soul matched, like soul mates. Chris finds this type of relationship quite interesting because prior to the invasion he had wanted to visit a BDSM club to experience the power exchange that takes place between a Dominant and a submissive. The author explains the specific dynamic of the relationships and the hierarchy that exist between these aliens. This part of the story seemed a bit different than the first..a bit off maybe.
Regardless, overall I liked the premise of the story. I liked the romance that takes place between our MC’s. Book 1 ends in a HFN so you have to read the next book to find out what happened to our MC’s. I give this book a 3.5 stars.
Chris and his alien soul matches, Lasar and Nary, are ready to deepen their new bond as mates. It’s also time for Chris to begin his training as a Nasha, or sub, and for Nary to embrace his new role as Ahna, or Dom, to Chris. As three in the soul match, they are unique. Not only have Alasharians never matched with a human, they’ve never matched as three.
What makes them special also puts them in danger. The Supreme Soul Healer warned Chris that many changes were ahead, ones even more startling than the original invasion. They must keep their bond a secret until they know who they can trust.
As Ahna to both Nary and Chris, Lasar carries the responsibility of protecting his mates. A proud Alasharian warrior and commander, he’ll stop at nothing to keep them safe and to help Chris find his missing mother and sisters. To make sure that Chris’ cousin Morgan isn’t sent back to the slave cages, he’s also arranged for a fellow commander to take Morgan into his care when he returns from battle.
Lasar and Nary are invited to a pleasure party by the Alasharian’s leader, the Nall, and are forced to bring Chris and Morgan. But a terrifying turn of events sets in motion what might be the beginning of the end for them all, unless they can resist the void.
REVIEW: First, let me warn you that book 2 ends in a cliffhanger which shockingly enough did not bother me but may bother others so the author may consider mentioning this in the blurb. It could possibly affect the readers overall experience.
Now, I had to read book 2 in this series to find out what happens next between our MC’s. I initially stated in my review of book 1 that sci-fi is not a typical genre for me, but this series has become the exception and I’m glad I decided to give it a chance. Book 2 has angst, romance, quite a bit of intrigue, and hot damn sex and more sex. I really liked book #2. The story progresses nicely as Chris learns more about being the third person in a loving relationship, as well as being a sub. Nary and Lasar also learn about their small human who they find fascinating and totally love. We learn more about the Void, and the Nall and who can be trusted and who can’t.
Well as we learned in book 1, Chris, Lasar and Nary are soul matched which has never been done or heard of. Because of this discovery and many others revealed by the Supreme Soul Healer who is the alien version of our religious entity’s, their relationship as soul matches has to be kept a secret, hidden. Morgan, Chris’ cousin, who is under Lasar’s protection is learning more bout the aliens also. He’s still annoying and I still want to bitch slap him, but things seem to be changing with Morgan. I can’t wait to see how she introduces Morgan to his alien mate/mates.
Book 2 was good, but book 1 is a must or the reader will be lost in my opinion. There are two many details that are important to the story. I give this one 4 stars.
BLURB: Sometimes the only way to spring a trap is to use live bait.
Teddy Austin has had more than his share of run-ins with local law enforcement. The Wyverns have a reputation to maintain, and Teddy feels it’s his duty to cause havoc whenever possible. Of course, getting arrested means time in the company of Sheriff Adrian Hayder—always a bonus—though Teddy would far prefer to have the sheriff wearing the cuffs.
When The Knights of War MC arrives in Phoenix, Trap orders The Wyverns to get inside information. In order to infiltrate the gang, Teddy must appear to betray his friends and switch his allegiance. Working undercover, however, he confirms what they have all suspected—The Knights of War are a cover for something much more sinister than a hell-raising bunch of bikers, and they fully intend to turn Phoenix into a battleground.
With Sheriff Hayder getting far too close to the truth, Teddy is left with a few problems—how to stop a war, keep his balls intact and ensure the man he loves keeps breathing.
REVIEW: This is my favorite so far in the series, but it had a few issues. The first issue was the use of some British terms that seemed out of place for Arizona biker gangs to use. Also, with the introduction of Kit in the story and both Teddy and Adrian’s attraction to him, I fully expected it to be a ménage story but nothing ever came of that. It was like a delicious dessert being dangled in front of you as a reward for eating all of your peas only to be denied at the end of the meal. The meal in his case, was delicious but I really would have loved the enticing dessert of the three of them forming a relationship.
I loved Teddy and Adrian together. Their chemistry between the two men is sizzling. The way Teddy intentionally did and said sexy, flirtatious things to get under the gorgeous sheriff’s skin was adorable. It wasn’t just sexual attraction that Teddy felt for Adrian; his feeling went a lot deeper than sexual.
It’s odd, but I felt that unlike the others, this story ended abruptly and unfinished. The characters were engaging but I felt that something should have been done with the attraction between these three men. It felt a little unfinished.
Despite this, I still liked the story and consider these two men my favorite characters and this my favorite book in the series.
BLURB: Two men who believe in second chances meet and their lives are never the same again.
Layne Daly comes to participate in the American Royal. He’s there to show off the abilities of the retired thoroughbreds he adopts straight off the track. He wants people to know these animals can do so much more than race. He has three horses there to do exhibitions in reining, barrel racing and cutting. When his usual groom gets sick, he has to hire someone fast.
Carl Stewartson used to love coming to Kansas City for the rodeo. He’d ride broncs and hang out with his friends. But since his career-ending injury early in the year, Carl has been spinning his wheels, trying to find something to do with his life now that he can’t rodeo anymore. He runs into Layne and offers to help him with his horses.
Together, they have to deal with not only the stress of the event, but also starting a new relationship. Second chances are what Layne does best and he’s more than willing to give Carl the opportunity.
REVIEW: This is a short but sweet story about two men who believe in second chances. Layne Daly and Carl Stewartson meet by chance at the America Royal Rodeo in Kansas City. Layne is there to show off the abilities of his retired thoroughbreds. Show that these horses can be more than just race horses. But when Layne get his horses to the gate, his groom is nowhere to be found. He gets a call from Quinn, his groom, stating that he was under the weather and probably wouldn’t make it. He needs help with these horses especially one in particular that is quite spirited. So now what can he do?
Carl actually used to participate in the rodeo’s bronc riding competition but due a knee injury, his riding career was basically over. So now here he was with no way to make a living doing what he loved to do best. Then an opportunity comes up for him to use his knowledge of horses as he was raised on a ranch and maybe make some money doing it. Of course it didn’t hurt that the two men were attracted to each other but without confirmation neither was willing to make assumptions. But working so closely together to help Layne with his horses for the exhibition revealed their mutual attraction.
I actually liked this short read and wished that there was more to their story, more time to get to know the characters. The fact that one of the characters had a physical limitation made me more interested in his character. I liked how the two men come together to help each other. The physical attraction between the MC’s made for a few steamy scenes. So overall it was a pleasant read.
