Melissa reviews Flankman (Crow Creek #5) by Nya Rawlyns Published April 12th 2014 by PubRight, 206 pages.
The bronc in the arena can kill, but it takes a man to destroy…
Daniel Blake and Tristan Wells are committed to their two-year relationship, and to keeping it a well-hidden secret. When a competitor lets them know their secret isn’t so well-hidden after all, the ground isn’t the only thing that comes up to hit hard. Danny’s facing scrutiny from rodeo management for alleged misconduct, and Tristan thinks that Ben Kincaid from Crow Creek Ranch is just the man to help ferret out who has it in for them. Wyoming isn’t known for being tolerant of “alternative lifestyles” and men who take on broncs and bulls for a living aren’t strangers to playing rough, in and out of the arena.
With their future on the line, Tristan and Danny’s relationship will be tested by those out to see an eight-second ride turn into a world of failure. Ben’s determined to have his new friends’ backs, in more ways than one. Even if they survive the spills and attacks, will Danny and Tris’s future survive Ben?
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: Hot, sweaty, sexy cowboys. Yum!!!! ;-D
This book was not what I was expecting, and that’s not a bad thing. Daniel Blake and Tristan Wells are two men in the rodeo circuit who managed to find love in an unusual place. Knowing how their fellow rodeo players would react, they knew they had no choice but to keep their relationship a secret. After two years, they are tired of hiding and are ready to settle down. But not everyone is the “live and let live” type. Somehow, Danny and Tristan’s relationship has become known – and by the worst possible person in the circuit.
While I was expecting the antagonist to do what they did, I still enjoyed the ride to get there. Helping Danny and Tristan during this tough time is a fellow hand named Ben – Benny. It’s clear Ben likes Tristan, and doesn’t find Danny hard on the eyes either. He’s made it clear he wouldn’t be opposed to exploring their mutual desire. Personally, I didn’t care for the potential of making Danny and Tris into a threesome. I loved their relationship they way it was, but it’s their life and they had to choose what was best for them.
In the end, the good guys triumphed and these men managed to find their HEA.
I was not expecting how heavy the rodeo speak would be. I personally don’t like rodeos and I can’t say I cared to learn all about them or how they operated. At first I was ok with it, but the more I read, the more I glossed over those facts. I didn’t care and, for me, it distracted from the story of Danny and Tristan. For some, the rodeo tutorial might be too much, and I can understand that. Frankly, skipping all that didn’t detract from the story. I still knew what was going on. I didn’t need to know that Danny hooked, and tightened, and tested, and released the rope, or told the rider the horse was going to push left – or whatever he said and did. My brain went on overload and I had to take a small break from the story.
6pots/3 stars. If you like cowboys and rodeos, and like to see two men fight to get their HEA, this is the book for you.
Where to buy: Amazon, buy the complete series @ Barnes & Noble, Kobo
She has lived in the country and on a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay, earned more than 1000 miles in competitive trail and endurance racing, taught Political Science to unwilling freshmen, and found an avocation in materials science.
When she isn’t tending to her garden or the horses, the cats, or three pervert parakeets, she can be found day dreaming and listening to the voices in her head.
Twitter: Nya_Rawlyns
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