Book Reviews

Book Blurb

“It's hard enough with two people. Throwing a third into the mix is… I don't know, doesn't it seem like we're asking for trouble?”

It hasn't been easy, but horse trainer Dan Wheeler is beginning to build a new life for himself, finding his place in California with his lovers Evan Kaminski and Jeff Stevens. When things are going well, it's spectacular: there's affection, humor, and passion. But things don't seem to go well all that often.

Dan continues to struggle with the loss of his previous lover and sometimes doubts that he even deserves to be happy; Evan is jealous of every rival for Dan's attention—including Jeff; and Jeff worries that he's too old for the younger men and wonders if he should bow out completely. Despite his resolutions, Dan has grown attached to the other two men, but he's not sure that's enough. He knows that it hurts to be together—he needs to decide whether it would hurt even more to be apart.

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, August 2010.

Book Review

I think the author has done an incredible job here, showcasing what happens after. After the sex, after the confrontation, after the acceptance, and after their determination to give a ménage relationship a chance. 'Out of the Darkness' is the second installment in Kate Sherwood's series, 'Dark Horse'. This book picks up the story the very next day after Dan, Evan, and Jeff have agreed to try a ménage. I've found being half of a couple very difficult, at times. So I wasn't surprised to see these men struggle with being one-third of a threesome.

"Maybe Dan needs to stop trying to steer and stop worrying about where the river’s taking him. Maybe he’s so tired because he’s fighting against the current."

There are three very distinct personalities at work. Jeff is older, a little wiser, and the calming influence, but he's got his own insecurities, especially in regards to the age difference. Dan is really patient, and Zen-like…with horses. When it comes to people, Dan overthinks everything, and gets stuck in his own brai way too easily. Dan has serious baggage from his childhood, which still results in his first response being the urge to run away from whatever emotional issue is cropping up. Then there's Evan. Evan can be insanely jealous and overprotective of his guys. He's impetuous and bold, but isn't that great at inter-personal aspects, either, even though he's the CEO of a giant corporation. Evan jumps to conclusions, and is just as quick to try and find the fix for the problem. Unfortunately, he's not always great at getting input for his fixes.

"Yeah, it’s a complicated relationship, and Dan’s a bit worried about the challenges they’re going to face. But more than that, he’s worried about what will happen if they don’t make it, because, despite his best intentions, he’s grown to really care about both of these men, and he doesn’t like to think of his life without them in it."

There are a lot of complications to making a relationship work, and, to be honest, I don't envy Jeff here at all. He tends to be the voice of reason dealing with two much more hotheaded personalities in Evan and Dan. Evan gets jealous about an old friend of Dan's, and Dan gets irritated because Evan doesn't trust him. Although, to be fair to Evan and Jeff, Dan hasn't put himself into this ménage wholeheartedly, as he's still waiting for them to decide they're done "playing". Men. *eye rolls* I can honestly say there've been a few times in my life where I thought it would've been more advantageous to have been born a boy, however, not when I'm reading about their extremely poor conversational and interpersonal skills.

I was afraid to hope that the magic I found in the first book could continue. I was wrong to doubt the author. Once again, she's taken these three men and made their everyday moments extraordinary. Dan, Evan, and Jeff, do some learning and growing in this installment, and I hope to see it continue. The wonderful secondary characters were all present and accounted for, with Chris accepting a job with Evan and moving to California. Dan knew Chris wouldn't last long without him around, anyway. *grins*

A wonderful sequel that makes me just want to read more and more of this series.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been purchased by the reviewer.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 299 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	05-August-2019
Price	$3.99 ebook, $10.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W6HZMLM