Reviewed By Donna

TITLE:Riding Tall

SERIES: The Fall #2

AUTHOR:Kate Sherwood

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 200 pages

BLURB: Joe Sutton and Scott Mackenzie have ridden off into the sunset, but they wake to the cruel light of reality. Joe loves his family, even with the addition of three neighbors orphaned by a house fire. He loves the land that has supported them for generations. While there’s plenty of room left in his heart for Mackenzie, Joe must make room for him in his life.

Tired of taking and determined not to depend on another sugar daddy, Mackenzie returns to modeling in the city, but the wild clubs he once loved aren’t home anymore. Yet things aren’t right back at the ranch either. Joe is no longer the man he knew. Before the love of his life reaches his breaking point, Mackenzie must convince Joe he’s not lazy if he takes a break and not weak if he needs a little help. Finding the balance between give and take might leave them time for happily ever after.

REVIEW:

Riding Tall takes us back into the lives of Joe and Mackenzie, characters we were first introduced to in The Fall.

For those who may have forgotten, Joe is a country boy who owns his own farm where he raises cows, horses and his extended family. And what a family it is. Although three of his grown siblings have moved out of the family home, he continues to be responsible for his youngest sister, his nephew and at the end of the first book he took over the guardianship of another teenager and child after he pulled them out of a burning house.

Mackenzie, formerly the kept boyfriend of a rich man, also lives on the farm with Joe, who is his current boyfriend. Mackenzie is a model who is use to the fast paced city life. He moved to the country with a business plan to restore an old church he wants to use for gay weddings but once he met Joe and fell in love, he decided to stay.

Okay, so are we all caught up? I really don’t recommend you try to read Riding Tall without first having read The Fall.

This sequel finds Joe and Mackenzie struggling to maintain their relationship. Not because they aren’t crazy for each other but because neither of them really knows how to make a relationship work.

Joe and Mackenzie don’t talk enough about their problems but it’s not for lack of effort on Mackenzie’s part. In fact, I need to say I adored Mackenzie. It was refreshing to have a character that was aware of his own faults, who was aware of his partner’s faults but still be realistic enough that he doesn’t know how to immediately fix their problems. “You’re an idiot,” he said as he tentatively entwined his fingers with Joe’s. “And I forget that sometimes.”

Joe, on the other hand, bugged the hell out of me. I thought Joe was great in the first book but in Riding Tall I reached a point where I was half hoping Mackenzie really would dump his passive aggressive, non-confrontational ass in the hope he’d actually have an emotional reaction. He reminded me of Eeyore, everything was doom and gloom.

I loved the solution Mackenzie came up with to help Joe but I also liked the way it didn’t instantly make everything better. They still had to make an effort to achieve what they wanted.

As far as I’m aware, this is a two book series and Riding Tall ended with the men’s relationship in a place I was happy to leave them. But, there were a few things that felt unfinished. I thought we would have heard more about Joe’s brother Will and his not so great relationship. I was also hoping for more time spent at the church. Maybe experience a wedding there?

However any fan of Kate Sherwood knows she’s generous with the extras and freebies so I’ll hold onto the hope that I may yet get to read about a wedding in Mackenzie’s church. Joe and Mackenzie’s own wedding perhaps? They’re not ready just yet, but maybe one day. “For now, I want to be your partner. Your boyfriend and your lover and your sweet schnookums too.” 

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press