Troy’s Surrender

Title:  Troy’s Surrender
Author:  K.M. Mahoney
Publisher:  Amber Allure
Genre: Contemporary M/M, western
Length: Novella (19K words 83 PDF pages)
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Summary Review: A story with a western setting that had a few niggles but was enjoyable.

THE BLURB

Troy Maxwell is a private detective soured on life. He’s spent so many years investigating and observing the darker sides of life and relationships until he no longer believes in true love. It’s time for a vacation, a long vacation. But when his best friend shows him a photograph of a rancher in Wyoming and offers him a new case, Troy can’t turn away. The stunning, well-built man in the picture calls to him in ways Troy hasn’t felt before.

It takes only a few minutes in rancher and horse breeder Rafe Morgan’s presence for Troy to realize that not everything is as it seems. And it takes only a few more minutes for him to realize that Rafe has the capability of making him break his rule about mixing business with pleasure. But Troy is living a lie and, as it always does, the truth comes out. When an explosion of anger leads to an even more violent explosion of passion, Troy comes to the startling conclusion that Rafe is one man he can’t afford to let get away.

First, though, he has to unwind the tangle of lies he’s created and win back Rafe’s trust. No one has ever accused Troy of giving up easily, and he’s about to prove just how stubborn he can be when it really counts…

THE REVIEW

I love cowboys so I was immediately attracted to this story when I read the blurb. Troy was a PI and his best friend Ken, a lawyer, wanted him to gather some dirt on Rafe Morgan, a horse breeder in Wyoming, for a potential inheritance court challenge by Rafe’s younger half brother for a share in Rafe’s ranch. When Troy saw Rafe’s picture, the first thing he thought about was how hot he looked, and the last thing he wanted to do was to spy on him even for Ken. However, since he really wanted to get to know Rafe better in the biblical sense, and the only way to meet him was to think with his little head, he took the case.

Rafe was even hotter in person than in his picture and Troy could hardly keep his tongue from hanging out. He thought that Rafe might be gay and possibly attracted to him but he couldn’t be sure even though he could feel Rafe’s eyes following him whenever he was around. In the meantime Troy had a  job to do, that of reviewing Rafe’s books and helping him with his accounting records. On going through the books he realized that his first assessment of the ranch was correct –  it was not the prosperous business Mark expected. Most of the horses had been sold and the peeling paint on the buildings confirmed that this was definitely not a profitable operation — Rafe was barely making a living.

Working side by side with Rafe made Troy feel badly about deceiving him, but he didn’t want to leave because his attraction for the rancher was growing every day. His client was also getting impatient because Troy wasn’t sending in those financial reports he needed for his court challenge. One week after he started working on the ranch Troy and Rafe were out riding, checking fences, horses and cattle when they kissed and Troy realized that he was definitely screwed because Rafe was turning on the charm and there was no way on earth he could resist the man. That night he drove into town because he needed to get roaring drunk to take away the guilt, which was exactly what he did. The next morning he woke up tied to the bed with a vengeful Rafe wanting some answers after Troy’s indiscreet, loud comments in the bar. However Rafe didn’t remain angry for too long and was more interested in Troy’s body which he had at his disposal, and he decided to make good use of it. Troy  didn’t put up a fight but went with the flow. Did the sex mean that Rafe had forgiven him or would he be out on his ear? Shortly after, Rafe was gone.

Later that day when Troy looked outside he realized that a massive storm was brewing and Rafe was missing. After he helped the ranch hands secure the horses he inquired about Rafe and was told that he had gone to check on Brutus, his sole breeding bull.  Troy knew that he couldn’t rest until Rafe was safe at home so he went out in the storm on an ATV to find him. After driving on treacherous roads in blinding rain he found Rafe, but would he want anything to do with him?

What I didn’t like

I really hated all the pet names (“honey” and “sweetheart”) throughout the book. I don’t know any cowboys who talk like that and it was way too “girly” for me.

I don’t know any man who thumps his cock to make an erection go away. I would think the danger of breaking it would stop them from doing so.

On the dangerous ride back to the ranch in the storm, on an ATV from which he could be thrown any time they hit a bump in the road, Troy got an erection which seemed to have a will of its own and wouldn’t die. How realistic was that when their lives were in imminent danger?

What I liked

The lifestyle on the ranch seemed realistic – it was definitely a working and not a “dude” ranch.

I liked all the characters and Mark, Rafe’s half brother, turned out to be not quite the brat I expected

The fun between Rafe, Troy and Mark

This book had a lot going for it and I enjoyed it, especially the relationship between Rafe and Troy and the fun that continued throughout. The other characters especially Mark, Rafe’s younger brother, turned out to be especially likable and were all well drawn. Although some aspects of the book weren’t what I would have liked I thought overall the story was plausible, although perhaps Rafe believed Troy too quickly, but the end was not rushed.

This is the first book I have read by K.M. Mahoney and I will definitely read another one because I like the author’s prose and dialogue as well as the pacing of the story.