Review: Two men, one woman, hunting a lost treasure
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 20, 2011
Part of Siren Publishing's "The Lost Collection". While each book in the collection stands alone, and could be read out of sequence, Book 5 of the collection,Love Under Two Gunslingers, is also written by Cara Covington, and can be read as a prequel to "Love Under Two Lawmen".Plot:Amanda, Warren and Adam ride into Indian Territory on the hunt for lost Confederate Gold. On the way they are attacked by Bad Indians, hunted by Bad Guys, massaged by Good Indians and enjoy a threesome under the stars. But is a HEA really possible?Comments:- 5122 kindle locations, 72,550 words- Picks up a few months after "Love Under Two Gunslingers". Sarah's first child is due in "a couple of months". There are references throughout to the events in the previous book, enough to understand the motivations and history of the characters, but not enough to give away the whole plot if you want to go back to it. But I would still recommend reading "Gunslingers" first.- Sex includes m/m, m/m/f, all explicit, generous, loving. Includes m/m during m/f/m. The m/m is more explicit than in "Love Under Two Gunslingers". Adam and Caleb are in a pre-existing, committed m/m relationship. Amanda is invited into it as an equal partner for a committed m/m/f.- Historical references include: The Trail of Tears, 1830s. American Civil War, 1860s. Lost Confederate Gold. Wyatt Earp, 1848-1929.Opinion:This is a thoroughly enjoyable historical romance with explicit bedroom scenes and some mild violence. The "history" parts are not as blatant as "Love Under Two Gunslingers", but are sufficient to place us in The Time. For example, the inclusion of Wyatt Earp is fun, not necessary, but helps to ground us. The characters from "Gunslingers" return to play an integral role in the story; I do like to see how their HEA is working out. And the sex is very explicit, quite frequent, with the m/m aspect of the relationship is important to the plot and HEA as a whole. This book ties everything up. You know the characters are going to have a HEA and you are more than happy for them. I liked it.Aside:Covington's contemporary series of books set in Lusty, Texas, follow the descendants of Sarah and her men from "Love Under Two Gunslingers", and Amanda and her men from "Love Under Two Lawmen". The first of these isLove Under Two Benedicts(hint: Benedict is Caleb and Joshua's surname). The premise is that, after all their travails and with all their money and oil, Sarah and Amanda and their men decide to start their own town, Lusty, where everyone is accepted, no matter their sexual orientation. Menage marriages are the norm for their families but, of course, finding their One is never easy.I like an author with a plan. "Gunslingers" and "Lawmen" were published April and July 2010 respectively. "Benedicts" came out in August 2010. Covington obviously knew what she was doing, had the prequel planned to explain her Small Town with "Loose" Morals, before releasing the Lusty series. While you don't need to read the Historical Romances for the Contemporary Series to make sense, it does add flavour and depth to it. References to Sarah, Amanda and her men are made throughout the Lusty series, particularly to diaries Joshua and Sarah kept, and it does add a nice touch. These strong women are not forgotten, and their strength and independence paves the way women are treated by their descendants. Nice.-CR-