Review: Another Beautiful Complex Novel From an Extremely Talented Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 15, 2013
Nya Rawlins has done it again!  This isn't a surprise, considering her talent.  What's she done?  She's created a couple of characters who are immediately engaging.  Ashley MacBryde and Oakley Richards aren't, as is often the case in M/M stories, polar opposites.  In fact, their difficulties stem from the fact that they are too much alike.  Both are strong, determined men.  And both have gaping wounds to their souls.Both have been cast out by their families for being gay.  Both know the gut-wrench of abandonment and betrayal by lovers.  Both build fortresses around their emotions, keeping their feelings not only to themselves, but often from themselves as well.  If what each man wanted was simply a good time, that wouldn't matter, but that's not what either man wants or needs.The book opens with these complex men nearly on opposite sides of the country from one another.  Ash is in the hinterland of Wyoming; Oak is in a hamlet in Vermont.  What brings them together?  Aside from Ash's sister Amy's matchmaking, the answer is horses.  On the strength of his sister's recommendation and the desire that each man feels for the other, Ash offers the unemployed Oak a working partnership in Crow Creek Ranch and Oak accepts eagerly and flies out to begin a new life.  When they meet, despite the sparks that have flown since they first saw pictures of each other, awkwardness reigns.  Neither knows even as much about small talk as the average eighth-grader at a new school in the middle of year.  Will it be possible for them to break down the walls in themselves and each other?Nya Rawlins' storytelling ability shines in this work.  She transforms what could have been a simple love story into a rich, colorful journey of discovery with her flawless portrayal of two men in the grips of pain and passion.  Neither man is weak, despite being flawed; each of them speaks with the voice of a man from the heart of a man, and Nya understands the male mind to an astonishing degree.  The action moves quickly; the intimacy is explicit without being crude.Her extensive knowledge of the world of horse people is apparent, as is her own love of horses.  Her descriptions of both Wyoming and Vermont are deeply textured; she reveals both worlds with exquisite details that bring both settings to life for the reader.  Her secondary characters are far more than two-dimensional foils for Ash and Oak; Amy is just as engaging as her brother, and the homophobic ranch hand Jack grounds us in the reality of life for gay men.  Her subtle use of symbols in having both men bear the names of very different kinds of trees adds yet another layer to the depth of this excellent book.When I reached the end, I was very glad to note that this book is the first in a series.  There are many tales yet to be told centered around these two men and the people around them.  I'll be eagerly awaiting the release of the next book!