Dark Horse

I really, really enjoyed this from beginning to end. I loved all the main characters, and had fun going through all the twists and turns with them and following along on their crazy rollercoaster of a relationship. It got a little frustrating towards the last 1/3-ish of the book as it was like \"JUST KISS ALREADY YOU BASTARDS!\" This book made me laugh, cry, coo, and occasionally want to hit the MC's upside the back of the head.
I always comment on the sex. It's a big deal for me not to have too much sex in a story as well as having the scenes be there for a REASON. The amount of sex was fine and everything also advanced the plot. Although I could have done without the first sex scene given who it was with. A fade to black in that case would have been just fine. But it was forgivable in the grander scheme of things.
I take a risk reading series books as I often run into stories that leave off at giant cliff hangers that force you to get the next book. I despise that! In this case, the book does a good job of ending the story arch and is perfectly fine being stand alone. I think the author did a great job of making it satisfying while still making me want to read more about the guys. I'll need a break though before reading the next one because despite the fact I love the boys, they also make me completely crazy! HAHA. That said, I'm looking forward to continuing on their journey at a later date.
(Loved it so much I bought a paperback version too, as well as a paperback of the next book.)

Since the only other book I've read by Kate Sherwood turned out to be one of the best books I'd ever read, it stood to reason that I would start perusing her backlist. It's no wonder that I began with 'Dark Horse'. I love animals, all animals, and much like most young girls, I went through my horse phase. I never owned one, but I learned to ride, and how to muck out a stall. Then there's the fact that this is an all male ménage love story, something I also truly enjoy.
The first thing I noticed is that this book is written in present tense, which, I'll admit, threw me for a loop for a couple of chapters since I don't see it very often. However, the second thing I discovered is the complexity of these main characters. And the third thing I realized is, just like in the other book I read by this author, Ms. Sherwood is going to give me a book, a story, and real characters to remember.
“I’ve been ‘like part of the family’ before, Robyn… it never lasts. People say the dog is like part of the family, right before they get rid of it because one of the real kids gets allergies.”
This one sentence told me so much about Dan. It gave me a little insight into why he prefers horses to people, why he has social awkwardness, and doesn't always understand, or grasp the meaning of, subtle, or not so subtle, nuances in conversations. In fact Dan is pretty clueless about body language, signals, and verbal, and not so verbal cues. It also clued me in when I discovered Dan's best friend chastises him about being \"Captain Control\". And why Dan has never been to a funeral, and knows nothing about how to act at the visitation. Granted, Dan's lover, Justin, has just died after lingering in a coma for almost a year after a tragic accident. Dan is devastated, angry, sad, and not ready to live in a world where Justin isn't there.
\"Justin is gone. Dan was lucky to have known him, lucky to have loved him, incredibly lucky to have been loved back, and now it’s all over, and Dan is alone, and he doesn’t know if he can stand it. He’s crying so hard his whole chest hurts, and he wants to stop but he can’t. Justin is gone; his smile is gone; his laugh is gone; his stupid little smirk that made Dan so mad is gone.\"
Evan and Jeff have stepped into Dan's world, at this point, as Evan has purchased all of the horses that Dan has spent the past five years training. Evan offers Dan a job as his head trainer, since Jeff has his own business, and after thinking on it, Dan accepts. It's time to start somewhere new, to leave Kentucky behind and try out California. Plus Dan isn't ready to leave these phenomenal horses that he and Justin brought so far. Now, what to do about his attraction to these two men?
Again I'm struck by this author’s ability to take what could've been a run-of-the-mill topic, and left it at that. Instead, I've got Dan, and Jeff, and Evan. Three men who aren't very much alike at all. Jeff is older than Dan's thirty, by at least ten years, while Evan is younger, by at least five. Jeff is solid, stable, calm, quiet, and still has a commanding presence. Jeff is a trainer, also, although not the same type as Dan is, but Jeff is also an artist, a painter. Evan is intense, bold, a young man running a multi-billion dollar company which he inherited when his parents died six years ago. Evan has never worked for a non-family company, and he was born to wealth. When Evan wants something, he goes after it 100 percent. Then throw Dan in this mix. Dan left home as a teenager, never got his high school education, has a juvie record, and some relatives in trouble with the law. When Dan met Justin five years ago, Dan was a drifter, working here and there. So, these are the three main personalities which the author has used to weave a very touching, remarkable, story.
Ménage is a trope which can be done well, or done poorly. 'Dark Horse', in my opinion, is done very, very well, with a good handle on the emotional needs of all involved, but not letting that get out of hand. I think the fact that there's minimal sex works really well, not only for these characters, but for the storyline. There is definite angst, which is dealt with in a realistic manner and made the story even more interesting for me. Not only are there strong, vibrant main characters, but the author includes some wonderful secondary characters that I really look forward to seeing more of.
So, bottom line? Loved it! This book will be added to my favorites, as will these men. I'm eagerly looking forward to jumping into the next book in the series.

This is my first book by this author .. I have to say ... Different writing style and really interesting too.
Dan Wheeler had found his life and work partner, Justin Archer. Until tragedy stroke and Dan is alone to pick up the pieces of his life.
Evan Kaminski,arrives to buy a horse for his sister, along with Jeff Stevens. Evan and Jeff take an interest in Dan and after some business dealings offer him a job at Evan's ranch in California.
Dan is still struggling and after ,much consideration accepts the job .
What he wasn't expecting was that in the middle of all of insecurities , he was starting to change the lives of Evan and Jeff ... They had another proposition but Dan is still thinking.
It is rather interesting the be able to see the vulnerability of Dan, Evan and Jeff but also the door that could be opening.
Dan also creates a good rapport with Evan's sister Tat and she wants his help to learn all about horses.
The journey seems that is not going to be an easy one for any of the three men.

I give a warning, when you pick up this book make sure you have a tissue handy. This is an emotional, I mean very emotional tale. This is a very long novel, which moves slowly as the characters and setting is built. I have to admit that the present tense/third person took me awhile to get used to. I feel like I know Dan very well and enjoyed being inside his head, knowing his thoughts, his confusion and discoveries. But, that leaves me not knowing as much about Jeff and Evan as I would have liked too. Dark Horse felt incomplete and I guess in a sense it was. Guess I'll just have to move on to Out of the Darkness (book 2). If you like character driven stories this is a must read for you. Kate Sherwood makes it a pure art form!

My review from Leontine's Book Realm: Men and horses are a powerful combination in my M/M reading but add a budding ménage to the whole and I’m eagerly reading the pages away. All the characters were introduced in part one of DARK HORSE where the foundation was given for the ménage between Jeff, Evan and Dan but it mainly focused on the changes coming and how various people were handling it. The premise, where Dan has to come to terms with a certain situation, was heart breaking to witness and Kate Sherwood leaves no emotion untouched.
This is something I felt throughout the entire story. The difficult choices that had to be made and the emotions that came along with those choices. At a certain point in part one I cried on and off for three chapters long and it was a testament to how easily I got attached to all these characters. How I empathized and related to each of them in their journey. Not one character I met in DARK HORSE was flat, dull or two-dimensional, they each had a zest for life, even in the difficult moments they gave their all in an understandable way. It was definitely a strong element within this story.
Now DARK HORSE was told from a first person perspective and even while I was so touched with all that was give to me it also had a few downsides for me. First of all the first person narrative was Dan and for the better part of the story I understood Dan in his anger, hesitations and fears but there were also situations, mainly as the chemistry between the three men started to play a bigger role, that his second guessing and doubts started to get on my nerves.
For better or for worse, the first person POV really amplified the impact of Dan’s emotional growth but at a certain point in part two of the story I would’ve enjoyed a multiple POV where I would get the inner thoughts of Evan and Jeff too. It would’ve given me a more complete picture of where they all are coming from and what they wanted from this ménage. Now the dialogues had to tell me a lot and interaction wasn’t always the strong suit between Dan, Evan and Jeff. Still, even though the POV created a push-pull effect the attraction between this threesome is palpable from the beginning. There emphasis doesn’t lie on the actual sexing but more on the subtle, sometimes hesitated gestures, unspoken words or miscommunication. It builds a connection between them that brims with not only sexual attraction but something deeper, something that none of them expects or knows how to deal with.
Each of the men had their pros and cons. Evan was possessive and impatient but the depth of his love was immeasurable. Jeff is the indulgent and reliable older man but too subservient at times and Dan is aloof and somewhat uncertain in personal relationships yet full of passion for his work. Kate Sherwood took her time with telling this story, she allowed a natural coming to terms with the intense emotions from part one and then go from there in to a different set of struggles and issues that were budding in the first half of the story.
I was totally immersed in the lives of not only Dan, Evan and Jeff but also the supportive characters added to a well-rounded feel to the story. Chris, Tatiana and Robyn add to the character dynamic with banter, joy, sadness and an irrefutable connection to each of the main characters. Even next to them there are other characters who come and go, and still have meaning within the overall story. And then the love for the horses, I understand the profound connection one can have to animals and from Smokey to Chaucer, each horse gave this story more color.
When I’ve gone through the complex emotions and the unraveling of it like in DARK HORSE I want an ending that gives me that happy high were all turns out okay, but in this case I got a happy for now ending which instantly triggered the need for book two; Out Of The Darkness. I’m still uncertain about whether or not this threesome is going to work but with Kate Sherwood I know that I’m going to get a story brimming with well-rounded characters and a journey that will touch my heart in all the good ways.