Dark Horse

A Pleasant Experience...

Though I am a gay boy, I am pretty much a prude. At the time of this purchase, I was unaware of a M/M/M story/romance, thus when I began to realize where this book was heading...I almost stopped reading. So glad I didn't. Oh goodness, I loved this story. Dan is the best centralized character and how Evan and Jeff interact within the story is fantastic. I enjoyed Peter B. Brooke's narration and how he brought the characters to life and I instantly became a fan of Kate Sherwood's writing. I loved this story so much, I had to see what happens next. Went to Amazon and purchased the rest of this series on my Kindle and ate it up until I was bursting with these fantastic characters. One of the greatest compliments I can give to Sherwood's story telling is that by the end of this book, I began to wonder about the possibilities...Excellent book and I recommend the entire series!!!

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Sweet Triad

I don't usually go for the m/m/m books as they tend to be just about kinky sex. But a have liked other Kate Sherwood books, so I took a chance. I am truly glad I did. This is really sweet, complicated story of a man, Dan, who has lost the love of his life and is trying to find his way. The only things he ever loved was training horses and Justin. After losing Justin, he meets Jeff and Evan. This is not an insta love story, but the first book of a three books series of their relationship. It is complicated and a very slow burn with lots of angst; which I will admit at times gets very frustrating and boring. Dan over thinks EVERYTHING!! and since this told from Dan's POV, man I wanted slap him sometimes. The narrator does a great job with the voices and I really enjoyed this. Not a lot of drama or sex, but a really nice story.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

An M/M/M story that exceeds sex as sport

I first read Dark Horse in in its print format in February of 2014 and at the time I gave it 5 stars. Now, more than a year later, I've listened to the audio version and feel that the audiobook version is great as well.

In some parts the audiobook format made the story new again and it worked even better than before. I generally have a problem with male narrators "doing" female voices and that happens in a number of spots in this tale. Yet, narrator, Peter B. Brooke gives credible and distinctive voices and accents to so many of the characters that inhabit this tale, that amid the accents and characterizations, I pretty much got past my initial difficulties.

Oftentimes a M/M story involving more than two main characters devolves into a long, sometimes repetitive smut-fest but that's not the case in this tale. The sex is certainly one of the motivating factors in this story. All three main characters are well envisioned and complete characters in themselves and that depth adds to the strength of their mutual attraction. The supporting characters are also well developed and they bring their own appeal to the overall tale. Finally the setting, the world of eventing and the horses and people that inhabit it, are well researched and presented and much much more than mere details to add variety to some cookie-cutter m/m/m fantasy.

By all means, I'd recommend this story to any fans of M/M fiction, particularly those that enjoy a well crafted story with well developed characters; Characters motivated by the baggage that they bring and the events we see and not just some two dimensional constructs inhabiting a fantasy.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Enjoyed it more than I thought I would

I bought this book based on a recommendation from Reeva, who's opinions I've begun to appreciate.
While I'm still not sure that I get the emotional mechanics of a MMM relationship, the author handles it with aplomb. In the end, I think the relationship ends up being pretty stylised, but not so much that it's not realistic.
The mechanics of the sexual relationship in the MMM triad are expertly handled. What has the potential to overwhelm the plot, adds to it in many ways.
A long book, that feels like it flies by. Don't miss out, buy this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

lovely on many levels!

Where does Dark Horse rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I would say that it ranks in the mid- to high among others. The exploration of Dan's life and his relationship with the Evan and Jeff, as well as his grappling with the loss of Justin are poignant, sad and lovely. I'll probably listen to again

What did you like best about this story?

The slow build-up, it is a well written novel which presents an honest effort to show the main characters, especially Dan, trying to deal with life, love and loss. Had it been done faster, it would have weakened the author's effort.

Which character – as performed by Peter B. Brooke – was your favorite?

Jeff (and Dan too of course)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, not in the beginning and it is pretty long, but by the last third, I was very invested in the characters

Any additional comments?

Narrating female voices might not be the forte of PB Brooke, but do not let that dissuade you from a good story.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

love

love this story and listening to it is just that much more powerful. narration is fantastic and the storyline is full of ups and downs that make you cry, laugh and fall in love

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

This Story is Felt, Not Heard.

This story is felt, not heard. Between the deep, emotions the author wrote and the prolific manner in which the narrator speaks, this book touches the reader. This is an amazingly beautiful story of -what I hope is- the beginning of a poly-amorous relationship. The three leading men are uniquely individual, yet somehow fit together. The journey they take, especially Dan who gets much of he focus, is monumental. And when he takes that final step, it's both beautiful and fulfilling. Such a tender love story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Extremely enjoyable

Unlike some other reviewers, I really really enjoyed that the story was long and included a lot of different characters. I find short stories have little depth. There were a lot of loose ends, like the hostility of Justin’s mother towards Dan, and why Jeff and Evan felt they needed another. Overall I really enjoyed it and look forward to finding out where these boys end up.

Slow but very enjoyable story

Enjoyable story, which was developed slowly but I didn't mind. I liked the characters and the setting. The first part had a lot of drama, the rest not that much. I would have loved more sexy times and Dan's indecision made me crazy but overall this was worth spending 16 hours listening. The ending was just the beginning of the love triangle, so I can't wait to get the next audiobook.

all the emotions

every time I got in my car I turn this back on. I laughed I cried and I enjoyed it very much.