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Dark Horse (Dark Horse #1)

by Kate Sherwood (Goodreads Author)

4.1 of 5 stars 4.10 · rating details · 1,136 ratings · 195 reviews

Dan thinks about just driving, leaving the whole mess behind. He's got enough money. He could just arrange to get his stuff and his horse shipped to wherever he's going. Taking off is what he used to do when things got to be too much, and it worked pretty well, really.

Dan Wheeler thought he'd found lasting love and stability with his life and work partner, Justin Archer. B...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published June 11th 2010 by Dreamspinner Press

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Lists with This Book

Strawberries for Dessert by Marie Sexton

Best M/M Romance Published in 2010

14th out of 233 books — 475 voters

Best Gay Polyamorous Romance

3rd out of 235 books — 355 voters

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Community Reviews

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Apr 01, 2013 Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, love-triangle, m-m-age-gap, kate-sherwood, books-kelly-and-baba-liked-or-loved

4 stars.****Review completed April 1, 2013

photo Bildschirmfoto2013-03-15um075814_zps7e29d49c.png

Billionaire Evan Kaminski comes to Kentucky accompanied by his sister Tatiana and his lover and part-time trainer Jeff Stevens to buy a horse for Tatiana. Due to special circumstances, however, they end up buying the whole 'stable'. Karl and Molly Archer always thought that their son, Justin, would take over the farm but this is not going to happen because Justin is in a coma, severely injured after a riding accident at the popular Rolex competition. The...more

57 likes · like · see review

Apr 22, 2013 It's just me Shelly B rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to It's just me Shelly B by: Baba ♥♥♥ Marcus, Tyler, Tate, Dan, Ty, & Hunter

Shelves: m-m, best-of-the-best

I'm going to start by saying that I absolutely LOVED this book!!!!!!!!!! I don't give a lot of "5 star" ratings but this book, to me, is a 5 star book!!!!!!! Absolutely amazing!!!!

"Jeff’s eyes are intense, and his voice has lowered as well. “I’m not blind, Dan. Of course I like shiny things. And I like them even more when I find out that they’re not just pretty on the outside.”

Dark Horse is a journey through a VERY rough spot in Dan's life, he has lost or is losing, everything he has ever loved...more

24 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2010 Lily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, m-m, menage-poly-male-only, western, what-i-read-in-2010

Dan Wheeler is a horse trainer, it's a job he loves and is good at, but lately not even the horses bring him joy. It's been a year since his lover, Justin, was seriously injured during a riding competition. Working at Justin's family ranch and visiting Justin in the hospital, where he still lies in a coma, is pretty much his whole life now. That starts to change with the visit of billionaire Evan Kaminski, his lover Jeff Stevens and Evan's younger sister Tatiana.

Evan and Jeff are looking to buy...more Dan Wheeler is a horse trainer, it's a job he loves and is good at, but lately not even the horses bring him joy. It's been a year since his lover, Justin, was seriously injured during a riding competition. Working at Justin's family ranch and visiting Justin in the hospital, where he still lies in a coma, is pretty much his whole life now. That starts to change with the visit of billionaire Evan Kaminski, his lover Jeff Stevens and Evan's younger sister Tatiana.

Evan and Jeff are looking to buy a horse for Tatiana but their visit kicks off a chain of events that completely turns Dan's life upside down. The next few months are extremely emotional and the story is at times very heavy and angst-ridden as Dan deals with a death, a change of employment and trying to find a way through the dark times, which isn't easy. The support of his friend Chris and his growing closeness with Evan, Jeff and Tat help Dan to deal with his loss and find a way to move forward. He also becomes friendly with Ryan and this new friendship helps him quite a bit as well.

As Dan starts to build a new life his friendship with Evan and Jeff starts to change. Both men are interested in him and despite not being very comfortable with their 'open relationship' Dan finds himself drawn to the men but hesitant to do anything about it. A three-way relationship is not something Dan's ever contemplated and frankly he can barely comprehend the mechanics of it. But the sexual tension between the men is undeniable and hot, especially with Jeff, and it leads to a lot of confusion for Dan. In the meantime his friendship with Ryan has the potential to be more but fizzles out when Ryan's dreams of a musical career unexpectedly start to come true.

Just as things start to settle down for Dan and he begins to see the possibility of being with Evan and Jeff new complications arise. Thankfully it's not drawn out and Dan, Evan and Jeff finally begin to make sense of what their future could be.

What I liked...

I really enjoyed the writing style of this new to me author. Although told exclusively through Dan's POV, which of course made him the most developed of the characters, all of them are interesting and well drawn. I found the author's descriptions of the world of Eventing detailed enough to make the story easy to follow but not overdone which might have bogged down the flow of the book. I also liked the emotional intensity of the story. Dan goes through so much and I really felt for him as he struggles to deal with it all. There are some lighthearted moments and witty banter in this story and the sexual tension between the men was really well written.

What I didn't like...

This is quite a long book and at times it felt like it was dragging along. The story would then pick up again but once again toward the end it slowed down. In fact I was getting a bit anxious as I approached the end of the story and I wasn't getting a feel for how they were going to make things work out between them. And then finally they do and BOOM... it's over. The ending felt very abrupt to me and I didn't really feel a true connection develop between them. They do finally have sex together but ultimately the end left me wanting. I then clicked the next page and found out the sequel, Out of the Darkness, which I now know is about their relationship comes out in a few months. I did like this story even though I was a bit disappointed at the end.

Overall...

This was a really well-written story about dealing with loss and moving forward. Dan especially was a great character and for the most part his relationships with the other characters as well as the descriptions of the 'horse' world he lives in made this an interesting and engaging story. Despite some small reservations I enjoyed Dark Horse and look forward to the sequel. Recommended. (less)

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2010 Kate added it

Dan Wheeler is a fantastic character and he owns this whole book. All the other people are merely sketched in around him like shadows. As Nichole noticed, they even talk the same way he does. But I'm okay with that. Because this is Dan's story from beginning to end; painful, heartbreaking, believable. Unlike most people, I didn't think the ending was too abrupt or unfinished. It was just a door opening up on the next stage of his life.

Now I am someone who normally likes everything all neatly ti...more

11 likes · like · see review

Nov 15, 2010 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: menage, mmm, rainbow-gay, glbt, romance

4.5 stars.
I liked this book very much but I wasn't satisfied with the ending.

The book starts with the very emotional story of the loss of Dan's lover, Justin. I must confess that I cried a few times because Dan's pain is described in a very deep and moving way. You can feel his confusion, his fear, the abandonment, the loneliness. A part of his life is ending tragically and he has to find a way to move on.

The second chance at a new life is prompted by the encounter with Jeff and Evan. Evan is...more 4.5 stars.
I liked this book very much but I wasn't satisfied with the ending.

The book starts with the very emotional story of the loss of Dan's lover, Justin. I must confess that I cried a few times because Dan's pain is described in a very deep and moving way. You can feel his confusion, his fear, the abandonment, the loneliness. A part of his life is ending tragically and he has to find a way to move on.

The second chance at a new life is prompted by the encounter with Jeff and Evan. Evan is rich and in a committed relationship with the older Jeff. Evan needs Dan to establish his new horse business, but he is also clear he wants Dan, who suddenly finds himself in charge of the new farm and in the middle of the couple's interest. He recognises Jeff's kindness, he's attracted to Evan's handsomeness and energy.

Dan had a troubled youth and his love for Justin made him change his life, but now Justin's gone and Dan has to see if he's able to love again, both physically and emotionally. He's completely wrapped up in himself, that's why the present tense POV didn't bother me: Dan is living in the present, he's reacting to what happens to him without thinking and this is why he always finds himself in a mess. He's never been trusted and he doesn't know how to trust in return, he gives the worst outcomes as granted, he underestimates his intelligence, he's the underdog and he's afraid everything that is good will be taken away from him. His struggle is intense and compelling, even if a bit frustrating, but that's really the best part of the story.

When Dan decides to open himself and gives himself a chance with Evan and Jeff, the book sort of deflates. The much anticipated threesome is not as exciting as Dan's moments alone with Jeff and Evan. Maybe it's because there's a sequel, but the last pages left me perplexed, I felt Dan lost his intensity and the sex was almost flat, compared with Dan and Evan's kiss against the fence for example.

The secondary characters are good (for example, Evan's sister, Tatiana, is very nice; Justin's best friend, Chris; Dan's first flirt, Ryan). The world of horse events is written in details and it's very interesting, the horses Dan is training have their distinct personalities and they form a cast of characters of their own.

Apart from the ending, it's a wonderful book and I really recommend it and I HAVE TO read the sequel, because, right now, I feel just high and dry.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2010 Nichole (Dirty H) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a really good book; the first half especially was emotionally harrowing - in a great way of course.
I have a few complaints:
1. I was drawn to this book because of the m/m/m aspect. I find myself very fascinated by that dynamic and am always on the lookout for good m/m/m books. This was definitely a good book, but the three players in this relationship didn't get together until the very end. Most of this book was about Dan and his struggles. Again - great story, but I didn't get what I th...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 18, 2010 Moderatrix Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm, read-2010, 5-star-mm-books, mm-polyamorous-romance

LOVED this book! I'm always worried when everyone raves about a book that I'll be disappointed but this one did not disappoint. It's angsty and there's not a lot of sex until the end of the book but the characters and environment she's created is wonderful. I love horses so maybe that's part of the appeal for me but I don't think it's necessary to know anything about showing horses to love this book. Anyone who has seen an equestrian event on TV will have no problem visualizing what she's talkin...more

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Apr 27, 2011 Alyosha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: age-gap, angsty-read, contemporary, cowboys-ranchers-farmers, established-relationship, kids, mmm, money-money, open-unconventional-relationship

Dark Horse had a lot potential, to which it didn't quite live up to - the setting was great, the theme interesting, the tentative forming of a three way relationship realistic, the characters vulnerable and imperfect, the cast neither too big nor to narrow. The story was told in present tense, which at parts delighted me and at others, frustrated.

First of all, this book could have greatly benefited from a skilled editor, at least 100 pages needed to be cut off. In nearly 400 pages almost nothin...more Dark Horse had a lot potential, to which it didn't quite live up to - the setting was great, the theme interesting, the tentative forming of a three way relationship realistic, the characters vulnerable and imperfect, the cast neither too big nor to narrow. The story was told in present tense, which at parts delighted me and at others, frustrated.

First of all, this book could have greatly benefited from a skilled editor, at least 100 pages needed to be cut off. In nearly 400 pages almost nothing happens, there is a lot circling around and unnecessary details about things that have nothing to do with the actual plot, which made the story drag at parts, and then lacking in such simple areas as getting to know the characters. By the end, the only person I felt I got to know was Dan, from whose third person point of view the story is told from. Kate Sherwood writes fantastic slice of life- type of novels, regretfully DH falls a bit short in that aspect, at times it felt more like contemporary melodrama.

DH told Dan's story, it's about his struggles and coping with the loss of the love of his life. If a book is about one person, the main character has to have an attractive, entertaining voice to get the reader invested in the story. To me, Dan lacked personality and uniqueness to pull off being the sole star, and that's why it was hard to feel the angst and turmoil the character(s) went through. Dan is a very private person, the only thing he is willing to share with the reader is his love for Justin, horses and his job, other details had to be (literally) forcibly pulled from him. He is "a bit" of a drama queen too, and tends to overreact and over think everything, so sometimes following him was simply exhausting.

Chris, the best friend of Dan's deceased lover Justin, is the voice of reason and humor to both the reader and to Dan. Chris, with his tough love, was by far my favorite character.

Jeff and Evan are, in a way, interesting characters. Their relationship is sweet, but clearly missing something. They hope adding Dan in some form, in their relationship, would make it more fulfilling. Evan is a multimillionaire and the caretaker of his sister, Tat, who is a very sympathetic character, she never comes of too bratty, too perfect or too spoiled. Evan's devotion to her was perfectly understandable, even if it was a bit extreme. Evan has to be either a very savvy business man, or then a miserable one, seeing as he makes very controversial decisions regarding money and business. He is somewhat spoiled (poor little rich boy?) and used to getting whatever he wants, but kind. Jeff, well, supposedly he is a horse trainer. Jeff comes off as a caring, wise "daddy"- type of character. Unfortunately Dan's love interests, Jeff and Evan were a bit cardboard-ish.

There were many questions left unanswered and the romance part of the story had barely begun when the story ended. So, in conclusion, I think I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

3.5 stars

(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2011 DarienMoya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-a-z-challenge-2011, 2011-reads, fave-books-of-2011, piss-of-books-of-2011, my-m-m-lovin, three-is-never-a-crowd, favorites, dirty-dirty-cowboys, let-the-tears-flow, fave-m-m-characters

^^SADDLE UP, CUS ITS A BUMPY RIDE!^^
4.5

THE COVER- Really goes with the story. Horses play a huge part of our main characters life. He is also a dark horse of a character, he just comes out of nowhere. You love him or hate him. Also it’s clear that there will be three men involved, and that alone captures your attention.

My first book by Kate Sherwood and it came on strong, very strong. I had so many emotions reading this book, mostly I was a blubbering mess; with tears streaked face. The level...more

16 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2010 Fee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cowboy, m-m

Ugh i really hated the writing style the whole way through it felt like i was reading one of my young nephews children's books but that was the only thing i didn't like about this book.

I absolutely loved the story i cried really bad through most of it and theres only ever been a few books that have gotten 2 me this bad one of which was Chris Owen's Bareback series. You just cant help but get attached to Dan he had me in fits of giggles over the puppet chris.

It ending felt a little rushed to me b...more

3 likes · like · see review

Oct 02, 2010 Jerilin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: M/M Contemporary Romance fans,horse lovers,animal lovers,M/M/M lovers

Recommended to Jerilin by: Suong Doan

Shelves: m-m-m-or-more, threesome, contemporary, e-book-owned, read-in-2010

There were things I loved about the book and things I hated...I was pretty split. I was expecting slightly more prior to reading the book based off of the ratings.

What I enjoyed: The horse plot. I liked that you didn't have to be an equestrian expert to follow along with the plot--It was enough of a challenge that unless you knew a lot about horses you would learn something new, but not so much of a challenge you were struggling to understand what you were reading. I also thought the character d...more

6 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2010 Suong Doan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, own-ebook, romance, own-paperback, mmm

I absolutely loved this story! It was well written with an engaging plot with characters that you really grew to love. I love Dan, the poor guy goes through a roller coaster of emotions and handles it in such a way that you don't roll your eyes and tell him to man up. I love how bad he is at reading people, and Jeff and Evan's confusion whenever he said things like how it wasn't his business their relationship had problems... Evan and Jeff were interesting characters with a unique situation. I u...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Karel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: nomance

Alright, this started out as a three star and slid all the way down to one.

I'll admit right off that I'm not a big fan of menage stories, but it's more because I have never read a really good one. Most of the time it's 3 guys sitting around where one of them says, 'Hey, so now that we're here, what should we do?' and another one chips in with 'How about 350 pages of sex to kill time?' and they start going at it.

Never thought the reverse - some emotional version of that - can be so tedious.

1. Le...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Oco added it

Shelves: m-m

Christ. Books written in present tense should come with a warning. Have I mentioned how much I dislike present tense in genre fiction? Especially third person present ("Tom goes to the store. He is happy.") Augh! Yes, I tried (again) to overcome my antipathy (after all I paid good money for this one), but couldn't. Can't immerse, feels like ants under my skin to read it. Not to mention it feels pretentious, cold, arty and aloof, exactly the opposite of what I want in my escapism.

*ahem* A less-th...more

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Sep 09, 2010 Elisa Ramblings added it · review of another edition

This is an highly emotional novel and I’m still a bit unsure on my feelings after reading it. BTW it’s also a very long novel, more than 350 pages, so it’s hardly something you can read en passant and forgot soon after.

The novel is divided into two parts. Even if at the beginning it seemed that the story was moving on a pretty physical approach, it was soon quite clear that indeed sex was not the main element of this story, so much that you need to read more than half of it to find some. Dan is...more This is an highly emotional novel and I’m still a bit unsure on my feelings after reading it. BTW it’s also a very long novel, more than 350 pages, so it’s hardly something you can read en passant and forgot soon after.

The novel is divided into two parts. Even if at the beginning it seemed that the story was moving on a pretty physical approach, it was soon quite clear that indeed sex was not the main element of this story, so much that you need to read more than half of it to find some. Dan is an horse eventer trainer and he is working for the family of his lover, Justin; the situation was idylliac until the day Justin was in an accident one year before and now he is in irreversible coma. Despite the desperate situation, Dan has not given up on him and their love, and one year later he is still hoping in a miracle.

Maybe due to Dan’s attachment to who is now only the memory of the man he loved, when Evan and Jeff enter the scene the contrast is pretty harsh: multimillionaire 26 years old pretty boy Evan and struggling artist playing daddy to pretty boy Jeff have what you can define an open relationship; both of them travel a lot, and when they are far from each other eyes don’t see, heart doesn’t suffer. But when they are together they seem the perfect couple, the difference in age and wealth (all in favor of Evan) is balanced by the clear need of Evan to have a fatherly figure to whom he can rely on.

At first Evan, but then also Jeff are attracted by Dan, and Dan sincerely doesn’t like to be in the middle: despite Evan being younger and richer, Dan actually seems to prefer Jeff, and even if he says he doesn’t want to ruin Evan and Jeff’s relationship, I think that deep down himself he is hoping for Jeff to realize that his relationship with Evan is not long-term and that Dan is a better match for him.

Sincerely I’m not sure who is right or who is wrong in this story, or if there is a right or wrong side at all. From Evan and Jeff’s perspective, they have a perfect relationship, but indeed as soon as it’s tested, it starts to crack: Evan is fine with Jeff having an affair only when he doesn’t know it; Jeff, even if with words is saying the contrary, I think he feels overwhelmed by Evan’s wealth, and as Dan noticed, he grew used to it, and in a way he is disappeared into Evan’s world; last, but not least, even if I mostly like Dan’s behavior, when he pratically asks to Jeff to choose between him and Evan, he is not exactly behaving like the good guy of the story.

It’s quite a complex story, and even in the end, it was not completely clear if these three men will ever find a way to be together.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1615814655/?...(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2011 Nikyta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cheating-open-relationship-swingers, angst, artists, broken-to-bits, cowboys-farmers-shepherds, contemporary, dreamspinner-press, existing-relationships, m-m-m-or-more, age-gap, kids-or-dependent-family, little-or-no-smexing, series-serial, working-together-in-some-capacity

3.5 stars

It's kind of hard for me to rate this one. On one hand I thoroughly enjoyed it even with how much of a drama queen Dan was but on the other I was left with so many questions about the relationship and was just kind of confused about my feelings towards it.

Let me just state right now that the only 'fleshed out' character in this book is Dan. Mostly because it is solely from Dan's POV so we only get as much as Dan is willing to give us. Which made me feel like I didn't know any of the ot...more 3.5 stars

It's kind of hard for me to rate this one. On one hand I thoroughly enjoyed it even with how much of a drama queen Dan was but on the other I was left with so many questions about the relationship and was just kind of confused about my feelings towards it.

Let me just state right now that the only 'fleshed out' character in this book is Dan. Mostly because it is solely from Dan's POV so we only get as much as Dan is willing to give us. Which made me feel like I didn't know any of the other characters enough to really understand them. Dan is a bit melodramatic when it comes to things. Not in the sense that he's flaming or anything but that he over-thinks things and more often than not comes to the wrong conclusion and reacts badly to the situation. He's grieving from the loss of his partner while at the same time trying to come to terms with lusting after his boss and his boss's boyfriend.

Evan, his boss, is the typical rich boy. He sees something he likes and he does everything he can to get it. He's young, spontaneous and a bit reckless with his business choices but at the same time he's quite serious. Jeff, Evan's boyfriend, is probably twenty years older than Evan but he's more of a down to earth type of guy. He's got a little bit of a problem with Evan's ability to just throw money around but you can still tell that he enjoys Evan's lifestyle. There's a bunch of secondary characters like Chris, Dan's best friend, who is probably my favorite character (and can I just say how much I want a Chris puppet to smack people in the head with? Lol). But like I said earlier, everyone besides Dan are pretty superficial because we only know what is on the surface for each character and not really who they are. We only get what Dan is willing to tell us and he only tells us the basics :-/

Now, in regards to the story, I have to say the story doesn't really revolve around the menage like I was expecting. It revolves more around Dan, how he's trying to get over a lost partner and the hardships life has thrown at him. Around the second half of the book is when the romance is hinted at but it's not until the end we actually see a bit more into the menage relationship. Now, that's not to say there isn't attraction and sexual tension between them just that it didn't feel like what everyone wanted was a relationship even though they all danced around each other when anything sexual came forth. There were some really cute and funny moments like when Dan got the hiccups that wouldn't go away when Jeff and Evan were trying to talk to him about a ménage à trois. Or how Dan was so adamant about taking things slow with Riley and then with Jeff and Evan but after just a few days (a week at the most?) Dan's jumping into the sack with them. I just found it extremely funny.

Like I said, even though I enjoyed the story, I was left with so many questions about their relationship that I'm hoping will be cleared up in the sequel. (view spoiler)

Overall, I really did enjoy it. It kept my attention throughout the whole book and I think that everyone should at least give it a try. For all you know, you might completely disagree with how I feel but I do know I'll eventually read the sequel because I am curious as to whether my feelings will change or not the more their relationship develops.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2010 Jani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dik, keeper, own

What a terrific story! If I had a gun to my head and HAD to come up with any criticism it would only be the overuse of the word he. For awhile the word appeared in nearly every line twice but either that resolved itself or I loved the book so much I didn't notice any longer.
My absolute FAVORITE part of the book was the page after the last that stated Coming in August the sequel to Dark Horse. SO EXCITED about that! I love that we will find out more about the guys and the new relationship(s). I...more

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Aug 26, 2010 adrienne rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-fiction, good

lately i've felt it nearly impossible to find a book that contains both believable characters and a clear plot- or even just decent characters and a good plot. this book restored my faith that such a book can exist, while simultaneously depressing me that i can't find one more often. But this is very well-written and the characters' actions make sense and there aren't any ridiculous plot twists. thoroughly enjoyable and recommended!

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Jun 16, 2010 Cori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this story. It was so emotional in all the right ways to truly feel what the characters were feeling - and I think that the present tense of the story really helped feel like I was experiencing everything with the characters.

I liked how, even though there were always more serious undertones, the main character had some humor throughout the story (I thought puppet Chris was great).

I am looking forward to the sequel.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2011 Stef rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, keeper, m-m-m, m-m

Wow, it's been a while since I utterly fell in love with a book, but Dark Horse did me in. I read all through an 8 hour transatlantic flight instead of sleeping and on top of it it made me cry all the way through the first half of the book.
I got the book because of the horse riding, yet not cowboy chlichéd, summary. For the first few pages I felt a bit lost as I was unable to get a true grip on Dan, the main character and had a feeling the author wasn't too sure how to develop him and I was disc...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Lea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m

I loved this book! It was a very emotional for me as well, the beginning just about broke my heart and I admit I cried through a lot of it. This is a book I'll remember for a long time to come and I'm anxiously awaiting for the sequel.

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 03, 2010 Stacey Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Twila

Recommended to Stacey Jo by: m/m Romance Group

Shelves: mm-i-ve-read, mm-hurt-comfort, mmm, mm-tear-jerker, series-part-of, mm-contemporary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed this book and found it to be really well written. I thought the characters were well developed. If someone is looking for a book full of hot steamy romance though, this is not it. It's pretty hot at the end, but that's not really what this book is about, which is ok. I found the first part of the book to be a bit emotionally draining though. I don't mean that to be bad though. Dan spends the first part of the book dealing with the guilt of moving on while his lover of 5 years li...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Feliz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: threesome, m-m, contemporary

This book pulled me in from the start and kept me right there. It's an intense read. Dan has lots of heavy stuff to deal with, beginning with his lover's death up until building a new life. This was one of the few threesomes where I felt ALL issues of such a construct were tackled, especially when it's a somewhat established couple who adds a third one, and I liked it very much that they were'nt all happy go lucky in the end, but still feeling their way as they went. The present tense this was w...more

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Feb 25, 2012 Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mm-read, z-2012

I wasn't sure what to rate this book because there were parts of it that I loved and parts that I wasn't sure about. Dan is a very interesting character but his inability to trust people got to be a little frustrating at times. I would have liked to discovered a little bit more about Evan and Jeff and to understand what they were thinking at various parts of the book but because the story was told from Dan's POV all that I got were hints. I am looking forward to the sequel as the ending of this...more

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Apr 04, 2012 Paloma Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-western

Dark Horse is Kate Sherwood’s first book and I am still ruminating on the strong feelings it masterfully drew from within me. Dan's story is painful, soul wrenching, and compelling from the very beginning to the absolute end. If you enjoy a moving story, this book is for you. And it’s a book you can truly judge by its cover because it is perfectly fitting. While horses are an intrinsic part of the story, the symbolism of the main character as a dark horse himself is heavily woven especially in t...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Sharon Cox rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: overcoming-adversity, gay, ranch-stories, horses, romance, family-relations

Dark Horse is Dan Wheeler's story and it is one which is worth reading. I finished the book this morning and I really enjoyed it. In fact, my only real complaint is that it is written in the present tense - something which would normally send me running. The fact that I wanted to keep reading tells me how much I wanted to know about Dan and his life.
Dan is one of the top horse trainers in the country and he works for his lover's parents. His lover, Justin, lies in a coma and he is never going to...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Silvia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

nel leggerla avevo pensato che Dan fosse un rinunciatario sempre in fuga, che aveva trovato e perso un amore e che doveva scegliere tra due uomini o continuare a fuggire..........
In realtà non è proprio così............
Dal libro si capisce che Dan ha avuto un difficile passato, ma che nonostate questo sappia cosa vuol dire fedeltà, impegno, amore e dedizione. All'inizio per una serie di decisoni, Dan si trova costretto a trovare un nuovo lavoro e rimasto solo (poche cose mi hanno commosso tanto...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Aurora rated it 4 of 5 stars

Everything in Dan’s life seems to be going perfectly. He’s in love with Justin Archer and has his dream job working with horses. However, the dream quickly turns sour when Justin has an accident leaving him in a coma. The Archers, realising Justin is unlikely to recover, sign a DNR order and decide to sell the ranch. Feeling betrayed, Dan has to come to terms with the fact Justin is gone forever and he’s about to lose his home.

Millionaire Evan Kaminski arrives at the ranch looking to buy a horse...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Kasey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: m-m-romance, contemporary-romance

This was my first M/M romance and I wasn't disappointed. The characters were great and the feelings were real. The romance progressed pretty naturally and the characters had real emotions and problems. The story is told from Dan's first person POV which is one of my only complaints. It would have given the story so much more if we could have had the view point of come of the other characters. While I can imagine lots of their feelings and what is going on it would have been so much better to get...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, read-in-2011

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I got really caught up in Dan's story. Dark Horse had loads of angst and drama. I was in the mood for an emotionally involving story, and Dark Horse really delivered.

I had a hard time putting this book down. Dan has loads of baggage. He comes to connect with Evan and Jeff, and start a new life in California, after the tragedy of his lover's riding accident.

One thing that always gets me in a story is character growth and there's plenty of it in Dark Horse, especially for Dan. He really is put th...more I got really caught up in Dan's story. Dark Horse had loads of angst and drama. I was in the mood for an emotionally involving story, and Dark Horse really delivered.

I had a hard time putting this book down. Dan has loads of baggage. He comes to connect with Evan and Jeff, and start a new life in California, after the tragedy of his lover's riding accident.

One thing that always gets me in a story is character growth and there's plenty of it in Dark Horse, especially for Dan. He really is put through his paces in Dark Horse, learning how to connect with new people. Dan's not able to read people, and he usually feels on the outside looking in. When Evan and Jeff come into his life, they give him little chance to stay detached.

The 3rd person pov (that tightly focused on Dan) with present tense, was a bit distracting. Often, narrative would read to me like dialog because of the present tense, and I'd have to go back and re-read the paragraph to understand what was really happening.

The setting of the world of horse competitions and horse training was really detailed, and served as much more than a pleasant backdrop. Dan's relationship to the horses and what he does (he's a horse trainer) gives insight into his personality, and his relationship with those around him. I think for some it might be too detailed, but it was done in a way that I (who knows next to nothing about that world) found really interesting.

My only frustration was that the story mostly focused on Dan, Jeff, and Evan getting to the point of becoming involved. And with the book rounding out at 381 pages, this surprised me. I would really liked to have seen more of the book be about their relationship once they decide to move forward with their involvement and seeing them make it work.

Sometimes romances are what I think of as "fireworks" books, that spend all their time getting the protagonists to the climactic (heh) love scene, and the curtain drops/the book ends once the deed is done. This is what happens here, and I felt sort of frustrated with that. Because the story ended so early in their romantic relationship, it actually felt more like a HFN (Happy For Now) rather than an HEA. There was still lots of issues yet to resolve between the men.

Of course, this made much more sense when I saw that there is a 2nd book in Dan/Jeff/Evan's story, that picks up the day after Dark Horse ends. I think I would have been bugged if I had to wait for book 2 to come out. However, I'm lucky that it's already out, and I'll be moving directly to book 2, Out of the Darkness, because I really want to see the guys make a go of their relationship.(less)

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“Yes, it's worth it. The pain of sorrow is terrible and hard to bear, but the joy of love makes it worthwhile. p123” — 15 people liked it

“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.” — 5 people liked it

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