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Polo #2
Ride-Off
Finally reunited, Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell put family and obligations aside, preferring to remain in seclusion on Ned s estate to get reacquainted. Unfortunately, reality can only be held off for so long, and they return to Texas to reclaim the life they put on pause. Trying to strike the right balance between business, family, and romance requires ongoing effort, and the challenges begin shortly after they arrive.
At the top of the list is Bandi, Konrad s son, and his desire to play polo. A close second is Conrad Sasha Fawkes, Preston s actor son who s struggling to succeed on Broadway. And last, but certainly not least, is Paloma, the fiery Argentinean beauty Preston sired after a passionate tango.
Blending the interests and needs of three grown children is difficult at best and almost impossible when agendas collide and old secrets are unearthed. The situation comes to a head when the family gathers in San Antonio for Thanksgiving, throwing Preston and Konrad into a maelstrom they must weather as best they can, or they ll face a major ride-off that could throw the game before it even starts.
At the top of the list is Bandi, Konrad s son, and his desire to play polo. A close second is Conrad Sasha Fawkes, Preston s actor son who s struggling to succeed on Broadway. And last, but certainly not least, is Paloma, the fiery Argentinean beauty Preston sired after a passionate tango.
Blending the interests and needs of three grown children is difficult at best and almost impossible when agendas collide and old secrets are unearthed. The situation comes to a head when the family gathers in San Antonio for Thanksgiving, throwing Preston and Konrad into a maelstrom they must weather as best they can, or they ll face a major ride-off that could throw the game before it even starts.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 17, 2013
1 person is currently reading
279 people want to read
About the author
Mickie B. Ashling
51 books345 followersMICKIE B. ASHLING is the pseudonym of a multi-published author who resides in a suburb outside Chicago. She is a product of her upbringing in various cultures, having lived in Japan, the Philippines, Spain, and the Middle East. Fluent in three languages, she’s a citizen of the world and an interesting mixture of East and West.
Since 2009, Mickie has written several dozen novels in the LGBTQ+ genre—which have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and German. A lot of her backlist is “Under Construction” as she slowly transitions from traditional publishing to representing herself. Her goal is to have most of her novels back in the universe by the end of 2023.
CONTACT INFO:
Email: mickie.ashling@gmail.com
Website: mickieashling.com
Blog: mickiebashling.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mickie.ashling
Twitter: @MickieAshling
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/micki...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickieashling/
Since 2009, Mickie has written several dozen novels in the LGBTQ+ genre—which have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and German. A lot of her backlist is “Under Construction” as she slowly transitions from traditional publishing to representing herself. Her goal is to have most of her novels back in the universe by the end of 2023.
CONTACT INFO:
Email: mickie.ashling@gmail.com
Website: mickieashling.com
Blog: mickiebashling.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mickie.ashling
Twitter: @MickieAshling
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/micki...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mickieashling/
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 10, 2014
2.5 stars
I quite enjoyed book 1 of this series Fire Horse, but this follow up just didn't work for me.
There wasn't enough of anything and too much of everything. I would have liked more exploration of Preston and Kon's reunion and figuring out how to deal with so much time past and lives lead completely apart. And I would have LOVED less of all the children's stories.
There was potential in the Sasha story with his best friend. But all of it was just ruined by the over-the-top, I-could-care-less, there's-no-way-I-can-like-her Paloma story, unfortunately.
Really had a hard time even finishing it, to be honest.
December 21, 2021
Just love this author's work!
October 28, 2013
Konrad and Preston take a bit of a backseat in this wonderfully written sequel to Fire Horse. The second generation on Kon and Preston's family take center stage as Ms Ashling weaves her magic around Bandi and his lover Ned, Conrad aka. Sasha to his acting friends in New York and the hellacious Paloma. The rest of the huge cast of characters is present from the last book with the rather remarkable Jeremy who becomes Sasha's love interst. The characters are beautifully drawn and feel and act so real that I felt like I was in the story. It was good to see family rifts being healed and Preston finally growing up and becoming the man he never was. I like Paloma and absolutely fell in love with the multifaceted Jeremy. Pick up this remarkable book and let Ms Ashling take you home again.
February 18, 2014
This book was amazing, there is so much love and this family has it share of problem but the love abound and the characters while the best of the best also have their flaws that make them seem human. I might just have to read fire horse but I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance. While I wish that the ending would have been put off so that we could see what Jeremy and Conrad/Sasha were talking about that is just my Romantic side overwhelming curiousity and wanting to see the final step of Conrad/Sasha healing from an attempted rape when he was sixteen.
dnf
December 1, 2018DNF @ 24%
I am so disappointed! I really enjoyed Fire Horse, but this sequel didn’t work for me at all.
While the first book is told from Preston‘s POV, this book is written in third person and tells not only Preston‘s and Konrad‘s story, but that of their (adult) children as well.
I wasn’t too happy about that, but I would have kept going if not for this particular scene between Pres and Kon:
I am absolutely horrified and I will not continue to read this series. This is so wrong on so many levels, and while I really don’t mind my books being on the darker side (quite on the contrary), is absolutely unacceptable.
I am so disappointed! I really enjoyed Fire Horse, but this sequel didn’t work for me at all.
While the first book is told from Preston‘s POV, this book is written in third person and tells not only Preston‘s and Konrad‘s story, but that of their (adult) children as well.
I wasn’t too happy about that, but I would have kept going if not for this particular scene between Pres and Kon:
I am absolutely horrified and I will not continue to read this series. This is so wrong on so many levels, and while I really don’t mind my books being on the darker side (quite on the contrary), is absolutely unacceptable.
July 28, 2021
Not that I didn't devour this but there were too many stories to follow and I was really invested in some of them (Ned+Bandi) but we were kept in the dark until the end. By the way, the title was Ride-Off so I was expecting more of NED and Bandi! Other stories (Paloma, anyone?) just were meh or basically got me in a murderous mood . One thing Mickie Ashling does right is giving her characters an aura of realness. Like people are selfish and you might like them a lot but they mess up and they hurt you and sometimes you get petty and make terrible choices. They're human. I'm not going to lie they got on my nerves but once I finished the book, I appreciated the whole package. She got me to care about Monica!!!
The one thing that irritated me a little bit was the Spanish. As a native speaker of this language it felt stiff and too proper. Even little things like "mi hijo" instead of "mijo" took me out of the story. And I didn't feel the differences between the Mexican and the Argentinean which you better believe there are. But that might only bother me.
The one thing that irritated me a little bit was the Spanish. As a native speaker of this language it felt stiff and too proper. Even little things like "mi hijo" instead of "mijo" took me out of the story. And I didn't feel the differences between the Mexican and the Argentinean which you better believe there are. But that might only bother me.
November 3, 2014
The melodrama continues in Mickie B. Ashling's book Ride-Off where its large cast of characters continue to be put through the emotional wringer following the events in Firehorse. It's the younger generation that's focused on in this story fighting for happiness along with their namesakes amidst jealousy and secrets. Just when long-lost lovers Konrad and Preston seem to have their relationship on track, the guilt they feel for not being there enough for their kids rears its ugly head when PTSD symptoms again creep into their relationship. To truly heal they both have to learn they can't go back and that they can only go forward and embrace the love they can now express openly. I ached for their anger over lost time but the rage and jealousy they've been expressing is ruining the relationships they can now build on and make them appear immature.
Older man Ned and young hot-shot polo player Bandi's relationship is also still going strong despite other's judgements regarding their age gap. Bandi wants to be independent though as Ned has taken care of him and given him everything since they met. In the vein of if you love something set it free, Bandi goes on the road by himself to improve his polo playing and is introduced to temptation from an unexpected source and slowly realizes that home is where the heart is and makes a decision that will forever change his future.
The final couple to go through heartache is Sasha née Conrad and his friend Jeremy. A traumatic incident in his teen years has traumatized Sasha and kept him from fully committing to a relationship. He's scared of having his power taken away and kept himself separate for fear of being vulnerable. The flamboyant Jeremy has been the supportive friend but has always been drawn to Sasha and slowly ingratiated himself into his life and protected him when Sasha's past comes back to haunt him. Sasha has issues of jealousy in regards to his father's attention. After being ignored as a child he's desperate for attention now and has a tantrum when he doesn't get it. I found him incredibly annoying early on but Jeremy made him a better more understanding man. He's allowed past hurts to color his life but with the colorful, and surprisingly strong-willed, Jeremy by his side he's growing up to be a more forgiving and happy man.
The final ingredient to this story is another unknown child of Preston's who's been kept hidden away and is now anxious to live life. Paloma is another flamboyant character who longs to be a polo player. She's manipulative and willing to sleep with whoever to get ahead. She's loyal to her family though but I never warmed up to her careless attitude and tendency to guilt others into doing what she wants. Her future was left hanging and it's unclear where she fits in by the end of the story, and considering my frustration with her I'm not sure I cared.
This story has numerous characters which makes the story hard to follow at the start. With its nicely flowing narrative though I quickly got immersed into the story and was finally able to understand the genealogy of the characters. I found the story a bit too melodramatic at times with its over-the-top scenes and characters which made this a story hard to love but definitely entertaining and memorable. The sexual interludes were hot and varied considering the unique m/m couplings and were nicely spaced throughout the story so as to not overwhelm the storyline. On a whole I found myself drawn to this story even as it was frustrating me and it kept me turning the pages. Reading the first book in this series is a necessity though to help in understanding these character's motivations and romantic entanglements. Fans of the m/m genre will find themselves drawn to this series and Mickie B. Ashling's writing.
3.75 STARS!!
Older man Ned and young hot-shot polo player Bandi's relationship is also still going strong despite other's judgements regarding their age gap. Bandi wants to be independent though as Ned has taken care of him and given him everything since they met. In the vein of if you love something set it free, Bandi goes on the road by himself to improve his polo playing and is introduced to temptation from an unexpected source and slowly realizes that home is where the heart is and makes a decision that will forever change his future.
The final couple to go through heartache is Sasha née Conrad and his friend Jeremy. A traumatic incident in his teen years has traumatized Sasha and kept him from fully committing to a relationship. He's scared of having his power taken away and kept himself separate for fear of being vulnerable. The flamboyant Jeremy has been the supportive friend but has always been drawn to Sasha and slowly ingratiated himself into his life and protected him when Sasha's past comes back to haunt him. Sasha has issues of jealousy in regards to his father's attention. After being ignored as a child he's desperate for attention now and has a tantrum when he doesn't get it. I found him incredibly annoying early on but Jeremy made him a better more understanding man. He's allowed past hurts to color his life but with the colorful, and surprisingly strong-willed, Jeremy by his side he's growing up to be a more forgiving and happy man.
The final ingredient to this story is another unknown child of Preston's who's been kept hidden away and is now anxious to live life. Paloma is another flamboyant character who longs to be a polo player. She's manipulative and willing to sleep with whoever to get ahead. She's loyal to her family though but I never warmed up to her careless attitude and tendency to guilt others into doing what she wants. Her future was left hanging and it's unclear where she fits in by the end of the story, and considering my frustration with her I'm not sure I cared.
This story has numerous characters which makes the story hard to follow at the start. With its nicely flowing narrative though I quickly got immersed into the story and was finally able to understand the genealogy of the characters. I found the story a bit too melodramatic at times with its over-the-top scenes and characters which made this a story hard to love but definitely entertaining and memorable. The sexual interludes were hot and varied considering the unique m/m couplings and were nicely spaced throughout the story so as to not overwhelm the storyline. On a whole I found myself drawn to this story even as it was frustrating me and it kept me turning the pages. Reading the first book in this series is a necessity though to help in understanding these character's motivations and romantic entanglements. Fans of the m/m genre will find themselves drawn to this series and Mickie B. Ashling's writing.
3.75 STARS!!
December 4, 2013
4 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
I loved Fire Horse. It was a book that engaged you from the very start, and a hell of a ride to take. I loved the end on that book as well, finally Flea and Kon found their happily ever after. But their happily ever after is not an easy thing to keep and maintain. It’s a characteristic of Ashling’s writing I’m beginning to think, to approach, and deliver her books with a great dose of realism. Yes, Preston and Konrad are finally together, but they both have too much baggage to carry on. Konrad has his demons to battle, memories of the past that don’t simply let him be, and his son is now too much grown up to constantly need a “chaperone” something that Konrad can’t seem to stop doing. And Preston, oh boy, if he doesn’t have a mess of a life. All the years he spend sexing around in a constant fight to elude the pain of losing Konrad, Preston had a son who finds himself from an only child to taking an appointment for his father’s attention, the little one he had so far becoming smaller. Paloma, the Argentinean daughter, makes a claim in his life too, and not to forget his long-lost and now found lover. Preston needs to balance his family and his love, but he was never good at that in first place.
That’s what Ride-Off is all about. There is no one protagonist here, there is not one couple. This book attacks fiercely at Preston and Konrad, Ned and Bandi, Sasha (Conrad) and Jeremy, and finally Paloma, the wild card...
Read the rest of the review here.
Thommie
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
I loved Fire Horse. It was a book that engaged you from the very start, and a hell of a ride to take. I loved the end on that book as well, finally Flea and Kon found their happily ever after. But their happily ever after is not an easy thing to keep and maintain. It’s a characteristic of Ashling’s writing I’m beginning to think, to approach, and deliver her books with a great dose of realism. Yes, Preston and Konrad are finally together, but they both have too much baggage to carry on. Konrad has his demons to battle, memories of the past that don’t simply let him be, and his son is now too much grown up to constantly need a “chaperone” something that Konrad can’t seem to stop doing. And Preston, oh boy, if he doesn’t have a mess of a life. All the years he spend sexing around in a constant fight to elude the pain of losing Konrad, Preston had a son who finds himself from an only child to taking an appointment for his father’s attention, the little one he had so far becoming smaller. Paloma, the Argentinean daughter, makes a claim in his life too, and not to forget his long-lost and now found lover. Preston needs to balance his family and his love, but he was never good at that in first place.
That’s what Ride-Off is all about. There is no one protagonist here, there is not one couple. This book attacks fiercely at Preston and Konrad, Ned and Bandi, Sasha (Conrad) and Jeremy, and finally Paloma, the wild card...
Read the rest of the review here.
Thommie
July 20, 2016
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Again, another Mickie B. Ashling book that I adored. No surprise really. This author is fast becoming one of my favourites, and a definite auto-buy.
I've marked this one a fraction lower, simply because, I felt at times there was nearly too much going on. While the writing style and characters are all, just like in the other book by this author, fantastic and "finished", I felt that because of the sheer volume of characters who all had an integral part to play, we didn't get to know them as well as in the previous book. And personally I found that a bit of a disappointment.
I would love to read more about both Sasha (Conrad) and Jeremy's relationship. I would also love more about Bandi and Ned. While they had a fair chunk in this one, I still would love more
The sex scenes in this seemed more muted somehow. Still majorly hot, but still somehow less. Not that I'm complaining, as I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
So, while I'm glad I found out more about all these characters, I'll remain greedy and simply say: More please Mickie!
Again, another Mickie B. Ashling book that I adored. No surprise really. This author is fast becoming one of my favourites, and a definite auto-buy.
I've marked this one a fraction lower, simply because, I felt at times there was nearly too much going on. While the writing style and characters are all, just like in the other book by this author, fantastic and "finished", I felt that because of the sheer volume of characters who all had an integral part to play, we didn't get to know them as well as in the previous book. And personally I found that a bit of a disappointment.
I would love to read more about both Sasha (Conrad) and Jeremy's relationship. I would also love more about Bandi and Ned. While they had a fair chunk in this one, I still would love more
The sex scenes in this seemed more muted somehow. Still majorly hot, but still somehow less. Not that I'm complaining, as I didn't feel like I was missing anything.
So, while I'm glad I found out more about all these characters, I'll remain greedy and simply say: More please Mickie!
August 9, 2016
Copy obtained through Jessewave's BAHAG event 2013
4.5 stars rounded up
Set 2 years after Fire Horse, this not only continues the story of Preston and Konrad, but of their sons, the struggling actor, Sasha and, polo playing hopeful, Bandi. Preston and Konrad's relationship is not all roses as they struggle to come to terms with the things that kept them apart and this causes some conflict with the rest of the family.
I really enjoyed this follow up story that shows how things are going for the newly combined families. The author didn't take the option of pairing the two gay sons but gave them what felt like more realistic relationships. The elements of Sasha's past which came back to haunt both him and his family were well done, but the ending felt a little rushed. I am not sure how I felt about Preston's over dramatic daughter Paloma though.
4.5 stars rounded up
Set 2 years after Fire Horse, this not only continues the story of Preston and Konrad, but of their sons, the struggling actor, Sasha and, polo playing hopeful, Bandi. Preston and Konrad's relationship is not all roses as they struggle to come to terms with the things that kept them apart and this causes some conflict with the rest of the family.
I really enjoyed this follow up story that shows how things are going for the newly combined families. The author didn't take the option of pairing the two gay sons but gave them what felt like more realistic relationships. The elements of Sasha's past which came back to haunt both him and his family were well done, but the ending felt a little rushed. I am not sure how I felt about Preston's over dramatic daughter Paloma though.
December 3, 2013
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Although I found myself liking this story far better than its precursor, flags raised by the particular use of bdsm in this story and other quibbles reduced the rating down to 3.5. That was a shame because I liked the characters and thought the plot was well rounded. For my entire review and the specifics I mention visit http://wp.me/p220KL-1Mn.
For all of my reviews and thoughts on writing visit http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords...
October 23, 2013
I really enjoyed this sequel to Fire Horse and have no problem in recommending the book. Although Pres and Kon feature strongly the focus of this book is on Ned and his young lover as they fight to become a couple. Ned is a firm favorite of mine and I want to see him is a happy and loving relationship. A great read.
August 13, 2014
The sequel was even better than the first book! There was enough interaction between all the characters to make it all interesting. The plus is obviously there will be further books as we need to find out the future of all involved. I will be placing this on my list of 'to be read again' books.
Happy reading
Happy reading
January 16, 2016
I really enjoyed the first book, but Mickie Ashling tried to do too much in this one. Or maybe the publishers only gave her one book to finish off this world. Either way, she was juggling too many eggs and they all came crashing down. Not enough time to follow each relationship or even plot line, so all of them suffered. Too bad, really.
October 21, 2013
3.5 stars. I'm not too sure about this one! I loved the 1st book and was hoping to continue with Kon and Pres. Not that this book did not do that, it just focused too much on all the others for the initial story line. Enjoyable nonetheless!
July 11, 2015
Perfect ending!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews