After the Fall (Tucker Springs, #6) in Riptide Publishing

Sep 30, 2013 Mandy*reads obsessively* rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-for-review, friends-to-lovers, hurt-comfort-disability, pets, ebook-owned, second-time-around, m-m, evil-ex, feel-good-read, sweet

3.5*

I have only read one other story in the Tucker Springs collection but that wasn't a problem at all, this was definitely able to be read as a standalone.

Now, I don't ride and know next to nothing about horses, but from the first page of this story I could feel Nathan's love and excitement for his horse.
Since it is told from Nathan's pov I felt excited along with him, finally after all his hard work and saving he has his beloved Tsarina and is on his first ride on the trail...then his world ...more

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Oct 12, 2013 Shirley Frances rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2-review, reviewed, glbt, mm-read, mm-series, 2013

Nathan has always been reluctant to accept help and now that he finds himself needing help, he can't help but be frustrated by it. But that's not the only thing that frustrates him. There's also his sudden attraction to Ryan, especially when he watches him riding his horse. All of a sudden, spending time with Ryan and having him help Nathan is not as problematic as admitting that there's definitely something more developing between them. But stubborn as ever, Nathan would rather deny it that ope Nathan has always been reluctant to accept help and now that he finds himself needing help, he can't help but be frustrated by it. But that's not the only thing that frustrates him. There's also his sudden attraction to Ryan, especially when he watches him riding his horse. All of a sudden, spending time with Ryan and having him help Nathan is not as problematic as admitting that there's definitely something more developing between them. But stubborn as ever, Nathan would rather deny it that open himself to another bad breakup.

I loved everything about this story. First, there were the characters. Both Nathan and Ryan were adorable in their attraction for each other. Ryan was funny and shy and completely enamored with Nathan. But Nathan was clueless. He was jaded by his previous relationships and kept himself at bay. Never got too close, never committed and when the time came to step up, he failed miserably.

I loved it!

Once again, L.A. Witt came up with a couple of compelling characters that managed to make me sympathetic to their fate. I wanted to soothe Nathan's fear, smack him upside the head and yell in his face. Witt's characters always get to me , so it's no surprise that I responded to these characters in that way.

Of course, Nathan and Ryan's chemistry radiated from the page. The sex scenes were not as numerous or as raunchy as I've come to expect from Witt, yet they were enough to convey their purpose. Sweet and sensual, they added to the story beautifully. And that first kiss? Phew! But what truly made this such a wonderful read for me was how their connection developed over time in a way that wasn't over the top. It all came together slowly, yet naturally. I wouldn't change anything about it.

After the Fall is the sixth book in the Tucker Springs series, but can be read as a stand alone. Funny, sweet and with a little bit of angst, After the Fall was a great addition to the series and another winner for L.A. Witt.

I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
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Oct 01, 2013 Pat rated it liked it

Until this novel, the Tucker Springs gay romances have been hard-hitting, gritty explorations of love between two very different guys who must work through some pretty heavy differences in order to find a workable middle. Covet Thy Neighbor saw an atheist tattoo artist and a devout minister fall in love while Dirty Laundry found a reclusive entomology grad student and a bar bouncer become close. Given its predecessors, After the Fall is a fairly bland addition to the series.

Equestrian Nathan an Until this novel, the Tucker Springs gay romances have been hard-hitting, gritty explorations of love between two very different guys who must work through some pretty heavy differences in order to find a workable middle. Covet Thy Neighbor saw an atheist tattoo artist and a devout minister fall in love while Dirty Laundry found a reclusive entomology grad student and a bar bouncer become close. Given its predecessors, After the Fall is a fairly bland addition to the series.

Equestrian Nathan and rolling stone Ryan literally crash when Ryan turns his motorcycle onto a bridal path while Nathan is riding his new horse. Consequently, Nathan's horse falls on him, and Nathan is laid up with a broken leg and hand for twelve weeks.

Because Ryan feels so badly about the accident, he agrees to exercise Nathan's horse while Nathan can't ride her. The horse and the accident bring the two men together. No grittiness or awkward problems there. Accidents happen.

If both Nathan and Ryan were other than dull guys, this story might have been more than a predictable, mild-mannered love story. But they're not.

Nathan has commitment issues because his last two relationships flared, then died, and he felt hurt when he didn't see the end coming. As Witt writes his past, what he suffers from isn't the death of love, but disappointment in the squelching of hope. His are the relationships formed in high school that seem monumental at the time, but are hardly remembered later. Nathan, however, likes to wallow in his disappointment.

Ryan isn't the best person to pin hopes on, as Nathan immediately recognizes, since Ryan tells him that he doesn't usually stay in one place for longer than a few months. In fact, Ryan has lined up a job for the fall, so when he agrees to exercise Nathan's horse all summer, he's committing for a little longer than usual. Neither guy really knows what commitment or love mean, much less what a relationship might entail.

Read the rest of my review at AAR: http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/boo... ...more

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