Strapping Ash

Crow Creek #3

by Nya Rawlyns

The reappearance of Ash MacBryde’s old lover sent Oak flying back to Vermont and into the employ of a man determined to win a chance to race at the World Endurance Cup in Dubai. To Oak’s delight and dismay, Ben Kincaid, the man who brought him out of the padlocked closet is there too. They will be partners on horseback and, if Oak’s former lover has any say in it, in real life as well. Someone holds a grudge against Oak’s new employer and, as the race approaches, the dirty tricks escalate until no one is safe. Oak and Ben are in danger, and when Ash shows up to bring his man back home, there’s more at stake than just a shot at a million dollar purse. MacBryde’s got his work cut out for him because keeping Oak safe might mean shattering all chances at mending their broken marriage. Three men set out on a perilous journey through traps set not just by their enemies but by their own tangled emotions. And the only way the domineering possessive man and the gentle reclusive soul can find their way back to Crow Creek Ranch means learning that… Sometimes it takes two wrongs to make it right. contains adult sexual M/M content, romance, and adult language. It is unsuitable for readers under the age of 18. Strapping Ash is the third book in a three-story romance arc that includes Ash&Oak (book 1) and Pulling Leather (book 2). These three titles are best enjoyed when read in order.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2013

About the author

Nya Rawlyns cut her teeth on sports-themed romantic comedies and historical romances. She found her true calling writing about the wilderness areas she has visited but calls home—in that place that counts the most, the heart.

She has lived in the country and on a sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay, earned more than 1000 miles in competitive trail and endurance racing, taught Political Science to unwilling freshmen, and found an avocation in materials science.

When she isn’t tending to her garden or the horses, the cats, or three pervert parakeets, she can be found day dreaming and listening to the voices in her head.

Reviews

[Kirsty Bicknell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strapping Ash is the third book in the Crow Creek series and it is effectively the end of Ash and Oak’s story. Pulling Leather saw the couple face their demons and we begin this novel unsure of how the couple will move past their issues. Nya Rawlyns also uses Strapping Ash to introduce the often insufferable Ben Kincaid, who features in the next three Crow Creek stories.
Strapping Ash also differs from the previous instalments in that the plot is not simply focused upon the relationships between the characters. Nya Rawlyns allows Ash to become the White Knight on a dirt-bike as he sets out to uncover the mystery of who has a vendetta against Sugar Ranch, and particularly Ben and Oak.
Yet the story is not only about Ash’s heroics. For the couple to move forward we realise that Oak has to find his own identity and surprisingly he emerges as quite the Alpha male; professionally, emotionally and sexually.
It is the erotic element of the story which turned me off. Ash and Oak’s relationship has always been extremely sexual, but here I felt that these acts were too frequent and often hindered the plot, rather than strengthening it.
Strapping Ash is a satisfying addition to the Crow Creek series and I think that Nya Rawlyns ties the stories of the MacBryde couple and Ben Kincaid together in an intriguing way, leaving us with an urge to begin Sorting Will.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the first one. I liked this but was a little lost. I didn't realize that this was book 3 and I thought I had a early case of alzheimer's when I didn't remember Some events that I trust are mentioned in Book 2. Darn it. I hate backtracking. Guess I better start clicking for Book 2: Pulling Leather. I love these two guys.