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Fighting the battle in his own heart, War must find peace before he can find love.
War destroyed an entire tribe of innocent people when he was mortal, all because his best friend lied to him. His guilt brings him a destiny he never planned. As the Red Horseman, War spends the centuries creating battles and wars between countries to restore balance in the world. While he accepts the job to atone for his sins, he wishes he didn't cause men to kill each other. War lives a solitary life, without hope of ever finding forgiveness.
From the mountains of Afghanistan to the plains of Kansas, and to the steppes of Mongolia, Russell Heinz searches for peace. He's battling survivor's guilt after having two members of his army unit die within feet of him. His own mind shuts down, and Russell spends time in a mental ward, dreaming of a man with blood-red hair and all-black eyes. Unsure if the man is real or just a figment of his wounded mind, Russell heads to Mongolia, looking for forgiveness of his own.
Separately, Russell and War fight their own personal demons. Together, they find peace in a love tested by the fires of battle.
War destroyed an entire tribe of innocent people when he was mortal, all because his best friend lied to him. His guilt brings him a destiny he never planned. As the Red Horseman, War spends the centuries creating battles and wars between countries to restore balance in the world. While he accepts the job to atone for his sins, he wishes he didn't cause men to kill each other. War lives a solitary life, without hope of ever finding forgiveness.
From the mountains of Afghanistan to the plains of Kansas, and to the steppes of Mongolia, Russell Heinz searches for peace. He's battling survivor's guilt after having two members of his army unit die within feet of him. His own mind shuts down, and Russell spends time in a mental ward, dreaming of a man with blood-red hair and all-black eyes. Unsure if the man is real or just a figment of his wounded mind, Russell heads to Mongolia, looking for forgiveness of his own.
Separately, Russell and War fight their own personal demons. Together, they find peace in a love tested by the fires of battle.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 26, 2011
4 people are currently reading
171 people want to read
About the author
T.A. Chase
161 books893 followersThere is beauty in every kind of love, so why not live a life without boundaries? Experiencing everything the world offers fascinates me and writing about the things that make each of us unique is how I share those insights. I live in the Midwest with a wonderful partner of thirteen years. When not writing, I’m watching movies, reading and living life to the fullest.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 12, 2016
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
This book was such a good addition to this series!
So with this book you get War who did something he felt very guilty about when he took a whole village out when he took the word of a very good friend who had lied to him. So he becomes War after his death due to the guilt he feels.
Russell is a solider who is fighting in Afghanistan when he is injured he thinks he is going to die. Well Death sends War to him and from there on the attraction and sparks between these two grows through this book.
I have to say I loved how caring and loving of Russell War was from the start. Russell's character was so strong but at the same time so scared with everything he has seen in the war. They both have guilt they must overcome to move on and the way they both helped his other so much... Let's just say I loved this part of the book the best. To me it showed how much they really cared for each other.
I want to say I loved what this other did with this story and the way these characters were written. This book grabbed me from the start and I could not put this down until the end.
All together I really loved this book!
I would recommend this book!
This book was such a good addition to this series!
So with this book you get War who did something he felt very guilty about when he took a whole village out when he took the word of a very good friend who had lied to him. So he becomes War after his death due to the guilt he feels.
Russell is a solider who is fighting in Afghanistan when he is injured he thinks he is going to die. Well Death sends War to him and from there on the attraction and sparks between these two grows through this book.
I have to say I loved how caring and loving of Russell War was from the start. Russell's character was so strong but at the same time so scared with everything he has seen in the war. They both have guilt they must overcome to move on and the way they both helped his other so much... Let's just say I loved this part of the book the best. To me it showed how much they really cared for each other.
I want to say I loved what this other did with this story and the way these characters were written. This book grabbed me from the start and I could not put this down until the end.
All together I really loved this book!
I would recommend this book!
March 25, 2016
Didn't really like this one as much as the first book. Something was a little off about War's story and I didn't quite connect with the romance.
June 23, 2022
War is the second book in the Four Horsemen series by T.A. Chase. It follows the life of the second horsemen, War, and a soldier named Russell who suffers from ptsd. War tries to stay away from Russell but there is something about the wounded soldier that just keeps drawing him in.
The author has an amazing grip on the concept of ptsd and mental trama. The way its discribed here, I wish everyone could be as accepting and understand it as well.
I'm still really interested in this authors interpretation of the horsemen lore, how they are chosen, and how they can become human again. Its an interesting conscept for sure.
That being said this story in perticular didn't really grab on to me. Yes I enjoyed it and read to the end with no problem and will continue to read the series. However it was not my favorite so to speak.
The author has an amazing grip on the concept of ptsd and mental trama. The way its discribed here, I wish everyone could be as accepting and understand it as well.
I'm still really interested in this authors interpretation of the horsemen lore, how they are chosen, and how they can become human again. Its an interesting conscept for sure.
That being said this story in perticular didn't really grab on to me. Yes I enjoyed it and read to the end with no problem and will continue to read the series. However it was not my favorite so to speak.
April 22, 2019
M M Romance 2019 Re-Reading Challenge
Russell and Baliq (War) are captivating and true characters. Their romance is fluid and authentic as is the paranormal/fantasy premise. The world building and background development is masterfully constructed.
Russell and Baliq (War) are captivating and true characters. Their romance is fluid and authentic as is the paranormal/fantasy premise. The world building and background development is masterfully constructed.
June 14, 2020
Me encantaron este par. Y me gustó tener un vistazo de Pestilence
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2014
I liked this slightly better than the first book, if only because it was not quite as filled with inconsistencies. But I still didn’t think it lived up to its very cool concept. And once again, War does not sound authentic — here we have a former Saudi-area bedouin who has spent most of his life as horseman on the Mongolian steppes with only his horses for company, but he calls Russell "dude" and has a pack of condoms and lube handy at his ramshackle abode in the middle of nowhere. I’d have preferred yak butter. It all seems so perfunctory; there is no real flavour to the world of the horsemen, and they’re Frankenstein characters; cobbled together from bits and pieces that don’t fit together well.
Russell, on the other hand, is a much better character than the first book’s bland Bart, and the description of his PTSD is handled with sensitivity.
The world building as regards the horsemen leaves much to be desired, the philosophy is paper-thin — oh, we need the horsemen to introduce some serious, large-scale suffering because otherwise good and evil won’t be in balance? Funny, I’ve never noticed a surfeit of good in our world even in the absence of war, famine, plague, and death. I think we need a few anti-horsemen instead.
Also, we have so far had two guilt-ridden horseman protagonists, who have suffered for centuries because of what they did BEFORE they died and became horsemen. But somehow the much larger body count and suffering they have inflicted during their later career seems to just slide off like they’re made of teflon — oh, they don’t like their jobs, but they’re not having the same kind of guilt pangs over it — and that despite both Pestilence and War’s very hands-on activities. Death told them it’s ok (they were just following orders!), so hey, no problem? Me, I’d want to have a chat with management. Because I’d be wondering whether I am working for the right side, you know? These people have centuries to ponder their existence, and they’ve not spent as much time on it as your average 17 year old teenager.
And how come Death knows anyway? This is even a relatively young Death, younger than either Pestilence or War — yet when a new horseman is made, Death waits for him and informs him of his duties and the rules. Who waited for this new Death after the French Revolution? Maybe we’ll find out in the 4th book why Death is the special horseman snowflake.
Once again we’re teased with the presence of Lam, the uppity agnus dei called in for "babysitting", but we don’t find out much more about him. We also get a piece of info about the horses which is mildly intriguing but goes nowhere once again.
I don’t know whether I can stomach reading another one. I probably will because I am ornery that way, and I own them all.
Russell, on the other hand, is a much better character than the first book’s bland Bart, and the description of his PTSD is handled with sensitivity.
The world building as regards the horsemen leaves much to be desired, the philosophy is paper-thin — oh, we need the horsemen to introduce some serious, large-scale suffering because otherwise good and evil won’t be in balance? Funny, I’ve never noticed a surfeit of good in our world even in the absence of war, famine, plague, and death. I think we need a few anti-horsemen instead.
Also, we have so far had two guilt-ridden horseman protagonists, who have suffered for centuries because of what they did BEFORE they died and became horsemen. But somehow the much larger body count and suffering they have inflicted during their later career seems to just slide off like they’re made of teflon — oh, they don’t like their jobs, but they’re not having the same kind of guilt pangs over it — and that despite both Pestilence and War’s very hands-on activities. Death told them it’s ok (they were just following orders!), so hey, no problem? Me, I’d want to have a chat with management. Because I’d be wondering whether I am working for the right side, you know? These people have centuries to ponder their existence, and they’ve not spent as much time on it as your average 17 year old teenager.
And how come Death knows anyway? This is even a relatively young Death, younger than either Pestilence or War — yet when a new horseman is made, Death waits for him and informs him of his duties and the rules. Who waited for this new Death after the French Revolution? Maybe we’ll find out in the 4th book why Death is the special horseman snowflake.
Once again we’re teased with the presence of Lam, the uppity agnus dei called in for "babysitting", but we don’t find out much more about him. We also get a piece of info about the horses which is mildly intriguing but goes nowhere once again.
I don’t know whether I can stomach reading another one. I probably will because I am ornery that way, and I own them all.
April 29, 2016
Reviewed by Tams Kelly for QUEERcentric Books
4.5 stars
War is the second story in the four book series – The Four Horsemen by acclaimed author, T.A. Chase.
War started life as Baqir, an Al Sidah chief who practically annihilated his neighboring tribe. All done on the word of his best friend – which turns out to be lies.
That friend is ultimately killed by Baqir before allowing a young boy’s revenge – later that night. The tormented chief sacrifices himself to the boy he had allowed to survive from that very massacre.
Baqir takes his last breath as a mortal man and awakens as War – the Red Horsemen.
Russell Heinz is a soldier suffering from PTSD and survivor’s guilt – after War saves him from dying in Afghanistan. War is soon to realize that Russell – thrust back into battle too early – requires much more than just physical help. Once institutionalized – War finally comes to understand just what the man means to him.
Can the two heal each other or will they both succumb to the past they’d both like to forget? Will Russell finally register that War is real and not just a figment of his tortured imagination?
Though I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first – it was still an exceptional read. My feeling is that book series are a lot like movie sequels. If you are really lucky – a few are still worth watching. Well, War is worth the read – don’t you worry.
I can’t really grasp what was so different about this book – compared to its predecessor. I guess in the long run, I just didn’t find the man War as compelling as Pestilence. He honestly didn’t want to deal with Russell at first and maybe that darkened my experience.
After Russell’s breakdown, which truly hurt my heart, I found War did become the hero I expected to see. It seemed that Russ being signed away was a turning point for the red horseman though his heart was crushed whenever Russ reacted to his “blood” red hair. Blood being the operative word for poor Russell.
Once out of the hospital – Russell made the decision to travel the world. Though believing the horseman wasn’t real, he recalled them talking about the steppes of Mongolia and the horses the man raised. So off to Mongolia he traveled – though he seriously scared his parents with that resolve.
Under a disguise of a hat – War followed the man to his hotel where Russell had another meltdown. He saw the color “red” and for him that meant blood – and lots of it.
I won’t spoil the book, but T.A. Chase did an amazing job with her research about PTSD. My heart bled for Russell and for all soldiers with this disorder and survivor guilt.
Though not as fast paced as book one, War by T.A. Chase is still a very worthy read. I am giving it a 4.5 rating.
Please note this series is best read in the sequence intended by the author. I wouldn’t recommend this as a stand-alone book.
4.5 stars
War is the second story in the four book series – The Four Horsemen by acclaimed author, T.A. Chase.
War started life as Baqir, an Al Sidah chief who practically annihilated his neighboring tribe. All done on the word of his best friend – which turns out to be lies.
That friend is ultimately killed by Baqir before allowing a young boy’s revenge – later that night. The tormented chief sacrifices himself to the boy he had allowed to survive from that very massacre.
Baqir takes his last breath as a mortal man and awakens as War – the Red Horsemen.
Russell Heinz is a soldier suffering from PTSD and survivor’s guilt – after War saves him from dying in Afghanistan. War is soon to realize that Russell – thrust back into battle too early – requires much more than just physical help. Once institutionalized – War finally comes to understand just what the man means to him.
Can the two heal each other or will they both succumb to the past they’d both like to forget? Will Russell finally register that War is real and not just a figment of his tortured imagination?
Though I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first – it was still an exceptional read. My feeling is that book series are a lot like movie sequels. If you are really lucky – a few are still worth watching. Well, War is worth the read – don’t you worry.
I can’t really grasp what was so different about this book – compared to its predecessor. I guess in the long run, I just didn’t find the man War as compelling as Pestilence. He honestly didn’t want to deal with Russell at first and maybe that darkened my experience.
After Russell’s breakdown, which truly hurt my heart, I found War did become the hero I expected to see. It seemed that Russ being signed away was a turning point for the red horseman though his heart was crushed whenever Russ reacted to his “blood” red hair. Blood being the operative word for poor Russell.
Once out of the hospital – Russell made the decision to travel the world. Though believing the horseman wasn’t real, he recalled them talking about the steppes of Mongolia and the horses the man raised. So off to Mongolia he traveled – though he seriously scared his parents with that resolve.
Under a disguise of a hat – War followed the man to his hotel where Russell had another meltdown. He saw the color “red” and for him that meant blood – and lots of it.
I won’t spoil the book, but T.A. Chase did an amazing job with her research about PTSD. My heart bled for Russell and for all soldiers with this disorder and survivor guilt.
Though not as fast paced as book one, War by T.A. Chase is still a very worthy read. I am giving it a 4.5 rating.
Please note this series is best read in the sequence intended by the author. I wouldn’t recommend this as a stand-alone book.
December 1, 2015
(Originally Reviewed for Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews.)
Today I’m bringing you the next in my series of reviews on The Four Horsemen books from T. A. Chase. On to book two, War. In this installment the author brings us the next of the Four Horsemen, War.
Before War became one of the four horsemen, he was a tribal chieftain named Baqir in what is now Saudi Arabia. He led a peaceful tribe for more than 10 years, but then his best friend came to him with the murdered body of a young girl, who had also been savagely raped prior to her death. His friend told him that he had seen a man from the neighboring tribe commit the crime and when a second dead child is found, Baqir is talked into going to war with the other tribe. When everyone in the other tribe is killed, except for a few children that got away, Baqir finally learns the truth and kills his best friend, who it turns out was the one that raped and killed the girls in the first place.
Now it is centuries later. Baqir is no more, now he is War. He is tasked with sparking wars around the globe to protect mankind from even greater evils. In the mountains of Afghanistan, War meets a young American soldier named Russell. Something draws the two men together. When two of Russell’s friends are killed right in front of him and he is drenched with their blood and the brain matter of one of them, Russell cracks. Can War help him get past his breakdown? Can Russell help War get past the guilt he has carried for centuries?
I liked this book better than book one, but the story still didn’t reach out and grab me and while I felt it was good, it could have been better. I liked it a little better than Pestilence, which I rated as OK because of the many blatant editing issues. I’m going to say this current one was Good/Average. I’m hoping the trend continues and book three and four are better.
I’m frankly a little disappointed so far because these books could be sooo much better with some rework and re-editing. This one, like Pestilence, needed a little more oomph, and the characters read a little too flat for my satisfaction.
Today I’m bringing you the next in my series of reviews on The Four Horsemen books from T. A. Chase. On to book two, War. In this installment the author brings us the next of the Four Horsemen, War.
Before War became one of the four horsemen, he was a tribal chieftain named Baqir in what is now Saudi Arabia. He led a peaceful tribe for more than 10 years, but then his best friend came to him with the murdered body of a young girl, who had also been savagely raped prior to her death. His friend told him that he had seen a man from the neighboring tribe commit the crime and when a second dead child is found, Baqir is talked into going to war with the other tribe. When everyone in the other tribe is killed, except for a few children that got away, Baqir finally learns the truth and kills his best friend, who it turns out was the one that raped and killed the girls in the first place.
Now it is centuries later. Baqir is no more, now he is War. He is tasked with sparking wars around the globe to protect mankind from even greater evils. In the mountains of Afghanistan, War meets a young American soldier named Russell. Something draws the two men together. When two of Russell’s friends are killed right in front of him and he is drenched with their blood and the brain matter of one of them, Russell cracks. Can War help him get past his breakdown? Can Russell help War get past the guilt he has carried for centuries?
I liked this book better than book one, but the story still didn’t reach out and grab me and while I felt it was good, it could have been better. I liked it a little better than Pestilence, which I rated as OK because of the many blatant editing issues. I’m going to say this current one was Good/Average. I’m hoping the trend continues and book three and four are better.
I’m frankly a little disappointed so far because these books could be sooo much better with some rework and re-editing. This one, like Pestilence, needed a little more oomph, and the characters read a little too flat for my satisfaction.
November 28, 2015
The second book in the Four Horsemen Series is War, and in this story I found the consistency issues for his character rather niggled more than in Pest’s book. In his life BW (before War) he was a Bedouin, and taking the word of a lying friend, destroyed an entire village. This guilt has led him to the Mongolian Steppes for his ‘home’ with only horses for company. While I believed Pest’s guilt was more balanced between present and past, and his interior conflicts, War, to me, just seemed to ignore his current misdeeds. Oh – and he’s got a fascination with modern slang (to Death’s amusement).
Russell is a former soldier, suffering from survivor’s guilt after friends in his unit were killed. Now wounded and close to death, his passage is delayed by our Death who brings War to meet the man. Death as Cupid is a strange juxtaposition, and doesn’t quite fit with the introduction we had from the earlier book in the series.
The best idea in this story surrounds Russell’s PTSD and the references that show both the horrors of war and the effects on those enmeshed in the conflicts. While War and Russell have a relationship that develops nicely, with the two sharing and learning to heal old wounds, the greater overarching plot that connects these four horsemen together – a major moment where all can confront who they are, who they were and how they came to be maintaining the ‘balance’ and is a balance actually possible is not even in the subtext here. I’m also curious about both Famine and Death’s stories, and Death’s ability to become the de facto leader even as the youngest of the group, open questions all.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review for The Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Russell is a former soldier, suffering from survivor’s guilt after friends in his unit were killed. Now wounded and close to death, his passage is delayed by our Death who brings War to meet the man. Death as Cupid is a strange juxtaposition, and doesn’t quite fit with the introduction we had from the earlier book in the series.
The best idea in this story surrounds Russell’s PTSD and the references that show both the horrors of war and the effects on those enmeshed in the conflicts. While War and Russell have a relationship that develops nicely, with the two sharing and learning to heal old wounds, the greater overarching plot that connects these four horsemen together – a major moment where all can confront who they are, who they were and how they came to be maintaining the ‘balance’ and is a balance actually possible is not even in the subtext here. I’m also curious about both Famine and Death’s stories, and Death’s ability to become the de facto leader even as the youngest of the group, open questions all.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher for purpose of honest review for The Jeep Diva. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
April 25, 2023
In this story, we meet with War, the second of the Horsemen. He is still wrapped in guilt at the role he played in the destruction of a neighbouring tribe when he was alive. He was murdered by a survivor of that village, and he let it happen, thinking that he deserved it. Russell is a modern-day soldier, serving in Afghanistan, when he is wounded and left for dead. Death shows up and tells him to hang on, help is on the way. War then arrives, on Death's instructions, and feels the need to help this individual. We have a quick reunion with Aldo, before Russell gets taken to a hospital in Germany. He is sent back to war far too soon and ends up having a mental breakdown due to circumstances.
The PTSD is handled incredibly well in this book, and it doesn't shy away from the grim reality of war. Both Russell and War have guilt issues to work through, and together, they help each other. Their relationship, although fast, still has time to develop.
We get a few extra snippets in this book, including the fact that the horses can speak in the world between worlds. Death is as intriguing and cryptic as ever, although I still love him.
A very different series that I am thoroughly enjoying. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants a slightly different read.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 12, 2015
The PTSD is handled incredibly well in this book, and it doesn't shy away from the grim reality of war. Both Russell and War have guilt issues to work through, and together, they help each other. Their relationship, although fast, still has time to develop.
We get a few extra snippets in this book, including the fact that the horses can speak in the world between worlds. Death is as intriguing and cryptic as ever, although I still love him.
A very different series that I am thoroughly enjoying. Definitely recommended for anyone who wants a slightly different read.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Nov 12, 2015
May 5, 2014
Slightly better than the first. At least this time the characters actually got to know each other a little before falling completely over heels with one another and the plot was more comprehensive along with the background story. Good HEA too.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 24, 2015
Reviewed for The Novel Approach. Review to come soon.
March 28, 2017
Another very good and interesting story with compelling characters.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews