Book Review: Long Hard Ride by Keta Diablo

Long Hard Ride by Keta DiabloTitle: Long Hard Ride
Author:
Keta Diablo
Genre: GLBT, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: gift from author
Published: August 2010 (self published)

Grayson Drake has been sent by a covert spy agency from the South to break Marx Wellbourne out of Elmira Prison at all costs.

Ordered to return Wellbourne to Richmond so the Confederate Army can pick his brain about the maps he’s memorized, Gray soon discovers Marx is courting death from malaria and pneumonia. To complicate matters further, the decadent, gorgeous Wellbourne is none other than the same man he coveted from afar four years ago in a Charleston brothel.

Pursued by the villainous warden of the prison, Major Britton Darkmore, nothing is as it seems when intrigue, suspense and raw passion collide on the long, hard ride back to Richmond.


Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: Loved the setting, the sexy man-loving, and strong action plot. Wished the emotional denouement was longer or more in-depth but still enough for a good read.

The Set Up: Doctor Gray Drake’s mission is to help confederate soldier Marx Wellbourne escape from a cruel Northern prison. Gray can’t tell Marx his mission even as they’re outrunning the prison’s sadistic warden. Can these two reach Richmond alive and without setting each other afire?

Why I Read this Book: No surprise to blog readers that I love historical MM romance and I’d never read one set in the American Civil War so duh, yeah, I had to read this!

What I Liked: I’m no Civil War expert but I think the author did a great job of bringing to life the setting of the War period, especially the hellish prison. I was skeptical the confederate heroes would be sympathetic heroes but she addresses their motivations for fighting for the Confederacy very well, including slavery. In my opinion, these are two well-developed characters, especially Marx, and I think other readers will be like me and fly through their story and care what happens to the men.

What I Also Liked: The pacing of the action plot as the men outrun the sadistic prison warden is stellar. The men find just enough time and safety for erotic exploration. The raw sexuality may turn off some readers but given the War setting and that the men were running for their lives, I thought it was appropriate and damn, can this author write erotica!

What I Didn’t Like: Two small details prevented me from giving this a higher rating. One, the prison warden was a huge part of the novella but he’s vanquished off screen which was a let-down for me. Two, Marx and Gray have a quasi-emotional conversation but I wanted just a tiny bit more. Still, neither of these issues would prevent me from recommending this to fans of MM romance, especially historical romance.

IMO: Good erotic romance with a fantastic setting and well written action plot.



J9’s Rating:
3 1/2 Frogs 


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About Brianna: Supermom by day, naughty reader by night. Addicted to chocolate, Twitter, her iPad, her Kindle, and 99¢ Kindle deals. You can follow Brianna on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, and Instagram.

5 comments:

  1. Hi J9, thanks for reading and reviewing Long Hard Ride. Glad you enjoyed the story,

    Best, Keta

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  2. It was a good read. Now you need to write more MM historical romance! ;)

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  3. Good review! I have never read MM but I do love historical fiction. I was sort of waiting for JR Ward's Lover at Last to break into the genre. :)

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  4. I know, Kelli! I'm dying for Qhuinn & Blay's story too! A lot of MM romance is paranormal, which is fine, but it often relies on the "instant mate" trope to bring the men together and frankly, I'm tired of that. I want the author to show how two distinct people become a couple. So I really search good MM romance, not just erotica and that led me to historical MM. I find it requires more traditional romance development, just with the MM twist. :)

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  5. I guess the older I'm getting, I'm wanting more of the emotion and less of the sex. It does sound like an interesting read though.

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