|
|
Paperback
Publisher: Amber Allure
(Gay / Erotica / Erotic Romance / Historical / The Old West / Action / Adventure / Interracial / Multicultural) Bitter Creek is a town on the brink of war. Lines are being drawn and sides taken as two powerful men gather armies of gunfighters. The townspeople are helpless and the law worthless. One man has already died in the opening salvo of this land war and an air of fearful anticipation hangs over the town. Eagle, the half-breed who works at the livery stable, manages to survive by not taking sides, until one day a stranger rides into town. Eagle's life changes, and he realizes that he can no longer hide with his horses if he wishes to be the man he claims to be...
| Customer Reviews: |
|
| |
| A good old-fashioned western with m/m romance |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
 |
|
Like many towns in the wild frontier of the old west, Bitter Creek is no stranger to violence. Eagle, a half-Comanche employee at the livery, manages to avoid most of it by keeping his mouth shut. Sure he gets dumped on by nearly everyone, but there's the occasional man who respects him. Being half Comanche, the whites see him as Indian and a "savage", while many Comanches are leery of his white blood. His father was Nathaniel Burlington, a renown and respected lawman, and his father raised him with a good education and solid character. If being a half-breed isn't hard enough, he also has a personality quirk... he doesn't care for women, and that isn't something tolerated back then. Any kind of romantic encounter is done in the dark, with fumbling drunks, and kept anonymous and very infrequent. But he did have an encounter once in the past, and the man he had it with, Ralph Ramsey, respected Eagle and considered him a trustworthy friend.
One night, Ralph shows up at the livery beaten and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the gut. All he asked is for Eagle to make sure a letter he had written gets mailed. Eagle made his final hours comfortable, took the high-quality horses from his ranch and hid them so nobody else would steal them before Ramsey's family showed up, and made sure the letter got mailed. After some time, a stranger shows up. This stranger looks a lot like Ralph did, and even has the same Southern drawl as Ralph. Ralph's family has arrived. So begins "Bitter Creek's Redemption."
Travis showed up in Bitter Creek after receiving his brother's letter. Travis is pretty sure Ralph is dead by now, and being his family's "Helper", it's his job to take care of Ralph's ranch and stallion herd, and deliver justice to his killer. The Ramsey clan is a large one, the patriarchs and matriarchs are busy making kids, and Travis is one of nine brothers. The family assigns someone to be a "Helper". This person goes wherever help is needed by a family member. Though not an outcast by any means, it's an isolated existence, and the Helper never gets a chance to make roots or form long-lasting connections and bonds with family members. Travis was chosen to be the Helper by his father when his father caught him at sixteen years old having sex with a farmhand. As punishment, and to keep Travis' perversion away from the family, he made Travis the Helper.
At first, Travis doesn't see Eagle any better than other white do. Eagle's just a lying 'injun', a half-breed and savage. But he soon learns there is much more to Eagle. His half-brother Josiah is a US Marshal who respects him greatly, Eagle is very educated (though he doesn't let people realize it), and Eagle was the one Ralph went to when in trouble. He soon recognizes that Eagle, with no benefit to himself, helped Ralph in his final hours and protected his horses so Ralph's family can claim them. Eagle tells Travis he buried Ralph in an Indian burial ground so that the townspeople don't realize he's dead and it delays them trying to take over the ranch. He also shows Travis where the herd is hidden and guarded by Eagle's Comanche brothers. Soon, Travis realizes that Eagle is one of the few honorable and respectable men in Bitter Creek. And considering that both are homosexual, it's just a matter of time before they start to develop feelings for each other.
There's a lot going on in this book. There's racial bigotry, old-western values, land battles, gunfights, family tensions, and intrigue. Two warring ranchers each want the Ramsey ranch and herd, and Travis is trying to not only protect the ranch and herd, but also find out who killed Ralph. It's later discovered that a third party is involved and seems to be orchestrating everything for his own unknown agenda. Travis is trying to do what he could until the rest of his clan shows up in a few days, because once the full Ramsey clan is together, there will definitely be trouble.
I totally enjoyed this book. It was a refreshing change from other m/m romances in that it was not only placed in the old west, but was filled with plenty of old-fashioned western drama and excitement. The book continued to surprise me with its solid portrayals of characters and situations. For example, when the Ramsey clan arrives, the eldest brother, Michael, naturally takes control. Except that Travis' status as Helper gives him independence and authority in this situation, and tensions arise between Michael and Travis. Some people pick up on the fact that Travis holds Eagle in high regard, and that creates tension from the racial bigotry many characters have. A few people pick up on the relationship between the two men, but fortunately, they're loners themselves or have enough respect of Eagle or Travis to consider it none of their business, and this amazes both men as they believe they would be immediately killed if anyone found out. They're partly right... they would probably be immediately killed by many people if they found out, but the old west teaches you discretion if anything else.
The story moves along swiftly, dialog is solid, characterization is solid, and the setting and lore is solid. Sentimentality is minimal since these are hardened men, and sexual encounters aren't overly drawn out. It's really a very nicely done story. It has all the characteristics of a good m/m romance and a good old-fashioned western. You can't go wrong by getting this book.
|
| A Gay Western |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
Chase, T.A. "Bitter Creek's Redemption", Amber Quill Press, 2010.
A Gay Western
Amos Lassen
When twp powerful men get armies of gunfighters together, lines are drawn and sides are taken. Neither the law nor the townspeople can do anything and one man has already died all because of this war over land. The air is heavy with anticipation at Bitter Creek. Eagle, a man of two bloods, works at the livery stable and he does not take sides until a stranger comes to town, Eagle realizes that the time has come to accept himself for who and what he is.
There is something very appealing about a gay cowboy tale and I guess it is because the West has been a symbol of ruggedness and he-men. Travis is a tough, hardened cowboy who has lived with demons for a long time. When he and Eagle meet and fall in love we are taken on their journey and it is exciting. They rise above the prejudice against native Americans and the men form a wonderful union. Eagle is no fool--he is an educated man but unable to get a decent job. A rancher came to him with wounds and he needs him to help hide him. Everyone thinks that he has been murdered. Not long afterwards, Travis, the rancher's brother comes to fight for his brother's land and the rest is what the book is about. There is vengeance and blood throughout the book and we read about a great deal of violence because of the land war. The characters are so finely drawn that they pull us into the plot of this very gritty book that I totally recommend. Watching the two men fall for each other is a wonderful reading experience.
|
| Bitter Creek's Redemption |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
As a half-Indian, Eagle is accustomed to poor treatment from most people, white and Indian alike. Only his mother's people and a few select whites treat him well, which is why he helps the mortally injured Ralph Ramsey when the man comes to his home at night. With the assistance of his half-brother Barking Dog, Eagle hides Ralph's horses and posts a letter to his family. He plans to wait until a family member arrives and hand everything over to that person.
Travis Ramsey is his family's "Helper", a man chosen each generation to settle disputes and protect the family's interests by any means necessary. He expects to come to Bitter Creek and kill someone as revenge for Ralph's death. He doesn't expect to get involved in a bloody land war, or to meet Eagle. Travis's job is dangerous, but wanting Eagle is even more so...
Bitter Creek's Redemption is an old-school Western with a twist. Sensitive readers will probably want to avoid it, because there is quite a bit of violence, blood, and even death. Anyone who can deal with the range war violence will find Bitter Creek's Redemption action-packed and emotional in an understated way. Eagle is a great character. He's intelligent, skilled with horses, and both philosophical and bitter about his status as a reviled "half-breed." Eagle is the type of character who doesn't trust easily, but once he does he's loyal to the end. Travis is similar to Eagle in many ways. He doesn't trust people, and his job as the family's enforcer keeps him lonely and distanced from those around him. Both Eagle and Travis are surprised by their attraction. Watching them slowly succumb to it while fighting to stay alive kept me turning the pages. In Bitter Creek's Redemption, TA Chase has penned a gritty, action-packed story with enough sweet emotion to satisfy romance fans.
Cassie
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
|
| star-crossed lovers prevail |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
 |
|
In spite of the prejudice against Native Americans and racially mixed people on the western frontier, the two primary characters in this story eventually do come together to form a union and save the ranch and the horses of one of the early victims (the one-time lover of the Native-mixed character and brother of the white cowboy).
They protect his horse herd, save his land claim, and find a way to bring the murderer to justice.
It may be just a frontier romance, but it's really hot at several points. Great message--let go of your prejudices and love the one you're with.
|
| Bitter Creek's Redemption by T. A. Chase |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
|
|
NO PLOT SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.
Genre: m/m historical western with the tone of a light, romantic-erotic drama
Viewpoint: Two, alternating third-person viewpoints.
Setting: unspecified town (?) or possibly Bitter Creek, Texas
Sex Scenes (nonexplicit, mild, medium, very): Some, medium
Themes: Wild West, cowboys, prejudice, isolation, healing powers of love and sex, family, g ay angst
Eagle is a half-Comanche who is highly educated, but working at the town livery stable. One night, a rancher with whom he once had a drunken one-night-stand comes to his room, dying from a gunshot to the gut. The rancher has been mortally wounded by men seeking to take his land, and he wants Eagle to hide his horses and notify his kin. Eagle does so, leading the horses to a hidden canyon to be tended by his full-blood Comanche relatives, and posting a letter to the rancher's extended kin.
Meanwhile, though it's clear that the rancher has been murdered, the town of Bitter Creek is too busy taking sides between two powerful men who are trying to claim all the land, including the rancher's property. Meanwhile, there is an evil mastermind who is manipulating the other two to fulfill his own agenda.
A few days later, the rancher's brother Travis shows up to fight for his land. Travis is a wandering gunslinger whom the family has appointed their enforcer to protect their interests. He and Eagle are immediately attracted to one another though Travis has had very little experience with romantic relationships. From here, the plot involves an extended gun battle for the ranch and an attempt to unmask the evil mastermind.
Weak Points: The identity of the evil mastermind is easy to guess. In my opinion, Eagle and all of the Native Americans are too saintly, humorless, and perfect.
Strong Points: Strong sense of time and place, Travis and his role within his family are very interesting.
Recommendation: Recommended, yes. This is one of my Recommended Reads in the Wildfire newsletter published by All Romance Ebooks.
|
|
