Emma sees the world inside out and looks right past the physical scars that Brandon had begun to think would be the only thing the world would ever see. Set in Dallas, Texas, this is a mature adult Contemporary Romance series with BDSM elements and atypical themes, including physical disfigurement, Autism, and OCD. Each book will be a complete story, no cliffhangers.

Brandon
To say that I’m ugly is like saying a cemetery is quiet. Okay, maybe parts of me are attractive, sure. I’d gotten more than my share of second, hungry glances from women at clubs. Then I’d turn to the other side and they’d get a nice big glimpse of Quasimodo. Only the desperately drunk or the ‘I can fix you’ chicks took a third look. Not Emma, though. She looked right at my scars and didn’t miss a beat. The typical stares from folks noticing my face just blend into the background noise as I try to comprehend this odd little woman. She’s still and quiet, clutching her teddy bear like it’s nobody’s business. And maybe it’s not. Maybe least of all mine.

There’s more there, I’m sure. Way more. And for the first time, I think I’m going to actually put in the effort to find out what, because I think it may just completely blow my sorry world apart.

Emma
The guy walking in front of me is seriously massive. I’d heard that everything is bigger in Texas, but this is absolutely ridiculous. There’s also the matter of his face. He has me both ready to swoon and run screaming in the same crazy second. I’m still not sure which of those options my body has decided on. I think the jury is still out on a lot of things to do with my current state of affairs. I wish I could talk the way that I think instead of stammering through life like a little girl who holds onto a damn teddy bear and continues to obsess over the color pink. I can't, though. My brain just doesn't work that way. His gentle brown eyes put me at ease for some reason I haven’t quite worked out yet, and I really want to know his story.

Scars are just part of life and we all have them. Most of us are lucky, though, and have scars we can hide deep down inside. Most of us aren't forced to wear them on our face.

3.5 stars

The first book (By Chance – released in March 2014) ended in a “to-be-continued” situation when Vince left to Florida for horse training, and left his new boyfriend behind. This book picks up eight months later when Vince finally returned. I enjoyed the previous story because I could see it as a set-up of a long-journey for Vince going through his horse competitions. So I was pretty excited with this one, hoping that it would give me more adventures with Vince and his attempt to be part of the United States Olympic equestrian team.

The story lacked melodrama. The blurb indicated a threat coming from a disgruntled stable hand, but in actuality, the threat didn’t really come until almost the end. It was like watching a calm river … there were no ripples that disturbed the flow.

On one hand, it was nice. I mean, everybody was accepting of Vince and Chris being together. Vince’s ex-girlfriend was a wonderful girl, who happily welcomed Chris to be around Vince’s and her son. Vince’s father also didn’t have any problem with Vince’s sexuality. All of the stable hands had no issues at all with ‘the gays’. I admit that sometimes I am tired with bigotry and homophobic storylines, so this felt like a good change.

On the other hand, it became rather mundane. Vince and Chris were pretty much an established couple here – where we were treated with lots of “I love you’s” between them. The only problem that arose was Chris’s concern about their sex life, since he still had nightmares after his life on the street. Chris was worried that he didn’t satisfy Vince enough in the sex department which then brought up a topic that was close to my heart: asexuality. I hope that the author will further explore this in the next book.

So all in all, I still enjoyed it. I wish there are more action in the competitions, though, just to have the adrenaline spike to make the book more engaging.

Juicy Ponyplay story. Please bring extra panties!

Short but packs a punch! Smoking hot! The creative breaking and taming of a new human stallion was SO delicious to read. Absolutely thrilling and it makes my body tingles delightfully akin to having mini-orgasms. Now this is what I called ponyplay erotica.

What makes this extra delicious was the dubious consent that comes with the right mixture of consent cum noncon elements in it. I relish the sweet struggles by the protagonist between obedience and his instinct to fight what was forced upon him even knowing beforehand what he had signed up for in the first place. John's master allowed him his instict although he effectively controlled John's autonomy. John really had no idea this task would be much harder than it sounds on the call sheet for he would have to surrender himself entirely to the devious manipulation of a knowledgeable horse trainer.

Breaking a wild stallion was the sexual heights Davis seek for when he place his order with the Agency. I would say Davis got very lucky when the agency sent John to him as per his stated requirements; someone new to ponyplay and he got even luckier as John was a virgin bottom. Would he be able to tame this new stallion enough to slide his cock in for the pleasure of the beast's submission?

I like how John's mind is holding him in place besides his restrictive pony gears. He had to yield no matter how humiliating it was to be treated like a real horse and then ridden like one (pun intended). By allowing John his instinct to fight, the sexual tension was all the more intense. Because of it, taming him was a much sweeter challenge.

The author is very good at creating and sustaining the sexual tension between the characters and surrounds it with a fitting atmosphere. I don't even need the actual sex scenes to get excited, the training part was sufficient to make me change my panties. Freaking love the wicked preparations and the trainings Davis subjected John to. Mmmm... yummylicious!

I feel so wicked for loving all the sufferings John gone through. Davis dirty talking made me shudder with pleasure. And I freaking adored that devious bridle with a U-bracket bit in John's mouth although I still wonders how it looks like and how it works.

A big humongous thank you to Ms. Gala for writing and sharing this arousing story. I would love to read more of such stories in the future. It certainly was better than money could buy.

SHORT STORY IS UNDESERVING OF 5 STARS RATING?

I could understand why the author does not wish to list this story on Goodreads. There are readers who would rate it low just because of its length despite knowing it is supposed to be a short story. This is regardless if the story delivered the right impact perfectly. Some just don't bother to give due consideration on the execution of the storyline and its theme. Even I find this most frustrating and unfair.

I don't exactly believe in judging a story by its length as I have seen many short ones that are much better than those lengthy ones. As long as the story delivers its theme and premise perfectly and manages to make a deep impression then it is a good story in my opinion and well deserving to be praised. Unless of course if it was an overpriced short story book with no word count disclosure. Some of these book even failed to make the story worthy of its price tag. Now these are the ones most deserving to be penalized. 

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Saddled (A Briarwood Agency Story)

Author: Lyn Gala

Publication Date: October 10th, 2013

Publisher: Unpublished Free Short Story

Type: Short Story, 10K words (approximate)

Genre: M/M Erotica, Contemporary Fiction

Main Characters:

Tags/Keywords:

Author's Note:

I’m the first to admit that sometimes I’m in a mood for erotica. I don’t want a whole lot of plot… just enough for me to keep my imagination happy. When these moods hit, I’m often vulnerable to those 2.99 short stories that promise happy, kinky fun. And I’ve written about how often I find myself disappointed. Often. Today I was trying to find inspiration for my writing and I went looking. It was not a good day, so I decided that instead I would do a little writing. Mind you, I should have been working on my contracted story, but sometimes the muse wants what she wants.

WHERE TO READ THIS: ★|| Lyn Gala's Blog ||★

* Reviewed on April 22nd, 2014

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