AFTER THE FALL

TITLE: AFTER THE FALL 

AUTHOR: L.A. WITT

Pages: 202

Date: 15/01/2014

Grade: 4

Details: Received from Riptide Publishing

            Through NetGalley

Own / Kindle

The Blurb:

After years of saving every penny, Nathan has finally managed to buy the horse of his dreams. He’s looking forward to a summer of exploring the Colorado mountain trails above Tucker Springs with Tsarina. But on their very first ride, a motorcyclist makes a wrong turn, scaring Tsarina into bolting and leaving Nathan with a broken leg, a broken hand, and a ruined summer.

Ryan is a loner and a nomad, content with working odd jobs before moving on to the next town. Feeling guilty for causing the accident that leaves Nathan in two casts, Ryan offers to keep Tsarina exercised until Nathan heals.

Despite their bad start, Nathan and Ryan soon become friends . . . and then much more. But with a couple of nasty breakups in his past, Nathan doesn’t want feelings getting involved—especially knowing that Ryan will never settle down. But since when do feelings ever listen to reason?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some books hit all my buttons just the right way, and this was one of those. I mean, what’s not to like? In ‘After the Fall’ we meet Nathan and Ryan, two cute young men (one of whom happens to sport a goatee) with commitment issues, a wonderful horse named Tsarina and a powerful bike.

The first meeting between homebody Nathan and drifter Ryan couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. Nathan is riding his prized new horse, Tsarina, for the very first time when an unexpected encounter with Ryan on his motorbike spooks the mare, resulting in both horse and rider falling. Tsarina coming to rest on Nathan’s leg ensures that he will be in a cast for months. The punch he gives Ryan immediately after the accident puts one of his hands out of commission as well.

If Nathan and Ryan had detested each other after this incident, nobody would have been surprised. But Ryan is one of the good guys and feels very bad about what has happened. When he offers Nathan his help, the incapacitated man can’t refuse. His horse needs the exercise and there is something about Ryan...

The moment Nathan watches Ryan with Tsarina he knows he’s made the right decision.

“A man who treated an animal like she had a personality, like she was something more than farm equipment with a pulse, was enough to reduce me to a quivering mess.”

Although there is no denying the chemistry between them, it takes Nathan and Ryan a while to get to their first kiss. When they do though, all bets are off. Despite the casts and all the obstacles they present, the two men find ways of enjoying each other’s bodies to the fullest extent.

Nathan, determined not to commit to anyone again, is convinced he’s found himself the perfect fling until he can no longer deny that his feelings go a lot deeper than that. As soon as he recognises the same depth of feeling in Ryan’s eyes, panic sets in. With two failed relationships behind him, Nathan is not prepared to risk the pain again. Given that Ryan is due to leave town in a few months time is all the more reason to keep things casual.

Ryan’s reaction to Nathan’s unwillingness to commit is swift and simple. He walks away. Nathan’s head may be trying to convince him that this early split is for the best, his heart is not playing ball. Going back to Ryan and admit that he’s made a huge mistake is difficult. Convincing Ryan to give them a second change will proof even harder.

This was a sweet and charming love story with just the right balance of angst, humour, love, conflict and sex. But that’s not the only reason I enjoyed this book so much. I loved the way the author described Nathan’s love for his horse. The details with regard to tacking a horse, mounting one, the differences between various riding styles; all of them conveyed a knowledge of and affection for horses that both impressed and touched me.

And then there were those special sentences that made me smile; descriptions that touched me deeply. The moment when Ryan explains that his reason for being on the move all the time is that he has no idea what ‘home’ actually means was powerful.

 “You wouldn’t be holding me back. He reached up and touched my face, sending a shiver down my spine. Being with you means I don’t have a reason to leave.”

As was the moment when Nathan realised that sometimes you just have to take a chance, despite any insecurities.

“(...) nothing – neither the success of a relationship nor the collapse of a failed one – was certain.”

And I love a book with a happy ending, especially when it is one I can actually believe in.

“If the day came when Ryan needed to ride off into the sunset, then he would. And I’d be right beside him.”