Book Review ~ High Lonesome by Tanya Chris (Excerpt)
High Lonesome
by Tanya Chris
Published by Tanya Chris Publishing (self-published)
Published by Tanya Chris Publishing (self-published)
M/M/M suspenseful romance, 80K words
Three men, one snowstorm, zero trust
Three men, one snowstorm, zero trust
Publication date: 4/3/18
Available in paperback and on Kindle. Eligible for Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: http://myBook.to/highlonesome
ISBN: 978-1985606272
ASIN: B07BH49L6S
Blurb:
Joe doesn’t live on top of a mountain because he loves people. A late summer snowstorm is the perfect chance to send his customers down to lower altitude and enjoy a few days of solo strolls and fireside naps.
Tanner’s not staying at a high-altitude hut to admire the scenery. He’s got a date to keep with the sort of person you don’t want to disappoint, a date that’ll result in him earning some much-needed cash in exchange for what’s left of his self-respect. But that’s OK. He gave up on self-respect when he picked up the needle anyway.
Pyotr didn’t drop into a blizzard to rescue Tanner or to drag Joe back down to the real world. His mission is a lot colder than that. People are only pawns, and spies are only heroes to those who don’t know them.
Hermit, addict, spy. Three men, one snowstorm, zero reason to trust. And someone’s coming …
Content warning: this book contains on-page heroin use and detox. A brief argument follows the reveal of a character’s HIV status.
Tanner’s not staying at a high-altitude hut to admire the scenery. He’s got a date to keep with the sort of person you don’t want to disappoint, a date that’ll result in him earning some much-needed cash in exchange for what’s left of his self-respect. But that’s OK. He gave up on self-respect when he picked up the needle anyway.
Pyotr didn’t drop into a blizzard to rescue Tanner or to drag Joe back down to the real world. His mission is a lot colder than that. People are only pawns, and spies are only heroes to those who don’t know them.
Hermit, addict, spy. Three men, one snowstorm, zero reason to trust. And someone’s coming …
Content warning: this book contains on-page heroin use and detox. A brief argument follows the reveal of a character’s HIV status.
4.5 Stars!
Let me start by saying, please read the warnings, they're there for a reason and this book doesn't shy away from the heavy issues, like addiction, detox and the HIV status of one of the MCs. So, if those aren't your cup of tea, just don't read, although you'll be missing out.
Joe has been living at the High Lonesome hut as a caretaker for 6 years, even if he has to interact with people, it's the perfect place for him, providing him with the serenity and peace that his prior life lacked.
Tanner is a heroin addict, about to lose what little of his self-respect he still has. He's at the hut to contact a Russian spy and sell some blueprints in exchange for the money he owes to his dealers.
Pyotr is a CIA agent, who's there to stop the exchange from happening, no matter what.
However, when the three of them are forced to remain alone together in the hut when a late summer snowstorm leaves them stranded inside, they're forced to acknowledge there might be more brewing up between them than just a blizzard, but they will need to work together on their issues and build some trust before it's too late.
I've said it before, I'm not all that much into menage. Sometimes it's difficult to connect with two main characters, let alone three. Nevermind that finding balance in a three-way relationship is not an easy feat. I think Tanya Chris did a great job with this in High Lonesome, though.
Tanner was the catalyst, the man that drew both Joe and Pyotr's attention from the start. Even if their first interactions with Tanner, skirted the dub-con line, since he was high out of his head, Joe and Pyotr seemed equally determined to treat Tanner right and give him what he needed.
The relationship between Pyotr and Joe was different, Pyotr was the more dominant of the two and knew just what Joe needed, be it pain or penance. Perhaps Pyotr's reaction to finding out about Joe's status was a bit over the top, but he rectified that fast enough not to make it into a big thing.
Tanner, Pyotr, and Joe had great chemistry, and while they might have seemed like an improbable match at first, I think they each brought something different into their relationship, something that made it click. And while yes, it developed fast, the situation they were in, with both Tanner's detox and the whole not knowing how or when the spy that would collect the blueprints would get there, made it believable.
I really liked that Ms. Chris didn't gloss over Tanner's (and even Joe's) addiction or Joe's status. It wasn't pretty, but it was realistic, which I appreciated.
I also enjoyed the spy arc, while it was pretty obvious who it might be from the first moment they were mentioned, it was well done and I was on the edge of my seat as I watched it unfold.
Overall, I think Tanya Chris did a fantastic job with this book! I thought it was a fast-paced, well-written suspense romance and I enjoyed it thoroughly! Very recommendable!
*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***
Excerpt:
“We getting drunk tonight?” Pyotr asked as he watched Joe fill their shot glasses.
“We’re playing a game. You’ve heard of Truth or Dare? Well, tonight we’re going to play a game called Truth and Also Truth. Drink up.”
Pyotr knocked back his vodka while Joe did the same with the tequila. Tanner took a tentative sip from his glass like it was a tea cup, but he followed the first sip with another.
“What are we telling the truth about?” Pyotr asked.
“Good question. So far, I’d say not much. You’ve both been lying to me. I don’t know why you two are here, but you do. Both of you. You want to fill me in on what I’m missing?” He refilled their glasses.
Pyotr spun his shot glass around, sloshing some of the liquid over the rim. Joe was his kind of bartender, filling to the top, not to the line. Joe nodded at him and he went ahead and slammed the shot back, feeling it burn down his throat and warm his stomach. If Joe’s plan was to get him drunk enough to spill state secrets, it might just work. He was tired—tired of lying to everyone about everything, tired of being lied to back.
“You know why I’m here,” he said. “It was bunk here or freeze to death out there.”
“Or you could’ve stayed in the helicopter you rode in on.”
Praise for High Lonesome
“It was easy to relate to the characters despite their unusual occupations or assortment of problems. Nothing at all stereotypical about them, and I found something to like in each of the three mains. They’re very much individuals with distinct personas and voices.”
“I went in slightly nervous because of the trigger warnings but I didn’t find anything unsettling at all. It treated issues of addiction and living with HIV respectfully, and was a good read with a strong ending.”
“The premise is very cool, the characters have very distinct personalities and voices and are all very likeable. The H/C aspect, especially in the first part of the story, was fantastic, definitely my cup of tea. I really like it when characters act as caretakers.”
“The tension and action were awesome. The sex scenes were A+ as always.”
About the Author
Tanya writes in a variety of romantic and erotic genres, being an avid follower of many of these genres herself. Some of her favorites are M/M romance, MFM threesomes, and BDSM with male submissives.
Tanya lives in New England with her boyfriend and her cat and has participated in many of the activities about which she writes, but not all of them. It's left to the reader to decide which are which.
http://www.tanyachris.com
Twitter: @tanyachrs
Tanya lives in New England with her boyfriend and her cat and has participated in many of the activities about which she writes, but not all of them. It's left to the reader to decide which are which.
http://www.tanyachris.com
Twitter: @tanyachrs
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