Blind Ride by B.A. Tortuga

Blind Ride by B.A. Tortuga

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Even knowing that Blind Ride was the first book in a revised and re-edited, previously released series, I wasn’t prepared for it to end when it did. I’ve read a couple of Ms. Tortuga’s recent releases and found the writing and storyline in Blind Ride to be just as engrossing and entertaining as her newer works. As this is my first time reading this book, I cannot remark upon the level of revision and how much – if at all – it differs from the original. What I can say is that if you enjoy rodeos, hot cowboy lovin’, and the unconditional love and support of a man in love, then Blind Ride might be right up your alley.

As this is the first book in the series, the author spends a good deal of time setting up the Roughstock world and the men and women who live in it. Because of this, we are much farther into the book than I expected to be when the incident occurs that takes Jason “Mini” Scott’s sight. Admittedly I was already on edge as I waited for that shoe to drop because I hadn’t anticipated the author’s world building to last as long as it did. But that’s not a complaint because it gave me that chance to get to know Mini and Andy “Bax” Baxter well enough that I was devastated for BOTH men when Mini was hurt. This foundation also allowed the author to stay on track post-accident when decisions were made about where Mini was going and his rehabilitation plans because the author didn’t have to introduce the relevant characters because we already knew them. It also serves to show how close-knit their group of friends are and why it’s no surprise that they rally behind Mini after the accident.

As for the relationship between Jason and Andy, there are a few hints and throw-away statements made pre-accident that suggest that at some point in the past and in the presence of a pretty good amount of alcohol, they spent the night together. While it’s clear from their inner musings that both men are still attracted to one another, neither acts upon it. Yet when Jason’s life begins to spin out of control, Bax is there as his beacon in the storm, and the need to affirm their lives are still worth living leads them to take solace in one another and reconnect on a physical level. What I’m about to say may sound like a complaint, but it really isn’t. There is a lot of sex in Blind Ride, far more than I would have expected considering how far into the book we are before the first encounter. I repeat, I am not complaining about how often Mini and Bax get intimate because these two are hot together. What I found interesting though, is that what began as a life affirming act became one heck of an avoidance tactic used by both men when they couldn’t or didn’t want to deal with the world. The intimacy Mini and Bax share is intense and it allows them to lose themselves in one another and escape the realities around them. And considering what they had to deal with, I can’t really blame them there. As I said before, the end of this installment came sooner than I was ready for so I was quite annoyed when I got to the last page and found out I wasn’t going to get to “see” Mini ride. I can only hope that the next book in the series is re-released soon so I can find out what happens next.

I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out the Blind Ride by BA Tortuga post on Wicked Reads.


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