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Recently I read a Trilogy By Author Andrew Grey.
I was truly moved by the series and so I wanted to do a
review about it. I don’t often review books. I spot-light Authors and Books,
but don’t do a lot of reviews. The Series was The Good Fight Series. It is
about three “White” men falling in love with Native American Tribes men.
However it was so much more than three interracial love stories. It dealt with
many large cultural issues, It had Deep Characters and great plot-lines. I think
my favorite part of all the stories; something they all had in common, was
watching Men who seemed unsure of their feelings grow into themselves; grow
secure and strong in who they were, and who they loved. In fact it was their
falling in-love that really evolved them and that is always a terrific theme to
me. It is part of what made me love The Fifty Shades of Grey Series. To quote
from the Movie… The Jane Austin Book Club,
“Love is an act of sanity”!
Book one;
synopsis;
Jerry Lincoln has a problem:
his Sioux Falls IT consulting business has more work than one man can handle.
Luckily, that means he can hire some help. Jerry just hopes his new employee,
John (Akecheta) Black Raven, ends up being more helpful than distracting—but
John’s deep eyes and long hair are very distracting.
John came to town for an education and a chance at a life he couldn’t have on the reservation, but what’s important to him now is getting a job and keeping it. Six months ago, his sister died, and now her children are in foster care. Despite having the law on his side, John can’t get custody—can’t even see his niece and nephew.
As Jerry and John grow closer, John discovers he doesn’t have to struggle alone. Jerry helps him win visitation rights and provides much-needed support. Yet their victories aren’t without setbacks. Child Services is tangled up with money, politics, and red tape, and Native American children are their bread and butter. But John and Jerry are determined to fight the good fight and to win—in more ways than one.
John came to town for an education and a chance at a life he couldn’t have on the reservation, but what’s important to him now is getting a job and keeping it. Six months ago, his sister died, and now her children are in foster care. Despite having the law on his side, John can’t get custody—can’t even see his niece and nephew.
As Jerry and John grow closer, John discovers he doesn’t have to struggle alone. Jerry helps him win visitation rights and provides much-needed support. Yet their victories aren’t without setbacks. Child Services is tangled up with money, politics, and red tape, and Native American children are their bread and butter. But John and Jerry are determined to fight the good fight and to win—in more ways than one.
Book two;
synopsis;
Bryce Morton needs a change
of scenery. Since his partner’s death a year ago, he’s become withdrawn and
quiet, so his friends, Jerry Lincoln and Akecheta (John) Black Raven, convince
him to go camping with them on a Sioux reservation. Though he’s not immediately
sure he’s done the right thing, Bryce becomes more interested when he meets
Paytah, the man who owns the reservation's trading post.
Paytah Stillwater's life is filled with hurt, and sometimes the only thing he has left is pride. After being abused as a child and disbelieved when he spoke up, he has withdrawn into himself—but he can never truly put his past behind him, because the source of his pain still lives on the reservation. Paytah is proud of his heritage and careful with his heart, but when Bryce commits a selfless act of kindness for one of the reservation’s children, the walls around Paytah’s heart begin to melt.
Bryce and Paytah each fight the pain within them. When Paytah's abuser sets his sights on one of the reservation youngsters, Bryce and Paytah must set their individual fights aside. Finding a way to stop the abuser unites them to fight their way forward—together.
Paytah Stillwater's life is filled with hurt, and sometimes the only thing he has left is pride. After being abused as a child and disbelieved when he spoke up, he has withdrawn into himself—but he can never truly put his past behind him, because the source of his pain still lives on the reservation. Paytah is proud of his heritage and careful with his heart, but when Bryce commits a selfless act of kindness for one of the reservation’s children, the walls around Paytah’s heart begin to melt.
Bryce and Paytah each fight the pain within them. When Paytah's abuser sets his sights on one of the reservation youngsters, Bryce and Paytah must set their individual fights aside. Finding a way to stop the abuser unites them to fight their way forward—together.
Book three;
synopsis;
Will Martin’s racist father,
Kevin, hates Native Americans and wants to keep them off his property, never
mind that part of the ranch land is sacred ground for the Sioux. When they
request access for prayer, Kevin refuses—but Will doesn’t share his father’s
views. Ever since he first saw Takoda Red Bird during one of the Sioux sacred
ceremonies, Will has been fascinated. He grants the tribe access.
Takoda defies Kevin on a regular basis. He often sneaks to the sacred site on the rancher’s land for prayer and knows Will has seen him there. When, out of spite, Kevin places the land up for auction, Takoda knows it is time for action and bands together with Will to stop the sale.
In the fight that follows, Will gets more than he expected. He starts out helping the tribe preserve their identity… and ends up finding his own.
Takoda defies Kevin on a regular basis. He often sneaks to the sacred site on the rancher’s land for prayer and knows Will has seen him there. When, out of spite, Kevin places the land up for auction, Takoda knows it is time for action and bands together with Will to stop the sale.
In the fight that follows, Will gets more than he expected. He starts out helping the tribe preserve their identity… and ends up finding his own.
Companion Book to the series;
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Ok some Announcements;
From here on out all reviews whether for Shorts, Novella's, or full length Novels shall receive a Rating from 1 to 10 Quills
*********
So first I will talk honestly about issues I had with the
book. Then I will follow it up with what I Loved about the books. After this, I
will talk about what they made me think and how they made me feel.
So fair warning from here on out; there will be some Spoilers ahead, so Spoiler Alert lol…
*********
This would be The Review Section lol...
My Issues with the series;
There were a few times in this series where it wasn’t clear
who was talking at a given moment. Having said that, I could usually figure it
out after a minute or two. This might not be an issue for other people, but it
was one for me. There were many Racial issues brought up. As many of you will
know who either know me, or have read my blog, although I have native ancestry
I consider myself a Celtic American more than anything else. Also you will know
that I have had many bad online experiences with Native American people who
treated me with hatred, racism, and ignorance. This has somewhat colored my
perception of Native Americans to a degree. For instance I take issue with
anyone calling someone else a plastic medicine person, or using the term
Cultural Appropriation. I consider these terms to be of the utmost Racism and
Ignorance. I can’t stand it when any race blames all White peoples for all of
their problems. Having said this, I do understand many of the hard feelings
Native peoples have with what they call outsiders. Native peoples as we all
know have had many wrongs done to them. So I have many mixed feelings about
issues of Native Racism and this series brought those issues home for me and at
times upset me. I don’t necessarily think having the series upset me was a bad
thing. Self-Examination is always a good thing I think. Also on a religious
note, I do think the Author believes that one of the only things for someone to
scream out loud during sex is blasphemy by taking The Lord’s name in vein lol.
I laugh but it actually did bother me a little. Then again, I am a Christian
Minister so I am biased. Finally my last issue is this. I wanted More of
everything lol, because I loved the series so much.
As any of you will know who have read the few other reviews I
have done…I have my own rating system as to the length of a book. Novels are
400 pages or more, Novella’s are 200 pages to 400 pages, and Short Stories are
anything less than 200 pages. These Books on my laptop fall into the short
story range; however they read more like Novella’s to me. Still I loved the
characters so much that I wanted the stories to be longer; I wanted more
detail, and more back ground, and more descriptions. This isn’t because these
things were missing however, but just because I loved this series so much I
wanted more! lol
What I loved about this Series;
Well there are so many things but the main thing is the Love
stories this series tells, as well as the characters and their development.
These were timeless, classic, great love stories that I will probably revisit
many times. They were adult and full of rich passion. They were Romantic,
Authentic, Loving, and Erotically Charged in a very good way. The Eroticism
which I love was bountiful and abundant in these stories. The Characters were
real and honest. They were passionate; they had real weaknesses and issues,
strengths and talents. There was not a single one of the six men; of the main
couples, that I didn’t fall in-love with. They all made me laugh at times and
want to slap them at other times. They made me question, feel, and think! That
is something that is rare from many writers today and it was most welcomed, and
refreshing to have in a book series! The plotlines were sound, logical, and
reasonable. They were also dramatic, intense, and adventurous in many ways.
This is the second series I have read… in more years than I can count right now,
that wasn’t paranormal; and yet held my attention because I love the paranormal
genre so much. That a non-paranormal series could hold my attention speaks a
lot for that series. I read these on my busy schedule within a few days and that
is saying something for me. The Author is good at painting pictures and
bringing you into the story. He also makes you care about the characters very
deeply, which is another rare talent that I admire greatly. I think he must
care a great deal about his characters because he is a master at making me care
about them.
I haven’t read the companion book to this series but I feel
certain that it is as fantastic as the other books in this series because Andrew
Grey is a master storyteller; in that he can make you so identify with the
characters if you are open to the experience!
So now let’s get down to some brass-tacks.
Covers;
The Covers are great and my only complaint is that the men
are not shirtless lol. My personal favorite cover is from Book 2 in the series,
The Fight Within. My favorite models are as follows. My favorite Native Model and in fact my favorite model of all, is
the model for Paytah. For Fuck’s sake… that man is so beautiful he needs to
marry me lol; and as for the models for the “White guys” Jerry and Will are
probably my favorites, but not a single one of the six men are hard to look at.
The covers are great and I would have wanted to read these books even if my
friend hadn’t suggested them to me, based on covers alone. I have no problem
telling people…That I am a Cover-whore lol.
The Six Main Characters;
I loved them all. My favorite Character would probably have
to be Akecheta Black Raven. His winning personality and sexual prowess made me
fall hard for him and wish I was a literary character named Jerry lol. I loved
Jerry, Bryce, and Will. If I was going to fall madly for one of them I would
probably fall for Bryce or will. Jerry for me was the most down to earth out of
everyone, and possibly the most kind and bighearted. That really attracted me
to him. He made me laugh and at times he made me cry. Paytah was easily the
most surly out of all six of the main men. He was harder to love in some ways,
but when you finally did love him as he let his guard down to allow Bryce to
love him, you fell hard for him and wanted to protect him. At the same time for
me; part of me wanted to be dominated by him like with Akecheta lol. Takoda was
not quite as hard, but hard enough to allow his character to develop. To me
Takoda was the most spiritual out of all of them and that is what draws me to
him. There was a great sense of Presence and Power about him, and Spirit, and
Good Medicine. I wanted to be there with him when he prayed and meditated. I
wanted to be there with him as he made love, because it was almost like another
form of prayer and that appeals to someone like me. Will was a complex
character to me and I loved him for that. He was conflicted for many different
reasons, some of which he himself didn’t know. He was of mixed heritage like me
and so I connected with that aspect of him. He was strong and passionate, and
willing to take the lead and also to be led; which I can make a type of
connection with. He cared deeply and didn’t mind living in the mystery of life
to a degree. I kept thinking about him naked on horseback and wanted to be
there with him. He was one sexy hot cowboy I wanted to ride and save a horse
lol. Bryce always bright, loving, and sweet; you can’t stop from loving him. He
is always so full of life and ideas. He is one of those strange individuals who
is always in the flow of Spirit and Inspiration. Akecheta or John as he is
usually called is someone that if I met them in the real world I would fall
head over heals for and probably get my heart broken. I wanted to be Jerry so I
could be dominated by him. He was the hottest out of all the characters for me,
sexually speaking. I wanted to feel him take control of me lol. John was devout
in his heritage and beliefs, he was even tempered usually and he knew what he
wanted and wasn’t afraid to work for it. He was a warrior through and through.
When he loved, he loved totally. He was cocky and comfortable in his own skin.
He was vibrant and present. He held nothing back in many ways, and to me that
made him the most authentic besides Bryce. As for courage; it would be hard to
say who was the bravest brave lol, but for me it had to be one of three
characters…Paytah, Bryce, or Will. If you can’t tell already I love these six
men (yes I do know they aren’t real outside of literature and my head) lol!
I honestly don’t know which one was my absolute favorite out
of these. If I had to venture a guess it would be book 2 or 3 probably. I don’t
know who my favorite couple is either because they all work so well together,
and play off of each other so well. They are each the perfect compliment to
each other and that is how it should be.
The Main Book themes as I see them (What each book made me
think of);
The Main themes for book 1, The Good Fight;
How White culture can
hurt Native Children; How good intentions can quickly turn to greed and wickedness.
How One goes about truly letting another in, after years of putting up walls
and boundaries; in an effort to protect ones heart, and ones comfortable life
style. The courage to follow ones dreams. What the meaning of the word family
truly is.
The Main themes for book 2, The Fight Within;
How one person can so deeply affect or wound another out of
selfishness, greed, wicked intent, and or monstrous perversion; or how the
opposite can be true out of Love. The healing that can be attained after Loss
and wounded-ness! How ones culture or religion can be used as an excuse to hide
from life or a way to become wholly one with it. How letting go of the past is
the only sure way to find healing, peace, and completeness. How Love can be a
catalyst for change and even a type of salvation. The connection of the
individual to the tribe or community, and what the individual owes to the tribe
or community.
The Main themes for book 3, The Fight for Identity;
This Book is easily the most spiritual and so perhaps the
most meaningful. How love can save us from ourselves and the past. How Spirit
works to free us and set things right. How Love is not just an emotion or
feeling, but an action…and usually hard work and effort. How forgiveness can be
a catalyst to change not just an individual but an entire nation. How Love can
overcome all things. How finding your own identity and even truly living and
celebrating your culture and religion can bring you to Spirit; to a place of
Power within you and help you to evolve and become! The relationship of the
tribe or community to the individual, and what the tribe or community owes to
the individual. How location is connected to culture, religion, and history.
Heat Ratings;
Let’s talk about the sizzle…
Book 1 has the hottest and greatest sex hands down for me. The
sex was terrific, perhaps not as graphic as I personally like… but graphic
enough to be more than adequate for this lover of erotica. On a scale of 1 x to
3 x, it was about 1 and half maybe 2 x. The way in which it was written however
leant to the grace and tasteful eloquence of the series.
Book 2 has the best romance and sensuality for me.
Book 3 has the best love and passion for me.
Having said that, all of these things are in each of the
books.
I don’t want to do individual ratings for these books because the stories are for me so interconnected and important to the others, so I will rate this series. Considering everything I have said about this series and all the things that I feel and can’t put into words…
I rate this series 8 out of 10 Quills.
Further comments about the Author;
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I just have to say that as far as Gay Romance is concerned
that Andrew Grey has just become one of my new favorite Authors! He has a
unique way of getting a point across, and one of the most authentic and
seemingly effortless ways of building the relationships between characters that
I have come across.
Author Links;
My Previous Book Reviews;
The Following Video's are about Two-Spirit People...
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