Title: The Sixth Chukker

Series: Polo 03

Author:  Mickie B. Ashling

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length:  Novel (200 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (8 April 2016)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Blurb: Retired polo players Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell have finally found the happiness that eluded them for years. Their stud farm is a big success, and their marriage couldn’t be healthier. Unfortunately, this idyllic life is disrupted by several unexpected sources.

Paloma, Preston’s twenty-one-year-old daughter, is determined to be a 10 goal player before she turns thirty. Bandi, Konrad’s son, dreams of starting a family with his husband, Ned Temple. Paloma offers to surrogate if her father and stepfather come out of retirement and team up with her for one season.

Preston and Konrad would do anything to make their children happy, but they’re confronted with a stumbling block. Trauma specialist Dr. Rayne Carlisle refuses to sign off on the necessary paperwork unless Preston agrees to be his submissive for one week.

Caught between the proverbial rock and hard place, Preston and Konrad deal with disgruntled former lovers, demanding children, and old enemies in this sequel to Ride-Off.

ISBN: 978-1-63477-025-5

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-sixth-chukker-by-mickie-b-ashling-5418-b

Reviewer: Prime

Review: The Sixth Chukkur is the third installment of Mickie B. Ashling’s Polo series. You need to have read books 1 and 2 in order to understand the continuous plot lines carried on between books. While I think that this book, much like book 2, is not as strong as book 1 (Fire Horse), it is an utterly enjoyable read and fans of books 1 and 2 will not be disappointed.

We once again meet up with Preston and Konrad – the guys are a bit more prominent in this book, which is nice. We also get to see more of Ned and Bandi, as well as Sasha and Jeremy. But then there is Paloma, Preston’s daughter. She is the female copy of her father in every way and much like Preston’s stubbornness drives the plot, her stubbornness is just as bad. She wants to be a champion polo player like her father. We even get to see more of Sasha’s (young Conrad) mother, who is also Preston’s ex-wife and older Konrad’s sister. Hell, there is even the potential for a murder mystery, which was really a mystery assault. All in all, it was nice seeing all the end begin to tie up nicely, even if we have to get through more of Preston’s hot temper.

I have to admit, the key event to this entire book- blackmail from Dr Rayne Carlisle (who we will remember from book 1 as Preston’s acerbic doctor) just did not sit well for me. The fact that the doctor is a Dom didn’t really seem like an important part of the story either. What happens (as said in the blurb) is that the good doctor proposes to show to Preston that competing in polo is too dangerous after his last horrific accident by saying he will only sign off on the paperwork for Pres to compete again. It’s complicated and seemed too contrived. But it did its function and the event triggers off a number of plot lines for the book.

Title: Ride-Off

Series: Polo 02

Author: Mickie B. Ashling

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length: Novel (240 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (18 Oct 2013)

Heat Level: Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts

Blurb: Finally reunited, Preston Fawkes and Konrad Schnell put family and obligations aside, preferring to remain in seclusion on Ned s estate to get reacquainted. Unfortunately, reality can only be held off for so long, and they return to Texas to reclaim the life they put on pause. Trying to strike the right balance between business, family, and romance requires ongoing effort, and the challenges begin shortly after they arrive.

At the top of the list is Bandi, Konrad s son, and his desire to play polo. A close second is Conrad Sasha Fawkes, Preston s actor son who s struggling to succeed on Broadway. And last, but certainly not least, is Paloma, the fiery Argentinean beauty Preston sired after a passionate tango.

Blending the interests and needs of three grown children is difficult at best and almost impossible when agendas collide and old secrets are unearthed. The situation comes to a head when the family gathers in San Antonio for Thanksgiving, throwing Preston and Konrad into a maelstrom they must weather as best they can, or they ll face a major ride-off that could throw the game before it even starts.

ISBN: 978-1-62798-263-4

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/ride-off-by-mickie-b-ashling-598-b

Reviewer: Prime

Review: Ride-Off is book 2 of Mickie B Ashling’s Polo series. It you really need to read the first book to understand all the overarching plot details as this sequel picks up where book 1 left off. I loved this book, almost as much as I loved Fire Horse. However, for some reason that I can’t quite fathom, I don’t think that this one was as strong as the first book.

We meet up with Preston and Konrad again – they were sweethearts separated by time and amnesia but are finally back together again. It is totally sweet. But this is a soap opera, for the most part. There are a whole host of other characters that we meet or have met in the first book.

The guys, though, take a bit of a back to seat and we get to follow the stories of their sons, Konrad’s son Bandi and Preston’s son Conrad. Preston still has a tense relationship with his ex-wife, Monica, who is Conrad’s mother, but since Konrad’s resurrection things seem less tense. This is all despite the fact that Preston had married his sweetheart’s sister after mourning his loss. Yeah, it’s complicated, but as I said, it’s a bit of a soapie.

Here, we get to follow Bandi’s relationship with Ned, Preston’s best friend. We met the couple in the first book but now we get the gritty details and how the guys deal with the age difference. We also follow young Conrad, Preston’s son, who lives in New York and is an aspiring actor. When in NY, he likes to be known as Sasha and goes professionally by his middle name, Alexander. Sasha feels left out of his father’s new life for the past two years, but here we see all the characters deal with the issues.

One thing that bugged me was that Kondrad (i.e. Dead Man Walking) diagnosis of PTSD was mentioned and rather overlooked. I know it was a means to an end, something significant to provide an excuse for Preston being a rather distant father for 2 years, but I would have liked it to matter more than to explain that one plot point.

So, there’s a lot going on and I refuse to spoil any of it! If you enjoyed the first one, you need to read this. If you haven’t read the first book, you need to read it but the blurb and my review kinda spoils things for you.

And best of all: book 3 is up next!

Title:  Fire Horse

Series: Polo 01

Author: Mickie B. Ashling

Genre: Contemporary, Sports

Length: Novel (256 pages)

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (12^th April 2013)

Heat Level: Moderate

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 Hearts

Blurb: Preston Fawkes is ten the first time he meets fifteen-year-old Konrad Schnell at the San Antonio Polo Club. Captivated by the mystique surrounding the sport of kings, Pres vows to learn the game at the hands of his newly acquired friend and mentor. The hero worship soon grows into something deeper, but the friends are separated when Preston goes off to boarding school in England.

The relationship that follows is riddled with challenges―their age gap, physical distance, and parental pressure taking precedence over feelings yet to be explored. Although their bond goes deep, they deal with the reality of their situation differently: Preston is open and fearless while Konrad is reticent and all too aware of the social implications of making a public stand.

Their paths intersect and twine, binding them as tightly as a cowboy’s lasso, but fate may alter their plans. How will love overcome the divots in the turf as they gallop toward the future—one where obstacles no longer stand in their way?

ISBN: 978-1-62380-578-4

Product Link: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/fire-horse-by-mickie-b-ashling-5157-b

Reviewer: Prime

Review: If you’re into a soap opera style melodrama and highly driven sport personalities, offset with some cowboy humour and some stiff, English upper lip, this is the book for you. For the sake of honestly, I will admit that I’ve read a couple books by Mickie B. Ashling in the past and they were a struggle for me to get through. Fire Horse, however, is just a fun adventure that swept me away from the get go.

We start with Preston Fawkes, he’s a world class polo player who grew up on a Texas ranch with a not-so-nice father, but with a deep English connection through his mother. His story is a sad one. He has been a lonely guy for a long time – he is openly bisexual with a son and daughter from 2 marriages to prove it. But he has never got over his first love, who had also been a polo player but disappeared over Eastern Europe in the 80s while working for the air force.

Now in his forties, Preston has suffered a potentially career ending fall, waking up to a doctor with a personality that is as acerbic as his own. With the help of his best friend (Ned) who he met at an English boarding school as ten year olds, Preston is on the road to recovery. But there is so much going on and unfolding!

I have to admit, the big twist of the book, I saw coming a mile away, but that didn’t mean I loved it when it finally happened. Regardless, I’m not saying a peep here. Just read the bloody book and enjoy the drama and the sports!