The Terms of Release by B.A. Tortuga ~ Audiobook

51PkiVkMfIL._SL300_Title: The Terms of Release
Author: BA Tortuga
Narrator: Slate Anders
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 8 hours and 1 minute
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (09-12-2014)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2.75 Hearts
Blurb: They say a man can always come home. So after doing hard time, Sage Redding heads to his family’s northeast Texas ranch to help his ailing daddy with the cutting horses.

Adam (Win) Winchester is a county deputy and the cousin of one of the men killed in the incident that sent Sage to prison for almost a decade. While Win’s uncles, Jim and Teddy, are determined to make Sage and the entire Redding family pay for their loss, Win just figures Sage has paid his dues and maybe needs a friend. Maybe he needs more than a friend. In fact, Win’s counting on it.

No one’s denying Sage is an ex-con who went to prison for manslaughter. Regardless of the love he has for his father, he’s returned knowing things will likely go badly for him. Maybe a man can always come home, but he may not be able to stay.

Product Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/The-Terms-of-Release-Audiobook/B00NB3BCHI

Reviewer: Tams

Review: You can always go home, but why would you want to when almost everyone considers you responsible for the death of one of their own? Sage Redding is called home to help his family on their Ranch when his father falls too ill to continue working with the horses. No sooner than he steps off the plane in Texas, the local sheriff makes it clear he has Sage in his sights. A decade spent in prison has not lessened the hate that is simmering in the hearts of the family that feel Sage took something from them.

Deputy Adam Winchester, Win, can understand the pain his family still holds on too, it was his cousin that died, but he doesn’t think Sage is as responsible as he was punished for. Win does his best to keep his family at bay, but Sage is hurt by some people ‘out for justice’ regardless. As the story progress’s so does the relationship between Win and Sage, Win becomes very protective of his lover, but his family doesn’t know when to quit. Add to that Mother Nature herself in the form of a very pissed off tornado, and the ability to keep Sage safe is literally jerked out of Win’s hands.

I really enjoyed the storyline of the good boy gone bad, supposedly, but in actuality, he is protecting the memory of his friend. Sage takes the blame for far more than he is responsible for and through it all, he keeps his dead friends memory clean. And I loved that Sage’s family stood up for him regardless, the controversy behind his conviction, his sexuality, and the trouble that follows him everywhere. They just love him and support him.

Alas, there was so much going on within the spines of this story that at times, I was confused, and the story itself felt rushed. This could easily have been split into two books with more attention paid to specific details in each installment. There were situations and words used repetitively in abundance, which took away from the overall feeling of the story as well.

This was my first audio with Slate Anders and I won’t be rushing to grab another one from him. I don’t know if he thought he was bringing the characters to life by using likenesses of John Wayne, Elvis Presley, and Carson Kressley but it did not do this story justice and came across as campy and generic.
I’m torn on this one, I think perhaps I should have read this one and not listened to it, but the overuse of terms and words would still lower my rating. If you like Cowboy Romances though, this story may appeal to you.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *