Let It Go by Mercy Celeste

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Let It Go was not at all the fluffy cowboys gay romance you could imagine from the cover; at a time gritty and dirty, at a time sweet and romantic, it was an odd mix that worked almost in a perfect way, and the almost is there only since, sometime the gritty parts made me uneasy, but actually that is a bonus for the story and kudos to the author.

Eli and Creed were always competitors, since the time Creed, 17 years old, won the horse competition against Eli, 18, there was a feud between them that is difficult to solve. Eli even moved to the bull competition to avoid to be face to face on the rodeo with Creed, but nevertheless, every time Eli meets Creed on the road, he is the first to start a fight. But this time he made a mistake, since the fight took place in Eli’s hometown, and the judge who is called to fine them, his Eli’s godfather and he wants to teach Eli a lessons: he forces the two men under house arrest together, and or they kill each other, or they learn how to cohabitate.

But Eli and Creed do more than cohabitate, they discover the tension between them had a long-lasting sexual origin, that both Eli and Creed are gays and they are attracted to each other. So far, you classic cowboys romance, isn’t it? But at this point the gritty I was talking about raise its ugly head, and child abuse, violence and rape are few of the hidden secrets you will learn about. For Eli and Creed is not simply a question of falling in love and live happily ever after, they need to trust each other, enough to be able to come clear of their past, and deal with it. It’s not even a question of acceptance, at least of the other past, is more a question of acceptance of their own, understanding that surviving was not a fault but a merit.

Despite everything, when Eli and Creed are together, they manage to be almost tender, happy, and probably for the first time, young: while they are together, you realize they are still boys more than men, or better men that have never had the chance to enjoy their young age, and a little piece of that lost youth is reliving in their lovemaking.

Amazon Kindle: Let It Go
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books (September 24, 2012)

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