Half Pass by Astrid Amara
Samhain Publishing
Gay Suspense
ISBN: 978-1-60928-333-9
Reviewed by Cassie




Paul King doesn’t even ride anymore after a terrible riding accident years ago, yet his aunt Beth willed him Serenity Stables, a boarding stable for high class horses.  Paul plans to unload the business as soon as possible.  Too bad it’s not in great shape, his drunkard of a cousin is trying to sabotage him, and the market is poor.  Stuck, Paul is forced to run the business as best he can.  Even the presence of sexy Brazilian trainer Estevan Souza fails to cheer Paul up too much, since the man is constantly confusing him.  Then a million dollar horse goes missing.  With suspects everywhere, Paul can’t be sure who to trust with his heart or his life.

Half Pass works very well both as a romance and as a suspense / mystery story.  Accustomed to a great apartment and an ‘out and proud’ lifestyle in San Francisco, Paul is none too pleased to be living in a stable and mucking out stalls.  Out of loyalty to his aunt, Paul continues to run the business, but everything seems to be going against him.  I liked Paul’s snarky attitude and stubbornness.

The object of his admiration, smoking hot trainer Estevan, is a puzzle.  He blows hot and cold, seeming by turns attracted and oblivious.  He drives Paul crazy, which was rather amusing.  Once things start really going wrong for Paul, the pace of the story flies.  The disappearance of Tux, a very expensive horse, ups the stakes.  While I figured out part of the Tux mystery right away, the rest had me stumped for a good deal of the book.  The boarders at Serenity Stables are an odd bunch, making for a long and interesting list of suspects.  On top of his worries about Tux and the stable, Paul has to deal with his intense attraction to Estevan, who seems to be hiding a lot of secrets.

I enjoyed following along with Paul as he works his way through the mystery, his horse-related trauma, and his tangled feelings for Estevan.  I’d definitely recommend Half Pass.