[ARC REVIEW] “Dark Horse” (The Quiet Horsemen #2) By: Maggie Rawdon

The second book in Maggie Rawdon’s The Quiet Horsemen series is here!

What is Dark Horse by Maggie Rawdon about?

Grant Stockton is the devil incarnate. The cowboy turned casino-owning crime boss has been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember—first as my older brother’s best friend, then as my guardian when my brother died at his side, and now as the rival bar owner and landlord running me into the red.

He might be the head of The Quiet Horsemen, the man everyone else in this town fears, but I’m not about to cede a single inch of ground to him.
If I have to lie, cheat, and steal to keep him from finding out my bar’s underwater—well, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

At least until he breaks into my apartment and discovers my secret. One that gives him all the leverage he needs to control my fate.

My only reprieve is that The Horsemen are in the middle of a war, one that’s been spilling blood for the better part of a decade, and his enemies are closing in on our small mountain town.

Which is why I’m taken off guard by the demand he makes in exchange for keeping my secret.

Apparently there are benefits to being at the mercy of the devil…

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Review:

“Dark Horse” picks up where “Bull Rush” leaves off, so stop reading this review if you haven’t read the first book in the series yet! I adored Bull Rush, so I was really looking forward to reading the next Stockton brother’s story.

One of my favorite things about Maggie’s books is that they all take place in the same universe – you don’t have to read all of them in order to understand what’s going on, but it definitely enhances the reading experience, especially when characters from previous books appear. (At the very least, you should read “Lords of Misrule” and “Bull Rush”…but also probably “Mine to Gain,” and if you’re going that far, you might as well just start at the beginning with her Plays & Penalties series.) We get to see more of the side characters from “Bull Rush,” and it was so special getting to see Hazel and Ramsey in their happily ever after era, since they were at odds for a solid chunk of their own book. The characters from Lords of Misrule are more prominent in this book than they were in the previous one, made all the more special knowing their origin story. We get to see more of Dakota’s relationships with her friends (who we met from Hazel’s POV in the last book), which I really enjoyed (along with the set ups for future books!!).

My biggest hang up, if you can call it that, was how Dokota and Grant first moved from friends? Irritated adversaries? to more. It was really manipulative of Grant, and predatory, especially if she wasn’t also into him. However, I will say that this actions after that were always considerate and respectful, and it was always clear how much he cared about her. There’s a bit of crossover in the tropes between Bull Rush and Dark Horse, since both are brother’s best friend romances, but the situations are still quite different from each other.

I recommend this book for 18+ due to some of the mature content. Maggie is one of my favorite authors, and this book didn’t disappoint! Overall, this was a really strong addition to the Maggie Rawdon literary universe, and I can’t wait for Levi’s story (and the continuation of Charlotte and Co.)! “Dark Horse” is available now.

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