From Ellora's Cave. A Helping Hand By Shayla Kersten Deputy Sheriff Rich Taylor has many secrets. His sexuality is only the top of the list. Even his best friend Dan doesn't know Rich is gay. For good reason. His feelings for Dan are more than friendship. When Dan's injured, the thought of losing him forces Rich to admit his years-long lust has turned to love. An accident turns State Trooper Dan Fletcher's life, and his car, upside down. With his right hand out of commission, he has to rely on his best friend for his basic — sometimes intimate — needs. After spending most of his life looking for the right woman, he begins to wonder if he's been looking at the wrong gender — an impossible concept in their small-minded world. --------- I kinda liked this. Drama and cops set in a small town. A man in the closet and one unaware that he is gay. Absorbing premise and be interesting to see the next few books Shayla Kersten writes. Cover by Les Byerley, ok but not a favorite. Get the book here - http://tiny.cc/FD2NT My blog - http://sharrow.wordpress.com ( )

I’ve read a few of Shayla Kersten’s M/M stories and I just have to say that I like her better and better each time. While I do sometimes have slight technical issues with her writing - it can be somewhat stilted in the beginning of some of her works, but always smooths out after the first chapter or so - overall I have never failed to enjoy her books. This one is no exception.I found Rich and Dan to be very in-depth characters, both dealing (or not dealing) with issues in their lives, issues that really come to the forefront when Dan is injured on the job. Now, the basic plot device seems to be a pretty straight-forward “let’s get the gay guy and the straight guy into close proximity after a little dose of hurt/comfort and watch the sexing commence”, but it’s really not as cliched as all that. There’s angst, drama, unresolved sexual tension, a crazy southern gal, a small town, and two sexy cops you just want to cuff together and say “Enough with the emo, boys! Get it on!”I’d recommend this to anyone who has a yen for angst-ridden, small-town cops and emotional plot lines.http://iheartpaperbacks.wordpress.com ( )

Rich is a cop in the closet. He's kept his secret from Dan, his best friend whom he loves. When Dan is in an accident and needs Rich's help, he is right there to lend a helping hand. Dan fights his attraction to Rich, and an ex-girlfriend complicates the situation even more. The two men must overcome misunderstandings and fear in order to be truly happy.Kersten has written a sweet, entertaining story. I loved both Dan and Rich, and I was happy to learn after an Internet search that there's a book coming up for another character in the story. ( )

From Ellora's Cave.
A Helping Hand By Shayla Kersten
Deputy Sheriff Rich Taylor has many secrets. His sexuality is only the top of the list. Even his best friend Dan doesn't know Rich is gay. For good reason. His feelings for Dan are more than friendship. When Dan's injured, the thought of losing him forces Rich to admit his years-long lust has turned to love.

An accident turns State Trooper Dan Fletcher's life, and his car, upside down. With his right hand out of commission, he has to rely on his best friend for his basic — sometimes intimate — needs. After spending most of his life looking for the right woman, he begins to wonder if he's been looking at the wrong gender — an impossible concept in their small-minded world.
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I kinda liked this. Drama and cops set in a small town. A man in the closet and one unaware that he is gay. Absorbing premise and be interesting to see the next few books Shayla Kersten writes. Cover by Les Byerley, ok but not a favorite.
Get the book here - http://tiny.cc/FD2NT
My blog - http://sharrow.wordpress.com/ ( )

Rich and Dan are best friends in a small town USA. Both police officer, the most dangerous thing they face is a speed ticket. Dan is the womanizer of the town, but he is not despised by women: he is very clear with all the women he dates, he is searching for Miss Right, the one to share his life, and he is bent upon to "test" all the women available. Rich instead is the eternal friend, both for women than men: he is always there, always available to give an hand... Rich is gay, but he decided long time ago to not coming out in the small town he lives to avoid trouble; his boss knows that, and he has no problem with it, but no one else. Rich thinks that no one else in the town could be a possible partner for him, so why complicate his life? When he has "some" urges, he has a buddy f..k friend in the nearer city, and he takes a weekend off. Neither Dan knows about him, above all since Rich has feelings for Dan, feelings that he has no intention to reveal since there is no chance that Dan returns them.

But when Dan is injured in a car accident and he needs help at home, Rich offers to stay with him in the same house and the proximity unveil some of his feelings. Probably the realization that he could loose his friend, unlocks something in Rich, and he finds out that also Dan is not at all stranger to the idea. But for Dan is the first gay experience and he has never had before thoughts about men; the only man he desires is Rich, but he is not still ready to come out. I understand Dan: he all of sudden faces a very important decision and he is not given the time to metabolize the news; he is asked to choose and he is put in front of an hard choice, stay with Rich or see him go to his buddy friend Jeremy, and loose him forever.

This is the classical triangle: Jeremy loves Rich but Rich loves Dan and Dan is not sure of what he feels. Of all the three characters, I like Dan, I believe he is the one who risks everything for love. Don't know if I like Rich... true, Rich is a positive character, a good friend, but I believe he is not fighting spirit, he goes with the flow, and he doesn't try to change the thing around him. Poor Jeremy is a supporting character, but I like him: he risks and looses, but at least he tries.

The story is medium long, 145 pages, and it's a good mix of plot and sex. Maybe the sex is a bit too easy, and truth be told, I don't like very much the attitude of Dan who despises the behavior of his last girlfriend Sharon, but still he remembers with pleasure her bed skills, and of Rich, who thinks to be in love with Dan, but still turns to Jeremy for comfort sex. But probably I always see the world through pink glasses, and I said, all in all I like very much Dan and Jeremy... will Shayla Kersten write Jeremy's story?