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Category: Erotica/Gay-Lesbian Erotica/Romance
Description: Rafting guide Chip meets older man, Carlo, on a summer rafting trip, falling for the guy right away. The two start a relationship that Chip is pretty sure will fail, considering that he lives on the far side of Colorado from Carlo's swanky Denver condo. His buddies do their best to keep him occupied when Carlo's not around, though, with his roommates Danny and Gage starting a relationship no one ever expected, and his cowboy buddies finding love on a trail ride. Mountain Trails winds its way through Chip and Carlo's love affair like a Rocky Mountain stream, following them, their friends, and even a few strangers through Chip's last years of college, but will what he and Carlo have stand the test of time and distance?
eBook Publisher: Torquere Press/Screwdriver, 2008 www.torquerepress.com
eBookwise Release Date: May 2008

47 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [160 KB]
Words: 35380
Reading time: 101-141 min.

Alexa Snow, author of Clear Cut and Sleeping Stone, writes: Books that focus on multiple relationships are few and far between in this genre, and those that do so successfully--like this one--are even more rare. Because this type of story limits the amount of time author and reader can spend with each character, it can be difficult for the characters to be reasonably well-developed. Ms. Talbot handles these limitations neatly, carving out enough space so that none of the character development suffers and creating characters that the reader feels a connection to. Mountain Trails follows the developing relationships of several couples. All of them are unique and interesting, and their stories intertwine in fun and creative ways. Ms. Talbot has a charming style that moves the reader along from one twist and turn to the next effortlessly. This story combines the best of both worlds, uniting novel and anthology, and therefore seems likely to please fans of either ilk. Unique and extremely enjoyable.

"Okay, so how many of you have gone rafting before? Raise your hands."

Carlo hoped the kid didn't notice the lack of hands from his team-building group. Team building. Yeah, take a bunch of suits from Denver and Salt Lake City and plop them down in the wilderness of Western Colorado and see how good a team they became.

Shit.

More like tag-team bitch fighting.

"So, if you end up outside the boat, and we don't get you back in, point your feet downstream, lie on your back, and cross your arms. Keep your legs together. No romancing the stone, gentlemen. Wait until you get into shallow water, then swim for shore as hard as you can. Do not stand up. This water runs fast enough to cut your legs right off."

Lovely. Carlo just loved the idea of losing his legs for a trip that was going to lose them money anyway. At least the kid, what was his name? Chip. At least he was good to look at. Curly brown hair and bright blue eyes topped a sturdy, tanned body, nicely muscled. Even the little float vest the kid wore didn't cover that up.

"You got that?"

Carlo's eyes snapped up, meeting Chip's. The kid stood right in front of him, grinning hugely.

"Huh?"

"I was giving you a little spiel on oar safety. I think you missed it."

"Sorry. I ... sorry."

"No problem, man. Just keep this hand here, and this one over the end like this." Chip demonstrated the two-hand hold, one hand halfway down the oar, the other covering the t-grip handle. "That way no one loses teeth."

"Got it." First his legs, then his teeth. Why couldn't they play soccer? That he was good at.

"Cool." The kid turned, giving him a fine view of that amazing ass, thinly covered by a pair of low-slung board shorts. "Now remember, folks, the Upper Taylor isn't for sissies. It's cold, it's shallow, and the rocks will give you a wild ride. But you know what?"

Everyone stared as Chip turned in a circle, grinning impartially. "It's fun. Now, the guys will call you out to your boat. I gotta go get suited up."

They had all received Neoprene socks and life vests, and the option of a wetsuit. Carlo had no intention of going into the water, so he had refused that. Apparently it was their feet that stood the chance of frostbite, even in July. That seemed somehow terribly wrong.

"Dominguez, Drake and Gedrin, you're with me!" Chip called out, coming out in a wetsuit that hugged his every muscle and ripple. Good God.

Carlo went over to him, getting a friendly smile. "So, you're with the team-building thing, yeah? For the engineering firm?"

"Uh-huh." Carlo rolled his eyes. "I can't see how this will help us build team spirit, but it's not a day at the office."

"Oh, dude, this is the best job in the world. You're gonna love it. It's like going over a waterfall in a bathtub."

"That's not much of a recommendation."

"Sure it is. Everyone needs excitement. Let me check your vest."

Chip had nice hands, strong and brown, and they skimmed his torso when the kid tightened all the straps on his vest. It gave him goose bumps that had nothing to do with the cool air that came off the water.

"Can you breathe?" Chip asked.

"Barely."

"Good. It has to be tight, because if you fall out it will slip up around your neck and smother you if it's loose."