Jerry Lincoln has a problem: his Sioux Falls IT consulting business has more work than one man can handle. Luckily, that means he can hire some help. Jerry just hopes his new employee, John Black Raven, ends up being more helpful than distracting—but John’s deep eyes and long hair are very distracting. John came to town for an education and a chance at a life he couldn’t have on the reservation, but what’s important to him now is getting a job and keeping it. Six months ago, his sister died, and now her children are in foster care. Despite having the law on his side, John can’t get custody—can’t even see his niece and nephew.
As Jerry and John grow closer, John discovers he doesn’t have to struggle alone. Jerry helps him win visitation rights and provides much-needed support. Yet their victories aren’t without setbacks. Child Services is tangled up with money, politics, and red tape, and Native American children are their bread and butter. But John and Jerry are determined to fight the good fight and to win—in more ways than one.
Bryce Morton needs a change of scenery. Since his partner's death a year ago, he's become withdrawn and quiet, so his friends, Jerry Lincoln and Akecheta (John) Black Raven, convince him to go camping with them on a Sioux reservation. Though he's not immediately sure he's done the right thing, Bryce becomes more interested when he meets Paytah, the man who owns the reservation's trading post.Paytah Stillwater's life is filled with hurt, and sometimes the only thing he has left is pride. After being abused as a child and disbelieved when he spoke up, he has withdrawn into himself - but he can never truly put his past behind him, because the source of his pain still lives on the reservation. Paytah is proud of his heritage and careful with his heart, but when Bryce commits a selfless act of kindness for one of the reservation's children, the walls around Paytah's heart begin to melt.
Bryce and Paytah each fight the pain within them. When Paytah's abuser sets his sights on one of the reservation youngsters, Bryce and Payton must set their individual fights aside. Finding a way to stop the abuser unites them to fight their way forward - together.
Will Martin’s racist father, Kevin, hates Native Americans and wants to keep them off his property, never mind that part of the ranch land is sacred ground for the Sioux. When they request access for prayer, Kevin refuses—but Will doesn’t share his father’s views. Ever since he first saw Takoda Red Bird during one of the Sioux sacred ceremonies, Will has been fascinated. He grants the tribe access.Takoda defies Kevin on a regular basis. He often sneaks to the sacred site on the rancher’s land for prayer and knows Will has seen him there. When, out of spite, Kevin places the land up for auction, Takoda knows it is time for action and bands together with Will to stop the sale.
In the fight that follows, Will gets more than he expected. He starts out helping the tribe preserve their identity… and ends up finding his own.
The Fight For Identity: Will Martin left his beloved ranch and racist father behind when he left for college, and he’s been home little since, until now. Back working the ranch and determined to stop his father from selling it, he stumbles upon Takoda on part of the ranch that is sacred to the Sioux. Before Will’s grandfather died he did his best to teach him about the Sioux and why the land was sacred to them. He looks to Takoda to fill in the gaps. As Will learns more about the Sioux he finds himself falling for the sexy Native American. Will has never hidden his sexuality from his father. Kevin Martin’s doesn’t understand how or why his son is attracted to other men, but he loves his son. He saves his hatred for the Sioux. When his son falls in love with one of the men he has spent his adult life hating, will he make his son choose between him and the man he loves? Takoda can see the writing on the wall and pushes Will away.
Will doesn’t intend to let Takoda go quite so easily and makes that perfectly clear when he invites Takoda to his home for dinner, with his father. With Takoda’s help Will tries to discover the root cause of his father’s hatred of the Sioux. When Will learns the truth not only about his father’s deep seeded anger, but secrets of his own past, will it be more than he can handle?
I love this series. The research Grey has put into all the characters from all three books is spectacular and it is conveyed well in the writing. Will, Takoda and Kevin are all multi-faceted characters with realistic issues and complicated lives. The concept behind the ranch and the land and why it’s sacred to the Sioux was intriguing. Mix that with the various storylines individually as well as intertwined and you have a fantastic read.
Tams: For those not familiar with your or your books, introduce yourself.
Andrew: I’m Andrew Grey and I’ve been writing since early 2007. I didn’t start out to write MM romance, but my stories quickly revolved around people like me falling in love. I have a number of themes that are important to e, but I think the most important is that you make your own family.
Tams: I have yet to read one of your books that I didn't like, but this series has become one of my favorites of yours. What research did you do to come up with the final product for this series?
Andrew: I did a lot of internet research as well as spoke to friends who are Native American. I have since met a woman who lives on the Sioux reservation and her help was invaluable.
Tams: In The Good Fight, Jerry Lincoln and John Black Raven are fighting the system to gain custody of John's niece and nephew. What was the inspiration for this storyline?
Andrew: A story on NPR about a woman trying to get custody of her grandchildren. The more I read about the child welfare system in South Dakota, especially as it pertained to native Americans, the angrier I got.
Tams: In The Fight Within you write about a few different difficult life events. The death of a partner, the abuse from the mentor. And yet you didn't take it to an extreme that made my skin crawl or made me not want to continue the book. How did you find that balance?
Andrew: I figured if it made my skin crawl, it would do the same for others. I didn’t want to make light of the events, but I also wanted to make sure the overall experience with the story was pleasant.
Tams: In The Fight for Identity you created a plausible and fascinating story of the Sioux Indians and the Sacred land that they are being banned from using. Is this a true story you took and made your own? Or was it something you created specific for this series?
Andrew: The land itself is real and was to be sold last year. I took that story and made it my own, but it does have a factual base. Pe’ Sla does exist and was to be sold. It is my understanding that the land owners and the tribes have reached an understanding.
Tams: My personal favorite Andrew Grey read was Love Comes Silently. There is a sequel of sorts in the works, Love Comes in Darkness. Can we get some exclusive details on this upcoming release? Andrew: Love Comes In Darkness will be out in a few months. Ken is blind and the story is told entirely form his point of view. It was an extremely liberating experience for me and really helped bring home the challenges as well as the triumphs of being sightless in a seeing world.
Tams: When will the next Range Series book be coming out?
Andrew: At this point there isn’t another Range story planned. There were six in the series. I haven’t ruled another one out, but I need some time. Another story may come to me, but I need some inspiration first.
Tams: Finally, what upcoming tours and/or book signings are on your schedule for the summer?
Andrew: I will be at the Book Expo of America in New York in Late May. I’ll be attending Authors After Dark in Savannah, Georgia in August, and Gay Rom Lit in Atlanta in October.
Thank you once again for sharing your books and thoughts with us Mr. Grey, until next time!
