Guest Review: Only You by Kay Doherty

Case Holden hates his life. Made rich at a young age, he slipped into a lifestyle of partying with multiple boyfriends who only wanted to be with him for what he could give them. After confiding to his aunt that he’s miserable, she extends an invitation for a visit. Case plans to spend the time in small town Clover City to reprioritize and plant his feet on the road to happiness. He does not expect the Clover City sheriff to step into his world and wreak havoc on his emotions.

Two years ago, after the death of his partner, Rawley Kane moved to Clover City, trading the painful memories and big city madness for a less stressful existence. Even as sheriff, his life is uncomplicated and quiet. That is until Case Holden rolls into town and reminds Rawley just how lonely he is, and of everything he’s been missing.

Case is everything Rawley shouldn’t want. The man has six boyfriends and a life back in Denver, not to mention he’s quite a bit younger than Rawley. No matter what he tells himself, he can’t get enough of the young man. And Case has made it clear Rawley is the only one he wants. Now if they could just get past Rawley’s guilt and Case’s insistent boyfriends, they just might stand a chance.

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Oh Case ...

You are kind of an asshole. Thankfully, you know this and don't like it. Otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do about this review of the book about you and your hot sheriff.

Party-boy Case has fallen into every trap the "trust fund rich guy" trope has to offer. He essentially parties, does drugs, drinks a lot, and fucks anything that moves. Well, sort of. He's limited himself to a select group of people he has sex with, but there's more people in that group than I have fingers on one hand. Seriously.

Enter Sheriff Rawley, "the monogamy guy" whose grieving a lover who died. And he's hot. Did I mention that. Holy *fans self* hotness, Batman^©. Yep. Sheriff Rawley's hot. And he's the type of alpha male who would have made a good hero in an m/f title as well. Hetero females dropping panties everywhere. Yep. Well, he's perfect for this genre, too.

Once I got past the rampant fuckery of Case's bed-buddies dripping out of the woodwork, I was rooting for him to get with the program and take a risk on something worthwhile with Rawley. Conversely, I was rooting for Rawley to be willing to take a risk, period. Once burned and all that.

And let's be honest, Case the party-boy wasn't exactly a safe bet for a solid, pragmatic guy who'd already had his heart shredded by loss. Promiscuity and apathy aren't usually my cup of tea, but something about those things in this story did it for me. I think Case had a redeemable quality from the beginning, which was helpful. I disliked the fact that he went back on a promise to himself within days of hitting town on his 'sabbatical', but I get it.

I will say it shows a lack of commitment on his part that I just realized is what bothered me about his character throughout and made me worry about his worthiness for a guy like Rawley. I am intimately familiar with the particular brand of 'tired' Case was living with, so maybe there was some commiseration there. I know nothing whatsoever about being rich though, so he kind of lost me with the materialistic stuff.

Thankfully that was only a small portion of who he was as a 'real boy'. There was a lot of immaturity on the part of both MCs, and that was a bit aggravating. I actually dinged it quite a bit solely based on that. Case broke up with his boyfriends—yes plural—via text. Rawley's little green monster was unbecoming of a man with his stoic demeanor. Things like that.

There were some minor "hmm ..." moments, like a supposedly closeted Rawley answering Case's phone 'morning after' style, and a few more instances where I rolled my eyes almost out of my head, but I focused on the overall journey instead of getting bogged down in the niggles. It worked for me to read it that way, but others might find some of it off-putting or childish.

What else can I say? There's some personal growth, some redemption, some hurt/comfort, a second chance at real love for one MC, and a whole lotta hotness goin' on. There is, however, no cheating. I wanted to make sure there were no misinterpretations. Yes, Case was promiscuous, but before he ends up in Hottie McLawman's town. He was trying to make a change, or at least tired of what he had been doing, so ...

In general, the book was well-written. I read an ARC copy, of course, so I tend to not pay much attention to editing, etc. unless it's atrocious and unlikely to improve. I didn't notice any glaring inconsistencies or holes in the plot and that was good enough for me. The author is new to me, and perhaps new in general, though I won't swear to it. In any case, she's one to watch for. I'd recommend this book to people who like contemporary themes in the genre.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
Credit to Warner Brothers and DC Comics for Batman^©
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Guest Review: Space Mac by Emma Jane

Cocky escort Mackenzie “Mac” Jones has just the right type of blood so that when he steals an odd silver brooch from a client, it transports him to a strange planet. Frightened and confused—and confronted by aliens—he flees and ends up bumping into a handsome humanoid male named Teevar.

But Teevar and his companions are also on the run, and Mac finds himself embroiled in the affairs of his new friends with no idea how to get back to Earth. Can Mac and Teevar survive long enough to work out their feelings for each other? And will Mac ever see home again?

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Space Fun

I had a lot of fun with this title. A rent-boy Earth guy steals something from a client that lands him in a processing center for humans in space. This was an understandably jarring experience, so the first chance Mac gets to escape what he thinks will be some horrific experimentation, he takes it.

Of course, this lands him in even further hot water as he runs into a crew of people, including his love interest, Teevar, who is also on the run. Apparently Teevar's people don't much care for the fact that he's gay or that he killed to protect himself, essentially, and he's being hunted across the galaxy doing ... slightly unsavory things with his crew in order to remain free. Sounds like fun, right?

Well, it was.

It was also harrowing in places, sad here and there, and sweet where it needed to be. There was a little slow burn UST and a couple of MCs who couldn't have been more opposite in many respects. Mac was jaded and a little too experienced and Teevar was about as shy, restrained and inexperienced as a guy can get.

However, factor in the whole we'll-kill-you-cuz-you-like-men aspect of his society (thankfully not a universe-wide issue) and it was pretty understandable and made for some interesting interactions between him and Mac.

Now, Mac was kind of an oblivious douche-bag here and there. He was so singlemindedly focused on getting back to Earth, he was a little callous about what was right in front of him. He was also a raging narcissist and kind of an ass about it, TBH. In reality, he was unlikable a lot of the time, but there was also a sense that a lot of it was a front.

So ... redemption was in the offing and that's catnip for me. I think Mac was in "flight" mode for a lot of the book and was chasing after what he thought he should have wanted without thinking too much about whether it was actually worth the effort to get back to. I mean, if I had a choice between going back to selling my ass or traveling the universe with a crew of *cough* slightly disreputable folks and a guy that really loved me (and vice versa). Well, I think I'd go for the space jam.

The crew was cray-cray. Just ... yeah, cray-cray. There was some fast-paced action, a lot of running, and more running. The plot was a little OTT, but the romantic interest element balanced it out nicely even though Mac spent all his time trying to get back to Earth and Teevar spent the same time preparing to get left behind for dead.

I liked the little bit of world-building that was included. A lot of it was on kind of a micro level, as in, they went here, they went there, they went back over here. Those places were described well in isolation.

There's a lot of space-faring worlds out there that we hear about and some beings we see in passing. The worlds have their own individual societies which are not interfered with for the most part, but many of those same worlds are part of a larger collective with a kind of universal set of laws that are enforced as it pertains to lesser beings and other worlds.

It's hard to explain because we only got hints of the Big Picture and I would have liked a lot more of that. The way I looked at it was kind of like our world. Each country has their own laws that the rest of the world may or may not frown upon, but as long as you're not Hitler, you're pretty much left alone.

Then there's countries who belong to NATO, and they have an agreed upon set of rules that are followed by their member countries for the good of all. Supposedly.

Were there problems? Sure. I said before it was a little OTT and short on Big Picture. It wholeheartedly embraced a few offensive gay stereotypes and ran with them which some might find objectionable. I felt like it was a deliberate vibe and it fit the voice of the story.

Since it was an ARC, I try not to harp too much on editing because that usually means it's not finished yet, but that has bitten me in the butt before. So ... there were some minor editing issues and the language had a definite British cant to it. There, butt covered.

Other than that, if you don't take this one too seriously, it's a lot of fun. I hope to see more of this world from the author, and honestly, more of these characters. There weren't any glaring loose ends as far as Mac making a decision—stay or go—but the ending was quite abrupt and there's a lot of room for more ... adventurous misadventures.


More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Guest Review: Sunburnt by Joey Jameson

Lenox Winter is the son of rock royalty. Although born into the London elite, his laid-back style and relaxed vibe has always made him feel better suited for something or somewhere outside of the legacy his parents have built. Some place where the sun shines all year long and the people move to a different beat. Ibiza.

Far away from the busy streets and dreary skies of London rests the white isle. Home to hedonism, immaculate sandy beaches, and utter tranquility. While holidaying on the island with a group of his best friends, and desperate to leave behind the stresses of London as well as the harmful memories of his ex, he meets Lyric; a man who epitomises the bohemian vibe of his beloved Ibiza.

As romance quickly blossoms between the two, Lenox begins to feel that he may have finally found someone special to help him escape the suffocating clutches of his life in the UK. But when things take a drastic turn, both begin to realise that there are two sides to every person and that some things are better kept hidden.

Sunburnt is a story of romance, intrigue, and deep twisted secrets that takes the idea of a holiday romance to catastrophic new heights.

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Twisty McTwisterson

This was not what I expected. The blurb doesn't exactly lend itself to giving readers a better idea of what this book is about, but honestly, I don't see how it could be less misleading without giving too much away. Long story short, in totality, this is not a romance. It's really more of a thriller with romantic elements.

The writer does a really good job of fleshing out the characters and also the setting. I have been to Ibiza and I swear, I could smell the ocean and the sunscreen; I could feel the hot sand and hear the music. I felt like the author stepped into my memories and dropped the characters right in the middle of them. The descriptions were very, very successful.

As for the MCs, Lenox ... well, Lenox kind of pissed me off. I absolutely could not blame him for wanting to live it up. Ibiza really does lend itself well to that kind of thing. What I did not like was the way he basically blew his friends off. Although it was kind of hard to be mad at him at all considering what happened later, it was still a douche move. Since getting led around by your *cough* less intelligent head seems to be a common trait, I believed it, I just didn't like it.

Lyric would have been hard to pass up regardless, and was an interesting character the whole time. I felt the chemistry and the guys were really hot and sweet together. That nostalgic summer beach-y romance feel hit me right in the solar plexus. I know what that feels like.

What does surprise me a little is that I had kind of a vibe about Lyric from the beginning, like something was a little off, even though I couldn't put my finger on it. There was little or no foreshadowing to support that feeling so I was blindsided. I expected things to continue as they began.

Yeah, not so much. Eep!

Sure, this was a little bit of a romance and a whole lot of thriller, but when I left it, I was just sad. Had I known what it actually was, I'm not sure I would have read it. I can't really say much more without spoiling the major plot twist, but let's just say I like for everybody to be alive when I'm done reading something that's supposed to be a "romance".

And on that note, I'll stop yapping at the book and get straight to the recommendation.

If you're looking for love, or hot beach bodies, or fun, sun, and sand, you'll get that here. If you're looking for mystery, suspense, and a little bit of a crazy ride, you'll get that too. If you're looking for an HEA, well, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Is this a good book. Yes. It just wasn't what I expected. If you keep in mind the ^^wills and won'ts^^ you'll be just fine, and if nothing else, you can do a little imaginary traveling to a beautiful out of the way Spanish island in the Mediterranean.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Guest Review: Dantès Unglued (Ward Security, #2) by Jocelynn Drake and Rinda Elliott

When private investigator, Shane Stephens, is hired by the mayor of Cincinnati to track down the hacker who has been threatening him, Shane is sure this is the opportunity to launch the Merleau Detection Agency into the big time. He even convinces Rowe Ward of Ward Security to loan him one of his best IT specialists, Quinn Lake.

Shane, a man who prefers casual intimacy, is surprised by his attraction to the moody computer geek, but when Quinn suggests they have fun for the month he’s on loan, Shane happily agrees. Both men are expecting nothing more than a good time.

But the investigation takes an unexpected turn and they quickly discover they are facing more than a hacker out to ruin the mayor’s re-election chances. And as they spend more time together, they realize their relationship may be a lot more than just a good time.

With only weeks until the election, Shane and Quinn race to gather the proof they need while dodging bullets and possibly…falling in love.

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Whelp

Where to begin. I'm going to preface this review by saying: take it with a grain of salt. I'm salty enough for all of us, I think, but you get what I mean. I've been trying (and failing) to refrain from comparing this series with it's predecessor, the Unbreakable Bonds series, which is one of my all-time favorites.

Unfortunately, Ward Security is suffering by comparison, which is at least partially due to my inability to compartmentalize the two and judge the books from the spinoff on their own merits. Or maybe I'm doing the too-hard-on-myself schtick, I dunno. It's a thing with a mind of its own.

There are some things to like here, don't get me wrong. The writing is fluid, the editing is very good, the words in the dialogues flow well, the sex scenes are pretty hot (as always with these authors), and the plots aren't too far off the reservation.

There's also the usual amount of action, and it's very well done. The larger plotline, the whodunit stuff, is maybe a little far-fetched if you take this story and put it out there in real life, but it is possible that this type of stuff has happened somewhere out there before, so that's another for the plus column.

This book, with Shane and Quinn as the MCs, was more enjoyable for me than the first book in the series because I truly, truly, disliked Sven's love interest in that one. I call him: He-who-will-not-be-named.

That said, I liked Shane and Quinn and I liked them together. I was a little confused by the fact that I didn't remember Shane being mentioned in Unbreakable Bonds or in Psycho Romeo (Ward Security Book 1). Drake & Elliott tend to pull MCs from characters that were introduced in previous books. Quinn, I knew, but if we did meet Shane before, I either had a brain fart or wasn't memorable.

That's a departure from the norm with these series and left me with no expectations for what Shane would be like or where he fit in this world of generally fantastic characters. In other words, for me, it was a virtual standalone. I don't have an issue with standalones per se, but it's not what I've come to expect. It irked a little.

So, unrealistic expectations? Or is this book just not meeting the bar set by the authors in other works. I'll have to let you decide for yourselves. I do know that I haven't enjoyed these books in general, or this one in particular, as much as I liked the ones from the previous series.

The characters aren't as dynamic, there is no real unifying series story arc and these pairs of MCs are kind of just freewheeling it through the Unbreakable/Ward universe. They feel tetherless to me and maybe that's where I'm having a problem.

There was a real sense of unity with Snow, Lucas, Rowe and Ian. Even when their guys started hitting the scene, it seemed like they slipped right into a hole shaped just for them. They were a family and I LOVED it. I just wish I was getting that same feeling with these and I'm really bummed that I'm not.

Well then, here's hoping the next one's better. The book gods know I've been drooling over Royce from day one, so ... yeah. I'm afraid I'll be disappointed. For that reason, I won't be anxiously salivating, waiting for release day. I'll get to it when I get to it and hopefully it's better than what we've gotten from Ward Security so far.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Guest Review: Darkling (Port Lewis Witches #1) by Brooklyn Ray

Port Lewis, a coastal town perched on the Washington cliffs, is surrounded by dense woods, and is home to quaint coffee shops, a movie theater, a few bars, two churches, the local college, and witches, of course.

Ryder is a witch with two secrets—one about his blood and the other about his heart. Keeping the secrets hasn’t been a problem, until a tarot reading with his best friend, Liam Montgomery, who happens to be one of his secrets, starts a chain of events that can’t be undone.

Dark magic runs through Ryder’s veins. The cards have prophesized a magical catastrophe that could shake the foundation of Ryder’s life, and a vicious partnership with the one person he doesn’t want to risk.

Magic and secrets both come at a cost, and Ryder must figure out what he’s willing to pay to become who he truly is.

Warning: Scenes of bloodletting and death (and resurrection) of an MC.

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Microcosmic

Maybe I read a different book than everyone else, I don't know. What I do know is that while I enjoyed this story, it was also unfulfilling. The world-building was spectacular. It was. The trans MC was well-portrayed and I loved the dichotomy of Fire/Air elemental they had going on here.

This is a novella, so I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling it for everyone. Given the length, everything counts. That said, Darkling is aptly named. Ryder's stomping ground is a dark, dark, place. His mind is a dark, dark, place for a lot of this book—and for good reason.

Liam is a breath of fresh air for Ryder, if you'll forgive the play on words. I spent a lot of the book feeling bad for him because the situation was just so ... heavy.

I related to the feels. Ryder was quietly petrified, too self-sacrificing, compulsively pessimistic, and more than a little sad. Liam was inconspicuously supportive, despairingly hopeful, and forcibly helpless in the face of everything that was going on in this title. There was only so much he could do and that was heartbreaking.

So why am I not starkers over this title like everyone else seems to be? Well ...
there are a few reasons.

I appreciated Liam's effortless acceptance of Ryder. At no point did I wonder if he saw Ryder as different. He didn't. To Liam, Ryder was just Ryder. I loved that and wish it was like that for everyone in real life. I wish Ryder had been as accepting of himself. I was a little confused by the partial change, but that might be my ignorance yapping. Maybe Ryder was confused, too. Either way, I wanted to know more about that in specifics.

The world-building was good, for the small slice of the world we got to see. It was microcosmic, IMO. That was disappointing. Rewinding the story in my head, the scope felt extremely narrow. Maybe I missed something, but I don't think so. The plot was Liam and Ryder in this little bubble with The Big Day looming, and the only things that were fleshed out pertained directly to that and their relationship leading up to it. That's it.

Regardless of my slight sense of dissatisfaction, I was pleasantly surprised by the story overall. I think part of my disappointment lay in the fact that it wasn't quite enough. It felt like things were missing or waiting in the wings and those things were the things I really wanted to see.

Maybe we'll get more in book two, I'm not sure. The blurb for that one seems equally narrow in scope, but like Liam, I'm cautiously hopeful that there's more to this story arc than what we've seen and more of what I missed out on in this title in ones to come.

Guest Review: La Vie en Bleu (Lacuna Chronicles #5) by A.M. Daily

“My mother named me Miel. Grandmother used to laugh because she couldn’t believe anything sweet could ever come from my mother…”

Born in a turbulent age of violent political upheaval and societal collapse, and thrown to the streets of Zenith as a prostitute at a tender age, Blue yearns for a better life and learns to survive by following a simple piece of hard-learned advice: don’t trust anyone.

Heartbroken and embittered, Blue is convinced that love and friendship are unattainable, until a chance meeting with a charming but reckless gang initiate and a passionate affair with an enigmatic Mechi cause him to question everything.

But nothing lasts forever and a cruel twist of fate leads to the loss of love and the birth of an empire in this story of heartache, danger, and hope.

**Trigger Warnings: Dub-con/Non-con, rape, drug use, prostitution, abuse, graphic violence, explicit sexual content**

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Retro-Bio

So, La Vie is, obviously, Blue's story. If you've read the preceding four books, then you were probably intrigued by his character. His life was not easy and human nature dictates that we want all the down and dirty deets.

That said, I did not read the first four books. I usually do that in preparation for writing a review on a book that falls in the middle of a series, but not this time. I did try to get into the series as a whole, and I generally love sci-fi or dystopian themes, but I just couldn't sink into these.

It took me a long time to get into La Vie as well. I can't really put my finger on why that is. Wrong headspace? Maybe. Is it a little slow? No, not at all really. Was it uninteresting? No. Poorly written? No. Poorly edited? No. So truly, I don't know why I struggled, but struggle I did. Does that mean you will? I don't know, but it's worth finding out.

The plot was kind of a retroactive biography of Blue's life. It started before he met the protagonists of the previous books, continued on through the most salient points of his life, and continued beyond that into his future with his ultimate love interest and containing a very effective sci-fi twist. Well, it was more like a sci-fi follow-through, but I don't want to spoil, even by hinting at it. I was glad for Blue at the end. Very, very glad.

In my opinion, this book can be read as a standalone and maybe should be read first. If you're a chronology stickler, you'll just avoid this advice I'm sure *wink* and that's okay, but for me, it actually made me a little curious about the other characters and the preceding books ... but only a little.

I was happy about that though because I don't take failure well, and the fact that book one was kind of a dead end, backburner question mark (for me), rubbed me the wrong way because all signs point to 'yes' that I should and maybe would enjoy the whole series if I hadn't been so ... precipitous in skipping to this one. Gah. I'm rambling.

Long story short, this book was pretty dark. Triggers abound. It can be read as a standalone although that might not be the most advisable route. If you have a hard time getting into book one, that may be an answer for you. Like I said, this one made me think about backtracking. I may or may not follow through on it. Blue was an interesting character and his life journey was, ultimately, pretty damned phenomenal.

The world was pretty well fleshed out given the fact that it actually consists of multiple 'worlds' with differing species and frankly, the human aspect was pretty fucked up. It kind of made me anti-my-own-species, if you know what I mean. I believed in the relationships, even when they weren't the healthiest, and the characters were all very detailed and emotionally evocative.

I'm not doing cartwheels, but I think it's a 'me' thing. For whatever reason I just had a hard time with this title. That's no reflection on the author or the quality of the book, not one bit. The quantifiable aspects of this book were very good indeed, it just didn't fly my ship.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
ARC copy provided in exchange of an honest review.

Guest Review: Our Own Story by Lynn Michaels

Help can sometimes come where you least expect it. A gentle nudge from the mysterious beyond may be all one needs for a happily ever after.

When Tad Conway’s ex-boyfriend, Bobby, returns after a long absence, he realizes that there are certain things in the universe he can’t explain. Like spending the night in Bobby’s arms only to learn that he’d died months before and is most likely haunting him. Oh, and that Bobby may be pushing Tad into the arms of another man.

Drew Sinclair has had a major crush on marketing guru, Tad Conway, for the longest time. After Drew’s hired as an intern in Tad’s company, he gets his chance to show his stuff—in and out of the bedroom. As Tad and Drew get to know each other better and maybe developing feelings for each other, will Tad be able to let go of his past and move on to a future with Drew?

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM

Heartwrenching and Heartwarming

It has to be hard to pull off a good balance of emotion with an MC grieving both a lost opportunity and a lost love. There are so many opinions on death and grieving and what people are supposed to do [eyeroll] that it has to be hard to walk a line there that won't get you virtually stoned ... and not in the potentially fun 'high' kind of way.

The author managed to accomplish that here. I also liked the paranormal twist to this title. For some reason, it seems like I've had a lot of ghost-haunted MCs lately. It's usually not my cup of tea because it often comes off as kind of hokey. But all the books I've read lately with that little trope-gem have actually been pretty successful, including this one.

This story was well-written. The character development was excellent, the romance was believable, and the relationship made sense. The angst hovered around a medium to high level but was ultimately necessary to the plot, if a little aggravating. Tad's vacillation bothered me so I jettisoned a half a heart for his sometimes OTT contribution to the angst.

Still, I loved both of the characters, well, all three of the characters. I was especially pleased with Drew although the hero worship he had going on there for a while was a little off-putting. I got it, but it made his character feel younger than he really was maturity-wise. His character was too down-to-earth in the grand scheme of things to support the wide-eyed ingenue routine for long. And Bobby ... well, you'll have to read it. Bobby really explains himself, and I don't want to spoil it.

I will say that Bobby as the sort of third wheel added a lot to the story and I absolutely loved it when his angry side started showing due to his former lover's stubbornness. I think the author could have played with that a little more, but I was pleased with the resolution.

There really wasn't much, if anything, not to like. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a mostly feel-good contemporary romance with a slightly unbelievable (but still successful) paranormal twist.



More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.

Guest Review: Drawing the Devil (Leather and Grit #1) by Jon Keys

Dustin rides a ton of beef battling to do away with his rider while Shane makes certain the bull doesn’t succeed—and that’s the easiest part of their relationship.

Dustin Lewis is a barely contained twenty-one-year-old bull rider who was disowned by his parents when his father discovered Dustin with another teenage boy. He has spent the time since traveling the rodeo circuit and, after years of honing his skills, he’s in contention to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

Shane Rees is a twenty-six-year-old rodeo bullfighter-rodeo clown. While Shane’s family still love their son, they are not pleased with the sexuality they believe he chose. He knows the potential consequences of being gay among the rodeo crowd. As a result, Shane keeps his sexuality a guarded secret. When combined with the scars he’s earned over the years of bullfighting, Shane has little sense of self-worth.

The two meet when Dustin’s draw for the night is Diablo, the same vicious bull that gave Shane his most notable scar. Dustin’s ride ends with him trapped in the rigging as the bull tries to pound him into the arena dust. With a good bit of bravado and nerves that have earned him a reputation among the bull riders, Shane frees Dustin before he is seriously injured. This chance meeting leads them through heartwarming highs and near-crushing lows as they struggle toward their goal of winning the National Finals and maintaining their personal relationship.

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released by another publisher. It has been revised and reedited for release with Pride Publishing.

Reviewer: NeRdyWYRM


Ride 'em Cowboy!

Give me a hot, gay, Bible Belt cowboy. Any. Day. I don't know what it is about these rodeo guys that do it for me but shewwweee. Maybe the lack of book smarts appeals to my robotic gray matter, I'm clueless here, but something about that whole schtick just does it for me. Might be my latent inner Texan, too. You can take the girl out of Texas, but ...

Did Texas even make an appearance in this story? I think so, but honestly, it's irrelevant to the matter at hand. What is that, you say? Well ... Hot. Rodeo. Bull. Riders. Of course! I've got Garth Brooks songs running through my head right now. That's way more important.

It's bulls and blood, it's dust and mud,
it's the roar of a Sunday crowd.
It's the white in his knuckles, the gold in the buckle
he'll win the next go 'round.
It's boots and chaps and cowboy hats,
it's spurs and latigo.
It's the ropes and the reins,
and the joy and the pain, and they call the thing a rodeo.

I've always been a tomboy grubby-muffin. Dirt, mud, blood. Yep. Right up my alley with the dirty boys I guess. This book might have been a little too predictable in some respects when I consider that particular angle. You've got a bullfighter who was mauled by a bull named Diablo and an up-and-coming bull rider who 'draws the devil'. Mean-ass Diablo. That bull was a real fucker, but still, it's a little predictable. Only ... who cares?

Add in the gay with the homophobes on the rodeo circuit, two somewhat relationship-clueless guys trying to make something out of not much in the midst of all that turns into a helluva good story clichés or no clichés.

Shane and Dustin had chemistry. They were hot together. They had hangups, so there's hurt-comfort. There was bad family and good family. Good friends and horrible strangers. The relationship took time to develop and deepen. There were speed bumps along the way. There was action, there were lulls, there was the everyday and the extraordinary. You name it, if you can imagine it in this setting, it's probably in there somewhere.

I loved it. You might, too.

More reviews by NeRdyWYRM can be found on Goodreads here.
Images (when present) may be subject to copyright.
An ARC copy of this title was provided for an honest review.