Book Review: Ranch Hands by S. L. Danielson

Reviewer: Sid Love

Warning: This review may contain spoilers.

Summary: Sid’s in serious trouble; he’s rapidly sinking into a pit of despair, with no way out. His farm is failing, his lover left him high and dry a year ago without a word, and the note on the farm is six months overdue.
Desparate times breed desparate measures. Sid is forced to do what he’d vowed he’d never do again-he takes on a live-in hired hand to help him work the land and bring it back to life. Will Roger be the answer to Sid’s problems, or will he leave Sid high and dry too?

Review: I have read works of this author before (Read Book Review: Love By The Numbers by S.L. Danielson) and I must say this is many times better than her other works. In Ranch Hands, her writing has matured and character development is fantastic!

Sid Rosen is a farmer who is in deep shit trouble as his farm has turned almost barren – the farm that had been mortgaged by his father before he had died and now without making the payments, Sid could lose the only thing that is left with him. He is advised to get some helping hands for his farm but the farmer is hesitant because of what had happened the last time he had hired a man. But left with no choice, he finally gives in.

Enter the hot and hunky Roger Laramie. He calls up in response to the ad posted by Sid for help. Roger is in as desperate situation as Sid is, which is why even when the farmer mentions that there would be no pay, he takes the offer. Both of them meet and there’s an instant spark there – you can tell and they know it too, yet would play around each other for a long time before they could actually do anything about it.

Seriously it was so exasperating at times – huff – I bet their dogs (Caeser and Shirley) could sense the sexual tension between them but these two? Man! They would bicker like old couple and fight like real men – here, I just wanted to hold them by their (soft) hair and collide their faces together already (and maybe, while they are busy sucking each other’s faces, I could just maybe get to touch those hot bodies they keep complimenting each other for).

There are some seriously hot scenes in this book! The one worth mentioning is the shower scene – where Roger is taking a bath outside (exposed) and Sid is watching him. Kudos to the author for that one epic scene! Their first kiss is no less hot either. I loved the way that scene was led to, but the fight before had me laughing out loud. These boys are silly, but definitely in love.

By the way, Roger is quite younger than Sid but has a lot of know-how on what works for the farm better and he advices so too. However, Sid is not the one who could trust easily. This particular situation kept reminding me of a situation my friend and I were in – the friend I am sure must be reading this right now, so I am just going to drop my decency in hell and stick my tongue at them. You guys can ignore (ha!)

Sid and Roger aren’t really the plastic dolls that they seem to be. Both of them are burnt by their past relationships, which obviously affects their present situations and holds them back – makes them stop to think ‘what if this isn’t any different like the previous one?’ The back-stories, when narrated by each of them, break your heart but the most I was affected by was the time Sid spoke of his past agony – even though it was Roger with a horrible past. It is just the way the author has written that scene – I really hated Roger during that particular scene, but I can understand why he did it.

To speak of which character I liked the most? Well, I really can’t decide! But the character worth mentioning here is Jerry. He is first introduced as a famer from a neighboring ranch who is blond and handsome, but disheveled and an asshole. His behavior pushes Sid’s button up and they even end up in a bar brawl once. However, by the end of the book, he comes off as a star, who you will love and pity at the same time. S. L. Danieson has written a sequel to “Ranch Hands” and the book is called “Ranch Hands: Jerry’s season“.

There were things that really didn’t appeal to me while reading this book, which has actually had the ratings go down than it otherwise deserved. The first third of the story was a bit off with respect to descriptions or the dialogues used, but it kicked off later. The shower scene, for one, is perfect! The other thing that turned me off was for the scenes when these boys didn’t seem as masculine as they are portrayed in the rest of the story. I mean Sid wondering about how Roger would manage to keep his skin so soft and then actually asking him about it … not so cool. Plus, the talk on each other birthdays right after they met – I can’t imagine Ranch boys running out of manly talks so much that they speak birthdays.

Otherwise, though, the characters of Sid Rosen and Roger Laramie are amazing. Together, they create heaven!

This story is definitely to be read at least once by those who don’t just love Ranch boys, but wish for more of a plot revolving around them. It is a goodie bag with hot and sweet romance stuffed in it for you.

Buy Link: AMAZON

Sid’s Rating: