Joint Review: My Only Sunshine by Rowan McAllister

Reviewed by Nikyta & Sid

TITLE: My Only Sunshine
AUTHOR: Rowan McAllister
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH:  226 pages
BLURB:  Tanner Wallis is nearly at the end of his rope the night Mason Seidel finds him lying next to the mangled body of a cow on the back pastures of the Seidel family’s Wyoming ranch. Recently out of the hospital after he and his boyfriend were brutally beaten, Tanner is jobless, homeless, and almost penniless. His desperate hope is that Mason will believe he’s innocent of the senseless crime and give him a place to heal, both physically and emotionally, until he can get on his feet again.

But Mason already has enough on his plate. He’s only been back on the ranch a few months, ten years after his father kicked him out for being gay, and only because his sister begged him to come help after the man’s disabling stroke. With all his responsibilities—running the struggling ranch and keeping his sister and father off his back—Mason can’t really afford the distraction Tanner represents. But he can’t just abandon the attractive young man either. There’s trouble in spades on the ranch, but if they face it together, Mason and Tanner might find a future with a little sunshine.

NIKYTA’S REVIEW

I have a weakness for cowboy stories. Throw in the fact that one of the characters is not only injured physically but is damaged emotionally and you have a story I just had to read.

This is about Tanner Wallis, who life has not been kind to the last few weeks. Forced to endure one hellish situation after another, he unintentionally wanders onto Mason’s property. Seeing that Tanner is not in the best of shape, Mason allows him to heal and rest on the ranch until he’s healthy again. Unfortunately, Mason might be out but he has his own set of problems with his homophobic and disabled father and having Tanner on the ranch can cause way more issues than he wants. However, the feelings between the two develop quickly and intense, leaving both of them unwilling to leave the other no matter what. But what will happen when Mason’s daddy finds out about Tanner? Will Tanner and Mason be able to get through the inevitable trouble that’s bound to happen?

I must say, I simply adored Tanner. He’s so fragile but he’s also very strong. His worst enemy is himself and it was sad to see him have second thoughts about Mason. He doesn’t believe he’s worthy enough to have someone love him for who he is instead of what his face looks like. Very heartbreaking. I also loved Mason because of what he has to put up with. I loved that he was so willing to take care of a father who hated him but at the same time I wanted to shake Mason and tell him to stick up for himself when it came to his family! I found it frustrating that he would bite his lip and just let things get worse instead of getting the courage to tell things the way they really happened, especially when it came to his sister.

The plot of the story mostly revolves around the developing relationship between Tanner and Mason with a side mystery. IMO, the mystery was too weak. It really only showed up or was mentioned when it would add more conflict to the story. However, the relationship between Tanner and Mason was very strong. I liked the almost physical pull the two had for each other. It was cute, sweet but sometimes intense. One thing I probably adored the MOST was the fact that these loved to hug each other simply to be held. I couldn’t get enough of that and really loved that there was nothing sexual attached to the hugs. They were for comfort, love and to give each other strength. It might have been the highlight of the story for me.

I enjoyed the story but I had a few issues with it. My main issue was that for a while in the middle, it started to drag. It was nice seeing Tanner and Mason get to know each other but at the same time, nothing else happened so it didn’t hold my interest for long when I tried to read. On top of that, I had an issue with the foreshadowing at the end of some of the chapters, which felt awkward and unnecessary. The ending was too nicely tied up for my liking so by the end, it left me with a lot of questions. My biggest one being how Mason and Tanner could afford to do most of the things they ended up changing.

Overall, this was a sweet story. I enjoyed it for the most part but I did have my issues. It’s main draw for me was the numerous hugs, as I said. It’s just not something you see in abundance in m/m when there’s not a sexual undertone to it and the hugs between Tanner and Mason were just sweet and adorable, filled with love. So CUTE! It definitely ends on a happy note and I was glad that these two found the happiness they both deserve.

Nikyta rates it:

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Nikyta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: NIKYTA’S REVIEWS

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SID’S REVIEW

Nikyta and I have quite a similar taste so when she suggested that we should buddy read on this one, I went to check out the blurb and said an immediate yes! The premise was so promising that I couldn’t say no and that’s how we ended up reading this together.

Believe me when I say – I never had an urge to read a book with hotshot Cowboys – sure, I lust for those hotties like any other gay men out there but this book was one of those exceptions where nothing else mattered but my reader’s soul inside me that craved to have a peek into this book and oh what a journey it was!

The beginning hooked me in an instant and I was more than excited to see how fate brings the two main characters together – like no one could imagine, yet it was believable enough to amaze me. The writing was outstanding and every character stood out in their roles – Tanner’s innocence and his pain or Mason’s desperation for a life in which he mattered made me connect with them. You just have to read this story just so you could live the moments they share as their relationship grows. How beautiful each of those stolen moments are, when they sneak kisses or – yes, those cute hugs Nikyta mentioned of course. It didn’t even bother me that the development was kind of slow because I know it was how it was supposed to be.

Secondary characters did well just by supporting these two (or even standing as a barrier to their relationship) – Ed and Lucy’s love for the boys or Brian’s protective demeanor over his friend Tanner when someone speaks ill of him or even Robert Seidel’s hatred to that extent where I hated him from the bottom of my heart.

However, that doesn’t mean I approve of how the author decided to just “get rid of him” so that the boys could finally live together. It was disappointing, considering how high I had my expectations built for this book and they just came crashing down bit by bit in the second half of the book. For the most part after the main characters make love to each other, there is nothing exciting happening at all. Words just seem to run for pages after pages describing how and what they did each day. Much of unneeded information is given to the reader – if this had been edited well, a shorter version (still a novel, though) with some best scenes would have been a final product. A couple of grammatical errors made the perfectionist in me cringe but one could overlook it easily, I guess.

Nikyta said it well – the mystery lacked its essence in this story and the climax was just not good enough. The ending of it all seemed rushed. The reader gets a bigger picture of it all at the end to show their happily ever after, however the little details – which actually made me fall in love with the story right in the beginning – remained missing right till end.

However, I would still recommend this book because Mason and Tanner do have a special story of their love to tell. It was a change for me – refreshing (even with the angst and all) and I found to be taken by Rowan McAllister’s talents.

For this romantic, cowboy tale, I give a rating of 3.25 stars.

Sid rates it: 

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press :: Amazon :: All Romance eBooks

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Sid Love is the owner of The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all his reviews, click the link: SID’S REVIEWS
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Author Interview & GIVEAWAY: My Cowboy Heart by Z. A. Maxfield [Blog Tour]

To tell our followers and readers the purpose of this interview – Z. A. Maxfield – one of the renowned authors of M/M genre – has a new book added to the collection of her great works. “My Cowboy Heart” released on the 20th of August, 2013 under the glorious banner of Intermix Publishing House.

It’s an immense pleasure to have you on The Blog of Sid Love, Zam and I wish to make your stop memorable here.

Thanks so very much. It’s a real pleasure to be here.

The mention of “Cowboy” in the title got my instant attention, I admit and I am sure I am not the only one around here who is so very excited to read this book. Cowboys are just the hottest thing that walk on earth after all, don’t you think? And that too, in an M/M Romance? It has got to be a steamy blast!

I do like cowboys! There have been some Westerns that have really made me a cowboy lover, among them, The Magnificent Seven, Young Guns, Silverado, The Unforgiven, and even classics like High Noon.

Okay, give us a mental picture of both the main characters and if they do resemble to a particular actor/celebrity that has inspired each of these characters, we want to know that too!

Malloy is an enigma. I imagined him asan average man in his early thirties, hard working, unremarkable looking except maybe his eyes. I think he’s a little haunted. He’s good through and through. He’s the kind of man you can depend on. Since the book is in the first person, I am going to let you insert your favorite action hero here! (Or insert him anywhere, really, I won’t judge.)

I would have howled like a wolf right now, but considering what we are actually here for, I will just move on. *chuckles* So, Malloy – he is the serious, brooding kind. Why do I feel there’s some painful story behind his tough exterior?

Malloy had a very painful childhood. He has lots of emotional scars left by a mother who cared more about using drugs and men to feel better about her crappy life. That’s why Malloy’s not adept socially. He loves — and is fiercely loyal to — the Jenkins family, who took him in. Beyond that, there isn’t anyone he really connects with.

But Crispin is the one who manages to break through his shell. He is *fans self* hot – to put it mildly. But what I am curious about is – he seems more than just a pretty face. 

Crispin was an unusual choice, I guess. He’s one of my quirky men. He was born and raised in LA. His parents were actors. They were Scientologists. When they passed away, he moved to New Mexico to be with his aunt, and it was there that he kind of fell into ranching. He has a a sort of simpatico with animals and he loves nature. He’s half city and half country and you never know what’s going to come out of his mouth. He’s happy-go-lucky in a way that gets Malloy to open up. Malloy basks in his easygoing sociability like sunshine.

When did the idea for “My Cowboy Heart” pop up in your head?

I guess I was looking for a sweet romance, something with nature in it. Animals and weather. I know that’s an oversimplification but usually, I get my ideas character first, scene second, and story third. So I pictured a quiet cowboy trying to figure out what to do with a non-stop talker and it moved on from there.

Authors always find themselves at a point where they get stuck – either it is because they are experiencing the infamous, cruel “writer’s block” or there is a certain part that just is too difficult to write. Was there any such moment when you were writing this book? 

I had to make a couple of plot choices that were tricky, as you’ll see. I threw in a little silliness and I let someone experience a terrible loss… Sometimes letting a character suffer goes against my nature, but I made myself cry, so I felt like I had something I didn’t want to lose.

How long did it take for you to complete “My Cowboy Heart”? (The timeframes can be specified for first draft and subsequent drafts till it was finally sent to the editor) 

I did the rough draft lickety-split, because I really hadn’t done much writing in a while and I loved the work. If you know about last year, you know part of my house burned down, and I took quite a lot of time off to deal with that. Cowboy Heart was my first real novel after that, so I felt happy to be writing again.

Well, I feel like getting a kick of a humor – so for a change, I would ask you to describe the funniest scene in MCH! 

I have to guess, because what’s funny to me isn’t always funny to everyone else. I’d say it’s when Crispin asks the hands whether they ever wonder if the sheep mind when the humans wear sheepskin jackets.

My Cowboy Heart is special in many ways, of course, but the main reason why it stands apart is because this book is published by Intermix. For those who aren’t aware – Intermix is a venture of none other than Penguin Group, USA. Zam, I would like you to share with us your experience working with such a professional brand. 

They’re amazing. Very professional. I can’t wait to meet my editor in person some day. She was very kind.

From what I know, My Cowboy Heart has got a continuing story. Can you tell us about the sequel in works?

There are four cowboys at the J-Bar, Malloy, Crispin, Jim and Ed. They all — for one reason or another — got “rescued” by the owner, Mr. Jenkins, and they have a LOT more in common than they’ve ever realized. Someone, I can’t remember who, calls it “The island of Misfit Cowboys.”

Jim and Eddie are best friends but they keep their private shit private. Jim’s a jerk when Crispin comes along, and that’s when Ed finally reveals he’s gay. Ed has a friend-with-benefits and they love each other, but their situation is complicated. Jim’s a horndog whose drinking is making things worse.

Unfortunately, the ranch may be changing hands, and Malloy and Ed are worried about Jim’s future if he doesn’t sober up. It’s up to Ed to get Jim flying right, just in case they all find themselves looking for work.

Do you write everyday? Give us a peek into your normal day-to-day life.

I do write every day. I try to do 2K. Sometimes I get it done, sometimes I don’t. I answer emails, I manage loops and groups and promo. I write blog posts. I hang out with my family. I have two kids in high school and two in college but everyone is home right now.

Other than writing – or reading, for that matter – what hobbies do you have?

Uh…is there something OUT THERE besides books? LOL… This year, I’ve been making an effort to go to the theater. I saw Twelfth Night and MacBeth and Aida.

Here is a list of questions where you have to describe a moment that is asked for:

1) Scariest moment of your life:

I was in a terrible car wreck when my kids were little. We were pulling a trailer and it went airborn somehow and flipped and skidded, overturning our Expedition completely and just dragging us across five lanes of traffic at 60 miles per hour. My glasses flew off, so I couldn’t see. I was upside down hanging from my car seat in shock. It was only when strangers came to show me how to crawl out of the wreckage that I remembered my husband and I had four kids — two still in car seats — and a black lab somewhere in that car with us. (Strangers had got them out first and had them all safely wrangled at the side of the road.)

The good news about that is we were all relatively unscratched, thank God.

2) The moment when you experienced the beauty of first kiss.

Seventh grade, Craig Oates. It’s really, really weird in retrospect — he had the same coloring as my husband and looked enough (at the time) like my daughter to be her sibling. Do I have a type??? YES. I do.

3) The moment when you got your first book published.

That day! I swear I felt like I was hoisting my undies up onto a flagpole for everyone to see. That was so INTIMATE. Letting people see my work was so hard. Even when it was well received (it was Crossing Borders and there were fans who really liked it right away) I felt a little exposed.

4) A moment that you will always wish you could go back and change

There are a lot of times in my life I wish I’d been kinder, more patient, or that I’d cherished people more. I have a good friend I lost touch with and wish I’d been more proactive about that.

5) And describe yourself in a way you would describe a character in your stories.

I’m everyone’s zaftig elfin mother. All smiles, unless you’re the kid who ate the last PopTart.

Tell us about the books you are currently reading.

Right now I’m reading the Horatio Hornblower books by C.S. Forester. I love the age of sail.

Is there such a person in your life who you idolize?

I have idols of the moment, for example that kid who performed the splashy Bar Mitzvah dance from the Internet. I like meme cats and the occasional Boylesque dancer. There are people I admire, like the Dalai Lama and people I kind of think are hot, like Mark Wahlberg. I’m not sure I actually idolize anyone.

Do you have any message to your readers and fans?

I am so grateful to be the author whose books you choose to read! I want to give you a great read — a great ride — every time, and I hope you never hesitate to drop me a line and tell me what’s on your mind!

Thank you for taking time to answer my questions so patiently, Zam. I would conclude by wishing you all the very best for not only “My Cowboy Heart” but also for all your future works. We hope to see more coming from you.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be part of your blog. Have a great day!

ZAM

My Cowboy Heart

Book Blurb:

A cowboy’s heart has room for anything…

J-Bar ranch foreman Malloy pretty much keeps to himself—slinking around the edges of everybody else like an old coyote, doing his job and staying private. That is until Crispin Carrasco shows up.

Lean, muscular, and with a motor mouth that won’t quit, Crispin sparks something in Malloy—something the foreman didn’t know was there. But how does a lone coyote approach the warmth of a fire? And more important, what would happen if that fire burned?

Book Links:

NOTE: Book is only available in ebook format 

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17898625-my-cowboy-heart

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AMOODZM?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00AMOODZM&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/my-cowboy-heart-za-maxfield/1113985536?ean=9781101633489

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Z. A. Maxfield started writing in 2007 on a dare from her children and never looked back.  Pathologically disorganized, and perennially optimistic, she writes as much as she can, reads as much as she dares, and enjoys her time with family and friends.  If anyone asks her how a wife and mother of four manages to find time for a writing career, she’ll answer, “It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you give up housework.”

Her published books include Crossing Borders, Drawn Together, and the St. Nacho’s and Brothers Grime series from Loose Id, ePistols at Dawn and The Pharaoh’s Concubine from Samhain Publishing, and Notturno, Vigil, Stirring Up Trouble, and All Stirred Up from MLR Press.

Website/Blog: http://zamaxfield.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZAMaxfield

FB Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZAMaxfield/165809416786338

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2738500.Z_A_Maxfield

GIVEAWAY

Grand Prize:  1 winner will receive a $50 Gift Card to either Amazon or B&N (winner’s choice) and an e-copy of “My Cowboy Heart”.

Additional Prize: 3 additional winners will be selected to receive e-book copies of “My Cowboy Heart”

Click the following link to enter yourself!!

LINK: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YjRjMDAwMWQ0YTk5ZGQyZmI1YmFhOThlNDc4OWIwOjU0/

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FOLLOW “MY COWBOY HEART” BLOG TOUR! Check out the schedule here:

http://www.enchantressofbooksblogtours.com/p/za-maxfields-my-cowboy-heart.html

Pre-release Review: My Cowboy Heart by Z. A. Maxfield

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: My Cowboy Heart
AUTHOR: Z. A. Maxfield
PUBLISHER: Intermix Publishing
LENGTH: 266 pages
BLURB: J-Bar ranch foreman Malloy pretty much keeps to himself—slinking around the edges of everybody else like an old coyote, doing his job and staying private. That is until Crispin Carrasco shows up.

Lean, muscular, and with a motor mouth that won’t quit, Crispin sparks something in Malloy—something the foreman didn’t know was there. But how does a lone coyote approach the warmth of a fire? And more important, what would happen if that fire burned?

REVIEW:

This is pure and simple, a sweet, romantic love story with at its heart, a theme of second chances. Crandall and Emma Jenkins are the big-hearted ranch owners who take in stray boys and men in need of help. They give them jobs on the ranch and teach them how to rebuild their lives. Nurturing with nature and compassion.

Malloy came to them as a young boy, troubled and hurting from neglect. He is now their foreman, almost a part of the family. At thirty-two years old, though, Malloy has made the ranch his life’s focus as he tries to live up to the Jenkins’ faith and trust in him. To him, this also means shutting himself off to any other serious commitment. Faithful and loyal, strong and silent… that’s Malloy.

Crispin, younger and at loose ends, seems to be the latest project. He is openly and colorfully gay and has had his own passel of troubles. He’s a motor mouth when he’s nervous, yet he can light up a room with his high voltage smile. These two would seem to make an unlikely alliance but there is something that sparks between them.

“This kid’s thoughts seemed to gallop along like a herd of wild horses. I could maybe get close enough to catch one every other minute or so… I think Crispin used talking, at least with people, as a way of disarming them so he could listen to them with his heart.” — Malloy

Can two opposites attract? Well, under Maxfield’s skilled pen, we’re witnessed to an up and down courtship. Crispin offers Malloy friendship and they slowly build trust. There isn’t much tension in their story. There are two other ranch hands, one gay and the other seemingly in the closet, who stir up some trouble but nothing that can’t be handled. Maxfield even manages to poke a little fun at all four ranch hands being gay. She also delivers a lovely sense of protective place on the Jenkins’ land; it is easy to believe that it can heal all these bruised souls.

The strength of the story lies in the author’s ability to make these two very different guys and their connection believable. For a while there, I admit to having to suspend disbelief a bit. The sometimes overly sweet language and interaction between Malloy and Crispin took some adjusting to. There is an early scene where they have a conversation with each other through the Catrinas (skeleton dolls used in Mexican Day of the Dead ofrendas/offerings) that Crispin makes that elicited some eye-rolling. And, really, you have to buy that the crusty, emotionally shut-down Malloy who previously believed himself heterosexual, could be so moved by this lad in a very short period of time. But again… strength of storytelling, something I’ve come to expect from this author, and I get sucked in and pull for the guys anyway.

This novel was published by Intermix/Penguin Group. It’s great to see gay romance being picked up by mainstream publishing houses, however, I was surprised at the smattering of edit errors found in the text, and the e-book formatting, with broken sentences and no chapter breaks, was less than ideal. This didn’t stop me from reading though, and hopefully the publisher will clean this up in future editions.

Apparently there will be a sequel coming out focusing on the other ranch hands. Lots of good reading here for those who like sweet, uncomplicated cowboy love delivered with skill.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

BUY LINK: Book Store :: All Romance eBooks

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: ELIZABETTA’S REVIEWS
=====================================================

Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

(Support this site and buy the books from my A-store)

………………………………………………………………………………….

COMING SOON!!

Z. A. Maxfield will be with us on August 21st, stopping by to promo “My Cowboy Heart”!!

Book Review: Cowboy Waltz by Cameron Dane

Reviewed by Susan Lee

TITLE: Cowboy Waltz
AUTHOR: Cameron Dane
PUBLISHER: Loose ID
BLURB: A horse stock manager on the rodeo tour, gruff cowboy Jed Hastings is in a bind. He needs a new assistant yesterday. Enter green-as-hell Booker West.  Booker spent his childhood dreaming about being a part of the rodeo. He doesn’t have any experience working with horses, but Jed doesn’t have options, and gives the newbie a chance.

Innocent about the world and secretly gay, Booker works like the devil to hide his attraction to Jed.   He doesn’t just want to be a wannabe-cowboy with a crush; he wants to learn from Jed. Booker craves Jed’s respect, friendship, and trust. For Jed, he knows an eager young colt like Booker should work his last nerve, yet he finds he has endless patience with the guy. He’s possessive about Booker too. And while bunking together does create intimacy, that doesn’t explain away straight  Jed’s explicit sexual fantasies and growing desire for another man. When a life altering event sends Jed and Booker reeling, a night of raw passion between the men finally explodes. But in the light of day, can Booker help Jed accept their love? Or will this unearthed attraction send Jed to a dark place from which he can’t recover?

REVIEW:

Urgh.  This book was just TOO MUCH.  Too much sexual tension, too much sexual confusion/gay-for-you, too much back-and-forth-will-they-won’t-they, too much indecision…and THEN…too much sex (gah!), and too much repetition, and then too much sex!

Jed is a horse manager who works the rodeo circuit.  Booker is a green rookie dying to get his feet wet. Jed gives him a chance and hires him and not only are they coworkers, but they’re roommates…in a trailer.  Booker is gay and a virgin and only 18 when they first meet.  Jed is 26, straight, and a bit of womanizer, with a broken family past.  Scene set…

I like that Cameron Dane does this as a slow build, friends-to-something-more story.  It was unexpected.  But the first 50% of the book spans 4 years of Booker pining for Jed, Jed having confusing feelings for Booker, and not much else.  That’s a lot of book to ask the reader to hold on.

The 2^nd half of the book?  Well, it can be described like this: sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex, sex.  Classic Dane.  The sex is rough and rugged…and there are some beautiful and sweet words shared among the two, but I do NOT exaggerate when I say…well…you know…it had a LOT of sex!  I actually don’t remember much else!

I am a sucker for cowboys so I do love Jed & Booker. And yes, the sex, at times, was hot.  But the book became repetitive, the dialogue CHEEEEEEEESY (over-the-top drizzled cheese!), and I lost patience by the end.

This is a Cameron Dane book…so I know what I’m getting into when reading it. But, all in all…it was just TOO MUCH.

Susan’s Rating: 

BUY LINK: Loose Id Store  ::  Book Store

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Susan Lee is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

To read all her reviews, click the link: SUSAN’S REVIEWS
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Check out all our recommended books in Sid Love’s eBook Store:
Recommended Books

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Pre-release Review: Pickup Men by L. C. Chase

Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Pickup Men
AUTHOR: L. C. Chase
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 166 pages
BLURB: It takes a pissed-off Brahma bull named Shockwave to show rodeo pickup man Marty Fairgrave the cold hard truth about champion bull rider Tripp Colby: Tripp will never leave the safety of his closet or acknowledge Marty in public. Sometimes loving someone just isn’t enough, and after a year of hiding what they are, Marty finally sees the light—and it’s no longer shining on Tripp.

Tripp Colby would do anything for Marty. Well . . . almost. He’s never loved anyone before, and isn’t quite sure how to handle it now. But he knows Marty is his everything, and in order to win him back, Tripp will have to overcome his darkest fears and step into the light.

But no matter Tripp’s intentions, the cost might be too high and the effort too late for these two cowboys to ride off into the sunset.

REVIEW:

The opening action scene in this rodeo romance is so well done. It’s almost like being inside the corral, you can almost feel the heat and dust, smell the horses, hear the churning hooves of the bull trying to toss a man off its back. Expert competition bull rider, Tripp, completes his dangerous, timed turn on the back of a very angry, 2000 pound brahma and is narrowly saved from death or certain maiming by pickup rider, Marty Fairgrave.

The rodeo pickup man is responsible for clearing the bull away once the trick rider has dismounted, and Marty is very good at what he does. He is also very much in love with Tripp and puts himself in harms way to protect him. What happens after this is just too bad. Too bad that an in-the-closet bull rider can’t publicly admit his feelings for out-and-proud pickup man. Not even after he’s just saved his butt and lies seriously injured in the dust. Can’t even lend a hand, can’t even say thank you.

The author has her work cut out for her making Tripp Colby so hard to like right from the get-go. He just doesn’t do right by Marty, their relationship is made up of late-night bootie calls. Tripp is so deep in the closet, tightly-wound by his inner turmoil. He grew up abused by a ruthless, homophobic father who threatened him constantly with conversion therapy camps. Making matters worse is the homophobia rife in Tripp’s rodeo world, adding difficulty to an already dangerous job. Tripp feels he has no choice but to stay in the closet— he is a three-time world bull-riding champ and has sponsors to worry about.

Marty is the opposite— easy to like— but he comes from a different world. He’s comfortable in his skin thanks to self-confidence and a loving and supportive family. He’s the lowly (but critically necessary) pickup rider, so he doesn’t carry the burden that Tripp does in his work. He is good at what he does, he’s a “roughstock whisperer”. He has also lost his heart to Tripp but he’s finally reached the end, tired of the hiding and fronting, he can no longer “live in Tripp’s closet” and can’t figure out how to “whisper” Tripp to living a truthful life.

If I have any issue with the story it’s that Tripp is so hard to cozy up to— despite his background, he comes off as cowardly. Still, this is a heart-warming read about a man overcoming ingrained mental abuse with the help of abiding love. The fact that Marty remains so true to him is endearing. Readers who like a rodeo theme with some good action, a fair amount of angst and cowboy lovin’ will enjoy “Pickup Men”.

Elizabetta’s Rating:

PRE-ORDER LINK: Riptide Store

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Elizabetta is one of the official reviewers on The Blog of Sid Love.

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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: