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Bounty Hunter
It wasn't so very long ago that James Campbell and William Hunt were lovers. They met at the horse ranch where they both worked, training and transporting stallions and mares all across the state and sometimes farther. But then, James discovered his employer's secrets and the truth behind the job he loved so much. The knowledge was too much, and James had to do something about it.
Now, James Campbell is a wanted man. Every bounty hunter in the area is hot on his trail, eager to be the one who finally brings him in. William, though, is determined to get there first. But when he finally catches up to James, he's torn between finding revenge for James' betrayal and helping him escape. Because his feelings for James are as strong as ever, and because he's not convinced that James was entirely wrong...
(Originally released as part of the Weight of a Gun anthology.)
Now, James Campbell is a wanted man. Every bounty hunter in the area is hot on his trail, eager to be the one who finally brings him in. William, though, is determined to get there first. But when he finally catches up to James, he's torn between finding revenge for James' betrayal and helping him escape. Because his feelings for James are as strong as ever, and because he's not convinced that James was entirely wrong...
(Originally released as part of the Weight of a Gun anthology.)
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2012
33 people want to read
About the author
Cornelia Grey
67 books106 followersCornelia Grey is a creative writing student fresh out of university, with a penchant for fine arts and the blues. Born and raised in the hills of Northern Italy, where she collected her share of poetry and narrative prizes, she is now based in London, and she is thoroughly enjoying the cultural melting pot that is the City.
Her interests vary from painting to photography, from sewing to acting; when writing, she favors curious, surreal poems and short stories involving handsome young men seducing each other.
After graduating with top grades, she is now busy with internships - literary agencies, publishing houses, and creative departments handling book series, among others. She also works as a freelance translator.
You can contact Cornelia at corneliagrey@yahoo.com.
Her interests vary from painting to photography, from sewing to acting; when writing, she favors curious, surreal poems and short stories involving handsome young men seducing each other.
After graduating with top grades, she is now busy with internships - literary agencies, publishing houses, and creative departments handling book series, among others. She also works as a freelance translator.
You can contact Cornelia at corneliagrey@yahoo.com.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 6, 2013
Whoa…That was darn right HOT! There is just something about cowboy lust that drives me crazy!
Bounty Hunter by Cornelia Grey is raw, rough, and layered with tension. We get the pull of attraction, heartbreak, and BOOM! These cowboys had me squirming in my seat.
Our story flashes back in forth between the present and past. Readers get to see how these men changed over the years. What the years have taken. And what they have done to each other. Wasted time, hurt, and aching hearts. Ms. Grey has a way of filling her sexy worlds with loneliness and need. I could feel the want and regret between these two in the air. You will feel how much they want those years back. It all made my heart hurt. To see the sweetness and care turn and twist. To see what the running and hunting did to their lives. But maybe…just maybe they can forge something new.
Good Gawd! My heart went from broken to rrrracing here! My cheeks are still blushing. Every moan, twitch, and tight grip had me biting my lip and crossing my legs. Very hot-to-the-touch sex!
I’m going to keep this little gem close. The bucking, sucking, and f*cking are just too good to read just once.
July 4, 2013
Reviewed under Weight of a Gun anthology.
4.5 stars
Passion and guns in the wild west. This is sort of a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tale - enter our two dashing, easy going drifters - but the best bud/lovers in this story split up over moral differences. One becomes the bounty hunter, the other the prey. The gun kink is not novel nor the predominant twist here -- it's the resulting game of cat and mouse that adds to the edginess. A minor peeve: I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story so there are flashbacks used as updates. Also, the ending really begs for 'more to come.' Would like to see a sequel.
4.5 stars
Passion and guns in the wild west. This is sort of a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid tale - enter our two dashing, easy going drifters - but the best bud/lovers in this story split up over moral differences. One becomes the bounty hunter, the other the prey. The gun kink is not novel nor the predominant twist here -- it's the resulting game of cat and mouse that adds to the edginess. A minor peeve: I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story so there are flashbacks used as updates. Also, the ending really begs for 'more to come.' Would like to see a sequel.
July 25, 2012
Part of the Weight of a Gun Anthology.
I find Cornelia Grey's short stories to be wonderful. This one is no difference. It is charged with yearning, since William (the bounty hunter) and James (his target) were lovers years ago. The gun play is very sensual and totally captivates me.
The hopping between past and present is a bit distracting. Although the past is needed to explain what has happened between them. The ending is, well, not-so much an ending. It has no closure, so consider that a warning.
I heard that there will be sequel. So yay!
I find Cornelia Grey's short stories to be wonderful. This one is no difference. It is charged with yearning, since William (the bounty hunter) and James (his target) were lovers years ago. The gun play is very sensual and totally captivates me.
The hopping between past and present is a bit distracting. Although the past is needed to explain what has happened between them. The ending is, well, not-so much an ending. It has no closure, so consider that a warning.
I heard that there will be sequel. So yay!
June 25, 2012
Read as part of the Weight of a Gun Anthology!
A sexy and dramatic coming together with a lovely twist. I really liked it and the author has created something unexpected. The interaction between the MC's and the use of that gun was sizzling its a hot little number.
A sexy and dramatic coming together with a lovely twist. I really liked it and the author has created something unexpected. The interaction between the MC's and the use of that gun was sizzling its a hot little number.
August 28, 2012
This title was provided free by the author or publisher for review purposes. Review originally posted at Brief Encounters Reviews.
Rating: A+
Steamy, romantic, gritty and brimming with moral dilemmas--Bounty Hunter has it all and packs a real emotional punch. This truly is one of the best m/m short stories I've ever read. It was originally published in the Weight of a Gun anthology.
The story opens with William Hunt entering a seedy whorehouse, acting on information leading him to the infamous James Campbell. Cornelia Grey sets the scene beautifully, giving just enough detail to make the shabby surroundings come alive, from the stumbling drunk having his pocket picked by the whore he leans on for support, to the theatrical moans issuing from the closed doors. It isn't until William hears James' groans and is haunted by unbearably erotic memories that we realise the prior history between the former lovers. The longing for something once cherished and now lost suffuses the narrative and hooked me right into the story.
The story then takes a dive back into the past for a short scene when the two first met years before, and then we're thrown back into the present when William pushes his way into the room to find James lying with a whore. There's a poignant contrast here to the surroundings William has been used to thinking of James in:
The whore makes tracks when William pulls out his gun, leaving the two men alone at last. William has a job to do and he should shoot James there and then, but this proves incredibly difficult to do, especially when James doesn't put up any fight and just lies there naked while smoking a cigarette.
Bounty Hunter is intricately plotted with its leaps back into the past to show the growing relationship between the two men, and the events that led to their break-up along with James becoming a wanted man. These flashback scenes are kept short and to the point, but give plenty of texture and depth to the story. Meanwhile, the story in the here and now quickly progresses to one of the most erotic scenes I've ever read. Fair warning: the sex here is dirty and there's gun play. If eroticising weaponry makes you uncomfortable you might not want to read it. Then again, I think it was my discomfort with the concept that made it so incredibly hot to read. Rest assured there is no issue of dubious consent here--both men are equally excited by the chance to reconnect.
One of the things I particularly loved about the sex in this story is the contrast between how things used to be between them, and the bitterness that's grown in the intervening years. It's angsty in the best possible way, because you know that there's a really good reason for all the hurt feelings, and because the men refuse to wallow in them. These two acted in exactly the way I would expect them to, given the expectations of masculine behaviour in that time and place.
Not every reader will enjoy this story, I'm sure. The characters have had to make difficult choices and screwed things up. William is revealed to have become a man with few scruples about hurting people to obtain information, and James is a wanted criminal, but through the flashbacks we are led to understand exactly why this happened and I felt real sympathy for both of them. Other readers might also find the ending unsatisfactory, but I thought it was as happy as could be hoped for in their difficult circumstances, and gives their relationship exciting possibilities in the future.
While I know Bounty Hunter isn't going to be an A+ read for everyone, I can heartily recommend it as a beautifully crafted short story. The sex is smoking hot and the men are dark and complex. This is one of those stories that's going to linger in my memory for a very long time, and one I definitely intend to re-read in future.
Rating: A+
Steamy, romantic, gritty and brimming with moral dilemmas--Bounty Hunter has it all and packs a real emotional punch. This truly is one of the best m/m short stories I've ever read. It was originally published in the Weight of a Gun anthology.
The story opens with William Hunt entering a seedy whorehouse, acting on information leading him to the infamous James Campbell. Cornelia Grey sets the scene beautifully, giving just enough detail to make the shabby surroundings come alive, from the stumbling drunk having his pocket picked by the whore he leans on for support, to the theatrical moans issuing from the closed doors. It isn't until William hears James' groans and is haunted by unbearably erotic memories that we realise the prior history between the former lovers. The longing for something once cherished and now lost suffuses the narrative and hooked me right into the story.
The story then takes a dive back into the past for a short scene when the two first met years before, and then we're thrown back into the present when William pushes his way into the room to find James lying with a whore. There's a poignant contrast here to the surroundings William has been used to thinking of James in:
God knows how many people had spread sweat and come on that bed. William knew it should disgust him, should sicken him to the stomach , the thought of James there, gone from the endless span of praries and purest night sky to this, a disgusting, dirty hole of a room in a saloon that was a pathetic excuse for a whorehouse. For some reason he didn't care. Hell, it almost seemed right. Seemed appropriate for the epic fuck-up their lives had become.
The whore makes tracks when William pulls out his gun, leaving the two men alone at last. William has a job to do and he should shoot James there and then, but this proves incredibly difficult to do, especially when James doesn't put up any fight and just lies there naked while smoking a cigarette.
Bounty Hunter is intricately plotted with its leaps back into the past to show the growing relationship between the two men, and the events that led to their break-up along with James becoming a wanted man. These flashback scenes are kept short and to the point, but give plenty of texture and depth to the story. Meanwhile, the story in the here and now quickly progresses to one of the most erotic scenes I've ever read. Fair warning: the sex here is dirty and there's gun play. If eroticising weaponry makes you uncomfortable you might not want to read it. Then again, I think it was my discomfort with the concept that made it so incredibly hot to read. Rest assured there is no issue of dubious consent here--both men are equally excited by the chance to reconnect.
One of the things I particularly loved about the sex in this story is the contrast between how things used to be between them, and the bitterness that's grown in the intervening years. It's angsty in the best possible way, because you know that there's a really good reason for all the hurt feelings, and because the men refuse to wallow in them. These two acted in exactly the way I would expect them to, given the expectations of masculine behaviour in that time and place.
Not every reader will enjoy this story, I'm sure. The characters have had to make difficult choices and screwed things up. William is revealed to have become a man with few scruples about hurting people to obtain information, and James is a wanted criminal, but through the flashbacks we are led to understand exactly why this happened and I felt real sympathy for both of them. Other readers might also find the ending unsatisfactory, but I thought it was as happy as could be hoped for in their difficult circumstances, and gives their relationship exciting possibilities in the future.
While I know Bounty Hunter isn't going to be an A+ read for everyone, I can heartily recommend it as a beautifully crafted short story. The sex is smoking hot and the men are dark and complex. This is one of those stories that's going to linger in my memory for a very long time, and one I definitely intend to re-read in future.
August 10, 2012
“The opposite of love is not hate; it's indifference.”~ Elie Wiesel
Even though William Hunt, in 'Bounty Hunter' wanted to hate James Campbell for deserting him all those years ago, he couldn't quite manage to do so. When he made it his quest to find James, even he questioned why, but the truth was, he was never indifferent about it. Finding James became an obsession, but what he'd do when he actually caught up with the man was anybody's guess, including his.
William became a bounty hunter after James left him. He doesn't care about the money; he doesn't care about his life much either. All he wants is closure with James in one way or the other. William dreams about him, fantasizes about him, and alternates between wanting him back and never wanting to see him again. When William actually catches up with him, he's as torn as ever about what to do. He keeps making excuses for not shooting James because when he is in his presence again, all of the ache, hunger, and desire explodes into the forefront of his mind and he's lost, lost in his desire for James. Lost in the feeling of wanting to hold him, feel his touch, smell him like he used to do when they were together.
James, although seemingly more aloof, is having some of the same feelings, but they are tempered by guilt for leaving William and the idea that he's justified in hating him and wanting him dead. James taunts William, asking him to shoot him. As things progress, James begins to feel the same longing as William and the instrument of death, the gun, becomes an instrument of intense pleasure serving to bridge the gap between the two men as does the thrill of the chase, only now they know that getting caught leads to pleasure and not death.
This book blew me away with its intensity, sensuality, and its ability to keep me 'right there', gobbling up every angsty, sexy, painful moment. I alternated between holding my breath and gasping at the raw, carnal impressions that were set before me. I appreciated the interludes of the past, because not only did they help me understand how William and James had gotten to this point, they gave me time to catch my breath. The descriptions had me smelling the sweat, sex, and smoke, and hearing the moans and groans, and feeling the fierce desire along with the angst between the two men. The ending, although not quite what I'd call a happy ending, had great promise and I am ever so relieved that Cornelia is writing a sequel. I just hope my heart can stand it. I'd recommend this story to anyone who likes sexy cowboys, rough, carnal sex, strong emotions, and alternate uses for a six gun. I want to thank you, Cornelia, for a surprisingly stimulating experience.
NOTE: This book was provided by Storm Moon Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Even though William Hunt, in 'Bounty Hunter' wanted to hate James Campbell for deserting him all those years ago, he couldn't quite manage to do so. When he made it his quest to find James, even he questioned why, but the truth was, he was never indifferent about it. Finding James became an obsession, but what he'd do when he actually caught up with the man was anybody's guess, including his.
William became a bounty hunter after James left him. He doesn't care about the money; he doesn't care about his life much either. All he wants is closure with James in one way or the other. William dreams about him, fantasizes about him, and alternates between wanting him back and never wanting to see him again. When William actually catches up with him, he's as torn as ever about what to do. He keeps making excuses for not shooting James because when he is in his presence again, all of the ache, hunger, and desire explodes into the forefront of his mind and he's lost, lost in his desire for James. Lost in the feeling of wanting to hold him, feel his touch, smell him like he used to do when they were together.
James, although seemingly more aloof, is having some of the same feelings, but they are tempered by guilt for leaving William and the idea that he's justified in hating him and wanting him dead. James taunts William, asking him to shoot him. As things progress, James begins to feel the same longing as William and the instrument of death, the gun, becomes an instrument of intense pleasure serving to bridge the gap between the two men as does the thrill of the chase, only now they know that getting caught leads to pleasure and not death.
This book blew me away with its intensity, sensuality, and its ability to keep me 'right there', gobbling up every angsty, sexy, painful moment. I alternated between holding my breath and gasping at the raw, carnal impressions that were set before me. I appreciated the interludes of the past, because not only did they help me understand how William and James had gotten to this point, they gave me time to catch my breath. The descriptions had me smelling the sweat, sex, and smoke, and hearing the moans and groans, and feeling the fierce desire along with the angst between the two men. The ending, although not quite what I'd call a happy ending, had great promise and I am ever so relieved that Cornelia is writing a sequel. I just hope my heart can stand it. I'd recommend this story to anyone who likes sexy cowboys, rough, carnal sex, strong emotions, and alternate uses for a six gun. I want to thank you, Cornelia, for a surprisingly stimulating experience.
NOTE: This book was provided by Storm Moon Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
November 24, 2012
**Review for Rarely Dusty Books**
I had never heard of gun porn before a friend mentioned it and before I read this book. I also never thought I would enjoy an erotic short story where a gun was the main instrument…until I read Bounty Hunter by Cornelia Grey. You can say this book broadened my horizons.
James is a wanted man ever since he found out how his former employer got by the horses he owned. He couldn’t let it go and ended up a wanted man. He was forced to leave his lover William.
In turn, William couldn’t let it go. James deserting him became the catalyst for him becoming a bounty hunter and James is the main prize. When they do catch up, it’s explosive.
For such a short story, only 27 pages, it’s a well worked out and detailed story. It’s also well written and graphic. While reading I almost found myself right there seeing and smelling everything. It’s very detailed and the author knows how to use words to draw a reader right into the story.
The story is alternated with interludes into the past so the reader gets more of James and William’s history together and comes to understand the kind of persons they are.
As it is a short story, it makes no bones as to where this is going and daaaaayam, is it explosive when the reader does get there.
I imagine this story might not be for everyone, especially not the erotic part, but it’s not terribly off-putting either. I guess, you’d have to find out for yourself!
There is not much more I can say about Bounty Hunter without giving the plot of this short story away. The ending is not a happily ever after, because that’s just not the kind of story Bounty Hunter is. However, it’s also not a sad or dramatic ending. It does fit the story though.
I had never heard of gun porn before a friend mentioned it and before I read this book. I also never thought I would enjoy an erotic short story where a gun was the main instrument…until I read Bounty Hunter by Cornelia Grey. You can say this book broadened my horizons.
James is a wanted man ever since he found out how his former employer got by the horses he owned. He couldn’t let it go and ended up a wanted man. He was forced to leave his lover William.
In turn, William couldn’t let it go. James deserting him became the catalyst for him becoming a bounty hunter and James is the main prize. When they do catch up, it’s explosive.
For such a short story, only 27 pages, it’s a well worked out and detailed story. It’s also well written and graphic. While reading I almost found myself right there seeing and smelling everything. It’s very detailed and the author knows how to use words to draw a reader right into the story.
The story is alternated with interludes into the past so the reader gets more of James and William’s history together and comes to understand the kind of persons they are.
As it is a short story, it makes no bones as to where this is going and daaaaayam, is it explosive when the reader does get there.
I imagine this story might not be for everyone, especially not the erotic part, but it’s not terribly off-putting either. I guess, you’d have to find out for yourself!
There is not much more I can say about Bounty Hunter without giving the plot of this short story away. The ending is not a happily ever after, because that’s just not the kind of story Bounty Hunter is. However, it’s also not a sad or dramatic ending. It does fit the story though.
June 22, 2012
Cornelia Grey, as always, succeeds in making my hair stand on end! The characters have life of their own, despite the length of the book. Hot hot sex, funny scenes, tense ones, dramatic and intriguing are some of the many qualities of "Bounty Hunter". Well done Cornelia! :)
June 17, 2012
I should have just bought the anthology, turns out hot gun kink sex is definitely my thing! It's ok tho i don't mind having spent an extra 2 $. i'll purchase the anthology now. GUNSSSSS!
ac-books-read-in-antho-coll
January 25, 2021★★★★ - Read in Weight of a Gun
June 30, 2012
This review can be found at The Armchair Reader.
This was a surprisingly interesting story. Whenever I read a short story I’m always skeptical of how much I’ll enjoy it because it’s so short, I often don’t expect it to pack a lot of punch. This one, however, hides a shockingly kinky element that I wasn’t sure I would like, but ultimately did.
The story essentially tells two tales simultaneously. The first one of Will and James in the present where Will is tasked with killing James, or bringing him in, since he is a wanted man combined with Will’s conflicting feelings over James and the relationship they had years ago, and how much raw sexual appeal James has for Will and vice versa. The second story is told in flashbacks with bits and pieces of what happened years ago when they first met, working together and ultimately what causes them to become bounty hunter and wanted man.
While I liked both stories, I didn’t feel as if they fit seamlessly like I’ve come to expect flashbacks to fit into a story. Each flashback that came up didn’t coordinate with whatever was happening in the present so it wasn’t a memory flashback. It was just a kind of random flashback. The author possibly planned it this way, in which it would have been a not so random flashback, but it felt awkward to me because James would be telling Will to shot him then it’d change to a flashback of James angry over his employer and venting to Will.
With that said, I actually liked this story. Even though it is just about half sex (which really doesn’t mean anything because the story is only 27 pages), the characters themselves were intriguing and I wanted to know more about them. Their past and even who they are isn’t exactly detailed on but what is given is interesting. The attraction Will and James have and how their peculiar situation is handled is very well done even though this ends in a sort of bittersweet way. I was actually surprised in the direction the gun play/fetish went. I wasn’t expecting it at all but I wasn’t bothered by it. I will say readers need to be warned that the gun in this story isn’t used for just shooting or making Will look scary, it’s used sexually and consensually by both characters which leads to some rough sex.
Overall, this was a nice, quick read. It’s easy to stick with the story because Ms. Grey has a talented way of making you want to keep reading. I’m hoping for a sequel because the ending wasn’t exactly satisfying for me. But I do recommend this to those readers who are looking for a fast read with a bit of kink.
This was a surprisingly interesting story. Whenever I read a short story I’m always skeptical of how much I’ll enjoy it because it’s so short, I often don’t expect it to pack a lot of punch. This one, however, hides a shockingly kinky element that I wasn’t sure I would like, but ultimately did.
The story essentially tells two tales simultaneously. The first one of Will and James in the present where Will is tasked with killing James, or bringing him in, since he is a wanted man combined with Will’s conflicting feelings over James and the relationship they had years ago, and how much raw sexual appeal James has for Will and vice versa. The second story is told in flashbacks with bits and pieces of what happened years ago when they first met, working together and ultimately what causes them to become bounty hunter and wanted man.
While I liked both stories, I didn’t feel as if they fit seamlessly like I’ve come to expect flashbacks to fit into a story. Each flashback that came up didn’t coordinate with whatever was happening in the present so it wasn’t a memory flashback. It was just a kind of random flashback. The author possibly planned it this way, in which it would have been a not so random flashback, but it felt awkward to me because James would be telling Will to shot him then it’d change to a flashback of James angry over his employer and venting to Will.
With that said, I actually liked this story. Even though it is just about half sex (which really doesn’t mean anything because the story is only 27 pages), the characters themselves were intriguing and I wanted to know more about them. Their past and even who they are isn’t exactly detailed on but what is given is interesting. The attraction Will and James have and how their peculiar situation is handled is very well done even though this ends in a sort of bittersweet way. I was actually surprised in the direction the gun play/fetish went. I wasn’t expecting it at all but I wasn’t bothered by it. I will say readers need to be warned that the gun in this story isn’t used for just shooting or making Will look scary, it’s used sexually and consensually by both characters which leads to some rough sex.
Overall, this was a nice, quick read. It’s easy to stick with the story because Ms. Grey has a talented way of making you want to keep reading. I’m hoping for a sequel because the ending wasn’t exactly satisfying for me. But I do recommend this to those readers who are looking for a fast read with a bit of kink.
June 17, 2012
Basically a romanticized Robin Hood story.
September 27, 2013
ほぼsmutですが、うーん、特筆すべきところはない、かなあ。
これで攻守が逆ならもっと萌えられたとは思います。
これで攻守が逆ならもっと萌えられたとは思います。
September 5, 2014
Anthology review here.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews