What do you think?
Rate this book
Longhorns
Forty-year-old Les, the trail boss of the Double H Ranch, works for its beloved chatelaine, the elderly widow Miz Cameron, "a little dumpling of a woman, dressed in black." Les rides herd over a crew of rowdy cowboys, roping steer and sleeping around prairie campfires. Young drifter Buck, part Nasoni Indian, catches up to them on a roundup. After proving himself an expert sharpshooter, rider and roper, Buck celebrates his initiation to the group by luring one of their number, Red, into his bedroll. But Buck is really after Les, sandy-haired and significantly endowed.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Victor J. Banis
138 books214 followersVictor J. Banis is a writer. http://www.vjbanisauthor.com/
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Victor Jerome Banis (May 25, 1937 – February 22, 2019) was an American author, often associated with the first wave of west coast gay writing. For his contributions he has been called "the godfather of modern popular gay fiction
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
November 2, 2008
Up until reading Longhorns, I'd never pictured hard-working, cattle-driving cowboys as lovers. Yet, Banis paints the story so that it feels as realistic as taking a drink and expecting it to moisten your throat. It never once occurred to me that this couldn't have possibly happened. In fact, it was quite the opposite. In a strange sense, I found myself thinking, "Makes perfect sense to me."
His characters pulled me in. They were manly men, rough, tough, and proud, and although he showed quite a few times that his men possessed consciences, brains, and hearts, they were always just men. I fell in love with Buck and Les, and Red from the beginning, and found myself cheering for them at the end.
Not an extreme amount of external conflict, yet enough to keep the tension at a level where one can't wait to see what happens next. And, the internal conflicts were amazingly written without being the least bit sappy.
Longhorns is a beautiful and well-crafted romance. I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any romance enthusiast.
June 11, 2010
From the blurb: The Double H cowboys are a tough bunch, and none of them are gay – exactly- but they have been out there on the prairie for several weeks, herding cattle, and new thoughts have begun to enter their minds. Enter Buck, a handsome young drifter with a silly grin, an unembarrassed penchant for being “rode hard,” and an instant hankering for Les
Well, howdy pardner, git yer six shooters, put on yer spurs, mount yer pinto, and meet me out on the plains because this here is classic and familiar manly territory, the land of the cowpuncher, the lassoo, the round-up and the stampede. Where men are men, a horse is a cowboy’s best friend, and cows are nervous substitutes for da ladeez.
Um.
Except not. This is grand ole pulp and enjoyable as the rodeo ride is where the wind comes racing down the wossit – it doesn’t convince as accurate history.
Buck is a newcomer to Les’ round-up gang (yee hah) and is cheeky and sex-mad and determined to get laid by just about anyone. He forms a fuck-buddy relationship early on, but his eyes and soon his heart is taken by the seemingly straight as an arrow Les, so he pesters Les to have his wicked way with him.
Pesters sums it up, too – as I did find him a pest, to be frank. If I’d have been Les I’d have sacked him (however good he was on a horse) or beaten him up, sharpish. He does the latter later on, and I’m afraid I actually cheered.
It was unconvincing to me because I couldn’t get over the OKHomo. There’s this band of hard-ridin’, rootin’, tootin’ hombres in the prairie and they don’t bat an eyelid at this overtly queer cowboy who makes absolutely no secret about what he wants. Not only are they all OK with it, but most of them are at it too.
I don’t doubt that some did, but all of them? Banis lost an opportunity for conflict here, as I’d much have preferred a realistic situation where at least some of them were violently antagonistic instead of taking bets on when Buck and Les get together. I hate to bring bi-sexual shepherds into this, but even in the 60′s this was a serious problem. I don’t want unremitting homophobia in my books, or angst angst angst either, but I do think that ignoring the fact that it could be dangerous to admit you were gay denigrates the genre. Imagine what people would say if someone wrote a historical novel where everyone in, say, 18th century Alabama, married black people without even a second thought.
The anachronisms jarred me too – I know that a lot of people don’t care about this, but this is the blog relating to gay Historical fiction, and so I’m obliged to comment. Blowjob is an English Polari term not coined until the mid-20th century, boner is 20th century, Stetsons weren’t called that officially until the turn of the century, and so on and on.
However – putting all that aside, and if you treat this parallel to , say, an early John Ford movie – it’s as enjoyable as Stagecoach, and about as accurate. It’s a fun raunchy ride, but it didn’t do anything much for me, I’m afraid. I’m more an “Unforgiven” kind of reader, and less “Young Guns.”
Well, howdy pardner, git yer six shooters, put on yer spurs, mount yer pinto, and meet me out on the plains because this here is classic and familiar manly territory, the land of the cowpuncher, the lassoo, the round-up and the stampede. Where men are men, a horse is a cowboy’s best friend, and cows are nervous substitutes for da ladeez.
Um.
Except not. This is grand ole pulp and enjoyable as the rodeo ride is where the wind comes racing down the wossit – it doesn’t convince as accurate history.
Buck is a newcomer to Les’ round-up gang (yee hah) and is cheeky and sex-mad and determined to get laid by just about anyone. He forms a fuck-buddy relationship early on, but his eyes and soon his heart is taken by the seemingly straight as an arrow Les, so he pesters Les to have his wicked way with him.
Pesters sums it up, too – as I did find him a pest, to be frank. If I’d have been Les I’d have sacked him (however good he was on a horse) or beaten him up, sharpish. He does the latter later on, and I’m afraid I actually cheered.
It was unconvincing to me because I couldn’t get over the OKHomo. There’s this band of hard-ridin’, rootin’, tootin’ hombres in the prairie and they don’t bat an eyelid at this overtly queer cowboy who makes absolutely no secret about what he wants. Not only are they all OK with it, but most of them are at it too.
I don’t doubt that some did, but all of them? Banis lost an opportunity for conflict here, as I’d much have preferred a realistic situation where at least some of them were violently antagonistic instead of taking bets on when Buck and Les get together. I hate to bring bi-sexual shepherds into this, but even in the 60′s this was a serious problem. I don’t want unremitting homophobia in my books, or angst angst angst either, but I do think that ignoring the fact that it could be dangerous to admit you were gay denigrates the genre. Imagine what people would say if someone wrote a historical novel where everyone in, say, 18th century Alabama, married black people without even a second thought.
The anachronisms jarred me too – I know that a lot of people don’t care about this, but this is the blog relating to gay Historical fiction, and so I’m obliged to comment. Blowjob is an English Polari term not coined until the mid-20th century, boner is 20th century, Stetsons weren’t called that officially until the turn of the century, and so on and on.
However – putting all that aside, and if you treat this parallel to , say, an early John Ford movie – it’s as enjoyable as Stagecoach, and about as accurate. It’s a fun raunchy ride, but it didn’t do anything much for me, I’m afraid. I’m more an “Unforgiven” kind of reader, and less “Young Guns.”
April 17, 2021
Let's check premises! There had to be communities anywhere and everywhere more accepting than others. Were there capitalists, during America's great boom, who would NOT cater to an untapped market? NEVER! So, to "Longhorns", a book that works on so many levels. We have a nicely characterized hero, Buck (a 19ish, strong-working half-breed with a killer smile). And we know early on the subject of Buck's quest (Les, "six foot three, broad of shoulder and chest and narrow of hip.." a 41 y/0 or so). Banis 1) hits the right notes from the perspective of the fabled quest for one's true desire. And 2) yes, it's a sexual fantasy, just like most adult love stories and Banis again hits the right magical notes. I think, in a gay-cowboy way, 3) Banis even gets the "happily ever after" part just right in the final chapter, and that's what is absolutely missing from most love stories. (I'll not say anything about end of this story other than I, personally, do not believe in monogamy either.) There are a couple of problems: some of the terms used do not seem right for the place or period (especially the sexual ones, I need not go into detail here), and often Banis writes too on-the-nose (he tells us amarillo means yellow, for example, instead of showing us). Still, Banis takes aim to write a gay fantasy romance. One single target, hit solidly. And most importantly, 4) Banis keeps the pages turning. Once you're on board with Buck's (a very likeable character) dreams, it's hard not to find out what happens.
December 14, 2018
I read this a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Les, Buck and Red - who Buck has a dalliance with even though he wants Les. Les is straight but Buck sets his sights on him and pursues him till he ropes his cowboy in. You can't help but fall for Buck, he's just got this charm about him and a lust for life because of his openness, he's a horny little devil too, but he's no push over, he's tough, a hard worker, and he gradually gains the respect of his fellow workmates. What I loved was the fact that there was little hostility from the guys even though most of them are as straight as they come, they accept Buck and his playful ways better than you would imagine, but as it said in the blurb in those days men would be out on the range for weeks on end with no other company than each other So seeking a little ' comfort' from each other was never looked upon as being gay, just a means to an end.Humorous but also moments of poignancy this is well worth picking up, if not just for the fact that you also get a down to earth view of life out on the range without the mod cons of today. These are proper cowboys. Excellent!
June 7, 2012
There are more double-entendres in this book than you could shake a 10-inch stick at. Also horse-rustling, a barn dance, a chuckwagon cook named Cookie, and lots and lots of cowboys. Often, cowboys having sex. None of that is surprising. However, there's also real romance that feels authentic to the characters, as well as some truly beautiful descriptive phrases.
August 30, 2018
Solid Western, if a little off the beaten path
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS:
- Banis is a good writer. He captures the rhythm of rural Texas speech fairly well, but it’s the overall tone of the narrative voice (3rd person omniscient) that really gives the story its Western flair. Lines like “his own life had not been no featherbed, either” occur regularly.
- The characterization is solid, and not just of the two main characters, but also of several secondary characters. The author takes his time unfolding the story. The book feels longer than its 252 pages, yet it was a quick read: I finished it in one day.
- It amused me that Buck’s initial sleeping around is so widely known among the other cowboys and that none of them really ignore it or even dance around it even though it’s supposedly such a secret. There’s no shortage of blatant teasing or pointed remarks.
CONS:
- The transition from “Les isn’t interested” to “Les is in love and talking about a long-term relationship” is rather abrupt. Like, it seems to me now, thinking back on it several days after finishing, that it happens within the span of a single scene. That might not be quite the hang of it, but it’s pretty close.
- I was annoyed by Les’s stubbornness. He resists Buck at every turn for the majority of the book--and the reader is privy to Les’s thoughts, which means that we can see that he’s interested for a good long while before he says yes.
- I didn’t have a clear idea of when this story was taking place until about 70 pages in. It’s got a mostly modern feel to it with the language and some of the subtle social commentary, but then when the characters start talking about gun fights and whorehouses, you get the sense that it’s placed probably sometime in the 1800s.
Overall comments: The Gay for You trope is tricky, but a good writer can make me believe it, and Banis made me believe it here. Les’s attraction for Buck develops very slowly, by tiny degrees. There’s a difference between how the sex scenes here are written and how they’re written in most books in this genre; these are plenty graphic, but the language struck me as less “graphic for the sake of titillation” and more just “this is how it is.” (The book does have at least one half-hearted straight sex scene that I can remember, for readers who are bothered by that.)
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
Rating: 7/10
PROS:
- Banis is a good writer. He captures the rhythm of rural Texas speech fairly well, but it’s the overall tone of the narrative voice (3rd person omniscient) that really gives the story its Western flair. Lines like “his own life had not been no featherbed, either” occur regularly.
- The characterization is solid, and not just of the two main characters, but also of several secondary characters. The author takes his time unfolding the story. The book feels longer than its 252 pages, yet it was a quick read: I finished it in one day.
- It amused me that Buck’s initial sleeping around is so widely known among the other cowboys and that none of them really ignore it or even dance around it even though it’s supposedly such a secret. There’s no shortage of blatant teasing or pointed remarks.
CONS:
- The transition from “Les isn’t interested” to “Les is in love and talking about a long-term relationship” is rather abrupt. Like, it seems to me now, thinking back on it several days after finishing, that it happens within the span of a single scene. That might not be quite the hang of it, but it’s pretty close.
- I was annoyed by Les’s stubbornness. He resists Buck at every turn for the majority of the book--and the reader is privy to Les’s thoughts, which means that we can see that he’s interested for a good long while before he says yes.
- I didn’t have a clear idea of when this story was taking place until about 70 pages in. It’s got a mostly modern feel to it with the language and some of the subtle social commentary, but then when the characters start talking about gun fights and whorehouses, you get the sense that it’s placed probably sometime in the 1800s.
Overall comments: The Gay for You trope is tricky, but a good writer can make me believe it, and Banis made me believe it here. Les’s attraction for Buck develops very slowly, by tiny degrees. There’s a difference between how the sex scenes here are written and how they’re written in most books in this genre; these are plenty graphic, but the language struck me as less “graphic for the sake of titillation” and more just “this is how it is.” (The book does have at least one half-hearted straight sex scene that I can remember, for readers who are bothered by that.)
May 1, 2012
Reviewed on Hearts On Fire... http://heartsonfirereviews.com/
This was a terrific story about real cowboys of the old west. A new cowboy, Buck, showed up in the middle of a round up looking for work. The half-breed indian was very young but as skilled as any good cowboy. Les, the older foreman, was short handed and took Buck on right away. Buck won the respect and admiration of the men right away after he broke a stampede. What the randy Buck was really intent on winning was Les but the problem was that Les was so far in the closet that he didn't know he was in it. This was a finely crafted story in typical Banis style with many subplots. The story pulled me right in and held my interest to the very end. I couldn't help but to love the outlandish character Buck. He seemed to affect the life of every man on the ranch. All of the characters were likable except for the three Hanson boys. Mr. Banis gave a story not only of romance but of honesty, integrity and the way cowboys lived in the old west. I totally recommend this book to every cowboy fan. Thank you Vic for another great read.
This was a terrific story about real cowboys of the old west. A new cowboy, Buck, showed up in the middle of a round up looking for work. The half-breed indian was very young but as skilled as any good cowboy. Les, the older foreman, was short handed and took Buck on right away. Buck won the respect and admiration of the men right away after he broke a stampede. What the randy Buck was really intent on winning was Les but the problem was that Les was so far in the closet that he didn't know he was in it. This was a finely crafted story in typical Banis style with many subplots. The story pulled me right in and held my interest to the very end. I couldn't help but to love the outlandish character Buck. He seemed to affect the life of every man on the ranch. All of the characters were likable except for the three Hanson boys. Mr. Banis gave a story not only of romance but of honesty, integrity and the way cowboys lived in the old west. I totally recommend this book to every cowboy fan. Thank you Vic for another great read.
February 10, 2020
I know Mr Banis has been writing truckloads of stuff since forever, but I’m sheepishly admitting here that this is the first book of his that I’ve read … and I loved it.
The sense of place, the almost hyper-masculine patterns of speech, the harsh yet starkly beautiful lifestyle of a cowboy … I was quite magically taken away for a couple of hours. Of course it helps to have some archetypal sexy characters to adore: 40-ish Les who is the head of operations - rugged, tough as nails, strong and silent, hairy and broad-shouldered type. Barely twenty-year old Buck, part-Indian, cute as a button, brave and dare-devilish, knows what he wants and how to get it, irrepressible and full of inventive and unexpected skills. Middle aged Red, longtime friend to Les, second in charge and loyally supportive, has his eyes peeled for trouble, knows when to keep his mouth shut and when to give wise advice, always open for a good roll-in-the-hay. These are just the three main characters who head up an impressive list of secondary ones (various cowboys, camp cook, neighboring ranchers, Miss Cameron the owner of the Double H Ranch etc).
I suppose the plot covers the most typical cowboy/western fare … stampedes, bad weather, snakes, cattle rustlers, gun-fights, attempted murder and shoot-ups – everything short of marauding bands of Indian savages, being attacked by bears or mountain lions, homophobic lynch-mobs LOL. The writing kept me engaged and moved along at a very fast pace. The MCs were sympathetically portrayed and kept me cheering for them … I really wanted these guys to find love and succeed in their dreams/ambitions.
There will be those who will find some difficulty in believing that the Double H Ranch crew would be as cavalier or non-judgemental towards gay sex or even gay romance … and this may be so for real-life 19th century wild west mores. But who is to say that some pockets of the great untamed may not have had more tolerant folk. At any rate, I took a reading approach towards this book much akin to my viewing of that fabulous movie Big Eden, loved and adored by many as a gay fairy-tale. By doing so, I had myself a yippie-ai-ay good-ole reading experience.
The longing Buck feels towards Les starts almost from the first chapter … and the drawn-out dance of attraction between these two does not come to a resolution till 80% into the tale. I guess there is a slight 'gay-for-you' turn of events, given the harsh brush-offs Les hands out to the pursuing Buck for the first half of the tale. But the payoff for the long wait was well worth it … and Mr Banis does write an excellent sex-scene! I should forewarn readers, who want standard romantic declarations of true love and typical HEA endings, they will be disappointed. The almost too-quick-to-be-ending scenes are hopeful yet pragmatic (with an allusion to a different kind of love-relationship that may put some readers off). I do accept where each of the main characters ended up … it may not have been the choices I would have taken personally, but they were integral to the characters as written.
I only wish Mr Banis would give us a few more books in this genre but alas – Longhorns appears to be his one and only foray into the gay western trope.
The sense of place, the almost hyper-masculine patterns of speech, the harsh yet starkly beautiful lifestyle of a cowboy … I was quite magically taken away for a couple of hours. Of course it helps to have some archetypal sexy characters to adore: 40-ish Les who is the head of operations - rugged, tough as nails, strong and silent, hairy and broad-shouldered type. Barely twenty-year old Buck, part-Indian, cute as a button, brave and dare-devilish, knows what he wants and how to get it, irrepressible and full of inventive and unexpected skills. Middle aged Red, longtime friend to Les, second in charge and loyally supportive, has his eyes peeled for trouble, knows when to keep his mouth shut and when to give wise advice, always open for a good roll-in-the-hay. These are just the three main characters who head up an impressive list of secondary ones (various cowboys, camp cook, neighboring ranchers, Miss Cameron the owner of the Double H Ranch etc).
I suppose the plot covers the most typical cowboy/western fare … stampedes, bad weather, snakes, cattle rustlers, gun-fights, attempted murder and shoot-ups – everything short of marauding bands of Indian savages, being attacked by bears or mountain lions, homophobic lynch-mobs LOL. The writing kept me engaged and moved along at a very fast pace. The MCs were sympathetically portrayed and kept me cheering for them … I really wanted these guys to find love and succeed in their dreams/ambitions.
There will be those who will find some difficulty in believing that the Double H Ranch crew would be as cavalier or non-judgemental towards gay sex or even gay romance … and this may be so for real-life 19th century wild west mores. But who is to say that some pockets of the great untamed may not have had more tolerant folk. At any rate, I took a reading approach towards this book much akin to my viewing of that fabulous movie Big Eden, loved and adored by many as a gay fairy-tale. By doing so, I had myself a yippie-ai-ay good-ole reading experience.
The longing Buck feels towards Les starts almost from the first chapter … and the drawn-out dance of attraction between these two does not come to a resolution till 80% into the tale. I guess there is a slight 'gay-for-you' turn of events, given the harsh brush-offs Les hands out to the pursuing Buck for the first half of the tale. But the payoff for the long wait was well worth it … and Mr Banis does write an excellent sex-scene! I should forewarn readers, who want standard romantic declarations of true love and typical HEA endings, they will be disappointed. The almost too-quick-to-be-ending scenes are hopeful yet pragmatic (with an allusion to a different kind of love-relationship that may put some readers off). I do accept where each of the main characters ended up … it may not have been the choices I would have taken personally, but they were integral to the characters as written.
I only wish Mr Banis would give us a few more books in this genre but alas – Longhorns appears to be his one and only foray into the gay western trope.
October 16, 2013
LONGHORNS is a true classic, something one can legitimately claim part of our GLBT heritage. If you thought gay novels were a recent growth industry, all you have to learn is that “gay” novels used to be considered obscene just by being gay and that in the 60s and 70s the censors in the U.S. loosened up on this. Before that at best you would just not be able to publish the book, at worst you could get into a heap of trouble for it. Oh, the books, both gay and lesbian, were published but they were often pretty cheesy. Just check out THE LADDER’s bibliography of lesbian fiction and see all the lurid titles… I wonder if that bibliography still exists.
Victor J. Banis was and is the real thing, an astoundingly prolific novelist and more than that, one hell of a writer. You will find a review of his LOLA DANCES here on this blog. And he was there at the beginning. He had already claimed the spy novel genre for GLBT under another name with the MAN FROM C.A.M.P. series. Now he turned his face to another one, and that is cowboys and Indians. Of course we now know this was far from a stretch…
LONGHORNS has its campy side, not the way the swishy spy was campy, but in its entertaining touch on the motifs of cowpokes and gay romance. You must read it if you want to really know where BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’s heritage lies.
It is the story of cowboys on a ranch not long after the end of the Civil War. Les is the ranch boss, a solitary type, who has never once in his whole life ever fancied another man. Along comes Buck, a young half Indian boy who seems quite comfortable with his gay love life and has never considered hiding it or veering off that path. Suffice it to say that Buck fancies Les. I’ll let you read the book to find out what happens with that and with other more typically cowboyish adventures, like range wars and cattle drives and visits to the cathouse and ropin’ and ridin’, all out on the lone prairie..
My single favorite part of this novel was the cowboy talk, the best example of cowboy repartee coming right at the end with one of the funniest exchanges between two cowboys. The lingo comes fast and furious, fittingly enough… you gotta see it for itself, little pilgrim.
Victor J. Banis was and is the real thing, an astoundingly prolific novelist and more than that, one hell of a writer. You will find a review of his LOLA DANCES here on this blog. And he was there at the beginning. He had already claimed the spy novel genre for GLBT under another name with the MAN FROM C.A.M.P. series. Now he turned his face to another one, and that is cowboys and Indians. Of course we now know this was far from a stretch…
LONGHORNS has its campy side, not the way the swishy spy was campy, but in its entertaining touch on the motifs of cowpokes and gay romance. You must read it if you want to really know where BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN’s heritage lies.
It is the story of cowboys on a ranch not long after the end of the Civil War. Les is the ranch boss, a solitary type, who has never once in his whole life ever fancied another man. Along comes Buck, a young half Indian boy who seems quite comfortable with his gay love life and has never considered hiding it or veering off that path. Suffice it to say that Buck fancies Les. I’ll let you read the book to find out what happens with that and with other more typically cowboyish adventures, like range wars and cattle drives and visits to the cathouse and ropin’ and ridin’, all out on the lone prairie..
My single favorite part of this novel was the cowboy talk, the best example of cowboy repartee coming right at the end with one of the funniest exchanges between two cowboys. The lingo comes fast and furious, fittingly enough… you gotta see it for itself, little pilgrim.
April 21, 2012
This one took me a long time to get into, through no fault of the author. Unfortunately, the writing style, while strong, just didn't strike a chord with me. I believe this is because 1) I found the language distracting, although it was in character and appropriate for the book, and 2) was a very slow-building story. So, while the author was obviously talented and wrote a strong piece, in the end, it just didn't resonate for me. The last 1/3 of the book did capture my attention more, so in the end I come to rate this work a reluctant three. Again, my feelings for this book are primarily due to personal preference and in no way reflects poor writing on the part of the author.
March 10, 2013
Much has been said about this book's feeling of authenticity which I can only agree to. The cowboys in here are a tight-lipped, strong willed bunch, and even their easy acceptance of Buck and his dogged pursuit of Les was delivered in a manner that I could relate to. Look at what a man does first, and at what he is second. A compelling story. Old as this is, it outshines by far much of the newer releases I've read recently.
May 29, 2011
The dialogue is complete nonsense. I am 12% through the book and I have rolled my eyes a dozen times. I know it's a cowboy story, but I reckon the author coulda done a might bit better.
The dialogue is atrocious but I don't wish I had the hours back. Just ok. I did kind of like the main character, but the plot lines were so ridiculous and unbelievable that I had eye strain.
The dialogue is atrocious but I don't wish I had the hours back. Just ok. I did kind of like the main character, but the plot lines were so ridiculous and unbelievable that I had eye strain.
dnf
March 2, 2017" (...) the boys agreed among themselves, because of that pinto of his, who seemed to read a longhorn's mind as well as he did Buck's."
In my native language 'pinto' means dick. At that point, I couldn't read it anymore without guffawing, so pretty much Dfned it at 20%. And still surprised it lasted that long.
April 26, 2020
I enjoyed reading this so much! And I look forward to catching up with more books by Banis. The guy's a good writer. Longhorns is subversive, sexy, romantic, a Western, and very gay! Great genre fiction!
December 31, 2011
I liked the mouse and cat game we had it this story, but somehow it became more about sex and getting it then about feelings and emotions. The way this story ended it felt unsatisfied and unrealistically for the future.
March 27, 2011
I like my romance to be two people falling in love, not one person sexually harassing the other relentlessly. Buck was an annoying little twit and kind of a Mary Sue in that everyone just adored his smile and his spirit and they were rooting for him to win over Les. Gag.
May 6, 2009
Well, it's very southern and gay. It made me laugh a lot. That was nice.
October 24, 2011
One of the best m/m western books I have read.
December 13, 2011
I've read this story as a part of some anthology (sorry, I forgot which one) and loved it! Les was great and Buck's very sympathetic character too. Very well written romance, that feels realistic.
June 22, 2020
Although the story was great, it was a little slow for me.
May 31, 2023
3 stars
Buck is newly joined to the Double H ranch in Texas. Les is the foreman. Buck is not picky about who he sleeps with; be it man or woman, he just wants to get laid. He has, however, taken an interest in Les, and this irritates Les to no end because he doesn't feel that way about men, and doesn't think it proper. Les knows that his crew does do that with each other, but Les never has. Les plans to get rid of Buck once they get back to the ranch after the roundup, but Buck can ride, rope, shoot, cook, and do it it better than almost anyone else.
Umm. Not quite sure how I feel about this one. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I would read it again. There were random POV thrown in from one person who was never heard from again, but most of the time it was focused on Red and Buck and Les. I'm not sure that Buck could keep it in his pants if he tried, but both Red and Les know that about him, and Les has settled on something that makes him happy. I enjoyed this little slice of life where the gay was all right, or accepted, on the ranch in a "we need relief" kind of way, but outside of the ranch, the fact that Buck was a half breed was a big deal, and he faced prejudice from that.
Buck is newly joined to the Double H ranch in Texas. Les is the foreman. Buck is not picky about who he sleeps with; be it man or woman, he just wants to get laid. He has, however, taken an interest in Les, and this irritates Les to no end because he doesn't feel that way about men, and doesn't think it proper. Les knows that his crew does do that with each other, but Les never has. Les plans to get rid of Buck once they get back to the ranch after the roundup, but Buck can ride, rope, shoot, cook, and do it it better than almost anyone else.
Umm. Not quite sure how I feel about this one. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I would read it again. There were random POV thrown in from one person who was never heard from again, but most of the time it was focused on Red and Buck and Les. I'm not sure that Buck could keep it in his pants if he tried, but both Red and Les know that about him, and Les has settled on something that makes him happy. I enjoyed this little slice of life where the gay was all right, or accepted, on the ranch in a "we need relief" kind of way, but outside of the ranch, the fact that Buck was a half breed was a big deal, and he faced prejudice from that.
dnf-no-thanks
February 20, 2025Nothing wrong with this book except that it’s not the cowboy erotica I wanted. I was expecting more fucking around and maybe some orgies, but this reads more like a slow-burn romance in the Wild West setting albeit without the monogamy.
DNF’d but skimmed all the sex scenes 😌and confirmed that they’re nothing like those in Coming Home.
DNF’d but skimmed all the sex scenes 😌and confirmed that they’re nothing like those in Coming Home.
August 28, 2025
3.5... I like this, it's fun and interesting yo read, though my epub had many errors in the way it was formatted which was annoying. I like the setting and the characters, though it also feels just a bit too good and happy at times, and I wish there'd been more tension or conflict. Ending is too abrupt, and I don't love the whole red and buck thing
October 8, 2025
What the hell sure
March 17, 2017
This is a good book if you like Western cowboys.
January 18, 2013
http://top2bottomreviews.wordpress.com/
4.5 Kisses!
Victor J. Banis is one of my favorite authors. I’ve been reading his books since I was a teenager, and he’s one of the authors that introduced me to reading romance years ago. Mr. Banis has a way of really getting to the heart and soul of his characters. In my opinion, his books show more of the grittier side of romances which makes them have a realistic, believable storyline.
Forty-one year old Les has been a cowboy since he was a boy. He’s done and seen a lot in his life as the foreman of the Double H ranch. One day while on a cattle drive, a half-breed, captivatingly handsome man named Buck approaches them needing a job. At first, Les is skeptical of Buck’s experience with ranching, but when Buck manages to save them from a stampede, he quickly earns the admiration and respect from all of the Double H cowboys. Although Les sees that Buck is skilled, he’s more skeptical than the rest of them. Between Buck’s flirtatious behavior toward Les and the way he flaunts himself toward Les and the other cowboys, Les is both concerned and confused by the younger man’s actions.
To make matters worse, Buck continues to actively seek out Les’ attention and quickly makes it known that he wants Les to be his lover. Even though Les is heterosexual, his sudden fascination and attraction toward Buck confuses Les. No matter how hard Les tries to push Buck and his unwanted attentions away, Buck’s stubbornness and determination to make Les his lover soon has Les questioning his sexuality and what he really wants in his future.
I loved this book! Les is a hardened cowboy whose life is turned upside down once Buck enters his life. I enjoyed watching both Les and Buck dance around the strong attraction and feelings they had for each other. Les is definitely a man’s man. He’s stubborn and thinks he has his future all planned out until he meets Buck. Buck makes him question himself and what he really wants out of life, and I appreciated how Les really took his time at deciding what he wanted in the end. He didn’t jump into a relationship with Buck; instead he chose to take his time and make sure that being with Buck was really what he wanted in the end.
As much as I liked Les, I adored Buck. He has a zest for life, and his determination to have Les as his partner made me admire his perseverance and his stubborn spirit to have what he wanted. He’s strong, smart and extremely sexy, so I could easily understand why the other cowboys and even the stubborn Les became enchanted with him. I thought both heroes were perfect for one other because they balanced each other out quite nicely. I enjoyed watching their relationship slowly take shape and form into a true partnership that I came to admire.
I also liked how the characters were definitely not your average cookie-cutter heroes. They are all humanly flawed people who make choices, both good and bad, but are still determined to try to live their lives to its fullest. I enjoyed every second of this book, and hated to see it come to an end. I will say that if you demand that your heroes be monogamous, then this book might not be for you. The two men obviously have a deep affection for each other, but because of the time the book is set in and because of other circumstances (you have to read why) their relationship is more of an open one. Now, normally this would bother me. When it comes to romance, I’m a firm believer of the two heroes being in a monogamous relationship, but I have to admit, as I read the story and began to understand the characters, I understood why their relationship is the way it is.
Longhorns is a gritty, well written romance with characters that live and breathe off of the written page. Mr. Banis once again reminded me why he’s a master at what he does. He’s simply an amazing writer who tells stories that will live with you long after the book is finished. Highly Recommended!
4.5 Kisses!
Victor J. Banis is one of my favorite authors. I’ve been reading his books since I was a teenager, and he’s one of the authors that introduced me to reading romance years ago. Mr. Banis has a way of really getting to the heart and soul of his characters. In my opinion, his books show more of the grittier side of romances which makes them have a realistic, believable storyline.
Forty-one year old Les has been a cowboy since he was a boy. He’s done and seen a lot in his life as the foreman of the Double H ranch. One day while on a cattle drive, a half-breed, captivatingly handsome man named Buck approaches them needing a job. At first, Les is skeptical of Buck’s experience with ranching, but when Buck manages to save them from a stampede, he quickly earns the admiration and respect from all of the Double H cowboys. Although Les sees that Buck is skilled, he’s more skeptical than the rest of them. Between Buck’s flirtatious behavior toward Les and the way he flaunts himself toward Les and the other cowboys, Les is both concerned and confused by the younger man’s actions.
To make matters worse, Buck continues to actively seek out Les’ attention and quickly makes it known that he wants Les to be his lover. Even though Les is heterosexual, his sudden fascination and attraction toward Buck confuses Les. No matter how hard Les tries to push Buck and his unwanted attentions away, Buck’s stubbornness and determination to make Les his lover soon has Les questioning his sexuality and what he really wants in his future.
I loved this book! Les is a hardened cowboy whose life is turned upside down once Buck enters his life. I enjoyed watching both Les and Buck dance around the strong attraction and feelings they had for each other. Les is definitely a man’s man. He’s stubborn and thinks he has his future all planned out until he meets Buck. Buck makes him question himself and what he really wants out of life, and I appreciated how Les really took his time at deciding what he wanted in the end. He didn’t jump into a relationship with Buck; instead he chose to take his time and make sure that being with Buck was really what he wanted in the end.
As much as I liked Les, I adored Buck. He has a zest for life, and his determination to have Les as his partner made me admire his perseverance and his stubborn spirit to have what he wanted. He’s strong, smart and extremely sexy, so I could easily understand why the other cowboys and even the stubborn Les became enchanted with him. I thought both heroes were perfect for one other because they balanced each other out quite nicely. I enjoyed watching their relationship slowly take shape and form into a true partnership that I came to admire.
I also liked how the characters were definitely not your average cookie-cutter heroes. They are all humanly flawed people who make choices, both good and bad, but are still determined to try to live their lives to its fullest. I enjoyed every second of this book, and hated to see it come to an end. I will say that if you demand that your heroes be monogamous, then this book might not be for you. The two men obviously have a deep affection for each other, but because of the time the book is set in and because of other circumstances (you have to read why) their relationship is more of an open one. Now, normally this would bother me. When it comes to romance, I’m a firm believer of the two heroes being in a monogamous relationship, but I have to admit, as I read the story and began to understand the characters, I understood why their relationship is the way it is.
Longhorns is a gritty, well written romance with characters that live and breathe off of the written page. Mr. Banis once again reminded me why he’s a master at what he does. He’s simply an amazing writer who tells stories that will live with you long after the book is finished. Highly Recommended!
January 28, 2013
I had previously passed on
Longhorns
by Victor J. Banis [Running Press, July 13, 2007] several times, fearing that the title was a euphemism for long (male) ‘horns,’ but seeing the reaction it has received from so many readers, my curiosity finally got the better of me.
What I found was a pulp-style western, written (for the most part) in the classic vernacular. These are both good features from this reader’s point of view. Moreover, Victor Banis has also done quite a good job of capturing the atmosphere and camaraderie of a 19th-century cattle roundup; ruggedly independent men, interacting man-to-man, and free from the disruptive influence of women.
And, yes, there was sex between some of them [see: Queer Cowboys by Chris Pickard]. It was common for men in early Western America to relate to one another in pairs or in larger homo-social group settings. At times, they may have competed for the attention of women but more often two cowboys organized themselves into a partnership resembling a heterosexual marriage. This is reflected in a poem by the renowned cowboy poet, Charles Badger Clark, i.e.
We loved each other in the way men do
And never spoke about it, Al and me,
But we both knowed, and knowin’ it so true
Was more than any woman’s kiss could be.
We knowed–and if the way was smooth or rough,
The weather shine or pour,
While I had him the rest seemed good enough–
But he ain’t here no more!
The range is empty and the trails are blind,
And I don’t seem but half myself today.
I wait to hear him ridin’ up behind
And feel his knee rub mine the good old way
He’s dead–and what that means no man kin tell.
Some call it “gone before.”
Where? I don’t know, but God! I know so well
That he ain’t here no more!
However, as can be seen from the above, it was seldom if ever overt, and this is where the story lost credibility with me. Buck was just a bit too out to be believable—or to have even survived, for that matter. Moreover, as several other reviewers have already noted, his fellow cowhands were also incredibly accepting of a way of life that was still considered “unspeakable.”
These are not fatal flaws, just niggling drawbacks, so I want to stress that this is an enjoyable story with some really strong writing, and a bang-on style. In fact, the style is every bit as authentic as Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. Three and one-half bees.
What I found was a pulp-style western, written (for the most part) in the classic vernacular. These are both good features from this reader’s point of view. Moreover, Victor Banis has also done quite a good job of capturing the atmosphere and camaraderie of a 19th-century cattle roundup; ruggedly independent men, interacting man-to-man, and free from the disruptive influence of women.
And, yes, there was sex between some of them [see: Queer Cowboys by Chris Pickard]. It was common for men in early Western America to relate to one another in pairs or in larger homo-social group settings. At times, they may have competed for the attention of women but more often two cowboys organized themselves into a partnership resembling a heterosexual marriage. This is reflected in a poem by the renowned cowboy poet, Charles Badger Clark, i.e.
We loved each other in the way men do
And never spoke about it, Al and me,
But we both knowed, and knowin’ it so true
Was more than any woman’s kiss could be.
We knowed–and if the way was smooth or rough,
The weather shine or pour,
While I had him the rest seemed good enough–
But he ain’t here no more!
The range is empty and the trails are blind,
And I don’t seem but half myself today.
I wait to hear him ridin’ up behind
And feel his knee rub mine the good old way
He’s dead–and what that means no man kin tell.
Some call it “gone before.”
Where? I don’t know, but God! I know so well
That he ain’t here no more!
However, as can be seen from the above, it was seldom if ever overt, and this is where the story lost credibility with me. Buck was just a bit too out to be believable—or to have even survived, for that matter. Moreover, as several other reviewers have already noted, his fellow cowhands were also incredibly accepting of a way of life that was still considered “unspeakable.”
These are not fatal flaws, just niggling drawbacks, so I want to stress that this is an enjoyable story with some really strong writing, and a bang-on style. In fact, the style is every bit as authentic as Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour. Three and one-half bees.
June 28, 2010
This book is exactly what I wanted when I read the description! Not only is Buck how I imagine the perfect gay cowboy, but there is humor in the story and the characters are real characters!
The fact that Buck has a relationship with Red and Les almost threw me for a loop, but then I thought about it and it made a lot of sense! That is exactly how real life is. Most novels who end with the "one couple consisting of 2 people" are much too perfect; something Longhorns happily pointed out to me.
I also adored learning more about cowboys. To be honest (which I was with myself) I really had no idea what cowboys did: that they roped up wild cattle and then drove them north to the railroad. I just always had a vague idea of cattle, horses, wide open prairie. Not only was Longhorns cute but also very informative historically speaking!
The one thing I'd have to say wasn't so well done was that the whole book glossed over the controversy of being gay. I'm not sure how realistic this is (never having read anything to do with cowboys, except Brokeback Mountain which I know isn't exactly the perfect place to start) but the setting seemed too tranquil; too accepted. I really can't imagine that cowboys (being the embodiment of what a man is) would accept a homosexual so easily. But perhaps it really was how Banis described it: If the men went to each other in the middle of the night, it was never talked about; if they discreetly disappeared behind a clump of bushes, it wasn't discussed either.
Other than the credulity of homosexuality during this time period I found the book amazing; just like Banis' other works!
The fact that Buck has a relationship with Red and Les almost threw me for a loop, but then I thought about it and it made a lot of sense! That is exactly how real life is. Most novels who end with the "one couple consisting of 2 people" are much too perfect; something Longhorns happily pointed out to me.
I also adored learning more about cowboys. To be honest (which I was with myself) I really had no idea what cowboys did: that they roped up wild cattle and then drove them north to the railroad. I just always had a vague idea of cattle, horses, wide open prairie. Not only was Longhorns cute but also very informative historically speaking!
The one thing I'd have to say wasn't so well done was that the whole book glossed over the controversy of being gay. I'm not sure how realistic this is (never having read anything to do with cowboys, except Brokeback Mountain which I know isn't exactly the perfect place to start) but the setting seemed too tranquil; too accepted. I really can't imagine that cowboys (being the embodiment of what a man is) would accept a homosexual so easily. But perhaps it really was how Banis described it: If the men went to each other in the middle of the night, it was never talked about; if they discreetly disappeared behind a clump of bushes, it wasn't discussed either.
Other than the credulity of homosexuality during this time period I found the book amazing; just like Banis' other works!
June 21, 2012
3.5 stars
I am not a big fan of cowboy romances, but picked up Longhorns to review because it had so many amazing reviews on GoodReads and Victor J. Banis is a legend in the genre. Unfortunately, I am going to have to go with my first impression and say this book just wasn’t really my cup of tea.
First off for readers that like fidelity in their main characters after they meet, this book doesn’t have that. Buck, the handsome drifter from the blurb, is sort of a man-whore and sleeps with another cowboy before he gets with Les, the “straight” ranch boss. As a fantasy, the book works if you like stereotypical cowboys on the range having hot sex with one another. Also, if you like your cowboy historicals with a little realism, Longhorns will not be the book for you. Regrettably, too many late twentieth century euphemisms made it into the final cut and that threw this history teacher totally out of the plot.
However, as a fun, light, sexy read that has some interesting characters, Longhorns did hold my interest throughout. I especially loved Red, Les’ best friend and found the other Double H Ranch cowboys matchmaking abilities with Buck and Les to be delightful.
So, overall not my favorite cowboy romance, but an interesting tale from a talented author.
Dark Divas Reviews
I am not a big fan of cowboy romances, but picked up Longhorns to review because it had so many amazing reviews on GoodReads and Victor J. Banis is a legend in the genre. Unfortunately, I am going to have to go with my first impression and say this book just wasn’t really my cup of tea.
First off for readers that like fidelity in their main characters after they meet, this book doesn’t have that. Buck, the handsome drifter from the blurb, is sort of a man-whore and sleeps with another cowboy before he gets with Les, the “straight” ranch boss. As a fantasy, the book works if you like stereotypical cowboys on the range having hot sex with one another. Also, if you like your cowboy historicals with a little realism, Longhorns will not be the book for you. Regrettably, too many late twentieth century euphemisms made it into the final cut and that threw this history teacher totally out of the plot.
However, as a fun, light, sexy read that has some interesting characters, Longhorns did hold my interest throughout. I especially loved Red, Les’ best friend and found the other Double H Ranch cowboys matchmaking abilities with Buck and Les to be delightful.
So, overall not my favorite cowboy romance, but an interesting tale from a talented author.
Dark Divas Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews