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Tabula Rasa

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Rodeo cowboy Teagan has inherited his father's ranch, and it's in a bad way. He needs to work the rodeo circuit hard to make enough money to pay the bills, so he starts looking for a rodeo partner.


Team roper Cash is just the ticket. He's not the friendliest sort, but he has a good seat and a better roping arm, so Teagan takes Cash on, and as they get to know each other, things start to heat up fast.


Maybe too fast. When Teagan finds out he's not the only one Cash has in the saddle, things go bad, and Teagan thinks he and Cash are over for good. When he gets the call that Cash has had an accident, though, he knows he has to go and see if he can make good. He cares too much about Cash to just let it go.


Like any good rodeo ride, Teagan and Cash have ups and downs, crashing and burning as often as they blaze bright. Can they work through all of the deception and stubborn pride to find a love that works as smoothly as their roping?


Tory Temple is the author of such popular titles as Heat and Flashover, which are combined in paperback in Fireline.

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First published November 14, 2007

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About the author

Tory Temple

40 books67 followers
I live in southern California, the land of no seasons. (Is wind a season?) I live with three dogs, two cats, and some tortoises. I'm married to a firefighter, which is great in the sense that some nights I get the TV all to myself, but not so great in the sense that some nights I have to figure out what to do when the washer starts leaking. (Or when there's a bat in the house, which is a thing that happened when he was working.)

Most of my books are centered around the firehouse. When you spend a lot of time around firemen, you write what you know! And what's hotter than a fireman?

Two firemen.

Enjoy!

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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Profile Image for Serena Yates.
Author 104 books769 followers
March 28, 2017
‘Down in the Dirt’ is a very fitting title for this story, as both main characters find themselves “in the dirt” – and not just because they are rodeo riders and it’s par for the course for them to fall and start anew. The original title of this novel, when I read it many years ago, was Tabula Rasa’ and I almost like that title even better. As a concept in psychology, and in this case as relating to one of the main characters’ life, “tabula rasa” refers to “the mind in its hypothetical primary blank or empty state before receiving outside impressions” – as per Merriam-Webster. A new beginning of a kind. And looking at the mess Teagan (who starts out using Cash to further his own cause) and Cash (who is a cheating bast*rd) have made of their lives, a new beginning is exactly what they need. And maybe some common sense and a lesson or two in communicating, while we’re discussing opportunities for improvement.

Okay, so Teagan is a cowboy, a roper to be precise, and he needs the money he can earn during rodeo season to keep his inherited farm afloat. He is blunt, has certain standards when doing his work, and his social skills are negligible. After all, there is no need to “make nice” with a horse or a bull, right? There is teamwork when he competes, since it takes two men to “heel” and “rope” a bull, but when both men know what they’re doing, talking is not a requirement. So when Teagan’s long-time heeler breaks an ankle just a few days before the qualifying events for the upcoming rodeo season, Teagan needs a new partner. He quickly gets desperate because none of the applicants fits the bill – until he runs across Cash. In a bar fight, no less.

So - Cash. Not the socially talented type either. In fact, he’s probably less friendly and communicative than Teagan if that is possible. He doesn’t take sh*t from anyone. Hence the fight. After Teagan tries to break up the fight he’s in, then comes to find him a few days later, and because he needs money, he decides to work with Teagan. And never mind the fact that they fall in lust faster than I can say “yee-haw”, Cash continues his encounters from before until it all blows up in his face.

Teagan and Cash do not have an easy time of it. Both have their own agenda, secrets, and neither is willing to consider opening up. Cash’s accident, the amnesia, and his subsequent need for help are the only reason these two men stick together long enough to give them a chance to figure out that there is lots they have in common. Or maybe it’s just easier to face the world as a couple rather than on your own – but that’s okay – not everyone is meant to have a sweet romance in their lives.

If you like rough, tough, strong and silent cowboys, if you enjoy two men fighting it out rather than gently exploring what’s between them, and if you’re looking for a read that is explosive, scorching hot, and has main characters who are not members of the church choir, then you might like this novel. I liked it a lot more the second time around, so maybe these guys grew on me.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
Profile Image for Alex.
Author 30 books73 followers
June 12, 2010
I picked up this book because it was listed on a "cowboy" theme of books and the premise seemed interesting. I have a soft spot for 'players' that turn around and become loyal.

It was...ah...okay.

I'll start with the likes:

* The characters were really interesting some/most of the time. I enjoyed how the main character had to struggle with money and his emotions.

* The horse bits all seemed on the up-and-up. This was a horse heavy book but it never poked me the wrong way. This is a great relief.

* I enjoyed that they weren't struggling with the whole "coming out" thing. I don't know if it was completely believable, but I allowed it as the case in the world because it wasn't meant to be the focus. It's refreshing to not have it as the focus.

Dislikes:

* Before reading this, Angel Martinez made comment about how M/M stories are set to have a certain number of sex scenes and whether this is good or not. Obviously I read this book with M/M Romance in mind, meaning yes, sex would happen.

It was just a bit...much. It is varied (which I can handle) but just way too often. Maybe not too often, but when sex wasn't happening, detailed masturbation was happening. I felt like the sex was cluttering the story. If you like sex-heavy, this may be for you.

* Plot. There was plot, it was there, it just felt a little..holey. There was a beginning, middle and end, but toward the end I felt like we were being fed sugar cookies after being promises flan and cheesecake. (spoilery type things ahead)

(consider yourself warned)

We are given a character with alot of shady dealings, a rough personality and some behavior traits that usually lead to flashing lights. In fact, one of the characters warns the main character about these flashing lights. We are never really given explanation.

Obviously we are limited by the novel's perspective, but there were some gaping holes in Cash's history that would explain why he was a jerk, why he slept around, why he stopped doing drugs (etc), why he acted sweet as rain when he lost chunks of his memory. When the end came, I said..."Ummm, what?" I got a happy ending, but it wasn't satisfying.

I'm not saying the author should tell us everything, or explain everything, but I'm pretty sure the main character would like an explanation about at least a few of these things. So would I.
Profile Image for Alina.
708 reviews29 followers
Read
January 10, 2012
I mostly agree with the parts of Alex's review about Cash, and I've no one to blame - I somehow overlooked mentions of sleeping around in the summary and that thing usually pisses me off and here was no exception. Break up in the middle I don't like too and after all that the ending didn't satisfy me. I'd like at least one more chapter or the epilogue to see MCs happy together and to enjoy their HEA.
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,456 reviews30 followers
March 20, 2017
I was given a copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

In a genre full of bull riders, Teagan and Cash’s roping team is refreshing. I enjoyed learning more about an interesting event that is not quite as well known as other rodeo events. The relationship between the ropers starts when Teagan finds himself in desperate need of a replacement partner, but it quickly becomes something more.

I struggled with this story. I felt that while both the characters and the story had the potential to be amazing, the potential was never fully realised.

When we meet Teagan, he is struggling to keep his family ranch and using his rodeo winnings to pay the bills. As much as I wanted to fall for Teagan, there wasn’t anything that made him special or even real to me.

If Teagan is a fairly bland but honourable cowboy, Cash is an asshole for most of the story. Only pieces of his past are ever revealed, so we know he’s trouble but we never really know why. To actually care for such a difficult character, I need a pretty traumatic back story but there was never an explanation for Cash’s behaviour.

The romance didn’t work at all for me. Aside from a brief interlude in the middle of the story, the relationship between Cash and Teagan is a fairly miserable mix of hookups, infidelity, miscommunication and graphic sex scenes. Only Teagan seems capable of remorse but I didn’t understand why he was the one apologising.

So - I enjoyed the rodeo and ranch scenes in this story but I didn’t really warm to either character and their romance wasn’t one I wanted to believe in.
Profile Image for Ruthie Taylor.
3,723 reviews40 followers
March 21, 2017
~~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads ~~

This has many of the familiar elements of a cowboy MM romance. And the roping events and the times at the ranch are pleasingly familiar. I struggled however to get to grips with the story, because I kept thinking to myself, 'but why?' And even as I read on, I still had questions. We do learn some background issues, but they don't really explain the why. Some are very simple questions, such as 'why is the ranch in a bad way?'; others more relating to the couple, and their behaviour.

We never really get to know Teagan or Cash, and whilst we see very little of Cash's background, we see Teagan interact with a number of people, and yet they don't give us anything much to help either. Strangely it isn't until something is lacking that you realise that you miss it - and here I did. That said there are some very touching sections, like the scenes with his dog, and how the horses Delilah and Tag behave together.

Everyone reads a book differently, so I will be interested to read other reviews, and enjoy thinking of cowboys in super soft warn denim.

Wicked Reads Review Team
Profile Image for Angie.
1,301 reviews23 followers
March 23, 2017
I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

Oh I had high hopes for this book. Most cowboy M/M books are pretty good even when the plot isn't that great. This book just didn't do it for me. I liked how Teagan was open minded about Cash when everyone else didn't seem to like him. Cash didn't seem like that big of a douche as the author lead you to believe either. He wasn't perfect but I have seen worse. I understand why Cash got mad at Teagan towards the end, it happens in almost every book when amnesia is involved. Even with all the sex this book still didn't push my buttons.
63 reviews2 followers
January 17, 2012
Perfect if you like cheating, abusive , promiscuous perverted pigs of heroes! HATED IT!!!
Profile Image for JoAnna G.
677 reviews9 followers
July 29, 2017
I have not read this author before but I wanted to give it a go. Why you ask? Well, I have never really read a cowboy book before. I thought the plot was a great idea. I mean authentic cowboy when we get to read about them in the rodeo. I liked the setting and the premise and the writing. The people were good people and down to earth. I was enthralled with this book from page one until the last. I shed a few tears and had some laughs as well.

The book opens with Teagan needing a heeler partner. I had no clue what that was but now I do. No one is fitting the bill. He has the best supposedly and it was still too slow of a time. He was on a mission to save his father's ranch. He needs to hit the rodeo circuit and hit it hard to pay the bills and stay afloat. He wants to purchase more horses instead of selling them. He goes out to a bar and there he meets up with Dusty and Devin and let me tell you….hot...hot...hot. All that hunky cowboy sexiness. They put him in the path of Cash.

Cash a hard nosed guy and player. He has no discrimination between men and women when it comes to sex. He is the epitome of a bad boy. Just ask Lori, Teagan's step-mother. Now that being said, loved these guys together. I loved the partnership that they had and built through the rodeo season. They gave it good to each other, and I mean attitude and they were opposites. I think that was what was appealing that they were different but the same. They have undeniable chemistry and they get each other.

There are multiple elements here, time of year, comedy, drama, friendship, lust, companionship, family, and friends. They did lack something major and that would be communication. I was waiting for the shoe to drop and it did. Though I thoroughly enjoyed their ride.

Can Teagan and Cash be partners in and out of the rodeo circuit read and find out. This book is m/m with some m/m/m to spice it up even more.
Profile Image for Cathy Brockman.
Author 5 books95 followers
March 23, 2017
Pretty much the blurb tells us well what the story is about.
Teagen has inherited his father's ranch and it was in a bad way. He has to work the rodeo circuit to pay the bills and is trying hard to get the ranch back up to the way it used to be or better. While he works rodeo his stepmother Lori and three hands take care of the ranch. Teagan's heeler has gotten hurt and he needs a new one. Not having much luck, he goes out to rodeo days to find one and meets Cash.

Cash is a real (how can I say it without a cuss word?) Butthead? Anyway, he isn't very nice.He is selfish and in a lot of fights and always with a different man or woman.
When Lori hears who Teagan hires as a heeler she is upset knowing him already. Once I found out why she hates him, I liked him less than I did before.

The characters were good they just needed a bit more something as I never bonded with either of them. The only character I really liked a lot and did bond with was Lori. I wish there had been more of Cash and his backstory and a little less sex. I felt the threesome with Teagen, Dusty and Devin was not needed. It was very hot I will admit
.I will say the ending was pretty sweet and an HFN. Perhaps we will see more of Cash and Teagan in the future and see if it lasts!

So if a lot of steamy hot man sex, threesomes, and some good rodeo is your thing I think you will enjoy this book!
Profile Image for Natosha Wilson.
1,274 reviews15 followers
March 20, 2017
Who doesn't love them some cowboys? Especially when one is prickly and the other is a fool. They make a heck of a combination together or at least they do when they are on the same page at the same time. Which is not very often.

Teagan is looking for him a good heeler to him being a header. He is in desperate to win some good rodeos and in order to do that he needs a good partner. His fathers ranch that he inherited depends on it.

After looking for a while Teagan is beginning to think that it is hopeless and then he meets Cash. Cash has been around the Rodeo scene for a long time and it just so happens that he is a decent Heeler but he was planning to ride solo this rodeo. But after speaking to Teagan and praying with him for a few days to see how they worked together, Cash decided to give the partnership a try.

With the time they spent together and the attraction to the other that was flying off of each other they started a tentative relationship together sexually.

Both men learned the hard way that when starting a relationship like they had together that boundaries needed to be set and since none was set there ended up being a series of misunderstandings that ruined things Between them before they ever really got started.

Can Cash and Teagan continue as partners for the rodeos? Will they figure out how to work the other part of their relationship out or is it best for both men to go ahead and cut their losses while they are still ahead?

This book was a truly wonderful read. I loved the drama that seemed to surround these two men. It was not an easy journey for them but in the end they figured out what was the best course of action for each of them. I truly enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more books by Tory Temple in the future.

Was given this galley copy for free for an open and honest review
Profile Image for Tracy~Bayou Book Junkie.
1,574 reviews47 followers
March 1, 2015
I have loved the other Tory Temple books I have read. I liked this one, but I didn't love it.

Teagan's father left him in debt when he passed away. He is trying to pull himself up. When his heeler gets hurt before the rodeo season starts, he goes looking for a new one. He finds Cash. A cowboy with a bad attitude.

They start on the rodeo tour, and start sleeping together. But what happens when one wants more than the other?

So what I liked first. The Characters had a good chemistry and were hot together. The sex was hot and there was plenty of it, but I wasn't overwhelmed. I liked that they were pretty open about being gay even though they were around a bunch of cowboys.

What I didn't like, well really what I don't like about Tory's books I have read is her characters all seem to have a fear of stating how they feel. Even Chance and Tucker, from the Firefighters series have a difficult time saying I Love you and they have been together for years. Why won't her characters tell each other their feelings? I am not even sure I really got a HEA, I certainly wasn't satisfied with it.

The book was good, I loved the story line, but I was left wanting more information. I know a lot about Teagan, but Cash is a different story. I have information about what his younger years were like, but have no idea why he did what he did. He was a wild person, what calmed him down? Even Teagan. He went to Mexico when he was about 20. It was stated more than once, but why??

Dusty and Devin.. Umm Teagan has sex brothers. I don't like incest.. Ewe *shudders*

So finally I will just state. I liked the book, but I was just left wanting more of the story. :( Maybe another book would help me. Please Tory if you read this :)
Profile Image for ~ Lei ~ Reading Is An Adventure ~.
1,167 reviews252 followers
October 14, 2013
✰✰✰✰
Rancher Teagan needs to make money so that he can keep the ranch he inherited from going under so he's been on the rodeo tour and when his long-time heeler is injured, he needs to find someone quick. Cash isn't the nicest sort but he's a pretty good heeler and once they go on the road, things heat up.

Unfortunately, Teagan finds out he's not the only one in Cash's saddle and takes it badly [no relationship had been defined, so I don't consider it infidelity] and Cash cuts it off completely.

After a very uncomfortable couple of months of working together, Cash is injured and has amnesia and forgets they were more than work partners and his personality is a lot nicer.

Against Teagan's better judgement, he reconnects with Cash. What will happen when Cash regains his memory?

There's some hot mmm menage action with a couple of brothers and Teagan before he meets Cash.

1,403 reviews
March 15, 2015
I liked the MC's but more background would have been nice. I don't think Cash gave Teagan a chance to explain why he kept information hidden. The ending was abrupt and didn't bring enough closure. I do like cowboy stories and most of this book was good.
Profile Image for Zuyuan.
90 reviews6 followers
May 14, 2010
A little disappoint with the ending but the charisma and relationship between characters were something enjoying.
Profile Image for K.
1,607 reviews83 followers
lurking-in-kindleland
September 16, 2013
Torquere freebie 15.9.13
2,912 reviews15 followers
May 19, 2015
Solid, enjoyable read. No heavy angst or overly sweet fluff.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews

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