Impulsion

by James Buchanan

The on-again, off-again relationship between Bishop and Russ is in it's off-again stage but the mustang within Bishop desperately needs to be reined in and the only trainer who can do that is his Cowboy, Russ.

Bishop Priest, Spvr. Probation Officer at Camp Everrett Branch, has an on-again, off-again relationship with Deputy Russell Stolzt, retired. It's in the off-again stage when Bishop's forced to deal with his former lover and the hints about the custom bridle and bit he's left behind. Compounding the demands of the job and Russ, is the stress of a missing detainee. Bishop has to stand up and away from his life or step completely into it.

Problem is, the mustang within Bishop desperately needs to be reined in and the only trainer who can do that is his Cowboy, Russ.

Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Westerns, Contemporary, M M Contemporary, Queer

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

James Buchanan, the author of over ten gay novels and single author anthologies, lives in a 100 year old Craftsman in California with SexyGuy, two demon spawn and a heard of adopted dogs, cats, rats and fish. Between managing a law practice with SG, raising kids and writing books, James volunteers with the Erotic Author's Association, Liminal Ink, the EPIC Awards Committee as well as coordinates the newsletter for the ManLoveRomance Author's co-op. James has spoken and read at conferences such as Saints & Sinners and the Popular Culture Association. In the midst of midlife crises, James bought and learned to ride a Harley - it went with the big, extended cab pickup. James has been a member of CorpGoth since 1993 and been know to wear leather frock coats to court.

If you don't find James at the computer working on the next book, you probably won't find the bike in the garage.

Visit James at http://www.james- buchanan. com for more information on recent and upcoming releases.

Reviews

[Gigi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been dying to read the Deputy Joe series by James Buchanan for quite some time now, but the timing for a long series just hasn't been right. While browsing her library a few weeks ago, Impulsion caught my eye and I thought I'd give it a try since it was short and a stand-alone. I hoped it would kick me in the pants and whet my appetite a bit for the first book in the series, Hard Fall. Well, it definitely did that!

Hold on to your kinky boots if you are as vanilla as I am (and I don't consider myself all that vanilla, really). MCs Bishop and Russ and into a form of D/s roleplay called Pony Play. Russ is the "trainer" and Bishop is the "Mustang". You'll have to read the book to see what these boys get up to. Yep, it was kinda hot, I will admit. Two consenting adults getting each other off is a wonderful thing and that almost always turns my crank, and this is no exception. There is some relationship angst, so it isn't smooth sailing, but the HEA makes it all worthwhile in the end.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because of how confusing I found Russ' human pony ranch. It was never explained. As someone who went into this book knowing nothing about Pony Play, other than maybe reading about it, very vaguely, in one or two Cowboy books (I think it was in Nowhere Ranch and/or Bareback, I did not understand the roles the women living at the house played, the naming of the ponies and the humans and exactly what role sex played with each person. The fidelity between Russ and Bishop was also never confirmed, which irritated me. Was Russ, as the trainer, having sex with all these other ponies? And since Russ verbally said he didn't care is Bishop topped other men, did Bishop, in fact, sleep with other men during their 7 year relationship? See, stuff like fidelity matters to me when romance is involved. But since nothing was confirmed, I'm going on the assumption they were exclusive and letting the romance carry me away. *shrugs* I'm easy.

I can recommend this one for BDSM fans who would like to learn a bit about Pony Play while reading a sweet story about an older cowboy and a corrections officer. It was different in a very refreshing kind of way and has me very excited to start the Deputy Joe series.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I don’t usually read romance with D/s or BDSM kink because it’s not the ‘joy’ of my reading. However, when it comes to James Buchanan’s books, I am making exceptions. Buchanan is a BDSM-er in real life, so when he wrote BDSM scenes in his books, it doesn’t feel gimmicky or written just for the sake to twist the readers panties. BDMS in Buchanan’s books feels like it is integral to the characters. It’s just natural.

Anyway, back to the book, this story has an on-again off-again relationship between Bishop Priest, a probation officer at a youth offenders camp and ex-Sherrif Russell Stolzt, who is also a horse trainer at the camp. Despite they were being in the off-again stage, Bishop still returned to Russ when he felt he needed to lose himself from the pressure of his job. Being Russ’s pony was the way that Bishop felt he could regroup.

When I started reading, I felt like I’m being thrown in the middle of their story. It threw me off a little bit as I felt like missing a big chunk of their earlier relationship. I started to get the hang of it, though, as I discovered what make Bishop kept getting commitment-phobia and ran away from Russ. When these two men finally opened about what they actually felt, it was quite sweet and I couldn’t help myself to go “awwww” over it.

I liked that Russ here was a character over fifty years old while Bishop was younger. It added to the issues that they both had – with Russ finally wanted Bishop to stick around for good, because he wasn’t getting any younger.

I thought Bishop’s job as probation officer was interesting – I want to read more characters with this kind of occupation! But because of the length, I didn’t feel like I get enough of it.

Just FYI, the kink here was pony-play – quite an elaborate one, I think. I wouldn’t describe it as hot and sexy nor it was about humiliation, though, in fact it might feel a bit clinical. But like I said in the beginning, with Buchanan’s characters, it felt essential to both Bishop and Russ because it was part of who they are.

[Jewel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impulsion is about one man who can't stop running and another who wants him to stay. For the past seven years, Russ has been the only man who could really ground Bishop, but every time Bishop starts to feel too much, he bolts, in fear that if he stays he'll lose himself in Russ.

Bishop Priest is skittish and in many ways, insecure. He's good at his job and he finds it rewarding, but when it comes to his personal life, he really has a hard time seeing his worth. So he has a tendency to run when things get good.

Russ Stolzt is the one man who really knows Bishop. Knows his past, knows what he's been through. And Russ is solid. He's dependable and he's really good at calming skittish creatures, horses and humans alike. But every time Bishop runs, he takes a piece of Russ with him. Russ knows that Bishop is the only one he wants. But he doesn't wish to tame him if that's what it would take to keep him.

I'll be the first to admit that pony play is not my kink. It can be sexy, though, and it really was in Impulsion. Russ trains horses (actual horses) and ponies (of the human variety) and he really has the touch. I found the pony play scenes well done. Sexy without hitting my 'out of bounds' meter. Both Russ and Bishop got what they needed and it was clear that there was a lot of caring between them. And a lot of history.

Impulsion was a pretty short read, but even still I think I got a good sense of the characters and what drove them. I am glad that it did not encompass their entire 7 year relationship, because it would have irritated me to no end to watch Bishop bolt, time and again, before he finally gets the courage to stay. So, in that respect, I think Impulsion was just the right sized serving. And I found their HEA satisfying.

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Review copy of Impulsion generously provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

[E]

This novella was not quite up to par in comparison to the other James Buchanan books I've read, but was still enjoyable.

While pony play is far from something I'm into, this book was an interesting glimpse into that lifestyle. I liked reading about Bishop and Russ and their on again-off again May-December relationship, and I think that if it had been longer, the author would have been able to delve deeper into each character and what made them tick. As it is, I found it to be just ok.

I continue to enjoy this author's writing and am really looking forward to the next one, whenever that may be.

Previously:

How did I miss this?? This author is so under the radar and has such a minor social media presence that finding her new books are like digging for gold.

If you haven't read any of her books then you need to (especially if you enjoy reading about BDSM)! I suggest the Deputy Joe series.

[Vallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, talk about a kink-fest. It's the first time I am reading about serious, all-out pony play and I have to admit, not only did I not really understand it, I was also a bit weirded out in parts. But. The emotional connection between Bishop and Russ was more than enough to make the story for me and the steam factor was off the charts. This was...definitely different. If anything, I am glad I read it because I learnt a bit more about this kink than mainstream books will give. Recommended for the curious:)

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars I'm gonna jump in right off the bat with the nit-picking here, just cuz it's fresh in my mind. Chapter 12, a sweet little something extra, should have been an epilogue. I think of epilogue's as 'extra' and so get annoyed when they contain extremely relevant information. But similarly, a last chapter that's cute but doesn't quite bring anything to the story? Epilogue.

Working backwards, Chapter Eleven? Kind of should have been earlier in the book. It was an actual conversation between our two MC's which reveals their first meeting Bishop as a scared kid in the Camp hiding out in the stables, their first true introduction (which was alluded to once but never delved into Russ sponsoring Bishop in NA), and their subsequent years together. I don't mind things being revealed as we go along, but to have it all come out in the last (second to last) chapter seems like a bit of a cop out. And honestly, it just keeps me at an emotional distance.

This is a novella, and it felt like it. It's a book with some complex issues and two complicated characters, yet it felt as though we only scratched the surface. It wasn't bad, but I just didn't get invested the way I expect to when I rate things any higher than a 3.

Now on to the white elephant in the room. The pony play. I actually thought this was very well done. I've only read this once before (also in a cowboy book, obviously) and it had come out of left field so I remember being a little put off. But it's clear right out the gates what these two guys get up to. It was a much more in depth look than I expected into the whole lifestyle, and I appreciated that aspect of a kink that I easily could (and did in the past) write off as silly. I appreciated the look into Bishop's psyche as he faded into a sort of sub-space (although here it's more animal-space) where he can give up control and let someone else call the shots for a while.

That being said, it wasn't as sexy as I was hoping for. It seemed to stop just short of that mind-fuck I like from my BDSM or other stories that involve that sub-space sort of activity. Also, there were two scenes of pony play, one of which involved penetration... and that was it. Are these guys only intimate when playing? What is their dynamic outside of the stable? I felt this was an important missing link. I would have loved a sex scene that was 'just them', and although we did get some sweet intimacy at the end there, it stopped just shy.

So overall, an interesting story that shows an in depth and respectful (I thought) look into a different kink, but lacking the emotional depth and thoroughness that I need from a full 3 star read, hence rounding down slightly.

Received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, reviewed for Hearts On Fire

[Sandi ♥'s way too many M/M books · Rating 3 out of 5]

It got better indeed. Was still a little something off for me though.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars
Priest, a probation officer at a youth offenders camp, and Russ, former sheriff and horse trainer, have been involved in and on off D/s relationship (specifically pony play scenes) for 7 years, but when things get difficult Priiest has a habit of running away. This novella length story is the pair of them reaching the crisis make or break point in their relationship.

I enjoyed this but felt a bit thrown into the middle of a story I didn't know the background to at times. As ever from this author well written with some good BDSM scenes.

[Salsera1974]

I dig the HELL out of James Buchanan, but pony play is not. my. jam. So, no. (But maybe on a bet! ;-))

The author promised us a fourth book in the Deputy Joe series. Where in the world is that? SSM is now legal in Utah. I want to see my boys get hitched!

[Sammy Goode · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt for this reviewer that author James Buchanan writes a mean and sexy sheriff/cowboy. Having enjoyed much of this author’s writing, I have found that he often wraps delicious kink into a compelling and well-developed story. When I picked up Impulsion I was not surprised at all to see unusual kink (pony play) and hot cowboys thrown into the mix but I was a bit startled by what appears to be a bit of a disjointed read and a lack of completeness to an otherwise tender love story.

Bishop is a supervisory probation officer at a camp for juvenile delinquents. He takes his job very seriously, hoping to be the difference for one boy, hoping to save them from a repeating life of crime. His vested interest becomes clearer as the story unfolds, as does his on again, off again relationship with Russ Stoltz, a retired deputy and current volunteer at the camp stables. Unlike his tenacity where it comes to serving the law and his boys, Bishop is gun shy of any type of lasting relationship and fears being hemmed in to one. So he tends to run and return to Russ and his dominance over and over until Russ finally stands up and puts a stop to it—what happens next is up to Bishop and may signal the end of everything he has come to depend on despite his propensity for denying it and his feelings for Russ.

Impulsion was a mix of unusual kink and tender love. I found myself wanting to know so much more about both these men and the origins of the pony play they obviously indulged in. In fact, it became slowly apparent that Russ was a cowboy to more than just Bishop and I found myself wondering why Bishop was so worried about their relationship being exposed when it must have been hard to hide a stable of human ponies and kinky play from the town they lived in. That was a point that never really got explained and left me rather frustrated.

I did appreciate the painstaking level of description used to help me visualize what pony play comprised but, in the end, it also left the entire scene between the men rather clinical rather than sexy or intense. I really enjoyed the scenes where both were in the camp and the focus was on Bishop’s job. It made the story feel more complete in many ways. However, the slow reveal about Bishop’s own past and how he and Russ met was somewhat disjointed and I found it difficult to piece together Bishop’s back story, particularly the defining moment that was the catalyst for he and Russ meeting.

All in all, Impulsion had all the markings of another memorable James Buchanan novel but lacked the teeth and sinew to make it a fully fleshed out story one could sink their time into.

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3 stars

Impulsion was a mix of unusual kink and tender love. I found myself wanting to know so much more about both these men and the origins of the pony play they obviously indulged in. In fact, it became slowly apparent that Russ was a cowboy to more than just Bishop and I found myself wondering why Bishop was so worried about their relationship being exposed when it must have been hard to hide a stable of human ponies and kinky play from the town they lived in. That was a point that never really got explained and left me rather frustrated.

I did appreciate the painstaking level of description used to help me visualize what pony play comprised but, in the end, it also left the entire scene between the men rather clinical rather than sexy or intense. I really enjoyed the scenes where both were in the camp and the focus was on Bishop’s job. It made the story feel more complete in many ways. However, the slow reveal about Bishop’s own past and how he and Russ met was somewhat disjointed and I found it difficult to piece together Bishop’s back story, particularly the defining moment that was the catalyst for he and Russ meeting.

Read Sammy’s review in its entirety here.

[Lira · Rating 3 out of 5]

An original story, with characters easy to appreciate ... so much that I wanted to have three times the pages to be able to appreciate the evolution of the characters. Unfortunately it was a short story, which leads to take for granted a lot of information and having to put so many other (even very important info) in the space of a few lines and at inopportune moments, which leads to a difficulty for the reader to integrate them in the story and give them sense. I think this distracted me a lot and it has precluded me the possibility to immerse myself in the story.

In addition, the pony play has been treated in a clinical and detached way: I understand that the writer wants to pass the idea that BDSM is part of their lives, for Bishop in a "therapeutic way", but this does not have to cancel the chemistry between the participants ... if they claim to be together and not be just friends with benefits I would say that there should be some emotion during sex, no?

However, it is an interesting story, and should be extended, I'd be the first to read it again.

[Inked Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

FourStars
I really liked Bishop. His outlook on life - on the kids he's helping was refreshing. Even though he knew that he couldn't save them all, I also really liked how he treated most of them with respect. He didn't joke around - he told it like it was. Bishop's character was a great guy. Russ was a character that I felt I didn't really get to know all that well. His relationship with Bishop was complicated.

Between the two of them, their relationship was furthered by mutual need - at least it seemed like that. I did like how Russ pushed Bishop to see what he truly wanted in life. I also liked that both characters came from similar employment backgrounds.

This was a great story of finding the one you can't do without, while keeping who you are inside.

I was given this in return for an honest review by Inked Rainbow Reads.

AvidReader

[Tj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Impulsion dropped us in the middle of Bishop and Russ' lives. It was like starting to watch a movie 30 minutes after the opening credits rolled. Toward the end of the book, we were given a few snippets of their past. I would have loved more detail.

[k reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I felt about this. Maybe a 2.5 stars. The story felt a little choppy in the second half. I also wanted more of the back story of the relationship. I'll have to read it again at some point.