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The Cowboy Gangster #1
Shot Through the Heart
Clint “The Cowboy” Maddox is a force to be reckoned with. Enforcer for the Sanitini family, the cowboy has known only violence, pain and death. But for a select few he calls “brothers”, Clint feels no love for mankind and believes that “an eye for an eye” is the only true means of retribution. ‘Let the punishment fit the crime’ is his philosophy when dealing with his enemies. But upon meeting Axel Anders –a frightened and lost young man with a stained soul of his own –Clint’s hard-as-steel exterior begins to crack as he finds himself intrigued by the effect this vulnerable “kid” has on him.
Yet when Axel’s presence begins to disturb the ground beneath which Clint’s darkest, most painful memories have lain dormant for over two decades, he begins to understand that the young man poses a greater threat than any flesh and blood enemy –and knows he must put the kid out of his life, or face a resurrected past that he believed to be dead and buried.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2015
33 people are currently reading
571 people want to read
About the author
C.J. Bishop
137 books523 followersPen name of author A.M. Snead.
Born and raised in scenic Coos County, Oregon, CJ enjoys the small town atmosphere and down-to-earth country folk who populate the area. She is a single mother and lives with her 18-year-old daughter, 1 horse, 4 dogs and 6 cats deep in the country woodlands which gives her plenty of time to write.
She is a Christian and a strong supporter of the LGBT community and favors gay erotic romance when it comes to writing. She hopes that her stories of love and acceptance will help further compassion and understanding for LGBT people who she feels is greatly misunderstood and persecuted - in a large party by the Christian community.
Most of all, she is hopeful that her stories will bring comfort to those who have been told that God hates them because they are different. It is her strong belief that God loves everyone and His love covers all.
Born and raised in scenic Coos County, Oregon, CJ enjoys the small town atmosphere and down-to-earth country folk who populate the area. She is a single mother and lives with her 18-year-old daughter, 1 horse, 4 dogs and 6 cats deep in the country woodlands which gives her plenty of time to write.
She is a Christian and a strong supporter of the LGBT community and favors gay erotic romance when it comes to writing. She hopes that her stories of love and acceptance will help further compassion and understanding for LGBT people who she feels is greatly misunderstood and persecuted - in a large party by the Christian community.
Most of all, she is hopeful that her stories will bring comfort to those who have been told that God hates them because they are different. It is her strong belief that God loves everyone and His love covers all.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
August 5, 2015
This series is a spin-off from The Phoenix Club series by the same author, and unless you've read that series, it doesn't really make sense to me for anyone to read this one. The two are definitely intertwined, characters from that series appear in this one and obviously to get the background to the characters in this one, you'd have to read that...me saying that Axel is Angel's stepbrother means absolutely nothing to you otherwise (hope that makes sense). Of course, if you don't give a monkey's about previous books and what happened to who, when and where, then just read on...but you've missed out on an amazing series!! 5 stars from me.
Axel is Angel's stepbrother, has had an awful life up to now, and everything makes him jump. He's been raped by his brother's friends, and although they are now in jail, Axel is still afraid of the dark and what could be lurking in it. Clint is an enforcer/hit-man who is famed for wearing a belt with a skull buckle. He is NOT a nice guy; however, when he meets Axel, there is an instant spark between them, and instead of Clint, the big tough hit-man, we get Clint the big teddy bear. Axel is not even gay...or so he believes, but Clint has a way with his body (not with words) of 'persuading' Axel otherwise.....
The secondary storyline running through was interesting, and featured a friend of Clint's, a character known as Cochise even though he's Egyptian and not a Native American. We don't know a lot about him, either in the Phoenix series or in this one, but I suspect we may discover a lot more in the next story, and his hook-ups with a certain veterinary surgeon named Kane.
The new character that Audrey (CJ) brought in was named Cory, but in his role as watchdog over Axel (for Clint) is known as Jimmy. He rents one of the other apartments in the block that Axel lives in, and is there purely to make friends with Axel (cos he doesn't have any of those) and to ensure that nothing happens to Axel when Clint isn't there. 'Jimmy' is also an enforcer for his family, the same family that Clint works for, and Clint is Cory's 'uncle', but in reality they are good friends and watch each other's backs. Has Cory survived the brutal attack at the end of the story that killed his best friend?? We're lead to believe not, but you never know, this IS fiction after all...I would love him to have survived, cos he was a really good character and deserves some happiness of his own. Looking forward to the rest of the series....
There were one or two little niggles in the editing, but I'm glad to see that my HUGE niggle with the Phoenix series has at last been addressed....navel was spelt as navel...YAY!!
January 23, 2018
3.0 Stars
I wanted to like this one more, with it's hardened, emotionless mob-enforcer learning to love, realizing that caring for someone didn't make him weak. With the reformed & penitent, broken anti-hero from previous books (which I didn't read but gleaned that from the first few chapters he'd not been a good guy) trying to trust again, to come to grips with his attraction to another man.
But OMG the things that bothered me style-wise overwhelmed my enjoyment of the plot. It's one thing to have a character deny his feelings, but to have it happen over and over again, in a flashback, in his head, out loud to a friend, out loud to the love interest. Holy shit, enough already. Also, this is compounded by it being something BOTH MCs kept doing. Plus, I know I am horrible with punctuation and run-on sentences, weird parentheticals and dashes separating thoughts; but I don't have an editor looking over these reviews. And that's the thing: I'm not paid for these and I can't even tell if there's an editor for this book. Seriously weird to see everything I do wrong and don't know how to do better actually show up en masse in a book.
But the thing that made this book so hard and took so long to read were the randomly placed quotation marks distinguishing only certain words or phrases. Sometimes they were sarcastic, sometimes an idiom, sometimes used in emphasis. But then, in the same sentence, another word would be italicized and I just didn't "get it." (<---Like that. WTF? Everyone knows what that means.) It kept throwing me out of the story as I tried to figure out how the quotation marks were supposed to be interpreted. AND THEN there were a couple chapters where only single quotes were used for the same effect. I just...I gave up. Completely and totally ended up skimming the last 20%. (Probably a good thing because OMG the crying. I'm happy to see a man in touch with his feelings and think it's probably cathartic to let all the hurts go with a good cry, but this poor kid seemed to do nothing but cry, all the time.)
I have absolutely no interest in reading the sequels; and, while I remember reading them, I can't recall the specifics of those first few Phoenix Club books (other than basic plot points) so I'm not going to subject myself to the torture again to rate them if this is what I can expect.
If this kind of thing doesn't bother you, it might be a decent read. I liked the characterization (when it wasn't being beaten to death) and love the idea of redemption & absolution for a previously portrayed "not good" guy. (I won't say "bad" guy because he wasn't truly bad, only scared and weak.) Plus, I adore a hit-man with a soft spot trope. (Not a heart of gold; he's still works for the mob and does ugly stuff.) But yeah, no. Not enough to redeem bad execution. (I'm still surprised I'm giving it 3 stars, honestly.)
I wanted to like this one more, with it's hardened, emotionless mob-enforcer learning to love, realizing that caring for someone didn't make him weak. With the reformed & penitent, broken anti-hero from previous books (which I didn't read but gleaned that from the first few chapters he'd not been a good guy) trying to trust again, to come to grips with his attraction to another man.
But OMG the things that bothered me style-wise overwhelmed my enjoyment of the plot. It's one thing to have a character deny his feelings, but to have it happen over and over again, in a flashback, in his head, out loud to a friend, out loud to the love interest. Holy shit, enough already. Also, this is compounded by it being something BOTH MCs kept doing. Plus, I know I am horrible with punctuation and run-on sentences, weird parentheticals and dashes separating thoughts; but I don't have an editor looking over these reviews. And that's the thing: I'm not paid for these and I can't even tell if there's an editor for this book. Seriously weird to see everything I do wrong and don't know how to do better actually show up en masse in a book.
But the thing that made this book so hard and took so long to read were the randomly placed quotation marks distinguishing only certain words or phrases. Sometimes they were sarcastic, sometimes an idiom, sometimes used in emphasis. But then, in the same sentence, another word would be italicized and I just didn't "get it." (<---Like that. WTF? Everyone knows what that means.) It kept throwing me out of the story as I tried to figure out how the quotation marks were supposed to be interpreted. AND THEN there were a couple chapters where only single quotes were used for the same effect. I just...I gave up. Completely and totally ended up skimming the last 20%. (Probably a good thing because OMG the crying. I'm happy to see a man in touch with his feelings and think it's probably cathartic to let all the hurts go with a good cry, but this poor kid seemed to do nothing but cry, all the time.)
I have absolutely no interest in reading the sequels; and, while I remember reading them, I can't recall the specifics of those first few Phoenix Club books (other than basic plot points) so I'm not going to subject myself to the torture again to rate them if this is what I can expect.
If this kind of thing doesn't bother you, it might be a decent read. I liked the characterization (when it wasn't being beaten to death) and love the idea of redemption & absolution for a previously portrayed "not good" guy. (I won't say "bad" guy because he wasn't truly bad, only scared and weak.) Plus, I adore a hit-man with a soft spot trope. (Not a heart of gold; he's still works for the mob and does ugly stuff.) But yeah, no. Not enough to redeem bad execution. (I'm still surprised I'm giving it 3 stars, honestly.)
February 11, 2017
I wasn't sure what this book was going to be like - mixed reviews and opinions. I actually read this book non stop, wanting to see how it would unfold. While there were a few issues with the flow I just focused on the slow unraveling of each characters past. Really keen to see what's next !
July 1, 2015
Axel's and Clint's story.
This appears to be the intro of a mafia suspense thriller, but I was thrown by the cliffhanger.
While I don't mind so much, it didn't really belong. This was almost PWP until the end. I was a little disappointed by the lack of relationship building between Clint and Axel. I would have preferred fewer sex scenes, and more discussion.
The sex was hot though. So if you like heavy smut with feelz, this will be right up your ally. I wanted a little bit more. Especially from two reoccurring characters from the previous Phoenix cub series.
This is light on the trigger warnings, but there is some flashbacks of abuse. If you've read the Phoenix club series then it's nothing you haven't already read.
This appears to be the intro of a mafia suspense thriller, but I was thrown by the cliffhanger.
While I don't mind so much, it didn't really belong. This was almost PWP until the end. I was a little disappointed by the lack of relationship building between Clint and Axel. I would have preferred fewer sex scenes, and more discussion.
The sex was hot though. So if you like heavy smut with feelz, this will be right up your ally. I wanted a little bit more. Especially from two reoccurring characters from the previous Phoenix cub series.
This is light on the trigger warnings, but there is some flashbacks of abuse. If you've read the Phoenix club series then it's nothing you haven't already read.
February 7, 2016
I couldn't put this book down!!! I absolutely LOVED it!!! Well that is until I got to the end and realized this was a book in a series. I'm so impatient thank God the 2nd one just came out but still the end is a true shocker!! I thought to myself "NO, this can't happen?!?!?!!!" :-( sill crying
To fully appreciate this book it would be best but not totally necessary to read her other series about the Phoenix Club. This was a truly great read and you'd really have to understand the cowboys character to appreciate how much of a turn around he did for Axel.
To fully appreciate this book it would be best but not totally necessary to read her other series about the Phoenix Club. This was a truly great read and you'd really have to understand the cowboys character to appreciate how much of a turn around he did for Axel.
October 10, 2015
Holy moly, there's a lot of crying in this. I don't think women cry as much as the dudes in this, and I KNOW that men, gay/damaged as they may be, surely don't.
Clifhhanger/WTF ending.
I will NOT be continuing on in this series.
Clifhhanger/WTF ending.
I will NOT be continuing on in this series.
June 28, 2021
4.5 Really well done, but please note that this is a spinoff of another series. I spent a good portion of this book feeling like I'd shown up to class mid semester. You will get through it but you will need patience. Clint and Axel are great together and the pacing and build of the passion between them is really well done. Towards the end things drag a little as they prepare to make love. Seriously it's like 8 chapters long and gets repetitive, but it's not enough to take away from the awesomeness of the rest of the book.
Clint is a stone cold 'cowboy' enforcer and Axel is a younger 'rescue' that crosses his path. Clint can't explain his attraction to him and his willingness to do things to and for him he's never considered before (or hadn't for a long time; I didn't read the previous series). In this book we also meet Cochise (Egyptian fellow enforcer) and his love interest, a sexy veterinarian. I definitely want to read more about them in Book 2!
So, on to Book 2!
Clint is a stone cold 'cowboy' enforcer and Axel is a younger 'rescue' that crosses his path. Clint can't explain his attraction to him and his willingness to do things to and for him he's never considered before (or hadn't for a long time; I didn't read the previous series). In this book we also meet Cochise (Egyptian fellow enforcer) and his love interest, a sexy veterinarian. I definitely want to read more about them in Book 2!
So, on to Book 2!
January 19, 2016
I understand that this is a spin off series, and I have not read the prior series. I believe this DID effect my enjoyment.
It started off with me hooked from the first Clint flashback.
I enjoyed Clint and Axel in the beginning...but quickly tired of them.
The story portion that was there, was good...but it flipped over into almost PWP.
Which got very tedious.
I wanted more story.
I will say, that cliff hanger, drew me right back in. I want more...I just hope the next story has a little better story/sex ratio. I love sex in my stories...but it shouldn't overpower the story to the point the story is lost.
It started off with me hooked from the first Clint flashback.
I enjoyed Clint and Axel in the beginning...but quickly tired of them.
The story portion that was there, was good...but it flipped over into almost PWP.
Which got very tedious.
I wanted more story.
I will say, that cliff hanger, drew me right back in. I want more...I just hope the next story has a little better story/sex ratio. I love sex in my stories...but it shouldn't overpower the story to the point the story is lost.
October 6, 2015
5 stars
Let me say this in Italian: ma porca puttana!
I want more, damn it! xD I am seriously in love with Clint, i mean, that man is something incredible. I loved how the sexy, dangerous, badass cowboy mobster turns into a teddy bear when he is with Axel.
I have been waiting for this book for a long time and it was worth it!
I hope to not have to wait long for the second book :'(
Let me say this in Italian: ma porca puttana!
I want more, damn it! xD I am seriously in love with Clint, i mean, that man is something incredible. I loved how the sexy, dangerous, badass cowboy mobster turns into a teddy bear when he is with Axel.
I have been waiting for this book for a long time and it was worth it!
I hope to not have to wait long for the second book :'(
April 12, 2015
I have been waiting for Clint and Axel's story and this didn't disappoint. This is my favorite of all the books so far. Total Cliffhanger too!!
Axel's life so far has been shit. He needs Clint so bad and we don't yet know Clint's story I think he had a shit life too.
Angst, hot sex, and murder.....
Axel's life so far has been shit. He needs Clint so bad and we don't yet know Clint's story I think he had a shit life too.
Angst, hot sex, and murder.....
November 22, 2017
*** 5 sparkling stars ! ***
*** Review contains major spoiler !***
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Damn you C.J. Bishop !!!!
I need book 2&3 NOW !!!!
Cowboy Gangster, Axel and Clint's story is so far the best one of the whole series. And Clint and Axel were easily became my favorite couple !
This is a spin off of Phoenix series, the earlier 18 books, I don't think you can read it separately, because it's tightly as a continuation of the series.
I considered it as book #19.
You can give us another 50 CJ and I will definitely read it all !
The Prelude made me worry about their future, and the pain was already there, torturing me while reading their "earlier" story.
I know it's not going to be an easy ride with the next book, ugly crying guaranteed in the future. But I know I have friends to hold in to, and hope for a better for Axel and Clint.
Axel was easily erased my hatred to him to become loving him for what he had been through, and Clint saw that Axel has the power to make him submit and weak.
Clint, a criminal, mob, hitman, and all uglies in life, but I now his story will break my heart soon as it will reveal.
Clint, as in Axel's story, is a 'hero' in my story too. All the love he gave to Axel, leave me breathless.
I hope, in the "three months after", Cory would be Axel's best friend and stand beside him, because I know that he need Cory, when he's is crumbling down and Clint need Cory to be with Axel as his guardian angel while he's back to his old shelf.
All we can do now, is hope, that HEA is waiting in the end of their journey, because I know, Axel and Clint deserved it.
And I hope I can see Cory'-s story in the future. I was losing hope with Shay. :(
You are an amazing story teller CJ !
I'm a slave to your stories !
Highly Recommended!
Note.
I'm not a beta reader, didn't received the ARC , or a good friend of the author, neither I'm an ass licker.
This is an honest review.
*** Review contains major spoiler !***
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Damn you C.J. Bishop !!!!
I need book 2&3 NOW !!!!
Cowboy Gangster, Axel and Clint's story is so far the best one of the whole series. And Clint and Axel were easily became my favorite couple !
This is a spin off of Phoenix series, the earlier 18 books, I don't think you can read it separately, because it's tightly as a continuation of the series.
I considered it as book #19.
You can give us another 50 CJ and I will definitely read it all !
The Prelude made me worry about their future, and the pain was already there, torturing me while reading their "earlier" story.
I know it's not going to be an easy ride with the next book, ugly crying guaranteed in the future. But I know I have friends to hold in to, and hope for a better for Axel and Clint.
Axel was easily erased my hatred to him to become loving him for what he had been through, and Clint saw that Axel has the power to make him submit and weak.
Clint, a criminal, mob, hitman, and all uglies in life, but I now his story will break my heart soon as it will reveal.
Clint, as in Axel's story, is a 'hero' in my story too. All the love he gave to Axel, leave me breathless.
I hope, in the "three months after", Cory would be Axel's best friend and stand beside him, because I know that he need Cory, when he's is crumbling down and Clint need Cory to be with Axel as his guardian angel while he's back to his old shelf.
All we can do now, is hope, that HEA is waiting in the end of their journey, because I know, Axel and Clint deserved it.
And I hope I can see Cory'-s story in the future. I was losing hope with Shay. :(
You are an amazing story teller CJ !
I'm a slave to your stories !
Highly Recommended!
Note.
I'm not a beta reader, didn't received the ARC , or a good friend of the author, neither I'm an ass licker.
This is an honest review.
"For future references," he murmured with that pulse quickening drawl as he approaches slowly. One hand slid though Axel's hair, cupped the back of his head and drew Axel,'s lips to his, "I can hear a pin drop in on a bed of cotton,"
We’re afraid because we feel vulnerable and don’t feel like we can defend ourselves. I could stay by your side for the rest of your life and beat down every threat that presented itself, but you still wouldn’t truly feel safe until you knew you could take care of yourself.
He was wrong - memories could still hurt a person. Cut them open and leave them bleeding.
"Oh, a word of advice,"Jimmy said as he opened the door. "If you want to convince your neighbors that you're not gay..." A grin cut across his face. "Probably shouldn' scream out your boyfriend's name during sex." He winked. "Chereio."
"He said no one had ever needed him for anything, or even depended on him. And it made him feel good to be needed, to...take care of someone...even in something as insignificant as that. I think, on top of everything else, he feels...unnecessary."
"You're a hero," he said quietly. Hero. Clint had been lot of things in life, but never that. His heart continued to go wild in his chest. "I usually play the role of villain," he admitted. Axel shook his head and cast Clint another of those knee-weakening sidelong smiles, his eyes glowing. "Not in my story." His lips twitching, Clint murmured, "So I'm in your story am I?"
"But all of this,...you...it scares the hell out of me. I survive by being in control. But you..." Clint touched the tip of his nose to Axel's. "You strip away my control."
"Do I want you Axel?"
"I want you so bad I can't breathe."
If he lived ten lifetimes, he doubted he would be able to solve the mystery of this kid's power over him. Just a glance from those eyes could command him. And that smile enslaved him. The "why" was no longer important.
April 18, 2015
CJ Bishop is the Pen Name for A.m. Snead and as all of her books are, this book is a beautiful, sweet, sexy and completely enthralling read.
Shot Through The Heart is Book 1 in the 3 Book series, The Cowboy Gangster and is a spinoff from CJ's extremely popular Phoenix Club (made up of five trilogies: Abel, Caleb, Angel, Gabriel and Maxwell) and Phoenix Chronicles Series (one trilogy). However she has very cleverly written it so it can also be read as a stand alone book.
Shot Through The Heart tells the story of 37 year old Clint Maddox, The Cowboy Gangster and 22 year old Axel Anders. You first meet them separately in The Phoenix Club Series and they first meet in Book 5- Maxwell of the Phoenix Club Series. When Axel is first introduced in Angel he is not a "good guy" and does many things he is not proud of however he does redeem himself by the end of Angel and suffers a great deal and in a very traumatic way by doing so. Clint is a hardened mobster, a good "bad guy" who believes he was born with a stain on his soul and is truly a "bad guy". Though they are obviously in love with each other both Clint and Axel struggle with accepting and embracing their love, for various reasons.
Though they can both be classified in their own way as underdogs they are both completely loveable and strong and amazing men and it is impossible to not root for the both of them and want nothing more than for them to reach their HEA. Other characters vital to Clint and Axels story is the incorrigible Corrigan/Jimmy a fellow mobster to Clint who also becomes a good friend to an unknowing Axel, Cochise another fellow mobster who is disapproving of any relationship between Clint and Axel, and Kane the sweet, hot and deceptively innocent vet.
CJ is known for her emotional, dark and tear jerking stories and this book is no different. As is CJ's custom the book ends with a huge cliff hanger which will leave you on the edge of your seat. However Shot Through The Heart is a sweet and romantic love story and is completely faultless and very well written and Clint and Axel are purely divine. None of the scenes can be classified as weak, especially the sex scenes which are smoking hot but also surprisingly for Clint especially, they do take a tender and loving turn and they will truly melt your heart.
CJ Bishop/ A.m. Snead is one of my most favourite M/M authors and after reading Shot Through The Heart, I cannot imagine her not becoming one of yours too.
Shot Through The Heart is Book 1 in the 3 Book series, The Cowboy Gangster and is a spinoff from CJ's extremely popular Phoenix Club (made up of five trilogies: Abel, Caleb, Angel, Gabriel and Maxwell) and Phoenix Chronicles Series (one trilogy). However she has very cleverly written it so it can also be read as a stand alone book.
Shot Through The Heart tells the story of 37 year old Clint Maddox, The Cowboy Gangster and 22 year old Axel Anders. You first meet them separately in The Phoenix Club Series and they first meet in Book 5- Maxwell of the Phoenix Club Series. When Axel is first introduced in Angel he is not a "good guy" and does many things he is not proud of however he does redeem himself by the end of Angel and suffers a great deal and in a very traumatic way by doing so. Clint is a hardened mobster, a good "bad guy" who believes he was born with a stain on his soul and is truly a "bad guy". Though they are obviously in love with each other both Clint and Axel struggle with accepting and embracing their love, for various reasons.
Though they can both be classified in their own way as underdogs they are both completely loveable and strong and amazing men and it is impossible to not root for the both of them and want nothing more than for them to reach their HEA. Other characters vital to Clint and Axels story is the incorrigible Corrigan/Jimmy a fellow mobster to Clint who also becomes a good friend to an unknowing Axel, Cochise another fellow mobster who is disapproving of any relationship between Clint and Axel, and Kane the sweet, hot and deceptively innocent vet.
CJ is known for her emotional, dark and tear jerking stories and this book is no different. As is CJ's custom the book ends with a huge cliff hanger which will leave you on the edge of your seat. However Shot Through The Heart is a sweet and romantic love story and is completely faultless and very well written and Clint and Axel are purely divine. None of the scenes can be classified as weak, especially the sex scenes which are smoking hot but also surprisingly for Clint especially, they do take a tender and loving turn and they will truly melt your heart.
CJ Bishop/ A.m. Snead is one of my most favourite M/M authors and after reading Shot Through The Heart, I cannot imagine her not becoming one of yours too.
August 8, 2017
Every few pages someone's either crying or trembling and the entire book bounces back and forth between consensual and non-consensual sex. At some point I preferred reading about Kane and Cochise than Clint and Axel. It was interesting, but I don't feel invested enough to finish the entire series. For one thing, I'm sure there'll be a lot of Clint bouncing back and forth between fighting and accepting his feelings for Axel, and after what happened to Cory, he'll probably stay away to protect him. Clearly there were other books before this one that have more background information on the characters and since I didn't read their stories I don't feel as connected to them. It's all very tragic with doom and gloom, which isn't really my thing, so maybe that's why I don't like it that much, which is rather unfortunate.
I got the entire collection on Kindle Unlimited for free, and I'm going to read what I'm hoping is the last book in the series, which for some reason I can't find on this website, Beneath the Bullets and Blood. Hopefully people are done raping in this one
UPDATE: finished Beneath the Bullets and Blood. Again with the crying. So much crying. There's a scramble to wrap up everyone's story, and clearly everyone, even those from the Phoenix series, has made an appearance, so there's so many stories going on at the same time and it's messy. Also, I get that this is by no means a lovey dovey romantic tale, but the torture scenes were a bit too graphic for my taste. And a little unrealistic, in regard to the likelihood of someone still being alive, much less conscious for all of that mutilation and blood loss. At some point the stories got a tad ridiculous. And it's really weird that Cochise is now playing dad with the kid he shot in the face. Apparently Bishop is not done with him and Kane, which is unfortunate. Three series surrounding the same group of characters is a bit much.
I got the entire collection on Kindle Unlimited for free, and I'm going to read what I'm hoping is the last book in the series, which for some reason I can't find on this website, Beneath the Bullets and Blood. Hopefully people are done raping in this one
UPDATE: finished Beneath the Bullets and Blood. Again with the crying. So much crying. There's a scramble to wrap up everyone's story, and clearly everyone, even those from the Phoenix series, has made an appearance, so there's so many stories going on at the same time and it's messy. Also, I get that this is by no means a lovey dovey romantic tale, but the torture scenes were a bit too graphic for my taste. And a little unrealistic, in regard to the likelihood of someone still being alive, much less conscious for all of that mutilation and blood loss. At some point the stories got a tad ridiculous. And it's really weird that Cochise is now playing dad with the kid he shot in the face. Apparently Bishop is not done with him and Kane, which is unfortunate. Three series surrounding the same group of characters is a bit much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2016
The characters in this book are found in another series' that contains somewhere around 15 books. Not in the mood to have to slog through so many books to get the backstory, I opted to read this and was fine. While there are references to incidents that must have happened, I wasn't too lost. Well this wasn't as blood soaked as I thought it might be. Tells the story of Clint, a mob enforcer, who gets involved, against his better judgement, with Axel. Clint is in his 30's, I believe while Axel is 22. What stands out for me is Axel's struggle with his desires after having grown up with his psychotic brother and father who belittled Axel and called his names like "girly wimp" and "fag." Axel does not want to be gay but he finds himself wanting Clint so much he literally vibrates when Clint is near. Axel also experienced a traumatic incident, again possibly explained in another book. Between that and just succumbing to what he feels for Clint though to him, it's wrong, poor Axel spent a fair amount of time crying. The writing is a little uneven with flashes of utter brilliance combined with some odd phrasing. But never took me out of the story. Dual POVs to a certain extent which was helpful since I needed to be in Clint's head. I want to know happens with Cochise and Kane. Now the end - well that was a killer though given the way that character was introduced, I was not surprised. I enjoyed this so much that I stopped to purchase the others 2 Cowboy Gangster books
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February 5, 2022
2 stars
- possible spoilers -
Multiple pov.
This review is about books 1 to 13 in the Cowboy Gangster series.
There's a lot of drama in these books, almost like watching a soap opera.
The author tries her best to shock readers by adding torture AND crying scenes. I don't know which I dislike more. I believe Bishop tries to make clear that tough gangsters who often torture and slaughter other gangsters, are still human beings with very human emotions. They're not all evil. Meaning when they're not killing criminals, they're bawling their eyes out.
About everything. Every character. In every book.
To me, this seems quite excessive. I like tough MCs who are comfortable with expressing their emotions and feelings, but this is way too much.
A few other things I noticed:
- In book 4, Cochise gets seriously injured. He's lost a lot of blood, yet has sex with Kane three times within a few hours! That's quite a feat.
- Until book 5, Axel has been a bit of a damsel in distress. Then, he suddenly changes into this fighting badass. Very unexpected!
- Children play an important part in these stories. All of them are, by the way, gay and are involved with one another. I don't know if that's because they're all traumatised...
- Bishop writes too much and too descriptive about kids being abused. It makes me feel depressed.
I've thought up some alternative titles for this series:
- Eye for an eye,
- Cowboy sexfest,
- Leave none alive!,
- Let's keep all the kids,
- We all need therapy.
Despite my comments, I couldn't stop reading loool.
- possible spoilers -
Multiple pov.
This review is about books 1 to 13 in the Cowboy Gangster series.
There's a lot of drama in these books, almost like watching a soap opera.
The author tries her best to shock readers by adding torture AND crying scenes. I don't know which I dislike more. I believe Bishop tries to make clear that tough gangsters who often torture and slaughter other gangsters, are still human beings with very human emotions. They're not all evil. Meaning when they're not killing criminals, they're bawling their eyes out.
About everything. Every character. In every book.
To me, this seems quite excessive. I like tough MCs who are comfortable with expressing their emotions and feelings, but this is way too much.
A few other things I noticed:
- In book 4, Cochise gets seriously injured. He's lost a lot of blood, yet has sex with Kane three times within a few hours! That's quite a feat.
- Until book 5, Axel has been a bit of a damsel in distress. Then, he suddenly changes into this fighting badass. Very unexpected!
- Children play an important part in these stories. All of them are, by the way, gay and are involved with one another. I don't know if that's because they're all traumatised...
- Bishop writes too much and too descriptive about kids being abused. It makes me feel depressed.
I've thought up some alternative titles for this series:
- Eye for an eye,
- Cowboy sexfest,
- Leave none alive!,
- Let's keep all the kids,
- We all need therapy.
Despite my comments, I couldn't stop reading loool.
September 26, 2015
First time a Goodreads suggestion has been really disappointing. Fortunately, the book was available as a free Kindle download.
I find nothing "romantic" about mob violence or related activities, and cannot feel any kind of empathy or attraction to characters who have built their lives around that. There was some interesting potential in this, but it goes nowhere and ends up being formulaic, with too much sex and not enough exposition or development. The dramatic extremes are too dramatic for real life, and the whole thing ends up being a sort of self-contained parody. I plowed through the whole thing hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Perhaps those who enjoy the codependencies and tensions of something like Fifty Shades of Grey will in fact appreciate this, but I cannot. I will not waste time (or money) on the rest of the series.
The number of malaprops and even spelling errors did nothing to improve my opinion, unfortunately. Authors should not depend on automated spelling and grammar checkers. These crutches will invariably fail to catch inappropriate word substitutions, and will sometimes change appropriate but misspelled words into something utterly incorrect.
Books that attempt to romanticize behaviors that are anti-social and harmful seem pretty irresponsible to me.
I find nothing "romantic" about mob violence or related activities, and cannot feel any kind of empathy or attraction to characters who have built their lives around that. There was some interesting potential in this, but it goes nowhere and ends up being formulaic, with too much sex and not enough exposition or development. The dramatic extremes are too dramatic for real life, and the whole thing ends up being a sort of self-contained parody. I plowed through the whole thing hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Perhaps those who enjoy the codependencies and tensions of something like Fifty Shades of Grey will in fact appreciate this, but I cannot. I will not waste time (or money) on the rest of the series.
The number of malaprops and even spelling errors did nothing to improve my opinion, unfortunately. Authors should not depend on automated spelling and grammar checkers. These crutches will invariably fail to catch inappropriate word substitutions, and will sometimes change appropriate but misspelled words into something utterly incorrect.
Books that attempt to romanticize behaviors that are anti-social and harmful seem pretty irresponsible to me.
May 11, 2016
Pure soap opera porn
I've read all of CJ Bishop's series set in the world of
Club Phoenix. I'm still not sure why! They are ridiculous, OTT dramas with extreme violence, abuse and rape. There are also a lot of CwD's, convenient coincidences and everything is cured with the power of love and very frequent applications of sex. There's also a frequent lack of lube but everybody cries a lot, so perhaps that can solve the lubrication problem.
I sound so negative but I read them in the same spirit that they are written. They're obviously not written to reflect reality. They are in a magical reflection where no matter how horrendous things get, revenge is always appropriate, justice will be served and love (with a little God thrown in) can conquer all. That some people are just meant to be together.
I used to watch soap operas, in the days before cable. Yes, I'm that old! That's all I can think to equate this to and it seems very apt. Read them for fun, that's what I do.
I've read all of CJ Bishop's series set in the world of
Club Phoenix. I'm still not sure why! They are ridiculous, OTT dramas with extreme violence, abuse and rape. There are also a lot of CwD's, convenient coincidences and everything is cured with the power of love and very frequent applications of sex. There's also a frequent lack of lube but everybody cries a lot, so perhaps that can solve the lubrication problem.
I sound so negative but I read them in the same spirit that they are written. They're obviously not written to reflect reality. They are in a magical reflection where no matter how horrendous things get, revenge is always appropriate, justice will be served and love (with a little God thrown in) can conquer all. That some people are just meant to be together.
I used to watch soap operas, in the days before cable. Yes, I'm that old! That's all I can think to equate this to and it seems very apt. Read them for fun, that's what I do.
February 4, 2020
A solid M-M romance with a blood curdling prologue (you are warned). This tough guy older cop with the vulnerable street-kid pairing worked for me - at least kept me engaged and entertained. I look forward to next book in the series. I'm not too happy about nice secondary characters getting offed however.
Read
May 16, 2015Even though this is #1 in a series, this has to be a spin-off of another series. Although a lot of things were recapped, you don't get the full impact or implication. I haven't read the other series, so although I enjoyed the writing, I found it really difficult to follow even with the recaps and flashbacks.
May 14, 2015
Awesome, awesome, awesome! I absolutely loved Clint and Axel together, the amount of angst is just right to keep me on the edge of my seat. Jimmy was a great character, the ending with him sucked though. The sex was incredible and plentiful. I'm anxious for book 2, I want more of Axel and Clint as a committed couple.
October 27, 2015
I get why some people liked this, it was interesting and different. But I hated all of the main characters. I couldn't work up any sympathy for Axel, he was annoying. And I had hoped for a firey bus crash for Clint and Cochise. But, no such luck. I hear they survive through two more books. I haven't decided if I'll read them or not.
April 9, 2015
Homerun with this one for sure!!
April 13, 2015
The end of the book left me in such a mess!!!! W O W!!!! I'm still catching flies!!! More please!!!
March 18, 2020
My heart is gone for what happened to Shay at end this book. I'm just glad was told Cory lives or would lost it too. I was recommended this book by friend and I truly love Axel and Clint. How sweet and caring Clint is with Axel and bringing him the puppy that Clint saved. My heart has definitely gone to these too. Can't wait read more of them. Their sex scenes about burned pages away. I add more on that later.
The second reason besides Shay dying have 4 was the f word and not talking about one used for sex. There are words better than that to use for gay. I despise it and used my whiteout every time appeared. I t wasn't needed could already tell the bad ones didn't like because was into guys. Would gotten 5 star of not for that.
The second reason besides Shay dying have 4 was the f word and not talking about one used for sex. There are words better than that to use for gay. I despise it and used my whiteout every time appeared. I t wasn't needed could already tell the bad ones didn't like because was into guys. Would gotten 5 star of not for that.
September 28, 2017
Ok I was told after I read this that I need to read the Phoenix series first ... for that since I didn't do that I gave it 3 stars instead of 2... I felt lost in this book like I was missing something ... ( I understand why now)... it was to much Sex between the couple and not enough talking or anything... it was boring as well for me.. nothing went on but Axel crying all the time and Clint saying he should leave... Kane and the Egyptian?? Why???
The ending couldn't save this book IMO.... I dont want to continue with the series ...
but in all fairness since I didn't read the Phoenix series first I may read that and flow back to this one ...
The ending couldn't save this book IMO.... I dont want to continue with the series ...
but in all fairness since I didn't read the Phoenix series first I may read that and flow back to this one ...
July 22, 2022
Clint and Axel are just.. [insert kiss motion]. They are beautiful and stupid. And they move far too fucking fast. This book takes place in like 2 days. That might be an exaggeration, but that's what it feels like. I also don't particularly like that it has an Egyptian that goes by a Native term (it is a little racist) but I do love Coshise as a character.
January 7, 2016
WOw !!
I can't even think where to begin with my review for this.
We've already met Clint "The Cowboy" and know sort of who he is and what he's capable of. We've also already met Axel and know the things he did to Angel, even though they weren't anywhere near as bad what Wade, Byrd and the others did. But, what we don't know is their past's. This gives us some of each of their histories and neither of them really had it easy. In the previous books with these 2 characters you'd think Axel would have no way of redeeming himself and you'd also think that "The Cowboy" was always a hard ass who wouldn't be known to have any "love" to give to anyone. And you'd be completely WRONG !!
The way this has been written, the way we're given insight into why they are the way they are is amazing. I was dead set against Axel and when, in "The Phoenix Chronicles" Maddy forgives him it broke my heart in a good way, in this we see the effect that his forgiveness has on Axel.
Axel is still scared though even though Wade is locked up, is he right to be ??
But he's not just scared of Wade, he's scared of becoming what his father and Wade always called him and tries to fight his feelings for Clint but Clint being Clint is cleverer than Axel gives him credit for. He's able to see that there's more going on with him than he's letting on.
I absolutely LOVED this and the ending really was a shocker leaving me desperate to start on the 2nd book of this series !!
I can't even think where to begin with my review for this.
We've already met Clint "The Cowboy" and know sort of who he is and what he's capable of. We've also already met Axel and know the things he did to Angel, even though they weren't anywhere near as bad what Wade, Byrd and the others did. But, what we don't know is their past's. This gives us some of each of their histories and neither of them really had it easy. In the previous books with these 2 characters you'd think Axel would have no way of redeeming himself and you'd also think that "The Cowboy" was always a hard ass who wouldn't be known to have any "love" to give to anyone. And you'd be completely WRONG !!
The way this has been written, the way we're given insight into why they are the way they are is amazing. I was dead set against Axel and when, in "The Phoenix Chronicles" Maddy forgives him it broke my heart in a good way, in this we see the effect that his forgiveness has on Axel.
Axel is still scared though even though Wade is locked up, is he right to be ??
But he's not just scared of Wade, he's scared of becoming what his father and Wade always called him and tries to fight his feelings for Clint but Clint being Clint is cleverer than Axel gives him credit for. He's able to see that there's more going on with him than he's letting on.
I absolutely LOVED this and the ending really was a shocker leaving me desperate to start on the 2nd book of this series !!
March 10, 2021
**** read The Phoenix Chronicles (4 books) before reading this series... in fact read ALL of CJ Phoenix Boys books before reading this book****
Clint and Axel's story is the reason I started this WHOLE book collections... its is the one I've been DYING TO READ... and it was so worth the wait.
and YES you HAVE to read the other books in the Phoenix Series before this one, if not you will be a lot lost, especially during the flash backs... even with reading the other books I'm a little confused about some things... well more like disappointed that they weren't addressed. I hope they come up later.
I LOVE Clint and Axel together.... I love that Clint bring Axel out of his fears and vulnerability... makes him feel wanted and love. I love how Axel brings out Clint's softer side... makes him feel wanted and love. Its awesome how two TOTALLY different men need the same exact thing to feel good.
What happened in the end though is TOTALLY killing me and I'm pray pray pray that it didn't really happen... PLEASE CJ Bishop, don't kill Cory/Jimmy you can survive a gun shot to the head... I've seen it happen in lots of soaps, maybe with a little amnesia but alive... please please PLEASE!!!
Clint and Axel's story is the reason I started this WHOLE book collections... its is the one I've been DYING TO READ... and it was so worth the wait.
and YES you HAVE to read the other books in the Phoenix Series before this one, if not you will be a lot lost, especially during the flash backs... even with reading the other books I'm a little confused about some things... well more like disappointed that they weren't addressed. I hope they come up later.
I LOVE Clint and Axel together.... I love that Clint bring Axel out of his fears and vulnerability... makes him feel wanted and love. I love how Axel brings out Clint's softer side... makes him feel wanted and love. Its awesome how two TOTALLY different men need the same exact thing to feel good.
What happened in the end though is TOTALLY killing me and I'm pray pray pray that it didn't really happen... PLEASE CJ Bishop, don't kill Cory/Jimmy you can survive a gun shot to the head... I've seen it happen in lots of soaps, maybe with a little amnesia but alive... please please PLEASE!!!
July 18, 2016
OMG. I am not sure how I am supposed to go on. Reading that is. I usually go straight from one book to another without pausing. There are very few that make me take a day to really reflect and feel the characters before I can put them down and move on. This is one of those books. I mean this book was so . . . and so . . . so very . . . I can't even put it into words. (It is a good thing you do all the writing C.J. Bishop and not me). What a great romance story! So, very hot!!!! I mean H - O - T!!!!! I have read every book in this series and loved them but this tops them all. So powerful!!!!! Of course Bishop you know I love you and hate you now because of this book (I say this very vaguely because I don't like to give any spoilers in my reviews but Bishop knows why I hate her - of course I don't really but OMG my heart is pounding until the next book. Thank you for this book.
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