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Beyond Fairytales #2
Spurred On
His wicked stepfather is trying to drive Kegan off his family’s ranch…
He promised his dying father to always be there to protect his mother. But when she leaves on a cattle buying trip, his stepbrothers join in to bully and overwork him. Can he hang on until her return? And even if he does, how can he tell her that her new husband is evil incarnate? The only bright spot is Cole, a handsome neighbor he’s admired from a distance.
He’s new in town, and his parents are holding a rodeo…
It’s not easy to meet new people in an established ranching community, but a rodeo will draw everyone in and give Cole an opportunity to make friends and show his skills in an arena they all understand. Maybe even get to know someone special.
A mystical medicine hat stallion walks into Kegan’s life….
It’s not long before they are the talk, and mystery, of the rodeo. The only thing more daunting than keeping his identity secret is how Kegan is going to balance all this with his draw to the man of his dreams. Will Cole end up being his magical prince, or is Kegan going to find himself left in the dust?
He promised his dying father to always be there to protect his mother. But when she leaves on a cattle buying trip, his stepbrothers join in to bully and overwork him. Can he hang on until her return? And even if he does, how can he tell her that her new husband is evil incarnate? The only bright spot is Cole, a handsome neighbor he’s admired from a distance.
He’s new in town, and his parents are holding a rodeo…
It’s not easy to meet new people in an established ranching community, but a rodeo will draw everyone in and give Cole an opportunity to make friends and show his skills in an arena they all understand. Maybe even get to know someone special.
A mystical medicine hat stallion walks into Kegan’s life….
It’s not long before they are the talk, and mystery, of the rodeo. The only thing more daunting than keeping his identity secret is how Kegan is going to balance all this with his draw to the man of his dreams. Will Cole end up being his magical prince, or is Kegan going to find himself left in the dust?
- GenresFantasyM M Romance
94 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2015
3 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 2, 2016
When I first read the blurb for this modern day retelling of "Cinderella" with gay cowboys my only thought was...Sign me up!!
When Kegan's mother remarries David, Kegan doesn't have the heart to tell her David, and his two sons, Seth and Brent, have already been making threats and bullying him. They taunt him endlessly, call him "Dusty", and pawn off their chores or duties on Kegan or destroy his stuff. Their abusive treatment grows worse when Kegan's mother leaves on a buying trip for several weeks.
Everything changes when a neighboring family sponsors a three day rodeo and a magical horse and some perfectly fitting clothing show up.
I loved the idea of this story. I was really excited to see a modern retelling of the popular fairytale from a M/M perspective.
Where this fell short for me was on the execution. Two major points took away my enjoyment from this story because they just bugged the hell out of me.
Also, there were a couple of minor bothersome points for me that further diminished my enjoyment of the story.
The bottom line? This has some enjoyable moments, some HOT sexy times and a sweet HEA, but it needs some editing to make a bit more sense.
Copy generously provided by Decadent Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
This review has been cross-posted at Reviews by Jessewave
When Kegan's mother remarries David, Kegan doesn't have the heart to tell her David, and his two sons, Seth and Brent, have already been making threats and bullying him. They taunt him endlessly, call him "Dusty", and pawn off their chores or duties on Kegan or destroy his stuff. Their abusive treatment grows worse when Kegan's mother leaves on a buying trip for several weeks.
Everything changes when a neighboring family sponsors a three day rodeo and a magical horse and some perfectly fitting clothing show up.
I loved the idea of this story. I was really excited to see a modern retelling of the popular fairytale from a M/M perspective.
Where this fell short for me was on the execution. Two major points took away my enjoyment from this story because they just bugged the hell out of me.
Also, there were a couple of minor bothersome points for me that further diminished my enjoyment of the story.
The bottom line? This has some enjoyable moments, some HOT sexy times and a sweet HEA, but it needs some editing to make a bit more sense.
Copy generously provided by Decadent Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
This review has been cross-posted at Reviews by Jessewave
August 18, 2015
Some spoilers below...
Based on the blurb, this sounded like a nice retelling of Cinderella, casting Kegan into the role of the poor stepchild, with his mother having remarried a man with two sons of his own, and not seeing how her own kid is being treated.
Then she leaves town for a bit.
Stepdaddy Dearest dials up the wickedness and almost works Kegan to the bone on the ranch.
The neighbor's farm owners have a son about Kegan's age, who after four years of living in the area apparently still hasn't made any friends, so they throw him aball rodeo to find eligible mates friends for him. Cole takes one look at Kegan and is head over heels.
Kegan would love to attend, but a) doesn't have time because Stepdaddy Dearest is making sure his workload doubles, and b) doesn't have a suitable horse. Or clothes, for that matter.
The Fairy Godmother appears in form of a Medicine Hat stallion, who not only comes with a set of shiny new clothing, but also understands every word Kegan says.
So Kegan enters the rodeo as Dusty, the nickname his stepfather gave him.
Once I got to that point, I basically lost interest and mostly skimmed through the rest. There were some cute parts, sure. The interactions between Kegan and his horse were funny, most of the time, and I liked that the author used a lost spur in lieu of a glass slipper, and I sure liked the tongue lashing Kegan's mom gives her husband when she returns and the truth comes out. Some sexy times as well, though I didn't fully buy the connection between Kegan and Cole.
It felt uneven. Retelling a fairytale isn't easy, and while this was a nice attempt, it didn't fully succeed for me. YMMV.
** I received a free copy of this book from Pride Promos as part of a blogtour. A positive review was not promised in return. **
Based on the blurb, this sounded like a nice retelling of Cinderella, casting Kegan into the role of the poor stepchild, with his mother having remarried a man with two sons of his own, and not seeing how her own kid is being treated.
Then she leaves town for a bit.
Stepdaddy Dearest dials up the wickedness and almost works Kegan to the bone on the ranch.
The neighbor's farm owners have a son about Kegan's age, who after four years of living in the area apparently still hasn't made any friends, so they throw him a
Kegan would love to attend, but a) doesn't have time because Stepdaddy Dearest is making sure his workload doubles, and b) doesn't have a suitable horse. Or clothes, for that matter.
The Fairy Godmother appears in form of a Medicine Hat stallion, who not only comes with a set of shiny new clothing, but also understands every word Kegan says.
So Kegan enters the rodeo as Dusty, the nickname his stepfather gave him.
Once I got to that point, I basically lost interest and mostly skimmed through the rest. There were some cute parts, sure. The interactions between Kegan and his horse were funny, most of the time, and I liked that the author used a lost spur in lieu of a glass slipper, and I sure liked the tongue lashing Kegan's mom gives her husband when she returns and the truth comes out. Some sexy times as well, though I didn't fully buy the connection between Kegan and Cole.
It felt uneven. Retelling a fairytale isn't easy, and while this was a nice attempt, it didn't fully succeed for me. YMMV.
** I received a free copy of this book from Pride Promos as part of a blogtour. A positive review was not promised in return. **
August 4, 2015
Original Blog Post: Blog Tour, eARC Review, Excerpt & #Giveaway: Spurred On by Jon Keys
Giles West's Review of : Spurred On by Jon Keys
Four stars * * * *
Where to start on this review? That is the question. “Spurred On” by Jon Keys is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but with a male in the lead and set in the land of cowboys. Instead of a ball there is a rodeo. And, there’s no need for a fairy godfather when there’s a “mystical medicine hat stallion” to help the hero.
First of all, I am a huge fan of fairy tales and revised or reimagined fairy tales (except for certain TV shows which seem more soap operaesque to me). But I digress, back to the novel at hand. I absolutely love Jon Keys’ fairy tale. For the most part, it actually does read like a modern fairy tale without being hokey. The author gives us a hero we can root for, as well as a great love interest.
But, there are a lot of problems with this book, most of which I don’t believe are because of the author. I usually start a review talking about the cover and so I’ll start there. I’m reminded of two movie reviewers on an old sketch comedy show who used to say “hated it”. That pretty much sums up my feeling about the cover. There is a problem with using models on covers.
The men in the novel are over the top, incredibly good-looking. I know looks are subjective, but to me the models on the cover look nothing like the characters in the book. That is distracting because while I do like to imagine the characters myself, the cover is there and quite frankly I don’t find either man remotely handsome (no offense to the models) or cowboy rugged.
The boots on the cover look great, and the original Cinderella is really all about the shoes anyway, isn’t it? (LOL). The horse was such a big part of the story that I think instead of the men, it might’ve been nicer to have a horse and rider in the background and maybe a silhouette of a man in the foreground. I know, I shouldn’t judge by “what if’s”, but hey—it’s my review.
Editing, or rather lack of editing, is a huge problem in this book, which I’ll address at the end of this review. For now, I’ll focus on some of my favorite things about “Spurred On”. The fairy tale inspirations are all over this novel without it ever seeming trite or silly. I absolutely love the interactions between the lead character Kegan and the horse. The horse has a real personality and character all his own—perfection. All of the characters fit the story exceptionally well, without any missteps on the author’s part.
Brilliant idea Mr. Keys! The whole story is original and inspired, yet harkens back to the original Cinderella with a nice almost reverential or respectful feel. The elements are there, and one would know that without the author telling us, but Jon Keys is in there too in a witty and imaginative way. He really has something new to add to the old tale and it’s not just because it’s now an m/m story. Changing the setting works wonderfully, and believe it or not the cowboys and rodeo action do have a magic of their own.
Now for the bad. And one thing I will say is that a gifted author like Jon Keys needs to find a publisher who knows what editing actually means. Decadent Publishing does have editors on staff (trust me-I checked), but the first thing those editors need to do is look up the word “editor” in the dictionary. Maybe the horse from the story could explain to the editors at Decadent Publishing what editing means, since clearly they have no idea whatsoever.
Yes, I’m going on a rant here for reasons which I will now state. Even the information that went out to reviewers was filled with typos and misspellings. When this title was sent out for review I had misgivings. The story immediately drew me in, but the typos were evident from the first line. Let me just give some examples.
In the summary of the story in front of the book there is this line:
“The only bright spot is a Cole, who’s admired from a distance.”
“A Cole? This is a book featuring cowboys and horses, did they mean to say a colt or is the cowboy’s name Cole. Cole is a cowboy in the story, so the “a” should clearly have been edited out of the summary saying what the book is about. Then there's the first line of the book:
“Once upon a time… Isn’t that how all fairytales start?
First sentence and there are two mistakes. It’s one sentence not two, so 'Isn’t' shouldn’t be capitalized. And, according to Miriam-Webster 'Fairy tale' are two words not one. Kegan’s best friend is named 'Alec' but at one point the name is spelled 'Alex.' There is also some overusing of words, which a good editor should spot, since it’s their job to edit. Yes, I’m harping but bad or non-existent editing is getting to be a major problem with books which I’ve been given to review. And, before anyone asks, it’s easy to tell when an author has real talent and is good, and when the editor does her job poorly. Even the best authors need editors. A lot of times they get caught up in the story or characters and end up with typos or simple mistakes. That’s when the editor is “supposed” to come in and do their job of “editing”. Where’s a magic horse when you need one?
Well, enough of that. Would this book have generated a perfect score if it had perfect editing. Probably not quite, but pretty darn close.
There is one thing that left me a bit perplexed because, to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I thought about it myself. That’s the topic of sex in this book. I’m not familiar with this publisher with the bad editing (yes, I’m rubbing it in-they deserve it for letting the author down), so I don’t know if their books are known for having a certain amount of sex or not. The earlier parts of the book don’t have sex, then all of a sudden near the end—bam! Now, being a male I can certainly appreciate hot man on man sex between cowboys. Certainly there are more than a few female readers who appreciate it as well. And the male couple are definitely extremely hot, to be blunt. OK, OK, so there was hot sex—what’s the problem, you ask?
The problem is what your views would be on reading about Cinderella rimming Prince Charming. On their wedding night mind you—so it is within the confines of the matrimonial bed. Hmm… you maybe start to see where I’m a bit confused as to what I thought about this. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an adult book right from the beginning. It’s no child’s story, but there is a fairy tale sweetness and charm about it that makes me think twice about those hot, juicy love scenes near, and at, the end. I haven’t really made my mind up about all of that. On the one hand doing the sex scenes in a more fade to black way would retain the fairy tale feel. On the other hand, it doesn’t pretend not to be an adult book. Either way, readers will have to decide on their own about those scenes. On a side note, there was some (just a bit) repetitive use of phrases in the love scenes—and I don’t mean the moans and groans.
At long last, here are my final thoughts on “Spurred On”. The length of the story is perfect, and characters are endearing and fit the story well. The story is such a creative rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale that it’s going to boost my rating up a star despite the horrendous editing job. Someone at the publishing house isn’t doing their job or doesn’t know how to do their job. Time to clean house, I say. It’s very easy to lose readers, especially when you have mistakes in the summary of the book.
To author Jon keys, I don’t know you, but I loved the whole idea of this book. It put a smile on my face. Thank you. And find a publisher with better editors, you deserve it.
Great story, fantastic characters, fun weekend read! The story definitely pulls this rating up from what I thought would be three stars because of the lack of editing.
Four stars * * * *
Giles West's Review of : Spurred On by Jon Keys
Four stars * * * *
Where to start on this review? That is the question. “Spurred On” by Jon Keys is a retelling of the Cinderella story, but with a male in the lead and set in the land of cowboys. Instead of a ball there is a rodeo. And, there’s no need for a fairy godfather when there’s a “mystical medicine hat stallion” to help the hero.
First of all, I am a huge fan of fairy tales and revised or reimagined fairy tales (except for certain TV shows which seem more soap operaesque to me). But I digress, back to the novel at hand. I absolutely love Jon Keys’ fairy tale. For the most part, it actually does read like a modern fairy tale without being hokey. The author gives us a hero we can root for, as well as a great love interest.
But, there are a lot of problems with this book, most of which I don’t believe are because of the author. I usually start a review talking about the cover and so I’ll start there. I’m reminded of two movie reviewers on an old sketch comedy show who used to say “hated it”. That pretty much sums up my feeling about the cover. There is a problem with using models on covers.
The men in the novel are over the top, incredibly good-looking. I know looks are subjective, but to me the models on the cover look nothing like the characters in the book. That is distracting because while I do like to imagine the characters myself, the cover is there and quite frankly I don’t find either man remotely handsome (no offense to the models) or cowboy rugged.
The boots on the cover look great, and the original Cinderella is really all about the shoes anyway, isn’t it? (LOL). The horse was such a big part of the story that I think instead of the men, it might’ve been nicer to have a horse and rider in the background and maybe a silhouette of a man in the foreground. I know, I shouldn’t judge by “what if’s”, but hey—it’s my review.
Editing, or rather lack of editing, is a huge problem in this book, which I’ll address at the end of this review. For now, I’ll focus on some of my favorite things about “Spurred On”. The fairy tale inspirations are all over this novel without it ever seeming trite or silly. I absolutely love the interactions between the lead character Kegan and the horse. The horse has a real personality and character all his own—perfection. All of the characters fit the story exceptionally well, without any missteps on the author’s part.
Brilliant idea Mr. Keys! The whole story is original and inspired, yet harkens back to the original Cinderella with a nice almost reverential or respectful feel. The elements are there, and one would know that without the author telling us, but Jon Keys is in there too in a witty and imaginative way. He really has something new to add to the old tale and it’s not just because it’s now an m/m story. Changing the setting works wonderfully, and believe it or not the cowboys and rodeo action do have a magic of their own.
Now for the bad. And one thing I will say is that a gifted author like Jon Keys needs to find a publisher who knows what editing actually means. Decadent Publishing does have editors on staff (trust me-I checked), but the first thing those editors need to do is look up the word “editor” in the dictionary. Maybe the horse from the story could explain to the editors at Decadent Publishing what editing means, since clearly they have no idea whatsoever.
Yes, I’m going on a rant here for reasons which I will now state. Even the information that went out to reviewers was filled with typos and misspellings. When this title was sent out for review I had misgivings. The story immediately drew me in, but the typos were evident from the first line. Let me just give some examples.
In the summary of the story in front of the book there is this line:
“The only bright spot is a Cole, who’s admired from a distance.”
“A Cole? This is a book featuring cowboys and horses, did they mean to say a colt or is the cowboy’s name Cole. Cole is a cowboy in the story, so the “a” should clearly have been edited out of the summary saying what the book is about. Then there's the first line of the book:
“Once upon a time… Isn’t that how all fairytales start?
First sentence and there are two mistakes. It’s one sentence not two, so 'Isn’t' shouldn’t be capitalized. And, according to Miriam-Webster 'Fairy tale' are two words not one. Kegan’s best friend is named 'Alec' but at one point the name is spelled 'Alex.' There is also some overusing of words, which a good editor should spot, since it’s their job to edit. Yes, I’m harping but bad or non-existent editing is getting to be a major problem with books which I’ve been given to review. And, before anyone asks, it’s easy to tell when an author has real talent and is good, and when the editor does her job poorly. Even the best authors need editors. A lot of times they get caught up in the story or characters and end up with typos or simple mistakes. That’s when the editor is “supposed” to come in and do their job of “editing”. Where’s a magic horse when you need one?
Well, enough of that. Would this book have generated a perfect score if it had perfect editing. Probably not quite, but pretty darn close.
There is one thing that left me a bit perplexed because, to be honest, I wasn’t sure what I thought about it myself. That’s the topic of sex in this book. I’m not familiar with this publisher with the bad editing (yes, I’m rubbing it in-they deserve it for letting the author down), so I don’t know if their books are known for having a certain amount of sex or not. The earlier parts of the book don’t have sex, then all of a sudden near the end—bam! Now, being a male I can certainly appreciate hot man on man sex between cowboys. Certainly there are more than a few female readers who appreciate it as well. And the male couple are definitely extremely hot, to be blunt. OK, OK, so there was hot sex—what’s the problem, you ask?
The problem is what your views would be on reading about Cinderella rimming Prince Charming. On their wedding night mind you—so it is within the confines of the matrimonial bed. Hmm… you maybe start to see where I’m a bit confused as to what I thought about this. Don’t get me wrong, this is definitely an adult book right from the beginning. It’s no child’s story, but there is a fairy tale sweetness and charm about it that makes me think twice about those hot, juicy love scenes near, and at, the end. I haven’t really made my mind up about all of that. On the one hand doing the sex scenes in a more fade to black way would retain the fairy tale feel. On the other hand, it doesn’t pretend not to be an adult book. Either way, readers will have to decide on their own about those scenes. On a side note, there was some (just a bit) repetitive use of phrases in the love scenes—and I don’t mean the moans and groans.
At long last, here are my final thoughts on “Spurred On”. The length of the story is perfect, and characters are endearing and fit the story well. The story is such a creative rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale that it’s going to boost my rating up a star despite the horrendous editing job. Someone at the publishing house isn’t doing their job or doesn’t know how to do their job. Time to clean house, I say. It’s very easy to lose readers, especially when you have mistakes in the summary of the book.
To author Jon keys, I don’t know you, but I loved the whole idea of this book. It put a smile on my face. Thank you. And find a publisher with better editors, you deserve it.
Great story, fantastic characters, fun weekend read! The story definitely pulls this rating up from what I thought would be three stars because of the lack of editing.
Four stars * * * *
August 18, 2015
3 Heart Review by Dan
What gay boy didn’t secretly want to be Cinderella? Whisked off to the castle and the waiting handsome prince for their HEA? Jon Keys brings us a modern uptake on the story. This time we are in Colorado, on a ranch, and Cinderella is actually named Kegan.
Kegan’s dad is dead, and his mother is ready to move with her life. Unfortunately, that moving on means Kegan’s mother has jumped into a new marriage with a man she doesn’t know that well, but one who has already warned Kegan to keep his mouth shut if he knows what is good for him and his mother. He has come right out and told Kegan that accidents happen all the time on ranches to fragile women.
So here they are, married. Even worse, the evil stepfather has two nasty, lazy, conniving sons about the same age as Kegan. When Kegan’s mother leaves on an already planned buy trip/vacation and leaves Kegan alone with the stepfather and stepbrothers all gloves are off. Kegan is treated almost like a slave doing almost all the work around the place.
Then Kegan finds out from his best friend that there is a rodeo planned on the spread next door, and it is starting in just hours! That is the same spread where Kegan’s crush, Cole, lives. Cole is the son of a well to do banker, so Kegan is sure the feelings wouldn’t be returned, even if Cole were gay, which Kegan isn’t so sure of.
But Kegan’s horse is injured and all his clothes have been sabotaged, torn up and covered with manure by his evil stepbrothers. There is no way Kegan can go….that is until the magical medicine hat stallion shows up, along with a custom made outfit, boots and hat…all in exactly Kegan’s size. As a personal note, my hands down favorite character in the story was the horse, Ace! I think he should have been on the cover of the book!
What will happen at the rodeo? Is there any way around the evil “steps”? Who is that girl that keeps kissing Cole? And what will happen to Kegan’s poor mom when she comes back?
I enjoyed this story, but with a few exceptions. Yes, I knew how it would probably come out….it IS Cinderella after all. But the journey along the way was entertaining. To keep it real, I do have to say that some of the sex seemed a little drawn out. I kind of got bored during the sex scenes and tended to skim. I’m not sure if I just felt they were overdone for a Cinderella off-take, but whatever the reason, they didn’t pull me in. Also, the blurb doesn’t match the book when it says Colt is new in town. Colt’s family has lived next door for quite some time, and I didn’t get how in twenty-first century Colorado the ranchers wouldn’t have met the people on the next ranch. Kegan knew and had seen Colt, it is a small town, how had Colt not seen him? Finally, the cover models don’t look a thing like the character descriptions. I’m a “cover” buyer. If I see a cover that knocks my socks off, I buy the book. This cover looked like a hundred other m/m cowboy books and I probably would have skipped it.
Overall though, it was a good read. If you’re a fan of fairytales and particularly of Cinderella, you’ll enjoy this 21st century Cinderfella retell. I’m a fan of the author and just finishedreading another of his books which I’m currently reviewing. Based on how much I enjoyed that other book, I’m not sure how this one fell a little flat for me. But reviews are just opinions, and you might have a totally different read than I did!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
What gay boy didn’t secretly want to be Cinderella? Whisked off to the castle and the waiting handsome prince for their HEA? Jon Keys brings us a modern uptake on the story. This time we are in Colorado, on a ranch, and Cinderella is actually named Kegan.
Kegan’s dad is dead, and his mother is ready to move with her life. Unfortunately, that moving on means Kegan’s mother has jumped into a new marriage with a man she doesn’t know that well, but one who has already warned Kegan to keep his mouth shut if he knows what is good for him and his mother. He has come right out and told Kegan that accidents happen all the time on ranches to fragile women.
So here they are, married. Even worse, the evil stepfather has two nasty, lazy, conniving sons about the same age as Kegan. When Kegan’s mother leaves on an already planned buy trip/vacation and leaves Kegan alone with the stepfather and stepbrothers all gloves are off. Kegan is treated almost like a slave doing almost all the work around the place.
Then Kegan finds out from his best friend that there is a rodeo planned on the spread next door, and it is starting in just hours! That is the same spread where Kegan’s crush, Cole, lives. Cole is the son of a well to do banker, so Kegan is sure the feelings wouldn’t be returned, even if Cole were gay, which Kegan isn’t so sure of.
But Kegan’s horse is injured and all his clothes have been sabotaged, torn up and covered with manure by his evil stepbrothers. There is no way Kegan can go….that is until the magical medicine hat stallion shows up, along with a custom made outfit, boots and hat…all in exactly Kegan’s size. As a personal note, my hands down favorite character in the story was the horse, Ace! I think he should have been on the cover of the book!
What will happen at the rodeo? Is there any way around the evil “steps”? Who is that girl that keeps kissing Cole? And what will happen to Kegan’s poor mom when she comes back?
I enjoyed this story, but with a few exceptions. Yes, I knew how it would probably come out….it IS Cinderella after all. But the journey along the way was entertaining. To keep it real, I do have to say that some of the sex seemed a little drawn out. I kind of got bored during the sex scenes and tended to skim. I’m not sure if I just felt they were overdone for a Cinderella off-take, but whatever the reason, they didn’t pull me in. Also, the blurb doesn’t match the book when it says Colt is new in town. Colt’s family has lived next door for quite some time, and I didn’t get how in twenty-first century Colorado the ranchers wouldn’t have met the people on the next ranch. Kegan knew and had seen Colt, it is a small town, how had Colt not seen him? Finally, the cover models don’t look a thing like the character descriptions. I’m a “cover” buyer. If I see a cover that knocks my socks off, I buy the book. This cover looked like a hundred other m/m cowboy books and I probably would have skipped it.
Overall though, it was a good read. If you’re a fan of fairytales and particularly of Cinderella, you’ll enjoy this 21st century Cinderfella retell. I’m a fan of the author and just finishedreading another of his books which I’m currently reviewing. Based on how much I enjoyed that other book, I’m not sure how this one fell a little flat for me. But reviews are just opinions, and you might have a totally different read than I did!
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
August 23, 2015
A gay take on Cinderella, cowboy style! Yes, you definitely have to suspend belief for this story, but it is a fairy tale after all. Kegan and his mom are very close and so when she is happily getting remarried, Kegan doesn’t mention that her new husband and his sons are cruel and nasty to him. When mom leaves on a buying trip the abuse just escalates.
Cole is the son of a neighbor who hasn’t made any friends in the area, so the rodeo is a way for him to get to know people. Of course, he is the prince who is immediately smitten with our Kegan. Of course, Kegan has to be able to get there and ride in order for our story to work, made more difficult by sabotage by the wicked stepbrothers. That’s where Ace comes in and I liked that cowboy tie in.
It’s a cute retelling of the Cinderella tale but something that bugged me enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story. Kegan and his mom are close. They have a great relationship and his mom is very supportive. Why in the world would he never, ever mention to her that he was being worked to death, having his property destroyed and being bullied constantly to his mom? I understood that he wanted her happy but is that the kind of man she wants?
Overall, a nice retelling of Cinderella and for fairy tale fans, this is a good one. I felt the length was perfect for the story and the characters were likeable and seemed connected.
Cole is the son of a neighbor who hasn’t made any friends in the area, so the rodeo is a way for him to get to know people. Of course, he is the prince who is immediately smitten with our Kegan. Of course, Kegan has to be able to get there and ride in order for our story to work, made more difficult by sabotage by the wicked stepbrothers. That’s where Ace comes in and I liked that cowboy tie in.
It’s a cute retelling of the Cinderella tale but something that bugged me enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story. Kegan and his mom are close. They have a great relationship and his mom is very supportive. Why in the world would he never, ever mention to her that he was being worked to death, having his property destroyed and being bullied constantly to his mom? I understood that he wanted her happy but is that the kind of man she wants?
Overall, a nice retelling of Cinderella and for fairy tale fans, this is a good one. I felt the length was perfect for the story and the characters were likeable and seemed connected.
August 25, 2015
Original review on Molly Lolly
Four stars!
I love fairytale retellings. Especially when there’s fun twists and a lovely HEA. However I’m not sure why this version of Cinderella didn’t work as well as it could have. My main issue is the reason Kegan took his stepfather and stepbrothers’ bullying without saying anything. It didn’t really make sense. Then when everything came out, pretty much everyone was asking why he never told. I have to agree. If I throw that flaw out since it’s pretty standard in most Cinderella-retellings, I loved the story. Kegan just wanted a chance at happiness. Cole just wants to come out of his shy shell. I loved how they got together. I loved Kegan’s magical helper. The rodeo was wonderfully described and I felt like I was there. Just a fun story all around.
Four stars!
I love fairytale retellings. Especially when there’s fun twists and a lovely HEA. However I’m not sure why this version of Cinderella didn’t work as well as it could have. My main issue is the reason Kegan took his stepfather and stepbrothers’ bullying without saying anything. It didn’t really make sense. Then when everything came out, pretty much everyone was asking why he never told. I have to agree. If I throw that flaw out since it’s pretty standard in most Cinderella-retellings, I loved the story. Kegan just wanted a chance at happiness. Cole just wants to come out of his shy shell. I loved how they got together. I loved Kegan’s magical helper. The rodeo was wonderfully described and I felt like I was there. Just a fun story all around.
August 10, 2016
I received a free copy via Inked Rainbow Reads in exchange for an honest review.
A fresh take on Cinderella that doesn't rely on the usual plot devices? Yes, please! This is an excellent and very different (but still recognizable) version of the classic fairy tale.
I'm not usually a reader of westerns, but this was so well done. The ranch made an interesting and unusual setting, and the rodeo was a fun change from the original royal ball. I loved the twist on the "fairy godfather." There were several other surprises that had me cheering as well.
If I didn't already think Jon Keys was fantastic, this would seal it. Start to finish, this one is pitch-perfect. I couldn't put it down. For anyone who likes westerns, horses, a little magic, and a happy ever after, this one is definitely worth the price of admission.
A fresh take on Cinderella that doesn't rely on the usual plot devices? Yes, please! This is an excellent and very different (but still recognizable) version of the classic fairy tale.
I'm not usually a reader of westerns, but this was so well done. The ranch made an interesting and unusual setting, and the rodeo was a fun change from the original royal ball. I loved the twist on the "fairy godfather." There were several other surprises that had me cheering as well.
If I didn't already think Jon Keys was fantastic, this would seal it. Start to finish, this one is pitch-perfect. I couldn't put it down. For anyone who likes westerns, horses, a little magic, and a happy ever after, this one is definitely worth the price of admission.
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