Chaps

Cherry County Cowboys #2

by Jules Dixon

Rising rodeo star Nate O’Neill never expected to be living in a small Nebraska ranching town waiting for his rodeo brother to recover from a vicious ride. His unplanned stop steers him into the arms and bed of local celebrity, Tennessee Reed. Soon he questions what thrills him more—the rodeo or Tenn. Forced to face his reckless past, he’s reminded that relationships can cause damage far worse than any bull ride … and maybe he’s headed for the same suffering again.

Professional football draft-pick Tennessee Reed returns home emotionally shattered by the unexpected passing of his father who left Tenn with a hereditary secret buried in his chest. He might be dying inside, but when Nate walks into his life all Tenn’s troubles seem to disappear into those hazel eyes and he’s never felt more alive. Will Tenn follow the cowboy wherever life leads? Or will he protect his heart and watch those fringed leather chaps ride away?

Genres: M M Romance, Sports, Contemporary, Westerns, Romance

347 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2016

About the author

Jules Dixon enjoys entertaining her Omaha, Nebraska, neighbors by dancing while mowing her lawn and is an annoying but lovable online distraction to her writing friends. She quite possibly eats her own body weight of Gummy Bears, Hot Tamales, and Red Vines, every year. She is addicted to everything related to the amazing emotion of love, and has been referred to as “terribly optimistic” which she took as a compliment, but may not have been, and she’s okay with that.

Jules explores the rich psychology of sexuality, choices, and conflicts of high school, college, and young adult characters in her novels and novellas.

Reviews

[Calila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not love this as much as the first one. It took me a LONG time to get invested in the story. Like way too long. I kept putting it down and picking it up every few minutes. I did like it okay, but there was something missing. The characters were for the most part fine, but they annoyed. They were all in with each other but each keeping a major secret at times. I feel like Nate's custody drama wasn't resolved at all. It just went away I guess. I was heartbroken over Tenn's dad. I got annoyed with the side drama of Rik/Kae, everyone's interference and need to infantilize Kae disgusted me.

[Cranky - The Book Curmudgeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** 4 Cranky Stars ****

Cowboy Code #1. “A cowboy never leaves his love—or his hat—at home.”



Tennessee, a 300 lb brick wall of muscle, has just been drafted to play football for the Denver Broncos. This is not his dream. He envisions himself in New York working in investment not being the token gay football player.



A family emergency brings him home to Valentine where he meets Nate O'Neil at his father's funeral.
Nate is rodeo to his bones or so he thinks. He ends up in Valentine after his friend Rik has an accident. He immediately feels the pull to Tenn as much as Tenn feels it to Nate.



Quote:
"Love is beautiful, and Love is love."



This is the second book in the Cherry County Cowboys series and I absolutely loved it. The way Jules Dixon depicts the love shared not between just Nate and Tenn but with the entire family amazed me.



Love is not gender specific nor is it biased. Love is unconditional and this author shows us that through her words.



Life is messy but that's what makes it interesting.



Tenn and Nate go through life's issues together and come out stronger in the end.



This is a must read series, scorching hot and will definitely melt your heart. I look forward to reading more of Jules Dixon's work.

http://twistedbookcur.blogspot.ch/201...

[Trish Kitty Taylor ***narniaandbeyond*** · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful 5 star read

Wow, this was my first ever M/M book & I have to say it most certainly wont be the last. Jules Dixon has totally hooked me into the world of red hot, beautiful yet sensitive cowboys. Chaps is so beautifully written that you can't help but be swept along with the emotions that pour from the page. The words really did tug at my heart & cause those ugly sobs that catch your breath.

Tenn Reed is so damn beautiful on the inside as well the outside. I feel in love with his kindness & natural ability to express his emotions no matter the cost. He is literally heartbroken after losing his dad - his best friend, the one man who made him proud to be himself & supported him in everything he did. Having returned to Valentine for the funeral, he is emotionally wrecked & unsure of what his future holds, until he looks into those beautiful brown eyes of Nate O'Neill & his world turns on its axis.

Nate O'Neill is one hot cowboy. A rising Rodeo star, he travels from place to place chasing his dream, or so he thinks. Having landed in Valentine while is best friend is recovering from a terrible rodeo accident, he meets Tenn & before long, realises the man he has fallen in love with, would break his heart if his past is revealed. Nate is scared of feeling, scared of being hurt, scared of not being enough for Tenn. Can he over come his fears & trust in Tenn & the love they so clearly hold for each other.

This story is all about hope. Hope that true love will win the day, that trust in the one you love will build a future worth fighting for. An absolute amazing 5 stars from me & I cant wait to read more from this fantastic author.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good second book in the series. Although the main focus was on Tennessee and Nate, I felt the author was building other relationships maybe for future books. It was a very busy book with quite alot to keep track of.
The book picks up not long after book 1 ends with Tenn's father's funeral. A few nice twists.

I have looked at book 3 and it focuses on another pair who I think are completely new.

[Don Bradshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book only because there was way too much going on. Tenn and Nate, Rik and Kae, Kota and Iris just to name the majority. Then the middle of the story hit and it dwelled almost exclusively about Nate, Kenzie and Tenn. I felt bad for Matt but he needed to grow a pair. There were some annoying editing flops but not enough to ruin the story.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.5 stars, rounded up)

Chaps is a heartfelt cowboy romance that blends grief, healing, and love with just the right amount of heat. Originally published under the name Jules Dixon, this revamped edition by Rowan Nash delivers an emotional, character-driven story that pulled me in from the very first page.

Tennessee Reed is a character you can’t help but admire—still reeling from the devastating loss of his father, he’s vulnerable yet grounded, open with his emotions, and deeply kind. His return to Valentine is filled with heartbreak, but his connection with Nate O’Neill shifts everything. Nate, a rodeo star on the rise, is charismatic, sexy, and driven, but underneath all that bravado is a man who fears his past might ruin the one relationship that could mean everything.

The chemistry between Tenn and Nate is instant but layered with tension, secrets, and vulnerability. What really shines here is the balance between the steamy romance and the raw emotions—grief, fear, and the hope of something lasting. The small-town setting adds warmth, grounding the story with family, friendship, and community.

This is a story about trust and hope—about finding love when you least expect it, and learning to lean on someone when life feels unbearable. Beautifully written, emotional, and passionate, Chaps delivers both swoon-worthy romance and heartfelt depth. A must-read for fans of cowboy romances with plenty of steam and soul.

Tropes: cowboy romance · small town · single dad · rodeo star · secrets revealed · emotional healing
Content Warnings: grief/loss of a parent, hidden medical issues, mentions of past trauma.

I received a free copy of this book via Last Chapter Press ARC Readers and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start by saying these were cute, sweet, and adorable MCs, just too flippin' sweet:

His eyes held to mine. “You have me. All of me is yours for the taking.”

I pulled him up so we were face to face. If I weren’t clear now, I’d never be. My
heart pounded in a weird rhythm in my chest. “I don’t want to take anything
from you. I only want to give you everything, including … all of me.”

It was a little slow for me but it got better as it progressed. A hospital/peril scene plus major angst and sort of a break up trope is a perfect little story. I love all that. But some parts needed work.

In the order these thoughts came to me as I was reading:

Way too much internal dialog, especially for a story written in first person.

Finally a story that acknowledges that a big dick doesn't go in easily and might just be too damn big.

Bisexuals still need to come out.

Did he really leave the state where his daughter was? He better have a good reason because I'm not really on board with that.

This is boring so far. Not really getting the cowboy vibe maybe because they just talk about horses and riding and don't really do any of it.

There's being too careful and there's going the other way. Four pills of narcotics is way too much but four ibuprofen aren't going to make him feel "too good." That's silly. If he was in screaming pain like he was, that shouldn't even be enough to get him dancing like they did.

With Dewey and Kota's reactions to Kae and Rik's news, I'm reminded how backwards some of this country still is. She's a grown woman pregnant and saying she's in love. The guy has proven to be a good guy so far. But the father kicks him out because he doesn't like how the baby was conceived or whatever? Criminy.

The women were strong only in that socially acceptable way: bossy when it came to mothering, but otherwise emotionally, not financially savvy, making poor choices, being evil money grubbing drug addicts or conniving mothers in law, in mourning and unable to function, or just mothering in general. The men had jobs. They mourned and made poor choices too but they were three dimensional. The author is female and was able to comprehend a stock portfolio enough to write about it. So why we're the women she wrote so useless and incapable of such things? Did the author have to get a man to help her write it? I doubt it. So she's smart but her characters aren't?

These moms are written like they're my mom's generation even though she's a hell of a lot more self-sufficient and modern having had an executive level career. But I have a kid their age and although I got her later in life, she was born to another mother when I was in my 20's which is comparable. I grew up in the age of women's lib. It was impressed upon me almost too much that I could be or do anything and I didn't need a man taking care of me. Yes I'm from Seattle but these people have TV and newspapers. If they're that okay with homosexuality, they can't be that conservative. The women are all little, too and the men all big. I'm so tired of that trope.

I thought some of the emotional scenes were hollow, not enough showing just the yelling.

The constant referral to shields dropping felt odd in a cowboy story. That's such an SF reference.

I was relieved, nay thrilled, that the author said there were plenty of good foster homes but you only heard about the bad ones.

Love the mention of the gay rodeo despite the fact that I think rodeo is obscenely cruel.

I liked that they talked stuff out before it festered and that when Tennesee was hurt by Nate, he told him like a grown up, not whiny or passive aggressive.

The situation between them and what they wanted, where they wanted to be and where they needed to be just seemed insurmountable which made for good tension and suspense.

The candle wax reveal scene was laugh out loud funny. The horse sexuality talks were also hilarious.

Really weird that he had the deep conversation while Kenzie was still in bed.

The handling of mental illness was well done.

Really funny line:

"My testicles need to release a giant sneeze."

The law guardian, which I assume is a guardian ad litem, wouldn't be looking for a connection between the father and daughter in only two weeks. That's way way way too fast. She's be looking for health and safety and that's it. They can only keep the daughter from the father if there are safety concerns, especially if there's not another suitable home in the family.

Nate did really well with his first parenting move. I liked the realistic way Kenzie reacted to the situation and their understanding that her tantrum wasn't about a movie but about something she couldn't express appropriately. That's really hard to deal with. It was also great that Nate saw that them doing rated PG kissing in front of her was fine. If heterosexual parents can kiss than gay parents can too.

Made no sense that in the end Kota turned the Broncos down and let go of his dream.

All in all a good read and I look forward to the next one.

[Daniel Mitton · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Originally Reviewed for Love Bytes Reviews with a copy provided by the publisher / author for an honest review.)

I loved this book. One warning, it is a fairly direct continuation of the story and characters in the first book in the series, Spurs, and in my opinion, you should read them in order. I reviewed Spurs when it first came out, and honestly I read too much, so I couldn’t remember the backstory. Poor me…I had to go back and re-read that one first. It was very onerous. Not. I loved that one as well, so it was a great re-read.

In this new installment, Chaps, we are again back in that idyllic little town of Valentine, Nebraska, a town as I mentioned in my review of the first book that reminds me of the fictional town of Big Eden, in the movie of the same name. The people in town are just so darned accepting of everyone…well except for the local vet and his wife, but I can read the writing on the wall…they have theirs coming…I hope in another installment at some point! After all, their son Matt needs his own story!

This time we shift focus over to a cousin of the first book’s MC Grayson. The cousin’s name is Tennessee Reed and we met Tenn and his brother Dakota in the first book. I was hoping we would see more of Tenn down the road. Well, we have! Tenn is a fairly huge young man, who has been drafted by the Denver Broncos. Only problem? He didn’t want to be, and his brother Dakota did. The Broncos took Tenn instead because he is gay and they wanted the rainbow diversity card.

Tenn is home for his and Dakota’s father’s funeral. The father dropped dead suddenly, at a very young age and the whole town is having a tough time dealing with it.

Nate O’Neill is new in town. He arrives with his best friend Rik, who it turns out has a connection to Valentine, which solves one unanswered question from book one.

Once in town, Nate is kind of thrown together with Tenn. Nate doesn’t intend to stick around. Tenn is member of the Denver Broncos and due back for training in a couple weeks. But the best laid plans don’t always work out…

I really enjoyed this one. It was a perfect length, what some might call long, and it had great character and storyline building. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it. Like I said, do yourself a favor and read Spurs first. Don’t be surprised if you are like me and don’t even pause between the two books.

Great job Ms. Dixon!

[Dennis Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than first book

The first book was hard to read due to issues of to many characters and way of knowing who they were or how they played into the storyline . Now this book was hard to get in to at the beginning but solely you were able to get the jist of the storyline and connect it to the first book. Jules see to relax how the story flowed and characters made the book come alive.

[Lora · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 out of 5 stars


This book was a perfect example of everything I love about romance...especially M/M romance. The emotions and romance were so well done and the book made my heart pitter-patter more than a little. And then throw in some humor and sarcasm...and the cutest little girl and it’s a perfect book.


Nate & Tenn aren’t exactly the same people or from the same worlds and yet when they come together there is an instant connection. What they want from that connection isn’t the same in the beginning, but watching them work towards the same goal was so heart-warming.


I enjoyed the back and forth points of view. I liked the “extras” especially Kota (Tenn’s twin brother) and Kenzie (Nate’s almost 6-year old daughter). There wasn’t a scene in this book that I didn’t enjoy and want more of. I really loved everything, but here are the best three examples of why I loved this book:::


Humor like:
Whiskey could do that to a person. I swore there was lettering on the bottle that required a magnifying glass to be read. It said something like, “May cause the asshole to come out in any normal, healthy, seemingly well-adjusted person.”


Emotions like when Nate was feeling his first inklings of more than a little:
There was no disguising that I wanted him to take care of me. And it was clear he wanted to indulge me. I didn’t have to pretend that our time together meant nothing and he was free to just leave.


Romance like when Nate was telling Tenn just how much he’d missed him:
“Hell, I missed you as soon as I backed out of your driveway two days ago. Can’t imagine what it would feel like to know I’d never see you again. Don’t know as if I’d ever get over it.”


I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great M/M read and to spice up your life just a little...what’s better than a football player and a cowboy?

[Nanette M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I preordered this book and stayed up Thursday night until it released, thinking I would read a chapter or two to get started on a great reading weekend. It’s now Friday morning, I haven’t slept at all, but I couldn’t stop reading about Nate and Tenn until I finished Chaps – it’s that addictive!

I immediately connected with Tenn because I know guys like him (or I *want* to know guys like him :) ). He’s not just going through the motions. He really wants to make something out of his life, and I was cheering him on all the way. Nate’s distance (which is really his self-protection mode) is beautifully written and offers a real understanding of what it’s like to struggle with emotions. The fact that he’s a father struggling to understand his emotions (and omg Kenzie is such an adorable little troublemaker!) truly gives the reader a full picture of who he is as a man.

So the love story between Tenn and Nate had me completely hooked, but Chaps also includes cameos by Grayson and Izaac (which made me squeal out loud) and several other potential future couples (Matt & Zeke? Kae & Rik? Yes, please please please!!!) – I feel like I am part of the community and know these people. I’m really hoping the next book in the series releases SOON!

[Jodi Bird (Ruby Red Romance Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaps by Jules Dixon is an amazing book! The connection between Tenn and Nate is out of this world. This book is M/M and is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone.

Tennessee has come home for his father’s funeral. Tenn is strong and has an incredible love for his family. Tenn plays football for the Denver Broncos, but is heart is in Valentine. Nathan loves horses and the rodeo. When is friend Rik gets injured he has to put everything on hold to help him recover. When Tennessee sees Nate at the funeral he gains the strength he needs to read the letter his father left to be read. Tennessee and Nate meet and sparks fly.

I absolutely loved this book. It’s not normally the type of book I would read, but I loved this book beyond words. I smiled, laughed, and fell in total love with both of these men. All the characters in this book are amazing and I’m beyond excited for the next book. Please check out Chaps.

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to get the chance to read the second book in Ms. Dixon's Cherry County Cowboys! And let me tell you I was not disappointed! Ten and Nate's story is every bit as emotional, and heart wrenching as Spurs the first book was. I love how Ms. Dixon draws out not just the emotions, but the uncertainty each of the characters feel, making them seem as if they are walking right out of the pages, it is so realistic. Couple this with the love scenes and all the extra family and secondary characters and you just have another stellar read. I'm delighted to be able to recommend Chaps by Jules Dixon! If you love cowboys and m/m romance, you do not want to miss this one!
Regina
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More
Official Review @ Coffee Time Romance & More

[Brandy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

opps she did it again I cant get over how much I love Jules stories especially her mm books after reading book 1 couldn't wait to see who the couple in book 2 were going to be I was super excited to learn that it was Nate and Tennessee everything about this had beautiful, sad,happy,funny, and sexy moments I teared up a couple times and then there was the times I needed to think about taking a cold shower we get to see alot of familiar faces witch i love its always good to see what everybody is up to and what future stories will bring Im so looking forward to the next cherry county cowboy books and then the new series coming up yay if you haven't read a dixon book yet what are you waiting for theirs so many you could read just one finger click away

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my oh my a first read for me from jules Dixon and wowee it certainly won't be the last.
This story follows Tennessee an Nfl player home for the funeral of his father, his world torn apart by the passing but can a death save a life?

Nate rodeo cowboy in town helping a brother after a accident dealing with his past and secrets being kept, drawn to tenn with chemistry and passion that's smoking hot.

Will the past be brought to life, will secrets ruin a future? Can Tennessee and Nate learn to trust in one another and the love they hold for one another to fight for a future they both deserve.

The emotion that flows from the book as you follow Nate and tenns journey pulls you in every direction and hot damn the chemistry. A stunning first read and looking forward to the next book

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book in the series. Each book is a standalone but it's nice to see characters you met in the first book make an appearance.
Such a great book. Nate and Tenn are perfect together. Yes there are some hot scenes, but the underlying story of family and love is the most important part of all of it.
Super great chemistry. The story flows so well. Cannot wait for the next book!!

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

In general I enjoyed the main written romance between Tenneessee Reed and Nate O’Neill. A a reader could really feel their attraction and admiration for one another. But all secondary plots between Matt & Zeke? Kae & Rik just weren't as interesting for me.

[Kristy Maitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story plot was full and pulling at the same time so reading it was fun.

[Janis F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liked it even better then the first book Spurs. Full review coming.