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Für die kleinen Dinge im Leben

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Entspricht 206 Romanseiten.

Hoss McMasters‘ Leben ist so, wie er es sich immer vorgestellt hat: Seine Ranch läuft gut, seine Karriere im Bullenrodeo ebenfalls – wäre da nur nicht das kleine Problem, dass er schon seit seiner Kindheit in seinen besten Freund Bradley verliebt ist. Als er dann eines Morgens auch noch ein Baby auf seiner Türschwelle findet, ist das Chaos perfekt. Plötzlich haben Hoss und Bradley alle Hände voll damit zu tun, sich um Baby und Ranch zu kümmern, doch vielleicht ist es genau der Schubs, den beide Männer brauchen. Denn Bradley ist alles andere als abgeneigt, die Freundschaft mit Hoss noch weiter zu vertiefen…

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 15, 2017

210 people are currently reading
328 people want to read

About the author

B.A. Tortuga

382 books632 followers
Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA Tortuga spends her days with her hounds and her beloved wife, texting her grandbabies, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting, and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. Following their own personal joys, BA and Julia heard the call of the high desert and they now live in the New Mexico mountains. BA's personal saviors include her wife, her best friends, and coffee. Lots of coffee. Really good coffee.

Having written everything from fist-fighting rednecks to cowboy daddies to werewolves, BA does her damnedest to tell the stories of her heart, which is committed to giving everyone their happily ever after. With books ranging from hard-hitting BDSM, to fiery passions, to the most traditional of love stories, BA refuses to be pigeon-holed by anyone but the voices in her head.

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5 stars
288 (31%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
Profile Image for Jenni Lea.
801 reviews301 followers
April 7, 2017

Yes, I read this again. Yes, I'll read it for a third time, probably next week. No, I don't care that I have review books to read.

Sometimes you just need a couple of cowboys and a baby in your life.

************************************

OMG, I loved this book so much!

It was over the top. It was ridiculous. It was silly. It was so unbelievably Texan.

I know pretty much within a 50 mile radius where this story took place. I grew up in Northeast Texas and lemme tell you, it's like livin' in a whole 'nother world. I got every single reference and I understood every single turn of phrase. I even read this in a Texas accent in my head.

And this story's got charm, y'all. Out the wazoo! I was just tickled pink at Hoss's snark. And their banter! Lawd, yes! I'm fixin' to read it again right now!

Onto my favorites shelf it goes!
Profile Image for SheReadsALot.
1,860 reviews1,266 followers
March 22, 2017
Tag Team review with Sara

3.5 Hearts
--

"Wings?"
"Only if they don't make you poot. Buffalo sauce poots make the baby Jesus cry."
"Well sure, nothing rules out ass-fucking like buffalo poots. 'Cept maybe Taco Bell."

Expect pure friends to lovers cowboy fluff and laughs with Two Cowboys and a Baby by BA Tortuga.

With a baby on the doorstep trope thrown on top!



No babies were harmed. Promise.


Set in Texas, this book features a little bull rider/cowboy with the nickname of Hoss (his real name is Wyatt Earp!) and his childhood best bud/digger/cowboy, Bradley. See Hoss is out of the closet and is painfully in love with straight best friend, even after his friend stopped talking to him after coming out to Bradley. After that year in high school, the two continued to go back to the way things were: being best friends.

Thing is all the time Hoss has pined for Bradley, if he looked a little closer, he might have noticed the same looks from Bradley.

Unrequited love fans out there? It's all fluffed out in the latest addition in the Dreamspun Desires line.



Giddy up the fluff!


The unrequited love with my straight best friend angle gets help from the unwanted baby plot. While the two cowboys share like feelings, they're two clueless to do anything about it. Thankfully, the little blonde baby girl on Hoss' doorstep helps bring them together.

The girl's mother just leaves her and Joanie, the adorable pet of Hoss, alerts her owner of the little bundle. Reading Hoss come to grips with his life changing as he knows it once the little girl arrives is hilarious. Hoss is a simple man whose only contact with babies are with baby farm animals.

So not the same.

But too funny.

Bradley, Hoss's #1, comes to the rescue as the two try to hunt down the little baby's birth mother. With the the help of the small town's Sheriff Pooter (I kid you not), Doc and Hoss's Momma and a whole slew of hilarious side characters. The country twang just oozes through this book's pores. I found myself charmed with it.




The romance doesn't happen immediately. And I definitely got the sense of the cowboys shared lives prior to the baby.

They sat together, arm to arm, not looking at each other. Then B reached out, twining their fingers together, holding on like they'd done this a thousand times.

Reading them slowly become a unit with the baby who Hoss didn't originally want, but now needs, is the magic for this title.

"Is this the way it normally happens with two guys, Hoss?"
"I'm usually the handjob in the barn type of guy, B. I've never been the type to be on love,so I don't know."
"I've been in love with you since high school. I don't know how the handjob in the barn even works."

It's not a smooth sailing; there is a big misunderstanding that provides a solid speed bump on their path to love. But the baby is the glue to making Hoss and Bradley stick.

And then there is the mega plot twist that took into into OTT-ville. Seriously, couldn't believe half of that happening in real life.

Thank goodness it's fiction, huh?

The crazy that gets twisted in, made for a fun read. Plus, it's why the Dreamspun line works for me. It's a good time that doesn't take itself too seriously while delivery cracky sweet romance.

The story isn't without minor issues but overall, the good outweighed the bad. It wasn't a life changing read, just something you can unplug your brain with.



Obligatory yeehaw!



A copy provided for an honest review.
Profile Image for Martin.
807 reviews598 followers
February 13, 2018
This is definitely my first top 10 favorite in the year 2018!

Not only that, it's also one of my favorite cowboy stories - and I'm saying that even though there isn't a whole lot of action going on.
It's rather the characters that make this book simply outstanding. You can hardly find characters as well drawn and unique as Hoss and Bradley.

description

I admit, my first thoughts when they opened their mouths were not very flattering. But if you've ever watched a Reality TV series on TLC, you'll know what I mean.

HOWEVER, using proper grammar isn't what makes a guy a good man. And if having a good heart is what accomplishes that, then Hoss and Bradley are literally the best guys out there...

Hoss McMasters - or should I say "Wyatt Earp McMasters the Third" - is a cowboy to the bone.

He owns a ranch and a cattle operation and does rodeo riding to add some coins to his purse. True, he also loves it, because he's a cowboy and that's what a cowboy does.

He is pretty close with his parents and his Momma in particular, which I found totally endearing:


"Pardon me?" Oh shit. "You are my son and a Christian man, and do you think for a second that Jesus Christ would approve of you deserting that innocent babe in her time of need?"
There was no arguing with Momma when she invoked Jesus. None. He knew this from years of trying.


Hoss is openly gay, but doesn't really get much action living in the countryside. His best friend Bradley Germaine is a straight *cough* guy who lives in a trailer on Hoss' property and helps him out whenever Hoss needs a hand when fencing or feeding the cattle.

Bradley also does lots of odd jobs all over the county and seems to be happy living in Hoss' backyard.

And why do you think that is?

Correct. Even though Hoss and Bradley had a huge argument in high school when Hoss came out to his best friend, Bradley has been in love with Hoss for almost all of his life and is ashamed that he reacted badly to Hoss' coming out. He's scared of losing Hoss and therefore happily lives close to Hoss and pretends to be his best friend, while secretly loving his guy from afar.


"You wanna come with?"
Hoss nodded. "Cain't think of nothing better. You, me, cold beer, a boat."
A blowjob. A blowjob would be better. He was grateful, though, that Hoss thought of Bradley when he thought of a good day.


Bradley really touched my heart, I can't even begin to tell you.
He's the most loyal guy. You may come to find him a bit slow at times. I mean, who will happily wait for his beloved for almost 10 years without pursuing a life of his own or at least telling Hoss how he felt?!

Bradley bounced his mini basketball off the door to his bedroom at the trailer, waiting for Hoss to call. Hoss had to call, right? They was lovers, and lovers fought, but he was ready to make up if Hoss would just call.


description

Hoss, on the other hand, is naive enough to see Bradley as the straight best friend who lives on his property without ever trying to seduce him or anything, even if Bradley has an underwear model body with a less model like hoof imprint on his chest (from a real cow, not some crazy ass tattoo bullshit, LOL).
Bradley had made his point clear in high school. And no way was Hoss ever gonna lose his best friend again over "fight club".

Yes, that's Hoss right there for you. He calls gay sex "fight club", because YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB, right?

So what's the plot actually about?

Hoss wakes up one morning to find a baby on his porch.

Yes, you country folks. A baby baby as in 'a little person with no teeth' baby. Not a baby cow, or a baby rabbit, but a human baby girl.

However, the police as well as the local doc are clueless as to where it's from. They're hesitating to call social services, because clearly the mom must be somewhere around, right? Probably the girl got scared and dropped the baby on the next best porch, but wants it back soon enough.

Hoss and his mom, lovingly called 'Momma', take care of the baby, but Momma is scheduled for a long overdue vacation with Daddy that she doesn't want to cancel. Confident that Hoss will be able to take care of *his* baby by himself, she leaves the baby with him. He's got a helper, after all.

Bradley has eight sisters and so many nieces and nephews he's started calling them by numbers. Of course, Bradley is more than happy to assist his best friend taking care of the new-found baby.

And isn't the baby girl a lovely sweetheart?

Days turn to weeks without any news from the mother and both guys fall in love with the baby girl - and with each other.

Giving up the little girl once the mom is back will be the hardest thing in these guys' lives.

This story is perfectly slow burn. No overdone sex scenes and the intimacy there is, is beautifully sincere and real.
And so is the diaper changing, bottle feeding at odd hours and whatnot. I absolutely loved it!

And then there's the story's crisis. And God do I wish I could write something here without spoilering.

But let me phrase it this way:
There is a HUGE totally bad ass spoiler twist that had me look up wikipedia to check if the outcome was scientifically possible. And it is correct as far as I can tell.

However, this new development in the story is so unlikely and hard to believe that one guy accuses the other of lying to him, while the other guy is hurt that his lover doesn't believe him when he's telling the truth.

And the most interesting thing about this is that both guys have a point.

For me, this is a rare moment of realism in a romance conflict. Usually, one or both guys are being dumbasses and need to come around to make the story work.

Here I felt like, damn, how do you solve such a situation in real life??
However, do not worry! Things turn out well.

Reading this left me with a beautifully mellow feeling, knowing I've found another favorite here.

And don't we need all the happy gay cowboy couples we can get? LOL

description

I recommend this 100%! Let me know what you think about that incredible plot twist!


He looked at his momma, stunned into stupidity. “Momma, real life don’t work that way.”
“That’s what you said about when that man shot Lucy Lee in the head and she lived to go slit his throat.”
“And about the ball of fireworks that blowed the Richards boy’s head off last year,” Daddy added.
“And about the fact that all four of the Dennis boys broke their legs on the same day in three different counties.”
“Momma….”
“And about the catfish the size of Volkswagens in Lake Ray Hubbard.”
Oh, now. “Daddy, that last one ain’t real!”


5 stars and a top 10 favorite!
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,690 reviews576 followers
December 27, 2019
3.5 Yee Haw Stars!

This story right here probably best represents what the Dreamspun Desires series is all about, with a surefire, enjoyable experience regarding all things cowboy!

As per the blurb, Bradley has been secretly in love with his best friend Hoss for forever, feeling a not so small shame for having reacted badly when Hoss first came out. At that time, he just couldn’t reconcile his own confusing feelings and pushed Hoss away. However, these two eventually made up and have been close ever since. Hoss in turn, secretly loves Bradley back but keeps their friendship on the level, believing Bradley’s straight and unobtainable.

So how do Bradley and Hoss get over themselves and confess their lurve?? Well, fortuitous happenstance drops a baby onto Hoss’s doorstep, which is the perfect, needed impetus to bring these two together. What starts out as ranch-hand-Bradley helping rodeo-lovin-Hoss keep his head above water (while they try to find the sweet girl’s mama) evolves into them meshing their lives more than ever. What a fantastic boon to realize how well they fit in all things work, play, and domesticity. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before the baby’s charm starts to work on both men, leading them to want things they never imagined and reveal desires believed to remain forever buried.

There’s just a teeny tiny wrench - actually a big misunderstanding - and their happily ever after is a bit delayed. Never fear though. Through it all, the OTT country twang to this was just so fun, silly, and heartwarming, making the aforementioned snafu easily forgivable.

Narrated by Dorian Bane, this was my second foray into him doing a Dreamspun Desires story. Though I’m still not completely sold on Bane specifically, the strong southern touch he brings to the various characters really added to the entertainment value of this little gem. Overall, quite low on the steam but high on the good feels, this was definitely a win for the series!

Thanks to the author/publisher for the audio in exchange for a honest review

Profile Image for Karen.
1,860 reviews91 followers
May 16, 2017
Ya all are not gonna believe this one...

First let's talk about this story...'Two Cowboys and a Baby' was...well, it was like a comedy of errors...I guess. I love B. A. Tortuga. Seriously I've read a lot of her stuff and for me it's run the gambit of ratings from 2 stars to 5 stars. I like the men in these books and their stories are more often than not incredibly entertaining. But this one...this story had me in stitches. Now I'm not sure if I was suppose to be as amused as I was but I was so there's no going back on that.

So let's start with Hoss...yep, one of our MCs is named Hoss. Ok, that's not his real name his real name is 'Wyatt Earp McMasters the third'...I kid you not. Anyways, Hoss finds a baby on his front porch one morning and trust me that's not the most bizarre part of this book, but I'm not finished with the names because we also have a sheriff whose name is "Pooter' and the names just roll on from there...I'm pretty sure there's a Boss and a Cooter and probably a Scooter in there somewhere as well.

The whole story of how this baby came to be on Hoss's front step and who her daddy was...is hilariously over the top and then add in a best friend named Bradley, who in the midst of all their chaos of a baby and running a ranch admits that he never hated Boss for coming out to him in high school...nope, his feelings for Hoss are of a more romantic nature. So let the fun begin and trust me it was fun, hilarious, over the top, roflmao fun!

So needless to say when the audiobook came out I needed to hear this I needed to have this story read to me in good 'ole boy cowboy voices and while Dorian Bane isn't a totally new to me author the one and only book that I've listened to by him did not involve cowboys and in general I enjoyed the job he did with that story. This time around I have to admit I had a bit of an issue mostly being that every once in a while one of those voices started to sound a bit like Mater...you know...Mater, the toe truck from the Disney movie cars...seriously folks this is all a little disconcerting in what's basically an adult book to suddenly find yourself reminded of a character from a Disney movie...ok, it may have had me doing some extra giggling as well...my inner 12 year old was highly amused.

'Two Cowboys and a Baby' for me was a cute story with a lot of tongue in cheek humor that often was over the top and I have to admit it definitely had me smiling and giggling on more than one occasion.

********************
An audiobook of 'Two Cowboys and a Baby' was graciously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Shile (Hazard's Version) on-hiatus.
1,120 reviews1,058 followers
July 25, 2020
This book!

description

Well what an amazing little, angst-free story, just what i needed. I liked it alot.

The audio is so good, the narrator nails the Texas twang, making it more funny and enjoyable.

The story is unbelievable, OTT, with a little bit of a soap opera plot, but that is what made it work for me.

Clueless cowboy Hoss, Best-friend Bradley and baby Shayanne made one hell of a story.
Profile Image for Susan.
2,349 reviews456 followers
February 20, 2018
3.5 stars

This was fluffy. So fluffy that even if your parents lied to your entire life it won’t put a dent in your overall happiness and you just accept this and move on. Of course you do!

I was really enjoying this. Shayenne was adorable and the romance was sweet and uncomplicated. But I did have a hard time with the explanation about where the baby came from and how easily everyone just accepted this and moved on.

I for one would be pretty pissed if I found out that But Hoss just swept this under the rug and acted like it was no big deal at all. Oooookay.

I get that this is a fluffy story and there was no place for family drama, but this was veeeeeery unrealistic.

But okay, I really did enjoy the rest. The relationship angst in the middle threw me for a loop, but other than that these guys were pretty sweet together. I loved how Bradley stopped dating girls in high school and had no experience with a guy , simply because he was waiting for Hoss. And since rural Texas is not a gay mecca, Hoss didn’t have all that much experience either. I always like my characters like this, instead of the man hoes that seem to be the trend in other MM books.

A nice, fluffy friends-to-lovers cowboy read. With a baby.
Profile Image for Denise H..
3,241 reviews268 followers
June 23, 2020
Re-read June 22, 2020 Loved it once again !
**** My first book by this author, and It's a job well done.
This is a clever story about two lonely cowboys

afraid to admit their feelings.
Hard ass, Cowboy/bull-rider, Hoss,

finds a baby in a basket on his porch. He's confused. He's never been with a woman, and he's far off the main roads.
The Sheriff and Doctor help out, as well as Momma.
Bradley, construction worker and life long friend to Hoss, bond deeper over the baby girl.
The twist is one I never saw coming. Holy Cow !


This is well written in cowboy/Texas jargon, with fun and eclectic characters. We get some kissin' and rubbin', but not full on m/m sex. These are rough and raw ranch men, tough and sturdy. We get a glimpse of what their lives will be like.

Hoss gets injured bull-riding and decides things are gonna change.
This a different take on the usual cowboy story, but it's fiction after all.
Fun, refreshing, and interesting.
ENJOY !
====
Thanks Martin for the rec.

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Profile Image for Sara .
1,537 reviews154 followers
Read
March 19, 2017
Tag Team Review with SRAL!

4 Hearts


This was ridiculously cowboy and ridiculously adorable. The Dreamspun Desire series is such a pleasure for me to read and I love it but we know that, right?

I love a good friends to lovers story and I fall hard with unrequited love. I blame my own unrequited loves for that and well, John Hughes as well. But I adore it when the love is finally realized and everyone is happy. Of course, you have to go through a few things to get to the HEA and this book has some over the top doozies to overcome.

The book starts off so darned funny. You have Hoss McMasters who opens his door as he is trying to make his beloved coffee to start his day on his ranch when his awesome dog Joanie alerts him to something at the door. That something happens to be an almost brand new baby girl someone has left and the hoops Hoss starts jumping through for this baby were laugh out loud funny. I knew from the first chapter this book was gonna be fun because I couldn’t stop smiling.

And then I turned the page to the next chapter and got Bradley’s POV.

You see, have this dumb thing that I do from time to time. I start a book and forget who the MC’s of the story are and I did that here. Yeah, the blurb tells me it’s Hoss and Bradley but my brain had Sheriff Pooter as the love interest and thank goodness I was wrong on that point because I loved the holy hell out of Bradley.

Anyway.

Bradley has been in love with his best friend Hoss since high school but when Hoss came out to Bradley, he handled it all sorts of wrong and made Hoss think it bothered him. What bothered Bradley was he liked his best friend, was in love him at that young age and had no idea how to deal with it. All Bradley knew was that he needed Hoss in his life and he would take him anyway he could get him.

Hoss, well he’s been having a love your best friend deal for about the same time but always thought that Bradley was straight since he went and got a girlfriend after Hoss came out to his best friend. Little did both of them know, they love they shared wasn’t as unrequited as they thought, it just wasn’t communicated.

Back to the baby on the doorstep.

With the help of his Momma, Hoss gets the baby to Doc Simpson to see if he recognizes her or knows of some girl who recently gave birth. They come up empty handed and Sheriff Pooter and the Doc decide the best thing for the baby is to stay with Momma McMaster until they find who dropped her off. But things happen with Momma McMaster and she brings the little girl to Hoss to take care of and Hoss can’t do it alone so who does he call? His BFF Bradley, of course. The boys end up taking in and taking care of the baby and it was plain fun to see them learn the difference between livestock and a human. Trust me, it’s cute. Leave it to a little bit of a girl to bring these two cowboys together and to their knees with love. It was so much fun to watch Hoss and Bradley being wrapped around the tiny infant finger of the pretty girl who really didn’t do anything but exist. I loved their first trip to WalMart to get all the things the baby would need and I loved how they shared the duties of a baby together and really worked together as a team. The longer Pooter needed them to take care of her when he can’t find the birth mom, the more the men fall for her and begin to open up to each other about their feelings.

It’s funny that I called the author's first Dreamspun Desire title “two cowboys and a baby”, when this book puts the two cowboys and their baby through a Trial by Fire. The men run into a few issues dealing with the little bit of a girl and the little bit of trust with one another that lends to a bit of angst in their romance. It wasn’t bad and the fluff is back fast but it’s enough to put a strain on the happy little wanna be family.

I loved Momma McMaster and her no cussing rule until she lets a few fly herself. Pooter was reliable for ribbing the boys as they have been friends since childhood. The few family members of Bradley’s were amazingly supportive and well… the dude we meet at the end who has a special buddy was a twist I was not expecting.

At the end of it all, this was adorable fluffy and fun. The friends to lovers romance was super cute and laced with enough emotion that a first kiss has me sighing with my hand on my chest. Hoss and Bradley have a tough go of their new found love but they work well together and seem to meet at the same finish line with their feelings. Their love for one another and for a little bit of a baby girl stole my heart and made this another great read from the series.

description
Profile Image for Valerie ❈M/M Romance Junkie❈.
1,725 reviews435 followers
April 7, 2017
I enjoyed this quite a bit. Enough that I read all day long (not very productive).

You have two clueless and oblivious cowboys trying to take care of an itty bitty baby. You get a bit of soap opera (which i've come to expect from this series) with the added bonus of a bit of Jerry Springer/Maury Povich thrown in for good measure. My only problem (and it knocked it down a star) was Bradley getting stuck on stupid there for a bit. I was seriously pissed with him. Stupid, stubborn cowboys. They get their crap together for a solid HEA.

Thanks JL. I would not have read this had I not seen your review.
Profile Image for Jay.
240 reviews41 followers
March 13, 2017
3.5 stars – Every now and then, I read a story that my initial reaction is more positive than not, but I know that if I sit an analyze it too much, I will end up tearing it apart. Such is the case with B.A. Tortuga’s latest addition to Dreamspinner Press’s Dreamspun Desires series, Two Cowboys and a Baby. While there is some messy stuff that comes across as being a little too simplistic to be anything but overdramatic, there’s a cute story in here too that I, for one, appreciated in spite of the other parts.

Wyatt “Hoss” McMasters fits a lot of things people think of when they hear Texas cowboy. He lives near a small town, he’s a bull rider, he’s got a working ranch, and he’s got family and friends he knows he can count on. He’s also gay and has forever been in love with his best friend, Bradley Germaine, even though the guy didn’t take his coming out back in high school all that well. Everything’s good in Hoss’s life until the morning someone abandons a newborn baby on his front step.

This is the first time I’ve read an M/M romance that uses the abandoned-baby trope, and as a whole, it worked for me, making for a cute story, even though there was some not-so-cute things that happened. The twist that results in finding out who the baby belongs to is the sort of thing one might see on an episode of Maury Povich or some other sensationalized talk show, but I thought the author executed it well.

What didn’t work so well was how Bradley reacted to the situation. It wasn’t that his behavior wasn’t believable though. The problem was that the book really could have used another ten or twenty thousand words in order to flesh out Hoss’s and Bradley’s pasts more to give us a better appreciation for what they’ve gone through together and just how long of a wait it has been for them to get together. I really think that would have helped make the reaction to the baby news feel less like an overdramatized mess caused by a lack of solid communication.

Outside of this, the flow of the story makes sense, the writing was smooth, and even though I’m not well versed on rodeo stuff, the scenes involving Hoss’s bull riding were convincing enough to make them believable for me. Other than the reaction I referred to in the previous paragraph, the guys’ interactions with each other were exactly the sort of warm and fluffy that I expect from a Dreamspun Desires book, and yeah, because it’s part of this series, the book is short on the hot-and-smutty stuff: there is only one sex scene in the book (the series limits titles to no more than two sex scenes), but even without it, you could feel the emotions they had for each other and the baby.

It’s probably a good thing, though, that this wasn’t written as a book with tons of sex though, as it might have led me to categorize it as suffering from the dreaded “Press-On Penis” problem—characters who just as easily could have been written as women. As it was, Two Cowboys and a Baby worked for me. It’s just the sort of quick read that I would recommend to anyone who isn’t going to dig too deep looking for reasons to make it less enjoyable. It’s a simple story with simple guys in a strange situation, and if you read it in that manner, it’s a lovely little book.

The author and/or publisher generously provided me a complimentary copy of Two Cowboys and a Baby in exchange for this fair and honest review.

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Profile Image for Sandra .
1,980 reviews348 followers
March 14, 2017
On the surface, there's a cute story here. You got cowboys, small town antics, and even an abandoned baby on your doorstep that holds the twisted answer to a long-kept secret. So, I was ready for cute and sweet and lots of cowboys. And I got that, to some extent.

What didn't work for me as well were some parts of the relationship bromance between Hoss (the supposed baby-daddy) and Bradley, two men who've been friends forever and a day, but who had a falling out when Hoss came out to Bradley way back when in high school. I totally believed that Hoss was in love with Bradley, and that Bradley was in love with Hoss - no issues there - and when Bradley confessed to Hoss that maybe back then he was an idiot, and he's regretted that ever since, their bromance became much more and their romantic relationship really took off.

The parts that were harder to swallow had to do with the revelations about the little innocent baby Hoss finds on his doorstep one morning, and how she looks a little too much like Hoss, and how the DNA test shows that .... well, I'll let y'all read this yourself. The drama that unfolds between Bradley and Hoss was, while understandable, a little out of left field. Up until that point, I thought that the back and forth banter between them showcased their relationship, and they truly felt like they'd been friends for a very long time. So it was a bit of a shock for me to see Bradley react the way he did when that twist came about, and while the lack of real communication between them was indicative of their relationship, I would have thought that Bradley wouldn't be such a dumbass and trusted Hoss a bit more than what he did. Yeah, yeah, surely the "surprise" was a shock to them all, but when your man tells you "no, I didn't", then maybe you ought to stop and listen instead of being all Judgy McJudgerson, eh?

I also thought that the twist was a bit over the top, but then I've come to expect that sort of over the top kind of thing from this series, so I wasn't put off by it. I adored Hoss being all awkward with the baby, without a clue what to do, so that part rang true for me. Even if his mama came to help out a bit.

The author really captured the small town Texas feel, and made me feel like I was right there at the rodeo with Hoss and Bradley - well done, that.

Also, if your sheriff's name is Pooter - 'nuff said. I giggled a lot whenever he was on page. Stereotypical small town characters all around, and that part was a lot of fun.

This was an enjoyable read, even if I didn't like some parts. The book works well within the Dreamspun Desires series, and should be read the way it was intended - as a bit of fluff, a bit over the top, and a "love will save the day" kind of romance.


** I received a free copy of this book from its publisher. A positive review was not promised in return. **
Profile Image for DaisyGirl.
1,206 reviews67 followers
April 8, 2017
3.5 (4.0) stars

I'm rounding up for Joanie (the guardian doggie) and baby Shayanne. I enjoy family stories, especially ones with babies. If you just roll with the storyline here and not poke or prod too much at the semi-ridiculous plot twists, this is a sweet cowboy tale.

Bottom line: pretty good.
Profile Image for Steven.
175 reviews18 followers
August 3, 2017
I needed something low angst and mostly feel good and that's exactly what I got.

Was this perfect? Nope. But it was a sweet little story about love and family and making both.

If you're in need of a quick read to warm your heart or just need to a change of literary scenery, then this is the book for you.

3.75 stars and I'm interested in other works by this author.
Profile Image for Morgan  Skye.
2,775 reviews28 followers
March 15, 2017
I think there are a few assumptions about this book you get to make before you even crack it open: It’s a Dreamspun – so it’s gonna have some fantastic old school trope – which means it’s gonna be fun and not too serious (usually). It’s BA Tortuga writing about cowboys - so it’s gonna have lots of twang and country speak and feel like we’ve stepped onto the set of Bonanza. It’s got a baby in it – so we’re bound to see lots of baby + clueless men hilarity.

Well, most of that is true and in spades. There were times I had no honest idea what these guys were saying their “accents” were so thick. The baby absolutely takes up a bunch of page time and most of it is sweet and/or funny. As for the trope – well there are a few of them in here – they just don’t get revealed right away.

I think that fans of the author will know what to expect and will find this is very similar to her other cowboy stories. For fans of the series – this is very “troptastic” and comes with a twist! For someone looking for an overload of sugary sweetness – this is probably a good book for you.

If you want something a bit more serious, more believable, and less “country” – this isn’t for you.

I enjoyed the friends to lovers / OFY aspect of this – but wished that’d played more of a role in the story. There was a lot of baby stuff that I could have skipped but I get the appeal. The “twists” were interesting if confusing and kept me on my toes.

Overall, I think this was a solid romance and about what I expected.

Profile Image for ⚣Michaelle⚣.
3,662 reviews233 followers
April 17, 2017
4 Stars

Very cute and sexy...even if it did seem like the plot of a racy telenovela with all the OTT drama, plot twists and surprises. Although - I am eager to read Boss & Cody's story if BAT ever gets around to writing that. (I would probably even read it if it were MMF.)

I do have to say that at first the colloquialisms were a bit cringe-worthy, but after a while they started to grow on me and become quite funny...especially once my brain decided to give the characters accents and I heard them as Texans in my head.
Profile Image for Amneris Cesare.
Author 37 books54 followers
October 22, 2018
No, this one was really bad for me. At a point I had to jump to the epilogue. And I hated it too. So, no. Just not for me.
Profile Image for Danielle  Gypsy Soul.
3,171 reviews80 followers
August 25, 2019
I liked this book even though the plot and drama were very OTT. I liked Hoss and Bradley but it played very heavily on the miscommunication trope which is my least favorite. I just didn't buy the whole ten years of being best friends but Hoss thinking Bradley hated him for being gay. Bradley wanting Hoss but not ever letting him know he was gay as well. Still the secondary characters were interesting and the romance was pretty sweet. Some of the "cowboy sayings" were a bit much for me but overall I liked the book.
Profile Image for Ed Davis.
2,885 reviews99 followers
September 23, 2021
For about the first 30 pages or so I was really enjoying this. Then the over stereotypical Texas cowboy got old. What started out like a parody seemed to become insulting. I’m usually a big fan of B. A. Tortuga, but this one just seemed a little too much. I still enjoyed the story enough to finish and give it 3 stars.

Profile Image for Shannon.
2,163 reviews46 followers
June 11, 2018
Well that was just odd. Cute story, tons of tropes and a mystery with an answer too crazy to believe. These two had the worst communication possible which made it frustrating at times. The cowboy talk probably appeals to a lot of people but I'm not one of them. Made them sound not too smart which wasn't the case at all. Loved the setting and the community feels and of course baby Cheyanne. Would have loved to see some sex but nothing worth mentioning on that front. Overall not a bad read just not what I was hoping for.
Profile Image for Sadonna.
2,706 reviews46 followers
March 17, 2017
3.5 stars

This review and much more can be found at The Novel Approach


Poor Hoss. One morning as he’s minding his own business, planning for his day, he discovered a baby on his porch. No card, no note, nothing but a baby girl in a carrier. Being a gay cowboy, a bull rider with a ranch, he’s not exactly sure what in the heck to do. So, he calls in the cavalry, meaning his momma, the sheriff, and his best friend.

When Doc hasn’t a clue who the baby might belong to, they decide to keep it quiet and try to nose around to see where she might have come from. In the meantime, Hoss’s momma has decided that Hoss will take care of her until they complete their investigating. And what momma wants, momma gets. :-D

Hoss realizes he’s definitely gonna need some help, so he calls on his BFF, Bradley, to help with the ranch and the baby. Hoss and Bradley have been friends forever even though Bradley was a total shit to Hoss when he came out to him in high school. Eventually they got back to being friends, and Bradley’s been waiting ten years to confess to Hoss that not only was he not mad when Hoss came out to him, but that’s he’s had feelings for Hoss for some time.

But just when things seem to be going good, Hoss gets hurt at the rodeo and needs Bradley more than ever to help him. When Hoss gets more news, news he cannot in any way explain or understand, Bradley doesn’t take it well. Then there are more twists and turns in the story than Lombard Street in San Francisco! And, I gotta say I didn’t see the biggest one coming. When another crisis involving Hoss and the baby strikes, it’s all hands on deck to make sure that they remain safe.

This story was a complete hoot! I thought the language/dialect was a bit over the top but, then again, I’m a “city slicker”, so that’s probably to be expected. Hoss and Bradley are funny and they made me laugh constantly. Whether it’s taking advantage of the local ladies to help them with figuring out what they need for the baby, dealing with overbearing parents, or figuring out that they are really meant to be together, it’s highly entertaining.

The supporting characters were definitely part of the fun, especially Pooter and Hoss’s momma. I find these Dreamspun Desires books to be a fun and happy diversion from real life—particularly these days. Recommended for anyone looking for a fun and fluffy story that is a total romp.
Profile Image for Wax.
1,295 reviews22 followers
April 4, 2017
Pretty darn cute. As with several other books in the Dreamspun Desires line, you have to suspend belief somewhat. But ultimately I found myself rooting for the MCs as well as baby Shayanne.
Profile Image for Heather.
1,551 reviews9 followers
March 15, 2017
*Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

Hoss has a pretty good life. He owns his ranch, he rides bulls in a rodeo, he has loving parents, good friends and a loyal, smart dog. His best friend lives in a trailer on his ranch and is willing to lend a hand when needed. Then a baby is left on his doorstep, and Hoss has no idea why anyone would leave him a baby. He's gay and never been with a woman so there's no way that the baby is his, no matter how many times people comment that she looks like him. When Hoss needs help taking care of the baby, of course his best friend Bradley steps up to help him. He's been in love with Hoss since they were teens, and he's happy to have some time pretending they're a family. And Bradley finally gets the courage to share with Hoss that he's not straight either, and Hoss allows himself to see Bradley as more than his best friend.

I really enjoyed this story! I liked both characters and loved their interactions together. Next time I hear someone talk about a cowboy, Hoss is going to be what I imagine. He's the stereotypical cowboy that we've all heard about. We learn early what type of man he is when reading the interactions with his dog. Even though he's a gay cowboy in Texas, he still has loving, supportive friends and family. I loved his momma and thought it was hilarious that all the men were afraid of making her mad. Bradley was the guy who seemed to just be taking advantage of his best friend, but in all reality, he is a hard worker who jumps to help anyone in need. There is no job too small for Bradley to volunteer to help. And when Hoss has a baby to take care of, Bradley is right there helping. He comes from a large family and is no stranger to baby human females. :)

The baby left on a doorstep trope. I have never read this trope in gay romance before, and the author did a fabulous job with the storyline! The revelations from Doc and then Hoss' momma completely surprised me, but I thought it was really well done! In all honesty, it's not like any of these things have never happened in real life so I totally found it was something believable, especially when you live in a small, rural area like they do.

I found myself laughing several times during my reading! All of the characters in this book are just that, characters (in the good sense)! I think the interactions between all of the characters are so real and show some of the good things of growing up in a rural area, where everyone knows everyone. I thought this book was really well written and loved all the dialogue between characters. This is definitely a book you should check out!

Rating: 4 stars!
Profile Image for Jenny Wood.
Author 26 books309 followers
March 15, 2017
First, let me just say that, I am a sucker for hot guys with kids. For those of you who read my reviews, this is not a secret. I don’t care how terrible the story is, I’ll like it because, hot guys with kids are kind of my thing. Now, in saying that… this story was really cute.

It was a bit unbelievable and left some holes that I would’ve liked filled, like… who was the mother and would she ever come back? I mean she hadn’t, but I’d have liked to have seen some protection in the way so that she couldn’t come back and take the baby, if she wanted to.

The whole thing with the brother, was so unbelievable… just like Bradley said, it was something from a bad soap opera, I wouldn’t have bought it either if I was him….And the brother, him just being okay with his brother raising his kid as his own? Seriously? No muss or fuss about it…. Not even a “thanks bro!”

There were also words like “whut”, “ruint” and “spoilt” that I was just like….no, no, no… In no way am I a grammar police and I understand that these guys were cowboys and they had kind of a lazy, southern draw, but, “whut”… just made them sound uneducated and they both seemed like smart guys, so why?

Other than that, I loved the family aspect of this story. Hoss’s mom was a big help and I love the small town community, living where everybody knows everybody and has since preschool kind of thing. I live in a town like that. It’s homey.
I’m also glad that Bradley and Hoss figured their stuff out together…. It kinda just came out of nowhere, randomly while they were arguing and I wasn’t ready for it, even though I was ready for it because the back and forth was exhausting… but, there was no lead-up lol, it was just blurted out there and then nobody really reacted about it… it just was what it was. So, I was glad it wasn’t more of a back and forth than it already was.

Overall, it was a cute little read, a bit unrealistic, like I said, but it was cute and I enjoyed the HFN ending.

3 stars for me.

*I received a copy of this book by the publisher in the promise of an honest and unbiased review*
Profile Image for Lelyana's Reviews.
3,412 reviews400 followers
October 31, 2017
Started well, with baby and the awkwardness of suddenly having a baby sent to him, and all the hectic situation when you have a new born baby on your porch.
While Hoss is an awkward one, Bradley is the stupid one. They're best friend, and I hated that the lacking of 'communication skills' between couples (in general) ruined the relationship.
Can't they just 'TALK' like and adult instead of running away and judging?
That's what's happened, I wanted to slap Bradley for that.
Hoss is also need to repair his communication skill, he can 'explain' it to Bradley, right?
Well, chicks with dicks, too much talked over nothing. I'm not happy.

More thoughts to follow


* ARC provided by Dreamspinner Press for a fair and unbiased review.*
554 reviews7 followers
November 7, 2019
Small town life

Your standard no communication story with a baby added for flavor. Very descriptive characters working hard to get by in life. I didn’t get overcome by feels, but enjoyed the read. Feel like I need to shower now. 3.25 for Fight Club.
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