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Wild Hearts #1
Lone Cowboy
Tyson is tragically single and painfully shy. He is a hopeless romantic who lives in a fantasy world where one day he will meet the ideal man of his dreams. Thankfully, he can rely on the help of his vibrant, overconfident friend, Florence to hook him up with that cute guy at the cafe who is just his type. Or is he?
Michael thinks he is falling in love with Brad. They have only dated for a short time, but their chemistry is incredible, and their relationship seems to be getting serious. However, once Brad’s charming new roommate appears, confidence in their relationship slowly wanes as paranoia increases.
Drew works on a range. He isn’t built to be a cowboy - the role has been thrust upon him. He doesn’t always live on the range but has come to this part of the world with a purpose - to search for any trace he could find of his father and pass him a message from his mother. What lies in that message and what skeleton does Drew have in his closet?
With his tousled ginger hair, sparkling eyes, adorable freckles and dimpled smile, one by one, Drew ensnares the attention of these young men and weaves their lives together. Will these young romantics realize in time that Drew seems intent on causing chaos, and taking them down with him?
Author's note: Lone Cowboy is the first book in Inge Mayhem's Wild Hearts series filled with mystery and suspense that will leave you craving more.
Warning: Contains adult content. 18+
Wild Hearts Series:
1. Lone Cowboy
2. Thrills of Danger
3. To Have and To Hold
4. The Affair
5. Final Escape
Michael thinks he is falling in love with Brad. They have only dated for a short time, but their chemistry is incredible, and their relationship seems to be getting serious. However, once Brad’s charming new roommate appears, confidence in their relationship slowly wanes as paranoia increases.
Drew works on a range. He isn’t built to be a cowboy - the role has been thrust upon him. He doesn’t always live on the range but has come to this part of the world with a purpose - to search for any trace he could find of his father and pass him a message from his mother. What lies in that message and what skeleton does Drew have in his closet?
With his tousled ginger hair, sparkling eyes, adorable freckles and dimpled smile, one by one, Drew ensnares the attention of these young men and weaves their lives together. Will these young romantics realize in time that Drew seems intent on causing chaos, and taking them down with him?
Author's note: Lone Cowboy is the first book in Inge Mayhem's Wild Hearts series filled with mystery and suspense that will leave you craving more.
Warning: Contains adult content. 18+
Wild Hearts Series:
1. Lone Cowboy
2. Thrills of Danger
3. To Have and To Hold
4. The Affair
5. Final Escape
68 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2020
152 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
May 31, 2020
It felt like I was only reading part of the book. It jumped around left so much unanswered questions.
added-it
January 21, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/21/2021)! 🎁
June 6, 2020
This is an M+M novel but although there is gay “action” here the meetings are implied, not described as is Drew’s search for his father, the final violent meeting again implied not described.
July 22, 2020
Bizarre and convoluted
Full of twists and turns but very little details or plot. I’m not exactly even sure what happened.... but someone’s dead.
Full of twists and turns but very little details or plot. I’m not exactly even sure what happened.... but someone’s dead.
November 3, 2020
It was okay, I don't know if I will continue with the series.
January 24, 2022
Inge Mayhem has written another fun set of books in her series Wild Hearts. In this first book we are introduced to what I am thinking is likely most of the characters and my guess is that each most likely has an interesting back story. Drew leaves his farm job after an interesting experience with one of the owners and moves to town to find his father, who had abandoned Drew and his mom. There is a lot of mystery behind what Drew wants with his dad and by the end of the story the drama level goes from 0 to 100 in a flash. At the end of book 1 you really do not know for sure what exactly is going on (which is always fun I think), and who is or is not a villain. The stage for romance is set though and only time will tell what happens. Ms. Mayhem’s books are always fun and her characters are generally either warm and fuzzy, or complete cads and you want to crawl into the book and slap them, metaphorically speaking. Kudos to the author.
March 28, 2024
Huge disappointment
Context is important to me. If the Prologue had indicated that this wasn’t truly a book (meaning beginning/middle/end) I would have known it wasn’t for me. It’s not a complete book, it’s a chapter or section of a book. I can’t even call the ending a cliff-hanger, because that would mean I would have to care about what happens next. Let me be clear - I have no desire to crap all over someone’s work - writing is probably one of the hardest crafts - but I will own my opinion - this type of thing (whatever you call it) is not for me.
Context is important to me. If the Prologue had indicated that this wasn’t truly a book (meaning beginning/middle/end) I would have known it wasn’t for me. It’s not a complete book, it’s a chapter or section of a book. I can’t even call the ending a cliff-hanger, because that would mean I would have to care about what happens next. Let me be clear - I have no desire to crap all over someone’s work - writing is probably one of the hardest crafts - but I will own my opinion - this type of thing (whatever you call it) is not for me.
August 9, 2020
Funny business, or maybe not
Mixed reactions. Several nice and believable characters in what could be real situations, and a few good laughs. Then it turns cold and cynical, ending in a cliffhanger. Obviously you need the next book and probably more to find out what happens, but personally I don't think I'm up for it.
Mixed reactions. Several nice and believable characters in what could be real situations, and a few good laughs. Then it turns cold and cynical, ending in a cliffhanger. Obviously you need the next book and probably more to find out what happens, but personally I don't think I'm up for it.
September 5, 2020
What A wonderful story
I enjoyed reading this story. I can't wait to read the next story in this series. I liked the characters, and it was well-written. It had a good storyline.
I enjoyed reading this story. I can't wait to read the next story in this series. I liked the characters, and it was well-written. It had a good storyline.
January 7, 2021
Clearly a prequal to a book or a book in a series, this short featurette introduces characters and jumps back and forth in a disjointed fashion. The reader is not given enough background character development to make a yea or nay relationship with the characters. I found myself re-reading to determine what I had missed and to ask myself why I felt no attachment to the main character.
The book is an introduction to this writer's work and I am disappointed to say I am not compelled to seek out the rest of the story to completion.
The book is an introduction to this writer's work and I am disappointed to say I am not compelled to seek out the rest of the story to completion.
March 7, 2021
1 star (and just barely)
Not much to say about this confusing, messy and uninteresting novella. The plot was nonexistent, characters flat and uninteresting and the writing was childish. If there was any heat, I missed it due to being in a state of boredom.
The ONLY good thing about this story was that it was short. My suffering ended quickly.
Not much to say about this confusing, messy and uninteresting novella. The plot was nonexistent, characters flat and uninteresting and the writing was childish. If there was any heat, I missed it due to being in a state of boredom.
The ONLY good thing about this story was that it was short. My suffering ended quickly.
October 8, 2022
Calling this a book is highly overstating it as this was nothing more than a short introduction to a Wild Hearts series. I assume the intention behind this "book" was to introduce us to the characters and the setting of the series, but it failed on both accounts because this was an absolute hot mess.
The "story" opens with a prologue where we're introduced to Drew, a ranch hand with a mysterious grudge towards his father and Hank, his married boss who outright propositions Drew. Except Drew, a gay man, apparently would not know how to get clue if it slapped him in the face. Cheating, yay! And so completely out of the left field too.
Right after the prologue we're thrown into a coffee shop setting where two coworkers Tyson and Florence notice Drew and invite him for after works drinks. The next chapter we're introduced to Michael and Brad, two gay men hooking up/dating/who knows, with no explanation who the hell they might be and what is their relevance to the "story." The only thing we find out is that Drew is Brad's new surprise roommate.
Each chapter had a setting and location stamp like that was supposed to be in any way helpful to a reader who didn't even know where the "story" was supposed to take place. Long Harbor City, Little Bay, Blue Bridge, Harbor South were all just random names without any meaning and very little context.
I won't go into other painful details about the rest of the "story" but let's just say that by the end of it I still had no idea who Michael and Brad were or how they were in any way relevant to the "story." Tyson turned out to be a desperate idiot who would do anything for a random guy he met 24 hours ago, a guy who was very clearly completely uninterested in him at that. And the main character, Drew, remained as "mysterious" as he was in the prologue which might sound intriguing but it really wasn't.
Themes: cowboys, unrequited crush, cheating
The "story" opens with a prologue where we're introduced to Drew, a ranch hand with a mysterious grudge towards his father and Hank, his married boss who outright propositions Drew. Except Drew, a gay man, apparently would not know how to get clue if it slapped him in the face. Cheating, yay! And so completely out of the left field too.
Right after the prologue we're thrown into a coffee shop setting where two coworkers Tyson and Florence notice Drew and invite him for after works drinks. The next chapter we're introduced to Michael and Brad, two gay men hooking up/dating/who knows, with no explanation who the hell they might be and what is their relevance to the "story." The only thing we find out is that Drew is Brad's new surprise roommate.
Each chapter had a setting and location stamp like that was supposed to be in any way helpful to a reader who didn't even know where the "story" was supposed to take place. Long Harbor City, Little Bay, Blue Bridge, Harbor South were all just random names without any meaning and very little context.
I won't go into other painful details about the rest of the "story" but let's just say that by the end of it I still had no idea who Michael and Brad were or how they were in any way relevant to the "story." Tyson turned out to be a desperate idiot who would do anything for a random guy he met 24 hours ago, a guy who was very clearly completely uninterested in him at that. And the main character, Drew, remained as "mysterious" as he was in the prologue which might sound intriguing but it really wasn't.
Themes: cowboys, unrequited crush, cheating
September 29, 2025
3.75 stars, rounded.
- Bought 'Thrills of Danger', Wild Hearts series#2, and #3 'To Have and To Hold', from Amazon when I found out they were on sale on a give-away promo site; got on the Authors' list and got a free copy of the first book 'Lone Cowboy', but had already read book #2 and part of #3, so my reading of this series was somewhat disjointed/out of order. This is a serialized story and is best read in order, not stand-alone at all, there are cliff-hangers; should be read in order for best understanding. Five books to the series.
- Prequel to the serial Wild Hearts series, not a stand alone; cliffhanger ending; introduces characters who's stories will continue as they inter-relate, as the mystery develops.
1. Tyson, shy and romantic, longs for love and is attracted to cowboy Drew that he and his more assertive friend Florence befriend in a coffeeshop; Florence (wing-person) asks Drew to meet them for drinks at a gay bar later, establishing Drew is single, gay and available for her buddy.
2. New couple Michael and Brad, flirtatious and committed to each other, some kink inferred, not shown. They don't live together, but seem monogamous. Brad's sister-in-law at the ranch has referred a ranch hand (Drew) to stay in Brad's spare room and to enquire about his estranged father (Brad worked with him previously).
- Drew and Tyson embark on a bit of surveillance; Drew thinks back on his time at the ranch (he is the titular cowboy) and why he left. Tyson is in trouble by the end of the story.
- Fast paced, many characters, very little plot, mostly a character sketch to get ready for the next story; gets more involving at the end, then a cliffhanger. More plot, more characterization would have been welcomed, something to get us interested in the characters themselves and their motivations. Only Drew and Tyson are some-what fleshed out; the Michael/Brad story is cute for the romance, but only serves as background for Drew. I'm guessing Drew is the MC for the series, but not sure. On to the next book...
- Bought 'Thrills of Danger', Wild Hearts series#2, and #3 'To Have and To Hold', from Amazon when I found out they were on sale on a give-away promo site; got on the Authors' list and got a free copy of the first book 'Lone Cowboy', but had already read book #2 and part of #3, so my reading of this series was somewhat disjointed/out of order. This is a serialized story and is best read in order, not stand-alone at all, there are cliff-hangers; should be read in order for best understanding. Five books to the series.
- Prequel to the serial Wild Hearts series, not a stand alone; cliffhanger ending; introduces characters who's stories will continue as they inter-relate, as the mystery develops.
1. Tyson, shy and romantic, longs for love and is attracted to cowboy Drew that he and his more assertive friend Florence befriend in a coffeeshop; Florence (wing-person) asks Drew to meet them for drinks at a gay bar later, establishing Drew is single, gay and available for her buddy.
2. New couple Michael and Brad, flirtatious and committed to each other, some kink inferred, not shown. They don't live together, but seem monogamous. Brad's sister-in-law at the ranch has referred a ranch hand (Drew) to stay in Brad's spare room and to enquire about his estranged father (Brad worked with him previously).
- Drew and Tyson embark on a bit of surveillance; Drew thinks back on his time at the ranch (he is the titular cowboy) and why he left. Tyson is in trouble by the end of the story.
- Fast paced, many characters, very little plot, mostly a character sketch to get ready for the next story; gets more involving at the end, then a cliffhanger. More plot, more characterization would have been welcomed, something to get us interested in the characters themselves and their motivations. Only Drew and Tyson are some-what fleshed out; the Michael/Brad story is cute for the romance, but only serves as background for Drew. I'm guessing Drew is the MC for the series, but not sure. On to the next book...
June 9, 2020
A random find on Amazon! Gotta love my freebies ;)
The story follows Tyson who is tragically single, Michael who thinks he found love, and then Drew who is forced to being a cowboy and is looking for his father.
There was A LOT going on here and this is a short story. Maybe that is why I had a hard time with it? I felt like there was a lot of jumping around and I felt like I was forgetting something or who was who. I had to reread some parts.
Honestly? I was much more intrigued by Drew. I didn't care about the either fellas. I was more intrigued in Drew finding his dad and finding himself. Drew was much more interesting if I am being honest here.
Tyson was boring and Michael was annoying. I did like Brad...kinda. I thought Florence was fun!
For being a short book, it took me an eon to finish it because I had to backtrack.
I guess there is going to be more to this and be like a series? Not sure if I will move forward...unless it is all about Drew. hahaha.
Overall, this was a little meh for me. I did like Drew a lot and I enjoyed THAT aspect of the story. Not for me. I'll give this 2 stars.
The story follows Tyson who is tragically single, Michael who thinks he found love, and then Drew who is forced to being a cowboy and is looking for his father.
There was A LOT going on here and this is a short story. Maybe that is why I had a hard time with it? I felt like there was a lot of jumping around and I felt like I was forgetting something or who was who. I had to reread some parts.
Honestly? I was much more intrigued by Drew. I didn't care about the either fellas. I was more intrigued in Drew finding his dad and finding himself. Drew was much more interesting if I am being honest here.
Tyson was boring and Michael was annoying. I did like Brad...kinda. I thought Florence was fun!
For being a short book, it took me an eon to finish it because I had to backtrack.
I guess there is going to be more to this and be like a series? Not sure if I will move forward...unless it is all about Drew. hahaha.
Overall, this was a little meh for me. I did like Drew a lot and I enjoyed THAT aspect of the story. Not for me. I'll give this 2 stars.
July 11, 2020
I got a free copy from the author when I joined the newsletter for review and currently it is up for free on Amazon so grab it now in case it changes if you don't want to sign up for the newsletter. Review is also shared to my Amazon Canada account.
The "book" is laid out in 2 parts. I was not a fan of the layout. While reading part 1 it jumped from past to present to past again and a couple times I found myself saying wait what and had to read the page again. I prefer stories that tell their story in order of events and not jump all over. Maybe that's just me. I got a short attention span. 🤷♀️
As for the story this felt like a exerpt of another book. It leaves more questions than answers and for such a short length there is so many different aspects mentioned but not explored. Theres Tyson who is desperately single and seemed so needy for attention which leads to him getting caught up in a huge mess in the end. There's Brad Drew's new roommate who has a kinky relationship with his bf Michael but Michael also seemed desperate and not so confident in the relationship. Then there's Drew who was a cowboy but left the ranch to come live with Brad when he discovered Brad knew his dad who he's been trying to find.
This may be a m/m book and there's dates out and talk about being kinky in Michael and Brads relationship specifically but its just talked about. It doesn't happen in the book. The main topic is just about Drew finding his father. For some unmentioned reason he hates him enough to wish him dead and then the big confrontation that the whole story is based on is just skipped over til it is once again just mentioned in past tense and Tyson is the one that pays that price for that.
Update: I have read book 2 and now everything makes sense and each book is a continuation of the story. I really liked book 2 and recommend these 2 books be read together to get the full picture. All the characters are also more developed in book 2 and now I am interested in continuing the series to hear more about each of them.
The "book" is laid out in 2 parts. I was not a fan of the layout. While reading part 1 it jumped from past to present to past again and a couple times I found myself saying wait what and had to read the page again. I prefer stories that tell their story in order of events and not jump all over. Maybe that's just me. I got a short attention span. 🤷♀️
As for the story this felt like a exerpt of another book. It leaves more questions than answers and for such a short length there is so many different aspects mentioned but not explored. Theres Tyson who is desperately single and seemed so needy for attention which leads to him getting caught up in a huge mess in the end. There's Brad Drew's new roommate who has a kinky relationship with his bf Michael but Michael also seemed desperate and not so confident in the relationship. Then there's Drew who was a cowboy but left the ranch to come live with Brad when he discovered Brad knew his dad who he's been trying to find.
This may be a m/m book and there's dates out and talk about being kinky in Michael and Brads relationship specifically but its just talked about. It doesn't happen in the book. The main topic is just about Drew finding his father. For some unmentioned reason he hates him enough to wish him dead and then the big confrontation that the whole story is based on is just skipped over til it is once again just mentioned in past tense and Tyson is the one that pays that price for that.
Update: I have read book 2 and now everything makes sense and each book is a continuation of the story. I really liked book 2 and recommend these 2 books be read together to get the full picture. All the characters are also more developed in book 2 and now I am interested in continuing the series to hear more about each of them.
November 10, 2020
Wow, a "new to me" author, who gave me this book for reviewing. Ok, I thought... but it really captured me very very quickly!
A wonderful experience of a special writing style.
You get to know the characters in a casual and easy flowing way, similar like you are watching a movie.
A bunch of people who do not yet know that they will be connected together in ways they want to or do not want to. But it drives the reader further: what happens next? You become like a part of it, like you are standing next to them.
A bit of thrill, a bit or heat, a bit of normal life and also disappointment, all there, rather like real life instead of the well-known fluffy romance. Just the way I love it!
The only thing, but that is me personally, I would have loved more pages.
But there is already book 2, and I am already into it. I am so curious how this might end or develop further.
A wonderful experience of a special writing style.
You get to know the characters in a casual and easy flowing way, similar like you are watching a movie.
A bunch of people who do not yet know that they will be connected together in ways they want to or do not want to. But it drives the reader further: what happens next? You become like a part of it, like you are standing next to them.
A bit of thrill, a bit or heat, a bit of normal life and also disappointment, all there, rather like real life instead of the well-known fluffy romance. Just the way I love it!
The only thing, but that is me personally, I would have loved more pages.
But there is already book 2, and I am already into it. I am so curious how this might end or develop further.
January 17, 2023
This one had a lot of promise. The story is well written and the characters somewhat interesting, but it was way too short and felt like a sneak peek to a story rather than the first book in a series. When the story is 70 pages long you don't want to be introduced to a ton of characters you won't have time to get to know, and it all ended in a way that made the book feel incomplete. I understand that it's a part of a series, but to keep someone's interest for long enough to actually want to read the next part you need to let them get invested in the characters, something we didn't get a chance to in this one.
The author has a lovely way with words, though, and I might check out more of her work in the future, but for this series... no, sorry. It was too abrupt and felt rushed, like the author herself didn't care enough about the characters to properly get to know them.
The author has a lovely way with words, though, and I might check out more of her work in the future, but for this series... no, sorry. It was too abrupt and felt rushed, like the author herself didn't care enough about the characters to properly get to know them.
June 27, 2021
This book was okay but it didn’t really introduce the characters well and the story kept jumping from one character to another. I appreciate that this is the first book in this series but I believe that a longer more in depth book with better character and story building would’ve been better. I would need to read more books as none of the story was completed and the book ended on a cliffhanger. My favourite book? Definitely not, but worth reading the next book? Maybe. I think I’ll read the next book before passing any further judgement.
October 4, 2023
I wish I could give this book at least 2 stars but I literally have no clue what’s going on. It’s too many twists and characters for the size of the book (e-book was 62 pages) and the ending made no sense to me whatsoever. I saw that there are more books in this series so maybe all my questions would be answered in the next book(s), but unfortunately the story didn’t trigger enough interest on my side to keep up with the series.
June 27, 2020
Short story
So things make a little more sense now that I have read this book. however, i still wish it didn’t jump around so much and provided more details on each character. Still a good read and keeps you reading so you can piece the story together but might be better as one full novel. Bring on the next installment
So things make a little more sense now that I have read this book. however, i still wish it didn’t jump around so much and provided more details on each character. Still a good read and keeps you reading so you can piece the story together but might be better as one full novel. Bring on the next installment
July 4, 2020
The author's first novella, the narrative is a bit jerky. For a short work, there are too many characters that need more fleshing out. It seems that various unrelated hook-ups occur off page, lacking continuity.
Very brief, an eBook download from Funnel as a result of a free offering, my review is a freewill expression of my reactions.
Very brief, an eBook download from Funnel as a result of a free offering, my review is a freewill expression of my reactions.
July 10, 2020
Got this book as a freebie in exchange for an honest review. The book follows a number of people as their lives interweave . Found it hard to really enjoy, wanted to give it more. There is so much jumping to and fro that you are left dizzy. Will persevere though with the series. Somehow feel that it requires the series to be read as one book
November 3, 2020
Hmmm, so this book/novella is a prologue but it seems like the author has tried to fit too much into it but hasn't expanded on scenes enough. I understand that they are trying to keep things a mystery for the books moving forward but I don't think this book has done them any favours. I don't think I'll be reading any more in the series. Sorry. :(
August 26, 2023
This has promise...
I really was looking forward to this book. It's a quick read with promise but it really needs to be more fleshed out. I felt like I was reading the plot outline and just needed the plot. Being the first book in this series, I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
I really was looking forward to this book. It's a quick read with promise but it really needs to be more fleshed out. I felt like I was reading the plot outline and just needed the plot. Being the first book in this series, I have high hopes for the rest of the series.
June 25, 2020
3.5 Stars
What a quick read. This reminds me of the stories printed in Reader’s Digest. There’s mystery, hot shower scenes, intrigue, minor manipulation by the lead, kidnapping, and murder! Whodunnit? It’s a fun story that ends with a cliffhanger.
What a quick read. This reminds me of the stories printed in Reader’s Digest. There’s mystery, hot shower scenes, intrigue, minor manipulation by the lead, kidnapping, and murder! Whodunnit? It’s a fun story that ends with a cliffhanger.
July 6, 2020
Very good beginning of a series.
Love the main characters and hate the bad boys. Bad in not a sexy way. Nice flow of story. Ended too fast for me but I already had book 2 waiting for me. Thanks for this wonderful story.
Love the main characters and hate the bad boys. Bad in not a sexy way. Nice flow of story. Ended too fast for me but I already had book 2 waiting for me. Thanks for this wonderful story.
August 10, 2020
I am not really sure what I read here. Too many different stories in one short novella. Important details seem to have been completely skipped.
Someone is dead? Who? How the heck did that happen?
Sadly I will not be continuing with this series
Someone is dead? Who? How the heck did that happen?
Sadly I will not be continuing with this series
October 5, 2020
Yeah, nope... too many men having relationships with each other. A lot muddled; no conclusion (I think this goes on for about 5 books...) and I lost track of who was supposed to be the MC in THIS book!
November 18, 2020
Drew's journey is a long one. He has a plan, but nothing follows it. Lone Cowboy is a nice 'loose yourself' for a little while. Cuts off to set up the next installment. Nice start. Hope the next installment ties the lines together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2021
This was a wonderful, confusing, disturbing, intriguing romance that left me second-guessing everything. It was a fast read with great characters, lots of twists and turns, and an ending I didn’t see coming. I cannot wait to read the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews