What do you think?
Rate this book
Studs & Spurs
Saddles, spurs, Stetsons . . . and love? Sexy cowboys grab hold of more than a saddle in these entrancing stories from four talented authors of the genre. Kiernan Kelly takes us on an adventurous cattle drive to the Oregon Territory with a greenhorn and an old hand. Angela Fiddler's retired rodeo men accept each other and the black riders. Two men overcome grief, rebuild a ranch and find love in Dakota Flint's story. And JL Langley offers a light-hearted tale of a city boy and a rancher filled with love, laughter and a marriage of convenience?
Convenient Husband by J.L. Langley
Seeing You by Dakota Flint
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler
Convenient Husband by J.L. Langley
Seeing You by Dakota Flint
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler
300 pages, Paperback
First published June 27, 2009
3 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Langley
31 books1,867 followersJL has been talking since she was about seven months old. To those who know her it comes as no surprise, in fact, most will tell you she hasn’t shut up since. At eighteen months, she was speaking in full sentences. Imagine if you will the surprise of her admirers when they complimented her mother on “what a cute little boy” she had and received a fierce glare from said little boy and a very loud correction of “I’m a girl!” Oddly enough, JL still finds herself saying that exact phrase thirty-some-odd years later.
Along with the motormouth, JL also displayed a very vivid imagination and artistic ability. The artist first surfaced in way of drawing and painting, then became more apparent with dance. JL was a member of the National Art Honor Society in high school and has won several regional and national titles in dance, specifically tap and jazz. In college she majored in Graphic Art, but chose to make dance her profession. She taught tap, jazz and ballet for fifteen years before settling into her career as a writer.
Today JL is a full-time writer, with over ten novels to her credit. Among her hobbies she includes reading, practicing her marksmanship (she happens to be a great shot), gardening, working out (although she despises cardio), searching for the perfect chocolate dessert (so far as she can tell ALL chocolate is perfect, but it requires more research) and arguing with her husband over who the air compressor and nail gun really belongs to (they belong to JL, although she might be willing to trade him for his new chainsaw).
She also writes under the name Jeigh Lynn
Along with the motormouth, JL also displayed a very vivid imagination and artistic ability. The artist first surfaced in way of drawing and painting, then became more apparent with dance. JL was a member of the National Art Honor Society in high school and has won several regional and national titles in dance, specifically tap and jazz. In college she majored in Graphic Art, but chose to make dance her profession. She taught tap, jazz and ballet for fifteen years before settling into her career as a writer.
Today JL is a full-time writer, with over ten novels to her credit. Among her hobbies she includes reading, practicing her marksmanship (she happens to be a great shot), gardening, working out (although she despises cardio), searching for the perfect chocolate dessert (so far as she can tell ALL chocolate is perfect, but it requires more research) and arguing with her husband over who the air compressor and nail gun really belongs to (they belong to JL, although she might be willing to trade him for his new chainsaw).
She also writes under the name Jeigh Lynn
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 18, 2012
Vomiting blood and romance? Ms. Langley, you did it again.
Also, cheers, it's the first gay marriage of convenience I've read.
Also, cheers, it's the first gay marriage of convenience I've read.
August 15, 2009
Four authors, eight cowboys, action, adventure, humor, grief and sex all wrapped up in one naked chest on the cover. Really, how could you go wrong? Unfortunately the anthology doesn’t quite live up to that hype and those like me that devour cowboys (in all ways) may enjoy the stories but you will likely feel slightly disappointed. But, they are cowboys and that is enough of an appeal for some.
The Convenient Husband by JL Langley 2.5 stars
I’m a big JL Langley fan so I don’t really understand her choice with this story. The premise is classic romance and reads very much like Harlequin novels I’d read many years ago. The idea is that two people must quickly marry to avoid the ranch from falling into the evil hands of a homophobic family member. Since the two men already are in love with each other but won’t admit it, the perfect solution is to get married and everything works out after a few emotional revelations. Given the rather dated premise, I was expecting the author to add a fresh and light hearted spin to the tale. Unfortunately, the story was as dated as the premise but with two men instead of a man and a woman.
Micah is the classic younger character who adored and followed Tucker around for years before daring to kiss the older man on his eighteenth birthday. Since that rejection, Micah has been running himself into the ground to save the family ranch against ruin while trying not to dwell on his lingering feelings for Tucker. Tucker is also a classic stereotype with his cold, career driven attitude ignoring his family and the problems in favor of his work. While these are classic stereotypes for a reason, the typically strong writing of the author could have given these characters new life. Instead, there was nothing unique or really interesting about these men. Add in the antiquated storyline with multiple holes and confusing beginning, this wasn’t nearly as good as I’ve come to expect.
The writing was ok but many details are omitted or sparsely given so it takes a bit of time to understand the complexities and everyone’s relationship. Especially in the first chapter where the amount of time passed from the prologue is not said and thus creates an abrupt change in the story. There were also multiple scenes that didn’t seem to add much if anything to the story or characters such as the horse foaling scene and subsequent fight between Micah and Duncan. Additionally the tension between Micah and Tucker was contrived. Neither man protested much nor was there any real question about the future so their weak attempts to create distance and uneasiness felt flat. Overall, this was disappointing to read based on all of Langley’s prior work and fans of the author will likely read the story anyway, if only for the hot sex scene. However, I predict they may be as frustrated with the story as I was.
Seeing You by Dakota Flint 4 stars
Here is my favorite story of the group in Dakota Flint’s contribution about a brother’s grief and falling in love with his best friend, and dead brother’s partner. This was written in first person and given the content, a bit of a hard to sell to start with but mostly delivered. There are some hanging questions and quite a bit of acceptance in a small Montana town but it was a sweet and romantic story. The story was well done and allowed a bit of time to pass for Wade to get over his grief before moving on to a life with Dylan. Even with the holes in the story and characters, this was a solid story and stood out amongst the anthology.
Dylan is the first person narrator and apparently been in love with Wade for years. Wade was his best friend and there is a single, quick reference that Dylan introduced Wade to his brother Simon and the two quickly fell in love. The fact that Dylan has been in love with Wade all this time and never made his feelings known before or after is slightly suspect. Just as the fact that Dylan remained on the ranch with Wade and Simon, quietly pining away without ever moving on in his life. I get the impression that if Simon hadn’t died, Dylan would never have even dated but preferred to suffer from unrequited love. The idea is romantic for sure, but rather impractical and unfair to all parties. Fortunately for Dylan’s love life Simon dies and he’s able to help bring Wade back to life.
Wade’s grief process is handled delicately and sensitively, allowing a lengthy time to pass before Wade realizes he wants to live and be happy again someday. He seems a genuine character with deep rooted integrity and the classic cowboy mentality. Therefore, once Simon’s clothes are donated, the lack of any mention about his dead partner is odd. The first half of the story sets up the scenario and grief, showing its essential role but then Flint drops any mention of Simon in favor of getting Wade and Dylan together. It works rather well but considering the importance of Simon, something felt missing between these two. I was left feeling as if the connection would always be awkward between them. There is however a nice plug for James Buchanan’s A Good Thief within the short novella so that was inventive and playful.
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly 3.25 stars
This story is set back when the west wasn’t quite as settled and cowboys were needed to ride herds long distances. Here Granger Blue is your typical cowboy with a not so sterling past who is looking to leave town before his lusting after other men is exposed. When he signs up with a ranch and leaves to drive cattle west, he befriends an inexperienced young man who eventually gets caught up in Granger’s messy past. No one can write quite like this author so fans will enjoy the authenticity and flavor she uniquely brings to her prose. Sometimes not always attractive phrasing, nonetheless the gritty feel and masculine quality to the men and setting is never in doubt.
Granger is rather easy going, not needing much beyond some company and food. He’s at home with the outdoors and is happy enough to share his tent with a willing partner. His streak of possessiveness is at odds with his internal musings but with all the action going on from the routine and spontaneous activities of the cattle drive to the outpost action, not much time is spared for character development. This is especially true with Billy, who besides being young, inexperienced, and naive is not given any real purpose other than towards the end. He’s inoffensive but forgettable and inconsequential. Their relationship felt hollow in the face of Granger’s memories. The character of Sinopa is perhaps one of the very few given much depth. His motivations and thought process are somewhat linear but clear and with obvious passion. He’s not supposed to steal the scenes but he did, quite vividly for me. His connection to Granger felt more central and palpable than Granger’s with Billy.
That being said, the story was interesting enough and easy to read. The ending was abrupt and predictable with a bit of an unbelievable course of action but it doesn’t take away the enjoyment of reading for the most part. I liked the story well enough as will most readers. There is nothing especially memorable, which is rare with a Kiernan Kelly story, but there is nothing that will turn you off for the most part.
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler 2.75 stars
Angela Fiddler’s contribution is an interesting note to end the anthology. The short description states retired rodeo men accept each other and the black riders. I’m not sure how others read this but I thought this was going to be an interracial story or perhaps an acceptance of black riders on the rodeo circuit. Well it turns out these black riders are actually some kind of spiritual cowboy death squad that show up when someone dies. I found this rather odd and furthermore it’s very poorly explained. It’s not until almost the end of the story that the author demonstrates the riders aren’t actually real, but spirits. Their role in the story obviously revolves around death and some unexplained connection to the main character Mark. Due to the ill explained concept of these black riders, it affected how I read the story and ultimately my enjoyment.
The relationship is actually between Mark and Jake who were on the rodeo circuit together and discovered mutual attraction. The day Jake showed up to act on that attraction with a still immature and young Mark, they are interrupted by several events which set up a lengthy separation for the men. Several years later when Mark is injured they have a chance to renew their relationship and do so quickly. The emotion between the men isn’t shown very much but implied with statements, which left their connection and commitment puzzling. Although we’re told they are in love, the lack of communication or even comments that they’d been thinking of each other or working towards being together makes me wonder at the speed of their renewed relationship.
Additionally the author threw a lot of different elements into this rather short novella between the relationship, the mystical riders, homophobia from Mark’s father, the recovery ranch, and finally vandalism attempts. All of these together in a shorter story left nothing very well fleshed out and the scenes moving fast from one aspect to the next without the needed context. Ultimately, this was my least favorite of the stories though in a longer story the elements may have come together more cohesively.
—
Overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag but all of the stories come in as ok, with Dakota Flint’s story as my favorite. You’ll want to judge for yourself though and if nothing else, there is hot cowboy sex. Really, it’s good.
The Convenient Husband by JL Langley 2.5 stars
I’m a big JL Langley fan so I don’t really understand her choice with this story. The premise is classic romance and reads very much like Harlequin novels I’d read many years ago. The idea is that two people must quickly marry to avoid the ranch from falling into the evil hands of a homophobic family member. Since the two men already are in love with each other but won’t admit it, the perfect solution is to get married and everything works out after a few emotional revelations. Given the rather dated premise, I was expecting the author to add a fresh and light hearted spin to the tale. Unfortunately, the story was as dated as the premise but with two men instead of a man and a woman.
Micah is the classic younger character who adored and followed Tucker around for years before daring to kiss the older man on his eighteenth birthday. Since that rejection, Micah has been running himself into the ground to save the family ranch against ruin while trying not to dwell on his lingering feelings for Tucker. Tucker is also a classic stereotype with his cold, career driven attitude ignoring his family and the problems in favor of his work. While these are classic stereotypes for a reason, the typically strong writing of the author could have given these characters new life. Instead, there was nothing unique or really interesting about these men. Add in the antiquated storyline with multiple holes and confusing beginning, this wasn’t nearly as good as I’ve come to expect.
The writing was ok but many details are omitted or sparsely given so it takes a bit of time to understand the complexities and everyone’s relationship. Especially in the first chapter where the amount of time passed from the prologue is not said and thus creates an abrupt change in the story. There were also multiple scenes that didn’t seem to add much if anything to the story or characters such as the horse foaling scene and subsequent fight between Micah and Duncan. Additionally the tension between Micah and Tucker was contrived. Neither man protested much nor was there any real question about the future so their weak attempts to create distance and uneasiness felt flat. Overall, this was disappointing to read based on all of Langley’s prior work and fans of the author will likely read the story anyway, if only for the hot sex scene. However, I predict they may be as frustrated with the story as I was.
Seeing You by Dakota Flint 4 stars
Here is my favorite story of the group in Dakota Flint’s contribution about a brother’s grief and falling in love with his best friend, and dead brother’s partner. This was written in first person and given the content, a bit of a hard to sell to start with but mostly delivered. There are some hanging questions and quite a bit of acceptance in a small Montana town but it was a sweet and romantic story. The story was well done and allowed a bit of time to pass for Wade to get over his grief before moving on to a life with Dylan. Even with the holes in the story and characters, this was a solid story and stood out amongst the anthology.
Dylan is the first person narrator and apparently been in love with Wade for years. Wade was his best friend and there is a single, quick reference that Dylan introduced Wade to his brother Simon and the two quickly fell in love. The fact that Dylan has been in love with Wade all this time and never made his feelings known before or after is slightly suspect. Just as the fact that Dylan remained on the ranch with Wade and Simon, quietly pining away without ever moving on in his life. I get the impression that if Simon hadn’t died, Dylan would never have even dated but preferred to suffer from unrequited love. The idea is romantic for sure, but rather impractical and unfair to all parties. Fortunately for Dylan’s love life Simon dies and he’s able to help bring Wade back to life.
Wade’s grief process is handled delicately and sensitively, allowing a lengthy time to pass before Wade realizes he wants to live and be happy again someday. He seems a genuine character with deep rooted integrity and the classic cowboy mentality. Therefore, once Simon’s clothes are donated, the lack of any mention about his dead partner is odd. The first half of the story sets up the scenario and grief, showing its essential role but then Flint drops any mention of Simon in favor of getting Wade and Dylan together. It works rather well but considering the importance of Simon, something felt missing between these two. I was left feeling as if the connection would always be awkward between them. There is however a nice plug for James Buchanan’s A Good Thief within the short novella so that was inventive and playful.
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly 3.25 stars
This story is set back when the west wasn’t quite as settled and cowboys were needed to ride herds long distances. Here Granger Blue is your typical cowboy with a not so sterling past who is looking to leave town before his lusting after other men is exposed. When he signs up with a ranch and leaves to drive cattle west, he befriends an inexperienced young man who eventually gets caught up in Granger’s messy past. No one can write quite like this author so fans will enjoy the authenticity and flavor she uniquely brings to her prose. Sometimes not always attractive phrasing, nonetheless the gritty feel and masculine quality to the men and setting is never in doubt.
Granger is rather easy going, not needing much beyond some company and food. He’s at home with the outdoors and is happy enough to share his tent with a willing partner. His streak of possessiveness is at odds with his internal musings but with all the action going on from the routine and spontaneous activities of the cattle drive to the outpost action, not much time is spared for character development. This is especially true with Billy, who besides being young, inexperienced, and naive is not given any real purpose other than towards the end. He’s inoffensive but forgettable and inconsequential. Their relationship felt hollow in the face of Granger’s memories. The character of Sinopa is perhaps one of the very few given much depth. His motivations and thought process are somewhat linear but clear and with obvious passion. He’s not supposed to steal the scenes but he did, quite vividly for me. His connection to Granger felt more central and palpable than Granger’s with Billy.
That being said, the story was interesting enough and easy to read. The ending was abrupt and predictable with a bit of an unbelievable course of action but it doesn’t take away the enjoyment of reading for the most part. I liked the story well enough as will most readers. There is nothing especially memorable, which is rare with a Kiernan Kelly story, but there is nothing that will turn you off for the most part.
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler 2.75 stars
Angela Fiddler’s contribution is an interesting note to end the anthology. The short description states retired rodeo men accept each other and the black riders. I’m not sure how others read this but I thought this was going to be an interracial story or perhaps an acceptance of black riders on the rodeo circuit. Well it turns out these black riders are actually some kind of spiritual cowboy death squad that show up when someone dies. I found this rather odd and furthermore it’s very poorly explained. It’s not until almost the end of the story that the author demonstrates the riders aren’t actually real, but spirits. Their role in the story obviously revolves around death and some unexplained connection to the main character Mark. Due to the ill explained concept of these black riders, it affected how I read the story and ultimately my enjoyment.
The relationship is actually between Mark and Jake who were on the rodeo circuit together and discovered mutual attraction. The day Jake showed up to act on that attraction with a still immature and young Mark, they are interrupted by several events which set up a lengthy separation for the men. Several years later when Mark is injured they have a chance to renew their relationship and do so quickly. The emotion between the men isn’t shown very much but implied with statements, which left their connection and commitment puzzling. Although we’re told they are in love, the lack of communication or even comments that they’d been thinking of each other or working towards being together makes me wonder at the speed of their renewed relationship.
Additionally the author threw a lot of different elements into this rather short novella between the relationship, the mystical riders, homophobia from Mark’s father, the recovery ranch, and finally vandalism attempts. All of these together in a shorter story left nothing very well fleshed out and the scenes moving fast from one aspect to the next without the needed context. Ultimately, this was my least favorite of the stories though in a longer story the elements may have come together more cohesively.
—
Overall it’s a bit of a mixed bag but all of the stories come in as ok, with Dakota Flint’s story as my favorite. You’ll want to judge for yourself though and if nothing else, there is hot cowboy sex. Really, it’s good.
Read
August 3, 2009The Convenient Husband by J.L. Langley
When I started this book, I had the feeling to read one of my favorite old sweet romance. I confess, I was an avid reader of those old Harlequin Present series, above all the Long Tall Texan series by Diana Palmer. In those romance, the hero was always an handsome and wealthy Long Tall Texan rancher and the heroine was always some sweet virgin, and often it was some family friend's daughter, or a neighbor, or the foster child hosted on the ranch. A bit of age difference was requested, but not so much to be insurmountable. Usually the two lovers were aware of their feelings soon enough, but the wiser and older hero was reluctant to take advantage of someone he considered under his protection.
The Convenient Husband is all of this. Tucker is the oldest son of a Texan rancher; he built his life far from the ranch, but often he was come back home to visit, at least until Micah reached his 18 years old. Micah was the nephew of the ranch's foreman, and he has always lived on the ranch since 4 years old. And he was always the shadow of Tucker. But on his 18 years old birthday Micah was suddenly the forbidden fruit and Tucker surrendered to temptation. It was only a kiss, but it was enough to make Tucker run away. Four years later Micah needs Tucker to come back home: Tucker's grandfather is dying and he wants his nephew near him; plus the old man's will states that he will leave the ranch to the first of his nephews to marry... even if it's not a legal marriage in Texas. Being both Tucker than Micah gay, the obvious solution is for Tucker to marry Micah, so the young man will be able to remain forever on the ranch, and this time even as a real family member... But once Tucker tastes for real the forbidden fruit, will he be able to walk away from him again?
The story is mostly funny and it doesn't last long in the life of the two main characters, only few days. It also avoids almost all the angst usually linked to a gay relationship in a "unwelcoming" setting, only one man has something to say against Tucker and Micah's relationship, and inside all the other people around are supporting and happy, like it was the only thing they were expecting. So there is no really trouble among Tucker and Micah, if not only a bit of stubbornness from both side, exactly like on those old sweet romance I loved so many years ago. The Convenient Husband is a modern tale with an old sweet feeling.
Seeing You by Dakota Flint
The feeling of this second story is quite different. It's always about a ranch and two cowboy but the ranch is in Montana and the two cowboys are grieving for the loss of the same man. Simon was Dylan's brother and Wade's lover; it was Dylan who presented Simon to Wade and doing that it made of Wade an happy man and of himself a desperate one. Dylan was in love with Wade but Wade never seen him as nothing more than a friend. And when Wade found his happiness with Simon, Dylan was able to accept it since he loved Simon as much as he loved Wade if not more. But than Simon died in a car accident while driving with Dylan, and Dylan had not the courage to stay and see the sorrow in Wade's eyes, he dreaded the question, why Simon died and not you? To not loose also the best friend after the brother, he severed the contact, loosing in this way also his family.
Years later Dylan is called back home: Wade's ranch is decaying as it's doing his owner. Without his lover by his side, and having lost also his best friend, Wade was unable to cope and let it everything go waste. Dylan knows that he can let it happen and he decides to be again Wade's best friend. But when Wade is asking for more, Dylan has to understand if the man is searching a substitute for his lost lover, or if he is ready to love again.
As the previous story, even if more sad, also this one is almost a sweet romance. Again there is more speaking of feelings than sexy scenes. The mood is definitely less light, but the story is not less romantic. And again there is this undisputed acceptance of Wade and Dylan's, and Simon's, sexuality, without trouble, with only love. This time there is not even a lonely opponent. The problem between Wade and Dylan are of different nature, it's a question of too much unsaid questions. The strange thing is that I really think that Simon's death is the only reason why Wade and Dylan have a chance to be happy together, and it's not so obvious; Wade was really in love with Simon and I don't think he would have been the same with Dylan before. Wade and Dylan are too similar, they would have been probably shifted in an ordinary and boring life together, and sooner or later they would have split. Simon is the glue that stick them together now. With Simon Wade had the chance to taste what is a passionate love; without Simon, Dylan had the chance to live outside the ranch. Now both Wade than Dylan know what they want to be happy, and they know that they can have it together.
Side note: Dakota Flint paid an homage to James Buchanan, a supporting character on the novel was reading The Good Thief and was enthralled by the story.
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly
Judas Steer is on the same mood of the previous historical western romance by Kiernan Kelly, In Bear Country. As in that one, it's the romance between a young and inexperienced (at least of the cowboy's life) young man and an older and somewhat bitter cowboy. Granger is a cattle driver and he likes that life. Never staying long enough in a town suits him, since in this way he can indulge in his taste, that is more for men than women. And during the long night out herding the cattle, it's easier to find a friendly soul. But this time Granger has his eyes not on a weathered cowboy like himself, but on Billy, a young boy that seems out of place among them. It comes out that Billy is the owner's son, sent out with the men to learn the job. Granger feels pity for the young man, and also a lot of lust, and decides to take him under his shadow, teaching him the job and also something else.
The story is a mix of sex and adventure. While Granger is teaching to Billy what happens at night between men, there are enemies outside that are planning to take their revenge on both Granger than Billy, for different reason. Of the two villains of the story, I'm quite of Sinopa, I have always had a soft spot for Native Americans, but truth be told, Sinopa is not the best example. Probably the most interesting thing of all the story is Granger: he is the good hero, but, all in all, he is also a seducer, I have no doubt that he took advantage of Billy's innocence and that he is full aware of it. But he did it in a way that Billy was not forced, he went willing: Granger presented himself like a full main course to a starving man, and Billy dipped with gusto... and "technically" speaking, it was Billy who "did" Granger.
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler
If you are wondering why an author like Angela Fiddler is in a western romance anthology... well, stop to wonder and read the story. I don't want to spoil it, enough to say that as usual she adds something "special" to the story, even if it doesn't make it so unbelievable, it makes it only more... gothic? weird? spooky? I don't know, odd maybe. Anyway the story is pretty classic, Mark is the second and spoiled son of a wealthy Canadian rancher. His father his more used to money than cows, and so Mark has not the best of the relationship with him and grew pretty much alone. He went into the rodeo circuit and met Jake; glances, innuendo and Mark was ready to jump the fence with the more experienced man, but that same day, Mark's brother died in a riding accident and Mark's father made him swear that he will never see again Jake. And so it was, but then Mark had an accident himself, he went into rehab and his father sold his beloved horse... you can do everything to a man, but not selling his horse. Jake is the one who rescued Butter, Mark's horse, and now he is also willing to give shelter also to Mark. And to start again from where they were interrupted years before.
As I said the story would have been pretty simple, if not for that spin that links Mark's brother's death and the resolving point of the story: it's almost like the fate was in debt with Mark, and it decides to pay him back allowing him a late happily ever after. And a big one, with all of them happy together and without financial issue. Actually someone could even question Jake's real reason for being so gentle and caring with Mark, but then, they are so good in bed that you can forget that.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934531553/?...
When I started this book, I had the feeling to read one of my favorite old sweet romance. I confess, I was an avid reader of those old Harlequin Present series, above all the Long Tall Texan series by Diana Palmer. In those romance, the hero was always an handsome and wealthy Long Tall Texan rancher and the heroine was always some sweet virgin, and often it was some family friend's daughter, or a neighbor, or the foster child hosted on the ranch. A bit of age difference was requested, but not so much to be insurmountable. Usually the two lovers were aware of their feelings soon enough, but the wiser and older hero was reluctant to take advantage of someone he considered under his protection.
The Convenient Husband is all of this. Tucker is the oldest son of a Texan rancher; he built his life far from the ranch, but often he was come back home to visit, at least until Micah reached his 18 years old. Micah was the nephew of the ranch's foreman, and he has always lived on the ranch since 4 years old. And he was always the shadow of Tucker. But on his 18 years old birthday Micah was suddenly the forbidden fruit and Tucker surrendered to temptation. It was only a kiss, but it was enough to make Tucker run away. Four years later Micah needs Tucker to come back home: Tucker's grandfather is dying and he wants his nephew near him; plus the old man's will states that he will leave the ranch to the first of his nephews to marry... even if it's not a legal marriage in Texas. Being both Tucker than Micah gay, the obvious solution is for Tucker to marry Micah, so the young man will be able to remain forever on the ranch, and this time even as a real family member... But once Tucker tastes for real the forbidden fruit, will he be able to walk away from him again?
The story is mostly funny and it doesn't last long in the life of the two main characters, only few days. It also avoids almost all the angst usually linked to a gay relationship in a "unwelcoming" setting, only one man has something to say against Tucker and Micah's relationship, and inside all the other people around are supporting and happy, like it was the only thing they were expecting. So there is no really trouble among Tucker and Micah, if not only a bit of stubbornness from both side, exactly like on those old sweet romance I loved so many years ago. The Convenient Husband is a modern tale with an old sweet feeling.
Seeing You by Dakota Flint
The feeling of this second story is quite different. It's always about a ranch and two cowboy but the ranch is in Montana and the two cowboys are grieving for the loss of the same man. Simon was Dylan's brother and Wade's lover; it was Dylan who presented Simon to Wade and doing that it made of Wade an happy man and of himself a desperate one. Dylan was in love with Wade but Wade never seen him as nothing more than a friend. And when Wade found his happiness with Simon, Dylan was able to accept it since he loved Simon as much as he loved Wade if not more. But than Simon died in a car accident while driving with Dylan, and Dylan had not the courage to stay and see the sorrow in Wade's eyes, he dreaded the question, why Simon died and not you? To not loose also the best friend after the brother, he severed the contact, loosing in this way also his family.
Years later Dylan is called back home: Wade's ranch is decaying as it's doing his owner. Without his lover by his side, and having lost also his best friend, Wade was unable to cope and let it everything go waste. Dylan knows that he can let it happen and he decides to be again Wade's best friend. But when Wade is asking for more, Dylan has to understand if the man is searching a substitute for his lost lover, or if he is ready to love again.
As the previous story, even if more sad, also this one is almost a sweet romance. Again there is more speaking of feelings than sexy scenes. The mood is definitely less light, but the story is not less romantic. And again there is this undisputed acceptance of Wade and Dylan's, and Simon's, sexuality, without trouble, with only love. This time there is not even a lonely opponent. The problem between Wade and Dylan are of different nature, it's a question of too much unsaid questions. The strange thing is that I really think that Simon's death is the only reason why Wade and Dylan have a chance to be happy together, and it's not so obvious; Wade was really in love with Simon and I don't think he would have been the same with Dylan before. Wade and Dylan are too similar, they would have been probably shifted in an ordinary and boring life together, and sooner or later they would have split. Simon is the glue that stick them together now. With Simon Wade had the chance to taste what is a passionate love; without Simon, Dylan had the chance to live outside the ranch. Now both Wade than Dylan know what they want to be happy, and they know that they can have it together.
Side note: Dakota Flint paid an homage to James Buchanan, a supporting character on the novel was reading The Good Thief and was enthralled by the story.
Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly
Judas Steer is on the same mood of the previous historical western romance by Kiernan Kelly, In Bear Country. As in that one, it's the romance between a young and inexperienced (at least of the cowboy's life) young man and an older and somewhat bitter cowboy. Granger is a cattle driver and he likes that life. Never staying long enough in a town suits him, since in this way he can indulge in his taste, that is more for men than women. And during the long night out herding the cattle, it's easier to find a friendly soul. But this time Granger has his eyes not on a weathered cowboy like himself, but on Billy, a young boy that seems out of place among them. It comes out that Billy is the owner's son, sent out with the men to learn the job. Granger feels pity for the young man, and also a lot of lust, and decides to take him under his shadow, teaching him the job and also something else.
The story is a mix of sex and adventure. While Granger is teaching to Billy what happens at night between men, there are enemies outside that are planning to take their revenge on both Granger than Billy, for different reason. Of the two villains of the story, I'm quite of Sinopa, I have always had a soft spot for Native Americans, but truth be told, Sinopa is not the best example. Probably the most interesting thing of all the story is Granger: he is the good hero, but, all in all, he is also a seducer, I have no doubt that he took advantage of Billy's innocence and that he is full aware of it. But he did it in a way that Billy was not forced, he went willing: Granger presented himself like a full main course to a starving man, and Billy dipped with gusto... and "technically" speaking, it was Billy who "did" Granger.
Forgotten Favor by Angela Fiddler
If you are wondering why an author like Angela Fiddler is in a western romance anthology... well, stop to wonder and read the story. I don't want to spoil it, enough to say that as usual she adds something "special" to the story, even if it doesn't make it so unbelievable, it makes it only more... gothic? weird? spooky? I don't know, odd maybe. Anyway the story is pretty classic, Mark is the second and spoiled son of a wealthy Canadian rancher. His father his more used to money than cows, and so Mark has not the best of the relationship with him and grew pretty much alone. He went into the rodeo circuit and met Jake; glances, innuendo and Mark was ready to jump the fence with the more experienced man, but that same day, Mark's brother died in a riding accident and Mark's father made him swear that he will never see again Jake. And so it was, but then Mark had an accident himself, he went into rehab and his father sold his beloved horse... you can do everything to a man, but not selling his horse. Jake is the one who rescued Butter, Mark's horse, and now he is also willing to give shelter also to Mark. And to start again from where they were interrupted years before.
As I said the story would have been pretty simple, if not for that spin that links Mark's brother's death and the resolving point of the story: it's almost like the fate was in debt with Mark, and it decides to pay him back allowing him a late happily ever after. And a big one, with all of them happy together and without financial issue. Actually someone could even question Jake's real reason for being so gentle and caring with Mark, but then, they are so good in bed that you can forget that.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934531553/?...
November 1, 2012
Nothing spectacular
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"The Convenient Husband" by J.L. Langley - 5/10
PROS:
- The story is light and happy and fluffy. There is SOME conflict, but it’s not really all that harrowing. Mostly there’s just superficial suffering and then the easing of that suffering.
- Micah is a strong, admirable guy who wants to take care of himself, but he doesn’t shy away from letting Tucker take care of him, too. And Tucker has quite the protective instinct where Micah is concerned.
CONS:
- I understood the “convenient marriage” plot convention and even thought that it worked fairly well in the context of the story. I wasn’t satisfied, however, with the supposed jump from “convenient” to “real.” To me, Micah still felt like a husband more in name than deed at the end of the story.
- There are lots of punctuation and grammar mistakes. The story has a general lack of commas that makes reading difficult, and it’s full of other errors too: “mios dio” instead of “Dios mio,” “that doesn’t make since” instead of “that doesn’t make sense,” etc.
"Seeing You" by Dakota Flint - 8/10
PROS:
- This story is about the period of healing that occurs when the narrator returns home a little over a year after his brother’s death (see con below). Although this plot has been done a thousand times before, the story does far more than rely on clichés and shallow explorations of feelings.
- The relationship develops slowly, in a natural and believable way--Daryl has always been in love with Wade, his best friend and his late brother’s partner. But Daryl does what’s appropriate and stands back while Wade grieves and then gradually moves on, until Wade finally realizes that he’s in love with Daryl, too. The men’s feelings are also expressed beautifully, without being saccharine or sappy.
CON:
- It’s sad. In several different places. Well written, but...sad. (It does have a happy ending, though.)
"Judas Steer" by Kiernan Kelly - 6/10
PROS:
- Kelly paints a well-rounded picture of life on a cattle drive in the Old West. I thought the story had just the right amount of detail: enough that I had a good idea of the surroundings and the men’s experiences, but not so much that the story itself got lost in the setting.
- The amount of suspense in this story is impressive for how short it is. There’s a stretch of 5 or 10 pages, especially, that’s pretty exciting.
CONS:
- I found the romance to be rather anemic. The story skips about the first two weeks of the men’s acquaintance, and at the point when Granger finds “himself more and more attracted to Billy, charmed by Billy’s soft voice and subtle wit,” we, the readers, have heard Billy say a grand total of 11 words, none of them subtle or witty. It wasn’t that I didn’t BELIEVE Billy was witty; it was that I wanted to SEE him being that way.
- The villains in this story are hideous; as in, one of them wants not just to kill Granger, but “to bathe in his blood,” and to take another character’s “skin and wear it like a cloak.” Kelly does include an explanation as to WHY this man is so evil, but I didn’t quite buy it.
"Forgotten Favor" by Angela Fiddler - 5/10
PROS:
- This is an interesting take on the usual cowboy plotline; Jake owns a horse rescue center, not a regular ranch, so there’s more focus on tenderness--toward animals and people--than in typical westerns.
- There are some intriguing (but at times confusing) plot developments. Some of the things that happen to Mark are dreamlike in their descriptions: I couldn’t figure out at first whether he was actually experiencing certain things or he was simply imagining them.
CONS:
- Much of the writing is jumpy and disjointed. Some of the conversations are a little hard to follow because the characters respond to unspoken questions and thoughts, and there are entire sections of the text that are confusing because the time frame is unclear: I was unsure as to when certain developments occurred: 6 years ago, when the men first met? Several weeks ago, when Mark got hurt? Or now, when Mark is living with Jake and recovering from his accident?
- We get to see a decent amount of Mark’s background with his father, but there’s almost no background pertaining to Mark and Jake’s relationship. There’s a flashback to an almost-tryst, but little explanation as to how the men reached that point, which made the characters’ admission that they’ve always loved each other a little unbelievable for me.
Overall comments: I didn’t think that any of these novellas were bad, but I didn’t love any of them, either. The best-written one, in my opinion, is the Dakota Flint story, but that’s also the saddest one. If you like cowboy stories with a moderate amount of sex, though, this might do it for you: you get 4 happy endings for the price of one.
Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.
"The Convenient Husband" by J.L. Langley - 5/10
PROS:
- The story is light and happy and fluffy. There is SOME conflict, but it’s not really all that harrowing. Mostly there’s just superficial suffering and then the easing of that suffering.
- Micah is a strong, admirable guy who wants to take care of himself, but he doesn’t shy away from letting Tucker take care of him, too. And Tucker has quite the protective instinct where Micah is concerned.
CONS:
- I understood the “convenient marriage” plot convention and even thought that it worked fairly well in the context of the story. I wasn’t satisfied, however, with the supposed jump from “convenient” to “real.” To me, Micah still felt like a husband more in name than deed at the end of the story.
- There are lots of punctuation and grammar mistakes. The story has a general lack of commas that makes reading difficult, and it’s full of other errors too: “mios dio” instead of “Dios mio,” “that doesn’t make since” instead of “that doesn’t make sense,” etc.
"Seeing You" by Dakota Flint - 8/10
PROS:
- This story is about the period of healing that occurs when the narrator returns home a little over a year after his brother’s death (see con below). Although this plot has been done a thousand times before, the story does far more than rely on clichés and shallow explorations of feelings.
- The relationship develops slowly, in a natural and believable way--Daryl has always been in love with Wade, his best friend and his late brother’s partner. But Daryl does what’s appropriate and stands back while Wade grieves and then gradually moves on, until Wade finally realizes that he’s in love with Daryl, too. The men’s feelings are also expressed beautifully, without being saccharine or sappy.
CON:
- It’s sad. In several different places. Well written, but...sad. (It does have a happy ending, though.)
"Judas Steer" by Kiernan Kelly - 6/10
PROS:
- Kelly paints a well-rounded picture of life on a cattle drive in the Old West. I thought the story had just the right amount of detail: enough that I had a good idea of the surroundings and the men’s experiences, but not so much that the story itself got lost in the setting.
- The amount of suspense in this story is impressive for how short it is. There’s a stretch of 5 or 10 pages, especially, that’s pretty exciting.
CONS:
- I found the romance to be rather anemic. The story skips about the first two weeks of the men’s acquaintance, and at the point when Granger finds “himself more and more attracted to Billy, charmed by Billy’s soft voice and subtle wit,” we, the readers, have heard Billy say a grand total of 11 words, none of them subtle or witty. It wasn’t that I didn’t BELIEVE Billy was witty; it was that I wanted to SEE him being that way.
- The villains in this story are hideous; as in, one of them wants not just to kill Granger, but “to bathe in his blood,” and to take another character’s “skin and wear it like a cloak.” Kelly does include an explanation as to WHY this man is so evil, but I didn’t quite buy it.
"Forgotten Favor" by Angela Fiddler - 5/10
PROS:
- This is an interesting take on the usual cowboy plotline; Jake owns a horse rescue center, not a regular ranch, so there’s more focus on tenderness--toward animals and people--than in typical westerns.
- There are some intriguing (but at times confusing) plot developments. Some of the things that happen to Mark are dreamlike in their descriptions: I couldn’t figure out at first whether he was actually experiencing certain things or he was simply imagining them.
CONS:
- Much of the writing is jumpy and disjointed. Some of the conversations are a little hard to follow because the characters respond to unspoken questions and thoughts, and there are entire sections of the text that are confusing because the time frame is unclear: I was unsure as to when certain developments occurred: 6 years ago, when the men first met? Several weeks ago, when Mark got hurt? Or now, when Mark is living with Jake and recovering from his accident?
- We get to see a decent amount of Mark’s background with his father, but there’s almost no background pertaining to Mark and Jake’s relationship. There’s a flashback to an almost-tryst, but little explanation as to how the men reached that point, which made the characters’ admission that they’ve always loved each other a little unbelievable for me.
Overall comments: I didn’t think that any of these novellas were bad, but I didn’t love any of them, either. The best-written one, in my opinion, is the Dakota Flint story, but that’s also the saddest one. If you like cowboy stories with a moderate amount of sex, though, this might do it for you: you get 4 happy endings for the price of one.
March 23, 2015
3.5 of 5 stars – Mix of Hot Gay Western Romances, Some Good.
I love hot gay western romances, and this one had four interesting stories that ranged from okay to good, so was worth the read.
The one I liked best was Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly. Perhaps it was because it was the only one set in the Old West, with good depictions of the cattle drive and not just a romance, but a nice story with a romance. Kelly used descriptive language, had decent action and dialogue, and did an okay job with the sex scenes, yet could have been even hotter with a bit more erotic descriptions of what men feel (which was true as well with two of the other three stories).
Close behind my favorite was Dakota Flint's Seeing You. Even though I could see where it was heading, I still enjoyed the journey - I liked Flint's phrasings of the settings, emotions, and action. It had good tension and emotions stemming from the sorrow of loss, and this one had the hottest sex scenes that I enjoyed.
Both Convenient Husband (J.L. Langley) and Forgotten Favor (Angela Fiddler) had okay romances and sex scenes, so were still nice enough reads. CH was sort of predictable, with stereotypical characters; so it was a bit disappointing, perhaps because I like Langley and I guess I had high expectations. FF was a decent but not as compelling a story as I would have thought, but I still appreciated the sentiment and cause of rescuing horses.
I love hot gay western romances, and this one had four interesting stories that ranged from okay to good, so was worth the read.
The one I liked best was Judas Steer by Kiernan Kelly. Perhaps it was because it was the only one set in the Old West, with good depictions of the cattle drive and not just a romance, but a nice story with a romance. Kelly used descriptive language, had decent action and dialogue, and did an okay job with the sex scenes, yet could have been even hotter with a bit more erotic descriptions of what men feel (which was true as well with two of the other three stories).
Close behind my favorite was Dakota Flint's Seeing You. Even though I could see where it was heading, I still enjoyed the journey - I liked Flint's phrasings of the settings, emotions, and action. It had good tension and emotions stemming from the sorrow of loss, and this one had the hottest sex scenes that I enjoyed.
Both Convenient Husband (J.L. Langley) and Forgotten Favor (Angela Fiddler) had okay romances and sex scenes, so were still nice enough reads. CH was sort of predictable, with stereotypical characters; so it was a bit disappointing, perhaps because I like Langley and I guess I had high expectations. FF was a decent but not as compelling a story as I would have thought, but I still appreciated the sentiment and cause of rescuing horses.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews