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Gideon and Jedediah #1
Well Traveled
Gideon Makepeace, a young man of twenty, knows who he is and what he decency, men and women too, horse training, and fun... and in Livingston, Montana, in the lush autumn of 1895, he finds he likes a Lakota Sioux Indian better than he might ought to.
Jedediah Buffalo Bird is seriously wounded and seeking medical care, and Gideon helps Jed when some bigoted townsfolk might have done otherwise. Jed, who knows the wild far better than Gideon and feels indebted to him, agrees to repay him by being his guide to San Francisco.
Their trip takes them across thousands of wild miles, through the mountains men mine and the Indian reservations dotting the plains. Facing a majestic West, they learn from each other about white folks and Indians alike. Gideon’s interest in Jed is clear from the start, but will Jed give up the life he knows for a young, brash white man he has perhaps come to love? Or will he push Gideon away in favor of the peace of nature and the personal freedom of having nothing to lose?
Jedediah Buffalo Bird is seriously wounded and seeking medical care, and Gideon helps Jed when some bigoted townsfolk might have done otherwise. Jed, who knows the wild far better than Gideon and feels indebted to him, agrees to repay him by being his guide to San Francisco.
Their trip takes them across thousands of wild miles, through the mountains men mine and the Indian reservations dotting the plains. Facing a majestic West, they learn from each other about white folks and Indians alike. Gideon’s interest in Jed is clear from the start, but will Jed give up the life he knows for a young, brash white man he has perhaps come to love? Or will he push Gideon away in favor of the peace of nature and the personal freedom of having nothing to lose?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2010
11 people are currently reading
946 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Mills
21 books21 followersMargaret Mills is a professional technical writer and editor; branching into narrative fiction seemed like a natural extension of the pleasure that writing has always been for her. A California resident, Maggie enjoys hiking in the nearby hills, reading, walking the dog on the beach, and writing with her co-author, Tedi Ward. Maggie met Tedi in a writers' group, and their personalities mix almost as well as their characters' do; they enjoy writing the kinds of stories they love to read.
Her most exciting adventure involved a brief but thrilling skydiving habit. Her next exciting adventure involves a trip to Yosemite National Park where she'll be hiking Half Dome with her husband of twenty-five years.
Her most exciting adventure involved a brief but thrilling skydiving habit. Her next exciting adventure involves a trip to Yosemite National Park where she'll be hiking Half Dome with her husband of twenty-five years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 2, 2019
***4.5 Holy-Crap-This-Was-Good Stars***
Jedediah Buffalo Bird, half-breed Lakota, stuck between two worlds and confronted with hate and mistrust of his people at every turn, therefore wary and cagey of everyone and every gesture himself...
and
Gideon Makepeace, a young trick rider, born and bred in the more open minded ambiance of a touring Wild West Show, confronted with reality outside his own small idyllic world when he finds himself at close quarters with Jed after saving his life on his way back to his family and with a steadily growing attraction for this guy that cannot possibly lead anywhere...
Two men that couldn't be more different.
One trail across half of the continent with danger lurking at every corner.
A trip where both guys learn from each other, but also about each other and what started off as a means to an end - umm, nights out in the prairie are freakin' cold after all - grows into something deeper, something impossible by all accounts and what should have been a relief and a joy when their journey nears the end felt like a dark shadow looming over them.
Gahhh, this book made me feel! I was thrown right back into my childhood when I gobbled up all western I could find. Yeah, I know, I know, don't judge. Of course this was different from what I've read as a child, not to say ten times hotter, but it was all I could have hoped for. A deferential tale of the era at the end of the 19th century, respectfully portrayed without sugarcoating anything, with two multidimensional characters who gave this story even more depths and I could not not feel for and root for them to get their well-deserved happily ever after. The melancholic feel towards the end really got to me and these bloody guys made me all teary-eyed, dammit. This was a loooong book, but not once did I have a feeling it would drag or should have been shorter.
Well, I would say I can't recommend this highly enough, but sadly this is no longer available at any retailers, which is an utter shame, so I hope you salvaged this little gem when you still could. :)
Jedediah Buffalo Bird, half-breed Lakota, stuck between two worlds and confronted with hate and mistrust of his people at every turn, therefore wary and cagey of everyone and every gesture himself...
and
Gideon Makepeace, a young trick rider, born and bred in the more open minded ambiance of a touring Wild West Show, confronted with reality outside his own small idyllic world when he finds himself at close quarters with Jed after saving his life on his way back to his family and with a steadily growing attraction for this guy that cannot possibly lead anywhere...
Two men that couldn't be more different.
One trail across half of the continent with danger lurking at every corner.
A trip where both guys learn from each other, but also about each other and what started off as a means to an end - umm, nights out in the prairie are freakin' cold after all - grows into something deeper, something impossible by all accounts and what should have been a relief and a joy when their journey nears the end felt like a dark shadow looming over them.
Gahhh, this book made me feel! I was thrown right back into my childhood when I gobbled up all western I could find. Yeah, I know, I know, don't judge. Of course this was different from what I've read as a child, not to say ten times hotter, but it was all I could have hoped for. A deferential tale of the era at the end of the 19th century, respectfully portrayed without sugarcoating anything, with two multidimensional characters who gave this story even more depths and I could not not feel for and root for them to get their well-deserved happily ever after. The melancholic feel towards the end really got to me and these bloody guys made me all teary-eyed, dammit. This was a loooong book, but not once did I have a feeling it would drag or should have been shorter.
Well, I would say I can't recommend this highly enough, but sadly this is no longer available at any retailers, which is an utter shame, so I hope you salvaged this little gem when you still could. :)
April 26, 2012
Loved, loved so much! Even if you're not a fan of westerns or historicals read this book, it's absolute romance at it's best. I can't even express into words what a wonderful journey of self discovery and love. Gideon and Jedediah are wonderful together, perfectly matched with beautiful and special moments together "dreamy sigh". Highly Recommended for lovers of great writing and romantics at heart.
September 30, 2014
4 1/2 Stars - Well written and beautifully described about two men from different cultures who feel attraction, which slowly grows into friendship and maybe love.
Some romances are so much more than just a romance in which I get a beautiful love story. This is such a novel. It has everything. It's well written, it's filled with reflections on events and situations. It also reflects important social issues regarding discrimination against the U.S. people who were then called Indian's (Native Americans). This sweet growing love story is allowed to develop slowly and become, for me, therefore that much more credible. ~ And don't worry; That doesn't mean we have to wait 200 pages for a kiss, the attraction (and steam) is there much earlier. ~ It is also heart-touching, without in any way being sentimental, it's fun, always interesting, and above all it touches and makes me feel good.
I really, really enjoyed this great novel about two strangers who will join on a journey from Livingston, Montana to San Francisco, California in year 1895. Don't miss it - pick it up!
Gideon Makepeace, a young "show artist" who is good at horses training and shooting spot, is about to take the train to San Francisco to join his family and Bill Tourney's Wild West Show. By chance, he becomes witness to an assault of an Indian, Jed, which he then helps to care for injuries.
The train runs and Gideon's travel funds dwindle but Gideon's now new friend, Jedediah Buffalo Bird a Lakota Sioux Indian, promises to show and follow him, by fot and horse, all the way west across the wide plains and still unpopulated districts to the destination, San Francisco. The journey begins....
To be part of these men on their journey of nearly three hundred pages is a delight. The story is told from Gideon's point of view, and I'm just slowly familiar with Jed. Neither I, or Gideon really knows what Jed feel, want, will do next, etc. AND just that fact makes this story so compelling from the first page to the last.
There isn't love from the first sight (thanks for that!) but two opposites that find each other.
# Gideon is a bit cocky but also always happy, outgoing, adventurous, talkative, kind, generous and of course a little horny. He is perhaps more hungry for men than women, but he isn't "thinking" so much about why, how, when, etc. It becomes as it gets and he is always happy with a fun adventure, in bed or out of bed. Gideon is a lovely little lump of sugar - I love him like the cute young "boy" he is. A guy who is now becoming an adult and maybe will sees new goals in life?
# Jed is a few years older (I think) with a lot of sad and dark experiences of life, in his own and on the whole for the Indians and the land they lived in. He has a strong integrity and emit only a tiny bit about himself. Jed prefers to walk rather than ride, to be silent rather than talk, show with action instead of words, etc. Jed is the secret, Unknown Lover
- and I just love him too. He is so wise and realistic for the bitter reality, but perhaps dare he now also open his heart and take a chance?
A grandiose, yet so beautifully understated and a bit slowly told story. It's a dark time in ways, and a lot of people suffer, but this story is always warm and nicely told with big care and love for these both characters. None is a great (grand) hero, it's only two people meeting love.
It's sweet, tender, hot and amazing good to read. Superb, I was captured.
I Like - a great novel - male love in the old wild west.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This M/M western novel was recommended to me by my nice friend Vio. Thank you for a really great recommenation, Vio!
Some romances are so much more than just a romance in which I get a beautiful love story. This is such a novel. It has everything. It's well written, it's filled with reflections on events and situations. It also reflects important social issues regarding discrimination against the U.S. people who were then called Indian's (Native Americans). This sweet growing love story is allowed to develop slowly and become, for me, therefore that much more credible. ~ And don't worry; That doesn't mean we have to wait 200 pages for a kiss, the attraction (and steam) is there much earlier. ~ It is also heart-touching, without in any way being sentimental, it's fun, always interesting, and above all it touches and makes me feel good.
I really, really enjoyed this great novel about two strangers who will join on a journey from Livingston, Montana to San Francisco, California in year 1895. Don't miss it - pick it up!
Gideon Makepeace, a young "show artist" who is good at horses training and shooting spot, is about to take the train to San Francisco to join his family and Bill Tourney's Wild West Show. By chance, he becomes witness to an assault of an Indian, Jed, which he then helps to care for injuries.
The train runs and Gideon's travel funds dwindle but Gideon's now new friend, Jedediah Buffalo Bird a Lakota Sioux Indian, promises to show and follow him, by fot and horse, all the way west across the wide plains and still unpopulated districts to the destination, San Francisco. The journey begins....
‘A pice of him - the wrong pice - kind of wanted Jed to take the lead, because he'd gotten a glimpse of Jed's ass spread across the saddle and liked it.’
To be part of these men on their journey of nearly three hundred pages is a delight. The story is told from Gideon's point of view, and I'm just slowly familiar with Jed. Neither I, or Gideon really knows what Jed feel, want, will do next, etc. AND just that fact makes this story so compelling from the first page to the last.
There isn't love from the first sight (thanks for that!) but two opposites that find each other.
# Gideon is a bit cocky but also always happy, outgoing, adventurous, talkative, kind, generous and of course a little horny. He is perhaps more hungry for men than women, but he isn't "thinking" so much about why, how, when, etc. It becomes as it gets and he is always happy with a fun adventure, in bed or out of bed. Gideon is a lovely little lump of sugar - I love him like the cute young "boy" he is. A guy who is now becoming an adult and maybe will sees new goals in life?
# Jed is a few years older (I think) with a lot of sad and dark experiences of life, in his own and on the whole for the Indians and the land they lived in. He has a strong integrity and emit only a tiny bit about himself. Jed prefers to walk rather than ride, to be silent rather than talk, show with action instead of words, etc. Jed is the secret, Unknown Lover
- and I just love him too. He is so wise and realistic for the bitter reality, but perhaps dare he now also open his heart and take a chance?
‘...Jed dropped to his knees beside Gideon and reached out one hand, two slender fingers pressing against Gideon's lips. “'Shh,” Jed said...’
A grandiose, yet so beautifully understated and a bit slowly told story. It's a dark time in ways, and a lot of people suffer, but this story is always warm and nicely told with big care and love for these both characters. None is a great (grand) hero, it's only two people meeting love.
It's sweet, tender, hot and amazing good to read. Superb, I was captured.
I Like - a great novel - male love in the old wild west.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This M/M western novel was recommended to me by my nice friend Vio. Thank you for a really great recommenation, Vio!
July 15, 2012
A hell of a surprise. One of those books that I can't understand why it's not more popular. Has a terrific sense of place and the two leads are solidly fleshed out. The sex is hot, the story logical and realistic for the time it's set in, and it's somewhat of a longer read. Again, why haven't more people read this?
November 7, 2013
I think I'll give this one a solid 4.25 stars!
The romance in this book was like a slow burn. I can't remember the last time I read a book quite like this. It's refreshing. The best way I can explain it is that the romance comes so slowly, inch by inch, and you feel it every step of the way.
The plot was amazing. After the first chapter or two I kind of predicted this book going one way where I'd decided in my mind that "this" would happen and then they'd face "this" together and they'd overcome "this" obstacle, but I was so wrong, and I've never been happier to be wrong.
The best way to describe this is that there is no melodrama. This book has no drama simply for the sake of drama, it has hardships that two amazing characters learn to face together. I don't often read a lot of m/m romance books where it's MCs vs Others instead of MC vs MC and I loved that about this book.
There were parts that made me want to cry. If you've read this book, you'll know what part(s). I was holding back ugly sobs when reading about it and it was a horrifying real experience for me, reading through that part.
I loved both Gideon and Jed. Who wouldn't? They were both unique and not your typical characters, but as my friend Breann put in her review, these men were good men. That really resonates with this book. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and rarely, like in this book, good people happen to good people.
I loved the pace of the book. It didn't feel slow, but it felt relaxed, which again I think suits the theme of the book perfectly.
Can I add a moment of kickass respect for Jed? You know why. Jed does something in the book that each of us wishes we could do when we're faced with situations that they were faced with. It's one of those times where you think in your head: "someone should just ____________!" but someone rarely does. But Jed does. And he's totally badass.
I loved the ending. It wasn't a big dramatic ending, but man, was it ever a happy ending. The book didn't need a dramatic ending because the book wasn't like that. It's like the book seemed very self aware.
Overall, amazing story. I'd recommend it to anyone.
The romance in this book was like a slow burn. I can't remember the last time I read a book quite like this. It's refreshing. The best way I can explain it is that the romance comes so slowly, inch by inch, and you feel it every step of the way.
The plot was amazing. After the first chapter or two I kind of predicted this book going one way where I'd decided in my mind that "this" would happen and then they'd face "this" together and they'd overcome "this" obstacle, but I was so wrong, and I've never been happier to be wrong.
The best way to describe this is that there is no melodrama. This book has no drama simply for the sake of drama, it has hardships that two amazing characters learn to face together. I don't often read a lot of m/m romance books where it's MCs vs Others instead of MC vs MC and I loved that about this book.
There were parts that made me want to cry. If you've read this book, you'll know what part(s). I was holding back ugly sobs when reading about it and it was a horrifying real experience for me, reading through that part.
I loved both Gideon and Jed. Who wouldn't? They were both unique and not your typical characters, but as my friend Breann put in her review, these men were good men. That really resonates with this book. Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and rarely, like in this book, good people happen to good people.
I loved the pace of the book. It didn't feel slow, but it felt relaxed, which again I think suits the theme of the book perfectly.
Can I add a moment of kickass respect for Jed? You know why. Jed does something in the book that each of us wishes we could do when we're faced with situations that they were faced with. It's one of those times where you think in your head: "someone should just ____________!" but someone rarely does. But Jed does. And he's totally badass.
I loved the ending. It wasn't a big dramatic ending, but man, was it ever a happy ending. The book didn't need a dramatic ending because the book wasn't like that. It's like the book seemed very self aware.
Overall, amazing story. I'd recommend it to anyone.
January 10, 2017
Late nineteenth century American West story that's very pleasurable, but a slow meandering read-- much like the main characters journey both emotionally and physically. They travel together from Montana to Oakland, CA and each stop along the way is a fleshing out of the societal difference between Jed (Lakota) and Gideon (trick rider for a traveling show). Their relationship develops slowly and is good, but there's nothing here that I'd call particularly unique for the genre.
December 11, 2014
This ‘old’ book (hey, it was released in 2010 – for MM romance genre, I considered it old *ha!*) came into my periphery by way of a personal challenge. Back in January, I did a personal reading challenge with MM historical as the theme. This was one that I listed because of the positive reviews of my friends. I didn’t get the chance to read it back in January but it stayed on my list.
Well, I finally read it and it was a really well-written and wonderful book!! I admit, the beginning was rather slow; as we got to meet Gideon Makepiece, a young 20-year-old horse trainer and Jedediah Buffalo Bird, a mix-breed of Native American. However, once I got into the rhythm of the story telling, and how Gideon and Jed made their way to take the trip across thousand miles from Montana to California – just by walking and on horse … I simply couldn’t stop reading.
It was a journey – yay, road trip! – between these two men with different race and different background, and it was just the two of them, in open space … talking about life, exchanging stories, learning cultural tradition, and I was charmed. Gideon was easily the more friendly and approachable of these two men. He was such a decent young man and he had a positive attitude. He took care of Jed because it was the right thing to do, no matter what skin color Jed had. Jed was more reserved, more careful – understandable remembering his history – but it was easy to see that Gideon got under his skin.
This was the kind of a subtle and lovely story that just warmed my soul (I got choked up near the end, it was romantic to me). Not that everything was happy, though – being a white man going together with a Native American, there was an additional threat, which was not easily hid compared to them being lovers because white men didn’t easily accept Native Americans in that time period. Then there was also a sad story involving a family that Gideon and Jed met along their journey. However, it felt authentic and made up for one engaging read.
I don’t read many western historical books but if I can find more like these one, I will be a very happy reader.
Well, I finally read it and it was a really well-written and wonderful book!! I admit, the beginning was rather slow; as we got to meet Gideon Makepiece, a young 20-year-old horse trainer and Jedediah Buffalo Bird, a mix-breed of Native American. However, once I got into the rhythm of the story telling, and how Gideon and Jed made their way to take the trip across thousand miles from Montana to California – just by walking and on horse … I simply couldn’t stop reading.
It was a journey – yay, road trip! – between these two men with different race and different background, and it was just the two of them, in open space … talking about life, exchanging stories, learning cultural tradition, and I was charmed. Gideon was easily the more friendly and approachable of these two men. He was such a decent young man and he had a positive attitude. He took care of Jed because it was the right thing to do, no matter what skin color Jed had. Jed was more reserved, more careful – understandable remembering his history – but it was easy to see that Gideon got under his skin.
This was the kind of a subtle and lovely story that just warmed my soul (I got choked up near the end, it was romantic to me). Not that everything was happy, though – being a white man going together with a Native American, there was an additional threat, which was not easily hid compared to them being lovers because white men didn’t easily accept Native Americans in that time period. Then there was also a sad story involving a family that Gideon and Jed met along their journey. However, it felt authentic and made up for one engaging read.
I don’t read many western historical books but if I can find more like these one, I will be a very happy reader.
November 9, 2010
An adorable `odd-couple` on a journey from Montana to San Francisco in 1895.
A funny,sexy and heartwarming lovestory in a vividly described setting - without dismissing
the harsh reality for Indians and Gays alike.The perfect book for frosty winternights.
Definitely recommended!
April 19, 2011
We first meet Gideon Makepeace when he’s getting ready to leave Livingston, Montana where he had taken up a summer job training horses. Gideon is bound for San Francisco to reunite with his folks who are members of a big traveling “Wild West” show. Enter halfbreed Lakota Jedediah Buffalo Bird, currently a fatally injured man who is bullied by a band of white Livingstonians who don’t want his kind in their town. Without hesitating, Gideon steps in to save the Indian, takes him to the doctor’s and finally helps him find shelter in a friendly brothel. With selfless care, Gideon nurses Jed back to health, using up the money that had been designed to pay his and his horse’s fare and of course, missing his train.
Even while caring for Jed, Gideon feels very attracted to the good-looking man. He thinks that nothing can come of it, of course – for one he can’t take advantage of a sick and possibly dying man, and then it’s unlikely that the Indian would share Gideon’s leaning towards men. But while talking to Jed during the man’s lucid moments Gideon discovers that the Indian appeals to him in more that just one way, and he realizes that they might get along well as traveling companions, if nothing else. Thus Gideon more or less coaxes Jed into guiding him overland to San Francisco after he has recovered – and Jed agrees readily enough, even though he mocks Gideon by calling him soft and pampered.
Their journey begins, and soon Gideon finds out that he is, indeed, soft and pampered compared to Jed. His admiration grows, and so does the attraction. It doesn’t take too long until their relationship turns sexual, after all, as Jed admits and acts on his own attraction to Gideon; and the dreaded long journey soon turns into the best time Gideon’s ever had. Still, even though Jed seems to develop feelings for Gideon, he takes an effort in keeping the young white man on arm’s length, because he obviously thinks their different races can never meet eye to eye.
Being friends with the Indians that travel with the show makes Gideon a lot more understanding about Jed than his contemporaries usually are, and since Gideon is a traveler himself, he can even relate to many of Jed’s reservations. On the other hand, listening to Jed, watching him and generally being with him changes Gideon’s point of view about many things. He’s openminded enough to allow those changes and in no way above adopting some of Jed’s opinions and manners.
Practically from the first moment of his life, Jed has seen his people mistreated by white men, and has experienced his share of mistreatment first-hand. Taken from his people at a young age and forced into a “civilized” education by Catholic nuns, Jed harbors deeply ingrained distrust and prejudices against whites. Since the entire story is told from Gideons third – person POV, we get Jed only through Gideon’s eyes, but even so, we watch him change too as he spends time with the often naive and rash young white man, opening first his body, then his heart to Gideon.
The characterizations were incredibly good. Gideon was every little bit the twenty – year old happy- go -lucky selfish adolescent, often trampling on Jed’s and other people’s feelings out of sheer ignorance. Just as often, though, he showed consideration and understanding far above his years, which hinted at the innate goodness of his heart and also cast a very positive light at his upbringing. In fact, even though we don’t meet Gideon’s family in person, they are mentioned often enough to become alive, and they grew on me, too.
I was even more impressed by the way Jed was drawn, a powerful, three – dimensional and fully fleshed character even though he doesn’t speak much and we don’t get into his head. He had so many layers. At first traditionally brought up as a Lakota, he internalized his people’s ways and clung to them through the time he was forced to spend in the boarding school. He is older, better – educated and more experienced than Gideon (and even Gideon thinks him the smarter one) , but he is also wary out of habit and used to expect the worst from white men in general. In a way, Jed was the more close-minded of the two, and I could only admire the author duo for resisting the urge to make Jed a “noble savage” or a larger-than-life saint in disguise, giving him depth, flaws and humanity instead.
Jed’s deeply ingrained misgivings are what keep him from truely committing to Gideon, even though he has come to love the young white man, to a point where leaving him almost tears Jed apart. And this is what Gideon has over Jed: Gideon has the kind of faith it takes to stand by his man, unconditionally and at any cost. Maybe, just maybe, Jed loves Gideon enough to learn trusting him completely, heart, body and soul.
This book breathed authenticity in every little detail, down to every word and gesture, down to the way Gideon and Jed talk, dress, eat and have sex. Every now and then, the authors’ moralizing forefinger peeked up just the tiniest little bit, as the journey brings them through wild and untamed land in contrast to small, rural towns, mining sites and big cities on the verge of industrialization. It never turns to preaching, though, it just colors Gideon’s experience; in fact, the growing awareness for the destruction of the land was part of Gideon’s growth process.
I know I’ve complained about the use of the word Indian in another book recently; curiously, this didn’t bother me here. For one, Gideon saying it or even using the term “Injun” fit both the time and Gideon’s character – he IS thoughtless at times, although willing to overcome his ignorance. For another, Jed used the various referrals to himself and his people in a very subtle way, calling himself Lakota when he felt comfortable with Gideon, and Sioux or Indian when he wanted to create distance. It’s another part of Gideon’s character development that he became aware of those subtleties, among Jed’s many other little peculiarities the more attention he paid to Jed, the more he fell in love with him – and I loved the way I, as the reader, was included in this slow progress through Gideon’s eyes.
This was a beautiful, thought – provoking, heartfelt story. As I said above, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Read the full review at reviewsbyjessewave.com
Even while caring for Jed, Gideon feels very attracted to the good-looking man. He thinks that nothing can come of it, of course – for one he can’t take advantage of a sick and possibly dying man, and then it’s unlikely that the Indian would share Gideon’s leaning towards men. But while talking to Jed during the man’s lucid moments Gideon discovers that the Indian appeals to him in more that just one way, and he realizes that they might get along well as traveling companions, if nothing else. Thus Gideon more or less coaxes Jed into guiding him overland to San Francisco after he has recovered – and Jed agrees readily enough, even though he mocks Gideon by calling him soft and pampered.
Their journey begins, and soon Gideon finds out that he is, indeed, soft and pampered compared to Jed. His admiration grows, and so does the attraction. It doesn’t take too long until their relationship turns sexual, after all, as Jed admits and acts on his own attraction to Gideon; and the dreaded long journey soon turns into the best time Gideon’s ever had. Still, even though Jed seems to develop feelings for Gideon, he takes an effort in keeping the young white man on arm’s length, because he obviously thinks their different races can never meet eye to eye.
Being friends with the Indians that travel with the show makes Gideon a lot more understanding about Jed than his contemporaries usually are, and since Gideon is a traveler himself, he can even relate to many of Jed’s reservations. On the other hand, listening to Jed, watching him and generally being with him changes Gideon’s point of view about many things. He’s openminded enough to allow those changes and in no way above adopting some of Jed’s opinions and manners.
Practically from the first moment of his life, Jed has seen his people mistreated by white men, and has experienced his share of mistreatment first-hand. Taken from his people at a young age and forced into a “civilized” education by Catholic nuns, Jed harbors deeply ingrained distrust and prejudices against whites. Since the entire story is told from Gideons third – person POV, we get Jed only through Gideon’s eyes, but even so, we watch him change too as he spends time with the often naive and rash young white man, opening first his body, then his heart to Gideon.
The characterizations were incredibly good. Gideon was every little bit the twenty – year old happy- go -lucky selfish adolescent, often trampling on Jed’s and other people’s feelings out of sheer ignorance. Just as often, though, he showed consideration and understanding far above his years, which hinted at the innate goodness of his heart and also cast a very positive light at his upbringing. In fact, even though we don’t meet Gideon’s family in person, they are mentioned often enough to become alive, and they grew on me, too.
I was even more impressed by the way Jed was drawn, a powerful, three – dimensional and fully fleshed character even though he doesn’t speak much and we don’t get into his head. He had so many layers. At first traditionally brought up as a Lakota, he internalized his people’s ways and clung to them through the time he was forced to spend in the boarding school. He is older, better – educated and more experienced than Gideon (and even Gideon thinks him the smarter one) , but he is also wary out of habit and used to expect the worst from white men in general. In a way, Jed was the more close-minded of the two, and I could only admire the author duo for resisting the urge to make Jed a “noble savage” or a larger-than-life saint in disguise, giving him depth, flaws and humanity instead.
Jed’s deeply ingrained misgivings are what keep him from truely committing to Gideon, even though he has come to love the young white man, to a point where leaving him almost tears Jed apart. And this is what Gideon has over Jed: Gideon has the kind of faith it takes to stand by his man, unconditionally and at any cost. Maybe, just maybe, Jed loves Gideon enough to learn trusting him completely, heart, body and soul.
This book breathed authenticity in every little detail, down to every word and gesture, down to the way Gideon and Jed talk, dress, eat and have sex. Every now and then, the authors’ moralizing forefinger peeked up just the tiniest little bit, as the journey brings them through wild and untamed land in contrast to small, rural towns, mining sites and big cities on the verge of industrialization. It never turns to preaching, though, it just colors Gideon’s experience; in fact, the growing awareness for the destruction of the land was part of Gideon’s growth process.
I know I’ve complained about the use of the word Indian in another book recently; curiously, this didn’t bother me here. For one, Gideon saying it or even using the term “Injun” fit both the time and Gideon’s character – he IS thoughtless at times, although willing to overcome his ignorance. For another, Jed used the various referrals to himself and his people in a very subtle way, calling himself Lakota when he felt comfortable with Gideon, and Sioux or Indian when he wanted to create distance. It’s another part of Gideon’s character development that he became aware of those subtleties, among Jed’s many other little peculiarities the more attention he paid to Jed, the more he fell in love with him – and I loved the way I, as the reader, was included in this slow progress through Gideon’s eyes.
This was a beautiful, thought – provoking, heartfelt story. As I said above, I recommend it wholeheartedly.
Read the full review at reviewsbyjessewave.com
March 5, 2019
Well Traveled by Margaret Mills and Tedi Ward was a fabulous surprise.
Built as a long road trip from Montana to San Francisco, the novel follows the adventures of Gideon Makepiece and Jedediah Buffalo Bird, two amazing characters full of humanity, surprises and depth.
Gideon is a trick rider, raised by a rather unusual family and used to a roaming existence around the United States with a travelling circus. After a summer spent working in the small town of Livingston, and just when he's about to rejoin his extended circus family, he encounters Jed, a young Sioux man wounded and in desperate need of help.
This is just the very beginning of a novel full of interesting twists and turns that accompany the reader through the ever-changing views and realities of late-19th century America, its wild nature and its growing population and modernity.
Gideon and Jed, at first travel companions and then, slowly but surely and in a very believable way, friends and lovers, cross state after state discussing their views of the world, their beliefs, fears and hopes.
Gideon is way more at ease with words and knows how to be charmingly manipulative with them, whilst Jed is at times as silent as a quiet snowy morning, more oriented to speak his mind through deeds than words but surprisingly full of a mischievous sense of humour.
Their interactions, along with the growing intimacy of their relationship, go all the range from heartwarming to heartbreaking, from funny to melancholic and I really appreciated the constant change of pace in the book, its ups and downs.
Lengthy and well-worth a few long reading sessions, Well Traveled is certainly not only a great novel about the American frontier, but also a respectful and sensitive portrait of two very different souls who find each other in the most unexpected circumstances and learn to love and respect not just each other, but also their upbringings and beliefs.
Highly recommended and to be read together with its sequel Earth and Sun, Cedar and Sage that, despite the apparent levity of a Christmas novella, digs deep into the meaning of Gideon and Jed's lives and feelings.
Two very moving and wonderful reads.
Built as a long road trip from Montana to San Francisco, the novel follows the adventures of Gideon Makepiece and Jedediah Buffalo Bird, two amazing characters full of humanity, surprises and depth.
Gideon is a trick rider, raised by a rather unusual family and used to a roaming existence around the United States with a travelling circus. After a summer spent working in the small town of Livingston, and just when he's about to rejoin his extended circus family, he encounters Jed, a young Sioux man wounded and in desperate need of help.
This is just the very beginning of a novel full of interesting twists and turns that accompany the reader through the ever-changing views and realities of late-19th century America, its wild nature and its growing population and modernity.
Gideon and Jed, at first travel companions and then, slowly but surely and in a very believable way, friends and lovers, cross state after state discussing their views of the world, their beliefs, fears and hopes.
Gideon is way more at ease with words and knows how to be charmingly manipulative with them, whilst Jed is at times as silent as a quiet snowy morning, more oriented to speak his mind through deeds than words but surprisingly full of a mischievous sense of humour.
Their interactions, along with the growing intimacy of their relationship, go all the range from heartwarming to heartbreaking, from funny to melancholic and I really appreciated the constant change of pace in the book, its ups and downs.
Lengthy and well-worth a few long reading sessions, Well Traveled is certainly not only a great novel about the American frontier, but also a respectful and sensitive portrait of two very different souls who find each other in the most unexpected circumstances and learn to love and respect not just each other, but also their upbringings and beliefs.
Highly recommended and to be read together with its sequel Earth and Sun, Cedar and Sage that, despite the apparent levity of a Christmas novella, digs deep into the meaning of Gideon and Jed's lives and feelings.
Two very moving and wonderful reads.
July 20, 2017
4.5-A tiny bit slow for me in a couple of spots, rounded up for overall great story-telling.
What a wonderful, believable journey. I certainly felt transported to another time and place and once there I wasn't jolted out by nonsense. Young, charming, delightful, sometimes manipulative Gideon commanded my attention from the very beginning. Gideon alone was worth reading this book for although it didn't take long for Jedediah to worm himself in there too and just about every other character played a significant role as well. I'm very glad I went along for ride.
What a wonderful, believable journey. I certainly felt transported to another time and place and once there I wasn't jolted out by nonsense. Young, charming, delightful, sometimes manipulative Gideon commanded my attention from the very beginning. Gideon alone was worth reading this book for although it didn't take long for Jedediah to worm himself in there too and just about every other character played a significant role as well. I'm very glad I went along for ride.
April 27, 2011
This story is very different from anything else I've read in the m/m romance genre, but I loved it so much. The characters are incredibly well-drawn, and the authors create a wonderful sense of time and place without bludgeoning the reader with too much historical detail. The story manages to be moving and erotic while maintaining a sort of lovely economy of language that feels utterly authentic. Highly recommended. I'll be rereading this for sure.
June 4, 2016
Sweet m/m love story of 20 year old Gideon, a wild west show employee and Jed, a half-breed Lakota Indian crossing America from Montana to San Francisco with subsequent adventures.
"I know you'll be turning around and going home, after. But don't slip off, okay? Don't slip off when I'm expecting to see you in the morning. I think it'd break my heart."
"I know you'll be turning around and going home, after. But don't slip off, okay? Don't slip off when I'm expecting to see you in the morning. I think it'd break my heart."
January 3, 2017
2 Stars
I think there are two main reasons I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. The first set of problems for me were stylistic ones, simply a matter of personal taste. The second set was to do with the subject matter.
Stylistic Issues
For the whole book I swung between being interested and bored. I feel like nothing really happened, at least character-development wise - particularly with Gideon. Their cross-country journey felt like a lot of the same thing to me, I found Gideon's oft-immature POV pretty tiresome, and I had no patience for his 'endearing' little-boy, aw-shucks shtick.
The cycle was basically travel a bit, have sex, travel a bit more, some minor conflict or situation that had almost no impact on the main characters themselves, have sex, travel a bit more. Now I'm all for sex (oh am I ever), and the scenes were definitely well-written and I didn't think there was too much of it and they certainly weren't meaningless scenes - there was a reason each of them were included when they were. But for once, the sex wasn't enough to make up for everything else that just wasn't quite up to par.
I kept struggling to grasp the main conflict, the main tension, of the book. If there was supposed to be one at all. Perhaps it was supposed to be a meandering exploration of white culture vs Native American culture (particularly that of Jed's tribe). If there was supposed to be any tension at all, it wouldn't be due to something dangerous or suspenseful happening - it would be due to Jed and Gideon trying to reconcile their cultural differences. But the problem with that is Gideon was the sole narrator. And for the most part he just didn't grasp that tension, did not fully understand why Jed was so against anything permanent between them, did not fully understand why Jed was so suspicious of white people, why he was so hesitant to enter cities and towns (even though he was almost beaten to death in one when Gideon first came across him). Sure, Gideon would have flashes of "Ah, I see" moments, but they were fleeting and didn't cause any real, permanent change in his behaviour. He really was like the child Jed kept accusing him of being - his attention span was fleeting at best, and complex concepts seemed completely beyond him. There's no question he made his attempts, but I guess his natural immaturity and white privilege just kept getting in the way (and I'll have more to say on that later).
I feel this book would have been served better to have either been written from Jed's POV or at least included it. Perhaps the author shied away from that because she didn't want to risk doing it wrong, or perhaps she doesn't like writing multiple POVs. But as endearing as Gideon tried to be, he really was a child - with all the lack of finesse and sensitivity and selfishness of one. Also, he thought about his dick far more than any other male-narrated book I've come across in recent memory. At one point I was just like Jesus Christ can you please stop thinking about how hard your dick gets whenever Jed twitches an eyebrow. I mean, I love dick as much as the next person but it was even too much for me! It made the sexual tension feel forced. Like we get it already. He's very attracted to Jed. I figured that out after he was checking him out on his goddamn deathbed. The book was much better served by Jed's subtlety - a very necessary counterbalance to all of Gideon's bull-like stampeding through everything.
So all these are just personal preferences, really. I prefer books with a little more tension, a little more action, a little more conflict. I couldn't really grasp where this book was trying to go and I didn't feel like the romance alone was strong enough to carry it through, however heartwarming and sweet it was. Also, Gideon not being my favourite is me just having already lost all my patience with well-meaning but immature white boys with all the sensitivity of a gnat. I had nothing left for Gideon. I'm surprised Jed did.
Which brings me to my next point...
The Subject Matter
Now, before I get started I will say that this is one of the better books I've read that attempts to explore the tension between Native Americans and white Americans in a historical setting. But, sadly, that's just not quite good enough.
Maybe I'm just sick of reading these sorts of books from a white person's perspective, because it's not like we haven't already had enough of that throughout history. I know that books written from a Native American perspective do exist - but I doubt they're filed under "M/M historical romance". They'd be in some niche sub-genre that white people would rarely seek out. I haven't even read many non-Native American authored books that attempt to incorporate the whole Native American vs white people tension exactly because of this. I only picked up this book because the rating is high and the reviews raving.
Its main problem is Gideon. I feel like he feels like - and therefore, the author feels like through him - that he should be congratulated for trying to understand Jed and his culture. That he should get a pat on the back every time he manages to be culturally sensitive (even though his every 'concession' to Native American culture feels condescending, simply because he makes no secret that he thinks his western ways are far superior and more civilised and its clear he doesn't understand the significance of them or meaning behind them at all. Oh, and then there's the whole trivialising Native American customs thing, like Gideon's stupid repeating of Jed's chants simply because he got used to the sound of them, even though he has no idea what its significance is. And let's not even mention him appreciating Jed and the other braves' dancing simply because they looked hot AF doing it). Well, I'm bloody sick of white people thinking we should be rewarded for being decent. We should be doing that anyway. No cookies for us.
So there was that feeling. Then there was the fact that all the cultural conflict really boiled down to Gideon trying to prove to Jed that not all white people are bad in the face of Jed consistently resisting that notion. And that just pissed me off - because really? His people have literally suffered massacres and had their lands and means of living and children stolen and women raped and been completely dispossessed and a lot of their faiths made illegal and you think Jed is being unreasonable for being inherently and automatically suspicious of every white person he comes across? Like no shit he is. It's a bloody miracle he manages to fall in love with a white person at all, especially one as - sorrynotsorry - stupid as Gideon. Sometimes (most of the time) being well-meaning just isn't good enough. The standard of decency is set so low for us white folks. This isn't primary school. We don't get participation ribbons for making an attempt at being better. We just have to be better, because if we don't be better then groups of people like the Native Americans will continue to suffer at our hands, whether we intend it or not.
The only saving graces of this whole subject matter was that Jed did consistently resist Gideon's well-meaning but completely misguided and inappropriate attempts to convince him that not all white people are the worst. It reminds me of the fucking #NotAllMen bullshit. Like, yeah, of fucking course not all men are raping sexists - but a hell of a lot of them are, enough that it's only natural that women not trust a guy straight up. So yes, of fucking course not all white people are raping, thieving murderers - but a hell of a lot of them were (too many still are), and beyond that, the goddamn federal government was working against them (and still fucking is). It was and is a systematic, systemic, concerted effort at undermining, if not destroying, everything these people were and are. Jed was far, far more intelligent than Gideon so obviously he understood that. But unfortunately Gideon was far, far more stupid than Jed and all his flashes of understanding were soon overcome with "But I want to be with him so all that stuff doesn't matter." Like hell it didn't.
And that brings me to my biggest gripe - the ending.
In Conclusion
This book could have been great for me if it was stylistically to my preferences and, more importantly, got rid of that fucking ending. Because I can forgive Gideon initially being immature and insensitive and selfish - but he never changes, never develops, in any way that's significant. You know, just like the way that white people treat Native Americans and the issues they face hasn't really progressed much at all, despite thinking we should be pat on the back for our clumsy and lazy attempts at change. So by the time I finished this book I felt like there was no point to it at all.
I think there are two main reasons I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. The first set of problems for me were stylistic ones, simply a matter of personal taste. The second set was to do with the subject matter.
Stylistic Issues
For the whole book I swung between being interested and bored. I feel like nothing really happened, at least character-development wise - particularly with Gideon. Their cross-country journey felt like a lot of the same thing to me, I found Gideon's oft-immature POV pretty tiresome, and I had no patience for his 'endearing' little-boy, aw-shucks shtick.
The cycle was basically travel a bit, have sex, travel a bit more, some minor conflict or situation that had almost no impact on the main characters themselves, have sex, travel a bit more. Now I'm all for sex (oh am I ever), and the scenes were definitely well-written and I didn't think there was too much of it and they certainly weren't meaningless scenes - there was a reason each of them were included when they were. But for once, the sex wasn't enough to make up for everything else that just wasn't quite up to par.
I kept struggling to grasp the main conflict, the main tension, of the book. If there was supposed to be one at all. Perhaps it was supposed to be a meandering exploration of white culture vs Native American culture (particularly that of Jed's tribe). If there was supposed to be any tension at all, it wouldn't be due to something dangerous or suspenseful happening - it would be due to Jed and Gideon trying to reconcile their cultural differences. But the problem with that is Gideon was the sole narrator. And for the most part he just didn't grasp that tension, did not fully understand why Jed was so against anything permanent between them, did not fully understand why Jed was so suspicious of white people, why he was so hesitant to enter cities and towns (even though he was almost beaten to death in one when Gideon first came across him). Sure, Gideon would have flashes of "Ah, I see" moments, but they were fleeting and didn't cause any real, permanent change in his behaviour. He really was like the child Jed kept accusing him of being - his attention span was fleeting at best, and complex concepts seemed completely beyond him. There's no question he made his attempts, but I guess his natural immaturity and white privilege just kept getting in the way (and I'll have more to say on that later).
I feel this book would have been served better to have either been written from Jed's POV or at least included it. Perhaps the author shied away from that because she didn't want to risk doing it wrong, or perhaps she doesn't like writing multiple POVs. But as endearing as Gideon tried to be, he really was a child - with all the lack of finesse and sensitivity and selfishness of one. Also, he thought about his dick far more than any other male-narrated book I've come across in recent memory. At one point I was just like Jesus Christ can you please stop thinking about how hard your dick gets whenever Jed twitches an eyebrow. I mean, I love dick as much as the next person but it was even too much for me! It made the sexual tension feel forced. Like we get it already. He's very attracted to Jed. I figured that out after he was checking him out on his goddamn deathbed. The book was much better served by Jed's subtlety - a very necessary counterbalance to all of Gideon's bull-like stampeding through everything.
So all these are just personal preferences, really. I prefer books with a little more tension, a little more action, a little more conflict. I couldn't really grasp where this book was trying to go and I didn't feel like the romance alone was strong enough to carry it through, however heartwarming and sweet it was. Also, Gideon not being my favourite is me just having already lost all my patience with well-meaning but immature white boys with all the sensitivity of a gnat. I had nothing left for Gideon. I'm surprised Jed did.
Which brings me to my next point...
The Subject Matter
Now, before I get started I will say that this is one of the better books I've read that attempts to explore the tension between Native Americans and white Americans in a historical setting. But, sadly, that's just not quite good enough.
Maybe I'm just sick of reading these sorts of books from a white person's perspective, because it's not like we haven't already had enough of that throughout history. I know that books written from a Native American perspective do exist - but I doubt they're filed under "M/M historical romance". They'd be in some niche sub-genre that white people would rarely seek out. I haven't even read many non-Native American authored books that attempt to incorporate the whole Native American vs white people tension exactly because of this. I only picked up this book because the rating is high and the reviews raving.
Its main problem is Gideon. I feel like he feels like - and therefore, the author feels like through him - that he should be congratulated for trying to understand Jed and his culture. That he should get a pat on the back every time he manages to be culturally sensitive (even though his every 'concession' to Native American culture feels condescending, simply because he makes no secret that he thinks his western ways are far superior and more civilised and its clear he doesn't understand the significance of them or meaning behind them at all. Oh, and then there's the whole trivialising Native American customs thing, like Gideon's stupid repeating of Jed's chants simply because he got used to the sound of them, even though he has no idea what its significance is. And let's not even mention him appreciating Jed and the other braves' dancing simply because they looked hot AF doing it). Well, I'm bloody sick of white people thinking we should be rewarded for being decent. We should be doing that anyway. No cookies for us.
So there was that feeling. Then there was the fact that all the cultural conflict really boiled down to Gideon trying to prove to Jed that not all white people are bad in the face of Jed consistently resisting that notion. And that just pissed me off - because really? His people have literally suffered massacres and had their lands and means of living and children stolen and women raped and been completely dispossessed and a lot of their faiths made illegal and you think Jed is being unreasonable for being inherently and automatically suspicious of every white person he comes across? Like no shit he is. It's a bloody miracle he manages to fall in love with a white person at all, especially one as - sorrynotsorry - stupid as Gideon. Sometimes (most of the time) being well-meaning just isn't good enough. The standard of decency is set so low for us white folks. This isn't primary school. We don't get participation ribbons for making an attempt at being better. We just have to be better, because if we don't be better then groups of people like the Native Americans will continue to suffer at our hands, whether we intend it or not.
The only saving graces of this whole subject matter was that Jed did consistently resist Gideon's well-meaning but completely misguided and inappropriate attempts to convince him that not all white people are the worst. It reminds me of the fucking #NotAllMen bullshit. Like, yeah, of fucking course not all men are raping sexists - but a hell of a lot of them are, enough that it's only natural that women not trust a guy straight up. So yes, of fucking course not all white people are raping, thieving murderers - but a hell of a lot of them were (too many still are), and beyond that, the goddamn federal government was working against them (and still fucking is). It was and is a systematic, systemic, concerted effort at undermining, if not destroying, everything these people were and are. Jed was far, far more intelligent than Gideon so obviously he understood that. But unfortunately Gideon was far, far more stupid than Jed and all his flashes of understanding were soon overcome with "But I want to be with him so all that stuff doesn't matter." Like hell it didn't.
And that brings me to my biggest gripe - the ending.
In Conclusion
This book could have been great for me if it was stylistically to my preferences and, more importantly, got rid of that fucking ending. Because I can forgive Gideon initially being immature and insensitive and selfish - but he never changes, never develops, in any way that's significant. You know, just like the way that white people treat Native Americans and the issues they face hasn't really progressed much at all, despite thinking we should be pat on the back for our clumsy and lazy attempts at change. So by the time I finished this book I felt like there was no point to it at all.
May 27, 2014
I don't care for historical westerns.
I really don't care for road-trip stories.
But. I enjoyed the hell out of this book. The clever writing, banter, the relationship that felt so real, the heroes who were just plain good men.. I fell in love with Gideon & Jed and their integrity..the fact that they really liked and respected each other.
4 Feel-Good stars.
I really don't care for road-trip stories.
But. I enjoyed the hell out of this book. The clever writing, banter, the relationship that felt so real, the heroes who were just plain good men.. I fell in love with Gideon & Jed and their integrity..the fact that they really liked and respected each other.
4 Feel-Good stars.
January 19, 2018
AMAZING!!!
What a gem, this book had everything...including a super hot Sioux named Jed and an all-around great guy named Gideon. Read it.
What a gem, this book had everything...including a super hot Sioux named Jed and an all-around great guy named Gideon. Read it.
June 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this great historical romance. Well written and atmospheric, by the time I sat down to read this the pages just flew by.
June 19, 2023
3.5 stars
I liked a lot about this romance, but it's also got these really heartbreaking details about the "Indian" reservations (it takes place in 1895) in the background and a single POV from a 20-year-old white MC who doesn't really understand the true depths of what he's experiencing/telling us about, and something about that was really unsettling. The authors do an excellent job letting you discover Jed through Gideon's POV, while also making it pretty clear Gideon doesn't understand the nuances of Jed's dilemma as well as you do.
For the most part, it feels very realistic to a 20-year-old's view of the world. Gideon himself is a natural sweetheart to everyone he meets and because he's a good-looking young white man who's an expert horseman and shooter -- he was born, raised and now works in a Wild West traveling show -- he lives this really subtly charmed life of white male privilege that he is almost completely oblivious to. As he would be, obviously. It's honestly so well done.
The authors are very good at showing not telling, and Jed is a quiet man who is also very realistically portrayed as someone who is second-generation Reservation-born, taught the old ways by his grandfather until his late teens when he was forced into a residential school. You can tell he feels like he spends all day, every day talking non-stop in an effort to educate this ignorant white boy, while Gideon feels like he barely gets a scrap of info out of Jed on a good day.
Their dynamic is great, they're great characters and it's an interesting POV of the time period in this part of the country. Gideon is very slowly starting to realize that what he's always seen as "progress", Jed's people see as raping the land, and because they're moving through areas that are starting to slowly show decline as the mining slows down/moves to different areas, he's getting a visual lesson in that as well.
Meanwhile they're falling in love and Jed refuses to acknowledge it because he can't reconcile his feelings toward Gideon as an individual white man with his feelings towards The White Man and the horrors they have wrought. And this is the part that gets undersold in the end because what a FASCINATING internal conflict that is.
Unfortunately, the resolution doesn't do enough to validate Jed's extremely valid concerns, not just about the longevity of their partnership, but about his ability to live the life he needs to live out free on the land while balancing Gideon's equal affection for the occasional trappings of city life. I believe they're equally capable of finding a life solution that works for both of them and fucking it up royally due to Gideon's age and limited perspective.
Apparently there's a novella-length holiday epilogue (that was maybe written first?) out there somewhere that helps a little, but I could really use a full-length sequel to truly believe in the HEA of this one.
I was originally planning to give this three stars, but it's really stuck with me. I paid $16 to get my hands on a copy of this out of print paperback, and not only am I satisfied with the experience but I'll be keeping it on my shelves because I can see myself reading it again one day. Could round up for the history, will round down for the barely-improved obliviousness (acknowledged) of the white man.
I liked a lot about this romance, but it's also got these really heartbreaking details about the "Indian" reservations (it takes place in 1895) in the background and a single POV from a 20-year-old white MC who doesn't really understand the true depths of what he's experiencing/telling us about, and something about that was really unsettling. The authors do an excellent job letting you discover Jed through Gideon's POV, while also making it pretty clear Gideon doesn't understand the nuances of Jed's dilemma as well as you do.
For the most part, it feels very realistic to a 20-year-old's view of the world. Gideon himself is a natural sweetheart to everyone he meets and because he's a good-looking young white man who's an expert horseman and shooter -- he was born, raised and now works in a Wild West traveling show -- he lives this really subtly charmed life of white male privilege that he is almost completely oblivious to. As he would be, obviously. It's honestly so well done.
The authors are very good at showing not telling, and Jed is a quiet man who is also very realistically portrayed as someone who is second-generation Reservation-born, taught the old ways by his grandfather until his late teens when he was forced into a residential school. You can tell he feels like he spends all day, every day talking non-stop in an effort to educate this ignorant white boy, while Gideon feels like he barely gets a scrap of info out of Jed on a good day.
Their dynamic is great, they're great characters and it's an interesting POV of the time period in this part of the country. Gideon is very slowly starting to realize that what he's always seen as "progress", Jed's people see as raping the land, and because they're moving through areas that are starting to slowly show decline as the mining slows down/moves to different areas, he's getting a visual lesson in that as well.
Meanwhile they're falling in love and Jed refuses to acknowledge it because he can't reconcile his feelings toward Gideon as an individual white man with his feelings towards The White Man and the horrors they have wrought. And this is the part that gets undersold in the end because what a FASCINATING internal conflict that is.
Unfortunately, the resolution doesn't do enough to validate Jed's extremely valid concerns, not just about the longevity of their partnership, but about his ability to live the life he needs to live out free on the land while balancing Gideon's equal affection for the occasional trappings of city life. I believe they're equally capable of finding a life solution that works for both of them and fucking it up royally due to Gideon's age and limited perspective.
Apparently there's a novella-length holiday epilogue (that was maybe written first?) out there somewhere that helps a little, but I could really use a full-length sequel to truly believe in the HEA of this one.
I was originally planning to give this three stars, but it's really stuck with me. I paid $16 to get my hands on a copy of this out of print paperback, and not only am I satisfied with the experience but I'll be keeping it on my shelves because I can see myself reading it again one day. Could round up for the history, will round down for the barely-improved obliviousness (acknowledged) of the white man.
November 7, 2010
4.5 Stars
This was a story of opposites attract, as so often happens, even in real life. Sometimes the best things for us are the least like us.
Gideon Makepeace is a 20 year old “white man.” He's intelligent, loud-mouthed, charming to a fault and loves a home cooked meal and a roof over his head. Jedediah Buffalo Bird is a bit older than Gideon, although it's never really said how much older. He's a Lakota Souix Indian from North Dakota, he's quiet, almost to the point of being mute at times, and he would rather spend his nights on the ground, under the stars than in a hotel.
Gideon meets Jed at the boarding stable for his horse in Livingston, Montana, as he's leaving for San Francisco, California: to meet up with a traveling wild west show he's a part of. At the time, Jed is injured, his one leg swollen and pus filled after being gored by a boar. He is also on the ground, being pushed around and threatened by a few of the locals, simply because he is an Indian. Gideon steps in, talks the other men down and immediately seeks medical help for Jed's wound. By the time Jed gets to the doctor he is in bad shape, the infection has set into his leg and it takes multiple visits from the doctor and numerous cleanings of the wound by Gideon to get him back on his feet again.
In repayment for Gideon's help, Jed offers to guide him to San Francisco. Thus, the two men set out on a journey across what used to be the wilderness of the west; running into various cities, a tribe of Shoshone Indians, an angry rattler and a household recently ravaged by raiders along the way. By far though, the best discover the men make on the six week adventure, is each other. They may be a mismatched pair, especially for the time, but love doesn't care about unimportant things such as that and they end up falling in love. Once to San Francisco though, Jed has to make a choice: will he stay with Gideon and if he does where will they go, what will they do and if he chooses to walk away, will Gideon really let him? Any man worth loving is one worth fighting for, right?
I was charmed by this dissimilar duo; they made me smile, brought me close to tears, and had me rolling with laughter.
This was a story of opposites attract, as so often happens, even in real life. Sometimes the best things for us are the least like us.
Gideon Makepeace is a 20 year old “white man.” He's intelligent, loud-mouthed, charming to a fault and loves a home cooked meal and a roof over his head. Jedediah Buffalo Bird is a bit older than Gideon, although it's never really said how much older. He's a Lakota Souix Indian from North Dakota, he's quiet, almost to the point of being mute at times, and he would rather spend his nights on the ground, under the stars than in a hotel.
Gideon meets Jed at the boarding stable for his horse in Livingston, Montana, as he's leaving for San Francisco, California: to meet up with a traveling wild west show he's a part of. At the time, Jed is injured, his one leg swollen and pus filled after being gored by a boar. He is also on the ground, being pushed around and threatened by a few of the locals, simply because he is an Indian. Gideon steps in, talks the other men down and immediately seeks medical help for Jed's wound. By the time Jed gets to the doctor he is in bad shape, the infection has set into his leg and it takes multiple visits from the doctor and numerous cleanings of the wound by Gideon to get him back on his feet again.
In repayment for Gideon's help, Jed offers to guide him to San Francisco. Thus, the two men set out on a journey across what used to be the wilderness of the west; running into various cities, a tribe of Shoshone Indians, an angry rattler and a household recently ravaged by raiders along the way. By far though, the best discover the men make on the six week adventure, is each other. They may be a mismatched pair, especially for the time, but love doesn't care about unimportant things such as that and they end up falling in love. Once to San Francisco though, Jed has to make a choice: will he stay with Gideon and if he does where will they go, what will they do and if he chooses to walk away, will Gideon really let him? Any man worth loving is one worth fighting for, right?
I was charmed by this dissimilar duo; they made me smile, brought me close to tears, and had me rolling with laughter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2011
Best historical erotic western (m/m) I've ever read. Bar none. I was so sad to end the story of Gideon Makepeace and Jedidiah Buffalo Bird because I love these characters so much. There is a novella sequel and I'll read it, too. Set in 1895, just at the end of the Old West, it is a sweet, heart-breaking, little bit funny trip from the mid-west to California on foot and horseback. Gideon is a trick rider from a Wild West Show, trying to catch up with the touring show after stopping in Montana to train some horses. Jed is half-Lakota and after Gideon saves Jed's life and misses his train, Jed offers to guide Gideon to San Francisco to catch up with the show and his family, who are part of the show. This is a hidden gem of a book. Highly recommended, especially for those who love western historicals and m/m.
February 25, 2015
I can't even fault this book for being too long, as it was THAT good that I didn't want it to end. This is a road-trip romance which I love. This takes place in 1895. Gideon is a 20 year old charming showman from a travelling wild west show who is also just plain good to his core. He and Jed meet when Gideon saves Jed's life. Jed is a beautiful, quiet Lakota indian, who is distrustful of white people (among other things, he grew up on a reservation and was forced to attend a missionary school). Like all good road trip stories, this one follows Gideon and Jed on their journey and through various adventures as they learn about each other and their attraction and love gradually grows. Gideon and Jed prove over and over again throughout the story that they are both incredibly good, honest and beautiful men who completely deserve a wonderful love story. Highly recommended!!
May 31, 2024
DNF @ 38%
Despite the great historical authenticity (except for a handful examples of modern profanity), good writing and respectful portrayal of First Nations folks, I really struggled with this story. I can't be bothered to go into details but my main issues related to the lack of Jed's POV (he was a quiet, closed off character so I had trouble connecting with him) and Gideon's immaturity (he was portrayed as very young and very naïve, like a puppy). I didn't think these two made any sense as a couple. In addition, the plot dragged and barely anything interesting happened after the initial hurt-comfort arc where Gideon helps Jed recover from a beating. There was nothing that was holding my attention or interest so I'm going to bow out.
Despite the great historical authenticity (except for a handful examples of modern profanity), good writing and respectful portrayal of First Nations folks, I really struggled with this story. I can't be bothered to go into details but my main issues related to the lack of Jed's POV (he was a quiet, closed off character so I had trouble connecting with him) and Gideon's immaturity (he was portrayed as very young and very naïve, like a puppy). I didn't think these two made any sense as a couple. In addition, the plot dragged and barely anything interesting happened after the initial hurt-comfort arc where Gideon helps Jed recover from a beating. There was nothing that was holding my attention or interest so I'm going to bow out.
January 16, 2013
I really loved this book. It's very well-written and felt authentic. The characters were well-fleshed out. I love Jed and Gideon and I enjoyed their journey. Recommended!
April 8, 2015
4-4.5
July 31, 2012
This book was WONDERFUL and deserves more than the 5 stars alloted! It was so well-written. It's the story that takes place back in the late 1800's between Gideon Makepeace and Jedediah Buffalo Bird. Gideon and his family are with a traveling wild west show, but Gideon has taken some time away to go and train a man's horses on his ranch. Now that the work is done, Gideon and his horse Star, are about to head out on the train back to San Francisco to catch back up with his family and the show. Before he heads out though, a Sioux Indian stumbles into town, very badly injured after being attacked by a boar and Gideon saves him from being beaten by some of the scumbag locals by getting him safely to the doctor. Things don't look good for him, but the doc knows of some treatments that could work so Gideon uses his money on the board and meds to nurse "Jed" back to health. Days later, when he's up to it, and Gideon no longer has enough money to travel by train, Jed promises to be his guide and take him and his horse over 1,000 miles to get him to his family.
Gideon is twenty. He is big-hearted, full of loads of charm and hope and sees the possibilities in everything and the good in everyone. Jed is extremely guarded and especially does not trust the white man, but has every reason not to. Jed is unable to resist Gideon's charm though, and along the way, they teach each other about themselves. We get a glimpse at life between whites and Indians in the late 1800s, as well as the love of two men, no matter how much the feelings might be denied.
This is a heart-wrenching, heart-warming, love story of two people who go against the odds at a time when doing so could mean more than just losing their freedom. One for the favorites shelf for sure.
Gideon is twenty. He is big-hearted, full of loads of charm and hope and sees the possibilities in everything and the good in everyone. Jed is extremely guarded and especially does not trust the white man, but has every reason not to. Jed is unable to resist Gideon's charm though, and along the way, they teach each other about themselves. We get a glimpse at life between whites and Indians in the late 1800s, as well as the love of two men, no matter how much the feelings might be denied.
This is a heart-wrenching, heart-warming, love story of two people who go against the odds at a time when doing so could mean more than just losing their freedom. One for the favorites shelf for sure.
November 12, 2013
My friends all seem to use the word wonderful to describe this story and I have to agree. It was a story, and the author's voice was that of a storyteller. I enjoyed this tale which seems to take place mid-19th century. Gideon Makepeace is planning to travel to San Francisco to meet up with his parents and extended family/co-workers in their traveling wild west show. On the day he's planning to leave, he discovers an injured young Indian being bullied by townfolk and he intervenes in time to get him help.
After finally surviving the infection and raging fever, due to Gideon's financial and personal intervention, the Indian, Jedediah Buffalo Bird, agrees to be Gideon's scout from Montana to San Francisco. Over the course of the month or more that it takes the men to travel, they fall in love. Of course, the story is not so simple, and of course, neither man wants to declare his love or even hope for a future together.
The joy of this story is in the journey -- both the physical journey across country and the emotional journey from physical attraction to emotional commitment. I definitely plan to read the sequel and I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a great story.
After finally surviving the infection and raging fever, due to Gideon's financial and personal intervention, the Indian, Jedediah Buffalo Bird, agrees to be Gideon's scout from Montana to San Francisco. Over the course of the month or more that it takes the men to travel, they fall in love. Of course, the story is not so simple, and of course, neither man wants to declare his love or even hope for a future together.
The joy of this story is in the journey -- both the physical journey across country and the emotional journey from physical attraction to emotional commitment. I definitely plan to read the sequel and I recommend this one to anyone who enjoys a great story.
September 9, 2016
Not for me. Lacking experience with m/m romance featuring Native Americans, I didn't expect anything concrete, but I definitely didn’t expect the book to be so nice, mild and… well, plain. Don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable and well-written, but there was nothing left in my mind when I closed it.
What’s the point of creating a Native American character, which is delicate, slender, pretty as a girl, bottom 99% of the time, wise, polite, well-mannered, even well-versed in Bible… practically an Indian Jesus Christ incarnate. Also it’s Wild West without gunfights, hot pursuits and anything or anyone wild (the bandits notwithstanding, they are just in the backcloth). As I said: nice, mild and plain. Even the sex scenes, which are nice and plenty, didn’t stir my loins.
What I did like was the idea of love growing from just sex, I enjoy the concept, and it’s quite rare in m/m romance.
What’s the point of creating a Native American character, which is delicate, slender, pretty as a girl, bottom 99% of the time, wise, polite, well-mannered, even well-versed in Bible… practically an Indian Jesus Christ incarnate. Also it’s Wild West without gunfights, hot pursuits and anything or anyone wild (the bandits notwithstanding, they are just in the backcloth). As I said: nice, mild and plain. Even the sex scenes, which are nice and plenty, didn’t stir my loins.
What I did like was the idea of love growing from just sex, I enjoy the concept, and it’s quite rare in m/m romance.
dnf
July 31, 2015I'm not going to give a rating to Well Traveled. The writing is superb, and both Jed and Gideon were wonderful characters to get to know. Unfortunately, and probably through fault of my hormones and the synaptic connections in my brain, I just couldn't really get into the story. Objectively, the story was fine. There were some heart felt and sad moments. But maybe I just wasn't in the right state of mind for the setting and type of story presented in Well Traveled. Either way, I don't think it would have been fair to rate the story.
March 8, 2017
My father is a huge fan of John Wayne, and as such, I grew up on westerns and have always enjoyed them. In that respect, Gideon and Jed's story definitely fulfilled many dreams and wishes. The story was believable in every facet. I also really liked that the story took it's time, the pace set matches equally with the pace set by Jed and Gideon, and never once does it sway. I enjoyed watching their tentative (on Jed's part) friendship grow into, again, a tentative (on both) relationship.
June 15, 2012
I absolutely loved this book.I could've kept on reading about Gideon and Jed without ever getting bored.Gideon was a sweetheart and after I finished the book my biggest wish was that there would be one that told the story from Jed's point of view because I really really wanted to know what he thought...he's mysterious right to the end.5 stars and it goes to my favorites !
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