Book Review: Cotton Candy, Wyoming Lovers #2

Title: Cotton Candy, book #2 in Wyoming Lovers

Author: Mae Hancock

Publisher/GR Link: Loose Id, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary Western

Vice: Cowboys, Western, Series

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  The sex is hot and supports the story line.

Length: Short Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: I love it!

Best Line: "An extraordinary feeling of relief swept over Bay."

Synopsis: Cowboy Cotton Reid is the laid-back type of guy who accepts people as they are, no matter how flawed. People think he’s fun, honest and crazy about his boss and friend the sexy rancher Bay Redman.

Living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is something that family man Bay has done his whole life. Bay can be like a bear with a sore head if the hay isn’t stored symmetrically or his fridge contains an odd number of jars.

When the two men begin a hot affair, Cotton keeps an important secret from Bay. If he can't find the courage to tell him the truth before someone else does, Bay may never be able to let it go.

Impressions:  I've been looking forward to Cotton and Bay's story ever since we were introduced to them in book 1.  

One of the things that I liked about this book is that it doesn't over simplify many significant concerns in the story.  For instance, love and sex may help Bay to feel more comfortable in his skin, but they are not the cure-all for his OCD.  Bay's OCD isn't just a cute plot device, it is a real and potent challenge to his happiness. He knows how much it affects those around him, and he can't imagine finding a lover who can tolerate living with his issues.

I also really liked that the issue of parents and biology was explored with tact and grace.  This isn't a story where family is boiled down to DNA, and that really resonates with me.

I really enjoyed watching Cotton and Bay work for their HEA, and it does take work!  

I would have loved even more of the love and romance, and a little less of the secret/parenting plot, but I really enjoyed the series, and its a great view of life on a farm where who you love matters a lot less than how you love.

Recommended.

Book Review: My Cowboy Promise

Title: My Cowboy Promise (book 4)

Author:  ZA Maxfield

Publisher/GR Link: Intermix, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Cowboys, Western, OFY, Children

Rating: 4 out of 5

Lock this book up: 3 keys.  The sex is slow to arrive, but there is a slow burn, and the sex fits in the story in a believable way. 

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: I like it.  Just how I picture Ryder.

Best Line: "Andi had my right hand, and Declan stood so he could take hold of my left. We all bowed low, and in that unique, utterly badass way, he changed Bitterroot, Texas, forever."

Synopsis: To become the man he’s meant to be, one cowboy will have to be the man he never wanted anyone to know he was…

Ryder Dent is a true-blue cowboy. A devoted son, husband and father, but one who is living a costly lie. When they were both young, Ryder and his closest female friend Andy thought they’d found the perfect solution to both their problems—she was single and pregnant, and he was secretly gay—so they got married and raised Jonas together.

When Ryder gets hurt at a party, his son’s new pediatrician comes to the rescue. The connection between Ryder and Dr. Declan Winters is sudden, powerful, and undeniable. Ryder loves Andy and the family they’ve created together—but they both need more. Can they pursue their hearts’ desire without destroying the life they’ve built and losing the son they love?

Impressions:  I love some cowboys, and add a kid into the mix?  Well, I'm there!

I really enjoyed this book!  Ryder was very likable, and Declan was sweet and adorable, with enough strength to make him a strong character who I believed could standby Declan.

Ryder has a lot on his plate, and he is facing the challenge that he has tried to avoid for four years.  I found it very possible that Ryder, at the age of 18, could have made a commitment to his friend to stand by her and make a family, in a way that also preserved his standing in the community and gave him a shot at a family and respectability.  Though this is not a typical choice, I found it very believable that this was what a young man might choose. In a homophobic town and setting, I could believe that an 18 year old might feel that the only way he could have love was to sacrifice parts of himself and develop a deep friendship love, and familial love, for his wife and child.  When he meets Declan, he realizes that he has sacrificed something that he didn't totally understand at 18- romantic love. 

I really liked Andi, Ryder's wife, too.  She could easily have been written as a nagging banshee, but I found her to be a loyal, though imperfect, and committed to the family she created with Ryder.  Though she has moments when she falters, her loyalty always remains with her son, and with their family unit, and I really respected that.  

Along Ryder's journey there are some surprises and some let downs, but I thought this was a very unique MM book that focused on several types of love, and looked at family as an evolving and inclusive entity.

I love this whole series, and though this is not your typical MM romance, you will find hot sex, true romance, and a deep and abiding love that exists beyond gender, sexuality, and society's expectations.

Definitely recommended.

Pre Order NOW! Eastern Cowboy

Title: Eastern Cowboy

Author: Andrew Grey

Publisher/GR Link: Dreamspinner (Preorder) GR

Genre: MM Contemporary Western

Vice: Disablity, Speech Problems, Strong and Silent Types, Cowboys

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Lock this book up: 3 out of 5 keys.  The sex is hot, romantic, and matches the plot

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: I like it, and it suits the story

Best Line:  "He wasn't sure what Tanner was saying, but it didn't matter.  He was being held tight, and that was what counted."

Synopsis: Brighton McKenzie inherited one of the last pieces of farmland in suburban Baltimore. It has been in his family since Maryland was a colony, though it has lain fallow for years. Selling it for development would be easy, but Brighton wants to honor his grandfather's wishes and work it again. Unfortunately, an accident left him relying on a cane, so he’ll need help. Tanner Houghton used to work on a ranch in Montana until a vengeful ex got him fired because of his sexuality. He comes to Maryland at the invitation of his cousin and is thrilled to have a chance to get back to the kind of work he loves.

Brighton is instantly drawn to the intensely handsome and huge Tanner—he’s everything Brighton likes in a man, though he holds back because Tanner is an employee, and because he can’t understand why a man as virile as Tanner would be interested in him. But that isn’t the worst of their problems. They have to face the machinations of Brighton's aunt, Tanner’s ex suddenly wanting him back, and the need to find a way to make the farm financially viable before they lose Brighton’s family legacy.

Impressions: I have always been a fan of Mr. Grey's work, though I still have several left on my TBR pile, but I am so glad that I moved this one to the top of the pile!

Grey does a great job of creating realistic, moving characters, and Tanner and Brighton are two of my favorites.  I love a wounded hero, and this book has two in one!  Brighton, self conscious of his scars and afraid no one can want him meets Tanner, huge, strong, and caught up in his own fears that his stutter is a sign of his intelligence.   These two men, so convinced of their own flaws learn to love each other, even before they can love themselves.

This story was like wrapping myself in a comfy robe and settling in with a warm cup of cocoa.  It was sweet, sexy, and touching.  There is enough angst to make the relationship one that I cared about, but this isn't a read that will break you apart.  Rather, it will remind you that when we feel broken, there are always those around us who see us as perfect for them.  

If, like me, your TBR pile is quickly outpacing your eyes, make sure you still keep this one on the top.  When you need some warm fuzzies, grab this one and settle in.

This book is available for preorder, so grab it now!

Book Review: A Little Bit Rock and Roll

Title: A Little Bit Rock & Roll

Author: E.M. Leya

Publisher/GR Link: Smashwords, GR

Genre: Contemporary, MM

Vice: Disability, coming out, rockstars, cowboys

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Lock this book up: 3 out of 5 stars, the sex is very hot and totally supports the story

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA

Cover Impressions: Simple.  

Best Line: "He wanted Colt, felt like his life depended on this experience, yet, the thought of going back into the house where the others might see them was petrifying."

Synopsis:Kyle thought he had it all. That was until his band's tour bus becomes stranded in Wyoming during an epic snowstorm. When rancher Colt Billings offers assistance, everything Kyle thought he knew is tested and he is forced to face emotions and truths that he has managed to hide most his life.

The last thing Colt needs is an attraction to a young rock star, but ever since he opened his home to the band to wait out the storm, Kyle consumes his mind. Keeping his distance from the long-haired singer is just not an option.


When their two worlds clash, they must work through their feeling as their passion grows, and secrets threaten to end it all. Just when things look like they might work out, tragedy strikes, adding new insecurities and issues the two must overcome, making them wonder if love really is enough.

Impressions: I picked this up because I just wanted something different, and I was really pleasantly surprised.  I thought this would be a cowboy/rocker love story (and I was A-OK with that!) but it was more complex, and I right when I thought I knew what was going to happen, the story switched it up on me.  I really liked these two guys, and their bandmates/friends.  I thought they both handled the situations realistically and believably.  

This was a great story and just what I was looking for for something different, entertaining, and engaging.  The sex was hot, the characters were great, and the setting was interesting.

Give it a try!

Definitely recommended!

Review posted on Amazon and Goodreads.