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: Enticing Hart

Title: Enticing Hart

Author: Mae Hancock

Publisher/GR Link: Loose Id, GR

Genre: MM Contemporary

Vice: Cowboys, coming out

Rating: 4 out of 5

Lock this book up : 4 out of 5 keys, sex is very hot and appropriate to the story

Length: Novel

Satisfaction: HEA, and looking forward to the stories to come

Cover Impressions: What's not to like?!  Hot cowboys and pleasant scenery. 

Best Line: "Oak clung to him and inhaled Hart's scent as he nuzzled his neck.  It was the safest place in the world."

Synopsis: Hart Emile is tired of cruising for guys, living a soulless existence. He needs a change; so when an acquaintance gives him the number of the gay friendly Red Fox Ranch that’s hiring for staff, he heads south.



Oak Redman is eighteen years old and desperate to explore his awakening sexuality. The moment Hart lays eyes on the handsome young rancher he’s smitten. Not only is Oak hot, spirited and very persistent, he is also the ranch boss’s son and strictly off limits. Hart tries to fight his feelings and to respect his boss and the family who quickly become dear to him, but after Oak's Grandma suggests he gets with Oak he can't deny himself the most exciting and enticing man he has ever met. 

Hart’s not the only man to have noticed how sweet and charming Oak Redman is. A family friend, Steve, is also anxious to have the affections of the young rancher. Can Hart work out Steve’s dark secrets before it’s too late and keep his job, his lover and his life?

Impressions: I liked this book, but it was a little iffy in the beginning.  I liked Hart, but I really did not connect with Oak at all.  He struck me as spoiled and selfish, and I was prepared to feel the same way throughout the book.  Fortunately, in a very short time I came to really like Oak, and to believe in the romance between Hart and him.  What bothered me about Oak faded into an understanding of his own lack of maturity, but coupled with his self awareness and willingness to change, my perspective on him changed as his character deepened.

This book was a fun, sexy Ranch romp, and it had the right blend of romance and intrigue that it kept my interest.  It was definitely hot, and the story, while high on plot drama, was fun and engaging.

One thing that set this apart was the character of Bey, and his struggles with OCD.  I found him to be complex and interesting, and I am hopeful that we will hear his story next.  (A little birdy hinted to me that that might be the case! Loose Id has contracted for the second book in the story, and if I tell you it has "Cotton" in the title, you'll understand my excitement!)

Bey was handled with compassion and realism, and what could have been a contrived plot device became something much more believable and integral to the coming stories.  

Definitely check this one out!  I know I will be checking for the next book, and awaiting more sexy times from this ranch!