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| 3.93
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| May 10, 2020
| May 10, 2020
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it was ok
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This had a lot of potential and I appreciate the effort the author put into the story but I ended up having problems with every aspect: the writing, t
This had a lot of potential and I appreciate the effort the author put into the story but I ended up having problems with every aspect: the writing, the historical details, the action plotline, the romance and the MCs. I'll list my issues from smallest to biggest. Sloppy Typos I've seen much worse but the book had frequent SPAG errors that were a distraction. Most of these were missing word situations or wrong word usage situations but there were also a handful of other errors. The book isn't very long so it was annoying that the author couldn't be bothered to go over it more thoroughly. Use Of Modern Profanity/Phrases It's a pet peeve for me but I hate having words like shit and fuck used in historical romances set prior to WW2. In particular, this story takes place in the 1860s so I don't want characters using modern profanity. In addition, the author often threw in modern phrases (ex. Like hell I will) that felt out of place with the time period. Unresolved Action Plotline The entire book focuses on one problem: the mysterious earthquakes that have been happening in the town of Ruby Gulch, particularly the ruby mine. Marcus has been studying the problem for months and when Will Dolan returns from magic university to learn about his father's ruby mine's business, Will joins Marcus' efforts. The whole story revolves around the solving of this problem with the MCs going to different places and talking to different people about it. They do end up figuring out how/why the earthquakes are happening but the resolution was lackluster and left a major part of the problem unresolved. Long story short, the earthquakes are being caused by (view spoiler)[an ancient magical serpent that sought refuge from a changing climate deep within the mountain thousands of years ago. When the mine work started, the serpent wedged itself deeper and deeper into the mountain and some of the tunnels it had used to get in caved in. So the poor thing is supposedly stuck and whenever it tries to move, earthquakes happen (hide spoiler)]. I liked everything about this explanation but I didn't like that the author took a lackluster approach to fixing it. (view spoiler)[So Will's father decides to deal with the serpent by blowing it up, which only results in nearly killing Will's younger brother, injuring the serpent and creating more work for the father's overworked mine workers. Since the serpent is too injured to make its way out of the mountain even with Marcus and Will's help, they decide to feed the serpent strong sleeping potions. It'll need to sleep for 10-15 years before it has the energy to free itself, (hide spoiler)] which was a cool twist. Except that the story ends there and reviews indicate that this plotline isn't resolved in the rest of the series. W...T...F...??? Why would you build up such a big plotline and then leave it unresolved?? (view spoiler)[The blast could have killed the serpent which would have resulted in no more new rubies being created (the rubies turned out to be shed scales from the serpent), ending the mine and the Dolan family's income stream. Leaving the serpent asleep but still stuck and leaving Will's father with access to his mine results in the major conflicts set up in the story being left unresolved. Sure, the story ends with Will, Will's mother and Will's brother all leaving Will's father, but I expected a lot more. (hide spoiler)] Plot Holes While I liked the reveal of how/why the earthquakes were happening, I felt the author didn't fully think things through. For example - why on earth was it necessary for Marcus and Will to travel 2 days to a nearby Native village only for them to be told that (view spoiler)[there's a 'magical being' inside the mine? Marcus and Will both have magical abilities that allowed them to figure this out for themselves (hide spoiler)]. Another example - (view spoiler)[if this ancient serpent is so powerful that it's skin literally consists of the material that allows magic to be done and if this being has existed since the last ice age (so approximately 10,000 years) then why the hell couldn't it blast its way out of the mine? The serpent had demonstrated that it has no respect or love for any other creature, especially the annoying, puny humans who are busy digging up the mountain and hauling away its shed scales. So the serpent shouldn't have any second thoughts about blowing up the mountain to get out (hide spoiler)]. Will = Useless And Childish Throughout the entire story, Will comes across as way too naïve and childish in comparison to Marcus. I loved the beginning where Will defeats some Dust Devils on his way to town by using a neat little bit of magic. It demonstrated that Will's magical knowledge and abilities may not be flashy and immensely powerful but he's a knowledgeable and intelligent guy. Unfortunately, the author clearly favored Marcus over Will because as soon as Marcus comes on the scene, Will becomes a useless child with Marcus being superior to Will in every way. Marcus has stronger and more useful magical abilities, he knows more about magic than recent magic university graduate Will, he's more sexually experienced, he has better people skills and he can speak directly to his familiar while Will can't speak to his. It wasn't a surprise when (view spoiler)[it's Marcus who can speak to the serpent (Will can't) and that it's Marcus who rescues Will's brother (hide spoiler)]. Sure, there's a scene early on where Will saves Marcus' life but the rest of the narrative firmly kept Marcus in the role of savior/wise one/experienced one while Will sat around, being useless. The author literally includes a line near the end where Marcus is busy helping Will's mother care for the injured brother and Will decides the best thing he can do is stay out of the way. Never mind that Will had been the one to nurse Marcus back to health at the beginning of the story - Will telling himself to stay quiet and out of the way was a perfect representation of his role in the story. Due to Will remaining so childlike and ignorant throughout the entire story, I didn't believe for a second that Will would be happy leaving behind his wealthy upbringing and living on the road with Marcus for the rest of his life. They spent a total of 4 days traveling to/from that Native village and Will decides this has provided him with enough experience and understanding of living out of a saddle bag that he's going to give up everything and everyone he's known. It was ridiculous and Will came across like a stubborn, naïve child. I would have been much happier if the story had ended with Will forcing his father to give control of the mine to Will and having Will implement changes that demonstrate his own approach to life. The whole point of Will's arc was for him to stand up to his father and carve out his own path, but having him decide to leave everything at the drop of a hat reminded me of a child packing a bag and stomping off down the block, declaring they're 'running away forever', only for them to be back home 2 hours later when they realize running away wasn't what they expected it to be. I have zero doubt that Will will end up joining his mother and brother in New York within a few months. Lackluster Romance, Marcus = Gary Stu In contrast to Will's naïve uselessness, Marcus was basically a Gary Stu. He was gorgeous, strong, knowledgeable about things that needed to be known, experienced in all important things and he conveniently has the magical abilities that are needed for the majority of situations in the story. The result of this lopsided characterization for the MCs meant I couldn't understand what Marcus saw in Will except for the latter being a willing bed partner. Marcus often has to educate Will, reprimand him, remind Will about his privilege/whiteness etc (more on that later) and it always felt like a father or wise old man educating a youngster. When the MCs declared they were 'in love' after having spent about two weeks together, I didn't believe it. Another reason the romance fell flat for me was because the author was relentless in her message that all white men are evil, racist and wealthy. Nearly every page had Marcus (who is black and also a recently freed former slave) thinking about that or reminding Will about that. The Native village that the MCs visited for a hot second also had every character with dialog reminding readers that all white men are evil, racist and wealthy. Look - this was taking place in 1868 so I completely understood why all of these characters had this opinion and they're free to hold that opinion, but it means I didn't end up believing in or rooting for a romance that had Marcus pair up with somebody who represents everything he hates. The repetition of this hatred towards white men got so bad that the author had to make Will more and more meek and child-like in order for him to remain likeable. There was a strong sense of the characters only tolerating Will because they thought he was a dumb child and because he was willing to be their punching bag. If Marcus told him to stay quiet and not say anything when the others were standing around, declaring that all white men are wealthy, racist and evil then that's what Will had to do. I hated everything about this but in particular, I didn't like how it resulted in me not rooting for this romance. Marcus needs to be with somebody who he can actually respect and that's clearly not a white man who is as naïve as Will is. And Will deserves to be with somebody who will only judge him based on his own character and his own actions, not things beyond his control such as his skin color, his father's actions or being born into a wealthy family. There's no way this couple would work out in the long term and that's another reason I'm not rating this higher than 2 stars. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Feb 11, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| B084WQ6F3C
| 4.07
| 56
| Mar 12, 2020
| Mar 12, 2020
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really liked it
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I loved it! I've tried quite a few historical western MM romances and most leave a lot to be desired, which is why it's always exciting when I find on
I loved it! I've tried quite a few historical western MM romances and most leave a lot to be desired, which is why it's always exciting when I find one that I enjoy. The historical details were wonderful, the MCs and their romance was very well done and I loved the cozy atmosphere and the gentle pacing. The MCs are a perfect example of opposites attract. Zeb is a shy teacher who adores teaching and he's also really into natural sciences (insects, plants etc) so he spends his free time sketching butterflies in meadows and reading biology textbooks. Rene is a jaded, sarcastic reformed con artist who enjoys the finer things in life and wears a veil of snootiness as a suit of armor. When they meet, Rene's snootiness is on full display and that rubs Zeb the wrong way, which creates some animosity between them. Thankfully, the author made the brilliant decision to write the story in dual POV because Zeb's strong dislike for Rene is written so convincingly that if we didn't get Rene's side of things right from the start, I probably wouldn't have warmed up to Rene. Since they're living in a tiny town in Montana (it consists of one main road and half a dozen shops) and Zed is the town's teacher and Rene is the town's accountant, they're constantly bumping into each other and being forced to interact. Through these different social situations, they end up getting to know each other better and there's so much sexual chemistry between them that they start being drawn to each other. Another great decision from the author was to have both Zeb and Rene already comfortable with their sexualities from the start. They've both had complicated romantic relationships with men in their pasts (the complicated nature of those relationships was an important source of conflict in the story) so they easily picked up on the signs they were both putting out about being attracted to each other. (view spoiler)[The speed at which they went from casual acquaintances to strongly hinting that they're attracted to each other was a bit fast for the times but I'm willing to forgive the author for that because getting the MCs together by the midway point was important for the overall pacing of the story. (hide spoiler)] One of the things I loved about their romantic relationship was that neither of them are overly fond of the other's personality when they start sleeping together, but as they spend more time together and get to know each other, they start clicking on every level. (view spoiler)[Rene is constantly astounded that he'd never have the patience to listen to anybody else read to him from a biology textbook or listen to somebody rambling about different types of birds or the names of different meteor showers, but he's happy to do so when it's Zeb doing the talking. As for Zeb - once Rene lets Zeb see the soft, gentle soul that he's hiding under his steel armor, Zeb instantly falls for him. (hide spoiler)] Their relationship was adorable from start to finish and I was constantly smiling at how much they liked being with each other. The pacing of the story was very well done, IMO. It's a slow paced, domestic story that realistically portrays the calm, routine lifestyle that was common in small towns like that. Lots of nights are spent curled up in front of the fire and reading to each other or having dinner at different people's homes. All of the side characters were interesting and necessary additions to the story since the boys' lives and their relationship moved quite slowly and changes usually came from the side characters. Special events such as dances or festivals, Zeb helping his older students start a school newspaper and the school board voting on how much money the schoolhouse roof repair would get were all things that added to the MC's lives and their relationship. Having the MCs get together by the midway point also served the important purpose of giving Rene plenty of time to share details about his past with Zeb. Since the author gives us Rene's POV throughout the book, readers are aware of Rene's depressing history from the start. (view spoiler)[After his mother passed away when he was 11 years old, his alcoholic father dropped him off at an orphanage where he had a miserable existence, especially because he was much too old to be adopted but considered too young to be hired as a worker. He ran away after a few years and barely survived living on the streets before he was introduced to the concept of prostitution, which started his descent into hating his fellowman but taught him survival skills. He worked his way up the prostitution ladder until he was working in a brothel and then struck out on his own as a con artist who stole from various rich people. (hide spoiler)] It's never made clear why he got tired of that lifestyle but he had to find a place to lay low and the slow pace of Bedford Creek is perfect. He forges some credentials for himself and takes a job as an accountant since he's spend most of his life dealing with money and numbers. It's hilarious that the town basically handed control of their meager finances over to a con artist, but Rene does his duties honestly and makes no effort to take advantage of the situation. He just wants to lay low and figure out his next step. What he wasn't counting on was falling in love with Zeb (who's as pure as snow in comparison to him) or having somebody from his past randomly show up in town. Readers know all of these things from the start so it's no surprise that Rene's complex past leads to problems for the MCs in the second half. But once again, the author impressed me because this conflict wasn't approached with the usual eye rolling stupidity that authors usually use. (view spoiler)[Rene makes the decision to share certain things about his life with Zeb that he's comfortable sharing (the orphanage, the prostitution) and which he feels Zeb would understand. He doesn't share the other things (being a con artist) because he knows Zeb doesn't have the right mentality or understanding of life to see things the way he should. I agreed with Rene, even though I knew that Zeb would eventually find out. Well, Zeb does find out and the way the author dealt with it was great. Zeb is told about Rene's past via an anonymous letter and he immediately goes to confront Rene about it. They argue and Zeb essentially tells him that he still loves Rene but he can't wrap his head around the idea of Rene having spent years stealing from people so he could buy himself fancy cravats and expensive wine. Zeb needs space and for Rene to leave him alone, which was understandable. Their break up was heart breaking because it's so clear that they both still love each other and want to be together but they're also realistic about it. Rene knows that apologizing or making stupid grand gestures won't solve the situation. All he can do is wait and see how Zeb will view the situation once he's let it sink in. Then the author added in one of my personal favorite tropes: hurt-comfort! Rene gets pneumonia and once Zeb finds out, he appoints himself as Rene's 24/7 nurse. He helps him eat, changes his bedclothes, helps him bathe, forces him to take his medication and refuses to let him smoke. Through it all, Zeb is constantly slipping into past-Zeb mode and calling Rene 'my darling' and barely stopping himself from kissing him hello on the forehead. Those scenes made me feel so warm and fuzzy inside because it was so clear that Zeb still loved Rene and wanted to be with him, the only question was how he would move forward with the knowledge he had about Rene's past. At the end, I loved the outcome the author chose because it was very realistic. Zeb simply chooses to leave Rene's criminal acts in the past. They don't discuss it and I think that was the point because Zeb would never be able to shift his thinking into a position where he'd understand why Rene's conning of rich people is justified or not a big deal. Due to Zeb's life experiences being so different from Rene's, Zeb's interpretation of what's right and what's wrong in a moral sense doesn't align with Rene's and that's not something Zeb feels he should have to change about himself. But Zeb loves the man Rene is today and Rene hasn't shown any indication that he'll ever go back to being the selfish man he used to be, so Zeb decides to move forward with him. I loved that attitude because Zeb could have tossed Rene aside due to his past actions but at the end, Zeb knew that he'd just be hurting them both if he did that and there'd be no gain for either of them. I also appreciated that it's Zeb (not Rene) who puts his foot down and goes to confront the anonymous letter writer to get him to leave Rene and him alone. Zeb surprised himself and me when he discovered that his soft edges have gotten a bit rougher by being around Rene and he's willing to push back when somebody threatens him and the man he loves. It demonstrated that both MCs had adopted traits from each other throughout the book, which was a beautiful demonstration of character development. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I loved this to bits and I highly recommend it if you're a fan of the subgenre. The only similar romance (historical western set in a small town) that I've enjoyed was Julia Talbot's To Hell You Ride (published in 2007) so it's not an exaggeration to say that it's hard for me to find winners in this subgenre. Here's to hoping that the author will publish more MM romances soon! ...more |
Notes are private!
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Feb 11, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1615810706
| 9781615810703
| 1615810706
| 3.50
| 437
| Oct 01, 2009
| Oct 05, 2009
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did not like it
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DNF @ 75% This is a late DNF but I had lost all hope that things would improve and I couldn't be bothered to skim to the end. This story was published DNF @ 75% This is a late DNF but I had lost all hope that things would improve and I couldn't be bothered to skim to the end. This story was published in 2009 and the author took inspiration from the popular historical Western romances written in the 80s and 90s, which is something that would appeal to certain romance readers but not to me. Most of my issues with the story stem from this, as well as other issues. I'll discuss my issues in separate sections but they're in no particular order. Modern Language To the author's credit, a lot of the dialog sounded like it would fit the late 1890s era that the story was taking place in. Unfortunately, the effect was ruined by the constant inclusion of modern profanity and modern phrases. Ian = Terrible Reverend I have no idea why the author chose to make Ian a Reverend because the guy was the most unintentionally terrible Reverend I've ever come across in historicals. The guy swears constantly, he frequently uses the no-no God-related phrases (ex. Jesus Christ! Oh my God!) that people weren't supposed to use, he has no problem threatening violence when he's dealing with somebody he dislikes and he has no problem telling the people close to him that he no longer believes in God. Not only that, but we rarely see the guy doing his job. The only times he goes to do Reverend things is conveniently when he wants to run away from his problems with Bryn, but that's not how jobs like that go. The guy was supposed to be preaching at church every Sunday and regularly leading funerals/weddings/baptisms etc. The town seems to have quite a few people so you'd think the guy would be busy but he spends the majority of his time being a farmer. Ian was the least religious person in the entire book and that's why I thought it was hilarious and also dumb that he was chosen to be a Reverend. The story would have gone the same way if he was just a farmer or had some other job so I don't know why the author decided to go with that profession when it was clear Ian wasn't going to represent it properly. An Uncomfortable Romance Dynamic While I liked Ian and Bryn individually, certain choices the author made resulted in me not feeling comfortable with their romance. Bryn is 22 and Ian is 29 and this age gap is made worse at the beginning by having Ian be a lot more mature and experienced in all things (except sex) than Bryn. Ian is an established member of the community, he's comfortable with his career, he was married and had a child. On the other hand, Bryn has been raised by a neglectful, abusive father and due to the addition of extreme poverty, Bryn has no education, few social skills and is much less emotionally mature than Ian. At the start of the story, Bryn constantly displays childish behavior and Ian takes on a parental role with him, which made their growing attraction towards each other feel icky. The worst example of this was a conversation where Bryn is eagerly telling Ian that Ian's housekeeper had made Bryn chocolate cake 3 times while Ian had been gone and a short while later, Bryn pleads with Ian to be allowed to keep his special chicken in the barn instead of the hen house (where the little chicken was constantly being bullied by the bigger chickens). Ian responds the way a parent would and the whole thing made me uncomfortable. To the author's credit, Ian stops thinking of Bryn/treating Bryn as a replacement son at about the halfway mark but only because he suddenly becomes as emotionally immature as Bryn. It made the romance more palatable but it still wasn't enjoyable. Repetitive Emotional Conflict For the majority of the story, the main conflict between the MCs is always the same: Bryn's lack of self-confidence makes him doubt Ian's feelings for him and Ian struggles to accept his homosexual urges. Both of these conflicts were built on solid foundations since they strongly connect with the MCs' pasts (Bryn's abusive upbringing and Ian being a Reverend) but I ended up disliking both because the plotlines became very repetitive. Every single time somebody did something nice for Bryn, he went into OTT internal angsting - wondering if the person can truly like him, fearing that the person will abandon him etc. Every single time anything remotely sexual happened between the MCs or whenever Ian thought about it, Ian would melt down in OTT internal angsting regarding how bad his homosexual urges were. It was boring and very, very repetitive. Not only was the internal angsting boring, but I also got tired of the MCs constantly being drama-llamas. The two of them would constantly misinterpret what the other guy meant or make assumptions about the other person and then literally run off in a dramatic fit. There would be dramatic yelling and crying and when they ran off, sometimes they'd stay gone for days. It wasn't realistic that men their age and in that time period would behave like that but it was the strongest indication that the author was heavily inspired by the 1980s and 1990s historicals that featured similar interactions. Uneven Pacing For the first half of the story, the only conflict was the repetitive angsting that I mentioned above, as well as Ian grieving for his deceased baby son (view spoiler)[(Ian and his wife had never gotten along and she had killed herself and their child shortly after the baby's birth) (hide spoiler)]. Things improved at the halfway mark when the author introduced some external conflict that was interesting and well paced (view spoiler)[(ex. Bryn being badly beaten by his father and being rescued by Ian who invites Bryn to come live with him and his housekeeper, Bryn and Ian adopting an abused horse, Bryn revealing the existence of his young daughter and bringing Dandelion to live with them etc) (hide spoiler)]. Unfortunately, the story seemed to be taking place on a runaway train that had started out way too slow but then gained speed at a constant acceleration. By the 70% mark, tons of other plotlines had been introduced (view spoiler)[(Dandelion getting sick, Ian getting engaged to a woman, Ian's housekeeper's husband dying, Ian and Bryn breaking up, Ian helping the town during the influenza outbreak etc) (hide spoiler)], while the previously mentioned plotlines were all still in play which resulted in an overwhelming mess. None of the plotlines were getting the attention they needed and the characters were bouncing from one to the other so there was no chance for readers to connect with the things that were happening. Weird Writing Style A lot of reviewers have pointed out that the story suffers from terrible transitions and this is true, but not to the extent people say. The author doesn't use traditional scene break indicators but the first word of every new scene is always capitalized, which made it easy to determine if a new scene starts. That being said, the author had a tendency to switch POVs way too often and this meant having way too many scene breaks during certain interactions. Sometimes a character would only have a few lines of dialog before the author did a scene break and switched to another character for the next few lines and so on. It was a bit exhausting to read but I did get used to it. But that didn't address the weird way the author randomly ended scenes whenever they felt like it. Often, characters would be in the middle of conversations and then BOOM - scene break and the MCs are now in a different location, doing something new. First of all - the prior scene needed to have a proper ending. Second of all - there was no attempt to transition from one scene to the next. Third of all - the author rarely bothers filling in the blanks of what happened after the abrupt ending of the initial scene. It felt like the author just didn't want to finish certain scenes. In some cases, the author skips over material in order to make reveals more impactful, but it was still done in an amateur way that made the reading experience not enjoyable. Unsexy Smut Scenes I have no idea why the author's preferred term for male genitals in this story was penis but it didn't work for me. I don't like that word, I don't find it sexy and having it constantly appear in every single smut scene didn't work for me. In addition, the MCs don't know what they're doing when it comes to sexy times and Bryn's lack of confidence and Ian's shame result in their sexy times lacking emotion and not being sexy. Everything was clinical, crude and blunt and that's not my cup of tea when it comes to reading smut. There was also Ian's weird decision to call Bryn his concubine...? Bryn thinks the word means prostitute for a while and that leads to the predictable internal angsting on his end but then Ian explains that being a concubine is a position of honor and it indicates how much he cares about Bryn...? I didn't get it. It was weird and it added to my dislike of the smut scenes. Conclusion Overall, this was a massive miss for me. Many of the issues with it are sadly related to the era when it was written. Prior to 2010, the for-profit MM romance genre was in its infancy so authors were trying out all kinds of different formulas and approaches to see what they liked and what readers liked. This particular story obviously followed a formula that the author enjoyed but it's not my thing. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 18, 2024
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Jul 19, 2024
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Sep 09, 2023
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Paperback
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| 0857156306
| 9780857156303
| 0857156306
| 4.09
| 1,496
| Aug 22, 2011
| Aug 01, 2011
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really liked it
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This was amazing! Another review mentioned that the author has said that this is her favorite story out of everything she's written and I understand w
This was amazing! Another review mentioned that the author has said that this is her favorite story out of everything she's written and I understand why. This is an incredibly unique romance that blended together elements that I've never seen combined. This story contains the following: + An alternate-universe historical western setting that's similar to our own but differs due to specific supernatural elements + An interesting twist on First Nations history in the Americas that incorporates magic, ghosts and issues of identity and cultural history that directly impact multiple characters + A wonderful rural setting where the harshness of that remote ranching life has a large impact on many plotlines + A great BDSM romance where the bigger/older MC is the submissive and sexually inexperienced one + Amazing character arcs for both MCs who come into the story carrying a lot of baggage from their pasts + A creepy and interesting supernatural/ghost plotline that's strongly connected to multiple things in the story but doesn't take the focus away from the MCs and their romance The Few Negatives Before getting into more details regarding my favorite aspects, I want to point out the minor issues that prevented this from getting 5 stars from me. First - it's a bit too long. I loved the slow, comfortable pacing that perfectly matched the rural setting but there were a few scenes that were repetitive and they could have been removed to tighten things up. Second - there's an (view spoiler)[unexpected threesome scene at 90%. I liked the third character who was involved and I understand what the author was going for with that scene, but I don't like threesomes and I particularly didn't like how this one came out of the blue (hide spoiler)]. It's also VERY long - it takes up entire Chapter 30. On the bright side - you can skip that entire chapter and not miss anything important. Third - Aren comes into the story with lots of baggage related to sex. He's been mistreated and also abused by many former partners. Specifically, he was a sub in these interactions (I won't call them relationships) and the doms took advantage of their power over him, his desperation and his naïve trust in them. When Aren gets involved with Deacon, Aren insists on being in the dominant role and thankfully, that matches what Deacon wants. But due to Aren's prior dom role models being horrible people, he doesn't always treat Deacon appropriately. He often doesn't ask for consent before doing something new and he often finds himself taking out his anger at his previous abusers during scenes with Deacon. None of this was appropriate and I did appreciate that Aren often realizes afterwards that he hadn't acted right. But the fact that Deacon always enjoys what Aren did was a plot convenience that meant Aren wasn't very motivated to change his behavior. I wish this had been explored in much more detail and that Deacon had pushed back more. In particular, the way the (view spoiler)[threesome (hide spoiler)] scene came about made me really uncomfortable (view spoiler)[(Aren ties a naked Deacon up and blindfolds him and then invites the third man into the room without asking Deacon beforehand and knowing that the man is still technically Deacon's employee so the situation would make Deacon very uncomfortable) (hide spoiler)]. But as I said - you can skip Chapter 30 and avoid the entire thing. But in general, I wish Aren's inappropriate approach to his dom responsibilities had been explored a bit more seriously. Fourth - I encourage you to not think about the magic/ghost plotline too deeply because you'll likely notice the many plot holes I noticed and that would take away some of your enjoyment. In a nutshell, the wraiths can attack people when they're outside at night so it's essential to ensure you're in an enclosed dwelling before the sun sets. The author uses the inherent danger of the situation to create tons of tense situations, but I realized many of the situations are dangerous because people haven't been using their brains. For example - (view spoiler)[one of the neighboring ranches is located two days ride away so a single, rickety shack has been built at the midway point. Riders have to reach this shack and spend the night there or the wraith will kill them and they also have to hope that the shack is in good (enclosed) condition when they get there. This plot point is very important and results in a lot of big issues in the story...but it's incredibly stupid to only have a single shack in that location. Why haven't they built multiple shacks? In fact - why not build shacks every mile or so along that route? (hide spoiler)] And if your entire society is based on not being able to go outside at night, why do they have separate buildings?? Why don't they have connecting hallways that would allow them to access different parts of the ranch any time? Anyway - these obvious plot holes are another reason why I can't give this 5 stars because the author could have fixed these issues with a bit more effort. Now I'll discuss some of my favorite aspects from above in more detail. Deacon's Cultural Identity I don't want to spoil things because the slow reveal of Deacon's past was wonderfully woven throughout the story and it's a huge part of what made me love the book. Right from the start, there are hints that Deacon and old, blind, crotchety Olsa aren't like the others on the ranch. If you pay attention to every detail in the story - Olsa's cryptic complaints to/about Deacon, the family dynamics of the ranch owners, the specific behavior of the ghost that haunts the cottage Aren's renting - you'll be able to put the pieces together yourself but the author does a wonderful job with the slow reveal and binding everything together. The exploration of this alternate version of First Nations culture and history was wonderful and I loved how the author combined it with Deacon's character arc and many other parts of the story (the wraiths, Aren's haunted house, Aren's character arc etc). The Side Characters It's always a good sign if I love the side characters in a romance because it means the author did a perfect job incorporating them into the story. This book contains a lot of side characters and I initially struggled to keep them straight, but then I realized that's the point. Due to the rural setting and the supernatural dangers, there are a lot of deaths in this book. Ranching accidents, the wraiths, violent disputes between people and a lack of external law enforcement - there are a lot of ways people can die in such a world and the author doesn't shy away from that. Essentially, most of the side characters exist to showcase these dangers and to allow the author to keep the ranch functional even if multiple people die or leave for errands. The important characters are given plenty of development and have essential roles so it's easy to keep track of them. In particular, I fell in love with Olsa, who was a very important part of the story. Deacon is a huge, powerful man who has absolute authority on the ranch and at the start, there are only two people who he bows down to - ranch owner Jeremiah and old Olsa. Aren joins that list too, but I loved that Olsa treated Deacon as if he's still a dumb teenage boy who doesn't care about his culture or history because for most of the book, that's exactly how he acts. Olsa was one of the best parts of the story. The BDSM I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I realized that Deacon would be the sub and that Aren would be the dom in this book! They're complete opposites with Deacon being older, bigger, stronger and having spent his life working on a ranch while Aren is the exact opposite in every way, including having spent his life living in the city and enjoying a pampered lifestyle at university. Deacon is a very grumpy, quiet individual who is an amazing foreman and an essential part of the ranch but due to his position, he has no friends. Everybody respects and relies on him but none of them are Deacon's equal; being either below or above him in status. Aren is the bookkeeper and while he does involve himself in helping around the ranch when possible, he's outside of the usual hierarchies that have kept Deacon isolated. That's why Deacon is so thrilled when Aren extends a hand of friendship and Deacon's quiet joy at finally having found a friend who he can relax with and be himself with was so sweet! But when they discover that Deacon is also gay and is interested in a BDSM relationship despite having zero experience with BDSM or gay sex, things get even better. Deacon has spent his entire life being the strongest and most experienced man on the ranch - the person everybody (including Aren) looks to during emergencies. His knowledge about ranching, the animals, the wraiths, the land and everything else is only surpassed by Olsa so he always has tons of responsibility on his shoulders. Being a sub allows him to give control over to Aren and having Aren be his equal means Deacon feels comfortable letting go. It's also why Deacon allows Aren to use the BDSM as a form of punishment, which allows Deacon to heal from many traumatic things he'd lived through. The BDSM kinks they engage in include (view spoiler)[bondage, blindfolds, orgasm denial, impact/pain play (using a riding crop and spanking via hands) and using that impact play as punishment from time to time (hide spoiler)]. I loved how they gradually built up the intensity of the scenes they were doing. In particular, I loved that Deacon isn't comfortable with any ass play at the start so Aren tops from the bottom for most of the story. Since Deacon wants to get more comfortable, Aren slowly incorporates little steps that gradually bring them to Deacon bottoming and I loved the pacing of the whole thing. Aren's Character Arc One of my favorite aspects of the story was the growth Aren undergoes. He comes to the ranch having been abused and bullied by others. He views himself as a weak coward who prefers to spend his time alone, sketching and hoping to avoid getting hurt again. Things start to change through his friendship with Deacon and their BDSM relationship, during which Aren is treated as an equal or a superior. (view spoiler)[Having a huge, strong man like Deacon respect Aren and submit to him goes a long way to repairing Aren's self-confidence, not to mention that Deacon adores everything about Aren, including his abilities as an artist and his bravery in staying in the haunted house. What's great is that Aren doesn't view these things as positives until Deacon points out that he should. In addition, Aren also starts helping out around the ranch with simple chores because he wants to spend more time with Deacon. An unintended side effect of that is Aren bonds more with the other ranch hands and family members, he earns their respect and he learns more about the ranch and gets physically stronger. (hide spoiler)] Aren undergoes a complete physical and mental transformation throughout the story and I loved how beautifully it was paced. Conclusion I truly adored this unique romance and all the wonderful elements the author incorporated into it. If you're a fan of BDSM, I highly recommend it. If you're not, I still highly recommend it because you can skip the BDSM scenes and still experience the wonderful ranching plotlines, the amazing romance and the beautifully paced character arcs. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 28, 2023
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Oct 02, 2023
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Jul 26, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1615816038
| 9781615816033
| B0047O2PB2
| 4.08
| 446
| Oct 01, 2010
| Oct 18, 2010
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did not like it
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DNF @ 38% Despite the great historical authenticity (except for a handful examples of modern profanity), good writing and respectful portrayal of First 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. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 10, 2024
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Mar 13, 2024
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Jul 13, 2023
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ebook
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| 1610404521
| 9781610404525
| B00C2BXFCU
| 3.85
| 39
| Mar 26, 2013
| Mar 27, 2013
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DNF @ 40%. No rating. This story is available on AO3. While the author's usual historical authenticity was on full display, I'm finding that the story i DNF @ 40%. No rating. This story is available on AO3. While the author's usual historical authenticity was on full display, I'm finding that the story is more historical gay fiction than historical gay romance. I had similar issues with this author's historical western Dry Bones, which is what made me decide to stop reading. The MCs are interesting and the main reason I picked this story up was because I loved the idea of two random guys having a one night stand in a random Old West town and then unintentionally getting teamed up the next day when they're both hired/told to go solve a mystery. Unfortunately, their reunion ended up not having the emotional impact I wanted it to have, which was the first sign that the author wasn't taking the approach I wanted. The author made the unusual decision to skip over the scene where the MCs come face to face for the first time after their one night stand, as well as the scene from that evening where we're told they'll be sharing a room at a hotel before leaving town the next morning. These two scenes would have included tons of emotional upheaval so it was strange to skip them. But even worse, the MCs act like co-workers who did have casual sex with each other but that fact doesn't impact their interactions at all. The sex meant nothing to either of them. While that might be realistic, it meant there was zero chemistry or UST between the MCs and that's not what I want in a romance story. The ability to remain professional with fuck buddies is great, but I don't want such people as MCs in a romance. Another issue is that the author's approach to the historical time period didn't work for me. Both MCs had very formal speech patterns, which sounded odd and I didn't get why they spoke that way. They're both originally from the eastern US and ended up in California through random circumstances so they didn't start out life working on ranches but their speech patterns sounded so formal that they sounded robotic and too old-fashioned for 1869, even for well educated men. In addition, I found myself not understand a lot of what the MCs were talking about. The author went all in with the usage of historically accurate lingo and conversation topics but I know very little about California's history so I had no idea what they were talking about half the time, particularly because there was a lot of blending of English and Spanish terminology. But overall, my main issue is that the MCs had zero chemistry and while they do continue their casual fuck buddy dynamic, they don't seem to have any romantic feelings towards each other. Their non-hanky-panky interactions are all purely professional as they focus on the mystery of the 'ghost rider'. Since the mystery wasn't why I picked this up, I ended up feeling bored. This all being said, I only read 40% of it so I don't know if there's more romance as the story progresses, which is why I'm not rating it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Dec 17, 2023
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Dec 17, 2023
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May 21, 2023
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ebook
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| 1610402235
| 9781610402231
| B0058I6PNA
| 4.23
| 48
| Jun 13, 2005
| May 21, 2011
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liked it
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This story is available on AO3. I really enjoyed the historical details in this short Western but unfortunately, the romance felt incomplete due to the This story is available on AO3. I really enjoyed the historical details in this short Western but unfortunately, the romance felt incomplete due to the short length. While it was really great historical gay fiction, I wasn't satisfied with it as a historical gay romance. The historical atmosphere was incredibly well done and I immediately felt immersed in the 1896 Old West setting. I especially liked that Joss' speech patterns sounded very authentic for the time period and his background. If I were to judge this as being historical fiction, it would be fantastic. The story starts with Joss and Ox having been friends for years after getting to know each other when they happened to be working on the same ranch. Since then, they've travelled around together, finding work and taking care of each other with Joss being the extrovert while Ox is the introvert. Their dynamic first reminded me of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men and this worried me because I had a lot of issues with that book. But it turns out that any comparisons between Ox and Lennie (from Steinbeck's book) are only surface deep. Anyway, Ox is a very quiet gentle giant and for that reason, Joss doesn't know much about his partner's history and the reveal of that history is what the story's main focus is. I liked how there are small hints from the start that Ox comes from an upper class background, which Joss has picked up on over the years. The way Ox speaks, his mannerisms, his financial knowledge and his love for reading all connect to him having grown up in wealthy surroundings. I loved how this was contrasted with Joss, who grew up poor, was raised by a single mother and barely has any education. This class divide between them was beautifully balanced by Ox being the quiet one who is happy to let Joss take the lead when it comes to finding them work or getting them out of trouble. They've spent years teaching each other skills that their own lives had taught them in an exchange of knowledge that's designed to help both. For example, Ox taught Joss how to read while Joss taught Ox how to sew and fix tack. Their friendship was beautiful and I especially loved how it's obvious that these two boys deeply respect and care for each other, despite how opposite they are. The main plotline in the story involves the boys randomly getting involved with somebody from Ox's past, which is how Joss learns more about his friend and solves some mysteries that have been in place for years, such as why Ox barely speaks, where the scarring on his back came from and how a seemingly simple ranchhand obtained the education he has. Ox's story was really interesting and I liked how the author revealed bits and pieces of it so Joss and readers put things together at the same time. Unfortunately, the part of the story that wasn't well done was the romance. (view spoiler)[Although they've been friends for years, Joss never has a clue that Ox is gay and this is only revealed in the last third of the book when Joss is putting together the final pieces of Ox's mysterious past. As for Joss - he's never felt any attraction to a man. But when Joss learns that Ox is gay and has had past gay relationships, Joss suddenly decides that he's jealous and that he wants to do gay stuff with Ox too. In the last 10% of the story, Joss and Ox randomly decide to fall into bed together, which felt unrealistic and way too rushed. We don't get Ox's POV in the story because that would ruin the slow reveal of his past but because he's also very, very quiet, I finished the book being unclear on whether he truly has romantic feelings for Joss and if yes, how long he's had these feelings. As mentioned before, Joss has never felt any sexual attraction towards another man so his sudden interest in Ox felt gay-curious rather than anything romantic. It was a clear case of GFY and I'm not a big fan of that trope anyway, but I particularly didn't like how the GFY trope wasn't even complete in this story. Normally, the GFY MC gets together with the other one and that's followed by lots of angsting and questioning over what his sexuality is and what he wants for his future. There's usually some conflict that makes the GFY MC have to decide whether to spend his future with the MC or go back to being with women. But in this book, the story abruptly ends right after Joss and Ox's first sexual interaction. They make plans for where they'll travel next for work and that's it. The End. (hide spoiler)] Overall, I really enjoyed this as historical fiction and I'm going to check out the author's other work because I liked everything about the story except for the romance. I'll keep my fingers crossed that future books I try will have a more satisfying and complete romance plotline. ...more |
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1
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Jun 22, 2023
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Jun 22, 2023
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Apr 27, 2023
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ebook
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| 095654262X
| 9780956542625
| 095654262X
| 3.79
| 239
| May 01, 2010
| May 01, 2010
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did not like it
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This story and its sequel have been made available by the author for free on AO3: Part 1 - End Of The Trail Part 2 - The Devil In Dead Horse DNF @ 30% Thi This story and its sequel have been made available by the author for free on AO3: Part 1 - End Of The Trail Part 2 - The Devil In Dead Horse DNF @ 30% This had so many things I love: a historical MM western, a badass outlaw who hides from the law by moving in with a rancher and developing a deep love for ranching, and a grumpy rancher who injured his leg and now walks with a limp and has chronic pain. Unfortunately, nothing worked for me here. I adore historical westerns but this one might as well have taken place on a ranch in modern times because the MCs speech patterns were too modern. There were also blatant historical inaccuracies, like John teaching Will about French Toast with the excuse that 'the Frenchies' taught him at some point. But my bigger problem was that I didn't like either MC and the relationship progression between them took place by telling instead of showing. Will was a boring character who spends too much time mourning for his deceased wife. Hilariously, the author uses a plot convenience at one point to move Will's young son far away from him which kept the kid out of the picture (I assume the author didn't want to bother dealing with a kid throughout the story) but had the side effect of making Will look like he didn't give a damn that his son was no longer living with him. As for John - he's supposed to be a bad guy; an outlaw who has murdered and robbed countless people. But the author took the approach that I hate by going overboard trying to make John be a Good bad guy. Please grab your tiny violins and join me in creating an appropriately tragic soundtrack for the following Epic Tragedy: + John has an incredibly angsty backstory and he was abused and hurt by practically every single person he's ever met + He was forced into every single act of criminality that he's ever done by circumstances beyond his control + He may have risen through the ranks and become an outlaw leader but he's the kindest and fairest outlaw leader to ever exist + He spends his days lamenting over how evil he is and in a crowd of people condemning John for his actions, John's voice is always the loudest And on and on and on. I hated every part of how John was portrayed. If you're going to have a bad guy MC then let him be a bad guy and give him a solid redemption arc. Not this stupid wishy-washy 'he's a bad guy but he's a Good bad guy' thing. Not only did I not care about either MC but their romance was absurd. Will comes across a badly injured John on his land and he takes him in so he, his wife and his young son can help John recover. Okay, fine - that's how things were done back in the day. But then we're told that they all become one big happy family within a few days and Will, his wife and son all adore John and they're crushed when he leaves. We don't see any of it, we're just told and the whole thing was incredibly rushed. And THREE YEARS later, John suddenly shows back up and Will recognizes his voice before seeing his face, as if that's realistic. But then Will randomly allows John to move back in with him and from that point onwards, Will is oddly comfortable around John. It made no sense to me because Will knows that John is a criminal so there's no reason for Will to trust him. But even if you ignore John's criminal history, it was still unrealistic to have Will accept John in his life so easily. Due to Will being lonely after his wife died and his son having been taken away, I could have believed the rushed pacing of Will allowing John into his life again but there's no chemistry between them and the majority of their interactions are done through telling instead of showing. I felt nothing for these MCs so I didn't believe in their relationship. Then at 30%, the author randomly shoves a graphic MFM scene into the mix, which I don't care for anyway. But everybody involved lacked hygiene and I didn't care about any of the three, so I was so grossed out that I had to stop reading. But in any case, I wasn't a fan of what the author did with this premise anyway. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 24, 2023
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Jul 25, 2023
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Apr 27, 2023
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 1611520770
| 9781611520774
| B004WX1IYS
| 3.37
| 30
| 2008
| Apr 17, 2011
|
did not like it
|
DNF @ 35% Nope. I've had enough of Caleb and I can't tolerate reading another sentence with him in it. I had mistakenly assumed that this story would t DNF @ 35% Nope. I've had enough of Caleb and I can't tolerate reading another sentence with him in it. I had mistakenly assumed that this story would take place after a time jump and that Caleb would have matured during that time and be a worthwhile partner to Brance. But no - Caleb is just as annoying, immature and sex-obsessed as always. Asides from hunting, the guy adds nothing to their relationship. Brance has built them a cabin and furniture and I'm sure it's thanks to Brance that they have clothes, horses and money to buy other supplies with. All Caleb does is follow Brance around while whining at him about wanting to have sex 24/7. Brance has to constantly remind him that they have more important things to do and they'll get to the sex later but Caleb doesn't care - he whines and complains like he's a little kid. Their interactions remind me of a parent having to put up with a whiny toddler but in this case, the whiny toddler is actually an adult man and the conversations are focused on sex so it's not working for me. Overall, this series has been a massive disappointment after having loved the author's other US Civil War romance A Heart Divided. Instead, this series reminds me of the author's The Regent's Knight, which I hated for very similar reasons. Amery and Caleb are basically the same character so that's not a surprise. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 04, 2023
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Sep 04, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 1611520746
| 9781611520743
| B07RZF41SB
| 3.58
| 33
| Jan 01, 2007
| Apr 10, 2011
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liked it
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This was a big improvement over the first book but it was still a disappointment. The author clearly had no interest in using the US Civil War for any
This was a big improvement over the first book but it was still a disappointment. The author clearly had no interest in using the US Civil War for anything except set decoration and at least this book has the MCs living in the wilderness as deserters so the author could stop pretending that the war will matter to the plot when it clearly doesn't. This story takes place 6 months after Caleb and Brance had deserted their respective armies and I loved that this one is from Brance's POV instead of Caleb's. Caleb continues to be a useless, naïve kid who comes across much younger than 22 years old. His sole focus in the story is either hunting for food (granted - he's good at it and he's the main hunter between the two of them) or he wants to have sex with Brance. The guy doesn't care where they are, where they're going or what their futures will be like. That's for Brance to figure out. Caleb is just horny and dumb and that's the extent of his characterization. This is one of those cases where I can't get past the feeling that if Brance had literally any other options for romantic partners, he'd drop Caleb like a hot potato. These two don't make any sense as a couple. I do like Brance and I liked how the author used their werecat abilities to make a more interesting plot than in the first one. In this story, Brance and Caleb are doing their thing in the woods when three random guys catch them in their werecat forms and they decide to hunt the two 'bobcats' to sell their valuable furs. What follows is an interesting and suspenseful plotline since the three hunters have different approaches to catching their prey and Caleb and Brance aren't normal bobcats either. Granted - Caleb's participation in the whole thing is restricted to him playing the damsel-in-distress, which was annoying but not surprising. What I did enjoy was that the animal characterizations in this installment were better than in the previous one. In the last book, Caleb was very obsessed with the idea of having sex while in cat form and I wasn't into any of it. But in this one, I liked that the author had Brance blend his human and cat instincts together in a way that resulted in cute and meaningful interactions. For example, I loved it when they touched noses in cat form as a version of kissing and that Brance always considered Caleb 'his mate' whether they were in human or cat form. The reason I can't give this more than 3 stars is because Caleb's childish and sex-obsessed role was very annoying and there were too many repetitive sex scenes for such a short book. But having this one be from Brance's POV made me like Brance more and the final book being the longest of the three makes me hopeful that it'll have an even more substantial plot and maybe Caleb won't be so annoying. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 03, 2023
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Sep 03, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| B004V4G1SG
| 3.41
| 44
| 2007
| Apr 03, 2011
|
it was ok
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I'm very disappointed because this series was a highly anticipated read for me. The author's other Civil War historical (A Heart Divided) was a 5 star
I'm very disappointed because this series was a highly anticipated read for me. The author's other Civil War historical (A Heart Divided) was a 5 star read for me and American Civil War MM historicals are so rare anyway that I was very excited about this. I was hesitant because each book in the trilogy is very short and I didn't understand how the author would do justice to the US Civil War aspect, the enemies to lovers aspects AND add in a shifter fantasy aspect. Well...it turns out that you can't do all these things together. Or at least, this author couldn't pull it off. This book felt more like erotica than historical romance because the worldbuilding was sloppy and the author didn't even try to have it make sense. In worlds where people can be bitten by animals and turn into were-animals, authors have to make that reality make sense in the universe they created. Instead, we're supposed to believe that Caleb and Brance were both bitten over a decade ago by bobcats, they've been werecats ever since and they turn into a werecat once a month, but nobody else does and nobody else knows about were-animals. Never mind having their families never find out - but these two guys have been in the military for several years with nobody ever finding out. The story starts with Caleb freaking out and having to run into the woods so he can get away from his fellow Confederate soldiers before his change happens...but he's already been in the army for 2 years. That means he's gone through 24 monthly sessions, which is a total of 72 nights during which he changed into and out of being a werecat. Yet, he's never been caught, his strange behavior has never been noticed and he's never encountered another werecat until the book starts and all three of these things happen at once. Then there's Caleb and Brance's ridiculous instalust relationship. I liked that they met with (view spoiler)[Brance having been injured and Caleb helping him heal and bringing him food (hide spoiler)]. But their age gap didn't work for me. Caleb is so painfully young, immature and naïve in comparison to Brance that I didn't understand what could have attracted Brance to Caleb. Even Caleb's constant horniness wasn't happily embraced by Brance all the time, who reacted with annoyance on more than one occasion. Then there's the lack of chemistry between them and the fact that Caleb knows nothing about Brance except that he enjoys having sex with him. This isn't a couple I was rooting for. They're just two men who happen to both be werecats and be gay so it's convenient for them to have sex. They don't even care that they're on opposites sides of the war, which was another disappointment (more on that later). The author tried to salvage the power dynamics between them by (view spoiler)[having Brance be taken prisoner by the Confederates and then have Caleb rescue him. But the rescue was so simple and went so easily that I didn't care (hide spoiler)]. Also - having both Caleb and Brance be in their respective armies purely for the employment opportunity and not having anywhere else to go meant that them (view spoiler)[deserting their units to run off together at the end (hide spoiler)] had zero emotional impact. They hadn't cared about the military, the war or their fellow soldiers so (view spoiler)[leaving (hide spoiler)] was pretty much shrugged off by both of them as not being a big deal. The author's heavy focus on the shifter aspect and the MCs not caring about the war meant this could have taken place in pretty much any pre-contemporary time or place. It could have taken place in a fantasy setting and made no difference and that's disappointing when I specifically wanted to read a US Civil War historical. There were also other aspects I didn't like and they were connected to the author's strange approach to the animal aspects. There's one weird scene where Caleb is hunting and he refers to the creatures he's hunting as does, bucks, kittens and rabbits alternatively. I don't mean that he's hunting different animals on different days - this is one scene and the author refers to the hunted animal by different names, switching back and forth. Very strange. Another thing I didn't like was how close to bestiality Caleb and Brance's animal interactions came. They were equally attracted to the idea of having sex in cat form as human form and maybe that's normal for shifter books (I don't read many) but it squicked me out. Sorry. I'll continue reading the series because each installment is very short and I'm still hoping the quality will pick up but this first one was a big disappointment. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 03, 2023
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Sep 03, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 160272377X
| 9781602723771
| B001QBPM0U
| 3.44
| 39
| 2008
| Dec 31, 2008
|
it was ok
|
Side note: please give a moment of appreciation to the cover artist because that cover is a perfect rendition of Jesse's wanted poster from the story,
Side note: please give a moment of appreciation to the cover artist because that cover is a perfect rendition of Jesse's wanted poster from the story, which plays an important role. That was a really great touch! I was very excited about this one because Historical Westerns are one of my favorite subgenres but they're rare and they're usually erotica with no attempt at historical authenticity. The summary for this one made it seem like it had a solid plot, so I was excited. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I wanted because the author steered away from romance territory after the first part and firmly headed into erotica land. The story started out very well. All characters used too much modern profanity and everybody seemed unusually accepting of Jesse's tendency to have flings with men but all the other historical details were good. (view spoiler)[When Jesse and the rest of the outlaw gang are hanging out at a bar, Ethan comes in. The guy is a tenderfoot (ie somebody from the city who decided to try their luck in the West) and he has to stay in town while his horse recovers from an injury. He has no money and to his credit, Ethan immediately makes a deal with the bar owner that he'll play the piano and sing and collect donations from the bar patrons that the bar owner will get a cut of. The cowboys don't care for Ethan's religious songs and they bully him while he's trying to perform but Jesse is enthralled by Ethan and he pulls out his gun and convinces everybody to shut up and listen to Ethan. (hide spoiler)] I loved their dynamic and I also loved that Ethan may have been out of his element and he did need Jesse's help but Ethan was tough and was determined to do what he could to survive the situation he was in. Things were looking very good! Unfortunately, the author changed gears at that point. Ethan became a typical damsel-in-distress who barely contributed to the rest of the plot and spent most of the story being overly emotional and constantly whining that he wanted to have sex with Jesse. There was also instalust and instalove. It was ridiculous. As for Jesse - I liked his relationships with the rest of the gang and I liked how the whole thing played out with the cattle ranch owner, but everything was way too rushed. People are killed left, right and center and I didn't have enough time to get to know them so I didn't have any emotional reaction to their deaths (either negative or positive). Like I said, I also hated that Ethan wasn't part of any of that. Jesse orders him to hide at his hotel and Ethan sits there, clutching his metaphorical handkerchief to himself as he stares out the window at Jesse getting stuff done. The author had demonstrated that Ethan could think on his feet so I was hoping that Ethan would be used in a clever way that fit his abilities, but no. Another thing I didn't like was that the story abruptly ends without a proper resolution. (view spoiler)[Jesse has been shot and he's hiding at the cabin with Ethan and Jesse reassures Ethan that he'll be fine in a few days and they'll leave for California. Then the story ends. It was very odd because there was no reason not to do a little time jump to the boys starting out for California or having a tiny scene showing them being on their way. It was very strange to end the story with Jesse being badly injured, lying on the cabin floor and trying to reassure Ethan that he'll be fine. (hide spoiler)] If read differently, it was kind of an ominous ending because based on how medical issues went in the Old West, you could question whether this is a guaranteed HEA or not. LOL! Due to the short length, I also didn't appreciate having the author put two lengthy smut scenes and a weirdly timed masturbation scene into the story. These made the story straddle the line between erotica and romance, which was too bad because the characters were interesting and the plot was good but the author's priorities didn't match my own. ...more |
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1
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Jan 14, 2024
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Jan 14, 2024
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Apr 22, 2023
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ebook
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| B08CNNQD2C
| 4.04
| 83
| Aug 17, 2020
| Aug 17, 2020
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did not like it
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DNF @ 40% This was incredibly boring and I read way more of this than I should have but I kept going in the hope that it would get better. It doesn't. DNF @ 40% This was incredibly boring and I read way more of this than I should have but I kept going in the hope that it would get better. It doesn't. At least - not up to the point where I stopped. Other reviewers indicate that things get better in the second half when the story switches focus, but I'll explain later why that wasn't enticing to me. The book's pacing is incredibly slow with things moving at a snail's pace due to Myron's constant and repetitive internal monologuing. The guy spends page after page crushing on Cade and angsting over whether his submissive desires make him less of a man. Is it realistic that a man would spend a long time angsting over these things while living in the 1860s? Sure, but it doesn't make for an interesting story. Once the smut gets under way between Cade and Myron, I still wasn't impressed due to the way it was executed. Cade shifts back and forth between not being comfortable with BDSM versus being really into his dom role, and not knowing anything about BDSM versus acting like a seasoned dom whose been doing scenes for years. Then there was the bizarre way Cade seemed to know that Myron was submissive and liked BDSM sex before they'd ever had that conversation. Cade claims to know this because he spied on Myron bathing and finger fucking himself. It must have made sense in the author's head but I was confused over why enjoying bottoming automatically seems to equal enjoying being a submissive partner in a BDSM scenario. None of this made any sense and it's one of the reasons I didn't enjoy the smut scenes. The other thing I didn't like about Cade and Myron's interactions was that Myron seemed to be written as a gender-swapped female character. Specifically, his actions towards Cade and the things he said reminded me of how heroines often act in historical romances. After I noticed that you could swap Myron with a woman and barely anything about his interactions with Cade would change, I couldn't stop noticing it and it was a massive distraction. Before deciding to pick up this book, I made the mistake of not reading other reviews thoroughly and I don't think I would have bothered if I had read through all of them. Apparently, Myron goes back to his family home at the halfway mark and experiences a complete personality change and the focus of the book shifts from being a cowboys-in-the-wilderness romance to being a family drama containing an evil older brother who Myron has to outsmart. Based on the way Myron was depicted in the part I read, I can't picture him as being able to easily outsmart and outmaneuver his older brother. Sure - we're told that he and Cade enjoy reading books and both of them have more education than the general cowboy does in this time period, but nothing about Myron's behavior, speech patterns or thought process made me think he's a sophisticated, upper class man with a lot of cunning. I don't seem to be the only one who noticed that disconnect, which is why those other reviewers complained about Myron's apparent personality shift. The only positive aspect of the story is that the author portrayed the life of an 1860s cowboy pretty authentically. I loved the details about their day to day lives, how they cared for the horses and cattle and what life during the cattle drive was like. That being said, the MCs loved to use the word fuck throughout the story, which always annoys me in a historical romance set prior to the 20th century. Overall, it's unfortunate that the story moved at a snail's pace and that the romance between the MCs didn't hold my attention because I love western historicals and this one treated the historical aspect much better than the majority. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Nov 03, 2023
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Nov 05, 2023
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Jan 26, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1951532643
| 9781951532642
| B0842VQMQG
| 3.85
| 66
| Jan 2007
| Jan 20, 2020
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really liked it
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This was such an unexpected delight! It was originally published in 2007 so I think this is one of the very first historical western MM romances ever
This was such an unexpected delight! It was originally published in 2007 so I think this is one of the very first historical western MM romances ever published and it holds up very well. Despite how short it was, the author did a fantastic job with the romance pacing and character development and I felt the story was the perfect length for what it wanted to accomplish. Roy is one of those sweet gentle giant characters - a big, rough man who spends his life doing hard labor and he might look intimidating but he wouldn't hurt a fly and he also likes some of the fancier things in life, such as going to the theater. He was such a lovely man and I adored him. Then there's Edward Clancy, who is a flamboyant, spoiled, overly dramatic man who was born into poverty but climbed his way up to the higher rungs of society when he became an actor. He's become a spoiled, jaded man who looks down his noses at everybody and doesn't form close connections with anybody, including the many men he has rotating through his bed. These two characters were complete opposites in every way and that's what made their romance so interesting because they really had to work at their relationship. Truthfully, most of that work had to come from Edward. He's not a nice man when the story starts and sometimes he doesn't treat Roy very well but it was very interesting to see how his slowly developing feelings towards Roy made him want to change and then actually go through with that change. I also liked that Edward didn't magically become a better/nicer person overnight. It took time and he sometimes slipped back into old habits but his feelings for Roy always make him want to do better. One of my favorite examples of this was when (view spoiler)[Roy came to town to visit Edward but Edward had his theater friends over and he was embarrassed by Roy's presence and rudely told him to get lost. Then Roy can't find a place to sleep in town because it's too late and he ends up sleeping in the stables, on the floor. To my delight, Edward quickly changes his mind, kicks his friends out and searches all over the town in the middle of the cold winter night until he finds Roy and brings him home (hide spoiler)]. Another plotline I loved was when (view spoiler)[the mine caved in, trapping an injured Roy and several other miners. After realizing that his temper tantrums with the mine owners weren't getting him anywhere, Edward finally rolls up his sleeves and spends hours digging through rock and rubble to help free Roy (hide spoiler)]. Even though there were too many sex scenes in the story and many were repetitive, there were also loads of other interesting plotlines that kept me invested from start to finish. I also found it interesting that this story is essentially a long distance relationship but it's one that would only be truly 'long distance' in the 1800s. Roy lived and worked at the mine, about a 2 hour walk from the nearby town where Edward was staying with his acting troupe through the winter. While such a distance wouldn't be a big deal in today's world, this separation in the 1800s meant Edward and Roy sometimes had to go months without seeing each other if the weather/road was bad and their only form of communication during that time was by sending letters back and forth using the mule train that brought supplies between the mine and the town. Visiting each other took lots of advanced planning, time and effort and it made their relationship even sweeter. I also appreciated that Edward ended up falling in love with Roy and accepting him exactly as he was. While Roy has very good manners and does his best to clean himself up before visiting Edward or the theater, Roy will never fit in with Edward's group of upper class, hoity-toity friends. Nor would Roy want to. I especially liked that the author purposefully made Roy be not very physically attractive. While Edward does grow to appreciate Roy's physical strength, his intelligence and his kindness (in fact, Edward does his best to emulate Roy's behavior), there's never a point where the author has Roy undergo some type of physical change to be more attractive. Edward gets used to the way Roy looks and he stops caring that Roy isn't conventionally physically attractive, which is yet another way that Edward grows and changes during the story. In terms of historical authenticity, I really liked how the author portrayed both Edward and Roy's lives. There were a lot of different characters (including many Chinese characters, which fit with the time period) from all walks of life and having Edward and Roy come from two different social classes allowed readers to see what life is like in such tiny Old West towns from many different perspectives. I did feel the town was a little too accepting of homosexuality for that time period, but it wasn't at the same ridiculous level that some other authors take it to. Rather than being outright accepting of Edward and Roy's sexual orientations (and Edward's many male bed partners), it was kind of glossed over by the author. Instead of it being done for the sake of presenting an alternate version of history, it felt like it was done for plot convenience and since the story was too short to allow for additional plotlines that would have included anything related to homophobia, I didn't mind. Overall, I really enjoyed this, not just as a romance but as a historical western MM romance. The romance was great and I adored the characters so I highly recommend this sweet little story, especially because historical western MM romances are so rare. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 11, 2023
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Jan 12, 2023
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Jan 11, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 1602728704
| 9781602728707
| 1602728704
| 4.03
| 67
| May 12, 2009
| May 12, 2009
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it was amazing
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Re-Read: June 2024 Original Read: Nov 2022 This was so good! I can't believe how amazing this story was. WOW! Not only was it a really great second chan Re-Read: June 2024 Original Read: Nov 2022 This was so good! I can't believe how amazing this story was. WOW! Not only was it a really great second chance romance but I also loved how well the author incorporated the historical details of this time period and especially how she used the Civil War as the perfect opportunity to add more tension and emotion into the mix. But my favorite aspect was Andy and Sam's relationship. Their love for each other was amazing and that resulted in the story having everything I want in a romance. The only negative IMO was the author's unfortunate use of modern profanity throughout the book. The dialog was historically authentic for the most part but the frequent use of modern profanity was a distraction. But I love this story so much that I don't even care about that, which is highly unusual for me. The story is novella length so the author had limited pages to work with and I really loved that the main focus was always on Sam and Andy. Their history is explained through frequent but brief references and discussions, which gave a really clear picture of how much their relationship means to them and how much they love each other, which is exactly what a novella needs. I also loved that this wasn't a typical second chance romance setup. The two of them had been in a relationship for 4 years but Sam (a farmhand) was forced off Andy's family's farm in Mississippi when Andy's dad discovered their relationship. But even though Sam was forced to leave, both Andy and Sam are determined to reunite as soon as possible and they never stop working towards that goal, with Sam working odd jobs out west to save up enough money to buy Andy a train ticket and get them set up for their new lives. Three years into their reunion mission, the war interrupts and I really liked how the author reflected Sam and Andy's personalities through their choices of which side of the war to support. For Andy, it's an issue of pride and fighting for the life he's always loved and wants to have with Sam. As for Sam, he had zero desire to join the fighting on either side but his on-going quest to raise as much money as possible results in him joining the Union army, despite Sam being a lifelong Southerner. Why? Because the army recruiter offered Sam a sizeable bonus for joining. I found that really funny and it fit with Sam's personality so well. Even after they're reunited when Sam is injured on the battlefield and Andy is struggling to take care of him, Andy doesn't push aside those long term plans they'd both been working on. While Andy's initial instinct is just to desert the Confederate Army and take off with Sam, his logic quickly points out how dumb that would be. Sam can't walk, they're in Virginia so they're far from home, they'd only have a few supplies and both of them would be labeled as deserters and considered criminals. But if Andy stays in the army, he can get access to supplies (food/medicine/clothes) and he'll keep getting paid and if he waits until his enlistment is up, he won't be living on the run due to being a deserter. The way these two guys always prioritized their long term relationship, even if that required short term sacrifices was fantastic and it emphasized how much they loved each other and how badly they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives. Another thing that made my romance-loving heart really happy was how Andy's priorities instantly changed when he realized the wounded Union soldier he'd found was Sam. Right then and there, Andy's desire to keep fighting in the war, support his fellow soldiers, fight for his Southern way of life and everything else flew out the window. Instead, taking care of Sam became the high priority and the author did a great job demonstrating how there was no room for negotiation in Andy's heart from that moment on. He lied to his fellow soldiers, he ignored his responsibilities (he was one of the few officers in their group), he bribed the doctor for medical supplies and at multiple points, I honestly thought Andy would outright threaten to shoot people who he demanded help from if they didn't help him. This single minded determination was intense and it emphasized how much Andy loved Sam and how much their relationship meant to him. This is exactly what I want in a romance! I also loved how much hurt/comfort there was in this story. Andy finds Sam on the battlefield after Sam was shot and due to them technically being 'enemies', they can't go to either of their camps for help without risking the other person getting shot or imprisoned. Add in the additional complication that it's 1865 and they're gay lovers so they can't look to anybody else for understanding or sympathy and basically, these guys were in a very difficult situation. This forces Andy to take care of Sam by himself and it was heartbreaking seeing Sam be in pain and delirious from fever and also having Andy be badly effected by Sam's pain and his fear of Sam possibly getting worse and dying. But the copious amounts of pain in the story was beautifully balanced with huge doses of comfort, which was wonderful. The boys are very physically affectionate with each other and because they had never really 'broken up' despite their separation, they settled right back into being physically affectionate with each other and talking to each other as they had when they were together. The story also had loads of incredible tension which made me really anxious for both Andy and Sam. Due to the impossible situation they find themselves in (ie not being able to go to either side for help and also having to hide their connection from both sides), there are constant twists and turns throughout the story. Right when Andy has solved one problem and things are looking up, the author threw in another problem and Andy's back to struggling. I really loved these moments of stress because they balanced really well with the sweet romantic moments between Andy and Sam. I also loved how the author wrapped things up. The story is novella length and while I would have loved to read a full length version of this, the author did a great job picking the perfect resolution to Andy and Sam's current dilemma and their future plans. I really loved the pacing and structure of the entire story and I was completely satisfied with what we got, which is exactly the feeling I want when I finish a novella. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jun 12, 2024
Nov 26, 2022
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Jun 13, 2024
Nov 28, 2022
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Aug 29, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1602723761
| 9781602723764
| B001QBPM0K
| 3.58
| 422
| Jan 01, 2008
| Dec 31, 2008
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DNF @ 36%. No rating. This is my fault and I shouldn't have bothered picking it up. It clearly markets itself as erotica and it's not trying to be anyt DNF @ 36%. No rating. This is my fault and I shouldn't have bothered picking it up. It clearly markets itself as erotica and it's not trying to be anything else but MM historical western romances are very rare and I love enemies-to-lovers so I wanted to give this a try. Unfortunately, it's not my thing at all. Even though it's tagged as MM romance, historical romance and erotica, I wouldn't classify this as anything except erotica. There's very little attempt at historical authenticity with both characters talking and acting like they're living in 2022 and the authors leaving gaping plot holes everywhere (like how the two men spent days chasing each other across the desert but somehow they never had to stop for sleep, water or food and their horses didn't require any rest or food either?). You could have removed the horses and old-timey clothes and stuck the two MCs into a contemporary setting and nothing would have changed. Actually - things would have made way more sense in a contemporary setting. I also wouldn't classify this as a romance because there is none. The characters meet and they start having sex right away. That's it. There's no build up, there's no character development and the characters getting it on together made zero sense and wasn't realistic at all. I felt nothing for either MC or their so-called romance. However, a lot of this is standard in erotica, which is partly why I didn't rate this. Another nail in the coffin is that the smut wasn't even that great. It was pretty standard but what eventually turned me off completely is how unhygienic and unpleasant the sex is. The authors did know that condoms didn't exist in the late 1800s and people generally didn't go around with bottles of lube in their pockets. But the authors took the approach of not including condoms or lube but they kept everything else about the smut scene the same, which didn't work for me. For example, using precum as lube, doing very little prep and having the guy on the bottom having his pants just below his waist doesn't equal a good time IMO. Never mind doing bareback on Day 1 and then having that same dangly bit getting a blow job on Day 2, when there was absolutely no bathing/cleaning done in between. Not my cup of tea. Hygiene is a big issue in historical romances, which is why I expect authors to do a bit of research and use some common sense when writing smut scenes. Lastly, the captor-captive situation really bothered me. I tend to avoid this trope because the resulting non-con/dub-con situations make me uncomfortable. Especially because in 99% of the cases, the author wants readers to ignore any consent issues and think the scenes are sexy. The situation was the same here and that made me uncomfortable. Their first sex scene is flat out non-con IMO and the later scenes that I read were definitely dub-con but you could make the argument for them being non-con as well. It didn't matter that Leon found the situation sexy. He had zero input on when and how sex happened and that's not my thing. I should have known before getting into it that I'd stumble across this scenario but I was too excited to have found a historical western enemies-to-lovers to think more about my choice. Anyway - it's not for me but I'm happy so many people liked it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 30, 2022
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Sep 30, 2022
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Aug 27, 2022
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ebook
| |||||||||||||||
| 1590214064
| 9781590214060
| 1590214064
| 4.11
| 90
| Jul 21, 2014
| Aug 01, 2014
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did not like it
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DNF @ 22% While I enjoyed the first book, this one didn't work for me. In the ending of Book 1, I got annoyed that Ian and Drew's conversations were ve DNF @ 22% While I enjoyed the first book, this one didn't work for me. In the ending of Book 1, I got annoyed that Ian and Drew's conversations were very cheesy and overly emotional and this pattern continued in this book. While Book 1 involved Drew being gagged for much of the story and their situation forcing Ian to restrict the sappy love talk, this book didn't have such restrictions. As a result, nearly every conversation Drew and Ian have is cheesy and filled with overly emotional love declarations that didn't resemble how a real human talks. In addition, it felt like the author had no idea what to do with Ian and Drew in this story. They barely do anything except have sex and declare their undying love for each other. The side characters are much more interesting than them, which isn't what I wanted. I also got tired of the author's relentless anti-Christian stance in this book. Every devout religious person is evil while every good character isn't overly religious. While he did the same thing in Book 1, it didn't bother me as much because Sarge and George's hypocritical actions regarding their strong Christian beliefs were aided by their complex backstories. But in this book, the Evil Christian Character had no interesting backstory. He's just selfish and greedy because he wants to be and misuses Christianity for his own desires because he can. As in Book 1, none of the good characters express strong religious beliefs. Not only did I dislike this childishly simplistic view of the world but I got tired of the author constantly shoving his personal issues into the story when he had already made his point and beaten it to death. Not to mention that it was ridiculous that the small, rural Southern towns that Ian and Drew were going through were filled with people who were only casual Christians, which wouldn't make sense in the present day, never mind in the 1860s. The author twisted every detail so it would fit with his personal agenda of bashing Christianity and I got tired of it. In addition, I didn't like Ian and Drew's behavior in this story. Drew is a Yankee and Ian has deserted the Confederate army, so they're not individuals who the small town Southerners would look kindly on. The boys know this so they deliberately lie to everyone they encounter and claim they're Southern soldiers on leave so the townspeople would be willing to share their limited food/clothes supplies with them and open their homes to them. My issue with this was the deliberate deception on their parts. Drew expresses guilt at one point but Ian brushes it off by referencing Drew's former captivity and saying he had paid whatever price the townspeople might think Drew had to pay. But the thing is, Drew didn't pay that price to the townspeople. In fact, he's not giving them a choice whether to accept him or not. This deception left a bad taste in my mouth. Overall, the story was way too boring, the writing wasn't as good as in Book 1 and other low rated reviews indicate that the boys continue being side characters in their own story, so I'm going to drop this. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jul 13, 2022
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Jul 14, 2022
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Jun 28, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1590213750
| 9781590213759
| 1590213750
| 3.72
| 357
| Mar 05, 2012
| Mar 05, 2012
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liked it
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Rating: 3.5 (rounded down) There was a lot to love about this incredibly intense and beautiful enemies-to-lovers romance featuring soldiers on opposite Rating: 3.5 (rounded down) There was a lot to love about this incredibly intense and beautiful enemies-to-lovers romance featuring soldiers on opposite sides of the Civil War but unfortunately, it was letdown by the unnecessary length, repetition and one of the MC's stupidity being used as an ongoing plot device, which got on my nerves. Wonderful Historical Accuracy Even if the author hadn't listed the dozens of books he consulted during his research so he could get even the tiniest details right, it's obvious how much work went into the historical authenticity of this story. Historical details were blended seamlessly into the narrative and readers are given enough historical context to understand what's happening without the author relying on info-dumping. What I especially loved is that the author didn't try to sanitize anything about the character's situations in order to make the story fall in line with modern contemporary romances. Ian and Drew spend the entire story being filthy, hairy, half-starved and covered in lice. There's a lot of emphasis on their body hair and body odor but I liked that this rugged manliness turned them both on. It was such a refreshing change from the usual portrayal of romance heroes, who usually only have body hair in 'sexy' locations and that hair is always carefully maintained. While the constant repetition of Ian loving Drew's body hair got a bit annoying, it was so nice to read a story set in the 1860s wilderness where the characters actually looked like they were supposed to. But connected to this, I appreciated that the author didn't turn the character's lack of hygiene into an overly icky situation. Ian always made sure Drew was freshly washed before sexy times happened and there are certain levels of odor that even Ian wasn't willing to tolerate. It felt very realistic and that was one of the book's highlights. Great Enemies-To-Lovers Progression I really loved how the author portrayed both characters, their roles in the war and their relationship with each other. Ian is chosen as Drew's caregiver during Drew's captivity so it's Ian's job to keep him alive so the others can keep torturing him as long as they want. As a result, they spend a lot of time together and their relationship starts out understandably antagonistic. They're both in their early 20s and joined the war out of patriotic pride and youthful ignorance. They've spent years absorbing their side's propaganda so both of them are quick to point out the other side's faults but aren't willing to acknowledge their own side's faults. This led to arguments and anger from both sides, which both of them quickly realize isn't helpful for their situation. Drew is a captive being tortured on a daily basis and Ian is torn between his revulsion with what Drew is going through versus his loyalty to his uncle/militia/country etc. Neither of them need the additional stress of arguing with each other when it's clear that they're never going to change each other's minds. So they agree to disagree and decide to focus on giving each other comfort and support instead of stress and anger. Through this change, they discover that they have a lot in common (both of them being farm boys in their early 20s from very small rural communities and both of them being gay) and this creates the building blocks of their growing relationship. They spend hours talking about life on their farms, the food they miss from home, the battles they both fought in and their past gay sexual experiences. Even though Drew is only kept captive for 2 weeks, I had no trouble believing their growing connection and that they both ended up falling in love with each other over that short span of time. But I also liked that their attempts to forget about the war and their roles in it didn't work all the time. They wanted to live in a fantasy land where the war never happened but reality keeps intruding when they come across situations where they're forced to confront the past wrongs they've done during the war and how those wrongs have impacted the other person. For example, Ian is forced to shoot any Yankee patrols they come across while Drew is forced to march through the devastated remains of Virginia that he helped burn. Epic Hurt-Comfort What I liked most about this book is that it's basically one epic hurt-comfort story from start to finish. The author doesn't shy away from describing the horrific torture and humiliation that Drew is subjected to on a daily basis, including beatings, floggings, being tied up in pain positions for hours, being urinated on and spat on. There was one scene that was almost too much for me and it involved (view spoiler)[Drew being gagged with a bayonet that was so tightly tied between his lips that it slowly cut further and further into the corners of his mouth as he was forced to endure it for hours (hide spoiler)]. So yeah, be prepared for graphic torture and injuries. But thankfully, the author also doesn't spare any details when Ian is comforting Drew and helping him. Ian isn't in a position of power in his tiny militia group so he can't do much to prevent Drew being tortured, but he always looks for ways to ease Drew's suffering. He keeps half his food rations to give to Drew, he tears up his only undershirt to use as bandages for Drew's wounds, he patiently feeds and cleans Drew when Drew's injuries and restraints prevent him from doing it himself and he sneaks outside to hold Drew's hands or briefly cover him with a blanket so he can get a few minutes of warmth. One of my favorite scenes involved Ian staying awake for hours while Drew is kept outside and restrained in a pain position and Ian is just a few feet away in his tent and he reads out loud to Drew for hours to keep him distracted from the pain and misery. Another scene involved Drew only being allowed to eat insect infested hardtack and Ian spends ages soaking the rock hard biscuit in his coffee until the insects have floated out of it and it's softened enough to make it easier for Drew to eat with his injuries. These scenes beautifully demonstrated how much Ian loved Drew and what true love really means. A Sweet Dom-Sub Dynamic One of my favorite things is when an author subverts the usual top-bottom or dom-sub dynamic, which is what happened here. Drew is a huge mountain of a man, yet he enjoys being submissive. Ian is half Drew's size and a quiet academic-type who also has strong dominant desires. Ian quickly realizes he loves taking care of Drew and not just because he grows to care for Drew. In particular, Ian likes that Drew often has to be restrained and gagged while they're together because Drew is utterly dependent on Ian for meeting his most basic needs. Since Drew is the captive in the situation, the scenario could have easily shifted into uncomfortable dub-con territory, but I never felt it did. Ian never takes advantage of Drew's helplessness and he never forced Drew into a submissive situation. It was more a case where Ian felt weirded out by his enjoyment of seeing Drew restrained and gagged and he also enjoyed how helpless this huge man was while in Ian's care. But when it came to Ian's actions, he was always appropriate and didn't take advantage of the situation. It was actually Drew who wanted to continue being submissive to Ian even when he was strong enough not to depend on Ian for everything, which was a great way to keep the situation from veering into dub-con territory. For example, Ian only hand fed Drew when Drew was forced to stay restrained and couldn't feed himself. But even when Drew's hands were free, he asked Ian to keep feeding him because Drew enjoyed it. Or when Drew asked Ian to gag him even when it was just the two of them so Drew could continue relying on Ian to guess what he needs and bask in Ian's undivided attention as he took care of him. This is in direct contrast to Drew hating that he relies on Ian's help when he has to relieve himself (I'm not talking about sexual relief) because Drew has to stay restrained so he can't use his hands. Unlike Ian feeding him or bathing him, Drew is humiliated whenever Ian has to help him squat and wipe him clean so Ian does his best to get through those situations as quickly and respectfully as possible. Overall, Ian understood exactly where Drew's boundaries lay and he always respected those boundaries, which was wonderful. It would have been easy for the situation to become weird and inappropriate, but I felt the author did a really great job of portraying a very sweet dom-sub relationship while both people are living through a difficult situation. Beautiful Writing It might not be everyone's cup of tea but I really loved the lyrical quality of the writing style. The author used lots of nature metaphors and similes, which wonderfully fit Ian's country-boy background and also the Virginia woodland that the story takes place in. There were also lots of gorgeous descriptions of the natural beauty of their surroundings, which made the writing a joy to read but also created a great contrast with the ugliness of what was happening to Drew. Everything I've listed above made this story unique and a really great read but unfortunately, there were things that didn't go the way I wanted. Too Much Repetition There was no need for this book to be nearly 300 pages. The entire story takes place over 2 weeks and the main plotline is very basic, with the story starting with Drew's capture and ending with Ian and Drew's escape 2 weeks later. While I loved many elements of it, the entire plot was based on a repetitive cycle that eventually got annoying. The cycle of Drew being tortured and Ian taking care of him while promising that they'll escape soon was done over and over again. It didn't help that a lot of the specific scene details were always the same (ex. camping locations, torture methods, available food, Ian loving Drew's body hair etc). Either the story should have been shorter or the author should have included more interesting plot events. Underdeveloped Sadism And Master-Slave Dynamic As I said, I really enjoyed the sweet dom-sub dynamic between Drew and Ian. However, I didn't like how the author attempted and failed to shove other BDSM aspects into the story. Throughout the book, Ian keeps thinking about how much he enjoys watching Drew bleeding and being in pain. He's constantly beating himself up about it and there's the backstory about where this enjoyment came from. However, this sadism angle never goes anywhere. Ian tells himself/readers constantly that he's a sadist and enjoys watching Drew be in pain...except the actual narrative doesn't reflect that. Ever. In fact, one of the side characters (George) is an actual sadist and the author clearly demonstrates that George's behavior and Ian's behavior are completely different during Drew's torture and afterwards. Not to mention that the Ian-is-a-sadist thing is regularly forgotten about for large chunks of the story before randomly being brought up again. The whole thing felt underdeveloped. Or maybe the author thought a dom-sub dynamic had to include sadism? It was really confusing because the sadism angle could have been removed without any impact on the story, since it was only reflected in a few thoughts that Ian had. Same for the weirdly forced master-slave dynamic that also came out of nowhere and immediately fizzled out. Drew spends his captivity being forced to wear a metal collar (a slave collar). Nothing is said or done about it until they escape (so the collar is a non-issue for 90% of the story). Then Drew suddenly tells Ian he wants to keep the collar on because he enjoys the idea of being 'owned' by Ian...? Again, this came out nowhere, didn't fit with their relationship dynamic or the rest of the story and it was just so awkwardly out of place. Like the sadism thing, it could and should have been kept out of the story because it wasn't necessary. Ian Is Very, Very Stupid I would have given this book at least 4 stars until the midway point. But once we got there, I started getting annoyed with our dear Private Ian Campbell. Because each day, this man is reassuring the love of his life that Ian will save him soon and Drew just has to hang on and endure just one more day of torture because then Ian will put his plan into motion and escape with Drew...only for Ian to not make any plans and have the whole thing repeat the next day...? This wasn't done intentionally. No, Ian spends hours every single day agonizing over how badly Drew is suffering, worried sick that Drew is getting weaker and might die any day and he's very determined that they have to escape. Except...the dear man doesn't actually spend time coming up with an escape plan. Again - it wasn't that Ian was deliberately trying to keep Drew a captive. It felt like Ian was just so dumb that he couldn't think of an escape plan. At the beginning of the book, he decides that escape has to wait until the militia group reaches Purgatory Mountain. It's never explained why this is and why escaping into the wilderness at Purgatory is so much better than the wilderness where Drew is captured. But even when they get to Purgatory...Ian makes no plans. He wanders around, fretting and obsessing but no plans are made. He hides some stolen supplies in his tent (which is dumb and ends up backfiring) but he can't come up with anything. He wanders around with other side characters, he obsesses over Drew's weakening condition but there's never any concrete plans made. The point where I got really annoyed was when Drew is literally shaking and crying through the night because he's in such pain and he knows he'll be tortured again the next day. Ian spends the night holding Drew, kissing him and comforting him...BUT IAN DOESN'T SPEND TIME COMING UP WITH A PLAN THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO ESCAPE ASAP. And Drew gathers the tiny bit of bravery he has left and he's willing to endure that torture and stay strong because Ian had reassured him that he'll get them out of there. Drew is trusting that Ian is working on saving him and that's why Drew is willing to put himself through such a horrible situation so it felt like a slap in the face that Ian wasn't actually working on saving Drew because he's too dumb. Seriously, if I had been in Ian's position and I had to witness the love of my life sobbing because he's terrified of the horrendous pain he'll have to endure the next day, I would have grabbed whatever supplies were at hand and escaped into the woods. Personally, I would have stopped to shoot George and Sarge along the way, but that's just me. The funny thing is that Ian makes it seem as if escaping into the woods with barely any supplies would be disastrous...except (view spoiler)[that's what ends up happening and they're fine? I mean, these guys have already spent years living in the Virginia wilderness with very limited supplies and dodging enemies (hide spoiler)]. It felt like the author was just doing it stretch out the story but I hated that he made Ian seem so incompetent and dumb as a result. This is in direct contrast to what happens after Ian and Drew escape, (view spoiler)[where Drew saves Ian's life multiple times by coming up with good plans at the drop of a hat (hide spoiler)]. I would have preferred if Ian had come up with plans only for those plans to backfire or fall through at the last moment. That would have maintained the tension and allowed the captivity to continue, but it wouldn't have made Ian seem so incredibly dim-witted. What especially annoyed me is that the whole escape ended up being a pile of rushed, lazy writing. True to form, Ian has nothing to do with orchestrating the actual escape (the author couldn't spare our little dumb-dumb a few more brain cells so close to the end of the story). By the end, Ian has accepted that he and Drew will be executed because Ian hadn't come up with any plans and has no idea how to save either of them. Thank goodness that a Yankee patrol (aka a plot convenience wearing blue uniforms) show up to fire on the camp right before Ian and Drew's executions, which allows them to escape in the resulting chaos. Really?!? Unfortunately, Ian's stupidity was present in other parts of the story too. For example, this dumbass constantly tells Drew how much he loves him and how he'll save them both...while speaking at a normal volume in his tiny tent, surrounded by other members of the militia. Not to mention that Ian constantly shows affection towards Drew in full view of other people and talks about their relationship when they aren't alone. And then this dumbass is surprised when other militia members start suspecting that Ian and Drew have something going on? Minor Issues There were other small things that annoyed me. Like Ian being one of the very, very few characters in historical romance who wears glasses, except those glasses seemed to only appear when it was convenient. I was also annoyed that the author couldn't be bothered to pay for someone to photoshop a simple pair of 1800s glasses on one of the cover models. I wear glasses so I'm sure this matters more to me than to other people, but there you go. I also felt the writing quality in the last few chapters wasn't as good. It felt rushed and amateur compared to the beautiful flowing writing in the earlier sections. In particular, some of the dialog felt cheesy while that hadn't been the case earlier. I think the problem is that Drew is finally not gagged near the end so he and Ian can indulge in endless sappy emotional outbursts and love declarations, which they couldn't do earlier. Their romance had been so beautifully built on the notion that actions speak louder than words so it annoyed me that the author defaulted to overly emotional sappiness near the end when it wasn't necessary. The author's insistence on writing out Drew's speech attempts while gagged also irritated me. I don't want to read things like "Hhhhu-uhhh" in a book geared towards adults. Lastly - maybe it's just me but there are certain adverbs that I don't want to see when a blow job is being described and 'chewing' is very high up on the list of words that I don't want to see. There's a ridiculous sentence where the authors uses half a dozen adverbs to describe what Ian is doing when he has Drew's cock in his mouth but it's very clear the author was rushing and didn't bother making sure that all the words made sense. But overall, I still highly recommend this if you're a fan of gritty, authentic western historical romances, well done enemies-to-lovers arcs and light dom-sub dynamics. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Jul 10, 2022
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Jun 28, 2022
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Paperback
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| 1626491518
| 9781626491519
| 1626491518
| 3.75
| 730
| Sep 29, 2014
| Sep 29, 2014
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did not like it
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DNF @ 7% There aren't many things that can get me more fired up when it comes to fiction than authors depicting physical disabilities inaccurately. Spe DNF @ 7% There aren't many things that can get me more fired up when it comes to fiction than authors depicting physical disabilities inaccurately. Specifically, when their attempts are inaccurate and insulting due to a lack of research and an inability to understand the disability. Elijah isn't actually deaf, he's hard of hearing. This term didn't exist in the Old West, but it's an important distinction that sadly, the author doesn't seem to understand. Sometimes Elijah can't hear anything that somebody says but sometimes he has no trouble hearing them. Then there's the time he enters a saloon and he's overwhelmed by TOO MUCH NOISE...?!? I'm thinking maybe the author read some books featuring HOH characters who wear hearing aids, because this is a common side effect, but that doesn't apply to an 1800s historical setting. Then there's Elijah's magical ability when it comes to lip reading. Despite the Deaf community having spent decades trying to stamp out the perfect-lip-reading myth, this author clearly didn't get the memo. Throughout the little bit that I read, Elijah accurately lip reads every single person around him and he's able to read every single word they say. Even when he's talking to an older man who has a bushy moustache and is mumbling, Elijah can easily understand every word, except the last two. That's...not how any of this works. At. All. But the most ridiculous situations were the ones where Elijah is clearly facing away from somebody or specifically not looking at their lips...yet he has no trouble hearing them. It felt like the author couldn't decide how deaf Elijah was and this led to constant inconsistencies. These issues could have easily been avoided if the author didn't insist on writing out other character's dialog in complete sentences when the reader is in Elijah's POV. Having Elijah struggling to pick out a handful of words when somebody is speaking to him and having him trying to figure out what was said to him would have created a much more realistic situation. Not to mention that having Elijah completely unaware of what people are saying to him when he's not looking at them would have helped to emphasize how isolated he felt and allowed readers to get immersed in his world much better. But sadly, it's clear the author didn't know what she was doing and I'm not going to bother continuing because it'll just make me more angry. ...more |
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1
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Jun 23, 2022
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Jun 23, 2022
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Jun 23, 2022
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| B07CMKSXJP
| 4.03
| 2,513
| Apr 24, 2018
| Apr 24, 2018
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really liked it
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Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up) This was so much better than I thought it was going to be! Please ignore that awful cover and the rom-com-like summary b Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up) This was so much better than I thought it was going to be! Please ignore that awful cover and the rom-com-like summary because the story is actually really great. While I felt the romance was average, the story was very entertaining as historical fiction and I felt the author did a great job with the historical setting and atmosphere. I love that the author approached Robby's situation and characterization seriously, despite how silly the premise looks from the outside. The sequence of events that lead to Robby taking on the role of a mail-order bride in the Crabtree home were all well thought out and serious instead of being a joke (which I thought it was going to be). I also liked that the author gave Robby specific skills and knowledge that made it believable that he'd be able to pull off the Rowena ruse so well (including his acting abilities, knowing how to use makeup to change his appearance and knowing how to alter clothes to make Rowena's clothes fit him better). The whole thing felt believable and that was what made the story so enjoyable. I also loved that the author deliberately added that vibe which most western historical fiction books and movies have. There are outlaws running around, gun fights, racing around in stagecoaches and on horses and there are the usual assortment of characters common for old west towns. But in addition, the author added lots of humor and most of that came from the wonderfully entertaining Crabtree family. I loved that nearly every family member was a unique, well developed character and I fell in love with the entire family just like Robby did. I also appreciated the balance between the hilarious red-neck antics of the family versus their sad history. Hands down, the best of the group was Pa-Pa (the grumpy, unsophisticated patriarch of the Crabtree family whose bark was much worse than his bite) and his interactions with Robby were the highlight of the story. It's been a while since I found a book that made me laugh so much and that added to the story's charm. At the end of the day this felt like an exploration of family - what it means to be a family, the roles people have in a family and how you move on from tragedy without leaving your family behind. Robby comes into the Crabtree family and without setting out to do so, he ends up massively improving the entire family's lives. This was really great because I spent most of the story feeling sorry for (view spoiler)[Clovis (Robby's 'fiance') because readers grow to love big, hairy, quiet Clovis who wouldn't hurt a fly despite being the size of a mountain. I was worried how the reveal of Rowena really being Robby (and Robby being in love with Trace) would impact Clovis but right from the start, the author lays the groundwork for Clovis to get his HEA too and I was thrilled when that happened. Everything about the Clovis-Robby 'engagement' was done well and I loved it (hide spoiler)]. You may have noticed that I haven't mentioned the romance so far and that's the only part of the story I ended up feeling ambivalent about. Trace figures out who Robby really is very early on in the story so that element of suspense didn't exist in the scenes between Trace and Robby. Also, Trace spent most of the book not living at the ranch so he wasn't part of the family interactions that Robby had. Since those were the highlight of the book for me, that wasn't a good thing. When Trace and Robby do spend time together, their relationship progressed very quickly and I didn't feel any true chemistry between them. Their romance felt like an afterthought in a story where family and the action plotline got much more focus. Since this book is marketed as a historical romance and not a historical fiction with a romance subplot, I'm taking that into account in my rating. Overall, I didn't enjoy this very much as a romance but I loved it as a piece of historical fiction and I thought the author did a great job capturing the vibe of the old west and creating a truly heart-warming, funny and exciting story that was filled with great characters. ...more |
Notes are private!
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Apr 30, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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my rating |
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| 3.93
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it was ok
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May 11, 2024
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Feb 11, 2024
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| 4.07
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really liked it
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Feb 12, 2024
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Jan 02, 2024
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| 3.50
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did not like it
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Jul 19, 2024
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Sep 09, 2023
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Oct 02, 2023
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Jul 26, 2023
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| 4.08
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did not like it
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Mar 13, 2024
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Jul 13, 2023
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| 3.85
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Dec 17, 2023
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May 21, 2023
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| 4.23
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liked it
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Jun 22, 2023
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Apr 27, 2023
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| 3.79
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did not like it
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Jul 25, 2023
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Apr 27, 2023
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| 3.37
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did not like it
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Sep 04, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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| 3.58
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liked it
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Sep 03, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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| 3.41
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it was ok
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Sep 03, 2023
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Apr 22, 2023
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| 3.44
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it was ok
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Jan 14, 2024
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Apr 22, 2023
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| 4.04
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did not like it
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Nov 05, 2023
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Jan 26, 2023
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| 3.85
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really liked it
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Jan 12, 2023
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Jan 11, 2023
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| 4.03
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it was amazing
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Jun 13, 2024
Nov 28, 2022
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Aug 29, 2022
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| 3.58
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Sep 30, 2022
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Aug 27, 2022
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| 4.11
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did not like it
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Jul 14, 2022
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Jun 28, 2022
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| 3.72
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liked it
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Jul 13, 2022
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Jun 28, 2022
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| 3.75
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did not like it
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Jun 23, 2022
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Jun 23, 2022
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| 4.03
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really liked it
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May 02, 2023
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Jun 07, 2022
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