Cowboy Waltz by Cameron Dane

17927512Title:  Cowboy Waltz

Series:  N/A

Author:  Cameron Dane

Genre:  Contemporary, Cowboy & Western

Length:  Long Novel (393 pages)

Publisher:  Loose Id (July 16th, 2013)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts

Blurb:  A horse stock manager on the rodeo tour, gruff cowboy Jed Hastings is in a bind. He needs a new assistant yesterday. Enter green-as-hell Booker West. Booker spent his childhood dreaming about being a part of the rodeo. He doesn’t have any experience working with horses, but Jed doesn’t have options, and gives the newbie a chance.

Innocent about the world and secretly gay, Booker works like the devil to hide his attraction to Jed. He doesn’t just want to be a wannabe-cowboy with a crush; he wants to learn from Jed. Booker craves Jed’s respect, friendship, and trust. For Jed, he knows an eager young colt like Booker should work his last nerve, yet he finds he has endless patience with the guy. He’s possessive about Booker too. And while bunking together does create intimacy, that doesn’t explain away straight Jed’s explicit sexual fantasies and growing desire for another man.

When a life-altering event sends Jed and Booker reeling, a night of raw passion between the men finally explodes. But in the light of day, can Booker help Jed accept their love? Or will this unearthed attraction send Jed to a dark place from which he can’t recover? 

Product Link:  http://www.loose-id.com/cowboy-waltz.html

Reviewer:  Astrid

Review:  I love Cameron Dane, and am a huge fan. I have read every book I could get my hands on and devoured and cherished them all.

The pacing was perfect. We meet Booker at 19 and he spends the next four years growing up. We see bits and pieces of Booker as he matures and struggles to hide his feelings for Jed. I think this was handled beautifully. Jed beginning to feel tingles of awareness of Booker was also lovely and exciting.

I don’t usually dissect a book when I review, but this one has me trying to identify why I didn’t fall head over heels for this book. I love angsty reads, if it makes me cry my tush off then it’s practically a shoe in for my comfort food shelf. This book made me cry, ugly cries – a few times! Buuuut… *shrugs* I get that Jed had to face some really tough truths about himself – that would knock anyone on their ass. I agree everyone reacts differently to scary shit. Yet I had a hard time with how Jed went from alpha strong guy to needy and tragic. I got tired of the storm/black clouds metaphor and wanted to shake Jed and tell him to get a grip, and pull up his big boy pants. This is awful, because I’m normally the most sympathetic person you’ll meet.

Booker though, gosh, I think I’m in love with him. To watch him grow, mature, and handle some tough kicks and to keep going after Jed, his love – was wonderful. He learned to be strong when Jed could not; he tried to always put what was best for Jed first – even when he didn’t have enough experience to know the right course. There is nothing sexier than watching someone do what needs to be done, even when it hurts. In the end love does conquer all and I loved the rock solid HEA.

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Reviewer: Cat

Review: Booker is a young man that has rodeo in the blood. Jed sees that from the start and takes a chance that a greenhorn is better than the worthless hand he has now.  He talks his boss into letting him hire Booker.  Jed loves nothing more than the rodeo and his brother and mother.  His lifestyle keeps him from getting into relationships with women, and he isn’t the friendly type but Booker brings out feelings in him he doesn’t want to face.

 Booker knows he is gay and he also knows his feelings for Jed are more than friendship but he is happy with being room-mates. At least until Jed realizes there is more and starts running from his feelings instead of owning them. 

This is a very heartfelt book of denial. The story is full of angst and deep emotions of friendship, love, relationships, being gay and just being in love period.  Its one heck of a rollercoaster ride with Jed’s feelings going up and down and hot and cold, but in the end, the story is worth holding on tight and hanging on until the end of the ride. I will warn you be ready to rip out Jed’s heart, more than once or slap him silly LOL.

Recommendation: If you like heartfelt stories, friends to lovers, closeted gay, true love that’s hard won, happy endings, and very explicit very hot and steamy mansex and of course Cowboys and horses, this is definitely for you..

Moving Forward by Lisa Marie Davis

Title:  Moving Forward

Sequel to:   Dreams Come True

Author:  Lisa Marie Davis

Genre:  Contemporary

Length:  Novella

Publisher:  Dreamspinner Press (September 21, 2011)

Heat Level:  Moderate

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥4Hearts

Blurb:  Three years after making their dreams come true, James and Payne are happily committed and living in New York. But just as they’re about to embark on a special weekend, their world turns upside down when Jamie’s mother calls to say that his sister and her husband have been killed in a horrific accident.

Helping Jamie’s mother with funeral plans and adjusting to the reality that they are now the legal guardians of Jamie’s three-month-old niece would be hard enough, but Payne and Jamie must also deal with Jamie’s alcoholic father, Russ. If Payne and Jamie want to move forward as a family, they’ll have to learn to deal with old pain, fresh grief, and new responsibilities.

Reviewer:  Astrid

Review:  Sequels can be tricky beasts. Can they be read as a standalone? Will the author have to dedicate a third of the book to rehashing the first book so a new reader has a clue what’s going on? And for those of us who did read the previous book…will we remember the finer points? This can be frustrating for a reader. With Moving Forward, Lisa Marie Davis made it as simple as ABC – genius! Whether you’ve read the previous story or not (I recommend you read it – ‘cause it’s wonderful), you are given a concise history that isn’t jarring and are immediately immersed into the present story.

Two beloved characters, Payne & Jamie, are back and its three years later. They are happily married and looking forward to a long weekend when tragedy strikes. Jamie and Payne are grief-stricken but their devotion to one another gives them the strength to face the nightmare, which includes a confrontation with Jamie’s father Russ aka – alcoholic, homophobe extraordinaire.

This novella packed an emotional punch, had a development I didn’t expect but welcomed (I’m not telling), and hopefully (pretty please) is the groundwork for a third i