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A heart can live a lifetime in eight seconds.
Ever since his father caught him with another boy and threw him out at the tender age of sixteen, Dustin Lewis has been fighting his way up the national bull-riding rankings. He’s on the brink of qualifying for the National Finals when he draws Diablo, a notoriously rank bull—and the ride goes bad.
When bullfighter Shane Rees frees Dustin from the rigging of the same bull that nearly destroyed his face, he comes dangerously close to dropping his guard. Shane knows the potential consequences of being gay in a sport loaded with testosterone-overdosed cowboys, and the resulting scars of mind and body have left him with little self-worth.
Their near-death-by-bull first meeting sparks an attraction that awakens every last one of their personal demons. Yet as the National Finals draws closer, so do they. But they’ll have to overcome emotional highs, near-tragic lows, and bone-crushing danger before love can bust out of the chute.
Ever since his father caught him with another boy and threw him out at the tender age of sixteen, Dustin Lewis has been fighting his way up the national bull-riding rankings. He’s on the brink of qualifying for the National Finals when he draws Diablo, a notoriously rank bull—and the ride goes bad.
When bullfighter Shane Rees frees Dustin from the rigging of the same bull that nearly destroyed his face, he comes dangerously close to dropping his guard. Shane knows the potential consequences of being gay in a sport loaded with testosterone-overdosed cowboys, and the resulting scars of mind and body have left him with little self-worth.
Their near-death-by-bull first meeting sparks an attraction that awakens every last one of their personal demons. Yet as the National Finals draws closer, so do they. But they’ll have to overcome emotional highs, near-tragic lows, and bone-crushing danger before love can bust out of the chute.
Warning: Contains
man-on-man boot knocking, rawhide and raw emotions, badass cowboys and
even badder-ass bulls. This ain’t your old man’s rodeo.
Review
****Samhain Publishing via NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy for my honest review****
Shane Rees has his demons. The scars on his face and body have nothing on the inner turmoil of feeling like you'll never be accepted for who you are. Being gay in the world of rodeo feels like a death sentence to one of the few things he enjoys anymore. Being a bullfighter is the one thing he still has confidence in, he certainly has none left in himself. His self depreciating devil on his shoulder says that a young, handsome bull rider like Dustin Lewis could never look at him with more than disgust or as a quick way to find relief. Shane is used to cowboys using him for their own needs before shoving him out in the cold. When Dustin admits attraction to Shane, he thinks it must be just another cruel joke.
Dustin doesn't understand how Shane can't see how gorgeous he is, inside and out. He understands rejection being thrown out at 16 when his father discovered he was gay, added to the ADHD, he fights his own issues with acceptance. He finds something in Shane that leaves him addicted to more than just his body but until they both find acceptance the sparks may just be left to burn out.
I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. I felt the most connection to Shane through it all though I can't say either left a lasting impression. It was an easy read that was worth the time but I felt like both characters had some reality to come to terms with and some growing up to do. Some of the dialogue made me sigh but the quality of writing wasn't at fault. I didn't quite feel the romance between Dustin and Shane and that may have been what kept me from really getting into it. No cliffhanger and worth a read if you love to read cowboy M/M, but don't go into it looking for a deep story. I would, however, read another book by this author.
Shane Rees has his demons. The scars on his face and body have nothing on the inner turmoil of feeling like you'll never be accepted for who you are. Being gay in the world of rodeo feels like a death sentence to one of the few things he enjoys anymore. Being a bullfighter is the one thing he still has confidence in, he certainly has none left in himself. His self depreciating devil on his shoulder says that a young, handsome bull rider like Dustin Lewis could never look at him with more than disgust or as a quick way to find relief. Shane is used to cowboys using him for their own needs before shoving him out in the cold. When Dustin admits attraction to Shane, he thinks it must be just another cruel joke.
Dustin doesn't understand how Shane can't see how gorgeous he is, inside and out. He understands rejection being thrown out at 16 when his father discovered he was gay, added to the ADHD, he fights his own issues with acceptance. He finds something in Shane that leaves him addicted to more than just his body but until they both find acceptance the sparks may just be left to burn out.
I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. I felt the most connection to Shane through it all though I can't say either left a lasting impression. It was an easy read that was worth the time but I felt like both characters had some reality to come to terms with and some growing up to do. Some of the dialogue made me sigh but the quality of writing wasn't at fault. I didn't quite feel the romance between Dustin and Shane and that may have been what kept me from really getting into it. No cliffhanger and worth a read if you love to read cowboy M/M, but don't go into it looking for a deep story. I would, however, read another book by this author.
