Authors: Jennah Scott & H. Sterling
Purchase at Amazon
Purchase at All Romance eBooks
Cover Artist: Robin Ludwig Design
Genre: contemporary, cowboys
Length: 37,000 words, novella
Formats Mobi, Epub, PDF
Spencer Quinn has an image to uphold. His family name means more than anything. It’s the reason the reason they've become the most successful stock contractor on the rodeo circuit. Fresh out of school, he’s ready to take over the family business. It’s no secret he’s attracted to men, and so far that hasn’t been a problem.
Until Evan.
The assertive friend who knows how to push every one of his buttons.
Evan Taylor is known for his love ‘em and leave ‘em style, yet the last few months have left him deflated and lonely. His father's shadow wasn't where he wanted to end up, but he's having trouble finding happiness. Maybe because women can't keep his attention. He’s losing hope of settling down until a blast from the past saunters by, his heart catches and tingles spread over his skin.
Of all people, Spencer. The one person who would never give Evan a second glance. It’s just his luck.
The old saying, “Bad luck is better than none at all” fits Evan perfectly. Or does it? Is his bad luck about to change? Will Spencer Quinn be a good luck charm instead?
I had a really hard time writing the review for this one, because there were things I liked, and a couple of things that made me mad.
The writing was competent, and the plot mostly coherent. I liked Spencer, who had some support from his family and was tough enough to make it in a business world not inclined to like him. Evan was okay, flailing around with this new attraction to a man, and trying so hard to get Spencer to take him seriously as a romantic possibility, even though it came totally out of the blue.
In short, there were things here I should like, and yet… I could not warm up to this story, even after reading it and thinking about it for several weeks. It's an okay story. Should have been a 3.
Except for one thing—buckle bunny. I do not ever, EVER want to hear that phrase again. Anyone stupid enough to say it in my presence will get punched, because I have hit my gag limit. Yeah, they exist. No, that’s not the only way women relate to cowboys, even the sexy cowboys. So, after a dozen repetitions, and basically the only way women get referred to, I am done. Over and over, buckle bunny, buckle bunny. It pissed me off for the casual and persistent misogyny. Once was enough to get the point across, yeah, he doesn’t have much liking or respect for women. Okay, once shows his character. But a dozen times? That’s contempt. It's also poor storytelling. I don't like those two things together.
Either that or it IS character, and that makes Evan completely hateful person and Spencer should run miles in the opposite direction and never, EVER stop. And in a romance, that's crap storytelling.
And yeah, the repeated Buckle Bunny made me count. Anything that makes me stop reading and start counting is a kick out of the story. And kicking me out of the story with a term that rubs in the audience’s worthlessness, because be real, the main audience for this book is women, makes me twice as mad. And if someone wants to say but all women aren't like that, then it's converted to slut shaming, which isn't any better. Also poor storytelling, because it takes away from the main couple.
Frankly, the real slut around here is Evan, he's stuck his dick into anything that holds still. No wonder Spencer doesn't trust him.
I don’t care if the authors can tell a good tale or not, because it’s not just a romance, it’s a romance with contempt for the people who are expected to spend money on the book. 1 marble
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