One of my favorite back drops for a story is the Ranch, I love all the elements from the hard work, hard weather and hard lovin'.... this story had it all plus the Bad guys to really put some serious(life threatening) situations into the stories mix. I love the fact that these 2 hot cowboys' relationship was well established before the story began, I wasn't sure before I read it, because I also to read about 2 people meeting and falling in love, but they had a secure and trusting relationship(for the most part). They were so hot for each other all the time and so romantic, I just adored them. The family and ranch hands were all wonderful people and I had many laugh out loud moments as well as a steam factor that scorched my kindle!! I loved Bareback by Chris Owen and I find myself trying to recapture the feelings that book gave me, this book hit many of those notes for me, Great book and I really hope Sue Brown will write another book with this group of people.... Here's A great idea...Tommy and Noah's story!!24 s Kassa1,118 112

Morning Report has all the elements of a satisfying romance yet lacks the execution to pull it off. The plot isn’t original but the bigger problem is that it never really goes anywhere. The numerous sex scenes make this feel erotica despite the attempt at a complicated, angst heavy plot. In the end this is an ok attempt at romance but definitely not one I’d recommend.

The main couple, Luke and Simon, has been together for ten years and are running Luke’s father’s ranch in Texas. The openly gay couple suddenly comes under fire from friends and neighbors when a new pastor comes to town preaching hellfire and homophobic rhetoric. Luke’s ranch, The Lost Cow, is attacked, his livestock threatened, and a health scare to both of Luke’s parents stresses the long time couple out. They must get through everything together and lean on each other in ways they haven’t before.

The plot is very character driven even though there is an attempt to bring in outside influences. For example there is an anti-gay pastor that appears and overnight the town turns against Luke and Simon. For no reason other than a pastor saying so, this town seemingly flips 180 degrees and rejects the two even though no one had a problem with them and everyone was friendly. This is not an original plot device but it’s used very poorly here. For one we never see the evil pastor at all. He’s never introduced and he has no scenes whatsoever so the effect is very remote and uninteresting. It makes little to no sense that the entire town would turn against them but if you can forgive that for the sake of fiction, the problems continue because the plot device is literally dropped later on. There are a few problems, mostly easily handled with no long term consequences.

Mostly these problems are a reason for Luke and Simon to have sex, which they have...a lot. There must be over a dozen sex scenes in this book and they all talk about how much the two love each other, need each other, and contain a low level D/s element with Luke as the bossy bottom and Simon the demanding top. There are several references to more hard core kink such as watersports, spanking, fisting, but none of these are seen on page. Instead the two have sex everywhere and all the time. Any conflicts introduced are mainly to cause Luke and Simon stress, which forces them to have sex again. This supposedly reaffirms their relationship but I never felt it was ever in any danger. They clearly love and adore each other endlessly so there’s never any question they’ll break up. Instead there is just more sex, way more than I wanted frankly.

Furthermore the evil pastor is dropped later on when Luke’s parents have a health scare. Again I’m not sure why this is included since it offers very little to the story. There is scene after scene of Luke upset, stressing, eating, sleeping, having sex, worrying, and so on but it doesn’t have any real bearing on the story. It simply adds more scenes about Luke and his family. On the one hand I realize this is just another way to keep the tension high, but since it offers nothing to the reader I was easily bored. There are so many secondary characters it’s pretty difficult to keep them all straight, names are thrown around with almost no context, and the dialogue seems the same no matter who’s talking. During these scenes especially I got bored with the family members and endless repetitive dialogue.

The final resolution to everything is of course the mysterious evil pastor disappears for no reason and a new gay pastor comes in to make everything ok again. The town is pro-gay and welcoming and everyone is happy again. This is just silly and makes me wonder what the point of the story really is. The couple didn’t really deal with anything out of the ordinary, a few stressful problems they dealt with by having sex, going on vacation, more sex, and communication. They have a pretty solid support network when the town turns against them, and of course everyone is fine at the end. I think the elements are all there but the execution just couldn’t pull it off sadly.
15 s Ami5,953 491

This story starts off strong for me: a couple who have been together for a decade, then suddenly must face sudden change of hatred and dismissal from the town they live in, simply because a new pastor (and his wife) comes and spreads the words of hate. Sure, there are some sex scenes in the beginning (which usually turn me off) but this is sex between established couple. I wholeheartedly welcome it; it's great to see how sparks still fly between a couple after ten years

BUT ... as the story progresses, I get truly annoyed. Why? Because I feel there is not enough exploration regarding the problem that Luke and Simon face with the townspeople. The rest of the story is more about them having sex in various places, taking holiday (and have sex), just to establish their love, which seems to be the answer for their problem, and I get frustrated. I don't get the feeling of "fight", I don't get the feeling of being real emotion when facing this problem ... in fact, most of the time they're not really in town, and I feel "isolated" from the problem. It becomes another one of those stories focusing on sex scenes (for me, at least), which is always a huge problem for yours truly.

The last few chapters are better though, when they have to face an incident regarding members of the family. But all in all, this is just another nice story that quickly forgotten by me. Which is sad, because I kind of expect more with such summary *shrugs* mm-romance-or-erotica14 s Trisha HarringtonAuthor 2 books138

I really adored this book and Luke and Simon. The established couple thing was a first for me with this book, and surprisingly, I didn't mind it. Actually, I enjoyed reading about a couple who were already deeply in love and who made me smile the way they acted.

I have a thing for possessive MC's and Luke really fit the bill with that. Simon, too, in a way. But Luke was just perfect for me as a possessive character. He wasn't a jerk or abusive, and I could feel how much he loved Simon. The same could be said for Simon, but he did upset me at one point. I forgave him though because Luke was also in the wrong at one point.

There was homophobia, religion, and family issues dealt with in this book. I loved Luke's family. They were just a lovely addition to a book where the homophobia and religious content might have put me off otherwise. While I don't hate religion in a book, sometimes it can annoy me, but Sue Brown did such a fantastic job with those aspects of the book and they were such strong points of the story, without taking from Luke and Simon.

Cowboys are another weakness of mine and to have two cowboys was just heaven for me. I was really impressed and I loved the switch in roles between the MC's.

Definitely a book I would recommend time and time again! I have loved this for almost two years now!5-stars contemporary cowboys ...more6 s Debra2,106 253

3.5 stars

There are already a lot of out there so I'm going to make this one short since so many have already had the same issues.

I really enjoyed the main couple. Yes there were a few too many sex scenes, but I loved the fact that they have been together 10 years and still can't get enough of each other. I did, however, have some issues with the plot, but since this is a series, and I do enjoy Sue Brown's writing, I'm going to go ahead with the next book and hope the issues that were the focus here, mainly the new Pastor riling up the townsfolk against Simon and Luke, are going to be fully fleshed out toward a resolution.
cowboys-ranchers-western m-m part-of-series-or-serial5 s Macky1,905 231


* contains possible spoilers*
I have to say that first of all I thought this was a very enjoyable book with a good storyline and very endearing characters who you can't help rooting for when a town turns against them because of their lifestyle. Another story about small town homophobia and misguided people encouraged by outdated and prejudicial religious views, made worse in this case because before the new pastor and his wife ( who start all the trouble) arrive in town, most of the townspeople were actually friends and colleagues of theirs!

There's no doubt, Sue Brown captures the essence of Luke and Simons love for each other and their love scenes are passionate and hot, but....... And here's where I agree with the viewer who gave 3*'s - it was not the content but the amount of them that started to slightly interfere with the story for me personally.There are a few too many, and as much as I love a well written sexy scene ( and this is where I disagree with the reviewer-these sex scenes are not porn just fairly explicit most m/m romances) I did think they became a bit distracting to the actual storyline, which I really enjoyed. Sue Brown is one of the better LGBTQ authors so her books are always a great read, Personally I just felt this one would have benefited from a little less sex and a touch more story.

*spoiler alert *
One thing that surprised me was that the pastor and his wife, who are the main instigators of all their troubles, are only ever mentioned, never seen in action or given a " speaking part ". There's one scene at the hospital where Luke sees them talking to one of the people from town but he never confronts them, in fact they're never confronted just sort of fade into the background when Noah arrives on the scene at the end and things begin to improve for them. Found that strange but thats just my take on it! Possibly that's all explained in book 2.....I'll have to wait and see! *

So that's why I give 4* instead of 5*. I purchased book 1 & 2, Tommy & Noah's story, at the same time so I'll see how they compare, but I'm pretty sure I' ll be rounding off the series with book 3 too. :)4 s BevS2,780 2

I find most m/m books have sex scenes (isn't that partly why we buy them?), and admittedly there are a lot in this book, but the two MC's are completely bonkers about each other (and have been together for 10 years), I find it really romantic. Most couples, whatever their sexuality, would still wish their partnerships to be that I'm sure! I loved most of the characters, especially Stella at the diner, and Luke's parents were fabulous. Simon's family didn't appear that much, but as they have no problem with him being out of the closet, I don't suppose they needed to be in the story that much. I've noticed a lot of these type of stories are set in Texas (I have to say the attitude of some of the towns people reminded me of Zane's mum in the Cut & Run series), and now I'm probably going to offend some people, but I've got to ask the question.

As someone who lives in the UK, and I feel we're pretty laid back and tolerant (well I am), is Texas typical of most red-neck states in the US being small minded, bigoted and holier-than-thou? I would love your views my American cousins, as I have noticed that in most books of this genre, and even those that aren't m/m (and I'm thinking now of the wonderful 'Jules Cassidy' in Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters series), most of the USA DOES seem to have some sort of problem with gay people - WHY??? Is it catching?? Or is this just a fictional problem?hot-as-hell lgbtq-mm romance4 s Romanticamente Fantasy6,921 206

“Luke poteva anche essere il capo del ranch Lost Cow, ma in ufficio Simon era colui che comandava. Luke amava fottutamente il rapporto mattutino.”

Con un inizio così penserete che ci saranno scintille e in effetti le scintille fra Luke e Simon ci sono eccome, ma l’argomento di fondo del libro è l’omofobia e il modo in cui alcune religioni si pongono nei confronti degli omosessuali.

Come può la parola di una sola persona far cambiare l’opinione e l’atteggiamento di chi conosci da una vita e che hai sempre considerato amico? È possibile e Luke e Simon se ne renderanno conto nel modo peggiore quando le persone gli volteranno le spalle, o peggio.

“Fottuti finocchi. Dovreste essere abbattuti prima che infettiate la gente onesta!”

—-

“Beh, restiamo e combattiamo oppure scappiamo?” chiese Simon. C’era una sola risposta. Luke poteva essere chiamato in molti modi, ma non codardo. “Mi hai mai visto scappare per evitare uno scontro?” chiese. Simon sorrise. Una versione più debole del suo solito sorriso, ma comunque era qualcosa. “No, direi di no. E lotta sia, allora.”

La vita di Luke cambia, perché le parole del pastore fanno sì che la sua stessa città si rivolti contro lui e Simon, creando delle situazioni che si ripercuoteranno sul ranch, sulla salute dei suoi genitori e, inevitabilmente, sul suo rapporto con Simon. E questo non perché Simon abbia dei ripensamenti su di loro; lui ha già vissuto una situazione del genere prima di conoscere Luke e questo riporta a galla sentimenti e problemi che credeva superati.

“Me ne sono andato da mia mamma per qualche giorno. Già, scappo a casa da mamma come un ragazzino. Ma, Luke, ho bisogno di pensare e non posso farlo con te attorno. Mi riempi d’amore e sesso e poi mi fai impazzire e io non riesco a pensare lucidamente. “Ti amo, ma ho paura che il nostro piccolo mondo stia andando in pezzi e ho paura che un giorno ti sveglierai e ti renderai conto che non sono abbastanza per te.”

La storia fra Luke e Simon è una storia d’amore come quella di qualsiasi eterosessuale: non hanno comportamenti osceni in luoghi pubblici, vivono la loro vita serenamente, rispettando la legge. E allora perché vengono additati come un abominio, dei depravati, qualcosa da cancellare dalla faccia della terra?

Da quando leggo gli mm mi sono spesso posta queste stesse domande e ancora non ho trovato una risposta perché non credo che ce ne sia una per l’odio.

Sicuramente è un libro che mi ha fatto riflettere visto il tema trattato. A ognuno lascio poi trarre le proprie conclusioni, in un senso o nell’altro.

Il libro fa parte di una serie, quindi prima o poi uscirà il secondo che avrà come protagonisti Noah e Tommy, personaggi che abbiamo già visto in questo primo romanzo. Personalmente non vedo l’ora di leggerlo!3 s Amarilli 73 2,374 81

da www.sognipensieriparole.com

Libro decisamente FISICO, molto ma molto fisico, perché non ricordavo un romance M/M così tanto costellato di scene erotiche: semplicemente Luke e Simon non possono smettere di respirare uno l’ossigeno nella bocca dell’altro e di appoggiarsi contro e di toccarsi e di guardarsi e di incendiarsi, eccetera, eccetera. Dalla paglia del fienile ai (robusti) alberi nel frutteto, praticamente ogni angolo lievemente in ombra è l’occasione per un bacio rubato tra il boss e il suo luogotenente!
Se si considera che da dieci anni i due fanno coppia fissa, una passione ed un bisogno di sentirsi vicini in modo ancora intenso non può che suscitare una dannata invidia…

In realtà, Luke e Simon hanno il loro trucchetto per mantenere vivace la loro relazione, perché se Luke è il capo del ranch Lost Cow, in ufficio (e vi consiglio di leggerlo, per capire cosa si intende…) è Simon ad avere il comando, ed ogni mattina si presenta puntuale a fare rapporto al capo, ma solo se si è comportato da bravo ragazzo (!!)

“Tieni gli occhi sulla strada, capo.”
Luke fece un sorrisino, ma obbedì e tornò a guardare la strada. “Stavo solo ammirando il panorama.”
Simon sbuffò. “Niente che tu non abbia visto prima d’ora.”
“L’unica vista che vale la pena di guardare,” ribatté Luke con voce roca.
Il suo compagno aprì gli occhi e sorrise. “Dovresti vedere cosa vedo io ogni giorno.”

Inutile negare che questo romanzo mi è piaciuto, mi è piaciuto, mi è piaciuto.
Al di là delle NUMEROSE scene decisamente ROVENTI, è vero che, nella trama complessiva, vari spunti risultano appena abbozzati e non spiegati; tuttavia, se si considera che questo è il primo libro di una serie di quattro, credo che l’autrice si sia riservata di sviluppare successivamente le varie sotto-trame e di completare con calma i dettagli. Per quel che mi riguarda, penso che, se la serie continuerà così, mi metterò pazientemente in attesa: in effetti, ho già una mezza idea su Noah e Tommy…
4 stelle. Sarà che ormai da un po’ non riesco più a guardare pompieri e cowboys con gli stessi occhi…
gay-romance3 s Jerry671

Somewhere between a 3.5 and 4. I love to read about sex, but for me, there was just too much. Also I tend to think coming by frottage or blow job and then getting fucked doesn't cut it with male anatomy. A males sphincter muscle doesn't loosen up, it tightens up after coming. Coming several times a day, every day, getting in the way of your life's work, maybe not so much. But this is fiction, so I can usually overlook some of this.
I was attracted to the story and I know this is a series, so some of the loose ends are maybe OK, but there were many events that could have been at least partially solved. We never met the new preacher man and woman. I don't pretend to know the Bible Belt of this story, but I do know my evangelical Christians and some Midwesterners. I would have expected some townsfolk to talk with the boys parents if they didn't have the courage to talk with the boys directly. There should probably have been some strong minded people that would have urged the previous pastor (who seemed to retire on good terms) to talk with the new pastor. Usually when a new pastor is "called" to a church there would have been a committee to interview several candidates and then hear them preach and investigate their past. I'm not saying this guy would never have been hired, but perhaps he would have had some opposition. Especially when the other church has a new "gay" pastor. Hard to imagine that so many people gravitate to that church when they couldn't be bothered to try and give comfort to the Lost Cow ranch.
All that said, I did enjoy the actual story and there were a lot of interesting minor characters. I might read the sequels, but will investigate them first.contemporary cowboy gay-working-class ...more3 s Vero1,477 9

This might contain spoilers.

1,5 stars. (And the half star is for the kudos to mention watersports, even if it was only halfheartedly incorporated - not that this is my kink, but it takes some courage to include that in a saccharine romance this.)

It had cowboys. They were supposedly hot. And that was the good part about this book.

It was incredibly sappy and had no claim to be realistic whatsoever.

The established couple (10 years together) has sex non-stop - between telling each other how much they love each other.
This is just plain boring after a while. Yeah, we get it. They are the greatest gay cowboy couple to ever walk the earth. And they have sex all the time. Because if the luuuuuv is just great enough, then you have sex three times a day, even if you have a physically demanding job for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. And are together for 10 years.

I don't know if this is supposed to be erotica (the amount of "action" would point that way), but if so, it is on the uninteresting side of smexy and kinky, and the constant "be a good boy" doesn't make it a hot BDSM book (not my fave anyway, but this was not convincing anyway).

It also has the usual hotness all around, everybody either wants Simon or Luke - because they are soooo hooooot. Yeah, whatever.
The whole drama with the new Pastor and all the bullying was never a real cause for disturbance as the leading couple has too much sex to really fight. A little running away for three days, and all is good. BORING!

I didn't care about anyone in this book. It left me completely indifferent.3 s DaisyGirl1,204 68

2.5 Stars

Too much sex. I can hear the gasps. That's right, I said it. Too. Much. Sex. Not enough story. I got bored! How crazy is that?!? I felt I fell into some sort of cosmic bunny hole. How could I get bored with hot man-on-man cowboy action? But did I ever.

I had high hopes for this story for a number of reasons. Did I mention hot man-on-man cowboy action? Well, I was also excited because this story started with an established couple. I dig that. Unfortunately, things just didn't pan out. The characters were sorta able but there simply wasn't enough story stuff and there was way too much sex stuff. It pains me to say this! But ... well, you get the drift.

Bottom line: When I'm not running out to buy book 2, there's a problem.genre-romance i-own_ebook lendable-kindle ...more3 s Hey Hey1,031 4

I loved these guys!

Sappy hot as hell cowboys! *whispers* I was hoping for a follow through of the water sports and fisting. Maybe taking the kind up a level.

Yup, the plot was less than original, and you never find out who did it. But it's true to life! Not everything is always wrapped up in a tidy little bow. These guys had real emotions, conflicts and love.

I probably would of put the flash back of me meeting as the prologue and not in the middle of the story. But that's just me. It's was a weird break in the book.

I hope Tommy and Noah's next!!m-m zz-2014-5-star-reads3 s Zydras810 137

I am not going to rate this book, I feel it would be unjust.
For some weird reason, I really dis it when the main characters are together from the start. I really the mystery aspect of the first meet, or realization that they are more than friends, that actually they love each other.
I must have missed that they have been together for ten years in the blurb, or mixed up this book with another.
So, I am going to pass on this one, and leave it unrated.
mmr3 s Lyn?Loves?Listening to Real Voices Only!!!!??1#AUDIOBOOKADDICT2,239 695

70% I cannot bring myself to finish this crapcheesey-porn cowboy m-m-r ...more3 s ?Michaelle?3,672 217

3.9 Stars

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but: I feel the story suffered from it's overabundance of sex scenes.

Established couple stories are hard to pull off; if we aren't privy to the meet cute sometimes we as readers aren't as engaged in the tale. Aren't as invested in how things turn out. With this one, we get the growing pains, the actual effort it takes to make a relationship work, the sacrifices and compromises each man makes for the other...and I loved these details. LOVED THEM. Throw in a situation that changes nearly everything they know, everything they're familiar with...and all they seem to have is each other to lean on (and only a handful of those closest to them, with friends and those they considered family treating them so terribly).

And lean they did; only, a lot of it was through sex. Okay, I know that people handle adversity and loss and fear differently, but I really do think half the sex scenes could have been paired down, or eliminated completely. (Still can't believe I'm saying that.) If I'd been reading this, I'd have probably skimmed those; only, I was listening so I couldn't figure out how to do that without jumping ahead too far & missing other scenes. (Side note: Aaron Pickering did just as good a job with this one as he did with Strong Enough by Cardeno C. He's only listed as narrating a few titles, and luckily the rest of the ones in this series available on audio are among them.)

If you aren't a fan of "religious" themed books I'd probably stay away. There's a lot here that had me rolling my eyes, gritting my teeth and wanting to put a beat-down on some peeps. But it's nothing that we don't see and hear every day in the news, or experience ourselves. It's partly why I don't do organized religion anymore; the varied interpretations of moldy old books (and not even all of them) is just so capricious and seems to swell with the hate that's fanned by certain sects/groups/organizations/people that I can't deal with the stupid.

I think, if I believed he'd been real, that Jesus would be ashamed to see what's been done in His name.

I really d the ending - even though it's still open-ended-ish? - and thus felt unfinished. A story that maybe picks up in the next one? (*checks series page* YEP!) I'm definitely going to put it on the shelf for another challenge (as this read was) because I already know I will adore reading about an openly gay Pastor. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34 audiobook cowboys gb-done-2018-q2 ...more2 s Chris Jeffreys241 18

So many reviewers have hit the problems with this book (and there are many of them). But, cowboy m/m stories are my favorite, so I thought I knew better than all of the other reviewers. Alas, I was wrong.

General problem with the premise of the story --the two main characters, Simon and Luke, have been a couple for ten years and everyone in their small town have previously accepted them as a couple. Why are all the town's folk reacting negatively to their relationship now? The reason why is never adequately explained, except that there is a new "fire and brimstone" preacher in the small town setting who we never meet. (I guess the author believes that all residents of small rural towns are pathetic lemmings who always follow the words of their preacher, no matter what the moral or legal consequences.).

But, here's the basic premise of the story -- A new preacher has moved into the small ranching town and he is apparently spewing bigotry, and the hick-town's folk buy it hook, line and sinker, instead of standing up to the miserable sh*t who is wearing a minister's collar. Even as there is vandalism and trumped up criminal charges, no one goes after the bigoted preacher -- in fact, the preacher is never a character in the book -- he is only referenced by other characters. (Sorry, but vigilante justice is alive and well in small town America, and I find it very hard to believe that someone, anyone, did not kick the crap out of the preacher.).

Simon and Luke have a really strange relationship. They are two men that are cut from the same cloth, which is what made it so difficult to read this book -- there is no significant distinction in their individual voices, so the reader often forgets which character is speaking. Also, it is also a very, very slow read.

You can tell that there is love between these two cowboys, but they have the weirdest ways of expressing it. The conversations between the two are very stilted, and not loving at all, which was very perplexing. And after ten years together, there is a lot of one partner leaving the bed without telling the other where he's going -- the disappearing partner just leaves.

Even the sex scenes, which are overly frequent in this book (as many as three per chapter), don't establish a close and hot relationship between the two main characters. Maybe, I can give an example . . . It's not in the book, but this is how the sex scenes read to me: Luke joins Simon in the shower, and he says (in a completely bland voice with no emotion), "Oh, oh, oh, you big man, you. You have such an engorged penis, it is unusually large for a penis, and it has quite an adequate girth. Oh, you big man, you. I would you to place your engorged penis in my mouth before I brush my teeth and floss so I can taste your semen." In response, Simon says, "oh yes Luke, I would very much you to suck my erect penis before you brush your teeth since there is no need to waste water by brushing your teeth twice. Let me help you down to your knees so you don't slip on the soap foam that is being sprayed off of my body. Now, open your mouth wide and let me see your tongue before you lick my engorged penis." Do you get the idea? All of the actions are there, but it's about as hot as a wet noodle.

And one final thought about the sex scenes . . . Giving a guy a hickey may be cute when you're in high school, but, according to this book, every time someone has sex they need to suck up a hickey on their partner's body. It actually got pretty gross by the end of the book. With the number of sex scenes, I can't imagine that either character had any skin that wasn't bruised, red and throbbing by the end of the book -- they must have looked lepers.

In the end, the story ignores all of the crap that happens to the two main characters in the book, and we are supposed to believe that the existence of a gay minister in a town that's an hour away is supposed to solve all of the bigotry and hatred that forms the premise of the conflict in this book. It makes absolutely no sense at all since revenge is foreshadowed throughout the book, but there is no follow through.

Overall, an interesting concept (because I really cowboy stories), but terrible execution. Two stars from me.

NOTE: there are three sequels to this book, and am going to read each one to see if they get better than this initial offering in the series. (I told you that I was a sucker for cowboy romances.).
2 s Ravyn284 34

I really wanted to this book. I love cowboys, and I love to see couples in established relationships. Throw in a little conflict with the new homophobic preacher in town, and well, it sounds great, right?

But the enjoyment factor just wasn't there for me. It's hard to pinpoint the exact problem, but I think the major thing was that it didn't really flow well. (Or I just wasn't reading it very well.) Basically, I kept getting confused about who was talking and who was being addressed, so I kept having to go back and figure it out. For example, Luke and Simon both call each other "boss" at various times in the book, since Luke is technically the ranch boss while Simon is the top in the relationship. Personally, I thought that was confusing. Also, I thought it was weird that Luke's parents were called by their first names most of the time. It took me half the book to figure out that "Greg" was in fact Luke's father. There are also a slew of ranch hands who are referred to at random, without giving them any kind of individual personality to help distinguish them in my mind. Actually to be honest, all the characters sort of melted together in the end, including the main characters. I dunno, perhaps other people wouldn't have issues this, but I found that my constant confusion really drained on any sort of enjoyment.

My second big gripe about the story was that I thought the whole "homophobic preacher vs. the ranch" conflict was a little....underwhelming. I don't really want to give anything away, but I felt the so-called climax and resolution of this conflict was a bit lacking and ultimately felt unfinished. However, I'll also say that this type of ending may have been on purpose in anticipation of a sequel featuring another couple introduced near the end of this book.

Bottom Line: I imagine a lot of people will enjoy this book due to its hot cowboy couple and their steadfast relationship. But for me, it just wasn't my thing. I was confused half the time about who was speaking and who exactly "he" was referring to. I didn't think the ending was very satisfying. Oh, and for me at least, there was way too much generic sex. all-mm-fiction c-cowboys g-contemporary2 s NicAuthor 40 books354

Luke and Simon have been together for 10 years and have a happy life. They work together running Luke's father's ranch and are surrounded by people who support them as a couple. They are welcome at church and are part of the town community.

A new pastor comes to town and starts spreading a very different message, encouraging the townfolk to reject Luke and Simon. Suddenly they find they are no longer welcome at various places in town and some people stop doing business with them. Things progressively get worse with attacks on their property and stock.

I actually found the alienation and the actions the townfolk resorted to unbelievable in the context of this story. I do understand that people behave this way, particularly if they have been brought up with different beliefs or do not understand people. However, in this case, the people knew Luke and Simon and their family and had been accepting for 10 years. They had also had a previous pastor who preached a message of tolerance. I don't think the story adequately showed how such a radical change could have occurred in two months, why people would throw out all the teaching of their previous pastor and suddenly listen to the new pastor. Particularly as they were resorting to extraordinarily unchristian- behavior.

Luke and Simon made a good couple. Luke takes charge of the running of the ranch but Simon usually takes charge in the bedroom. The sex scenes? I love a good sex scene and they were well written but the story could have benefited from leaving a few out. These guys seemed to have sex at the drop of a hat and even had a daily "morning report" scheduled. It's nice to see that a couple who had been together for 10 years were still going strong but we didn't need to experience it with them each time.

The story focuses on the strain placed on the relationship between the two men, the first time they have had to work through tough times together. They need to agree on the best way to make decisions that impact both of them (Luke hates people making decisions for him) and decide whether they stay at the ranch.

The plot was slightly formulaic but having an established couple in the story was a refreshing change.

cowboy dreamspinner-purchased mm ...more2 s Sandy Winn5 2

This story was so hot and compelling. Such emotional angst and fantastic hot sex combined with a killer, believable plot. These two boys had to face homophobia in their small Texas hometown, after having been accepted for years. That was until the new pastor moved in and began waging a personal war on their sinful lifestyle. I loved the depth of character the author created in both the main characters. They were handsome, rugged, intense, and very real. I was so sucked into the story, I honestly couldn't believe she wasn't telling an actual story of someone's lives that had been ripped apart by discrimination, hate, and bigotry. It doesn't matter who we love. All love is good. But sometimes, men of the cloth can't see beyond their narrow-minded beliefs to figure that out. And being a good Christian no longer has the same meaning or connotation as being BEING Christian. They are two very different things.

Jesus was loving, kind, and compassionate. He taught us a great example. But some in today's world, whether in this story or in real life, don't really know what it means to be a good Christian. Acceptance, tolerance, and love, are not words that have any meaning in their world or personal vocabulary, despite the profession of being one. This book just paints a true, believable scenario of that type of hate against a person for choice of orientation and nothing more. As I said, I was so sucked in, I couldn't separate fantasy from reality. That's definitely the mark of an excellent writer, when they can suspend my disbelief, that what's happening in the book hasn't actually happened somewhere in reality.

And of course, the hotness factor is insane in this book! Those boys are together anywhere and everywhere they can be, whenever time affords them the opportunity. I loved their daily report time each morning, and so much more. It somehow eased the pain of everything being hurled at them just for loving each other. A supremely hot and engaging read!!! Highly recommended!2 s Karen K426 13

This book is a 4.5 for me but I'm upping it to a 5 for GR and because I love the relationship between Luke and Simon so much.

I loved the story and especially the "established couple" fact - sexy cowboys didn't hurt at all either. Luke and Simon are perfect for each other, respect each other and even after 10 years, still have a romantic, lustful love for one another. The setting is well-described and I loved the writing in general. The secondary characters were fairly strong but for me it was all about Simon and Luke.

The reasons I couldn't go to a 5 were maybe petty and picky but there still the same. The picky part was the colour of Simon's eyes changing from hazel to blue to brown, which may be possible, but I rather think was a lack of consistency. Most people wouldn't even notice the inconsistency but unfortunately I pick up stuff that even when I don't want to. :)

The petty part was the fact that the overall plot took a turn from being about the preacher and his wife trying, and in a lot of ways succeeding in ostracizing Luke and Simon from their town, to having the man and his wife suddenly just up and move away. I didn't find that there was any closure in that situation and that bugged me.

Neither reason hampered me from still loving the book or adding it to my faves list, since I already stated, Simon and Luke and their relationship was the most important aspect and was written beautifully, emotionally and reached straight into my heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review50-states-in-2011 ebook-owned gay-cowboys ...more2 s Librarian Kate88

Overall, the story was interesting, but the writing was confusing...the continuity needed work, and there were several scenes where there seemed to be tension because I read a few hints about the vandals, or the preacher, but then they just wandered off, leaving me wondering what happened. What was the point of having a man get beaten so badly he was unconscious for two days? Other than to drag Simon down to the pokey for a night, so there could be angst and non-sleeping. Too many loose ends, and lack of resolution except for diner food with Marion, who gave a half-hearted apology - was she the only one in the whole town??

One of the issues that is implied rather than brought out is something that gave me a problem with Jodi Picoult's latest book, Sing Me Home. In both stories, the "Christians" are all painted with the same brush, as religious drones who mindlessly follow whoever is preaching loudest. No one in that whole town called bullshit on the fire and brimstone crap from the new pastor? Not one person found it in their heart to call the Lost Cow and say "I know what the new pastor says, but I also know you are good people"...I know it's supposed to be small town Bible belt, but are they that easily manipulated?

I was seriously rooting for the "get the hell out of Dodge" plan. Who needs to live where a whole town turns into Stepford Christians who let a new pastor tell them how to treat their neighbors?

Living well is the best revenge.

2 s Mathilda GraceAuthor 92 books48

Eine Ranchgeschichte über das Paar Luke und Simon, das seit 10 Jahren eine harmonische Beziehung führt und sich plötzlich der Homophobie eines ganzes Ortes gegenübersieht, weil ein neuer Pfarrer der Meinung ist, die beiden "Sünder" müssten vertrieben werden.

Die Story ist voll von jeder Menge kleiner Dramen, falschen Anschuldigungen und von Sex. Letzteres übrigens in einem Maße, der mir persönlich einen Tick zuviel war. Weniger ist manchmal mehr, auch wenn Sue Brown hier zwei Charaktere erschaffen hat, die einfach körperlich sind und auch so agieren. Die Erotik fühlt sich nicht falsch an und macht auch jede Menge Spaß, ebenso wie der Rest der Geschichte, die übrigens Auftakt einer Reihe ist. Und ich hoffe, da wird auch das nächste Buch bald übersetzt.

Eine klare Leseempfehlung von mir. :-)?2 s Wendy?Ann1,757 49

Is it wrong for me to wish that I could receive my own morning reports in the same fashion as Luke received his? Work would definitely take on a whole different level of interesting if that were the case:)

Simon and Luke have worked their way onto my list of favorite established couples. I adored how firmly in love and lust they still were after ten years together. Granted, they made a couple of stupid moves (i.e., lack of communication) during the story, but who doesn’t? For the most part, they were right in sync with one another and I really love to see that in couples. This was my first book by this author and I’m very much looking forward to more (especially Tommy’s story)!
app-stanza series sex-partner-mm2 s Awilk -never sleeps- 1,033 6

This story had a lot of good things, but was also let down by other things, leaving me unsure what to write here.
I d the main characters, and as I was looking for a steamy read, this was perfect. But, and this is a big but, parts of this story line were hard to believe. I understand that homophobia and bigotry exist in the world, I just could not believe that people who had been accepting for ten years would do such an about face so quickly.
I did this enough to think about reading more of this series, but I do worry that there may be a bit too much religion in the next books to appeal to me. I will have to think about it.cowboys established-couple hot-alphas ...more2 s Shanna146

The over all story was great and the author handled the topic with out becoming preachy. It was nice to see an established couple confront problems and come through the trials still together. I also d that not everything was solved in the end, there were still issues with some members of the community but they found acceptance in a new community. A good solid story but not outstanding.2011 contemporary-fiction m-m2 s Deja Dei125 23

Not a bad book. As others have said, gets confusing, especially dialogue. I don't have much to say that other people haven't said. A lot of potential, but the ending is anti-climactic and there is way to much sex. Skimmed over the last 50% of the sex scenes. Ok, but could have been tightened up and been better.2 s Gennie Gee117 31

My thoughts on this on are mixed, but I'll say a 3.5 for now. Being from the Oklahoma and Texas area, there are too many things that just aren't quite right and I think that's because Ms. Brown is from England. However, I LOVE Simon and Luke and can't wait to read Noah and Tommy's story.2 s Katy Beth Mckee4,200 51

These men have a long relationship but now their love is being tried and tested by forces outside of their control. It is hard to think about one person's hate could spread so far and lead to so many horrible consequences. And yet there is the hope that is presented in another pastor who shows a different way. While this story takes Luke and Simon through a roller coaster of emotions we get to see that love can win and yet it seems to take a beating. It is also a reminder to remain true to those most important to use not matter what presses us from outside. audio drama m-m ...more1 F.1,340 64

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