Bark at the Ghouls

GR Cleanup Read April 2011

Sooo close to a 4 but not.

Jesse is a sexy cowboy romance featuring an older man resisting the advances of a much younger man and with good reason. Kyle and Jesse’s older brother Mac were partners until Mac was killed in a freak accident on the ranch. When Mac died, Jesse (who was 17) and his younger brother David were taken from him by their drunken dad. Kyle had no legal recourse to get them back and has missed them desperately. He hasn’t seen them in three years but has been plagued by sexy dreams of an all grown up Jesse. Then Jesse and David suddenly turn up on the ranch looking for work and a place to stay. Kyle takes them in but struggles with his desire for Jesse who does nothing but tempt him. Kyle is 44, Jesse 20 but during Jesse’s three year absence has become very experienced and Kyle fears not only that he’s too old but way too vanilla for such an adventurous guy. He resists but a man can only hold out for so long when temptation is dangling right in front of his face.

This was a hot read but I had to take a point and a 1/2 away for three things:

Jesse and Kyle share a telepathic bond but it just didn’t work for me in the face of so much realism. Though it made for some super-hot shared dream sex and one case of outright slightly creepy voyeurism it just seemed weird.

There is an intrigue and sabotage plotline that grated on me and made me feel bad for the innocents who were harmed. Especially that poor kid David!

These two rough and tough men, one a cowboy, one a worldly biker dude who frequents D/s clubs, together say or think the word crap (or crappy) 21 times. Yep, after the first three occurrences I counted. Shit (this includes bull and horse) is muttered only 10 times. Silly of me to count, I know it, but I’m a geek and Adobe makes it too easy.

“Crap, he was forty-four years old!”

“Crap, he probably just needed some sleep.”

“I‟m in a crappy mood.”

Well, you get the drift. There was just too much crap being thrown around and not nearly enough shit for two so manly of men. My teen says crap but only if he knows I’m listening and doesn’t want a smack upside the head but these guys had no one around to smack them.

The rest of the book I really loved. The characterization was top notch and I cared about younger brother David (who needs his own story) as much as I did Kyle and Jesse, maybe more at some points. Life on the ranch was well described and their romance worked well and wasn’t rushed. Jesse despite his age seemed very wise so I bought into their HEA and was a happy reader in the end.

“People are just people; we love who we love.”