Two cowboys fall in love. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

A really good story, with fleshed out men who find each other after so many years apart. The events have a ring of authenticity to them.
I really enjoyed this one...and not to mention the HOT cowboy sex! ( )

When I first started reading M/M, I purposely avoided “cowboy romances” because they seemed cliché. However, I am quickly finding they can be quite good and my opinion has changed. I love the Cattle Valley series by Carol Lynne, so when I saw this novella from TA Chase (who I have read and enjoyed before) I went for it.

The story is a fairly straightforward romance. Tyler and JT are twins, and Tyler has always been the follower, taking care of JT on the rodeo circuit. Until he finally decides he needs a life of his own, possibly with the handsome horse breeder Ren, that he can’t get out of his heart. There is angst in the story (JT having slept with said horse breeder simply b/c Tyler wanted him!) but it is nothing heartrending and easily overcome by the couple - as it should be in a novella that doesn’t have the time or scope to expand. The sex (I know you romance junkies are wondering) was excellent, better than I find in most short stories/novellas. Chase throws a bit of kink into the mix, so it’s not vanilla, but it is also far from BDSM. A little bondage and some spanking heat the sex up very satisfyingly without tipping into uncomfortable. I could easily reread this story again.

A couple things did annoy me, such as Tyler constantly referring to Ren as “the older man” and the somewhat abrupt ending. There was the requisite HEA, but a couple more paragraphs would have ended it more smoothly. Overall though, it was a very good story and I actually hope there’ll be a sequel with JT. ( )

It's a bit a Fantasy Cowboy Land the one described in this book by T.A. Chase, but well, sometime it's good to forget that there are places in this world where you can't really be who you are without worrying of the consequences, and it's important to tell the story as you would like it to be, since maybe, time over time, you will change a mind at time.

And so in this story we have Tyler and J.T., twin rodeo cowboys. Both handsome and gay (well actually, J.T. is bisexual...), J.T. is the shiny twin, while Tyler is the shy one. Tyler is also the responsible one, first his mother on her death bed and then his father asked him to take care of his twin, and Tyler always acted as guardian angel. He also left his beloved ranch, and his beloved neighbor Ren, to follow his twin on the rodeo circuit. But eight years after, Tyler is wondering if it's not time to come back at home, J.T. or not J.T. on tow.

At home there is not only is aging father, but also Ren, the older and handsome neighbor who was Tyler's unrequited first love. Tyler has never had the courage to confess to Ren his feelings, instead he talked to J.T. who, soon after, seduced Ren. Now Tyler doesn't know if being happy to have a proof that Ren is gay, or be unhappy to be forced once again to compete with his twin.

On the other hand, Ren is only waiting for Tyler to be old enough, and tired enough of the outside world, to be ready to settle down in their ranches. Ren is the older brother of three, but his two brothers have no intention to stay at the ranch. So Ren is ready and willing to build a family, and Tyler was always is first choice when arriving to a life partner. His relationship with J.T. was only a fling, and something that tired him soon after the first encounter.

Ren has some personality issues, a legacy from his military service during war time, and he needs to be in control in every moment. On the other hand, Tyler needs to let the control sometime, since he is always the reliable twin, the one who everyone expected to take the right decision. In this way, Ren and Tyler are perfect together, being Ren always the top in their relationship, and Tyler the willing bottom.

So no problem in their relationship and no problem also outside their relationship: Tyler's father behaves like a old fashioned father, means that he only asks Ren's intentions toward his son, and he is more than happy when he is assured that they are honest; Ren's brothers are only waiting for their brother to find a partner in order to be able to move out of the ranch without worrying to leave their brother alone... Sure, there is no the time, or the chance, to see the behavior of who is not a strict relative, other than one of Tyler's friend, but the atmosphere of all the book is of a total acceptance of Ren and Tyler's love.

Setting and details are very accurate, with few right positioned words, T.A. Chase gives the reader all the necessary details to be deeply immerse in the rodeo and breeding horse culture.

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