Another really nice book in this wonderful series. It was great to finally find out what makes the enigmatic Erico tick - and to see the very shy Jay unthaw a little.

Seeing these two figure out their relationship was doubly interesting because at first glance my reaction was - no way! But Carol manages to describe their developing feelings in a very warm and utterly believable way. I really liked this volume and hope this series will continue for a long time to come! ( )

This is probably one of the stories I was waiting most of all, I have a soft spot for girly looking guys, above all when it’s clear that, behind the fragile look, there is a strength that few men can demonstrate.

Jay is the favourite of all the inhabitants of Cattle Valley: he is young and innocent looking, and everyone wants to protect him. But no one wants to be his lover, maybe since they are scared to hurt him, or maybe since Jay is not exactly butch looking, and you need to like the waif style to like him; in few words, Jay is too pretty to be real, and this kept good men at distance; then, if a man gets close to him, he is often of the idea that he can control a fragile man like Jay.

There is one man who would like Jay not only as a pretty object to show off, but he is the Don Juan of Cattle Valley; Erico, the owner of the fanciest restaurant in town, is also quite famous to be always the buddy friend of every man but never the lover. At first Erico sees in Jay only a strangely attractive man, someone who is not his usual type; and then Erico can’t “use” Jay like he usually does with men, the townspeople are there looking at them and at once threatening Erico if he will hurt Jay, and then warning Jay against Erico. With this basis, nothing can really happen between them, and at the beginning of the book, Erico has lost hope.

And it’s at this point that Jay displays his real self: a librarian outside the bedroom, he is a slut inside, and he is also very horny and he needs a man. And Erico is there, willing to be that man, and scared enough by all their friends that for sure he will not dare to really hurt Jay; but a little bit of pain during sex is something not only Jay is willing to accept, but above all that he needs.

I was expecting for the drama to be on Jay’s side, given his past, and instead he comes out pretty much like a young and steady man, who perfectly knows what he wants in life and that is more than able to take care of himself; who instead needs help is Erico. This is an unexpected and nice turn that gives balance inside the couple, so much that, I realized or remembered only at the end of the book that Jay is way much younger than Erico, and that this was indeed a May / December relationship.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0857150693/?tag=elimyrevandra-20