Buck Me Western, Gay Romance
Dreamspinner Press
Nov 14, 2023
Kindle
251
Amazon
Emmett McElroy is the cowboy horses hate. When his heir apparent brother dies and his father has a heart attack, he does his duty and steps up as head of the family ranch, but he wishes things were different and his life choices were his own. Just when he begins to get his legs under him, he arrives home to find his high school crush has been hired as ranch foreman.
Ex-rodeo cowboy Nathaniel Zachary desperately needs work. When Mrs. McElroy offers him a job while her husband recovers, he jumps at it. The only issue is Emmett… because Nathaniel has never been able to get his best friend’s brother out of his mind.
Tensions only increase when, after drowning his sorrows, Emmett foolishly agrees to enter a bucking bronc contest at the local rodeo. The attraction that grows as Nathaniel helps prepare Emmett for the contest is something neither of them expected, but as Emmett's father's health improves, the happiness they've built may break faster than a cowboy thrown from the meanest bronc.
Reviewed by Linda Tonis
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Emmett McElory has always lived in his brother RE’s shadow the shining star of the family. When RE died his father begrudgingly told Emmett that he would take over the horse operation something that he was so ill prepared for. Emmett had a fear of horses, and the horses constantly showed their dislike for him. Emmett did his job despite the many bites he received and the sore feet when they were stomped on.
When Emmett’s father suffered a heart attack his mother hired RE’s best friend Nate to be foreman once again showing their lack of confidence in Emmett. Emmett’s parents had no idea how well the ranch was running under him and all the projects he had in mind to make the ranch run even better. Every time Emmett put an idea in front of his father his father would agree until it was time for the plan to be put into place then his father pushed it aside and worked on his own plan.
RE’s best friend Nate was hired as the temporary ranch foreman a man that Emmett always had a crush on. Emmett would follow his brother and Nate and never questioned his brother was the better man. He idolized his brother who always supported and encouraged him, something he never received from his parents. Nate had to give up the rodeo, too many broken bones and a back that could give out at any time, so this job was a blessing.
At first Emmett was angry that he was overlooked for the foreman job, but it became apparent that the two men worked great together professionally and after they got the heads out of their as….es personally. Emmett wanted Nate and Nate wanted Emmett but RE was Nate’s best friend and Em’s younger brother, so he was hesitant to encourage a relationship when he worried if he was doing the right thing. Well, right thing be damned as so often when the heart takes over the brain the heart almost always wins.
Then trouble comes knocking, fences cut, a brush fire and Em’s truck being shot leaving nothing but rubble. All that trouble should be enough except one night at the bar a very, very drunk Em made the mistake of going head-to-head with a man who has been an enemy since school. When he begins to bad mouth RE, Emmett comes to his defense and before he knew it his brain once again went to sleep, and he agreed to a challenge to ride a bronc in the upcoming rodeo.
Poor Emmett hasn’t ridden a horse since he was eight and now 8 seconds the time, he must stay on a bronc would be the cause of total embarrassment, injury or death. Of course, he considered crazy glueing his butt to the saddle, but it was pointed out to him by Nate that he would still fall only he would be standing naked. As the relationship between Emmett and Nate grows so does Emmett’s courage and when his father comes home, he doesn’t hesitate to put his grievances on the table. Did it work, no it is not easy to change parent’s ways of thinking especially a parent so stubborn that no one’s opinions mean squat.
Andrew Grey did an amazing job of giving blow by blow details of what is necessary to stay on the horse. Nate and Emmett worked for weeks just to give Emmett the 8 seconds he needed, only success does not look likely. I read every word, how to hold your legs, how to sit, most importantly how to stay on the horse and wondered if I could do it, then I stopped reading while I was laughing so hard, I was crying lol.
I love all of Andrew Grey’s books and read almost all of them and he never ceases to amaze me by his ability to write so many books and bring knowledge to them all, cowboys, cops, fireman, doctors and the list goes on.