Bonus Day: Two Reviews

Review One: A Cowboy's Heart
By J.M. Snyder

Publisher JMS Books LLC

ASIN: B007773PPG

Transgender, erotica, GBLT, historical

Every now and then I read a GBLT title to brush up on what’s being published. This time I saw J.M. Synder’s, A Cowboy’s Heart, as a free download. Since I’d never read the author’s work before, I thought I’d give one of her titles a shot.

And I was pleasantly surprised.

As many of you know, I’m really difficult to please when it comes to reading material. Seriously, you have no idea how many books I wade through because they’re A) poorly written, B) poorly edited, C) a Yawnsville plot, and D) the list goes on. If the first chapter doesn’t suck me in and if after leafing through it reading a few pages here and there the book still doesn’t interest me, I usually toss it aside or hit the delete button. So, when I opened A Cowboy’s Heart on my iPad, it was nice to find something that intrigued me.

The main hero, Tommy, is young (19 if my memory serves) and just learning about his sexuality, but he knows he yearns for the touch of the same sex and he’s smitten with his boss, Hal. They work on a ranch, so whenever the other hired hands go to town to buy the painted ladies’ time at the bar, Tommy dreams of being with Hal. However, one payday his co-workers drag him to the local watering hole and that’s where Tommy meets “Lila”, one of the “soiled doves.”

There’s just one problem—well, a problem as Lila sees it. She’s not who she appears to be. Then a second half to her problem arises. She finds herself drawn to Tommy, and when Tommy keeps coming back to see her, things start to snowball until the two find themselves falling in love. As a result, Tommy realizes a few things about his feelings for his boss, Hal, too.

Now, when I review, I don’t give away the entire plot. Suffice it to say that the historical elements are wonderful right down to the clothing and the setting. The plot is good, and Ms. Snyder’s writing style is pleasant and kept me reading.

But one thing about this novel truly kept me turning pages: Lila’s POV. I found her side of the story much more interesting, and it compelled me to find out more about her, why she chose to don the garb of a saloon harlot, and what made her tick as a person. I also got a kick out of the madam who first discovered Lila’s secret. When I read the line where she told Lila the eye color she was using just wasn’t her, I burst out laughing because I saw and heard the madam in my head so clearly. Making me laugh out loud while reading is a tough thing to do, so kudos to you, J.M.!

If you enjoy the GLBT genres with a historical flair, I highly recommend A Cowboy’s Heart, and if you’d like to buy the book, click on the cover above or the link below and either one will take you to the author’s page where you can scroll down and find links to several of your favorite e-book distributors. Or, if you’re one of those diehard Amazon shoppers, you can find the book HERE.

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Review Two: Unspoken Promises

By Becca Dale

Publisher: Decadent Publishing

Contemporary romance, cowboys, western

Sometimes I cuss my wireless Internet until the air turns blue. I went through trials of cyber fire to download Unspoken Promises by Becca Dale. Often when this happens, I end up so frustrated I say “Aw, the hell with it!” and I give up. However, as an author and an editor who has penned and edited western romances, I’ve been very intrigued by Decadent Publishing’s new Western Escape line. I was determined to get my free copy.

Three distributor’s sites would not cooperate with my wireless provider. Finally, after about thirty minutes of aggravation, I managed to get the book from Smashwords, crawled onto the bed, and opened the title on my iPad.

Bear in mind that Unspoken Promises is a short story. However, the author’s writing style is so professional and fluid it took me only seconds to fall in love with the story. My only complaint is that it was too short. In just a few minutes I grew very attached to Treynor, the hero, and Billie, the heroine.

There’s a misunderstanding that threatens their love, and when Billie has grown up seeing lies between her parents forgiven over and over, she fears the worst when Treynor is seen with another woman.

True love, new beginnings, determined hearts, and a great backdrop of a western town, a small farm with a lovely quarter horse, and a handsome cowboy who can melt a nun’s panties...what more could you ask for? So, I’m happy I kept fighting my wireless provider until I could download this li’l gem.

Now go get Unspoken Promises and enjoy a quick, lovely read!

Download at Decadent Publishing, but you can also get it at Bookstrand.com, Are.com, and Smashwords.com.

Disclaimer: all books reviewed by 4SW have been purchased or are free offers downloaded by the individual reviewer; some may even be borrowed from our local libraries.