Reviewed by Nikyta
Title: The Lone Rancher
Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Dreamspun Desires #4
Heroes: Aubrey & Garrett
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: February 15, 2016
Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: He’ll do anything to save the ranch, including baring it all.
Aubrey Klein is in real trouble—he needs some fast money to save the family ranch. His solution? A weekend job as a stripper at a club in Dallas. For two shows each Saturday, he is the star as The Lone Rancher.
It leads to at least one unexpected revelation: after a show, Garrett Lamston, an old friend from school, approaches the still-masked Aubrey to see about some extra fun… and Aubrey had no idea Garrett was gay. As the two men dodge their mothers’ attempts to set them up with girls, their friendship deepens, and one thing leads to another.
Aubrey knows his life stretching between the ranch and the club is a house of cards. He just hopes he can keep it standing long enough to save the ranch and launch the life—and the love—he really hopes he can have.
Review:
I’ve always adored cowboy stories and I especially like them from Andrew Grey because they’re sweet and intriguing and his characters are usually very endearing. This one was no different and we get to see two closeted cowboys go from friends to lovers and I really enjoyed experiencing that. I loved Aubrey as a character because he’s so selfless and determined not to let his parents’ hard work go to waste even if it means having to toss out pride and become a stripper long enough to get enough money to save the ranch. As for Garrett, I really liked that he was so willing to help Aubrey. However, he’s a bit of an enigma so we don’t know much about him. But I loved that they started off slow and things heated up between them.
While I enjoyed this one, I had a few issues with it. I felt like once Aubrey and Garrett get together, the story just jumps to weeks later. I wanted to see what happened during those weeks instead of being told about them. Also, at times, things became confusing on who was actually speaking so I had to reread a few lines to figure out who said what. Also, it really really annoyed me that Aubrey was in his situation because of his sister, who (IMO) was a selfish bitch. Who lets their parents go into debt to put them through college and then not even ATTEMPT to pay them back or at least help them recover from that debt especially when they’re about to lose their ranch? It just really pisses me off when that happens because it not only affected the parents but also Aubrey and from what I read, the sister didn’t even seem to care!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the connection between Aubrey and Garrett and how they handled their relationship and being in a small town. I ADORED the ending but the sister and the jump in time lessened my enjoyment quite a bit. However, I would love to see these two again one day and see how they’re doing after being in their relationship for a few years. Definitely give this a go if you’re looking for a Harlequin-esq rancher story with just a hint of stripping.
Overall Impression: I liked it
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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