Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5
Walker Reed’s Louisiana cattle ranch is in debt after costly repairs from hurricane damage. To get the money, his family schemes to make Walker the star of a new bachelor reality series: Queer Seeks Spouse.. How hard can it be to fake interest in a dozen handsome men for a few weeks in exchange for enough money to solve all of his problems?
Roan Carmichael never got his Masters degree after his mother was diagnosed with cancer. With medical bills piling up, and a costly experimental treatment available, Roan signs on to be a suitor on Queer Seeks Spouse. While he hates having to leave his sick mother long enough to win the cash for her treatment, he’s willing to do whatever it takes.
Can two men who are just in it for the money fake their way into real and lasting love? Cowboy Seeks Husband, the latest book by Vespertine authors Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn, features a cowboy, a hipster, opposites attract, steamy scenes, and heart tugging moments that will leave you wanting more.
While not a fan of the tv reality shows this novel is based on, I am definitely enthusiastic over this contemporary romance that uses one as the foundation for its story. Cowboy Seeks Husband by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn turns out to be heartwarming and current, include characters of realistic depth and endearing qualities, as well as a romance I absolutely took to heart. Did it make me want to watch the tv shows? Nope! But want more of these characters and their stories? Yes, because I became very connected to them and the ranch it was filmed on.
Done all “behind the scenes” of a new queer dating game bachelor show, the authors bring all the contestants, and the hot, humid Louisiana setting of Walker Reed’s ranch vividly to life. We meet not only Walker Reed (who I fell instantly in love with), but his father and lively stepmother, and then got a believable “feel” for the ranch they have lived on for all their lives and that will become the location for the show. Then come the introductions to the many would be suitors, the showrunners, and tv workers, equally important here. The authors work to flesh out all the personalities to make the readers believe in them wholly, no matter where they fit into the novel. It works beautifully.
I have to admit what worked for me the most is what also frustrates me about these shows. The artificiality of it all, which is played up here in the story. The growing romance between Walker and Roan, even knowing that it’s being filmed, the frustration and yes, secrets, the orders that have to be followed because of the legalities of the contracts. All that is exactly why I won’t watch them but makes this story work so well. I believe in these people, the good, the bad, the stressed out, all of them.
I won’t spoil anything by going further, except to say I love how it ended, as it should. Except maybe another story to look into another stage in their lives. I really connected with this couple and wasn’t’ ready to let them go. There were other intriguing characters too here that I could see the authors revisiting. Hmmmm.
At any rate, I am definitely recommending Cowboy Seeks Husband by Leta Blake and Indra Vaughn as a heartwarming contemporary romance you will want to read! I love it and hope the authors revisit this universe soon.
Cover art: Dar Albert. I actually love this cover. Colorful, and lively. While it ventures a tad on the movie ish, that works for the storyline and characters.
Sales Links: Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 306 pages
Published February 28th 2019 by Leta Blake Books
ISBN1 39781626227811
Edition Language English
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 