Rating 4 stars out of 5
And this was why he couldn’t stop himself. He felt like he was anchored, protected against the battering winds of the uncertainty of his mapped-out life. He didn’t have to provide or take care of. Someone was taking care of him and his needs and letting him surrender. And he had no clue that it was something he’d want, much less that it’d be such a relief.
Chance Becket has never really questioned the path laid out before him. He knows what he’s supposed to do – run the ranch, marry Caitlin, have kids and live happily ever after. That’s always been the way it is, except for when Caitlin throws a wrench in those plans and decides that a break will do them both some good.
He’s not sure why he ends up at Bar None, but maybe it’s some twisted game fate plays. There he comes across Bradley Heart, a man he grew up with. The chemistry they have is sizzling, but being gay doesn’t exactly fit in the plans anywhere. But neither of them can deny they’re drawn together, it’s just a matter of if Chance is willing to divert from the path and go his own way, and if that way includes Bradley.
“You don’t have to follow the mapped out path. I know it’s easier for everyone else but maybe you want more than easy. Some people just want more.” Sometimes we just need more.
There are a few things I love in stories. I love a good cowboy, and this story provided me with that. I love a nice dash of kink and a whole lot of heat, and this book also provided that. I also love a good love story, and I do believe that you can mark that as checked here.
To get the negative out of the way though, I will make a point of saying right away that I think this book needs another round or two of edits. It wasn’t just commas that were missing here and there, but also some misspelled words, sentences worded awkwardly, and even a point where there was an obvious and distracting POV switch. I understand that self publishing can be difficult, and finding a good editor even more so, but I was really sad to see the number of mistakes in this book. I can say that sometimes as an editor you can get caught up in the story and miss a lot when that happens, I just feel that the amount missed here was far too much.
But back to the positives, because this book had a lot. I enjoyed the premise, but I wonder if maybe the preacher son idea was originally made to be a more prominent theme. Still, it worked out well. This wasn’t a story where everything ended perfectly, but it also wasn’t a story where the angst consumed the happier moments.
Boehme managed to balance the drama very well with all the other aspects, which I greatly appreciated. To top it off, this isn’t a hard read by any means. It’s the kind of story that when if you have a lazy Saturday afternoon, you could read in one sitting and be content.
The cover art by Allison Cassatta is nice and simple. It’s fitting for the story, and while I sometimes have an issue with just slapping a person on a cover, I feel it works here. I also really enjoy the color combination. It’s warming, which only serves to support the story inside the cover.
Overall, a good book, and just a reminder for me to keep an eye out for Boehme’s future stories, as I’m sure they’ll be wonderful.
Sales Links: Amazon 
Book Details:
ebook, 254 pages
Published January 26th 2015 (first published January 22nd 2015)
edition languageEnglish
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 