Cowboy Danny Boone—a name he
made up one drunken night and has regretted ever since—harbors a big past and
yearns for a small future. A short, bright career as a champion bull rider
almost ended in his death when his homophobic father discovered Danny was gay.
Now Danny longs for a plot of land he can build a ranch house on and enough
money to make up for some of the education he missed.
Danny also hides a preference for beautiful femmes who like to top—a combo rarer than a unicorn. Then onto the guest ranch where Danny works drives San Francisco decorator Laurie Belmont, a young man so gorgeous he makes horses gasp, and so ballsy he almost kills Danny’s attacker.
Laurie’s trying to find his way out from under the thumb of a domineering mother, helpless father, and rich, privileged boyfriend.
But no matter the attraction, their lives are worlds apart, and cowboys don’t ride unicorns.
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Cat gives this one 5 Meows with a 2 Purr heat index...
Danny used to be a bull-rider in the circuit but quit after nearly being beaten to death. Now he rides for fun and small purses in closer events to the ranch he works at. He is gay and doesn't hide it, but he does have a secret.
Laurie is a guest at the McIntyre Ranch with his wealthy boyfriend Grove. He is instantly attracted to Danny but knows he has to keep Grove for several reasons.
I loved this story. I love that Danny isn't the usual Macho, cowboy and that Laurie being effeminate and loving girly clothes is manly as well. I loved getting to see more of Rand, Kai, and the kids.
Cowboys Don't Ride Unicorns is a book two but stands alone well. You may need to read it to get introduced to the returning characters. I loved the characters, the plot and everything about it. It is a heartwarming feel-good story if you need a good pick me up. I highly recommend it.
Danny used to be a bull-rider in the circuit but quit after nearly being beaten to death. Now he rides for fun and small purses in closer events to the ranch he works at. He is gay and doesn't hide it, but he does have a secret.
Laurie is a guest at the McIntyre Ranch with his wealthy boyfriend Grove. He is instantly attracted to Danny but knows he has to keep Grove for several reasons.
I loved this story. I love that Danny isn't the usual Macho, cowboy and that Laurie being effeminate and loving girly clothes is manly as well. I loved getting to see more of Rand, Kai, and the kids.
Cowboys Don't Ride Unicorns is a book two but stands alone well. You may need to read it to get introduced to the returning characters. I loved the characters, the plot and everything about it. It is a heartwarming feel-good story if you need a good pick me up. I highly recommend it.
Guest post with Author Tara Lain
Starting Books with a Bang!
Hi everyone. I’m Tara Lain and I’m so happy to be here at Tammy’s to celebrate the release of my new cowboy romance, Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns, which releases today! March 22. I had a great time writing this book and among the most fun parts were the actual bull-riding scenes. One of those opens the book.
Every author is challenged by a particular section of their books and often that tends to remain the same from book to book. Many writers struggle with the “saggy” middle. I’ve heard authors say they have trouble knowing when a book is ready to end. For me, I keep editing, smoothing, shifting and sorting until I can start my books with a bang. Friends of mine say they have a problem knowing where to start. That’s not my issue. Usually, it’s best to begin a story right before a major, life-changing event – most often but not always the meeting of the hero and heroine or, in my case, the two heroes. A couple times, I’ve changed where I started my books, but only about two times out of nearly 39 works.
One of the times I did change the opening was in a very early book, Deceptive Attraction (currently off the market). I originally began with my hero, a soccer star, walking into the bar where he was to meet the other hero, but we didn’t really know much about him yet. A friend, the great writer Sharon Hamilton, suggested I start on the soccer field, which would not only be exciting for the reader, but also tell us a lot about the hero. It worked and that’s what finally appeared in the book. That advice was still ringing in my ears when I started my new novel, Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns. I actually postpone the meeting of my two guys for a full chapter in favor of starting my hero on the back of a bull. The reader gets to experience bull riding, my hero’s expertise is on display and then he gets to save another man’s life, which sets up many of the events in the story. By the time we meet Laurie, “the unicorn”, we already know that Danny is gay, is hiding, and loves femmes. This is one book opening that, aside from polishing words and details, never got changed.
I hope you enjoy the opening of Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns and every page after that. Here’s a nibble to get you going.
If you’d like to win a copy of the first cowboy book in the series (they are standalone) called Cowboys Don’t Come Out, please enter on the Rafflecopter.
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Excerpt...
Two hours later he’d drawn his bull—a huge sucker
named Scorpion, and from the looks on Maury’s team’s faces, he must have the
sting to go with the name. As they walked to the chutes, Maury clapped a hand
on Danny’s shoulders. “Careful. Don’t underestimate Scorpion. He’s meaner than
piss.”
“Sounds like not my luckiest draw.”
“Well, let’s just say he’ll earn a lot of points.”
Danny propped himself on the fence and slid onto the
broad back, feeling the heat of the animal under him. He worked with the rope
puller Maury had provided to get his bull rope in exactly the tautness and
configuration he liked best. Scorpion shifted restlessly but didn’t try to slam
Danny against the fence. Danny leaned down toward the twitching ear. “I’m your
friend, Scorpion. I’ll make you look good if you return the favor.”
The cowboy closest to Danny chuckled.
The announcer called, “Next up, we got a new rider
named Danny Boone. If you’ve been in California lately, you know Danny’s been
doing his share of winning. So let’s see if he’s up to the great state of
Nevada.”
Danny adjusted his vest, planted his hat, wrapped
his hand tight enough to hold but not so tight he couldn’t let go—and nodded.
Fucking hell broke loose. The bull leaped out of the
stall in a full breakaway—not a move bulls usually performed. Danny vaguely
heard the crowd gasp over his own intake of breath. She-it. Just pretend he’s a
bronc. Danny flapped his loose hand toward the sky and adjusted the roll of
his hips and movement of his spine to accommodate the bull’s unique style. He
spurred for a couple of extra points, but truth was he could barely stay on
this sucker. Just try to look good.
The hurt didn’t exist—until later.
Scorpion sunfished, throwing his legs to the side,
and Danny rode the buck, trying like a son of a bitch to look in control. Wham! All four hooves hit the ground
straight-legged, and the impact shot up Danny’s back in a bolt of pain. Much
longer and that bell on the bull’s belly would be tolling for Danny. For an
instant Laurie’s face flashed in his mind.
After what felt like an hour, the horn sounded.
He waited for old Scorpion to stop spinning, kicked
to the side, and landed standing. Scorpion hadn’t taken kindly to Danny’s offer
of friendship and took off after him like he’d been given a contract on his
life. Danny leaped to the side and let Scorpion sail past. Two bullfighters
jumped in front of Scorpion, but the damned bull was hard to distract. He
swiped at Danny twice more, getting lots of reaction from the crowd, and
finally stampeded after the bullfighters, who lured him into the exit chute.
Danny walked out of the arena too as the announcer
said, “Looks like Danny Boone can take on the big dogs with the best of them.
Good ride.”
A couple of guys slapped his shoulder, and he
nodded. Don’t let ’em see you sweat.
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Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 36. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!
Website: http://www.taralain.com
Blog: http://www.taralain.com/blog
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain
Twitter: http://twitter.com/taralain
FB
Page: http://www.facebook.com/taralain
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Cat thank you so much for reading my Cowboys!! I'm so happy you liked them. : )
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post and review. The book sounds fantastic.
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Thank you for the review. This book sounds wonderful! pringlez22(at)yahoo(dot)com
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