Avery Rivers is a country music sensation, selling records by the millions and playing to sold-out crowds. But behind that persona is Robert, a burned-out musician cracking under the pressure. He’s unable to write any new songs, and he wants out of the business—at least for a while. He changes his appearance and finds honest, hard work in Jackson, Wyoming. Maybe getting to be a regular guy for a while will get him past his block.
Hy Whitely was a championship bull rider until he watched his best friend thrown in the arena and decided the rodeo circuit was no longer the place for him. He wants to be plain old Zeke for a while, and when he returns to his family ranch, he bumps right into Robert—a one-night stand from his last rodeo appearance who is now working there as a ranch hand.
The heat between the men could sear the grass off the range, but each one is hiding a secret. Robert and Zeke, the men behind the public images, fall in love, but can they hold on when Avery and Hy are pulled back into the spotlight?
Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Buy links: Dreamspinner | Amazon
Cat gives this one 5 Meows with a 3 Purr heat index...
This cover is awesome. It does a great job of hinting at the story. I also loved where the title came into play in the story as well.
Robert is a country music star that is burning out under the pressure of all of the tours and promotional appearances. He meets a man in a bar that says how lovely Jackson is so he heads that way, just getting away from the limelight for a while so he can get inspiration for new songs. He misses the ranch his dad had lost and decides a job on one may help him get inspired again.
Zeke, a bull rider going by Hy, is at the hight of his career. He is a contender for the championships this year, but a tragic accident his friend has made him reconsider his life as a rodeo star. He goes back to the ranch to help his father and finds non-other than Robert the one-night stand that he couldn't get out of his head.
I love me a good rodeo cowboy story and Andrew Grey books are always great so this is a win-win! Mr. Grey's characters are always so well-developed, realistic, and the plots also intriguing, gripping and entertaining. I fell in love with both men immediately and was so happy they hit it off. I loved Zeke's dad as well.
The story has some parts that grab at the heartstrings. I admit I nearly cried a couple of times. I couldn't put it down once I started and it will go on my reread list for sure. The romance is great, sensual, but wasn't easy.
If you like bull riders, rodeos, country music stars, angst, hot, sensual man-sex and a story deep with feels this is for you! I highly recommend it!
Excerpt...
ROBERT CLOSED the door to his dressing room and sat on the sofa, shutting his eyes so he could have a few moments of peace. Not that he was likely to get that. There were too many damn people who wanted a piece of him, and they weren’t about to let something as inconsequential as a door stop them.
Performing usually sent him through the ceiling—the excitement of the crowd, being onstage doing what he’d always loved, what he’d dreamed about since his dad have given him his first guitar at seven years old. He still had that guitar. Didn’t play it anymore, but he still had it. He was starting to feel a little like that instrument: old, tired, and a maybe a little bit of a relic. Not that his career would reflect that. He was at the top of his game, in terms of audiences and the number of times his songs were downloaded. If that was the real measure of success in this industry, then he was certainly a megasuperstar. Not that he felt like it.
His real name was Robert Cummings, but his manager and the record label that had first signed him had thought that name was too plain and didn’t say “music star,” so onstage he was Avery Rivers. Over the years, that name had enveloped more and more of his life. From his start in the recording studios and onstage, it had taken over television, online, radio—you name it. Avery Rivers had become so big that plain old Robert barely existed at all anymore.
Like he knew it would, the door swung open. Robert didn’t bother to look up.
“That was something else,” his manager, Glenn Hopper, said, tugging off his cowboy hat to fan himself with it. “You were on fire, my friend.” He didn’t bother closing the door, which meant he was expecting more people.
Ray followed behind, hooking the door closed with one of his boots.
“We have a meeting tomorrow morning at eight. The record label and the tour promoter want to talk over what’s next,” Glenn said.
Robert ignored him. “What do you need, Ray?” he asked softly.
“Excuse me? I can’t hear you.” Ray stepped closer.
Robert didn’t raise his voice at all. “I said, what do you want?”
Ray turned to Glenn, confused. Ray was the representative of the company that had put together the tour that had just wrapped up. Tonight had been the final stop, and Robert was tired beyond belief.
“Can Glenn and I talk, please?”
Ray shot Robert a dirty look and scowled at Glenn, but he left the room. As the door opened, a wall of sound came in, then cut off when it closed again.
Robert sighed. “God, I hate that man,” he said. “Not that he’s done anything wrong. It’s just that he doesn’t have a right to be part of every goddamned conversation I have. Sometimes I swore he was going to show up in my bathroom.” He also gave Robert the creeps, but he’d never been able to put his finger on exactly why. Maybe Robert was just getting tired and less patient.
Glenn snickered. “He’s not a bad guy. Just a little nervous. This was the first tour he’d been put in charge of, and he wanted to make a good impression on his bosses. We all have that kind of shit to deal with sometimes.”
“Has Barry been on your ass again?” Robert asked, and Glenn shrugged.
“He is who he is. Barry makes stars in this business. That’s what he knows how to do. The rest of it is completely foreign, which is why he has us to handle all the people-skills end of things.” Glenn pulled over a chair, sat, and pulled out his iPad. “Anyway, I wanted to go over things for tomorrow, and then we’ll get you back to the hotel.” He tapped a few times. “Okay. As I was saying, there is a meeting at eight with the tour promoters, as well as the record label. Barry will be there too.”
“Not eight,” Robert said. “That’s too damn early.”
Glenn’s tapping on the screen stopped and his head came up. “That’s the time of the meeting, and….”
“Reschedule it to ten, please,” Robert said firmly. “It’s nearly midnight now, and it’s going to take some time before I can get to sleep. So make it ten.” He raised his gaze. “Tell Barry to reschedule the meeting at ten per my request. Because otherwise I’m not going to be there.”
“You know they’ll have the meeting without—” Glenn stopped when Robert held up his hand.
“No, they won’t. They’ll reschedule it.” Robert smirked.
Performing usually sent him through the ceiling—the excitement of the crowd, being onstage doing what he’d always loved, what he’d dreamed about since his dad have given him his first guitar at seven years old. He still had that guitar. Didn’t play it anymore, but he still had it. He was starting to feel a little like that instrument: old, tired, and a maybe a little bit of a relic. Not that his career would reflect that. He was at the top of his game, in terms of audiences and the number of times his songs were downloaded. If that was the real measure of success in this industry, then he was certainly a megasuperstar. Not that he felt like it.
His real name was Robert Cummings, but his manager and the record label that had first signed him had thought that name was too plain and didn’t say “music star,” so onstage he was Avery Rivers. Over the years, that name had enveloped more and more of his life. From his start in the recording studios and onstage, it had taken over television, online, radio—you name it. Avery Rivers had become so big that plain old Robert barely existed at all anymore.
Like he knew it would, the door swung open. Robert didn’t bother to look up.
“That was something else,” his manager, Glenn Hopper, said, tugging off his cowboy hat to fan himself with it. “You were on fire, my friend.” He didn’t bother closing the door, which meant he was expecting more people.
Ray followed behind, hooking the door closed with one of his boots.
“We have a meeting tomorrow morning at eight. The record label and the tour promoter want to talk over what’s next,” Glenn said.
Robert ignored him. “What do you need, Ray?” he asked softly.
“Excuse me? I can’t hear you.” Ray stepped closer.
Robert didn’t raise his voice at all. “I said, what do you want?”
Ray turned to Glenn, confused. Ray was the representative of the company that had put together the tour that had just wrapped up. Tonight had been the final stop, and Robert was tired beyond belief.
“Can Glenn and I talk, please?”
Ray shot Robert a dirty look and scowled at Glenn, but he left the room. As the door opened, a wall of sound came in, then cut off when it closed again.
Robert sighed. “God, I hate that man,” he said. “Not that he’s done anything wrong. It’s just that he doesn’t have a right to be part of every goddamned conversation I have. Sometimes I swore he was going to show up in my bathroom.” He also gave Robert the creeps, but he’d never been able to put his finger on exactly why. Maybe Robert was just getting tired and less patient.
Glenn snickered. “He’s not a bad guy. Just a little nervous. This was the first tour he’d been put in charge of, and he wanted to make a good impression on his bosses. We all have that kind of shit to deal with sometimes.”
“Has Barry been on your ass again?” Robert asked, and Glenn shrugged.
“He is who he is. Barry makes stars in this business. That’s what he knows how to do. The rest of it is completely foreign, which is why he has us to handle all the people-skills end of things.” Glenn pulled over a chair, sat, and pulled out his iPad. “Anyway, I wanted to go over things for tomorrow, and then we’ll get you back to the hotel.” He tapped a few times. “Okay. As I was saying, there is a meeting at eight with the tour promoters, as well as the record label. Barry will be there too.”
“Not eight,” Robert said. “That’s too damn early.”
Glenn’s tapping on the screen stopped and his head came up. “That’s the time of the meeting, and….”
“Reschedule it to ten, please,” Robert said firmly. “It’s nearly midnight now, and it’s going to take some time before I can get to sleep. So make it ten.” He raised his gaze. “Tell Barry to reschedule the meeting at ten per my request. Because otherwise I’m not going to be there.”
“You know they’ll have the meeting without—” Glenn stopped when Robert held up his hand.
“No, they won’t. They’ll reschedule it.” Robert smirked.
Andrew Grey is the author of nearly 100 works of Contemporary Gay Romantic fiction. After twenty-seven years in corporate America, he has now settled down in Central Pennsylvania with his husband, Dominic, and his laptop. An interesting ménage. Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He is a recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and now writes full-time. Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing). He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
sounds great..congrats
ReplyDeleteI love Andrew's books, I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDelete