Roped In by Marie Sexton & L.A. Witt

Rate: 3.5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Cowboys; BDSM
Publication day: June 20, 2016
Length:155 pages  
Publisher: Riptide Publishing

Graham and his roping partner, Jackson, have been friends since they were boys. They’ve ruled the rodeo scene for ten years running, but lately, Graham’s heart isn’t in the game. He’s tired of the bruises, the cowboy mentality, and the animal rights activists who picket every event. He’s also tired of being in love with Jackson, and nothing’s been the same between them since their disastrous drunken encounter the year before.

Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. But he’s also a know-it-all, animal-loving vegan, bent on saving the world one cow at a time. They have next to nothing in common, but Graham can’t stop thinking about what might happen if they can stop butting heads long enough to give it a try. Unfortunately, no matter how attracted Graham is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off. But Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.

All they need is a bit of rope.

My View: Roped In is a light BDSM cowboy story. Graham knows he’s attracted to men and thinks to be in love with his rodeo partner, Jackson. The only time they tried something, Graham backs out. He doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, but in reality, he has trouble accepting his sexuality.

When Graham meets Kaz at a rodeo protest, he’s instantly attracted, and a couple of conversations later, they’re giving a relationship a try. It’s more of an insta-lust than anything else, and Kaz uses ropes to help Graham focus on what he wants. There’s a connection there but not deep enough to want them to stay together.

Personally, I think I was more invested in Graham’s and Jackson’s relationship than in Kaz entering the picture. I love how natural Graham and Jackson worked and their feelings for each other. Maybe Kaz could have been the guy to bring them together, a third on the relationship? But not what I wanted for Graham.

The story is well written, and the rodeo and BDSM elements are well integrated. The story resolution was cute and gave the MCs their HEA even when it felt a bit rush. Overall, this story is more about sex and Graham’s self-discovery than a real emotional connection.

What I liked the most: The friendship between Graham and Jackson.

I wanted more: Of a connection between the main characters.

Who should read it: Any fans of kinky cowboy stories.

ARC provided by Riptide Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. 

Trailer Trash by Marie Sexton

Rate: 5 stars
Genre: Contemporary, YA
Publication day: March 21, 2016
Length:  340 pages
Publisher: Riptide

It’s 1986, and what should have been the greatest summer of Nate Bradford’s life goes sour when his parents suddenly divorce. Now, instead of spending his senior year in his hometown of Austin, Texas, he’s living with his father in Warren, Wyoming, population 2,833 (and Nate thinks that might be a generous estimate). There’s no swimming pool, no tennis team, no mall—not even any MTV. The entire school’s smaller than his graduating class back home, and in a town where the top teen pastimes are sex and drugs, Nate just doesn’t fit in.

Then Nate meets Cody Lawrence. Cody’s dirt-poor, from a broken family, and definitely lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Nate’s dad says Cody’s bad news. The other kids say he’s trash. But Nate knows Cody’s a good kid who’s been dealt a lousy hand. In fact, he’s beginning to think his feelings for Cody go beyond friendship.

Admitting he might be gay is hard enough, but between small-town prejudices and the growing AIDS epidemic dominating the headlines, a town like Warren, Wyoming, is no place for two young men to fall in love.

Heartbreaking, but beautiful.

My View: Trailer Trash isn’t an easy read. It’s filled with information, character development, setting & placement, and so much more. The author did an excellent job making a story set in the eighties relevant, bringing a growing relationship to the forefront during the AIDS epidemic.

I’m not a YA reader, but Nate and Cody captivated me from the very beginning. I got invested in them, their town, and their hopes. I felt their pain and wished with them for a brighter future.

They didn’t live in a bubble. They were part of a family, a school, a community. We get to see every aspect of their journey, and the story never felt too long or philosophical. The little insides about the gay community in the United States were enough to make the reader aware of the difficult views people had during that time.

The story is heartbreaking. The amount of despair and grief increases with every page, but behind everything, there’s a story of young love and possibilities. The journey in this story is as important as the ending. All the characters involved had a purpose and further the plot.

I can lower the rating if I look into particular parts of the story, but the overall is strong enough to allow for flexibility. The story isn’t perfect, but it’s a delight to read, even the sad parts. In the end, there’s hope.

What I liked the most: How much Nate and Cody trusted each other, even when they were apart.

I wanted more of: A future. I was hoping for an epilogue thirty years later.

Who should read it: Readers looking for a well-developed story with a great setting and sense of time & place.

ARC courtesy of Riptide, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.