Hi there! Today I’m sharing a review and giveaway for a contemporary interracial romance from Tara Lain. COWBOYS DON’T COME OUT is a standalone cowboy romance set in Maui, of all places!
Catch the excerpt and get in on the $20 GC giveaway below!
About the book:
Rand McIntyre settles for good enough. He loves his small California ranch, raising horses, and teaching riding to the kids he adores—but having kids of his own and someone to love means coming out, and that would jeopardize everything he’s built. Then, despite his terror of flying, he goes on a holiday to Hana, Hawaii with his parents and meets the dark and mysterious Kai Kealoha, a genuine Hawaiian cowboy. Rand takes to Kai’s kid brother and sister as much as he drools over Kai, but the guy sports more prickles than a horned toad, and more secrets than the exotic land he comes from.
Kai’s earned his privacy and lives to protect his “kids.” He ought to stay away from the big, handsome cowboy for everyone’s sake—but since the guy’s just a haole on a short vacation, how much damage can he do? When all of Kai’s worst fears and Rand’s darkest nightmares come true at once, there’s not much chance for two cowboys who can’t—or won’t—come out.
How about a little taste?
He stopped and tried to hear over the rushing of the surf out beyond the reef if anyone else hid in the dark. No sounds. Fortunately, no big water hit this beach, so he didn’t have to worry about getting swamped. Actually, between the lapping waves and the brilliant moonlight, the scene resembled some fairy-tale romance. Fuck that.
Right where the dry sand verged on the wet, he flopped on his butt. What she’d said—that he settled for a good-enough life. That he wasn’t happy. Don’t I get to decide that?
He leaned back on his elbows. Yeah, but she’s right. I created a whole life—as if I was somebody else. Most people find “the one” and build a future so it suits them both. I imagined a cowboy and slid into his boots—Rand McIntyre. Say that with a drawl, son. Just one problem. I’m gay—always have been—and cowboys don’t come out. Where does that leave me? A-fucking-lone, pardner. Always will be.
You’re not the only gay cowboy.
Have you seen Brokeback Mountain? Shit.
Phosphorescence sparkled on the tops of the waves farther out. Pretty. Guess there could be all kinds of weird man-eating shit in that water.
Do you think more sharks and barracudas swim at night than during the day?
Yeah, right.
He sprang up, stripped his Hawaiian shirt off and tossed it on the sand, then pulled off the shorts his mom had given him. Commando. What would it feel like to have fishes nibbling at his balls? Not like anybody else was doing any nibbling. He strode into the water. Whoa! Not cold, just startling.
When he waded out past his thighs, his penis and balls started to float. He chuckled. Kind of like being a kid in the bathtub. Endless hours of fun playing with your own built-in toys. A few more steps, and he submerged to his shoulders. He gave a tiny shiver. Weird being sunk in inky blackness. Still, the water felt good. He kicked off and swam a few yards out, turned, and stroked back towards shore. He wasn’t a good enough swimmer to push his luck alone at night.
After treading water a couple of minutes, he pulled himself back into the shallows and sat on the hard wet beach. He glanced down. Some shrinkage, but his balls still lay on the sand. Remember to rinse them off or you’ll itch. Slowly he released his breath. What was he going to do? Answer? Same as always. Nothing. He couldn’t risk all the great shit he’d made to try to make it better.
My Review:
Rand McIntyre is a closeted cowboy running his own small ranch and B & B near Chico, California. He’s 26 and wishing he could build a family, but he won’t come out, fearing it would harm his business. He’s pulled along on a trip with is parents to Maui for Christmas, where he’s hounded by his well-meaning mother for not getting a girlfriend/wife and settling down.
It’s a problem when he meets a girl his parents love, and a sexy Hawaiian cowboy he wants to get to know better, Kai, on the very first day. Rand’s firm with his mother that Julie will ever only be a friend, no matter how much matchmaking she tries. I liked that. Obviously, closeted characters face a lot of internal conflict, and Rand is no exception. He really wants more, and he berates himself for not reaching out. Not taking a stand. We don’t learn until much later how a childhood incident has fed this desire to stay quiet, and to isolate himself from further injury. I wished I had seen a bit more of the foreshadowing on that, because–while I suspected there was a trauma–at times the clues seemed non sequitur and jarring.
Kai is taking care of his younger half-siblings, lying to all and sundry about his age, his abilities, and his home life in order to protect Aliki and Lani. They are sweet kids who’ve all had it rough. Kai works hard, but he can’t keep everyone out, and especially not Rand, who’s a great guy and eager to help. Besides, he’s so sexy, and Kai’s never had a boyfriend before. I loved the kids, and how cool they were. They have very distinct personalities, and Lani’s no joke a “little mother,” at twelve. She’s had to grow up too fast, but she’s got great instincts and she wants Rand to be a part of Kai’s life however they can work it out.
There’s a sweet bit of interracial loving, which I wished was explored a little more, but the sense of Hawaiian culture was always there. I loved how Rand put himself into really uncomfortable places to be the rock Kai needed. There were some great elements of family being the people who love you–not just your blood relations, which were sweet. The connection Kai and Rand felt from the beginning turned from attraction in to companionship pretty quickly, but there’s that moment of conflict that pushes them apart, too. There are lots of differences between Kai and Rand, and no matter what Kai won’t sacrifice the kids. The end is a huge grand gesture, with more than Rand riding to the rescue. As much as it seemed too much too soon, I still found it endearing, and lovely.
Interested? You can find COWBOYS DON’T COME OUT on Goodreads, Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and AllRomance.
****GIVEAWAY****
Click on this Rafflecopter giveaway link for your chance to win a $20 GC.
Good luck and keep reading my friends!
About the Author:
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 23. Her bestselling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary 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 soulmate husband and her soulmate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!
You can find Tara at:
Thanks for popping in and keep reading my friends!
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