“Don’t allow your mind to tell your heart what to do.” ― Paulo Coelho
Title: Roped In
Author: L.A. Witt & Marie Sexton
Publisher: Amber Allure
Pages/Word Count: 39000 Words (Novella)
Rating: 4 Stars
Blurb: Graham and his roping partner Jackson have 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. And then there’s Jackson.
Graham and Jackson have been friends since they were boys. But ever since their drunken sexual encounter the year before, things have been awkward. Graham’s accepted that he might be gay, but no matter how attracted he is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off.
Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. And Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.
All they need is a bit of rope.
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Review: Who knew there was nothing much sexier than a submissive rodeo cowboy and a dominant animal rights activist? I didn’t until I got hold of L.A. Witt and Marie Sexton’s Roped In, but I do now, so lesson learned.
Roped In is exactly what you think it is, if you think it’s a story about a couple of guys on opposite sides of a sensitive issue who discover the way to start a little something together is in the bedroom, and the way to end it is in the head-room. What does that mean, exactly? It means that Graham and Kaz know exactly how to relate to each other when there’s dominance, submission, bondage and sex involved, but when it comes to their beliefs and convictions, they couldn’t be further apart, and it’s the opposition they face outside the bedroom that makes what they do in it seem rather insignificant to who they each are in the harsh light of day.
The freedom to think and feel at the moment a complete stranger shows him exactly what he needs to fill in the empty spaces of his life, what it means to trust in his own needs enough to trust someone else to fulfill them is a gift Graham is given. Unfortunately, there’s more to giving and getting in a relationship, though; there’s also compromise, and that’s something both Graham and Kaz have to learn. It’s a pretty straightforward juxtaposition the authors draw between gentling a frightened horse and handling a man who’s frightened of his own sexuality, and I fell for it hard and fast.
There’s a sidestory between Graham and his best friend Jackson that’s tangled into what’s brewing between Graham and Kaz, and I liked the little extra emotional punch it gave to the story. It also left me hoping the authors have plans to give Jackson his own book sooner rather than later, with a little Graham and Kaz on the side.
L.A Witt and Marie Sexton have worked together seamlessly to craft a story that isn’t necessarily long on backstory or relationship development, so don’t expect it, but offers a few make-or-break things that are imperative to me as a reader: characters I wanted to work together, sex scenes that made me believe there was an intense physical attraction between them, dialogue that made me believe there could be much more there than just sex to tie them to each other, and an ending that left me swiping at my Kindle in disappointment, not because I didn’t like the book but because there was no more story left to read.
Don’t let the BDSM label scare you away from this book, by the way, especially if that’s not your usual preference. It really is incredibly sexy and comparatively tame. So just read this one for the love of Graham and Kaz.
You can buy Roped In here:
This sounds like a fabulous read – I’m excited to read it. Thanks for sharing and for the great review!
I’m such a fan of these two authors individually, and I like them just as much together, Victoria! I hope you enjoy. :)
I’m loving all the excerpts. Putting this on my TBR list. Thanks.