Author: Bailey Bradford
Publisher: Totally Bound
Pages/Word Count: 208 Pages
At a Glance: I loved Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots and can’t wait to see what’s next from Ms. Bradford.
Reviewed By: Jackie
Blurb: Colby thought he’d never let anyone close again after being betrayed by everyone he loved, but one closeted, stubborn oilfield worker with a penchant for dressing like a cowboy seems determined to out himself and win Colby’s heart. It’s as if Hunter Talamentez walked right out of Colby’s fantasies and into the convenience store where Colby works.
But Hunter is closeted, and he’s never considered changing that. He’s got his homophobic cousin with him, a family that he knows won’t support him if they know the truth about who he is and a job where being out could get him hurt. He resigned himself to spending his life alone until he gets to know Colby. Then he embarks on a journey with Colby that will change their lives if only they both find the strength to take a few chances.
Nothing comes easily, and learning to give from the heart when that heart has been shattered twice before might be more than Colby is capable of. He isn’t sure about having more than a fling with Hunter, yet he can’t seem to stay away from the man, either. What was meant to be one night together turns into more, and Colby loses his ability to keep Hunter at the safe distance he’d wanted.
Review: Bailey Bradford is a go-to author for me when I need a good shifter story. I love her writing style, and her imagination is a thing of beauty. It turns out that she is pretty damned amazing when it comes to writing contemporary romance as well.
Colby has lived a lonely life since coming out to his family. Not only was he thrown away like yesterday’s garbage, but he can count his friends on one hand. Living a solitary life has never bothered Colby in the past, but recently he’s been thinking that there has to be more to life than what he is living right now.
Enter Hunter Talamentez. Hunter is an oilfield worker with a religious mother who would never accept his homosexuality. With those two strikes against him, he believes he is destined to have only furtive hookups and no chance of a real relationship. When he and his homophobic cousin stop at the local convenience store, he meets Colby. Even though he knows it isn’t a good idea, he just can’t walk away. Hunter and Colby begin a “friends-with-benefits” arrangement that quickly becomes more for the both of them. Over the course of their courtship, they both learn some long overdue lessons and realize what is most important.
Colby has more love and support in his small town than he ever realized, and Hunter also finds out he may have more support than he believed. The two men definitely have some hurdles to overcome to get to a HEA, but they are dedicated to getting there, and the trip was fantastic.
Getting through their story was rough at times, but I loved Colby’s strength. Hunter may have been bigger and stronger, but Colby was definitely the backbone of their relationship. Hunter fed off Colby’s strength and in the end, it gave him the fortitude to live his life as he wanted to, and that made them even stronger as a couple.
I loved Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots and can’t wait to see what’s next from Ms. Bradford. I will be reading it for sure.
You can buy Belt Buckles and Cowboy Boots here:
