Chasing Alex

Title: Chasing Alex
Author: Riley Shane
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Amazon: N/A
Genre: Contemporary M/M, Western
Length: short story/30 PDF pages
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

 Review Summary: Two Hard nosed cowboys must decide whether  standing their ground is better than giving in and getting what they really want.

THE BLURB

Chase Larkspur is a rodeo cowboy who likes a good ride…as long as he’s the one calling the shots. Alex Dawson is a bull rider who tests every limit Chase has ever set. The passion between them burns bright and hot, until Alex grows tired of keeping their relationship a secret—and of being the one who’s always ridden. Alex lays down an ultimatum, and then the rest is up to Chase. Does Chase let the best thing in his life run away to the family ranch, or is he brave enough to chase Alex down?

 THE REVIEW

Dreamspinner has a new Daily Dose series called First Time for Everything and I bought the entire series because I enjoyed the previous Daily Dose stories. I won’t review all of the books but maybe some of the other guest reviewers will do a few of them, although I’m not sure how many of them like shorts. 🙂 

“If you want me, you know where to find me.” 

Those were Alex’s last words to his lover and bull riding partner Chase Larkspur, before he walked away. The words were still ringing in Chase’s ears as he sat in his truck parked outside the Dawson ranch months after their break-up, contemplating whether to give Alex what he wanted or tell him to go to hell. After all, he was bisexual and he could have any number of buckle bunnies or sweet young things who wanted to go for a ride on a rodeo cowboy, but he wasn’t interested even though Alex thought that was what he wanted. As he tried to get his courage up to meet the man he wanted above all else he played that final scene in his mind over and over where Alex gave him an ultimatum – don’t come looking for him unless he was prepared to acknowledge him publicly as his lover and also was prepared to get fucked when they had sex – no more one way street where Alex played the part of the girl. A lot for Chase to think about! This was the last bastion for him. First there was kissing, then oral sex, now Alex demanded that he be the receiver as well as the pitcher. In his book it was always better to give than to receive. 🙂

Alex was missing Chase but he was not prepared to back down. He wanted a relationship not a f**kbuddy. No more hiding that he and Chase were lovers while Chase flirted with all the women and ignored him, and he was sick of their unequal sexual partnership. Deciding to come home was easy for him because at 31 his bull riding days were almost over. The rodeo was a young man’s playground and it was a lot tougher to recover from injuries now than when he was 21. He had been considering retiring for about a year and the last fight with Chase made leaving a lot easier

 This was a fun book about a couple of stubborn cowboys. The story is told from both POVs and Chase and Alex were likable and funny, even when they were mad as hell. As soon as they got together again their feelings took over and Chase realized that losing was winning.

If you like cowboys I think this couple will appeal even though there wasn’t any bull riding, horses or even bulls in the book. lol. Although they had disagreements and fought  it was clear that the the protagonists loved each other and the end game was a committed relationship, something they both wanted. I’m not sure how this would play out in Texas where apparently homophobia is king, but Riley Shane made me think that their HEA was not that improbable.

Recommended. For $1.49, less than the price of a coffee at Starbucks, what have you got to lose? 🙂

One more thing – I love the cover for the book. I think Catt Ford did a great job!