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Bareback by Chris Owen

Jake Taggart has a dark past involving alcoholism and serious brushes with the law. Now in his late thirties, he has settled into a modest life as a foreman on a prosperous ranch in Arkansas. 

The only real thorn in his side is Tor (Tornado), a younger cowboy who has scant respect for authority. In fact, he has to go looking for Tor one rainy evening when the younger man borrows a truck and then breaks down out on the plains.  What does Tor do when Jake rides all the way out there to offer his assistance? He demands to know why the hell Jake didn't show up a little faster.  This leads to a muddy fistfight.  That in turn leads to – well, not your usual thing between cowboys even in the 21^st century. 

Before we know it, Jake and Tor are having explicit sex in the rain. This sets a trend for hot sex that will continue in virtually every scene in the 371-page book.  But our guys have some problems to cope with as well.  Both already know to steer clear of the boss's 18 year-old daughter Missy who wouldn't mind hooking up with either Jake or Tor – or "outing" them in a jealous snit if she were to learn their secret. (She eventually matures out of this trouble-making role.)

Also hard-to-handle: our heroes' inevitable jealousy, temptation, and misunderstandings that come with partner-swapping with other handsome cowboys.  Furthermore, each has the hard work of resolving painful issues from his past.  For Jake, this mandates a thorny and complex subplot when he contacts his family who had believed him dead. Some have different reactions than others to the news that he's alive and well.

You know me here at Obsidianbookshelf.com: I'm always going to prefer story to sex. This is why the last half of the novel turned out to be a pleasant surprise with Jake and Tor both making some foolish decisions about their relationship, and then having to struggle to save that which becomes damaged almost past the point of repair. A lot of romance novels end while the characters are still enjoying the giddiness of initial infatuation; not many examine, like Bareback does, the mistakes made and the effort spent in keeping love alive.

Jake comes across most strongly as a character because we readers stay rooted in his close-third-person viewpoint. Both Jake and Tor seem plain-spoken, volatile, inarticulate, and sensitive.  There are some amusing minor characters with which they interact, including the long-suffering Elias whose sleep in the bunkhouse they disturb with all their noisy sex; and earnest young Hound who doesn't let Jake off the hook when it comes to almost giving up on Tor.  Note: Bareback has a sequel, Natural Disaster, also published by Torquere Press.

Relevant Links: Erotica Contemporary Fiction Deviations Submission by Chris Owen and Jodi Payne The Tin Star by J. L. Langley Which One of Two Lovers Did I Like Best and Why? Bareback is available on Amazon through this link:   Bareback

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