Workin up a hot, sticky sweat is pure pleasure with a hard-ridin cowboy or two. Struggling stock contractor Gemma Jansen swallows her pride and tracks down circuit rider Cash Big Crow to offer him a job managing her ranch. Cash agrees on one condition: theirs won't be strictly a working relationship.
She's the boss during the day, but once she's corralled in the bedroom, Cash calls the shots. Despite concerns about their age difference, Gemma consents. Cash suspects the sexy widow hides an untapped wild streak. He intends to loosen her tightly held reins of control even if he has to break out his horsewhip to do it. But Cash is in for a surprise. Gemma proves a rough and ready participant in any leather-n-lace game Cash dreams up.
Between riding herd on his wayward daughter, Macie, and rowdy cowboy Carter McKay doggin Macie's every boot step, Cash struggles to hide his true feelings for Gemma except this time, Gemma's grabbed the bull by the horns and she's playing for keeps. Summer's going to be a hot one at the Bar 9.
i am probably going to spoil huge chunks of plot in this review. and i am okay with that. there is no way anyone is reading this book for the articles. this is just about the frequent and inexplicable intercourse between some bipolar couples and their friends.
oh, bodice ripper club, the things i read for you.
people seem to love this book/series. and i don't want to rip on a beloved series, so let me just say right here that i am completely the wrong market for erotica. i don't get hot and bothered by it, i tend to approach it too analytically, and attempt to find reasons for the characters' actions, and that is just completely not in the right spirit. but i can't help it - writing is very important to me.
and carter just might be the stupidest male lead i have ever read. "wait, so it's not okay that i painted all these naked pictures of you for my show without your permission??" "wait, so you don't think it is an appropriate surprise that i bring you my best friend to fuck??" "it's okay if i call you "mine," though, right?? mine mine mine??? girl?? mine??? and now i can go to your place of employ, "stalk you against the wall," and then throw you over my shoulder and carry you off in front of everyone like you are my captive squaw and ima stick my gigantic cock up your bum? we're cool, right?" "it is okay if i shoot whipped cream all up in your "hot pussy," right? there's no sort of medical reason that this would be a bad idea, right? is sexy?"
gross.
there is a lot of gross here. the threesome-as-surprise-gift is squicky-gross. and then it is mirrored in the other couple? fool me once...it is not a good valentine's day present, if your thoughts were headed that way. sex is sex - it can be fun and meaningless, but if you have been "in love" with someone for two years, and you have finally talked yourself into her bed as a business arrangement (which entire scene made me upchuck a little), and after two weeks or- god even less i think - you are already bringing in a pinch-hitter because you think it is what she wants - well, that is some weird definition of love, buddy.next time, just try flowers. NO DON'T PUT THE FLOWERS THERE!!! a vase will be fine.
erotica just always makes me laugh.
"good, girl. i've got plenty of lube, but no guarantee i can fuck you slow once i'm buried balls deep in this sweet, untried ass, understand?"
i mean - erotica's purpose is to make the reader aroused, and to transport themselves into the action of the story, right? to make them want to be the, not heroine - what's the right word for this character - umm sex toilet? but it is just not working, for me.i am untransported. cunt clit hot suck lick balls fuck fuck fuck blah blah blah. bring all the ropes you want, shove all the dildos into all the butts, have a dream about gay cowboys... i just can't become aroused by this. i am too busy laughing. sex is so weird. do people really say "christ on a crutch" in the middle of first-time anal? how can you take a lover seriously who says "get me wet with that hot fuckin' mouth." i would be giggling about that the next morning over eggs florentine or something. "heh heh - that hot fuckin' mouth. you tool." i am a shitty lover.
oh, god, and the weird bossiness. actual quote followed by what would be a reasonable response, in this scenario:
"lift up." he tapped her butt. in the split second she raised her hips, he grabbed her thighs to slide her closer to his torso and draped her knees over his shoulders. carter raised her ass high in his hands at an angle as he buried his face in her pussy."omigod." the only parts of her still touching the ground were her shoulder blades and the back of her head. "hold still. jesus, let me have more than a taste before i drop you."he licked up her slit. alternating the flat of his tongue with just the flickering tip. then he fastened his mouth to her clit and began to suck. when her whole body shook, he slapped her ass and growled, "hold still goddammit. i've been dyin' to get my mouth on you."
WELL, THEN YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE PUT ME IN THIS FUCKING POSITION, YOU MORON!! DIDN'T YOU READ THAT THE ONLY PARTS OF ME STILL TOUCHING THE GROUND (AND THANK YOU FOR THAT - THE FUCKING GROUND - REAL FUCKING CLASSY) ARE MY FUCKING SHOULDER BLADES AND THE BACK OF MY HEAD??? CAN WE NOT GET SOME PILLOWS UP IN HERE??
seriously - someone props me up like that, they better be strong enough to follow through and not complain like a bitch that i am moving. you got a problem with motion? go fuck a corpse, asshole.
i don't know what else i can really add to this. if you like erotica, you will probably like it, because there are many many many scenes of hot kinky sex. but the plot that ties it all together is threadbare and nonsensical. and the characters are just terrible humans who deserve a passel of STDs.
Rode Hard, Put Up Wet is book two in the Rough Riders series by Lorelei James. In this book you will get not one but two couples’ stories, Cash Big Crow and the woman he has dreamed of for years, Gemma Jansen, and Cash’s daughter Macie and Carter McKay. I didn’t completely fall in love with this book as much as I did the first one but it was still a sexy, steamy good book that I couldn’t put down.
Gemma Jansen is finally ready to move on from the death of her husband. She needs help badly on her ranch, the Bar 9. She and Cash have shared a kiss or two but she hasn’t seen him in a full year. Is he still interested or did he get tired of waiting for her? So she seeks him out and offers him the position of ranch foreman.
Cash doesn’t hesitate to accept Gemma’s offer as long as she agrees to one stipulation, she is the boss during the day, but he will sleep in her bed at night, and he is the boss then. It’s all or nothing for Cash. He won’t give up this chance to finally have Gemma right where he wants her, in his bed.
There is one small problem, though. Cash has a twenty-two year old daughter no one knows about, Macie. Macie’s mother has died and Cash is trying to make up for years of being a bad father. He and Macie were supposed to spend the summer together traveling. So Macie would have to be part of the package, coming along to stay on Gemma’s ranch.
Carter McKay is the quiet one of the wild McKay brothers. He is the brother that didn’t want to make his living ranching, but instead as an artist. He’s living on Gemma’s ranch, helping her with chores and working on his art. For the last couple of months he has been dreaming of a woman, a woman he has never seen before in real life. He has tried time and time again to capture the image on canvas but it escapes him. The first time he sets eyes on Macie he can’t believe it. She is the woman of his dreams, the exact woman that has been haunting him.
Cash knows the McKay family well and knows how the McKay brothers are. He is not happy at all with Carter’s interest in Macie. But they are both adults and if he wants his daughter to stick around so they can work on their relationship, he has to keep his opinions to himself about Carter.
Both Cash and Carter have a dark side, both sexually and emotionally. This book does not disappoint with plenty of steamy, sexy times. Both men often frustrated me with their emotional distance. And Carter…at times he made some not so smart decisions. He is probably typical for an artist. He would get wrapped up in his projects and ignore Macie. And towards the end he really made me mad. But of course, all works out in the end with the help of the strong women they have chosen.
We also get a little glimpse of Channing and Colby from the first book which I enjoyed. And a little visit from Trevor. I can’t wait to get more of his story. I am loving this series. It most definitely keeps the pages steaming and keeps my addiction to sexy cowboys fulfilled. I look forward to the next book, which will be AJ and Cord’s story.
Giddyup western-themed romance lovers (yeah, I never knew there was a market for it either). This book has something for almost everyone (if you're looking for a book containing tons of sex and you don't mind that most of the characters are assholes.)
In alphabetical order
Anal: Check Big strong man protecting little woman from thunderstorms: Check Blindfolds: Check Bondage: Check Boss/employee sex: Check Cougar: Check Cowboys: Check Cowgirl position: Check Daddy issues: Check Dildos: Check Lube: Check M/M (and a third male thrown in for good measure): Check Multiple orgasms: Check, check Native Americans: Check Reverse cowgirl: Check Sex in a barn: Check Sex in a bed: Check (yawn) Sex in a Ford Escape: Check Sex in the mud: Check Sex involving paint: Check Sex toys: Check Spanking: Check Threesome: Check (M/M/F in case you’re interested) Tossing salads: Check Wranglers: Check (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECc232...)
I understand the need to cut slack to authors whose viewpoints are racist or bigoted in light of today’s values. This is particularly important when an author’s views were progressive in their day. For instance, Thomas Jefferson can hardly be called a racist when his views were downright radical in his time. Yes he owned slaves (during a time when this was the norm for men of his stature), but had he been around today his views on equality would likely put most of today’s liberal minded folk to shame.
So what do we do with authors whose views today, right now, in our context, are flat out bigoted or racist. What is their excuse? Can they have an excuse? I don’t think they can have an excuse.
Nothing can excuse Lorelei James. Even though it is clear that this woman sees herself as caring and open-minded, even though she writes about “minorities” in a way that she probably thinks is fair and balanced, even though she potrays interracial relationships, even though she offers graphic same sex lust scenes, even though she “empowers” her female characters by putting them in charge (sort of) in the work place – she can’t overcome her bigotry, her outdated adherence to gender roles and her downright racism.
She gives us an “Indian Princess” who considers herself entitled because she is “half-white” (see what James does there? She doesn’t call her a “half-breed’ she calls her “half white.” It’s so much better that way isn’t it?) She gives us gay men who are written off as “sissies,” but at least she offers some graphic man on man on man dream sex (see what she does there? She gives us the big “taboo” made okay by the dream sequence, and she refrains from calling her “sissies” “faggots.” It is so much better than way isn’t it?). She gives us an artist who wants to make the “Indian Princess” his subject, and he wants to put her in “beaded buckskins,” riding a horse, wild and free, through the Wyoming plains. (see what she does there? She honours the Indian spirit, not Native or Aboriginal –- never that, and makes the modern savage noble again. It is so much better than putting her characters in residential schools isn’t it?) She gives us a strong woman who runs a ranch, but willingly gives over all control in the bedroom (at least she’s strong somewhere –- so that’s good); she gives us a responsible, sober strong, Indian man (at least he’s not the “drunken stereotype” as he himself points out -– so that’s good); it just goes on and on. Yep she sure gives us a progressive view of race and gender.
Seriously. Who thinks like Lorelei James? Who walks around, now, today, thinking that it is okay to see the world the way she sees it? A whole hell of a lot of people, unfortunately. The Republican base in the U.S., the Conservative base in Canada, and a great deal of the folks who see themselves in the centre or as having "moderate" political views. Too many.
I can cut Thomas Jefferson slack, as I can with the countless great writers who made strides in their time but fall short of our morals today.
I can’t cut Ms. James and her peers slack. With any luck their work will not last long in anyone’s memory.
Wonderful read! Hot, explicit, erotic and ultimately romantic book! In this one you get a "two-fer": the May/December romance of 38 yr. old Cash Big Crow and 48 yr. old Gemma Jansen, and the story of Cash's long lost daughter, 22 year old Macie Honeycutt and 26 yr. old struggling artist Carter McKay.
This book is all about second chances. Widowed Gemma gets a second chance at love, Cash gets a second chance with the daughter he barely knows and neglected all her life. Carter gets a second chance with Macie, after he does something incredibly insensitive and selfish to nearly destroy their growing love. And Macie is the woman who unselfishly gives the second chances to her father and her boyfriend, and in the process, gives herself a chance to have something she's yearned for all her life--a family to love and a place to belong and establish roots.
This was one hot, easy read--I finished it in one day. The dialogue was sexy, explicit and snappy; the stories were interesting and hot, the characters were lovable, although sometimes stubborn. The sex scenes were smokin' hot, however, not for the faint of heart. There was a (fantasy) m/m/m threesome, a m/f/m menage, some light bondage and spanking, and some anal sex--so be warned--something for everyone!
We also get to see the return of some characters from the previous book, "Long Hard Ride", including Colby and Channing McKay, Trevor Glanzer, and appearances by more members of the McKay family: brothers Cord and Colt and sister Keely, and an intro to Keely's friend Amy Jo, who will be featured in the next Rough Riders adventure, "Cowgirl Up and Ride".
This book is a winner if you like your heroes hot and your heroines sassy and love two big fat HEAs--I do and I loved it!
HOLY COW! I LOVED THIS BOOK! Not only do we get to read about Gemma and Cash getting into one HOT relationship, we get a two-fer with Cash's daughter Macie and her smokin' hot relationship with Carter McKay. I literally read this book in one setting. Cash is trying to establish a relationship with his daughter Macie. Having her at a VERY young age (16) he hasn't been around much. Guilt-ridden and hoping to change their relationship to the better, he asks her to spend the summer with him on the rodeo circut. Feeling old and just tired of the rodeo scene he is pleased and surprised when Gemma enlists his help with her ranch. Gemma is in love with Cash. Being a widow, it took her a while to come to terms with her loss, but now she has set her heart on the handsome cowboy Cash. Afraid she is too old for him (he's 37 and she is late 40's) she is happy to see that Cash is as attracted to her as she is him. Cash is a cowboy we ALL can stand behind. He is a loyal, handsome, hardworkin', gentle and not too rough around the edges hero. He has doubts on developing his relationship with his daughter, and starting one with the woman of his dreams Gemma. I think Ms. James can really write relationships. She definately gets to the heart of every situtation between the heroes and heroines and with their other family members and friends. There is a M/M/M scene in it (not with heroes) and a M/F/M scene with Cash, Gemma and a friend. The love scenes are SO HOT! Believe me when I say, the air condition in my house was turned WAY down while I read this book...whew!
H-O-T, HOT, hot...I LOVED this book!! I enjoyed this second installment in James’ potently erotic, fun Rough Riders series as much as, if not more than, Long Hard Ride, which is saying a whole hell of a lot considering how much I loved that one. While Rode Hard, Put Up Wet still has lots of yummy, kinky sex in a delicious variety of ways and positions, including some light bondage and spanking, a (dream) m/m/m nekkid cowboy threesome, a m/f/m ménage, and plenty of anal play, the emotional aspect of the story runs much deeper than in the previous book.
This time around there are two main romances: second-chance lovers 48-year-old widow Gemma Jansen and 38-year-old retired rodeo’er Cash Big Crow and young lovers 26-year-old struggling artist Carter McKay and 22-year-old spitfire Indian princess Macie Honeycutt (which sounds like a Bond-girl name to me, but whatever). All the relationships in this story, including Cash and his long-lost estranged daughter Macie and the McKay siblings, are about regrets, second chances and fresh starts, emotional healing, forgiveness, and understanding, and James does a wonderful job of balancing the romantic and relationship development with smokin’ hot, explicit sex.
I’ve heard this series just gets better and better, so I guess there’s a lot to look forward to! If you love yummy cowboy heroes, feisty cowgirl heroines, great romance, wickedly erotic sex, and sweet HEAs, then do yourself a favor and read this book! Big 5 stars!
Warning: this book contains explicit sex nine ways 'til Sunday - including menage a trois, inventive use of ropes, naughty girls getting spanked, stubborn men getting hog-tied, graphic language and whoo-wee! hot nekkid cowboy action.
You have been warned.
Good for you if you're still here because this book is so so HOT!! This is my first read by Lorelei James seeing as her books are fairly unattainable in the UK unless you have about £50 to blow on Ebay. If you keep on the lookout, though, eventually you might find a good deal (like I did) and you had better snag these sexy novels right away. But, seriously, they are not for the faint of heart and if you're generally opposed to graphic sex in books or sex that is a little more than ordinary they are not for you. Otherwise, step right in to the world of Ms James and hot cowboys getting it on all the time, in every place imaginable.
By the way, any of you not particularly consider a cowboy your definition of mr sex-on-a-stick? Hey, that was me too before I read this book. But Lorelei James knows only too well what gets our heart racing and if you think you can escape the sexual pull of these alpha males: think again.
On that note, I was reading an interesting blog post by Ms James on her website about alpha males, sexism and feminism and she made an important point that I think I love the most about her novels. That is that she may create alpha males but she always creates equally strong alpha females. There's no big strong cowboy and weak, whimpering cowgirl. Damn no, all her characters have strong, dominating personalities. I may be falling in love with the author and potentially the series too.
But... did you think this was just a book about sex? Well, sure, there's an awful lot of sex, but there's also some very touching emotional tales going on here as well. There are two love stories, Gemma and Cash, and Macie and Carter. Gemma is a lonely widow who hasn't been able to get Cash Big Crow out of her mind since the last time he came to town, but Cash wonders if he is simply a poor substitute for her dead husband and seeks to make a mark that her husband never did: physically and emotionally.
Macie is Cash's daughter and grew up travelling with her mother and rarely seeing her father. They have finally come together in an attempt to build a relationship but they soon find their own insecurities get in the way. As for Carter, he is a horny artist who discovers his muse the day Macie struts into town, and he is determined to make her far more than that. Note: there's some seriously hot goings on with rope and whipped cream!
Stories in erotica are often sketchy and just poorly-executed fillers between the sex. But not here. It's quite sad at times and, when I reached the end, I was shocked at just how important it was to me to know what happened to these characters. I won't say I was surprised because the ratings and reviews speak for themselves, but this is so so much more than an erotic novel (though it's damn good at being that). There's a chance I might increase my rating has this series progresses but I'm always hesitant to give 5 stars. We'll see how I'm feeling after I've read the next book I've ordered from ebay: Tied Up, Tied Down.
Opening line: That horse nearly throwed you clean into the funeral parlour, boy."
Giddy-up Cowgirls, Welcome to another deliciously hot read from Lorelei James’s addictive Roughriders. This is book 2 in the series although for some reason I missed it the first time through. So now even though I’m up to book 9, I had a super fun time going back to the beginning and revisiting the delicious McKay boys before they all grew up, got married and started acting responsible and repopulating most of Wyoming. With Rode Hard Put Up Wet we of course get all-kinds-of-ways hot and steamy cowboy lovin but here we also get the added bonus of a two-four. As in 2 couples finding love and passion in 1 sexy story and how great is that!
We met our first couple; Gemma and Big Cash Crow in Long Hard Rideand although they’re older in the traditional sense (30’s & 40’s) both still very much have the “it” factor when it comes to spice in the bedroom. I loved their story and definitely preferred it out of the two. Cash even gave me a couple of *sigh* moments when he finally turned the lights on and opened his eyes… Their romance is about second chances, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
Explosive, impulsive, selfish, jealous, unsure, intense and at times downright annoying; Cash’s daughter Macie and self-centered artist Carter McKay as our second couple personified young love. This pair was all over the place with their emotions and a ton of fun to watch as I never knew what they were going to do next. I had a seriously tough time liking Carter though --as Macie often says “He’s a dumbass” Finding him immature and for the most part just an idiot. Cash on the other hand is all MAN...
Widow Gemma Jansen is looking for someone to help manage her ranch, luckily she knows just the sweet cowboy for the job. Cash Big Crow has just retired from the rodeo circuit and is looking to reconnect with his grown daughter Macie. Going to work for Gemma might be just the answer everyone’s looking for. Giving Cash and Macie the opportunity to settle in one place and get to know each other and Gemma the hired hand she needs. Of course before Cash agrees he has a few non-negotiable conditions; theres won’t be a strictly working relationship, Gemma might be the boss lady during the day but once in the bedroom Cash is going to be in charge, no questions asked.
To complete our foursome we’re also introduced to ranch hand and I’m too sexy for my boots/tortured artist Carter McKay. He takes one look at Macie and realizes he’s found his perfect muse. The artist in him begging to paint her, sculpt her and just plain have her. This doesn’t sit well with Cash, he knows all to well the reputations of those hard living, womanizing McKay boys and there ain’t no way one of them is getting near his daughter. Oh theres sure to be fun and games and even a few dust ups at the Bar-9 this summer.
As much as I enjoyed this it certainly wasn’t my favourite in the series and it took me a while to figure out why I was having a harder time connecting with this story. But with 2 couples and 4 POV’s it just wasn’t as tight. And with all the switching back and forth neither couple ever felt complete. Anyways, a very small gripe for another great instalment.
First things first, you all should be very proud of me because it only took me a couple of days to read this one, whereas it took me a whole month to read the first! *does happy dance*
But down to my analysis of the book...I think the characters in this book might have been more ridiculous than the ones in the first. Not, of course, in the sense that they infuriated me more, because they certainly didn't, but because they were just so fucking bipolar! The constant mood swings, especially Macie's and Carter's, were so utterly ridiculous that I wished I could have been inside the damn book so I could slap them both. And Cash and Gemma weren't much different. They didn't have the crazy mood swings but some of their interactions...Oh Lord, no. Ugh. And probably worst of all, aside from Macie and Carter's fucked up relationship, was the fact that Carter continued to put himself in just utterly bad situations. I mean, at one point, I was so embarrassed for him that I could barely read it! What a fucking idiot.
I was very disappointed in this book because, aside from the fact that I had heard this one wasn't very good, I had hope that I would like it. Alas, I did not. I think I was most disappointed, though, in Cash and Gemma's relationship. They had such potential in Long Hard Ride, and even the beginning of this book, and they just seemed lacking to me. Oh, and a development in their relationship begs the question:
Why does there always have to be a threesome? And why the hell does Trevor always have to be part of it?
If you didn't already know this about me, I hate threesomes. Completely and utterly loathe, despise, detest, and abhor threesomes. They drive me fucking insane. And I know I'm probably in for a shitload more of those with Lorelei James, especially when I get to Rough, Raw and Ready, so be prepared for me to complain out the ass about those when I get to reading them.
Probably the only characters I actually liked were Keely and Amy Jo, excuse me AJ. They were breaths of fresh air in the horrible atmosphere I was breathing in with the other characters. They really should have been in the book more. I also liked the little glimpse of Colt, Cord, and Colby at the end. I look forward to reading Cord's book next. And I loved seeing Colt, who I already love from reading Branded As Trouble.
“I know it’s stupid, but I’m just so crazy in love with her I wanted everyone to know it. To see how lucky I am. To brag that this…perfect woman is mine. That she picked me. That she loves me.”
“What do you care that the whole world knows that?” Colt said. “Jeez, Carter, the only important thing is you know.”
Colby and Cord both gave Colt an odd look.
I really liked seeing this insight into Colt because, while I already knew that he had a sweet side and knew what really mattered, it was great to see this...foreshadowing, if you will, of how Colt would turn out in the end when he found the woman he was meant to be with.
So, honestly, I think Colt, Keely, and AJ, even though they were in the book for only a short time, saved this from being a 3, making it more of a 3.5 for me. I hear that the books get better after this one, which I believe after reading BAT, so I look forward to absolutely falling for Cord and loving AJ even more, especially since I feel such utter antipathy for Carter and Macie.
"Age is just a number and there are no age restrictions on when you might find true love."
^ Ole Trace Adkins there is not wrong. I'm going to make this short and sweet seeing as I have about 15 more books to go in this series, I don't want to be too repetitive.
This is Cash Big Crow and Gemma's story along with Carter McKay and Cash's daughter Macie's. The story started off a good while after the first book ended. Gemma pushed Cash away in order to get her head straight to move on from her dead husband. Now she is ready for him, but she'll have to find him first. Once she does she asks him to come help her work her ranch, but Cash has other thoughts. He'll work the ranch as long as Gemma allows him to sleep in her bed every night and she gives him the control there. Gemma is now ready for this, she just has to convince Cash that she is.
"Lucky for you I just got my second wind and a new rope to break in. Keep up that dirty talk and I'll have to try out the gag too."
Meanwhile Carter has been working part time for Gemma for the summer. He's a struggling artist that lately has been having dreams of one girl over and over. When he goes with Gemma looking for Cash he sees his muse in the flesh. Instantly he wants to get to know her and convince her to let him draw her, but he also feels something deeper for her and just has to convince her he being truthful about that. Macie hasn't ever had the best of luck in anyone. She's just getting to know her dad, but really no one has ever really stuck around for her, so when Carter starts making all of these promises she just ends up blowing him off. But eventually blowing off Carter isn't easy, especially when he is the very one who begins to be her everything.
"Thank you, Macie for knownin' what I needed when I didn't know myself. For lettin' me show you my intensity. For seein' me. The real me. You seem to know what I need. No one else ever has. No one has ever cared. You make me feel...whole."
Both couples grow closer and closer. But both relationships have misunderstandings. Gemma and Cash seems to be hiding feelings from each other, while Carter gets so lost in his art, he forgets what's important in the end.
"She's exactly like you, which means she's perfect for you because she will make your life a living hell. Or heaven on earth. Depending on the day and your collective brooding moods."~Keely to Carter
This book was so good. I can't say I liked it as much as the first, only because it was a lot to keep up with both couples. I don't even know if that is what it was, honestly, cause I had no trouble following along, just seemed I liked the first better. However, this book was so hot. Trevor made a surprise visit and I was not disappointed by that, lol. These books so far seem to have scorching hot sex scenes and lots of them, but still maintains a good storyline that sucks you in. I can't wait to read more. :)
I first read Lorelei James when her book Slow Ride was free on B&N. Within 24 hours I had all the Rough Rider series loaded onto my Nook and, within a week, I not only read them all but was half-way through them a 2nd time. Seems I couldn't get enough of Rodeos, Cowboys or hot, sweaty cowboy sex. Yee-haw! I fell in love with every McKay and West and envied all of their girls and a few of their guys. I fell in love with the word “nekkid”and don't think I'll ever say the word “naked” again without hearing a cowboy twang in it.
In Rode Hard, Put Up Wet you get two, not one, hot cowboys and will want them both for yourself.
First, meet Gemma Jansen and Cash Big Crow. Gemma and Cash have been circling each other for 3 years. Gemma refusing to give in to what she may feel for Cash after her husband dies and Cash afraid he will scare Gemma off with his feelings and needs for rough sex keep them apart. Now, throw in Gemma's insecurities of being older than Cash and you have all the makings for a wild and fun ride through the fields of Wyoming. When they finally give in to what the other wants, you get an explosive, sizzling connection that neither one of them can deny. When Cash fulfills Gemma's fantasies, by bringing a surprise into their sexual relationship, Gemma realizes exactly what she really feels for Cash. Now to break down his barriers and get him to finally acknowledge that Gemma just may be able to handle him and will love him, no matter what. She finally finally takes the reins and gets him to admit all to her. What a powerful scene that was! I found myself yelling “You go girl” when she takes over in the bedroom.
Next, meet Macie and Carter. Whew, what a pair! No one knew Cash had a daughter until he showed up at a Rodeo with her. As he goes to talk to Gemma, Macie roams the Rodeo and catches Carter's eye. His muse – the girl he has been dreaming about. Carter is an “arteest” (as the rest of the McKay clan calls him) and he has been seeing this girl in his dreams and trying to paint her forever. Now he's found her but she thinks all he's throwing at her is pick-up lines. She has a past with a artist who turned out to be gay so she's not really sure if she wants to travel that road again. When they realize they will be spending the summer all together on the Bar 9 Ranch......well, things could get interesting! As Cash moves into Gemma's house, Macie stays in the trailer and Carter is told to stay away from Macie, tempers flare, jealousy rages and things heat up to unexpected temperatures. I don't know if my favorite scene is in the rain, with whipped cream, under the stars, or in the front seat of car. Yea, these two had some hot, kinky sex scenes that were explosive. Through all this, Carter is painting and sculpting Macie for his art show. What Macie doesn't realize is that he is painting her nude. When she finds out and then Cash figures it out, well, things get a little heated. It takes 4 days of drinking and the McKay brothers showing up at the Ranch for Carter to realize what he did and what (who) he really wants in his life...Macie. He finally figures out that his paintings are nothing without Macie being there with him.
Throughout the book, Lorelei James brings all four of the characters together with her wonderful writing. Yea, there's a lot of hot sex but, behind the scenes, you learn about each of the persons personalities. There are so many back-stories: Gemma and her insecurities and needing to let go of her past life; Cash's unrequited love (so he thinks) for Gemma and his feelings about being an absent father; Macie constantly hearing her deceased mother's voice in her head about where she stands with her dad and where her life is leading her; and, Carter's need for perfection in his paintings and feeling left-out of the McKay family because of his profession. She weaves a tantalizing tale of four people whose lives will be intertwined with each other, who got there through guts and determination and who will be there forever to support and love the other. Of course there's an HEA....there has to be with so much love, and Lorelei James knows just how to get them all to the point of realizing it, embracing it and enjoying it with so much gusto.
What a great story by Lorelei James. "Rode Hard, Put Up Wet" is a two-romance book. We get an older couple and a younger couple...doesn't get much better than that!! Word of warning tho, this book has oral sex, anal sex, vaginal sex, menage sex, sex with ropes, and sex with toys. YIPPEE!
Gemma finally gives in and contacts Cash, the rodeo circuit rider she's been attracted to for over a year. She needs his help on her ranch and he quickly agrees...with one condition. He wants Gemma in his bed and under his control. The romance between these two is beautiful. Cash uses his rough exterior to hide his insecurities just like Gemma does. I found myself wanting to jump into the book and help them learn to open up to each other. Their sex is sizzling and the sacrifices each is willing to make for the other (sometimes needlessly) are touching. Neither is perfect, but it takes some time for both of them to realize that neither of the other is looking for perfection...just love.
Cash's daughter Macie is looking to have a relationship with the Dad his job, and her mother, never really allowed her to know. Her heart is wary but she's determined to try. When a gorgeous cowboy calls her his 'muse', she thinks it's just a line. But she quickly learns that this is one cowboy who knows just which of her buttons to push...and man is he good at it!! And Cash McKay is sure the art gods must be smiling on him when he spots the woman he's been seeing in his dreams, literally. When he finds out she'll be spending time at the ranch where he works with Gemma, he knows it's only a matter of days before he'll have her...in his paintings and in his bed. But Cash will have to learn that while some things are meant to be, some things are also meant to be just between the two of them.
Two great romances, two sizzling pairs of lovers, and all the emotional ups and downs of real life relationships. I just loved this book and couldn't put it down.
Well, I must say the first 3/4 of this book I was going to rate it 4 stars. I was worried that maybe I should not have read Long Hard Ride and then Road Hard, Put Up Wet back to back. Now 4 stars is still not a bad rating but as I was finishing the last 1/4 of the book this morning, the story hit me and WOW, it became a 5 star rating. This is the third book in this series that I have read and I LOVED all 3. I am going to continue this series but I feel I need to read a book or 2 in between them to totally love them. I really look forwards to reading Cowgirl Up And Ride very soon.
I forgot I hadn't written a review for this one. Oops!
Since others here at GR have summarized this book already, I'll skip over that part of my review.
I enjoyed this one probably about the same amount as the first book in the series. Though the two have a rather different tone to them. Long, Hard Ride had a sort of darker vibe to the book, and played around with BDSM a little bit. But Rode Hard, Put Up Wet has a softer feel to it. The emotions and love are a stronger presence throughout the book.
Both couples - Cash/Gemma, Carter/Macie - were fun to read about. James gave us a little preview of Cash/Gemma in the previous book and I was happy to get to read about them finding their HEA. I think I liked them better than Carter/Macie - those two were kinda volatile and didn't leave me with as solid fluffy bunny feelings as Cash and Gemma did.
And while this book does go off the beaten track sexually, it's not as...hmm, experimental? as Long, Hard Ride. Other than the menage scene near the end, most of the sex in Rode Hard, Put Up Wet is on the more basic side...but still super, super hot.
It was also nice that Colby and Channing, the other McKays, and several other characters made return appearances. I always like it when authors don't neglect past/future characters.
So all in all, a fun, hot book to read. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series. I may cave in and get them on ebook since I don't feel like waiting for-freakin'-ever for them to come out in paperback.
I think ill be gettin' my self down to a rodeo very soon and findin me a cowboy!
Just another fabulous story in the Rough Riders Series.
Still trying to figure out who this story was really meant to be about. In the beginning I though the book was going to be souly about Gemma and Cash but I feel the story focused more on Cater and Macie.
I loved both stories and didn't feel torn between which or who I preferred. The switching of story lines flowed beautifully!
There was sex nine ways 'til Sunday in this story because of double the couples but aint complaining!
I was super stoked to Trevor make an appearance again, gee I like hot Alot! But you could sense his sadness over Edgard.
The stories are just so damn addictive! And I am so intrigued as to the rest of the McKay clan. I cant wait to read a story on Keely.
Gotta love hot cowboy sex and a good story to boot!!! gemma has reservations about being with Cash maily that she is older than him. But Cash has been in love with Gem from the moment he first met her a couple of years before. but she was just getting over the loss of her husband so Cash waited. Now he has his chance.
This one also has the story of Cash's daughter Macie and one of them Bad Boy mcKay's, Carter. But Carter is not the bad boy that they all think he is.
Just loved this story more than the first one and can not wait to read the others in the series
The title still makes me giggle like a schoolgirl,(Snicker!!) but I am sooooooo reluctant to start reading the book. Deep breath....
Well, how bad can it be?
Well, very bad; I know that there will be sex (lots of sex- Rode Hard, right?) but the opening chapters are so dull, (the characters uninteresting, the plot flat, the descriptions pedestrian and lifeless) that I really don't want to continue reading! I still think the title is amusing, (call me puerile) but none of that humour is reflected in the writing at all.
I'm not even going to read the synopsis. This is one of my favorite Southern/farm sayings. I hope this author knows it's not a complimentary saying, it means you look like shit. Either way, this looks awesomely ridiculous.
Well.... I didn't have high hopes after the train wreck that was the last book. This one didn't disappoint. LOL
I wanted to read what happened with Gemma (widow) & Cash (Indigenous ranch hand). Cash has a grown ass daughter, Macie (afraid of commitment and thunderstorms), who falls for Carter McKay (brooding artist, homophobe, whiny prick).
Gemma and Cash don't really have anything going on as far as action. They worked the ranch and f*cked. Not only were they boring but they acted like children that couldn't communicate with each other. They did have a 3some with Trevor. It felt weird.
Macie and Carter had ALL the drama. Macie has some issues but they're pretty minor compared to Carter's dumb ass. He's like this painter/sculptor and he's mean as hell about it. He bitches and moans about how he doesn't fit in with his family. He whines about nobody understanding him. He's got an issue with gay folks. Any time something happens he flies off the handle and yells at Macie and acts a damn fool. Final straw when they broke up is he had painted all these nude pics of her without telling her about it and planned to display them at an art show. When she complained he called her spoiled and immature and all that. Then refused to acknowledge why it might be an issue. Of course she forgives his jack ass and they get back together.
After this book I feel the author has issues with race and queerness. I tried to make excuses the first book because I thought well maybe she's writing from things she's witnessed in life, but nah... I can't make excuses for the things in these books.
In the end - these aren't good books. I can't find any redeeming qualities in them.
This was really fun to read, extremely entertaining, and smoking HOT! The Rough Rider series is my new addiction!
This story focuses on two couples, Cash and Gemma and Carter and Macie. I loved Cash and Gemma's story and the second chance at love theme they had going on. It was sweet and endearing. I enjoyed Carter and Macie’s story as well, they had an instant lust thing happening that was hot and intense at times. There are ups and downs for both couples, issues to deal with, a bit of emotion and vulnerability and I liked it all. I also enjoyed the connecting stories happening between them, Cash getting to know his daughter, Macie connecting with Gemma, and the conflict between Carter and Cash. There were just so many little things happening that made it a great story and I liked how it tied together.
I loved that this was a light, sexy read. Not to taxing but it had just the right amount of detail and depth to keep you hooked. There's good character development, a decent pace, and solid stories happening. Of course the heat is off the charts. It’s smoking hot with a bit of kink and eroticism thrown into the mix. You will not be disappointed when it comes to the sexy times.
I liked the main characters well enough but everyone seemed to have a moment where I just wanted to smack them while they were working through their issues. They got there in the end and there were HEAs for everyone which left me super happy. I really enjoyed seeing other members in the McCay clan as well, getting me excited for more of the series.
This was just a great read! An entertaining, sexy-time story with fun scenes and likable characters. I can't get enough of the McCay’s!
Holy hell, this read made me cry. Is erotica supposed to do that? Is this erotica? Cuz it sure as hell read like pure romance to me. With raunchy sex, but still. Spoilers ahead.
All right, so never in my life did I think I'd up pick books with this much explicit sexual content. And I have to say, sometimes I roll my eyes at the variety of sexual encounters that these people engage in. As my girlfriend recently asked me after reading some of her own erotica, wouldn't her muck hurt? I told her she had to suspend belief and move on. But that doesn't mean at times I'm not popping my eyes at what's going on in these purple passages. So, considering how detailed the sex can get, I'm amazed that there is not one but two romantic story lines in this read.
Gemma and Cash are great. I think they were supposed to be the main couple. But for me, Carter and Macie stole the show. Because I totally. Love. Carter. Like, I'm always falling for the broken heroes who are brought back to a state of joy by love. Who love intensely, even dangerously. But damn, these men who have the souls of poets are freaking irresistible. And Carter takes the cake in this department. Misunderstood artist? Yes. Brooding artist? Yes. Passionate artist? Yes. Half crazed artist wearing his heart on his sleeve and an absolute dumbass? Yes, yes that's Carter. I totally connected with his intense passion, and I understood how as the younger, dreamy boy in the family he took on the role of the quiet one. And how he thought no one understood him. Sometimes passionate people lose themselves in the agony of their emotions. It's very romantic, but damn uncomfortable and Carter spent a lot of time in this book being uncomfortable. He was only comfortable with Macie because she saw the real him. The intense passion that was inside him. That sex scene where he paints her body-literally, smearing paint on her and painting it all over her-was not, for me, hot. It wasn't one of the eye popping scenes. Nope, it was a scene where we see Carter, his intense passion totally exposed. I have to say James impressed me in her character development in this novel. Because as much as I got Carter, he wasn't the only character that I thought had depth. Macie was an intelligent, easy going character but she had intensity as well. A spirit strong enough to say to Carter, "hell no you are not showing nude paintings of me at the art show" and to leave him when he refused to cooperate. Yeah, artists are dumb like this. And when I use the word "artist" I mean people who create, whether it's a writer, painter, film director. People who create do have fits of madness like Carter does, so he's totally in character when his moods are swinging back and forth. And that's why Carter got his love for Macie way too mixed up with expressing his soul and his work and yeah, it wasn't his best moment, wanting to display the nude paintings of her; thank God he had Cord burn the paintings. No one can blame Macie for running scared and hurt from him. But that she really had both the spirit and the beautiful ability to look at Carter, see him, get him and accept him for who he was, is what I love about her, and that she stood up to him on this and let him know he'd crossed the line. I was delighted of course, when she let Carter win her back and made him flat out tell her why he loved her, and that she was every bit as passionate about him as he was about her. I loved that she was in love with him enough, and honest enough to call the crazy dumbass a dumbass to his face. It really was the only way to describe him when he was being such a sap slash jerk slash brooding moron slash stubborn idiot. So yeah, intense characters.
Plot wise, this story had way more meat than I thought. Pacing was good. Lots of flippant humor which I enjoy (another reason I love Macie) and two HEAs so I'm not complaining. Oh, and the ending? Perfect, perfect just perfect with Carter blabbing how much be loves Macie and going on and on about how sorry he is and thanking God he hadn't lost her? Love it. I seriously feel like I should take this off my erotica shelf and stick it in my romance shelf. But it's on my favourites shelf.
This book series is so graphic, people. Don’t even think about reading it if you’re not prepared for all the explicit rodeo kink.
Me? I say bring on your ridiculous amounts of nekkid cowboy shenanigans. I snagged 4 books in the Rough Riders series for practically nothing during an Audible sale, and they’re just the poison I need right now. I’ve been out of my mind with events surrounding my daughter’s senior prom, preparing for her graduation, and (heaves a deep, shuddering sigh) doing the costuming for her last high school play. To be candid, I’m constantly on the verge of tears. This ridiculous BDSM cowboy porn, and two others in the series, have gotten me through it so far. I’m saving the last book for next week when I need a break from grading final exams. Mindless entertainment for the win. Filthy, dirty, mindless entertainment. ;)
There’s very little plot. And that plot is either inconsequential, so I can zone out while I organize my thoughts and pop back into the story without missing much, or it’s unintentionally hilarious. If I weren’t so often driving while listening to this book, I would’ve jotted down some particularly silly plot points to share. Maybe I’ll have more time with the next one.
The Wyoming setting, quaint cowboy sayings, buckle bunnies, ranch hands, and chap-wearing rodeo stars (each and every last one of them inexplicably into sexual dominance) all combined to make this unfamiliar territory feel stranger to me than the most bizarre high fantasy setting. It’s been a fun escape from my reality for the moment.
I have to say that one of the things keeping me reading/listening to this series is the narrator’s soothing voice. She has one of those soft, husky voices that lulls me into a perfect state of calm. She reads all of the characters well and makes them seem believable. Even when those characters are Gemma Jenson, tough-as-nails widowed ranch owner, ready to sow her wild oats again and Cash Big Crow, down-on-his-luck rodeo circuit rider, trying to outrun his poor upbringing on a Wyoming reservation. And even though Carter McKay, misunderstood artist in a family of wild ranchers/rodeo bucks, is one of the dumbest characters I’ve ever encountered in a novel, Rebecca Estrella makes listening to his stupid ass bearable ... even enjoyable at times.
So, yea, check this series out if you’re in need of a serious escape from reality and you’re not freaked out by graphic, kinky cowboy sex.
Spoiler Ahead This was a good book and I love reading Ms. James books. Gemma Jansen's struggling to take care of her ranch on her own while continuing to supply animals for the rodeos. Only none of the promoters seem to want to use any of her animals and none of them can give her a reason why. She's in need of a ranch foreman and believes she knows the perfect man for the job. Cash Big Crow is doing odd jobs now that he has quit the rodeo when Gemma offers him a job as the foreman of her ranch he takes it because it will also give him a chance to get to know his daughter Macie. This book had two story going on in it. I also liked that Cash tells Gemma that by day she is in charge and by night he is. This book was hot with a lot of sexual heat. Although Gemma is very attracted to Cash she is a little reluctant because she is older and a widow. Cash's daughter Macie falls for Carter a cowboy/artist living and working on the ranch. This was a really good book Ms. James knows how to write about hot cowboys. This book was well written and narrated as I listened to it on audio. I am looking forward to listening to the next book.
The ratings indicate that lot of people love Rode Hard, Put Up Wet, but I sadly was not one of them. There are enough mismatches in which characters say or do things that seem inconsistent with who they are that the tale (to me) has an awkward forced feel to it.
The hero, Carter McKay, perpetrated such a violation of Macie's trust that he couldn't be salvaged as a hero in my eyes. It wasn't a momentary lapse in judgment; the deception went on all summer.
The romance between Cash and Gemma was very sweet, but the ménage scene seemed really out of place in their relationship and inconsistent with their personalities (as though added to "get the rating" or add interest).
The scorching hot sex scenes and the continuing story of other McKay characters redeem the read somewhat and, no doubt, account for the higher ratings by others.
Lorelei James equilibra bien la parte sexualmente explícita y excitante con lo emocional, el enamoramiento. Aquí aparecen dos parejas, aunque la que me hizo comprar la historia fue la de Gemma y Cash, personajes que aparecían en la primera de la serie y notabas que había química entre ellos. La viuda Gemma Jensen, cuarentona, es dueña de un rancho. Contrata como capataz a Cash Big Crow, una década más joven, un buen vaquero que tuvo su pasado en el rodeo. Cash acepta con una condición: dormirán juntos, y en el dormitorio manda él. Gemma no tiene problema, porque lo desea desde hace años. Crítica más amplia, en mi blog (en inglés) y también en español. Releída en enero de 2024: Me ha gustado aún más.
Man...these books are making me wish for a long detour to cowboy land! (although I'm sure my husband wouldn't allow it) Never had a thing for cowboy...till now!!!! This book was good, I'm liking all the characters and looking forward to more of the McKay boys!!!