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Rough Stock
Bronc riders Mason and Clay have shared both good times and bad, but they never expected to share their boss’ daughter, April. Can two friends love one woman, body and soul, without it destroying them? The heart wants what it wants. For April that means not choosing between the two cowboys she loves, no matter how wrong it may seem inviting them both into her bed. But can the relationship survive when life sends the three lovers in opposite directions? Filled with hot sex, passion, and realistic characters, and set amid the world of rodeo where life is lived eight seconds at a time, Rough Stock sends author Cat Johnson galloping full speed into the tantalizing realm of ménage romance.
226 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2008
About the author
Cat Johnson
183 books1,748 followers📚Find Series Reading Order and Book Lists at Cat's site CatJohnson.net
🎥 For Film/TV Inquiries Email [email protected]
It all started in first grade when Cat Johnson won the essay contest at Hawthorne Elementary School and got to ride in the Chief of Police's car in the Memorial Day Parade...and the rest, as they say, is history. As an adult, Cat generally tries to stay out of police cars and is thrilled to be writing for a living. She has been published under a different name in the Young Adult genre, but released her first romance in 2006.
Today, she is a NY Times & USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. A promo ho, she's sponsored real live bull riding cowboys and promoted romance using bologna.
--from the author's website
🎥 For Film/TV Inquiries Email [email protected]
It all started in first grade when Cat Johnson won the essay contest at Hawthorne Elementary School and got to ride in the Chief of Police's car in the Memorial Day Parade...and the rest, as they say, is history. As an adult, Cat generally tries to stay out of police cars and is thrilled to be writing for a living. She has been published under a different name in the Young Adult genre, but released her first romance in 2006.
Today, she is a NY Times & USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance. A promo ho, she's sponsored real live bull riding cowboys and promoted romance using bologna.
--from the author's website
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
December 31, 2008
Looking for a really quick, hot read that you won't be able to put down and may even get you to shed a tear or two? Do you like to read about cowboys? M/F/M Menages? Really sweet characters who start out as friends and then become lovers? Give "Rough Stock" by Cat Johnson a try. Even though it was a menage book, and had its erotic moments, it was still a really sweet read, and not a total sexfest as you might expect. The characters were well drawn and believable, there were a few curve balls in the plot, the romance was hot, and there was a pretty believable HEA.
Basically the story is that April Carson lives on a successful horse ranch in Oklahoma, and her father hires a couple of young boys to help out with the stock. Clay Harris and Mason Smith are all of thirteen when they start working on the Carson ranch, and it's not long before they become best buddies with young April. Clay and Mason are talented naturals around horses, and each hopes to make it as rodeo riders. During their 18th year, the boys start to take notice of April as a woman, and not just as a buddy. April's feelings for Clay and Mason are developing too, and a near tragedy the night of the high school prom brings the three of them together in ways they've never dreamed of. (Okay, maybe they've fantasized about it happening, but never believed it could.) After a lot of worrying about feelings getting hurt and possible jealousies occurring, and with April insistence that she could never choose between the two, the three best friends decide to have fun for the summer and see where this new, exciting, forbidden relationship takes them.
After their summer of love, the three go their separate ways. Mason enlists in the Army, Clay tries his hand at the rodeo circuit, and April goes away to college at NYU. Years go by and although Clay and Mason continue to keep in touch, April gradually drifts away from the relationship. This results in some hurt feelings and assumptions about April being made by Clay and Mason. Until one day near tragedy brings the three best friends back together again. Mason is still hurt over (what he thinks of as) April's rejection of him. A big secret is finally revealed and it helps to mend old wounds. But will Clay, Mason and April pick up where they left off and try to make a go at a life together, or will they let the fear of "what will everyone think" stop them?
This book breezed by so fast, before I knew it, I was done. Although almost half the book took place during their teenage years (and I'm not one for teen romance) and clearly the three friends had some growing up to do, it was very well written and their first time 'together' was pretty hot. The three characters definitely had their own quirks and differences: Clay (with his light hair and eyes) had the 'sunnier', optimistic disposition, and Mason (dark hair and eyes) was definitely darker and more pessimistic. And April, even with her tendency to blush over everything, certainly wasn't shy about going after what she wanted. And she never once wavered over who she wanted--she wanted BOTH. So even though these friends knew what they wanted at 18, they still needed to do a lot of living and maturing before they could handle all the problems a menage relationship would bring. By the end of the book I felt the characters did enough growing that maybe they could pull it off and have a HEA.
Usually a menage book tends to get very explicit, but I didn't feel that way about this one. It was plenty sexy and had it's erotic moments, but there was nothing really kinky or over-the-top. And Clay and Mason always treated April with a lot of respect and concern for her feelings--there were really no uber alpha moments. So if you're on the fence about reading a menage type romance, this would be a good one to try to see if it's to your liking. All in all, plenty easy to recommend--4 1/2 stars.
Warning: this book contains explicit sex including oral and anal, and a m/f/m menage relationship.
Basically the story is that April Carson lives on a successful horse ranch in Oklahoma, and her father hires a couple of young boys to help out with the stock. Clay Harris and Mason Smith are all of thirteen when they start working on the Carson ranch, and it's not long before they become best buddies with young April. Clay and Mason are talented naturals around horses, and each hopes to make it as rodeo riders. During their 18th year, the boys start to take notice of April as a woman, and not just as a buddy. April's feelings for Clay and Mason are developing too, and a near tragedy the night of the high school prom brings the three of them together in ways they've never dreamed of. (Okay, maybe they've fantasized about it happening, but never believed it could.) After a lot of worrying about feelings getting hurt and possible jealousies occurring, and with April insistence that she could never choose between the two, the three best friends decide to have fun for the summer and see where this new, exciting, forbidden relationship takes them.
After their summer of love, the three go their separate ways. Mason enlists in the Army, Clay tries his hand at the rodeo circuit, and April goes away to college at NYU. Years go by and although Clay and Mason continue to keep in touch, April gradually drifts away from the relationship. This results in some hurt feelings and assumptions about April being made by Clay and Mason. Until one day near tragedy brings the three best friends back together again. Mason is still hurt over (what he thinks of as) April's rejection of him. A big secret is finally revealed and it helps to mend old wounds. But will Clay, Mason and April pick up where they left off and try to make a go at a life together, or will they let the fear of "what will everyone think" stop them?
This book breezed by so fast, before I knew it, I was done. Although almost half the book took place during their teenage years (and I'm not one for teen romance) and clearly the three friends had some growing up to do, it was very well written and their first time 'together' was pretty hot. The three characters definitely had their own quirks and differences: Clay (with his light hair and eyes) had the 'sunnier', optimistic disposition, and Mason (dark hair and eyes) was definitely darker and more pessimistic. And April, even with her tendency to blush over everything, certainly wasn't shy about going after what she wanted. And she never once wavered over who she wanted--she wanted BOTH. So even though these friends knew what they wanted at 18, they still needed to do a lot of living and maturing before they could handle all the problems a menage relationship would bring. By the end of the book I felt the characters did enough growing that maybe they could pull it off and have a HEA.
Usually a menage book tends to get very explicit, but I didn't feel that way about this one. It was plenty sexy and had it's erotic moments, but there was nothing really kinky or over-the-top. And Clay and Mason always treated April with a lot of respect and concern for her feelings--there were really no uber alpha moments. So if you're on the fence about reading a menage type romance, this would be a good one to try to see if it's to your liking. All in all, plenty easy to recommend--4 1/2 stars.
Warning: this book contains explicit sex including oral and anal, and a m/f/m menage relationship.
January 31, 2023
3.5/5⭐️
Qué puedo decir, me gustan los vaqueros 🤠🤷🏼♀️
Qué puedo decir, me gustan los vaqueros 🤠🤷🏼♀️
November 28, 2014
Wow...I love this book...but then again it not only has 1 but 2 hot cowboys. Mason & Clay are best friends and both work on a local ranch working stock while also bronc riding. April is their bosses daughter and both of the guys best female friend. They guys are just starting to 'notice' April at the end of their senior year in high school. After a bad prom night, they discover that April is attacked to both of them and whats to be with both of them...unfortunalely they end up going their seperate ways. After Clay has a bad rodeo accident, Mason comes home on leave from the Army and April returns from New York...they end up rediscovering what they had in their younger years and finally decide what they all three really want.
November 17, 2010
I liked this quite a bit, but was sorely let down a the end. it ended abruptly - like halfway during their story it felt like. I also may have given it a higher rating of the characters had been a little older. menages at 18 (and for the first time) are a little toooooo much for me.
It was a simple basic love story. Friends grew into lovers, they all moved away, an accident happens and they all get together again with an amazingly high amount of doubt. Overall, cute story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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February 23, 2018
"When you choose a man who thinks 8 seconds in a long time, perhaps you need 2 of them." ~Ben, Rough Stock
February 19, 2020
Rough stock
Growing up with two hot cowboys on your Dad’s ranch is always great, even falling in love with both! When you move to New York, one joins the army and the other the rodeo circuit, does the love die? You are in for a wonderful rough ride!
Growing up with two hot cowboys on your Dad’s ranch is always great, even falling in love with both! When you move to New York, one joins the army and the other the rodeo circuit, does the love die? You are in for a wonderful rough ride!
January 13, 2019
Sweet. NOthing wrong with it, but nothing particularly stupendous.
August 20, 2019
Loved this book, do yourself a favor and get on it!
February 5, 2011
Lena’s Review:
April Carson has the best of both worlds but in secret. She has two guys who are her best friends and now it’s more. For years they have all been together her, Mason and Clay, yet this summer things are changing. April knows her love for them is different and questionable. They have been through things unlike friends have ever been through and it complicates April’s life now.
Cat Johnson created a story that is unlike any story this reviewer has read. Rough Stock is a tale of a woman who is loved by two men, yet cannot decide on just one man. The one thing that had this reviewer a little uneasy was April and her age when she first knows love by these guys. This is something that should be for an adult yet Cat Johnson addressed the touchy subject remarkably well in her writing.
The love that Cat Johnson shows in April’s life proves that no woman can have enough love, especially with two bronc riders like Mason and Clay. Once again Cat Johnson shows us a tale of three loves all coming together in a way that should never have been separated in Rough Stock.
Great job for Cat Johnson in showing us readers that love comes in all different forms, shapes and sizes, which makes it worth waiting for when it comes.
Rated 4 Ravens by Lena!
April Carson has the best of both worlds but in secret. She has two guys who are her best friends and now it’s more. For years they have all been together her, Mason and Clay, yet this summer things are changing. April knows her love for them is different and questionable. They have been through things unlike friends have ever been through and it complicates April’s life now.
Cat Johnson created a story that is unlike any story this reviewer has read. Rough Stock is a tale of a woman who is loved by two men, yet cannot decide on just one man. The one thing that had this reviewer a little uneasy was April and her age when she first knows love by these guys. This is something that should be for an adult yet Cat Johnson addressed the touchy subject remarkably well in her writing.
The love that Cat Johnson shows in April’s life proves that no woman can have enough love, especially with two bronc riders like Mason and Clay. Once again Cat Johnson shows us a tale of three loves all coming together in a way that should never have been separated in Rough Stock.
Great job for Cat Johnson in showing us readers that love comes in all different forms, shapes and sizes, which makes it worth waiting for when it comes.
Rated 4 Ravens by Lena!
January 31, 2013
I really liked this book. It's about three best friends growing up together and eventually falling in love. Very typical menage story but I still liked it. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars was because of Mason. I just didn't like him and he frustrated me so much! I know he's supposed to be the sensitive one to contrast Clay's more dominating personality, but seriously, did he always have to whine about everything regarding April? He apparently loved her so much but was never willing to fight for her. He got it into his head that Clay would be the better man for her and was going to back off. It's actually kind of creepy the way Clay was forcing him and April to be together. There was a lot of self-doubt regarding Mason and it was not a turn on. Believe me, I ALWAYS fall for the sensitive guy, but this was just too much.
I did feel the story ended too abruptly as everything just fell into place so perfectly. Nonetheless, I still liked the story. It was very sweet and I finished it withing a few hours. Although there were a lot of sex, it's actually written rather beautifully - for an erotica that is. Nothing too vulgar or graphic, just three people making love, for lack of a better term.
I did feel the story ended too abruptly as everything just fell into place so perfectly. Nonetheless, I still liked the story. It was very sweet and I finished it withing a few hours. Although there were a lot of sex, it's actually written rather beautifully - for an erotica that is. Nothing too vulgar or graphic, just three people making love, for lack of a better term.
January 13, 2015
This really felt like two short stories rather than a single book. The first part of the book deals with the beginning of the relationship between the trio just after they graduate high school. This section is told entirely from the two guy's viewpoint and has a nice mix of emotion and sex. Just when it started to get really interesting, the author jumps to part two, set an unspecified number of years later. The second part - told from all three characters viewpoint - deals with them reuniting and is heavy on the angst with surprisingly very little sex.
I mostly enjoyed the book but wished it could have been a more complete story. I liked the emphasis on the two guy's friendships. It is mostly well written with a few editing snafus. It probably would have worked better to just start the story at the reunion and tell about their past through flashbacks because it was just really weird to front-load most of the sex scenes.
I mostly enjoyed the book but wished it could have been a more complete story. I liked the emphasis on the two guy's friendships. It is mostly well written with a few editing snafus. It probably would have worked better to just start the story at the reunion and tell about their past through flashbacks because it was just really weird to front-load most of the sex scenes.
April 12, 2011
Cowboys Clay and Mason both fall in love with April, the girl they have known since they were young. I was expecting a couple of three ways but I was not expecting for her to fall in love and stay with both men. I guess I enjoy the triangles that end with a nice little bow with only one of the guys getting the girl, so I was surprised when all three of them stayed together.
The book was written extremely well, and I did enjoy it. I think I really wanted her to end up with Mason since he was the first man she has sex with and he ultimately was the father of the baby she miscarried. I am glad all of three of them ended up happy I just wasn't expecting it to be A Reverse Polygamist family with brother husbands... ( Raising Hope joke for those who haven't seen the show)
The book was written extremely well, and I did enjoy it. I think I really wanted her to end up with Mason since he was the first man she has sex with and he ultimately was the father of the baby she miscarried. I am glad all of three of them ended up happy I just wasn't expecting it to be A Reverse Polygamist family with brother husbands... ( Raising Hope joke for those who haven't seen the show)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2016
Short but hawt, hawt, hawt story about three childhood friends turned lovers!! Mason and Clay and April have hung out together for years. All of a sudden, April is all grown up and the guys notice! And since April can't choose between them, they agree to share her. They spend the summer after high school graduation together, but then life sends them in different directions. When Clay is severely injured in a bronc riding competition, the three come back together after years of little communication (at least between April and the guys.) Although there wasn't much time to get to know the characters, I really liked them - especially Clay. He's such a schemer - in a good way! Great book with some hot sexy times!!
July 21, 2010
My apologies to Ms. Johnson for my original two star review. For some reason, I had a completely different book in mind when I rated this one. I actually really enjoyed this book. I was a little worried about the majority of the events happening during their teenage years because seriously, what 18 year old knows what they want for the rest of their lives? But you can really see the characters maturing and how they've grown without growing out of their feelings for each other. I think it was really well done, and I would enjoy other books by Ms. Johnson if this is any indication of her writing skills.
February 18, 2013
The heart wants what it wants…
Bronc riders Mason and Clay have shared both good times and bad as best friends, but they never expected to share their boss’s daughter, April. Can two friends love one woman, body and soul, without it destroying them?
The heart wants what it wants. For April that means not choosing between the two cowboys she loves, no matter how wrong it may seem inviting them both into her bed.
Life sends the three lovers in opposite directions, but a devastating injury brings them all together again. Their relationship now is no less bittersweet—or complicated—than before. Once severed, old ties leave scars that are tough to heal…
Bronc riders Mason and Clay have shared both good times and bad as best friends, but they never expected to share their boss’s daughter, April. Can two friends love one woman, body and soul, without it destroying them?
The heart wants what it wants. For April that means not choosing between the two cowboys she loves, no matter how wrong it may seem inviting them both into her bed.
Life sends the three lovers in opposite directions, but a devastating injury brings them all together again. Their relationship now is no less bittersweet—or complicated—than before. Once severed, old ties leave scars that are tough to heal…
March 26, 2010
Erotic but what a beautiful story about friends who are more worried about losing each other than having just what each might want. It is a testimony to the power of true friendship that turns into lasting love, a friendship/love that thinks of others more than oneself. It is a short book but one that will give you a genuine case of the "warm fuzzies." It is also a great look into the world of rodeo, of military experience, and how coming out of diverse life experiences can add dimension to relationships rather than kill them.
March 5, 2011
******
If you liked this book you may enjoy the following groups:
Erotic Enchants Group
Menage Readers Group
July 12, 2012
April has two hot, sexy cowboys for herself and they love her...this is a very interesting book and I loved it...I find I am interested in how the three work things out...I myself think I would love two hot cowboys sharing me...but that is another dream....Good Book!!!
November 8, 2012
Sweet and heartfelt story of 3 friend who become lovers in their last year of high school. They reunite after tragedy strikes years later and they have to get through some pain, some revelations, and each has to compromise in order to make their unusual relationship work.
November 12, 2013
Auntee was right about this book. It was a sweet little menage story. The characters were really likable and nothing too tragic happened. It's a great story for someone looking for a short, feel-good read.
October 26, 2015
Mason and Clay have loved April since before they really knew what love was, so when the relationship between them changes will everyone be happy or will someone come to be hurt.... I really enjoyed this little story wish more was added to it like another story....onto the next
March 14, 2010
hot menage with a decent story. I love the friends to lovers theme. This was a quick hot read that really started me on the road to loving menage stories.
August 6, 2016
This book did not have enough character development for me. It seemed like it could have been a good book had there been more information about the characters.
OK, but not great.
OK, but not great.
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March 19, 2012I really enjoyed this week can't wait for next one.
July 30, 2012
While I did really like this book I felt something was off or missing. I liked the characters and the story was good. It just seemed off.
October 10, 2012
4 stars
For an ER, this has fun, hot and passionate characters combined with a decent, short plot with a hint of wit. Fun and hot.
For an ER, this has fun, hot and passionate characters combined with a decent, short plot with a hint of wit. Fun and hot.
February 25, 2013
Cowboys and an HEA menage story, yes please! Quick read but definitely good. I loved broody Mason, and sweet optomistic Clay. April is one lucky lady!
March 18, 2013
3.5 stars
March 19, 2016
I read an older cover of this book. It was my first by this author, and I loved it. Menage and cowboys are my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews