Simply Love Book Reviews's Reviews > Rode Hard, Put Up Wet

This review posted on Guilty Pleasures

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.