Cattle Valley: Vol 2

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed these stories. I look forward to reading more from Cattle Valley.

Overall this is a good series. Ok, maybe a little too much sex for my tastes, but that's just me. I do wish there were a little more story with characters that are a little more developed, but I do enjoy what storyline there is. The premise is a great one: a gay community where everyone is free to be who they are without fear. Sounds so perfect that I'd love to live there myself. Unfortunately, I wouldn't fit in because every person in this town is gorgeous, and I'm afraid I'm only good looking! Ha!

Gill has had a thing for Kyle Brynn, the town baker, for quite awhile. Finally getting the opportunity to make his feelings known, Gill wastes little time letting Kyle know how much he wants him. From the beginning Gill can see it's going to take a lot of convincing to make Kyle believe that his being in a wheelchair makes no difference to how Gill feels about him. Kyle has no idea what Darshawn Gilling, the big strong ex-football player, would want with a former surfer who is now stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He has no idea what Gill could possibly find attractive about him, but he can't deny how wonderful it feels to have someone desire him again and to have it be someone as sexy as Gill is beyond his wildest fantasy. I absolutely adored Sweet Topping, the third installment of the Cattle Valley series. I loved everything about this story. It is definitely my favorite of the series so far. Kyle's need to keep in control of his life and not be viewed as an invalid or burden to somebody and Gill's understanding of Kyle's needs helped to make this one of the sweetest, kindest stories I've read in a while. Some readers may feel things moved to quickly for the boys, and in some aspects it did but it felt right. Kyle and Gill's relationship is new but they are not new to each other, being that they were practically neighbors. I loved how Gill's patience and caring helped Kyle to see himself as desirable and a whole man again. Sweet Topping is a loving story of two very different, totally opposite individuals who came together showing that love can turn up in the most unlikely of places. I Joyfully Recommend Sweet Topping but I suggest reading the prior books in the series just so you will know how the residents of Cattle Valley fit into the story. Guilt ridden for the past twenty years over tragic events from his past, Ezra James hid behind the hard work of running his ranch The EZ Does It. As a big man, Ezra knew he could come across as intimidating but when store owner Palmer Wynfield showed flat out fear towards him, Ezra retreated even more into himself. Six years later, Ezra couldn't believe his ears when he's awaken by a phone call from Palmer asking for his help. Palmer, known to his friends as "Wyn" seems to attract the wrath of abusive men and couldn't help his reaction to seeing someone of Ezra's size entering his clothing store. Even though Ezra didn't deserve such an reaction from Wyn, Ezra insulting Wyn by calling him `Mr. Fancy Pants' was very hurtful, and it took six years for Wyn and Ezra to move past it. When faced with bullies from his hometown, Wyn took the advice of a friend and called Ezra to come help him. Away from Cattle Valley, Ezra and Wyn see a different side of each other and explore their attraction to one another. Will their newfound relation last once they return to their lives in Cattle Valley? Rough Ride is another sweet installment in the Cattle Valley series. I've been waiting fo

"Sweet Topping" was a lovely story with a relatively unique aspect in gay romance. Kyle became paraplegic after an accident years ago. Gill, a former pro-football player, wants a relationship with him. The best part of this story is that the author doesn't shy away from the reality of Kyle's life. His bakery kitchen is specially designed with equipment he can reach from his wheelchair; he has a horrible experience when his elevator gets trapped between floors and his physical limitations (both sexual and everyday) present challenges for Gill and Kyle to overcome. But, they do so together. Their courtship was sensitive, tender and very real. There was one thing that disappointed me though. Warning, minor SPOILER: In the end, Kyle manages to walk with the aid of a walker after much intense therapy. I would have preferred if he hadn't. I do love a happily ever after, but this was unnecessary. Gill loved Kyle despite the paralysis and it was nice to read a romance with a physically disabled person who was loved just as he is. This message lost some of its impact when Kyle "got cured." Despite this, I thought the story was very well done and well worth reading. "Rough Ride" was actually the first Cattle Valley story I read before I knew there was a series. And it was so good I went looking for more. Our hero is Palmer "Wyn" Wynfield. In the first novella of the series, we learn Wyn was the victim of partner abuse. He's always had a soft spot for Ezra James, though a misunderstanding the first time they met has kept them apart. Now Wyn is back in his old town after his father's death - and some people in town are giving him a hard time. He calls Ezra for help. What I liked about this story was that though Wyn needed help, he isn't helpless. He owns his own store and has friends he cares about. While working out what to do with his father's ranch, the two men work out what went wrong between them. When they return to Cattle Valley, Wyn has to confront the problems of Ezra's jealous friend. This story was more straightforward, but still a solid romance with some hot love. I enjoyed these stories almost as much as Cattle Valley (Volume 1), and would have given them both five stars. However, the production quality for V2 is not as good and it lost a star because of that. In V1, the font size was reasonable (I'd guess about 12 or 13 point) with a quarter of an inch margin. I'm not sure if it was a production error, but in V2 the print is smaller (maybe 9 or 10 point) and the margins suddenly became one and a half inches wide! This made the book more cumbersome to read because I had to nearly crack the spine to read the words near the center. While this was a problem, I would still recommend the book, and I hope the publisher corrects this for the next volume. Highly recommended series! UPDATE: I HAVE LEARNED FROM THE AUTHOR THAT THE PRODUCTION PROBLEM HAS BEEN CORRECTED AND NEW ORDERS SHOULD BE FINE. 5 STARS!

Sweet Topping (Cattle Valley) by Carol Lynne Sometimes when Carol Lynne decides to talk about a delicate matter, she does it with so much details that, if not be for her ability to write romance, it could be almost like read a clinical papers. And instead reading this book, I was involved by the characters and not distracted by the details. Kyle is the young baker of Cattle Valley. He is from a wealthy family but he has left his comfort life after a bad accident which has left him tetraplegic. Even if Gill has proved in every way his interest in Kyle, he is still reluctant to start a relationship with the man, cause he seems not to be able to have a normal sexual life and his day-to-day needs are so embarassing for him, he has no desire to share them with another man. But Gill is very stubborn and he will not let go until he has not conviced Kyle to give him a chance. Even if Kyle should be the protagonist of the story, and usually I have a soft spot for the bottom, I think that Gill steals a bit the scene this time. Gill is a big Afro American man, with a big heart, and he is very tender and caring. He is almost too good to be true. Only one question remains in my mind... why the title, Sweet Topping? Maybe cause Gill is a sweet man? Rough Ride (Cattle Valley 4) by Carol Lynne Fourth episode in the Cattle Valley gay soap opera. Cattle Valley is the gay fantasyland for all the men searching a soul mate of the same sex (techinically also for women, but Carol voted herself to the manlove romance). Since the first episode we meet Wyn, the high-maintenance store owner who is just out of an abusive relationship with the former minister of Cattle Valley. Wyn is a little skittish, being a small man; and he is not a young stud, he borders to forty or even a little more. And since the first episode we know that something is going on with Ezra, the big ranch owner. Ezra is almost a giant, 6 feet and 11 inches tall with a unkept bears that makes him the best next thing to a real bear. No one would think that Wyn and Ezra could be a couple, but the two of them seem unable to stay far from the other and when they are near to each other, they seem unable to not argue. But when Wyn needs to go back home, in his omophobic home town, and the welcome home kid party is not a good one, Ezra like a knight in shining armour, comes to rescue. From this moment on, Wyn and Ezra are a steady couple, but back in Cattle Valley not all the townfolks are happy of this new development. This episode is a nice one. Not too much drama, two nice characters and a little sexy story. You know from the start that Ezra and Wyn will be a couple, we were waiting three books for this to happen, and so we are ready to be plunged into the real story without much notice. As always we have also the chance to know the future characters in the series: Matt and the doctors, Richard, also an Olynpic Gold Medal and probably Smokey and Neil. In the past we met also the chef of the only r