Sweet Lips

I'll admit at first I was undecided whether or not to review this book, simply because I am not a fan or erotica. So why did I did I even buy this book in the first place? Because I am a fan of westerns. And more to the point: gay westerns. For those of you who are fans of erotica, you won't be disappointed. There's plenty of hot, steamy blow-by-blow action to sate your appetite. But that is not what I'm reviewing here. What I was more interested in was the story itself. It's a good one. No, it's not deep, or historically accurate, but it's not meant to be. Instead Ms. Smith has given us a light, escapist diversion. The tension, drama, and narrow-escapes will keep you riveted. Lettie's back-story will touch you, and the kindnesses of a prostitute and a surprisingly tolerant Sheriff will warm your heart. I also had to smile at the alias Deke chose, as it was an affectionate kudos to "Gunsmoke."

Mel Smith was kind enough to send me a free copy of her book. Now lately I've come across some bad m/m books and I was getting tired of reviews being written by fellow authors (from the same site mind you) and a good blurb (but really the story was none of that). So I was eternally grateful that Mel Smith offered a free copy for anyone who wasn't 100% sure. Yes I looked through the good reviews and the not so posted here. I was torn. So I asked, and she so kindly said yes. The story? Amazing. I'm being honest here. Wyatt and Deke are such fantastically drawn characters. They have nothing on the bore that are the Brokeback Mountain characters. The writing the plot the supporting characters all drawn to a 'T'. This book is enthralling. It just grabs your attention and for me that's a talent a few authors actually have. Now this is my opinion on the book. I read it in one sitting and it left an impression on me, long after I finished.

deke is a hand working on the crooked j ranch owned by harlan jennings when he was caught taking care of himself by a beautiful young man. that's how it all started. next deke spotted the boy doing the same while sitting on his golden palomino looking at deke the whole time. later deke discovers his name is wyatt and the boss' son. when wyatt came to him in the barn deke tried to tell the kid what he wanted was a bad idea, but to no good. they ended up being caught by wyatt's father who is one mean so of a gun. about to be killed wyatt came to his rescue. harlan jennings was a snake who never gave up. his young son had just arrived home from school only to find himself on the run with the man he wanted. deke told him to go back but wyatt gave a flat no. lettie, a woman with two children found them thirsty and hungry. she took them in and later told deke she thought it would be best if she and wyatt married. by this time deke had fallen in love with wyatt and said no. she knew wyatt loved deke just by the way his eyes beamed when he looked at the older man, but said she wouldn't give up. find out what happens between deke and the young man who took a beating from his own father because he wouldn't agree to give up deke, the man he loved above all else. harlan jennings caught deke and made him watch as wyatt was being whipped. all deke had to do was go down and convince wyatt he used him, and had never loved him before he'd let his son go. sweet lips has a good storyline and very good characters. author mel smith should work on a sequel to sweet lips. i'm interested to know what happens between deke and wyatt once they find one another after being apart for such a long period of time.

Deke and Wyatt fall in lust at a time before homosexuality had been defined, but they knew enough to know they had to run away from hate. Through some incredibly tough and at times moving experiences that they shared, their lust turned into mutual love and need. The book has several good characters in addition to the two lovers, especially Lettie and her kids, who join Deke and Wyatt into forming an unusual family, especially for the 19th century Old West. There are several historical discrepancies in the book (e.g., no white folks in the Dakotas in 1823, and damn few in California or Arizona in the 1850's, the story happening during the time of the US Civil War yet that cataclysm never mentioned in the story, etc.). And the ending is simply not credible. Still, the love affair is warming and charming, the sex pretty good, and it left this reader feeling pretty good about the book. Not deep or intellectual, but a pleasant read.

Deke McAllister lives on the family ranch in the Dakotas, he is nearly eleven years old, the youngest of four sons; but even at that age he knows he is somehow different from his brothers, he doesn't feel the same about girls as they. When a drifter turns up at the ranch looking for work, Deke recognises in the stranger's eyes that they share the same secret, and that night sneaks out to the barn where the stranger is sleeping. When Deke's father catches the two in a compromising position, he shoots the ranch hand and dispatches his eleven year old son with just a horse. Around the age of thirty Deke is working on a ranch in California when he is caught by a fine young lad while enjoying himself with his pants down. Later he sees the young lad mounted on a handsome palomino; the lad has sky blue eyes that reveal the same secret Deke harbours, palomino locks to match his horse's protruding beneath his hat, and is about the most beautiful boy imaginable. The lad, teenage Wyatt, is the ranch owner's son. In a repeat, only with roles reversed, of what happened to the young Deke, Wyatt's father catches the two of them at it in the barn. After a considerable set to, Wyatt and Deke escape, and so begins a series of dangerous adventure as the pair try to elude the pursing posse. The relationship between Deke and Wyatt (endearing called Sweetlips by Deke) develops imaginatively, and eventually they are deeply in love. Of course they have their ups and downs, and some of the exchanges between the two are quite funny, the age difference allowing for interesting possibilities. Their devotion is undoubted, but is it enough to withstand all the trials they encounter? This is a perceptive and truly heart-warming story, pure escapist romance, but never cloying; I thoroughly enjoyed it.