Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Weber Yates's dreams of being a professional bull rider are about to be reduced to a ranch hand’s job in Texas, and his one relationship is with a guy so far out of his league he might as well be on the moon. Or at least in San Francisco, where Weber stops to see him one last time before settling down to the humble, lonely life he figures a frog like him has coming.

Cyrus Benning is a successful neurosurgeon, so details are never lost on him. He spotted the prince in cowboy’s clothing from day one. But watching Weber walk out on him keeps getting harder, and he’s not sure how much more his heart can take. Now Cyrus has one last chance to prove to Weber that it's not Weber's job that makes him Cyrus's perfect man, it's Weber himself. With the help of his sister's newly broken family, he’s ready to show Weber that the home the man’s been searching for has always been right there, with him. Cyrus might have laid down an ultimatum once, but now it's turned into a vow—he's never going to let Weber go.

 

 

First edition published at Dreamspinner Press, April 2012.

 

Book Review

This is, without a doubt, a special book. Not one with much outward conflict, so I suspect many will dismiss it as not ‘action/adventure’ enough. Thing is though, the entire focus is on the fascinating characters and their battles with inner demons, people’s expectations, and their lover not wanting what they want – or so each thinks. Stories like this are difficult to pull off, but Mary Calmes does it with flair and enough emotional drama that I was breathless throughout most of the book. Man, what a ride!

Weber is a former bull rider, desperately in love with Cyrus, not that he will admit this, and the man whose inner battles are front and center as the story progresses. He came to life for me like only the best characters ever do: he is proud, stubborn and determined not to give in to what he sees as a weakness: his love for Cyrus. The key question he has to answer before he can settle down is not an easy one to deal with: who is he now that he is too old to participate in rodeos? What makes him the man he is and how can he respect himself if he isn’t able to provide for himself financially? And why does Cyrus even love him?

Cyrus is Weber’s complete opposite. He is a neurosurgeon, emotionally detached (except around Weber), and very wealthy. He loves Weber with every fiber of his being and despairs at getting the man to admit it and come live with him. He desperately needs Weber, but has no idea how to convince him of this fact. Luckily, he is as stubborn as Weber and his determination and persistence serve him well.

I loved reading about these two, even though I was ready to smack Weber upside the head a few times so he’d see what’s what. He was so believably absorbed in his own issues that I couldn’t even blame him for being obtuse – it just took him a while to figure out that the values he had been taught and the role he’d learned to play, were not really going to serve him well in the second half of his life. In many ways this is a coming of age story, even though it takes place when most people have a midlife crisis (Weber is forty-four). The moment when he finally does ‘see the light’ was beautifully emotional and made me ridiculously happy. I had grown so attached to him that I was truly relieved he’d finally gotten the message.

If you like character-driven stories, heroes who drive you up the wall but at the same time make you pray they figure it out, and if you enjoy reading about hot men battling it out between the sheets as well as in daily life, you will probably like this book. I totally adored it!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 159 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	04-March-2026
Price	$2.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Frog-Mary-Calmes-ebook/dp/B0GR6MKP6K