Book Reviews

Book Blurb

He's never been to the Cowboy State before, but he's already made an enemy.

 

Max Stone is a glass-is-always-full kind of guy and he strongly believes in doing the right thing.

 

In this case, doing the right thing means traveling to Collier's Creek, Wyoming to meet the half-sister he’s never known and help save her family ranch.

He feels slightly aimless after selling his software company and retiring. He’s only forty-two after all, and after a lifetime of working hard, there's a bucket list of things he’d like to check off. One of them is meeting someone who likes him for who he is, not his bank account. He has a good feeling about Collier's Creek--he’s always had a secret cowboy fantasy.

Nash Vigil isn’t rolling out the welcome mat for Max Stone. Stone wants something, and Nash is going to figure out what it is. Then he’s going to make sure he doesn’t get it. No doubt Max is just like his cheating, lying father.

After another day fighting a losing battle at the ranch, Nash ends up helping a sexy newcomer who didn't realize that alcohol and high altitude don’t mix. Not when you’re a newbie. And damn that had been hard to walk away from. As much as he’d wanted to accept the invitation for a hot night in the sheets, he’d tucked the man in and left.

Just Nash’s luck, he's the one man Nash cannot be attracted to.

 

Just Max's luck, someone has him in their sights and he may need a sexy cowboy to ride to his rescue.

Book Review

What a great story! I loved the setting with all the majestic beauty of wide-open spaces for cattle ranching in Wyoming. And I loved the setup: hookup gone wrong due to too much alcohol; then oops, this is the half-brother of my boss; love/hate based on who you are; and then discovery that the sexy silver fox is a really nice guy and the cranky foreman is just what he needs. ‘Mandatory Repairs’ has great characters, both main and secondary, including the ranch hands and the few gay men we meet around town.

 

Max is the sexy silver fox who has come to town to meet his half-sister for the first time and hopefully help her out of financial difficulties with her ranch. He’s retired from his software company and though only in his early forties, he’s made enough from the sale of the company to last a lifetime. He’s not a geek, or a stuck-up corporate type, just an all-around good guy with a heart of gold.

 

Nash is the foreman of the ranch Max’s sister owns, also gay, also good-looking, but a tough nut to crack when it comes to trust. When the two initially meet at a bar, they never get to introductions before Max has too much to drink to complete their planned hookup. This sets the stage for animosity and resentment on Nash’s part when he learns the sexy guy is his boss’s brother.

 

Thankfully, the author keeps the story fast-paced and the men don’t stay enemies for too long, i.e., no wallowing in angst. They do build up sexual tension while Max is stranded at the ranch during a snowstorm, but Nash is still being protective of his boss and wants no part of Max. Eventually Nash apologizes for his rude behavior, and the two get together for a more intimate bedtime story, so to speak.

 

There’s also drama from a murder that occurs out on the ranch’s range and then from a kidnapping due to identity confusion. Nash realizes just how much he cares about Max when Max suddenly disappears. I enjoyed the fast pace and tension-filled moments told from both points of view. And, of course, I loved their sweet reunion and the HEA epilogue.

 

I’m looking forward to the books from the other authors in this Collier’s Creek setting.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was provided by the author via GRRT for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 172 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	03-October-2023
Price	$4.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Mandatory-Repairs-Small-Town-Romance-ebook/dp/B0CDCQDD2T