Sandy M’s review of My Cowboy Promises by Z.A. Maxfield
Contemporary Gay Romance published by Intermix 16 June 15
I don’t normally read a lot of gay romance, mostly because what I have read has left me disappointed. There are very few authors who can pull me in and keep me interested with either story or characters, leaving real love and romance at the door. Z.A. Maxfield is a new author to me, and I really enjoyed this story. I love the hero, Ryder Dent. I’m glad he finally finds the happiness he deserves.
Outside of story and characters in this book, what I like is the way the author keeps throwing in little unexpected tidbits out of the blue, causing you to hesitate and toss out an “Oh!” in varying degrees of emotion. One time it’s surprise, the next it’s adoration, and the next might be anger. A job well done in pulling emotion from the reader.
Ryder is married to Andi and they have a son, Jonas. They have the perfect setup with their little family – she got pregnant and the father was happy to walk away, he’s gay and no one but Andi knows. They’ve kept their secrets safe for five years now, building a life that has kept them content so far, especially when they both gave up dreams for the sake of Jonas. I love the scenes with Ryder and Jonas. He loves that boy as if he were his own and the boy love his daddy to no end. He and Andi are best friends, but their world is about to be upended.
Teaching his son to respect fireworks at a 4th of July party, Ryder is burned by a sparkler. Enter the new pediatric doc in town, Declan Winters. The fireworks between these two go off, sizzling out of control. But neither of them acts on that instant attraction, which only grows the more they bump into one another. Declan is older, and virgin Ryder runs after their first intimate encounter. But they’re now under each other’s skin, and it’s Ryder who has so much to decide which way his life should go.
Andi is going after her dream of being a country singer. After escaping her controlling father’s grasp and her heart broken by a rodeo star, it’s her time to fly and Ryder is supportive. One of those “Oh!” moments for me is late in the book when everything has exploded, secrets are revealed, and Andi suddenly puts on the brakes, doing what her father demands. Bottom line – not very happy with her when she walks out with Jonas, leaving Ryder behind, just when he needs her and his son most. Maybe because she knew this day would come for him, he’d meet someone to love? Maybe she’s just that selfish? Hmmmm. You need to read this to have your own “Oh!”
There’s not a huge amount of romance in this book, but, actually, that’s okay with me. Ryder and Jonas make up for that. The story as a whole makes up for it too. My attention never wandered, I’m invested in these characters. Declan and Ryder’s relationship doesn’t truly get going until late in the book, but I think because they’re still so new to one another, if it had gone any faster, it wouldn’t have the same impact. One nitpick, though, is I want to know more about how these characters’ lives went after the best resolution they could come up with was found. It all sounds good in theory, but how’s it going for Ryder and Declan? Especially after Ryder’s jerk of a father’s reaction to his coming out. Do the townsfolk support them, their native son and the town doc? Or did it not go that well once they strolled through town as a couple? Just an example of the questions left at the end.
I look forward to more books by Z.A. Maxfield. There’s plenty of more cowboy love listed on her web site to experience. I plan on doing that as soon as possible.
Grade: B+
Summary:
A real man needs a real love…
To become the man he’s meant to be, one cowboy will have to be the man he never wanted anyone to know he was…
Ryder Dent is a true-blue cowboy. A devoted son, husband and father, but one who is living a costly lie. When they were both young, Ryder and his closest female friend Andi thought they’d found the perfect solution to both their problems—she was single and pregnant, and he was secretly gay—so they got married and raised Jonas together.
When Ryder gets hurt at a party, his son’s new pediatrician comes to the rescue. The connection between Ryder and Dr. Declan Winters is sudden, powerful, and undeniable. Ryder loves Andi and the family they’ve created together—but they both need more. Can they pursue their hearts’ desire without destroying the life they’ve built and losing the son they love?
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
