Reviewed by Vicki

 

TITLE: Let it Ride

SERIES: Pickup Men #2

AUTHOR: L.C. Chase

PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 195 pages

 

BLURB:

Pickup man Bridge Sullivan is the kind of cowboy everyone wants—as a brother, a friend, a lover. People think he’s straight, but Bridge isn’t one for labels, and when a sexy male paramedic jumpstarts his heart, he charges in with all guns blazing.

 

New York City transplant Eric Palmer grew up in foster care. While he always had a roof over his head, he never felt love or a sense of belonging . . . until he joined the California rodeo circuit as a paramedic and found a band of brothers who took him in as one of their own. Now, one in particular is making Eric’s pulse race.

 

When things heat up between Bridge and Eric, Bridge has to prove to Eric he’s not just experimenting with the rougher sex, while Eric must overcome his fears of being unwanted and cast aside. He knows that trusting Bridge may be the key to his happy ever after, but getting in the saddle is much, much easier than learning to let it ride.

 

REVIEW:

Bridge is a big beautiful cowboy… Big heart, big body, big family, open to love. He’s always assumed he was straight, other than a fumbling bit of experimentation in college, he’s been attracted to women. Mostly. Until Eric, the paramedic working the rodeo tour catches his eye. Bridge wakes one morning very happy, thinking about Eric, and wondering if his assumption about himself are wrong. He has a conversation with Little Bridge, who seems to respond quite happily to thoughts of Eric. So Bridge decides he’s bisexual and he’s going to pursue this a bit and see what Eric has to say.

 

Eric is a bit of a mess. He’s been through the foster system, he’s not been abused but he’s certainly been unloved. Once he was of age, he started dating, fell in love a time or two, but was always left. Alone and abandoned again. He’s hardened his heart, assuming he’ll be alone and unloved forever. Until he comes across a group of cowboys and becomes involved in their lives. They become his first friends in years and he’d do anything to keep that friendship. Including turn down Bridge and his attraction.

 

This is the story of how the cowboy Bridge, convinces the hard-hearted Eric that he is worthy of love. Bridge is as stubborn as he can be, and he needs to be. He has to convince not only Eric, but their friends as well, that he is gay (or bi), and that he isn’t just experimenting with Eric. Eric is equally as stubborn in his refusal to accept that Bridge is gay (or bi) and that he might actually like Eric. They begin a tentative “relationship”, Eric insisting they are friends with benefits, Bridge insisting they are boyfriends.

I’ll stop there with the spoilers…. So I enjoyed this book. I wish I had reread Pickup Men first, I read it when it came out and remember loving it. Seems like it was quite dramatic, with some action and angst. I think this book was very well done but wasn’t as dramatic as the first. It was very much about the relationship between the two men, without a lot of outside influence. There were a couple of moments were I thought we’d get some action, Bridge falls off his horse, but is only cut. They are approached by some assholes one night who talk but don’t fight. I think both of those incidences were missed opportunities for some external drama. instead we see lots of Bridge being sweet and pushing, Eric being fearful and mistrusting and wanting to run. I liked that to a point, but I have to say it got old.

 

Then toward the end I got what I wanted! Some drama… It was great! So a good plot, but slow to pick up maybe is the way to say it. Then there is the physical connection between Bridge and Eric. One word. Yum! They are both big, strong men, which leads to some hot sex! They are well matched physically, good together in bed, with Eric teaching Bridge the joys of gay sex. Very enjoyable I must say! They are emotionally connected, Bridge figures that out pretty quick, but Eric is too caught up in his “poor me” drama to get it for quite a while. Until it’s almost too late. I wanted to shake him at times. Bridge is like a big puppy that just wants to love and be loved, while Eric is all stoic and cold.

 

So overall I liked the plot but wish it had a bit more drama. I liked the characters, even though Eric annoyed me at times, I still liked him as a match to Bridge. Good connection between them, physical and emotional, and it had a fantastic ending. LC writes a good book, she knows her cowboys!

 

On a side note, I’m sitting in the backroom at work finishing this review, listening to some music in the background… Singing along in my head is “ride, ride, ride, let it ride.” BTO’s Let it Ride is on the radio! That’s the second time the song on the radio has been the title of a book I was either reading or reviewing!

 

RATING:

 

BUY LINKS:

Riptide Publishing

Amazon