Reviewed by Dan
This is a Series Review on the Morning Report Series. Included below is the information on the series, followed by short individual reviews on the 4 books themselves.
AUTHOR: Sue Brown
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
SERIES REVIEW:
Although this series has been out for a couple years, I personally had not read it. I now know that I was really missing a great series. I really enjoyed getting to know the guys at the Lost Cow Ranch and all their associated families and friends. I will warn you. I read the entire series in a couple days. One book flows so well into the next that you will definitely want to keep reading. Honestly, I’m a little disappointed that it is over. I could keep going in my marathon read! I very highly recommend this series! Pick it up today.
SERIES RATING: 
TITLE: Morning Report
LENGTH: 220 Pages
BLURB:
A decade on from their first kiss, Luke Murray is more in love with Simon every day. Running the Lost Cow ranch for Luke’s parents, they keep their heads down and get along with the locals, even if Luke is known for being a hothead. Then one day they discover the local store owners refuse to serve them.
They’re bewildered until Luke’s mom tells them the new pastor has targeted the couple in his sermons. Suddenly Luke and Simon find themselves alienated from people they called friends, and their ranch comes under a series of attacks. As the town’s hatred and homophobia turns on them, Luke and Simon will face a critical choice: give in to the town’s demands and disappear, or stand and fight for themselves and their love.
REVIEW:
Luke and Simon are the perfect gay couple. Both of them are handsome and they are living as cowboys on their own ranch in Texas. They mind their own business, have a profitable ranch, which has significantly increased in value since they took it over from Luke’s dad, and have a crew of cowboys that are very loyal to both men. No one has ever had an issue with them being gay in the local town. All that changes when a “Wrath of God” type of preacher comes to town. Within a month, the local businesses won’t do business with the ranch any longer. Shortly thereafter, their fences started getting cut, and then someone starts poisoning their stock.
A series of misadventures ensues that nearly tears this happy couple, their friends, and even the town apart.
I really liked this book. It is the first one that I’ve read by the author, and I’m really happy to say this review is part of a 4 book series review, so I’ve got three more books to read below this one!
RATING: 4.5 Stars
BUY LINKS:
TITLE: Complete Faith
LENGTH: 240 Pages
BLURB:
For Tommy Bradley, a hand working on the Lost Cow Ranch in rural Texas, admitting his sexuality is impossible, even if his bosses, Luke and Simon, are gay—Tommy has spent his entire life hiding the truth from his homophobic parents. Then Tommy meets Pastor Noah Taylor in Luke’s father’s hospital room, and his difficult secret becomes that much harder to keep.
Noah is unlike any man of God—or any man—Tommy’s ever met. For one thing, his congregation is made up primarily of GLBT individuals and their families. For another, he isn’t afraid of the attraction he feels toward Tommy, and he makes his intentions very clear. But Noah won’t hide his sexuality or his love from the world, and he won’t start a relationship with Tommy while Tommy hides his, either. Faced with the choice of losing Noah or coming out to his parents, Tommy takes his first steps out of the closet.
But Tommy isn’t the only one facing challenges. Thanks to an outpouring of hatred from Pastor Jackson and a group of ranch owners, Noah must cope with the possible loss of his church and his livelihood.
REVIEW:
In Book 2, we’re back on the Lost Cow Ranch, with our same cast of characters from Book 1, but with a shift of focus to ranch hand Tommy Bradley and his interest in Pastor Noah Taylor. Noah has had a difficult time of it, being a black, openly gay, relatively young (early 30’s) pastor in rural Texas. When Tommy first met him he was instantly attracted.
Although Tommy doesn’t think anyone but Luke and Simon know that he gay, it turns out his coworkers already knew, and that is a good thing once Tommy and Noah get rolling. This book deals with their trials and tribulations in a new relationship plus the continued homophobia from the local community which is being driven by the Pastor at the other congregation in town.
An additional factor is an age difference of more than 10 years, but the maturity Tommy gains during the book proves he is on the correct path. But how will they get by the hate mongers and Tommy’s homophobic parents?
I really liked this book as well. I think this one was better than Book 1 and I really liked that one as well. Off to read Book 3!
RATING: 4.5 Stars
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TITLE: Papa’s Boy
LENGTH: 274 Pages
BLURB:
When Ray Sloane tires of the men in his usual club, he finds himself in the Pink Palm, an inauspiciously named spit-and-sawdust dive, not the sort of place an elementary school teacher and pastor’s assistant should be seen in. On the other hand, Ray needs a fresh face. But what he gets is a closeted, desperately unhappy divorcé named Zeke.
Losing his teaching job and his kids has left Zeke bitter and in denial about his sexuality, but Ray is determined to get under his skin. Just as Zeke starts to relax, life interferes with Ray’s plans: Lee, the teenage organist from St. Mark’s, tells his parents that he was abused as a teenager by a prominent congregation member from his old church, and Ray becomes the target of bullies at school and has to worry about his own job. With the specter of what happened to Zeke hanging over him, Ray must protect Lee and his own reputation, all while trying to convince Zeke that he doesn’t need to run away when their relationship grows more intense.
REVIEW:
In Book 3, in addition to our same cast of characters from the previous books, we add the story of Ray Sloane, Noah’s deputy at the church, and the mysterious stranger Zeke that Ray meets at a rough and tumble gay bar that Ray visits.
Everyone tries to talk Ray out of visiting the Pink Palm because of the rough reputation the bar holds, but when Ray ignores them he stumbles onto a place he really feels comfortable. The Pink Palm is more of a cowboy bar than the city folk bar that Ray was going to. And sitting in the corner is a man that pushes all of Ray’s buttons.
Although the bartender and other guys in the bar tell Ray that the mysterious guy doesn’t talk to anyone, Ray takes a beer to the guy and talks to him until the guy gives in and talks back. Before you know it, they’re kissing behind the motel next door…at least until mystery man panics and runs away.
The next week the same thing happens, but this time the man, Zeke, accidently hits Ray in the jaw when pulling away. Ray considers giving up on the guy, but Noah says it is God’s plan that Ray should help this tortured soul.
Eventually Zeke comes around, but there is a shocking discovery of Zeke’s true identity, one of the characters falls victim to a severe hate crime which puts him in a coma, and there is a lot of other associated drama.
Does it make me a bad person that I was REALLY happy when something bad happened to the Evil Pastor?
These books just keep getting better! I’m loving this series read! And so far this one is my favorite of the series.
RATING: 5.0 Stars
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TITLE: Luke’s Present
LENGTH: 65 Pages
BLURB:
Lost Cow Ranch foreman Simon Bryan is worried about Luke, his boss and possessive partner of twelve years. Reeling from the flood that took his horse, Luke has postponed surgery on his knee, and his nightmares have been escalating. Worse, he is pulling away from Simon emotionally. Desperate to help his lover cope, Simon plans a special Christmas gift, but it is Luke’s present that changes their relationship forever.
REVIEW:
Great end to my series review. I really liked this short novella that effectively wraps up the series. There are still some stories untold, for example the brothers, but I think the last few pages alluded back to them, so what can I say, I’m happy with the ending! Now off to find more Sue Brown books!
RATING: 4.0 Stars
BUY LINKS: