Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Evan’s Luck
SERIES: Riding the Circuit #1
AUTHORS: Jennah Scott & H. Sterling
PUBLISHER: Five Hearts Publishing
LENGTH: 110 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2016
BLURB:
Spencer Quinn has an image to uphold. His family name means more than anything. It’s the reason they’ve become the most successful stock contractor on the rodeo circuit. Fresh out of school, he’s ready to take over the family business. It’s no secret he’s attracted to men, and so far that hasn’t been a problem.
Until Evan.
The assertive friend who knows how to push every one of his buttons.
Evan Taylor is known for his love ‘em and leave ‘em style, yet the last few months have left him deflated and lonely. His father’s shadow wasn’t where he wanted to end up, but he’s having trouble finding happiness. Maybe because women can’t keep his attention. He’s losing hope of settling down until a blast from the past saunters by, his heart catches and tingles spread over his skin. Of all people, Spencer? The one person who would never give Evan a second glance. It’s just his luck.
The old saying, “Bad luck is better than none at all” fits Evan perfectly. Or does it? Is his bad luck about to change? Will Spencer Quinn be his good luck charm instead?
REVIEW:
I love a good cowboy/rodeo story. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, with cousins on the circuit, I saw quite a bit of rodeos. This is a fast, quick romp with hot-to-trot cowboys.
“Evan’s Luck” is the story of a big time rodeo star, Evan Taylor. He has won just about everything he has ever set his sights on in the rodeo world. He and his best friend, Ross Quinn, are competing on the rodeo circuit. But, at 26, it’s getting a bit old and picking yourself up off the ground one too many times isn’t as fun as it used to be. Neither are the “buckle bunnies” that swarm for his attention and a good old romp in the hay. But he never wanted to be his father, a serial womanizer and cheater, and he is on the fast-track to becoming him.
Enter, Ross’s adopted brother Spencer. Spencer is a brainiac and over-achiever and always has been. I mean, who graduates from college with two master’s degrees? He has always been very open that he is gay, something that doesn’t sit well with the older rodeo circuit cowboys. “Evan’s Luck” takes you through a fast trip of how these two men reconnect and what comes when they do.
I have to say, I questioned immediately why this book was sent to me. The opening scene is with Evan waking up after a long night partying for his 26th birthday. What threw me was the red headed female “buckle bunny”…he couldn’t even remember her name…wrapped snugly around him. The next scene is his best friend ribbing him about his continued sexual escapades. He is a love ‘em and leave ‘em womanizer. Then it finally starts to let you in on the fact that he must swing both ways sometimes. Not usually how my gay romance novels start.
You get to know both Evan and Spencer pretty well in such a short read. Spencer is guarded, both with his heart and his livelihood. He has big plans to take over a very successful family business and has planned his life out accordingly. Evan never wanted to be like his dad but realizes that is exactly who he is becoming fast and he doesn’t like it. He wants more but is unsure how to obtain it.
Even though I liked the premise of the story, I really think that there was a missed opportunity for more. It was a bit too quick. Too quick to decide to date, too quick to fall for sex, too quick to be declaring love, just too quick. This is supposed to be the first in a series “Riding the Circuit”. I am not sure where this series is going. At the end of the book we were introduced to Shayna and I have a feeling that she is the next in the series. I don’t even know if this is the only gay book in the series or not.
I am not saying that this is not a good story. I did enjoy it. I did however kind of expect there to be some red-hot sex, but aside from a couple hand-jobs and a few blow-jobs, there isn’t any actual full-on sex on-page. The men did have good chemistry though. Good, fast story but it had the ability to be much more.
RATING: 
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