Reviewed by Stephen K
TITLE: Cattle Stop
AUTHOR: Kit Oliver
PUBLISHER: Parrot Cat Publishing
LENGTH: 230 Pages
RELEASE DATE: August 10th 2021
BLURB:
The only thing Cooper dreads more than working with Whit? Sharing a room.
Cooper has one chance to save Two Pines Farm. But Whit, the newly appointed farm manager, is as stubborn and pigheaded as—well—the pigs and refuses to admit change is desperately needed. Convincing him otherwise means working together, living together—and trying to forget that night they kissed.
But a summer as roommates and coworkers is the only path Cooper can see to keep the farm from bankruptcy. As they spend long days in the fields and evenings stuck in the same room, can Cooper survive so much time in Whit’s company without walking away from the farm—or worse, kissing him again?
Cattle Stop is a steamy, m/m romance novel. If you love enemies to lovers, unlikely roommates, and years long pining hidden beneath bickering, then you’ll love this story as Cooper finds a home, a family, and love where he least expects it.
Pick up your copy of Cattle Stop today to watch Cooper and Whit come together to save the farm—and any chance they have at a life together.
REVIEW:
A cattle stop is a grid of metal bars covering a hollow or hole dug in a roadway. It prevents livestock passing while allowing vehicles to pass unhindered. Oddly it’s a psychological barrier only. Cows don’t cross it because they believe that they can’t.
Here it’s a metaphor for the relationship between Cooper and Whit. Though both guys knew themselves to be gay and firmly suspected the other was, there was a barrier that they feared to cross. Years ago Cooper gave the Hispanic farm hand, Whit, a drunken kiss and was rebuffed. Cooper now sees an enmity that’s not really there and it’s kept him from returning to work on the dairy farm that he spent summers growing up on. Even with Drew’s cheese making side-line, the farm isn’t profitable and may go under so Cooper agrees to stay and help a bit.
This tale is redolent of the failing family farms found throughout the United States. Having grown up in a largely rural area of Michigan, with more than it’s share of family owned and operated dairy farms, this tale was especially poignant to me. After crushing on guys I know to be straight, while afraid to do anything about it, even more so.
This story is told in third person, primarily focusing on Cooper. For me Cooper is oblivious as to how Whit really feels for a bit too long. Whit’s reticence also goes on too long. Of course we see the parental reason that Cooper feels he’s unlovable, or at least we hear about it from his step-mom. Turns out bio-mom is too busy to even appear in this book.
Despite that understanding, by the 40% mark, I was losing patience with both of these two. I wanted to “get to the good stuff” quicker. Even after one night of “getting to the good stuff,” Cooper’s still a bit clueless. I suppose some readers thrive on strife. Also some writers are afraid that without it their prose will be “prosaic” but I was ready for the poetic. …And as an ex-country boy I can appreciate a good “post-pounder” double entendre.
That said, I really thought this was going to take a turn for the worse, not believing just how obtuse Cooper could be. And while the penultimate section got my goat, in the end I got my whey — with the cheesy happy ending I was looking for. Turns out Hispanic Whit does care so… (queso?) I don’t give edam, it’s all gouda.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: