Release Day Review ~ Shane Thorpe Knew Jesus and Rode Bulls by George Seaton
Title: Shane Thorpe Knew Jesus and Rode Bulls
Series: States of Love
Author: George Seaton
Release Date: September 7, 2016
Category: Western
Pages: 137
Author: George Seaton
Release Date: September 7, 2016
Category: Western
Pages: 137
GoodReads ~ Dreamspinner
Blurb:
Eighteen-year-old Joe Vasquez leaves Denver for Texas with Harley Bray, the cow kid who never fit in at their high school. In spite of discovering there’s another side to Harley’s nature—occasional “withdrawals” from roadside convenience stores, a nefarious skill he teaches Joe—Joe shares Harley’s dream of riding bulls and a life together on the Texas plains outside of Abilene. A life that will hopefully see the fulfillment of another of Joe’s dreams—to become a veterinarian.
When a rank bull kills Harley in a rodeo in Longview, Texas, Joe accepts an offer from another bull rider, Shane Thorpe, to partner up and ride the circuit together. The problem is that the blond-haired, blue-eyed Shane found Jesus a long time ago, and he’s torn between his faith and his attraction to Joe. As they make their way across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona to their final stop on the circuit at the National Western Rodeo in Denver, Joe bides his time for what he hopes will be a relationship with Shane as fulfilling as the one he’d had with Harley. His hopes for the future, however, are challenged along the way when he discovers that his “withdrawals” have captured the attention of a dedicated Texas Ranger.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
Joe Vasquez had dreams of becoming a Vet. Harley Bray dreamed of riding Bulls. Together they travel to Texas to join the circuit, funded by what Harley refers to as "withdrawals” from roadside convenience stores. But when Harley dies doing the very thing he loved, Joe is left a bit adrift.
Bull rider Shane Thorpe meets Joe and immediately wants to help him. When he learns about the loss of Harley, he suggests they partner up on the circuit. As the two travel, Shane has to come to terms with his feelings towards Joe and the life he's chosen to live, while Joe finds his "withdrawals" have possibly caught up with him.
With a title like Shane Thorpe Knew Jesus and Rode Bulls, I had to check this book out. I found the blurb interesting but didn't completely process what the story was about because honestly, the robberies came as a bit of a shock to me when I first read about them. I expected more of the story to revolve around the rodeo but instead it seemed to be more about Joe, Harley and Shane and their lives outside of the actual rodeo. We get to learn how Joe and Harley meet, how they go from friends to lovers, the convenience store stick-ups and how they end up in Abilene. Then we get a few brief sentences about the rodeo and Harley's death. It's not much different when Shane enters the picture.
I wasn't completely invested in the characters to tell you the truth. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that the story seemed to flip flop a lot as far as the timeline is concerned and it got a bit disconcerting. I would have preferred if we could have just started from the beginning with Joe and Harley meeting then moved on in order. The time shifts were too much.
This story was a bit different and while it was entertaining for the most part, it was not my favorite.
3 Stars!
***A copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest and fair review***
Eighteen-year-old Joe Vasquez leaves Denver for Texas with Harley Bray, the cow kid who never fit in at their high school. In spite of discovering there’s another side to Harley’s nature—occasional “withdrawals” from roadside convenience stores, a nefarious skill he teaches Joe—Joe shares Harley’s dream of riding bulls and a life together on the Texas plains outside of Abilene. A life that will hopefully see the fulfillment of another of Joe’s dreams—to become a veterinarian.
When a rank bull kills Harley in a rodeo in Longview, Texas, Joe accepts an offer from another bull rider, Shane Thorpe, to partner up and ride the circuit together. The problem is that the blond-haired, blue-eyed Shane found Jesus a long time ago, and he’s torn between his faith and his attraction to Joe. As they make their way across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Arizona to their final stop on the circuit at the National Western Rodeo in Denver, Joe bides his time for what he hopes will be a relationship with Shane as fulfilling as the one he’d had with Harley. His hopes for the future, however, are challenged along the way when he discovers that his “withdrawals” have captured the attention of a dedicated Texas Ranger.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
Joe Vasquez had dreams of becoming a Vet. Harley Bray dreamed of riding Bulls. Together they travel to Texas to join the circuit, funded by what Harley refers to as "withdrawals” from roadside convenience stores. But when Harley dies doing the very thing he loved, Joe is left a bit adrift.
Bull rider Shane Thorpe meets Joe and immediately wants to help him. When he learns about the loss of Harley, he suggests they partner up on the circuit. As the two travel, Shane has to come to terms with his feelings towards Joe and the life he's chosen to live, while Joe finds his "withdrawals" have possibly caught up with him.
With a title like Shane Thorpe Knew Jesus and Rode Bulls, I had to check this book out. I found the blurb interesting but didn't completely process what the story was about because honestly, the robberies came as a bit of a shock to me when I first read about them. I expected more of the story to revolve around the rodeo but instead it seemed to be more about Joe, Harley and Shane and their lives outside of the actual rodeo. We get to learn how Joe and Harley meet, how they go from friends to lovers, the convenience store stick-ups and how they end up in Abilene. Then we get a few brief sentences about the rodeo and Harley's death. It's not much different when Shane enters the picture.
I wasn't completely invested in the characters to tell you the truth. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that the story seemed to flip flop a lot as far as the timeline is concerned and it got a bit disconcerting. I would have preferred if we could have just started from the beginning with Joe and Harley meeting then moved on in order. The time shifts were too much.
This story was a bit different and while it was entertaining for the most part, it was not my favorite.
3 Stars!
***A copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for an honest and fair review***
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