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Last Chance Ranch #1
Know When to Hold 'em: A Dreamspinner Press Anthology
Gay Erotic Short Stories about cowboys and gamblers from all over the world and throughout time.
Book Description
Serengeti by Madeleine Urban
Welcome to Africa, the dark continent, home to the Serengeti rangers of Dawn Camp. All save one, who comes and goes with each hunting season, leaving passion, friendship, and intimacy in his wake. Ten years pass and the pattern changes, putting four men on a crash course with either happiness or heartbreak.
Poker Face by Dar Mavison
Sneaking out of town after a poker game, Joe and Frank ride on together to the next town and find themselves stuck in a monsoon, holed up in a small hotel room. Passing the time by sleeping, telling stories, and sharing each other's bodies, Joe teaches Frank that facing up to your past is the key to facing your future.
Rendezvous by Catt Ford
Driven to a near-solitary existence in the high mountains in order to hide his "unnatural" nature, Jack lives alone, scared to venture out. Dragged down to a Rendezvous by his one friend, he stumbles across Stony and discovers pleasure at his hands - but will his horrible past experiences keep him from trying for a happier future?
Fancy Pants by Connie Bailey
Cardsharp Bayr never loses at cards. But he also plays The Game, over and over, looking for a man to meet his tastes, to hold his attention, to be his perfect match. When uneducated cowpoke Dash sits down at his table, The Game starts again.
The River Flows South by John Simpson
Gerard Dupont books passage on the "Cotton Queen," determined to have a good time on his trip down the Mississippi, but nothing is a given. His options for companionship are limited, until he meets dandy gentleman Dexter Freemont, and his trip starts looking up.
Back in the Saddle by D. G. Parker
After his horse goes lame, Obediah Watson lucks across the Bar Jay Ranch and finds himself employed. He also finds himself the object of boss Ben Johnson's attention, attention he sure doesn't mind returning until the trouble comes when his horse is all healed up. Obie realizes he's changed so much he doesn't recognize himself, and he has to decide if he really belongs at the Bar Jay.
Book Description
Serengeti by Madeleine Urban
Welcome to Africa, the dark continent, home to the Serengeti rangers of Dawn Camp. All save one, who comes and goes with each hunting season, leaving passion, friendship, and intimacy in his wake. Ten years pass and the pattern changes, putting four men on a crash course with either happiness or heartbreak.
Poker Face by Dar Mavison
Sneaking out of town after a poker game, Joe and Frank ride on together to the next town and find themselves stuck in a monsoon, holed up in a small hotel room. Passing the time by sleeping, telling stories, and sharing each other's bodies, Joe teaches Frank that facing up to your past is the key to facing your future.
Rendezvous by Catt Ford
Driven to a near-solitary existence in the high mountains in order to hide his "unnatural" nature, Jack lives alone, scared to venture out. Dragged down to a Rendezvous by his one friend, he stumbles across Stony and discovers pleasure at his hands - but will his horrible past experiences keep him from trying for a happier future?
Fancy Pants by Connie Bailey
Cardsharp Bayr never loses at cards. But he also plays The Game, over and over, looking for a man to meet his tastes, to hold his attention, to be his perfect match. When uneducated cowpoke Dash sits down at his table, The Game starts again.
The River Flows South by John Simpson
Gerard Dupont books passage on the "Cotton Queen," determined to have a good time on his trip down the Mississippi, but nothing is a given. His options for companionship are limited, until he meets dandy gentleman Dexter Freemont, and his trip starts looking up.
Back in the Saddle by D. G. Parker
After his horse goes lame, Obediah Watson lucks across the Bar Jay Ranch and finds himself employed. He also finds himself the object of boss Ben Johnson's attention, attention he sure doesn't mind returning until the trouble comes when his horse is all healed up. Obie realizes he's changed so much he doesn't recognize himself, and he has to decide if he really belongs at the Bar Jay.
216 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Connie Bailey
48 books38 followersConnie Bailey is a Luddite who can’t live without her computer. She’s an acrophobic who loves to fly, a fault-finding pessimist who, nonetheless, is always surprised when something bad happens, and an antisocialite who loves her friends like family. She’s held a number of jobs in many disparate arenas to put food on the table, but writing is the occupation that feeds her soul.
Connie lives with her ultralight designer husband at a small grass-strip airfield halfway between Disney World and Busch Gardens. Logic and reality have had little to do with her life, and she likes it that way.
Connie lives with her ultralight designer husband at a small grass-strip airfield halfway between Disney World and Busch Gardens. Logic and reality have had little to do with her life, and she likes it that way.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 22, 2011
This is hard to rate since some stories were better than others, but all in all I'm very glad that I read this.
The stories that stood out for me were 'Back in the Saddle' and 'Rendezvous'. 'Fancy Pants' was very amusing and fun to read. I didn't really get 'Poker Face' - someone's going to have to explain the ending to me, but the writing was good and the scenes hot. 'The River Flows South' is very nicely written with excellent details, but it's a bit slow paced for my liking.
Edited: Jeez, I forgot 'Serengeti'. I did enjoy that story, though I would have like to see some milestone scenes between the narrator and his lover (first kiss, first sexual touches, first penetration scene).
I'm looking forward to read more stories by all of these authors :)
The stories that stood out for me were 'Back in the Saddle' and 'Rendezvous'. 'Fancy Pants' was very amusing and fun to read. I didn't really get 'Poker Face' - someone's going to have to explain the ending to me, but the writing was good and the scenes hot. 'The River Flows South' is very nicely written with excellent details, but it's a bit slow paced for my liking.
Edited: Jeez, I forgot 'Serengeti'. I did enjoy that story, though I would have like to see some milestone scenes between the narrator and his lover (first kiss, first sexual touches, first penetration scene).
I'm looking forward to read more stories by all of these authors :)
June 4, 2016
2,5 stars
"Serengeti "by Madeleine Urban - 4 stars
"Poker Face "by Dar Mavison - 1,5 " uh?" stars (wth was that ending?)
"Rendezvous "by Catt Ford - 2,5 stars
"Fancy Pants "by Connie Bailey - 1.5 stars
"The River Flows South "by John Simpson - DNF
"Back in the Saddle" by D. G. Parker - DNF
"Serengeti "by Madeleine Urban - 4 stars
"Poker Face "by Dar Mavison - 1,5 " uh?" stars (wth was that ending?)
"Rendezvous "by Catt Ford - 2,5 stars
"Fancy Pants "by Connie Bailey - 1.5 stars
"The River Flows South "by John Simpson - DNF
"Back in the Saddle" by D. G. Parker - DNF
May 26, 2012
I love anthologies, especially good anthologies. I think of them as a taste of an author to help me decide if I want to invest in future novel reading. That said, I really liked Serengeti with its exotic setting and painfully faithful love story. Poker Face was not my favorite as the character of Frank seemed to be so wrapped in his guilt he was unable to grow. Rendezvous was wonderful with the boisterous Wolf who with his wife Nizhoni looks after Jack despite himself, pointing him to Stony who Jack can't help but fall in love with. Fancy Pants was an interesting story about a gambler willing to bet a little more than most cowboys are comfortable with - luckily Dash is a perfectly suited to him. The River Flows South puts the gamblers in their traditional setting of a paddle wheel riverboat. Back in the Saddle was a great little story about finding what you need when you least expect it - Obie wanders onto a ranch looking for temporary work and finds a home. Overall, this anthology was well worth the read.
March 8, 2016
3.5 stars for Back in the Saddle by D. G. Parker
I read this after reading The Last Chance Ranch. I really enjoyed getting more of the backstory on the ranch and the men who live there. I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if I'd read it first but I can't say for sure.
*I bought this anthology a long time ago, when I was on a cowboy kick, but never got around to reading it. After reading "The Last Chance Ranch", then "Back in the Saddle" from this collection, I wanted to gift a copy of this anthology to a friend. Unfortunately I could only find the paperback available to purchase. It appears the ebook has been pulled. I would still highly recommend The Last Chance Ranch. It can definitely be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
I read this after reading The Last Chance Ranch. I really enjoyed getting more of the backstory on the ranch and the men who live there. I don't think I would have enjoyed this as much if I'd read it first but I can't say for sure.
*I bought this anthology a long time ago, when I was on a cowboy kick, but never got around to reading it. After reading "The Last Chance Ranch", then "Back in the Saddle" from this collection, I wanted to gift a copy of this anthology to a friend. Unfortunately I could only find the paperback available to purchase. It appears the ebook has been pulled. I would still highly recommend The Last Chance Ranch. It can definitely be read and enjoyed as a standalone.
May 5, 2015
Serengeti by Madeleine Urban - Really enjoyed this one. Told by a narrator so we don't get inside their head but it still worked somehow. 4
Poker Face by Dar Mavison - The ending of this one confused me but the rest was good. 2
Rendezvous by Catt Ford - Sweet romance, loner mountain man finds a man to spend his life with. Entertaining. 3
Fancy Pants by Connie Bailey - Funnier than the others. Enjoyable enough. 3
The River Flows South by John Simpson - A little slow moving but a nice story. 2
Back in the Saddle by D. G. Parker - My favorite story. Even made me tear up a bit. 4
Poker Face by Dar Mavison - The ending of this one confused me but the rest was good. 2
Rendezvous by Catt Ford - Sweet romance, loner mountain man finds a man to spend his life with. Entertaining. 3
Fancy Pants by Connie Bailey - Funnier than the others. Enjoyable enough. 3
The River Flows South by John Simpson - A little slow moving but a nice story. 2
Back in the Saddle by D. G. Parker - My favorite story. Even made me tear up a bit. 4
October 20, 2014
I got this anthology for the story Back in the Saddle and it's the only one I read. I really don't like anthologies. Anyway, I'm glad I read The Last Chance Ranch first because if not, then this story would have been only 2 stars. Since I had a vested interest in finding out the back story of a few characters, it'll get 3 stars.
October 26, 2013
Serengeti - Madeleine Urban - 3.5 stars
Poker Face - Dar Mavison - 3 stars
Rendezvous - Catt Ford - 3.5 stars
Fancy Pants - Connie Bailey - 3.5 stars
The River Flows South - John Simpson - 1.9 stars
Back in the Saddle - D. G. Parker - 3.3 stars
Poker Face - Dar Mavison - 3 stars
Rendezvous - Catt Ford - 3.5 stars
Fancy Pants - Connie Bailey - 3.5 stars
The River Flows South - John Simpson - 1.9 stars
Back in the Saddle - D. G. Parker - 3.3 stars
March 20, 2011
All of the stories were really good. I could have used a bit more sex in some but that is just me. ;)
September 3, 2011
Quite average.
March 1, 2017
Lots of fun. Enjoy.
Currently reading
January 29, 2015Back in the Saddle - 2.5 stars
January 9, 2013
I took the time to read just DG Parker story - The Last Chance Ranch - and I have to say I love it.
September 20, 2014
Enjoyable stories, but they felt rushed. Rendezvous was my favorite. I would have chosen Poker Face, but the ending made no sense to me at all.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews