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First Rodeo
(The Cowboy and the Dom #1)
by
When a killer strikes, Texan and former rodeo cowboy, Sam O’Reilly, loses his older brother. Unbeknownst to Sam, James was also the lover and sub of a sophisticated New York City Dom named Thomas Ward. Sam comes to the city determined to stay until he can bring the murderer to his own brand of justice, while Thomas’ more ordered mind is hoping for a legal solution. Neither
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Kindle Edition, 303 pages
Published
October 15th 2019
by Tygerseye Publishing, LLC
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Start your review of First Rodeo (The Cowboy and the Dom #1)
A Joyfully Jay review.
4.25 stars
First Rodeo is the first book of a planned trilogy with a murder mystery that spans the whole series. It was a delicately written story—how does one handle attraction to a sibling’s former lover? Or a murdered lover’s sibling? Sam is afraid to tell his folks about the connection between Thomas and James, because he feels like he is poaching. Thomas is nervous that Sam won’t be willing to engage in the D/s lifestyle that James relished. It’s a whole new experience ...more
4.25 stars
First Rodeo is the first book of a planned trilogy with a murder mystery that spans the whole series. It was a delicately written story—how does one handle attraction to a sibling’s former lover? Or a murdered lover’s sibling? Sam is afraid to tell his folks about the connection between Thomas and James, because he feels like he is poaching. Thomas is nervous that Sam won’t be willing to engage in the D/s lifestyle that James relished. It’s a whole new experience ...more
So I picked up this book thinking it had several things I like in it, cowboys, D/s, murder mystery, NYC. I figured it would probably be a decent book, but I didn't have high hopes. No, I really just wanted something to be a fun bit of distraction.
Instead, I wound up with First Rodeo.
This book captivated me, drew me in, held me tight.
Thomas is a character that made my heart bleed, made me want to know him, understand him, help heal his pain. Sam, I at first wasn't sure about but quickly grew to w ...more
Instead, I wound up with First Rodeo.
This book captivated me, drew me in, held me tight.
Thomas is a character that made my heart bleed, made me want to know him, understand him, help heal his pain. Sam, I at first wasn't sure about but quickly grew to w ...more
2.5 stars
Good start then so slow! Full of "for the first time in his life" "never" (96 nevers?!) & inner monologue; Can't the 2 MC's understand that when you've been kissing & holding hands for weeks, it's more than friendship?! ...more
Good start then so slow! Full of "for the first time in his life" "never" (96 nevers?!) & inner monologue; Can't the 2 MC's understand that when you've been kissing & holding hands for weeks, it's more than friendship?! ...more
Gah! More.
**3.5**
This was a so nearly there story for me but just missed the mark in a few things. I enjoyed the story overall and the characters involved but didn't really feel a connection between the two MC's until near the end. Thomas has lost his partner and sub, not really sure what to do with himself but he has a chance meeting with Sam, James' brother, who has come from Texas to sort his brother's things and attempt to deal some justice Texan style if the chance arises. Whilst they are both still ...more
This was a so nearly there story for me but just missed the mark in a few things. I enjoyed the story overall and the characters involved but didn't really feel a connection between the two MC's until near the end. Thomas has lost his partner and sub, not really sure what to do with himself but he has a chance meeting with Sam, James' brother, who has come from Texas to sort his brother's things and attempt to deal some justice Texan style if the chance arises. Whilst they are both still ...more
I’m not sure I liked this. I have an issue with the person that is related to the dead person fall for the person that was with the person that died. I wish that part was not part of the story, or at the very least they were an ex.
Arc provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review.
Arc provided by LesCourt Services in exchange for an honest review.
Great story!
3.75 stars
What a wonderful suprise! Such a well-written pure-romance with great characters and just... the pace, the whole organization of events and milestones... genius.
The whole book has that inescapable, charming and sweet but also wild feeling of coaxing a wild and hurt animal to trust and eventually relly on you, for it to call you theirs... except, mutual, both men having hurts that needed soothing and assurances being made and, of course, love being freely given and joyfully received.
It's the best ...more
The whole book has that inescapable, charming and sweet but also wild feeling of coaxing a wild and hurt animal to trust and eventually relly on you, for it to call you theirs... except, mutual, both men having hurts that needed soothing and assurances being made and, of course, love being freely given and joyfully received.
It's the best ...more
this was good.. action packed.. fast paced.. good writing.. awesome characters.. so many emotions that will tug you everywhere. i enjoyed it and its a hfn so i cant wait to see what happens next.
Exactly the kind of complex M/M I keep asking the universe for even if this had issues. At 303 pages I absolutely can't complain that this is too short as I so often do. And it immediately shows in the depth of characterization. Thomas and Sam both are fleshed out people and I definitely knew all about how they tick and where their fault lines are after reading this. The biggest and obvious one is of course James and their shared grief about his loss. I did not enjoy that part of the story but t
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This was a good book, and I enjoyed the characters and watching the cautious development of their Dom/sub relationship. However, I would have liked to have seen more about James and what happened to him (more of the mystery). This is a three-book series, so I assume we will learn more about that in the future books.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.
Sam and Thomas have a long and sometimes difficult road ahead. They learn to care deeply for each other but guilt and a crazy person cause many dangerous situations. I loved how this author took their time and had the men slowly work toward something they both wanted. Things happen, feelings are tested.
An all around great story.
I don't ant to give away much. The reader needs to experience it all for themselves. ...more
An all around great story.
I don't ant to give away much. The reader needs to experience it all for themselves. ...more
I like the first book in this series. I enjoy following a couple's story through a few books. This book introduces us to Sam and Thomas and lays a good foundation for the next books. I am a very empathetic reader so it was a little difficult for me at the beginning, but it definitely is worth reading. Looking forward to where their relationship goes.
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Terrific new mm series
WOW. The feels in this book are amazing. Bringing a Texas cowboy and a kinky New York museum fundraiser together in what at first seems like an opposites attract story, add in the fact that the New Yorker was the lover of the cowboy’s brother, who has been murdered and you get WOW. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more.
WOW. The feels in this book are amazing. Bringing a Texas cowboy and a kinky New York museum fundraiser together in what at first seems like an opposites attract story, add in the fact that the New Yorker was the lover of the cowboy’s brother, who has been murdered and you get WOW. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more.
A bit of a sad storyline... both characters are in mourning. Sam and Thomas needed each other but are still figuring things out. Looking forward to Book2.
This is the first book that I’ve read by these two authors. I found the writing well done and...comfortable. Not sure how to describe what that means, but it was something I could get into and relax. The story itself was just okay. I felt like I got to know the character of Sam, for the most part, but Thomas is still just not real to me yet. I will go on the to next book to find out more. I’m hoping there is lore to the mystery of James’ death. It seems like that element of the plot was abandone
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4.5 stars
I would rate this book 3.25 stars.
This is the first book in a trilogy and as such is the introduction to the romance of Sam and Thomas. It's not a cliffhanger, so the reader can just read this and be content, or read the second book coming out soon for a continuation of their relationship. When Sam's brother James gets murdered in New York, the family sends Sam to take care of his apartment and send back his things. Both his mother and older brother Bowie put a lot of unreasonable pressure on Sa ...more
This is the first book in a trilogy and as such is the introduction to the romance of Sam and Thomas. It's not a cliffhanger, so the reader can just read this and be content, or read the second book coming out soon for a continuation of their relationship. When Sam's brother James gets murdered in New York, the family sends Sam to take care of his apartment and send back his things. Both his mother and older brother Bowie put a lot of unreasonable pressure on Sa ...more
This book focuses on two men grieving the loss of James, who was murdered outside his apartment building in New York. Sam, James' younger brother, comes to the city with fuzzy intentions of somehow finding and taking out the killer. Sam meets Thomas, James' lover and - it turns out - his dominant. Sam begins researching the BDSM lifestyle to understand his brother, as he also grapples with his almost immediate feelings for the caring man who loved his brother. Thomas, meanwhile, has to figure ou
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Let me start from the finish - this book ends with a cliffhanger!!!! So not fair!!
Sam and Master Thomas come from two quite different worlds and even though Thomas was Sam's brother Dom, the difference between the little brother and his murdered older brother slowly emerge and this is one of the issues that Thomas has to deal with (and that apparently will be a relevant element in the second book of this series).
While I may understand why Thomas was attracted to Sam and wanted to reenact with ...more
Sam and Master Thomas come from two quite different worlds and even though Thomas was Sam's brother Dom, the difference between the little brother and his murdered older brother slowly emerge and this is one of the issues that Thomas has to deal with (and that apparently will be a relevant element in the second book of this series).
While I may understand why Thomas was attracted to Sam and wanted to reenact with ...more
💖💖💖 A super start but a sad one, when both characters meet they try help each other through grief what they each needed. The story progresses as Sam and Thomas get to know each other, very little information on what happened to James. The time line info with Thomas and James relationship is not included. James is a complete mystery and so many questions come in when I was reading. This is a slow romance with a 101 of bdsm and submission for Sam.
I hoped some sexy scenes in this where the full sc ...more
I hoped some sexy scenes in this where the full sc ...more
First Rodeo by authors Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga is the first book in the Cowboy and the Dom series. This is a romantic murder mystery with a twist. I loved the pace of this book, felt like it unfolded nicely and kept me wanting more. Both characters have a great story arc that make them interesting.
Sam has found out his baby brother has been murdered. He is like the family appointed one to make sure justice is done, even if it is outside the law. I felt this was super unfair to him. He is a per ...more
Sam has found out his baby brother has been murdered. He is like the family appointed one to make sure justice is done, even if it is outside the law. I felt this was super unfair to him. He is a per ...more
I was really looking forward to read this one, because one of the authors (Jodi Payne) is also co-author of possibly one of the best and most realistic BDSM series ever written Deviations, and I wasn't disappointed. This slow burn romantic mystery/suspense /BDSM novel gives the reader an insight into the mind of a Dom. Too many times I've read simplified approaches to the topic, or sole focus was on the sub, completely leaving out the struggles a good Dom is or should be going through. I just wi
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Sam goes from Texas to New York after his brother is murdered. His family wants him to find out who killed his brother. When he gets there he accidentally meets Thomas, his brothers boyfriend. Both men are mourning the man they loved. At first that’s what draws them together. Then they start feeling things that are confusing. Should Thomas really be getting close to his dead lovers brother. Can Sam trust that Thomas isn’t just seeing him as a substitute.
A surprising relationship develops. One t ...more
A surprising relationship develops. One t ...more
It didn't take long for me to fall for lost and confused Texas cowboy Sam and his murdered brother's grieving partner Thomas. Because of the situation, it's a bit of a slow burn story but I love a good slow burn and the authors make the journey an interesting one, getting to know both Sam and Thomas, to feel them being pulled toward each other.
The book ends with a HFN, but I was glad there's a followup in Razor's Edge. Apparently I didn't pay close enough attention, though, because there's a th ...more
The book ends with a HFN, but I was glad there's a followup in Razor's Edge. Apparently I didn't pay close enough attention, though, because there's a th ...more
Going into reading this book I was slightly uncomfortable with the idea that the brother of a dead man Sam, starting a relationship with the dead man’s lover Thomas but by the time they actually came together, I was alright and felt that Thomas saw Sam as Sam, not as some sort of substitute James. Thought there would be a lot more about the murder, but in this first book that takes a back seat to setting up the relationship and dynamic between Sam and Thomas, which slowed the flow of the story i
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This is the first book of a three run series.
Don't let the title fool you. Sam is a seasoned bull rider but too inexperienced in the NY city
way of life he finds his murdered brother James has led. His abrupt bumping into Thomas at the scene of James' murder opens his eyes to James' D/s life style with Thomas.
For me personally, this is a book full of sadness and regret but also full of promise.
A very emotional beginning that captured my attention very much. Plenty of misery
for all concerned in Ja ...more
Don't let the title fool you. Sam is a seasoned bull rider but too inexperienced in the NY city
way of life he finds his murdered brother James has led. His abrupt bumping into Thomas at the scene of James' murder opens his eyes to James' D/s life style with Thomas.
For me personally, this is a book full of sadness and regret but also full of promise.
A very emotional beginning that captured my attention very much. Plenty of misery
for all concerned in Ja ...more
First Rodeo - East Meets West
Another great effort from the Payne/Tortuga collaboration, this is book one of a three book new series. The two MCs are Sam O’Reilly, Texan, sometimes rodeo bull rider, and art historian, and Thomas Ward, New Yorker, Dom, and coincidentally, an art historian.
The story begins immediately following the murder of Sam’s brother, who had been Thomas’ lover and sub. Sam’s family sends him to NYC with a clear edict to find his brother’s killer and administer some Texas just ...more
Another great effort from the Payne/Tortuga collaboration, this is book one of a three book new series. The two MCs are Sam O’Reilly, Texan, sometimes rodeo bull rider, and art historian, and Thomas Ward, New Yorker, Dom, and coincidentally, an art historian.
The story begins immediately following the murder of Sam’s brother, who had been Thomas’ lover and sub. Sam’s family sends him to NYC with a clear edict to find his brother’s killer and administer some Texas just ...more
Violence, death and grief. Sams family expect him to find the killer who murdered his brother James and deliver Texan style justice. On his first day in New York he meets Thomas, James’s lover, they bond over their grief. Then more feelings start to evolve, Sam at first worries that Thomas is substituting him for James but he isn’t. Once Thomas explains he’s a Dom and shows James his club the chemistry between them becomes stronger. The heat is so sexy and steamy it was easy to fall in love with
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JODI spent too many years in New York and San Francisco stage managing classical plays, edgy fringe work, and the occasional musical. She, therefore, is overdramatic, takes herself way too seriously, and has been known to randomly break out in song. Her men are imperfect but genuine, stubborn but likable, often kinky, and frequently their own worst enemies. They are characters you can’t help but f
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