Jake has been the foreman on the ranch for nearly a decade and a half, while Tor, short for Tornado, has been working at the ranch for a few years. Tor's a good worker, but still manages to get under Jake's skin, mostly by acting the same way Jake does, confident (arrogant).

There's not a lot of buildup to the relationship. It just sort of happens.

Both characters have to deal with being gay in a part of the country where gays are not particularly welcome. Jake has kept his homosexuality hidden from most people but eventually his relationship with Tor is made public. Fortunately, their boss is very supportive and understanding and makes it clear that if anyone has a problem with it then he is not welcome on his ranch.

There's also family to deal with. Tor's family is mostly intact, but Jake's situation is more complicated. He was kicked out by his mom when she learned he was gay and hasn't seen any of his parents, including his three siblings, since.

I was a little worried in the beginning because there seemed to be a lot of sex and not much character development or plot but gradually those things were woven in. The relationship between Jake and Tor is loving and very sweet.

Sometimes the story seems to randomly jump ahead which is always jarring but felt particularly problematic when Owen was trying to show the cracks in the relationship. There was a short section where there would be a few paragraphs or a page and then the next section would take place the next season. It also seemed a little unfair because Tor came off as passive aggressive whereas Jake just came off as maybe a little passive.

The numbness, pain, and anger when their relationship failed felt very real.

I love that the "moral" of the story is that couples really do have to talk to each other. They can't just wait for a mood to pass or ignore things until they go away.

When I started to read the book I intended to read a few chapters and ended up finishing the whole thing. High praise indeed. ( )

I was hoping to enjoy this – potentially good material and all that – but ...
As a novel it's awfully formulaic: ||: challenging situation; resolved; country matters :|| repeated ad lib.
And the description of rumpty-tumpty is pretty repetitive, unoriginal and not involving or exciting.
I don't think it's going to get shelf space for long ... ( )

Not much of a plot, just hot sex on every other page.... ( )

The only real thorn in his side is Tor (Tornado), a younger cowboy who has scant respect for authority. In fact, he has to go looking for Tor one rainy evening when the younger man borrows a truck and then breaks down out on the plains. What does Tor do when Jake rides all the way out there to offer his assistance? He ...
Please click for full review of Bareback by Chris Owen. ( )

After reading the Amazon reviews, I have to say I had high hopes for this novel. And for the first 2/3 of the book they were well met. Then it was ruined completely.

Small SPOILER alert: Jake and Tor fall for each other and begin a relationship. It's obvious they are in love. They do have their problems like any couple. Then, we learn Tor is cheating on Jake, and has been for some time. The author tries to resolve it; Jake is crushed by the betrayal and Tor feels horrible about it. They break up, but eventually get their happily every after. But, I couldn't enjoy it. I'm not a prude, but I have trouble buying that a person could cheat on someone they supposedly love so much. We learn that Tor wasn't happy, and that it happened because the boys weren't communicating with each other. So? Leave the person, then screw whoever you like. I know this happens in the "real world" but that's not why I read M/M erotic romance. Silly as it seems, Jake forgave Tor, but I couldn't. There is a sequel, "Natural Disaster", but I'm not certain I want to read it.

Despite this, the story was well-written and the sex was hot. The infidelity bothered me (obviously), but may not bother other readers. I enjoyed "The Tin Star" by JL Langley much more--the angst and conflict were there without the betrayal. I highly recommend it. I also recommend other novels by Chris Owen. ( )