The Broken H

This is the second in JL Langley's Ranch Series. The first was "The Tin Star." Though the main characters from each make appearances in the other, the two novels stand alone.

Shane is the foreman of the Broken H, and Native American. The Hunter's took him in off the street when he was just 16. Grayson was 3 when Shane arrived. They grew up together as friends. But, Gray left home shortly after reaching adulthood when his feelings for Shane changed and were apparently not reciprocated. Gray went to college, and returned to his small town to become the Sheriff. After his father suffers a heart attack, Gray realizes he must return home and confront his feelings for Shane.

This is a very good M/M romance. In "The Tin Star," the couple faced show more prejudice from the community and vicious rejection from close family, but that does not factor in here. The Hunters are accepting of the relationship, and most of the town has adjusted thanks to the couple from the previous book. Shane and Gray need to overcome a 13 year age gap, a malicious accusation, and small town gossip. This novel doesn't have as much drama as the first (no attempted murder!), but the romance is well developed and the main characters are quite likeable. There is frequent hot and explicit sex, and the history between the two men makes their relationship feel real. Also nice is the fact that Shane isn't your typical romance alpha male - he's over 40 and still sexy and playful! The dialog is well done, and there is a good bit of humor. Those that read the first book will find comfortable familiarity with the setting and secondary characters. While it wasn't quite as good as the first novel, I enjoyed it enough that I purchased the paperback even though I have the e-book. My only gripe is that the publisher cropped the men's faces off the cover on the paperback. Highly recommended. show less

A rocky past that sent Shane fleeing his home and seeking refuge on The Broken H has kept him from the one thing that has always been dear to him. Grayson. Sheriff Grayson Hunter hasn't felt like he belonged for a long time. Once he loved The Broken H, his ancestral home, and Shane Cortez with all that he was. Now he tries to stay as far away from the ranch and the man as possible until an accident brings them together. Gray didn't count on Shane's decision to let go of the past...and get a hold of Gray.
I really, really liked Grayson. Gray, as he was called by friends, was so confident of who he was. He had left home and become a bull rider and made a name for himself. He had taken the money from his winnings and put himself through show more college even though his parents would have happily paid for it. He became a SWAT team member but eventually went back to his small Texas town and was elected Sheriff.

He never tried to hide his sexuality and other's opinions didn't mean "beans" to him. He was who and what he was and proud of it. I really liked him for taking that stand. So once he and Shane got together, he absolutely did not care who knew. His parents were very understanding people and had raised him to be a good man. His love for Shane had never lessened over the years even though he believed that Shane was maybe bi and not totally gay. He also didn’t care, nor was he concerned about the 13-year age difference between them

Shane was the Foreman of the Broken H, and he had always loved Grayson, whose parents owned the Broken H. That love to start with, was more in a "brotherly" way...until Gray started getting older. He had had feelings for Gray when Gray was 17 but was afraid that he would be confusing Gray’s sexual preferences with his own. Shane had some confidence issues that were completely understandable based on his past. We eventually find out what his past entailed some emotional stress that he felt would influence Gray’s feelings for him. Gray loved him despite his past.

I loved the two main characters, but I was a little "on the fence" with the story. Quite frankly, there just wasn’t enough of it. The root of the story was good...solid...sexy...actually a truckload of sexy...but it just needed "something" more. But hey...it was still a 4.5-star worthy read. show less

It's been a while since I read The Tin Star (the first book in this series) so it took me just a bit to get back into the world of this story and remember who was who. Overall, I didn't find the story here quite as gripping as its predecessor. There are a lot of sex scenes in this one - which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I feel like they dominated the story and took some of the focus from character and relationship development. I do like this world, though, and definitely plan to continue reading to see what happens next.

3.5 stars

I did enjoy this book and I liked the storyline, but it didn't 'shine' for me. I was a tad bored with some of the sex scenes; fortunately they weren't as extensive as some books. There were a few editing errors in my ePub edition.

My Rating: 3.5 of 5Grayson Hunter has stayed away from his parents’ home as much as he could since he left it years before - not because he has a problem with his parents, but because he’s been in love with the ranch’s foreman, Shane Cortez since he was a teenager. When Gray’s father suffers a heart attack, Gray and Shane are thrown together again when Gray comes home to help with the ranch.I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first in series The Tin Star. The plot wasn’t quite as engaging to me - there isn’t as much conflict or suspense. However, the characters were just as well-developed and the same caring and humor is present in the writing. If you like your cops and cowboys to mix it up, then this might be the show more story for you.http://iheartpaperbacks.wordpress.com show less

Oh my! I love that this is a series, in this book we follow Sherif Hunter, and Shane the foreman on Hunter's parents Ranch. Hunter has been in love with Shane since he was a teenager, and Shane has been as well. Shane stayed away from Hunter as he felt the age difference was too great, and Hunter stayed away because after being rebuffed he thought Shane was straight. There isn't nearly the amount of drama in The Broken H as there is in Tin Star, but it was just as romantic and compelling. I can't wait to see who's next!

Another fast read from this author-a very slim plot is the backdrop for this love story set in Texas--Reference to other characters in her previous novels make this an enjoyable book. Beware, lots of hot Cowboy/Indian sex!