When Marcus headed out west two years ago, he knew what he was looking for. A cowboy like Kent seemed to be exactly what he was after, as long as he could overlook Kent’s drinking, the unsatisfying love life and his quiet demeanor. Content if not completely satisfied with his own life, he took in the boy (Lucas) he had found in the barn and learned all the things that his relationship with Kent had been missing.

Hasn’t everyone had times of feeling underappreciated or overlooked, but J.M. Snyder has a way of putting it into a story that makes the normal seem so obviously wrong. The emotional drama and self abuse that occurs with this kind of relationship was put under a microscope and the way this one was resolved, while it’s a nice happy ending (sorry if it’s a bit of a spoiler), is a bit unrealistic. Still it was enjoyable to read the inner torments of Marcus in his search for the perfect love. ( )