I liked this a lot. The characters were engaging and the chemistry between them was really good. I'm really not good at explaining why I like or don't like things - but this book moved me more than many. I have a soft spot for anything with military/war themes and it worked well here.The sex scenes were hot too, the writer went for quality rather than quantity which gave them all the more impact. They were original and not cliched and there was a sweet tenderness to them which I loved. There are few books that I rate a single star. Unfortunately, this is going to be one of them. I know that most readers gave this much higher marks. I don't see it, and here's why:This story is supposed to be a romance. It is in fact a story of usery. At no place in the story is either MC's “love” for one another justified. There is no causation for Lorenzo to love Jesse. At a single point in the book he states that this is where he falls in love with Jesse. But why? Because he's smart? Because he's selfish? Because he wears red high-top tennis shoes? The author presents absolutely no credible reason why Lorenzo should love Jesse. And vise versa. At no point in the book does Jesse show love for Lorenzo, other than use him for his own selfish purposes.Perhaps the author was trying to make Lorenzo into some “Christ-like” character overflowing with unconditional love. I don't give the book that much credit. The fact that Jesse uses Lorenzo's military career and his race in a totally public manner for his own professional grandiosity, political alignments and financial gain is unforgivable, especially when there is nothing at the end of the story to indicate that Jesse has repented of that sin. The fact that Jesse ends up in a hospital and Lorenzo rushes to his bedside is not a reason for forgiveness. Lorenzo says that he has no control over his feelings for Jesse is not sign of strength. I never felt that Love was a life sentence. It may be Eternal, but that doesn't mean that we don't have control over our lives. That theme is rubbish.Perhaps unknowingly, the author makes a terrible inference that it is perfectly okay for the White Man to stomp on the graves of Native Americans and then to expect them always to be the forgivers is a terrible theme to promote.What happened to the reason why Lorenzo goes to Marathon? I thought it was to be mentored by the great Jesse Sr., The Original. But only twice in the story does The Original actually help Lorenzo. From what I could see, he could have done just as well via e-mail and a telephone call. I hated the continuous usage of “The Original.” It seemed really really impersonal. The author boxed herself into a corner by trying to use the same name for two different characters. I understand that she was trying to make a point as to their military heritage, but for me it just depersonalized the grandfather.Where was the plot? The first 65% of the book was about a couple guys drawing pictures in a studio, driving around looking at Virgin Mary shrines and buying cowboy boots. The only pathos came in the last few chapters and then served only to justify that the characters were with weak or self-centered.What was the Sadie thing all about? How did that further the plot? It was unconnected and a meaningless thread.There is little to no character development. We know very little about Lorenzo. We know that he is an ex-Marine. We know that he's Native American and “un-experienced.” Other than that he's a blank slate. Other than being total jerk and a self-centered artist, we know little about Jesse. At the end of the story Lorenzo is still naïve and Jesse is still a self-centered jerk.I found the dialog confusing with lack of dialog tags and jumps in the story line. I found my self confused with who was speaking and when and where things were happening. In conclusion, I know that was supposed to be about “what I do for art.” I also know that authors need to develop unlikeable characters. I'm not dis-liking this book because I didn't like the characters. I dis-liked this book because the characters were weakly developed and the story didn't hold true.
What do You think about Marathon Cowboys (2011)?
Absolutely breathtaking.. I loved this one. My favorite from Sarah Black.
—tnjbig2003
So-so m/m romance. Not my favorite, but it had some enjoyable moments.
—Marr
