Bareback [Paperback]

Chris Owen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2008

Jake Taggart’s life was almost perfect--he’d worked hard to overcome his past, and he loved his job as foreman on a ranch in Arkansas. The only thorn in his side was a dark eyed cowboy named Tornado whose stubborn attitude brought frustration and confusion to Jake’s mostly happy existence. A late spring rainstorm brings out hidden passions and unleashes a chain of events neither of them expected--and eventually brings about events that threaten to destroy them and what they worked to create. Strong wills and forceful personalities make for intense encounters.... but is it enough to keep love alive?

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Torquere Press (June 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933389192
• ISBN-13: 978-1933389196
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a writer of gay romances, a lover of dramatic TV and a fan of many things which are bad for me. I don't cook, I do read, I pretend to garden, and I take care of my pets. One of my favorite things is a clean desk; another is a messy desk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars erotic and romantic, this novel is Brokeback Mountain with a happy ending., February 20, 2006

By 

Curious Yellow (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bareback (Paperback)

Wow I really loved this book. The plot is pretty simple. Two extremely attractive cowboys meet, fall in love, and get married.

And they have a lot of really amazing sex.

The first half of the book is devoted to them falling in love, having that really amazing sex I mentioned earlier, and rebuilding their public and private lives after they are outed on the ranch. Yes, they have to deal with hate and violence, but they also receive love and support from many around them. The Boss is an especially sympathetic character as a loving and kind father figure to Jake.

The second half of the book is even better. It's the "what happens when you live happily ever-after" part that never makes it into the romance novel. We watch Jake and Tor deal with the realities of living together, working together, of just plain being married. They struggle with their own definitions of gender roles and expectations. Neither has a great track record when it comes to long-term commitment and it shows. Yep, they fight, have make-up sex, and fight some more, just like married couples everywhere. And they have to learn the dreaded "C" word, Communication. ;-)

This book is a true romance novel (in the best sense of the word). There is never a moment when you don't feel the love that Jake and Tor have for each other. After watching Brokeback Mountain, a movie that pretty much ripped out my guts, Bareback gave me the happy ending I desperately needed.

I highly recommend this novel.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars CHECK THIS OUT---2 guys you'll wanna spend time with..........., December 13, 2006

By 

JUST A REVIEWER2 - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bareback (Paperback)

Amazingly, "BAREBACK," this pinnacle of gay romance, has been brought about by a relative unknown: this writer, this Master of the Novel, this Chris Owen. I have yet to encounter any other author who is as able to produce scene after scene after scene of arousing male sex and love-making and do so by giving each what must be called an aura of rightness, with every encounter being beautifully, and differently, described from its predecessors. And it's all done with simple, 'impactful' writing, unusually free of the very distracting grammatical and typographical errors so often found in gay romance. In sum, Chris Owen, as a writer, is a true wonder.

In this novel we've been given one of the most memorable (and masterfully described) relationship-beginning, love-making scenes ever put to paper, and it all takes place within the first 12 pages. More correctly, though, I should have described this initial introduction as sex-making, not love-making. Why? Because the thrilling 'fall into love' by our two cowboys, with its ensuing love-making, comes later during this story's timespan.....and when it does, Owen ever so vividly makes us in-your-face witnesses.

He should be crowned "Master of Sex Act Description" (it's raw, it's romantic, it's heated, it's loving.....above all, it's memorable). He manages these intense love scenes on the average of every 10 - 15 pages---all different, all stellar. Plus, it's not just that he can give us super-heated 'foursomes,' it's that he gives them with style.....and even more notable, every other author's run of the mill 'twosomes' Owen is able to give to us with a depth, an ache, a hope that is breathtakingly unforgettable.

All of you know how it is when you are given characters who you "like", who you wanna be with (in this case: Jake, Tor, Elias, The Boss). That's a special something that doesn't happen often in reading......but I'm telling you that it 'happens' here (and you can spell that with a capital H and A and P and all the rest of em as well). Indeed, in this respect Owen is simply amazing. He gives us REAL people and what REAL people do, and he gives us this in REAL depth (when we're given a character talking to his horse, saying things that you and I might say to a close animal or pet, and it feels right, you just have to tell yourself that this is a writer who can, and does give us REAL people). And the all-important sex isn't just "quickies"---he gives us time with the 2 lead characters (Jake + Tor), time after their sex play, time in which they hold and snuggle with one another, time that other writers don't give us after the physical release of sex.....yes, Owen gives us that very 'special time' which leads to love.....and, quite notably, he gives us one of the most romantic post-coital scenes you're ever gonna read.

As a concluding thought, I just have to add: If "Brokeback Mountain" made it to the screen, "Bareback" deserves no less. Let the world see that not all of us are ready to in some way hide, or to check out.

PS--No, Owen has paid me nothing for setting up the preceding comments---they all come from the heart. I will add, here, that I have finished reading his latest effort: "An Agreement Among Gentlemen" (2006). Does it "stand up" to its big brother? I'll be placing my own thoughts on the matter in that particular title's web-page. If you're interested, see my thoughts there.

****

40 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great, until it was ruined for me..., February 15, 2007

By 

Jem (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bareback (Paperback)

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 mostly 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 felt 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? 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. I consider this erotic romance, meaning less plot more hot, and have rated it as such. 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 was there without the betrayal and it had a nice mystery too. I highly recommend it. I also highly recommend Chris Owens' Deviations: Submission (Deviations) series, they were exceptional!