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Texas #1
The Heart of Texas
Riley Hayes, the playboy of the Hayes family, is a young man who seems to have it all: money, a career he loves, and his pick of beautiful women. His father, CEO of HayesOil, passes control of the corporation to his two sons; but a stipulation is attached to Riley's portion. Concerned about Riley's lack of maturity, his father requires that Riley 'marry and stay married for one year to someone he loves'. Angered by the requirement, Riley seeks a means of bypassing his father's stipulation. Blackmailing Jack Campbell into marrying him "for love" suits Riley's purpose. There is no mention in his father's documents that the marriage had to be with a woman and Jack Campbell is the son of Riley Senior's arch rival. Win win.
Riley marries Jack and abruptly his entire world is turned inside out. Riley hadn't counted on the fact that Jack Campbell, quiet and unassuming rancher, is a force of nature in his own right.
This is a story of murder, deceit, the struggle for power, lust and love, the sprawling life of a rancher and the whirlwind existence of a playboy. But under and through it all, as Riley learns over the months, this is a tale about family and everything that that word means.
Riley marries Jack and abruptly his entire world is turned inside out. Riley hadn't counted on the fact that Jack Campbell, quiet and unassuming rancher, is a force of nature in his own right.
This is a story of murder, deceit, the struggle for power, lust and love, the sprawling life of a rancher and the whirlwind existence of a playboy. But under and through it all, as Riley learns over the months, this is a tale about family and everything that that word means.
412 pages, ebook
First published February 5, 2011
About the author
R.J. Scott
298 books2,659 followersRJ Scott is a USA TODAY bestselling author of over 140 romance and suspense novels. From bodyguards to hockey stars, princes to millionaires, cowboys to military, she believes that love is love and every man deserves their own happy ending.
Find RJ here: Amazon | BookBub | Facebook - Also, Never miss a release
Find RJ here: Amazon | BookBub | Facebook - Also, Never miss a release
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 697 reviews
March 8, 2016
I'm so mad that I didn't like this book. Pissed. All of my friends love this AND it has a GFY-virgin. The nerve of me!! Tsk, tsk.
But this reminded me why I never watch soap operas. I hate them. They are muy ridiculoso.
This book started out so strong for me. Forced gay marriage with cowboys??? YES PLEASE! I loved everything about the first 30% of the book. Then, the absurdity started.
My first clue that this wasn't going to work for me were the POV changes. Like a soap opera, the POV switches from person to person (maybe 6 or 7 in total?). It became a series of short little vignettes with mini-cliffhanger endings. Like, "He walked into the room and saw him holding a knife" **end scene**. To top it off, the plot twists became so crazy that I felt like all of the focus was taken off of the main couple. I liked that couple! I wanted more of them together, figuring out their dynamic. I couldn't give two craps about everything else. I wanted the book to be about Riley and Jack, not some fake drama. It actually became so overwhelming for me that I almost DNFed this book. I had to force myself to finish and I ended up skimming in the last 20%.
I wish that I loved this book like everyone else. I feel so lonely out here by myself in dislike-ville.
But this reminded me why I never watch soap operas. I hate them. They are muy ridiculoso.
This book started out so strong for me. Forced gay marriage with cowboys??? YES PLEASE! I loved everything about the first 30% of the book. Then, the absurdity started.
My first clue that this wasn't going to work for me were the POV changes. Like a soap opera, the POV switches from person to person (maybe 6 or 7 in total?). It became a series of short little vignettes with mini-cliffhanger endings. Like, "He walked into the room and saw him holding a knife" **end scene**. To top it off, the plot twists became so crazy that I felt like all of the focus was taken off of the main couple. I liked that couple! I wanted more of them together, figuring out their dynamic. I couldn't give two craps about everything else. I wanted the book to be about Riley and Jack, not some fake drama. It actually became so overwhelming for me that I almost DNFed this book. I had to force myself to finish and I ended up skimming in the last 20%.
I wish that I loved this book like everyone else. I feel so lonely out here by myself in dislike-ville.
January 3, 2022
4 Stars
I liked this. I liked this quite a lot actually, but I feel like maybe I shouldn't have? It certainly took the term ‘melodrama’ to a whole new level, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. *shrugs*
The Heart of Texas was OTT silly at times, with so many secondary players the names sometimes began to blur, but it was also fun, sexy and deeply romantic, moving along at such a fast-pace that I read what was essentially a long-ass book (by M/M standards) in a day.
I found this story to be highly entertaining and completely addictive, regardless of some of the more exaggerated plot arcs—honestly, the soap opera-y qualities of this story are probably why I had so much fun reading it, if I’m being completely honest. Sure, this story won’t work for everyone, and even as someone who did enjoy it, I'm easily able to appreciate many of the reader quibbles I’ve read, but they simply didn’t deter me from my overall enjoyment.
I loved Riley and Jack as characters and I couldn't be happier with how their (first) story unfolded.
It seems my very first RJ Scott book was a raging success and I can’t wait to gobble up more stories in this series.
******************************************
Re-read: August, 2020 (Audio Edition)
Although not one of my preferred narrators in the business, Sean Crisden did a solid job bringing this M/M ensemble cast to life, which isn’t an easy feat considering the sheer number of characters and POV switches that take place throughout. I’m happy to give credit where credit is due, but I’m still not a big fan of how Crisden does female voices.
Revisiting Riley and Jack Campbell-Hayes way back at the beginning of their beautiful romance was a nostalgic and fond experience. I was a bit worried that re-reading—or in this case listening to the audio—so many years after my initial read, would result in a lower level of enjoyment for me, considering I read this in my early M/M days before I really learned what tropes and themes I truly loved/hated. Thankfully, I still had a blast with this melodramatic cowboy romance, even with some of the OTT villainous characters and the over-abundance of mini plot lines and switching character POV’s.
Regardless of all of this, The Heart of Texas remains all about the love story for me. Even now more than ever, I found myself absolutely smitten with Jack and Riley’s marriage-of-convenience romance and I’m very pleased to add their story to my successful re-reads list of go-to favourites. 🥰
I liked this. I liked this quite a lot actually, but I feel like maybe I shouldn't have? It certainly took the term ‘melodrama’ to a whole new level, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. *shrugs*
The Heart of Texas was OTT silly at times, with so many secondary players the names sometimes began to blur, but it was also fun, sexy and deeply romantic, moving along at such a fast-pace that I read what was essentially a long-ass book (by M/M standards) in a day.
I found this story to be highly entertaining and completely addictive, regardless of some of the more exaggerated plot arcs—honestly, the soap opera-y qualities of this story are probably why I had so much fun reading it, if I’m being completely honest. Sure, this story won’t work for everyone, and even as someone who did enjoy it, I'm easily able to appreciate many of the reader quibbles I’ve read, but they simply didn’t deter me from my overall enjoyment.
I loved Riley and Jack as characters and I couldn't be happier with how their (first) story unfolded.
It seems my very first RJ Scott book was a raging success and I can’t wait to gobble up more stories in this series.
******************************************
Re-read: August, 2020 (Audio Edition)
Although not one of my preferred narrators in the business, Sean Crisden did a solid job bringing this M/M ensemble cast to life, which isn’t an easy feat considering the sheer number of characters and POV switches that take place throughout. I’m happy to give credit where credit is due, but I’m still not a big fan of how Crisden does female voices.
Revisiting Riley and Jack Campbell-Hayes way back at the beginning of their beautiful romance was a nostalgic and fond experience. I was a bit worried that re-reading—or in this case listening to the audio—so many years after my initial read, would result in a lower level of enjoyment for me, considering I read this in my early M/M days before I really learned what tropes and themes I truly loved/hated. Thankfully, I still had a blast with this melodramatic cowboy romance, even with some of the OTT villainous characters and the over-abundance of mini plot lines and switching character POV’s.
Regardless of all of this, The Heart of Texas remains all about the love story for me. Even now more than ever, I found myself absolutely smitten with Jack and Riley’s marriage-of-convenience romance and I’m very pleased to add their story to my successful re-reads list of go-to favourites. 🥰
July 3, 2019
Audio 4 stars
Story 2 stars
This is another case of me finishing a book only because of the narrator.
The story started off well enough, but than a lot of crazy drama started happening. Sometimes too much is just that...too much!! The romance was completely overshadowed. Again, one and done with this series.
Story 2 stars
This is another case of me finishing a book only because of the narrator.
The story started off well enough, but than a lot of crazy drama started happening. Sometimes too much is just that...too much!! The romance was completely overshadowed. Again, one and done with this series.
August 18, 2014
I LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK, OH MY GOD THIS IS DEFINITELY A FAVORITE BOOK OF MINE. JACK AND RILEY FOREVER!
Riley and Jack!
The Heart of Texas was one of the first m/m books I read. It's also one of my favorites. When I first started reading the book, I wasn't really sure if I would like it or not. But I soon found myself craving more of this wonderful book and I was addicted to these characters and the overall story. I don't think there was any one thing I liked about this book the most. It was just a book I was able to really fall in love with and devour in a few hours.
Riley and Jack were definitely easy to love. Both guys had their own personalities and even if their start wasn't the best or the most romantic, I found myself rooting for them to become a real couple. Out of the two guys, I have to admit Riley was my favorite. I fell in love with him immediately and I never stopped loving him. He was flawed, yes, but the man underneath was definitely someone who needed to be loved and Jack was just the man for the job. I loved how their relationship developed and it was nice to see how much they really loved each other. I think it was the relationship that really brought out the vulnerability in the guys. But it also showed how strong they both were, too.
This book was similar to Dallas in many respects and some of the twists that happened were definitely Dallas like. That wasn't a bad thing. I actually love the original show and I thought this book was better than the show, so it shows you how much I love this book. I loved some characters, like others, and downright hated some too. There really was a mixed bag here when it comes to characters and it was great to have a really bad villain in this. It's not that I don't like redeeming the bad guy, sometimes that really does work great. But I also like having a character I can loathe and Jeff Hayes was definitely one of those characters. Personally, I don't think he was punished enough, but that's just me. *grins*
The relationships in this book weren't just romantic ones. Riley and Jack's relationship was my favorite, hands down. But I really loved the Jack/Beth, Jack/Josh and Riley/Eden relationships too. Sibling relationships, for whatever reason, make me really happy and I always enjoy solid ones. It's something that I will always think about when I read a book, even if it isn't a huge part of the overall plot. I still love those scenes in a book.
So, yeah, I love this book. I'm guessing that was obvious from this review, but I still thought I should state it again. It's one of those books I wish I could erase from my memory and read again for the first time because it is really that good. And that's saying something because there aren't many books out there that I can say that about. But in this case, it is very true. And I also happen to have a couple on my favorite couples list because of this book.
Riley and Jack!
The Heart of Texas was one of the first m/m books I read. It's also one of my favorites. When I first started reading the book, I wasn't really sure if I would like it or not. But I soon found myself craving more of this wonderful book and I was addicted to these characters and the overall story. I don't think there was any one thing I liked about this book the most. It was just a book I was able to really fall in love with and devour in a few hours.
Riley and Jack were definitely easy to love. Both guys had their own personalities and even if their start wasn't the best or the most romantic, I found myself rooting for them to become a real couple. Out of the two guys, I have to admit Riley was my favorite. I fell in love with him immediately and I never stopped loving him. He was flawed, yes, but the man underneath was definitely someone who needed to be loved and Jack was just the man for the job. I loved how their relationship developed and it was nice to see how much they really loved each other. I think it was the relationship that really brought out the vulnerability in the guys. But it also showed how strong they both were, too.
This book was similar to Dallas in many respects and some of the twists that happened were definitely Dallas like. That wasn't a bad thing. I actually love the original show and I thought this book was better than the show, so it shows you how much I love this book. I loved some characters, like others, and downright hated some too. There really was a mixed bag here when it comes to characters and it was great to have a really bad villain in this. It's not that I don't like redeeming the bad guy, sometimes that really does work great. But I also like having a character I can loathe and Jeff Hayes was definitely one of those characters. Personally, I don't think he was punished enough, but that's just me. *grins*
The relationships in this book weren't just romantic ones. Riley and Jack's relationship was my favorite, hands down. But I really loved the Jack/Beth, Jack/Josh and Riley/Eden relationships too. Sibling relationships, for whatever reason, make me really happy and I always enjoy solid ones. It's something that I will always think about when I read a book, even if it isn't a huge part of the overall plot. I still love those scenes in a book.
So, yeah, I love this book. I'm guessing that was obvious from this review, but I still thought I should state it again. It's one of those books I wish I could erase from my memory and read again for the first time because it is really that good. And that's saying something because there aren't many books out there that I can say that about. But in this case, it is very true. And I also happen to have a couple on my favorite couples list because of this book.
July 24, 2024
Oh, this is the BEST of the BEST of the BEST of the Forced/Arranged Marriage/Mating/Bonding genre! It, honest to god, does not get ANY better than this!
MC Riley Hayes is rich, beautiful, straight, single and ready to mingle until his father decides to put a stipulation on giving up control of the family company to his son. Riley must marry for love and STAY married for a year in order to retain his portion of the company. So, Riley decides to stick it to the old man by marrying the son (the stipulation never said anything about the wedded partner being a woman!) of his biggest rival, MC Jack Campbell. Oh, and it is delicious ! The two boys are bitter enemies and Riley is straight while Jack is gay. Then things start to get all soap-operay and the boys get all hot and bothered about one another and the sex is AMAZING and then they fall in love and WOW! Fucking fabulous book! Plus, R.J. Scott has blessed us with, like, a million sequels with these delightful boys. But nothing will ever measure up to this original. It is a wild ride and absolute soap opera perfection.
Highly, highly recommended.
MC Riley Hayes is rich, beautiful, straight, single and ready to mingle until his father decides to put a stipulation on giving up control of the family company to his son. Riley must marry for love and STAY married for a year in order to retain his portion of the company. So, Riley decides to stick it to the old man by marrying the son (the stipulation never said anything about the wedded partner being a woman!) of his biggest rival, MC Jack Campbell. Oh, and it is delicious ! The two boys are bitter enemies and Riley is straight while Jack is gay. Then things start to get all soap-operay and the boys get all hot and bothered about one another and the sex is AMAZING and then they fall in love and WOW! Fucking fabulous book! Plus, R.J. Scott has blessed us with, like, a million sequels with these delightful boys. But nothing will ever measure up to this original. It is a wild ride and absolute soap opera perfection.
Highly, highly recommended.
July 13, 2011
I Loved This Book
Not sure what to say without spoiling too much. I loved all the characters, even the ones I hated I still loved hating them. I enjoyed how the characters and their relationships developed.
The story moves quick but transitions very smoothly, it is told through everyone’s point of view so even though the POV changes a lot I was never confused about whose POV I was reading.
The characters reminded me a lot of the old TV show Dallas (I liked that show).
This was the kind of story that made me sad when it was over; where I loved them all so much I wasn’t ready to stop reading about them. Even though the ending was sweet and conclusive, there were no loose ends or any questions I thought were left unanswered I still wasn’t ready for it to end.
ETA Just as good the second time
Not sure what to say without spoiling too much. I loved all the characters, even the ones I hated I still loved hating them. I enjoyed how the characters and their relationships developed.
The story moves quick but transitions very smoothly, it is told through everyone’s point of view so even though the POV changes a lot I was never confused about whose POV I was reading.
The characters reminded me a lot of the old TV show Dallas (I liked that show).
This was the kind of story that made me sad when it was over; where I loved them all so much I wasn’t ready to stop reading about them. Even though the ending was sweet and conclusive, there were no loose ends or any questions I thought were left unanswered I still wasn’t ready for it to end.
ETA Just as good the second time
May 6, 2013
3.5 stars
This past weekend, I was on vacation in Austin, TEXAS…
…surrounded by cowboys and cuties
…craving one of those over-the-top reads
…needing a little smut (ahem…in my book…)
…something I could pick up, put down, go out and have some fun, and then return to
…that would keep me entertained.
Enter “The Heart of Texas”…and though I could probably think this through and pick apart all that was wrong with it, I can’t help but feel it was so RIGHT! Exactly what I needed/wanted.
It was SO ridiculous, WAY soap-opera’y (think every old Harlequin romance book…but on steroids), a replica of the old Dallas and Dynasty primetime soaps with its very own “Who shot JR?” moment…but…
I loved Riley and Jack.
I loved the Campbell/Hayes family rivalry.
I loved the Texas socialites and the Big Oil men and the ranchers.
It was delicious.
December 10, 2013
Scandalous.
Absurd.
Eye-rollingly melodramatic.
Telenovela goodness.
Rating: 2 of 5 stars—but 3 of 5 OHMYGAHs
Absurd.
Eye-rollingly melodramatic.
Telenovela goodness.
Rating: 2 of 5 stars—but 3 of 5 OHMYGAHs
November 14, 2019
2,5 STARS
I've enjoyed the audio, but the story was over the top! So much drama... and not a good drama actually. It felt long, unnecessary long. There were parts I enjoyed, but we don't get much romance. SO many things happen and my head was spinning with all the side characters and well the secrets and plots.
Can't say I was a huge fan of either of the main characters. Many things bugged me, but overall it was an OK read with some things I would have enjoyed more, if it wasn't for the OTT craziness.
I've enjoyed the audio, but the story was over the top! So much drama... and not a good drama actually. It felt long, unnecessary long. There were parts I enjoyed, but we don't get much romance. SO many things happen and my head was spinning with all the side characters and well the secrets and plots.
Can't say I was a huge fan of either of the main characters. Many things bugged me, but overall it was an OK read with some things I would have enjoyed more, if it wasn't for the OTT craziness.
July 13, 2011
So everyone kept telling me about how this book was so much like a soap opera...and they were right. It had lots of drama and plots twists and turns, I could not put it down. I never knew what kind of disaster or shocking revelation was going to happen next. Lots of lies, backstabbing, betrayals, secrets...and a murder! You know...the usual in a soap opera.
I loved Jack and Riley and how they moved from long time enemies to unexpected lovers. It was a sweet romance following lots of sexual tension. (My fave by the way) Great cast of characters in a perfect setting. Omg, I feel like I'm describing a tv show!
Ok, so I teared up twice, once at the beginning and again at the very end. It wasn't really a sad or funny book, but it had a lot of "omg" moments and quite a few "aww, that's so sweet" moments. There were even some "holy shit, thats so hot" moments!
This is my 1st full length novel by RJ, but I will definitely be reading more!
I loved Jack and Riley and how they moved from long time enemies to unexpected lovers. It was a sweet romance following lots of sexual tension. (My fave by the way) Great cast of characters in a perfect setting. Omg, I feel like I'm describing a tv show!
Ok, so I teared up twice, once at the beginning and again at the very end. It wasn't really a sad or funny book, but it had a lot of "omg" moments and quite a few "aww, that's so sweet" moments. There were even some "holy shit, thats so hot" moments!
This is my 1st full length novel by RJ, but I will definitely be reading more!
October 13, 2012
Not my book. I enjoyed the first 20%, with the enemies to lovers, marriage for money theme, but this soon became a soap opera and I just don't like those. Whoever said it was an m/m Dallas was exactly right.
Also, the gender essentialism in here drove me insane. When one character is pregnant everyone asks if she was raped, because god forbid women should have sexual desires
Also, the gender essentialism in here drove me insane. When one character is pregnant everyone asks if she was raped, because god forbid women should have sexual desires
May 25, 2015
Me not likey this telenovela. Let me elaborate before you hate me, pls ;)
The premise of the book was ok, the chemistry between them and all this pretending thing I enjoyed it BUT those secondary Disney characters? No way in hell. I like reading about real people and this was not the case.
Anyway if you want a quick, light read similar to some soap operas then go for it, sex was hot so you might like it.
August 28, 2016
3.5 stars
Riley Hayes is the second son of Gerard Hayes, of Hayes Oil. Rich, successful, and smart, Riley also likes to be carefree with his love life. When his father tells requires him to stay married for love in one year time, before he can claim his rightful portion of Hayes Oil, Riley is downright pissed. So he decides to seek "revenge" by blackmailing Jack Campbell, a rancher and a son of his father's nemesis, with a contract to stay married for a year ...
Years ago, when I still think M/F contemporary romance as appealing, I read one story by Barbara Freethy that deals with family, ranch, lies, secrets, and redemption. In a positive way, The Heart of Texas reminds me of that. I don't find many "marriage of convenience" theme within an M/M romance and I wholeheartedly welcome this one.
While Riley is first described as sort of a playboy, who has his arms in handful of woman every night, I don't really feel that way as the story continues. In fact, I sense him more as a misunderstood young man, who wants to prove to his father that he knows what he is doing. I also sense he is a bit lonely, only having his bi-sexual friend Steve and his sister, Eden, that can be considered as someone close to him. Therefore, when Riley manipulates Jack to marry him, and then he meets the Cambell family, he finds what family and love is all about.
Jack, on the other hand, is the typical sort of Alpha hero that I always love to read. At first, he hates Riley and all what Jack perceives as Riley's cunning tricks, so Jack is determined to make Riley's life a living hell. BUT, when he realizes what his husband truly is inside, Jack learns that he is falling hard for Riley. It's good to see how the mighty fallen, isn't it?
The secondary characters are quite plenty and each has a role in the book, either by themselves or part of Jack and Riley's path to true happiness.
If there is one complaint, it is probably that the drama and plot twists are not original. In fact, they are downright cliché, for me at least. I can see all the twists that Ms. Scott throws from miles away. Starting from the secret behind Riley's life, the secret of Beth's (Jack's sister) baby daddy, the murderer, even the real reason why one confesses to the murder. ALL of them is predictable *shrugs*. It's okay to add twists to make a drama, but I kind of feel that it's overcooked, and it will be better if it's just two or three twists that are being incorporated.
But, should it make you stay away from the story? I don't think so ... I think this is a complex relationship that can either satisfy you or well, frustrate the living hell out of you. For me though, I really like (not loving it but really liking it nonetheless). The journey of Jack and Riley sure keeps me up for about 2 hours reading, and forget about sleeping, which is always a sign of a good book.
Riley Hayes is the second son of Gerard Hayes, of Hayes Oil. Rich, successful, and smart, Riley also likes to be carefree with his love life. When his father tells requires him to stay married for love in one year time, before he can claim his rightful portion of Hayes Oil, Riley is downright pissed. So he decides to seek "revenge" by blackmailing Jack Campbell, a rancher and a son of his father's nemesis, with a contract to stay married for a year ...
Years ago, when I still think M/F contemporary romance as appealing, I read one story by Barbara Freethy that deals with family, ranch, lies, secrets, and redemption. In a positive way, The Heart of Texas reminds me of that. I don't find many "marriage of convenience" theme within an M/M romance and I wholeheartedly welcome this one.
While Riley is first described as sort of a playboy, who has his arms in handful of woman every night, I don't really feel that way as the story continues. In fact, I sense him more as a misunderstood young man, who wants to prove to his father that he knows what he is doing. I also sense he is a bit lonely, only having his bi-sexual friend Steve and his sister, Eden, that can be considered as someone close to him. Therefore, when Riley manipulates Jack to marry him, and then he meets the Cambell family, he finds what family and love is all about.
Jack, on the other hand, is the typical sort of Alpha hero that I always love to read. At first, he hates Riley and all what Jack perceives as Riley's cunning tricks, so Jack is determined to make Riley's life a living hell. BUT, when he realizes what his husband truly is inside, Jack learns that he is falling hard for Riley. It's good to see how the mighty fallen, isn't it?
The secondary characters are quite plenty and each has a role in the book, either by themselves or part of Jack and Riley's path to true happiness.
If there is one complaint, it is probably that the drama and plot twists are not original. In fact, they are downright cliché, for me at least. I can see all the twists that Ms. Scott throws from miles away. Starting from the secret behind Riley's life, the secret of Beth's (Jack's sister) baby daddy, the murderer, even the real reason why one confesses to the murder. ALL of them is predictable *shrugs*. It's okay to add twists to make a drama, but I kind of feel that it's overcooked, and it will be better if it's just two or three twists that are being incorporated.
But, should it make you stay away from the story? I don't think so ... I think this is a complex relationship that can either satisfy you or well, frustrate the living hell out of you. For me though, I really like (not loving it but really liking it nonetheless). The journey of Jack and Riley sure keeps me up for about 2 hours reading, and forget about sleeping, which is always a sign of a good book.
November 3, 2014
THIS.
This was such a solid good well-written page turner! The writing was witty, interesting and fluid that sucked me right in and just didn't allow me to put it down till i reached the end! The romance was palpable, beautiful and unpretentious. The story was complex and driven with real motivation. The character development was so well constructed with their various nuances...just amazing!
I know all this sounds really technical but all of this is what created an awesome story! I actually lived and breathed every moment with these guys..i felt each and every one of their emotions with them. I don't think i have words to express how much I HATED Jeff...but you get the idea and that's what the author intended.
Ok so some demerits if you'd call them that...
Nevertheless....This is a must read Gay romance and I'd definitely happily recommend it to any and all romance readers!
My kudos and congratulations to Ms. Scott for such an awesome work of fiction!
This was such a solid good well-written page turner! The writing was witty, interesting and fluid that sucked me right in and just didn't allow me to put it down till i reached the end! The romance was palpable, beautiful and unpretentious. The story was complex and driven with real motivation. The character development was so well constructed with their various nuances...just amazing!
I know all this sounds really technical but all of this is what created an awesome story! I actually lived and breathed every moment with these guys..i felt each and every one of their emotions with them. I don't think i have words to express how much I HATED Jeff...but you get the idea and that's what the author intended.
Ok so some demerits if you'd call them that...
Nevertheless....This is a must read Gay romance and I'd definitely happily recommend it to any and all romance readers!
My kudos and congratulations to Ms. Scott for such an awesome work of fiction!
October 15, 2017
Forewarned by some of the reviews, I knew this was going to be a cheesy, over-the-top soap opera. But there's over the top, and then there's OVER THE TOP.
For a while I was having a grand old time, literally LOL-ing over each big, dramatic, "tragic" plot twist, but apparently there's only so much ridiculosity I can handle. At 61% percent, it's obvious that the good characters are really really really good. And the bad characters? They're bad. So so so so so so so bad. Sooooooo bad. So very, very bad. How bad? Bad enough to Bad enough to
Aw, come on. That's spoiling my fun. Now instead of reading about loony human beings caught up in crazy melodramas of their own making, I'm reading about The Sainted (so so so good!) and The Diabolical (so so so bad!). Time for me to bail.
For a while I was having a grand old time, literally LOL-ing over each big, dramatic, "tragic" plot twist, but apparently there's only so much ridiculosity I can handle. At 61% percent, it's obvious that the good characters are really really really good. And the bad characters? They're bad. So so so so so so so bad. Sooooooo bad. So very, very bad. How bad? Bad enough to Bad enough to
Aw, come on. That's spoiling my fun. Now instead of reading about loony human beings caught up in crazy melodramas of their own making, I'm reading about The Sainted (so so so good!) and The Diabolical (so so so bad!). Time for me to bail.
August 28, 2016
Overall book rating 4.5/5 stars
Audio book - N/A
Book Cover 4/5 Stars
Riley the straight guy was given a bad hand of cards by his "father" and he decided to play - He got married like his "father" wanted him to but not to one of the debutant girls oh, no, Riley married there nemesis son Jack who was gay. They wanted him hitch so he got hitch!!!
And like all the stories goes they fall in love for real.
This was not just a story of two guys feeling attracted to one another. No, this was a story of real life of hatred of evil and so much love. It was about secrets and families.
This book had a lot of soul it was deep and it was real and I loved it to death.
It was a book of trust and the longing of a beautiful future and finding peace.
Audio book - N/A
Book Cover 4/5 Stars
Riley the straight guy was given a bad hand of cards by his "father" and he decided to play - He got married like his "father" wanted him to but not to one of the debutant girls oh, no, Riley married there nemesis son Jack who was gay. They wanted him hitch so he got hitch!!!
And like all the stories goes they fall in love for real.
This was not just a story of two guys feeling attracted to one another. No, this was a story of real life of hatred of evil and so much love. It was about secrets and families.
This book had a lot of soul it was deep and it was real and I loved it to death.
It was a book of trust and the longing of a beautiful future and finding peace.
August 15, 2020
So much happened in this book, I'm not even sure I can properly review it. I ran through pretty much every emotion out there. What a twisted family and so much drama! I felt like I was watching an old episode of Dallas. Riley was such a jerk at the beginning. I get why. I really do and I hated that he was brought to that point. I liked Jack and felt so bad for him. I liked that he stood right up to Riley and set his own terms. I'm glad that in the course of pretending to be in love, real attraction and feelings grew between them. I ended up loving them together and can't wait to see what happens next for them.
February 5, 2011
You know when you read a really great book and you just don't know how to explain it? Well, that's how I feel right now. I absolutely love this book to death. My emotions were so invested in this story that I honestly didn't want it to end even with how much I was crying over it. Lol
Riley Hayes is young, rich and successfully working at Hayes Oil but he has a carefree life. He's extremely pissed off when his father requires him to stay married to someone he loves for a whole year before he can claim his rightful portion of Hayes Oil. In retaliation to his father's demand, he seeks out Jack Campbell, a rancher and the son of his father's enemy. Jack Campbell hates the Hayes family as much as the Hayes hate the Campbells. When Riley asks to pay Jack to be his husband for a whole year, Jack says no. In response, Riley resorts to blackmail to get Jack to play along. It's a hardship for the two, acting like a loving couple in public, trying to convince everyone they're in love but hating each other behind closed doors. It doesn't take long before Riley's dad and brother start causing trouble for the two but in the process Riley and Jack become closer, slowly working through the hatred that consumed the start of their relationship and turning it into love while they stick together to get through life-changing events.
From the start I loved Riley and Jack. There's just something about them that draws you into the story. While Riley might seem like a monster for forcing Jack into marriage, he's really not. He's sweet and nice at heart and the actions he does indirectly show that. Jack is about the sweetest man you'll ever meet. His life revolves around his family and his ranch and he'll do whatever he can to keep both safe. Overtime, Riley becomes his family, too, and it's just really sweet what Jack will do for all of them. It made me cry at times, lol.
The plot is good. Outside of the characters, it kept me riveted and I just couldn't put it down once I started it. The things that Jeff, Riley's brother, and Gerald, Riley's father, do just because Riley married a Campbell were so heart-breaking to me but interesting at the same time. I especially liked the process Riley went through as he was figuring out who he really is and how he handles certain things he learns. I loved the secondary characters, even the ones I hated. Beth, Jack's sister, was my favorite of them, most likely because I just felt so sad for what she's been through. How she has a heart defect made me feel for her all the more.
Overall, this was an awesome book. Whether you like cowboys are not, this is a must read and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. [image error]
Riley Hayes is young, rich and successfully working at Hayes Oil but he has a carefree life. He's extremely pissed off when his father requires him to stay married to someone he loves for a whole year before he can claim his rightful portion of Hayes Oil. In retaliation to his father's demand, he seeks out Jack Campbell, a rancher and the son of his father's enemy. Jack Campbell hates the Hayes family as much as the Hayes hate the Campbells. When Riley asks to pay Jack to be his husband for a whole year, Jack says no. In response, Riley resorts to blackmail to get Jack to play along. It's a hardship for the two, acting like a loving couple in public, trying to convince everyone they're in love but hating each other behind closed doors. It doesn't take long before Riley's dad and brother start causing trouble for the two but in the process Riley and Jack become closer, slowly working through the hatred that consumed the start of their relationship and turning it into love while they stick together to get through life-changing events.
From the start I loved Riley and Jack. There's just something about them that draws you into the story. While Riley might seem like a monster for forcing Jack into marriage, he's really not. He's sweet and nice at heart and the actions he does indirectly show that. Jack is about the sweetest man you'll ever meet. His life revolves around his family and his ranch and he'll do whatever he can to keep both safe. Overtime, Riley becomes his family, too, and it's just really sweet what Jack will do for all of them. It made me cry at times, lol.
The plot is good. Outside of the characters, it kept me riveted and I just couldn't put it down once I started it. The things that Jeff, Riley's brother, and Gerald, Riley's father, do just because Riley married a Campbell were so heart-breaking to me but interesting at the same time. I especially liked the process Riley went through as he was figuring out who he really is and how he handles certain things he learns. I loved the secondary characters, even the ones I hated. Beth, Jack's sister, was my favorite of them, most likely because I just felt so sad for what she's been through. How she has a heart defect made me feel for her all the more.
Overall, this was an awesome book. Whether you like cowboys are not, this is a must read and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. [image error]
February 7, 2011
I have a confession...I put this on my "to read" shelf with no intension of actually starting it anytime soon. *hiding behind my hands* I have had a terrible time with picking mediocre reading choices here lately. AND even though I liked how the book sounded I was afraid I was going to misjudge and end up with a book that was going to sit partially read on my "currently reading" shelf for the next year.
Today, a friend gave me a little nudge and I just went with it....and I fell in love. Two families who feuded for almost three decades leading to the rise of the Hayes and the fall of the Campbells. The Hayes family had me cringing, wondering why anyone would ever stay in that kind of environment much less live in 24/7 it after you become of age. There is no way that you cannot like the Campbells and their homegrown pride and ethics.
There is another thing that I loved about this book. Authors sometime forget that there are a diverse mixture of family and friends that make up someone's life. Not everyone in the book has to be gay. That is just one part of life. Family and pier circles are more diverse than that. In this book you have a complete make-up of family and friends that are 3D and tangible. They are not ghost that float in and out of the scenes but you feel them as real people with real problems and real feelings.
This is a fantastic read. I loved Riley (even though at first I wasn't sure that I could). I adored Jack and thoroughly enjoyed watching these two create something different and separate than the legacy left them...even if they didn't know that was what they were doing.
Favorite Quote: "Are you really a Texan? I mean, really? Riley, If I have a headache, I'd put bacon around an aspirin before I take it."
Today, a friend gave me a little nudge and I just went with it....and I fell in love. Two families who feuded for almost three decades leading to the rise of the Hayes and the fall of the Campbells. The Hayes family had me cringing, wondering why anyone would ever stay in that kind of environment much less live in 24/7 it after you become of age. There is no way that you cannot like the Campbells and their homegrown pride and ethics.
There is another thing that I loved about this book. Authors sometime forget that there are a diverse mixture of family and friends that make up someone's life. Not everyone in the book has to be gay. That is just one part of life. Family and pier circles are more diverse than that. In this book you have a complete make-up of family and friends that are 3D and tangible. They are not ghost that float in and out of the scenes but you feel them as real people with real problems and real feelings.
This is a fantastic read. I loved Riley (even though at first I wasn't sure that I could). I adored Jack and thoroughly enjoyed watching these two create something different and separate than the legacy left them...even if they didn't know that was what they were doing.
Favorite Quote: "Are you really a Texan? I mean, really? Riley, If I have a headache, I'd put bacon around an aspirin before I take it."
September 4, 2012
I feel like I have to justify my poor rating of this book because so many people ostensibly loved it. Well, I didn't. I didn't love it A LOT. I think it's safe to say I even hated it. Unrealistic premise aside (because, really, if all premises were realistic we'd have no literature) the plot was just a mess, it was such a clumsy soap opera from start to finish. I'm actually having trouble remembering the plot because it was so stupid that I immediately forgot it as soon as I put the book (or rather, eReader) down. What I do remember, however, is that all the characters were caricatures and not one single line of dialogue struck me as being a thing that any real person would say. I've never watched a single episode of the show Dallas, but I suspect this is what it would look like if it was about gay people.
August 28, 2011
CAUTION: Spoilers
The Heart of Texas read like a soap opera, which I don't mind, but had a tad too much unbelievable plot twists for me. Or maybe that's how a soap opera should be, then it was too much soap opera-ish for my taste.
What to expect: all the bad guys losing, all the good guys winning, alot of plot twists. The first half was read like a romance, the last half was read like a family saga (yes it's a genre). The book was written in 3rd POV, alternating between Riley and Jack perspective but interspersed with the supporting characters' perspective.
Jeff Hayes
I thought forcing Jeff to be the ultimate villain, no exaggeration, was overkill. The author couldn't decide whether to make Jeff an adulterer, a rapist, a woman beater, a pedophile, or a child-abuser, and so he's all of them. We learn about his extramarital affairs in the middle of the story, worse we learn he likes rough sex, really rough sex. Suddenly in that same scene, we find out he sometime likes his "women" young, which kinda hinted at pedophilia. I'm not 100% sure about the pedophilia because the author never outright say it.
His mother is scared and told his wife to leave Jeff before anything serious could happen to her and their children. Especially their children, because he might end up beating them and/or raping them. And then when Jeff finds out that his wife left him and his mother made it happen, he beats her.
Near the end of the story, we find out he's the one who raped Beth. That was stretching the story too far because how could Jeff and Beth be at the same party? They don't run in same social circle, Jeff's rich and Beth's poor. I thought it was too much of a coincidence for them to be at the same place same time. What happened to the Hayes and Campbell avoiding each other?
The author didn't make Jeff a believable person, he was just evil in human flesh. Out of all the characters, Jeff was the worst not because he was the villain but because he was poorly developed. In short, Jeff was a one-dimensional character who just did bad things because he was evil like that.
Gerald Hayes
I didn't get Gerald. He was the bad guy at the start but he helped our heroes at the end. Um...okay. I was confused because the author set up Gerald as the final villain, like the final boss of a video game, our heroes must defeat before they get their HEA. Gerald was a bigot who wanted his son Riley to get married and be normal.
So for the first half of the story, Gerald was the villain. And then it switched to Jeff. Wait, what? After Jeff's mother confronted his wife to leave Jeff, Jeff became the main antagonist and Gerald wasn't seen again till the end.
When we do see Gerald again, he saves Jack Campbell by falsely confessing to be Jeff's murderer. Whaaaat? What happened to the Gerald who didn't care if Riley died, who hated all Campbell, who was homophobic, who preferred his own flesh and blood son Jeff over the bastard son Riley, who blah blah blah. Why the hell did Gerald do a good thing for our heroes? I would have expected Gerald to wreck bloody vengeance upon our heroes.
No, he saves them and to a point, even accepted their gayness and all that liberal crap and was happy that Riley became the boss of Hayes Oil instead Jeff. Really? O>o
Riley Hayes
I thought the whole fire "accident" could have been easily avoided if Riley had hired some people to watch over the Campbell. For someone who knows full well how underhanded and devious the Hayes men could be, Riley should have expected his father and brother to sabotage the Campbell. Hell, he should have accepted the small possibility that his father and brother might have even wanted him and Jack dead period. It's not like there would have been any lost love.
What's up with Riley thinking he isn't gay. He isn't, he's bi as he admits so himself. Why did he resist his attraction for Jack? It wasn't because of the Hayes-Campell antagonism since Riley felt no repulsion in marrying Jack. I had a hard time watching Riley internally debating whether he was straight or gay. He's bi! Everyone knows, this wasn't a coming out of the closet. He even had a bisexual friend in Steve. The Heart of Texas wasn't a Gay-For-You story, but I got the impression that author was forcing it to be.
In Short, Inconsistent Characters
Jeff was almost everything a villain in a contemporary story could be. Gerald who was the villain became the heroes' savior at the end. Riley was either Bi or Gay or just GFY. And those were just the main characters.
Eden, the youngest child of the dysfunctional Hayes family, was described by Riley as a shopaholic.
Steve, Riley's bisexual friend, was a head turner of a character. He went from being described as a party animal to Beth's husband. Talk about instant character development, he went from having indiscriminate sex to someone settling down with a wife and kid. Somehow his love for Beth went from one of friendship to one of marriage. Right. *rolls eyes* The author was really forcing the story hard to make everyone have a happy ending, even if meant turning a character's personality upside down.
Plot Twists After Twists
I love plot twists like any reader, but I like them in reasonable amount or else they lose their thrill. I was surprised to learn Jim Bailey, the Hayes' lawyer, was Riley's biological father. But after that secret was revealed, we didn't heard much from Jim anymore. I was hoping for some sort of scene where Jim and Riley sit down and bond, to connect as father and son instead of lawyer and client. I never got that.
Once it seem the plot twist of Jim being Riley's birth father was revealed, the author sent Jim away, and then revealed another plot twist. BAM! Once that was over, another occurred making previous ones irrelevant. It was strange because I read stories whose entire premise was just the plot twist of finding out your parent wasn't your biological parent. In The Heart of Texas, it was just used a plot device, made quickly irrelevant by the next dramatic moment.
The only plot twist the author really spend time developing throughout the story was Beth's pregnancy. Anyway, too many plot twists took the focus away from Riley and Jack's romance in the last half of the book. That's why I thought The Heart of Texas wasn't a true romance but instead a family saga.
The Ending Was Too Perfect
I don't mind perfect ending, but I had in my mind The Heart of Texas as a serious story. Not to say I didn't want a HEA, I did. But I was thinking the HEA would only be for the couple and that the other characters, the good ones, wouldn't get their HEA. I even expected one or two of the good guys would died or something. I so did not expect a HEA for everyone. I mean everyone.
Jeff died. His wife and kids are safe from him. Gerald saved Jack and died. His wife Sandra is free from domestic abuse. Steve married Beth, Beth survived the pregnancy, they end up as a happy nuclear family. Riley becomes the boss of Hayes Oil, Riley and Jack have an actual wedding ceremony. All the Campbell and Hayes and their friends become nicey-nice with each other like there was never any feud. So basically all the villains were dead and all the good guys got their HEA. Uh, yeah. Would never happen in real life, though. =/
Things I Like
All the flaws I described above is what made me not give the story 5 or 4 stars. What stop me from making the story 2 or 1 star was the decent writing, not making Sandra the cliché helpless drunken housewife, capable Eden, and keeping Jack's character consistent. The author did indulge the readers with a few sex scenes, so that was good. I rate The Heart of Texas 3 stars for I-like-it.
The Heart of Texas read like a soap opera, which I don't mind, but had a tad too much unbelievable plot twists for me. Or maybe that's how a soap opera should be, then it was too much soap opera-ish for my taste.
What to expect: all the bad guys losing, all the good guys winning, alot of plot twists. The first half was read like a romance, the last half was read like a family saga (yes it's a genre). The book was written in 3rd POV, alternating between Riley and Jack perspective but interspersed with the supporting characters' perspective.
Jeff Hayes
I thought forcing Jeff to be the ultimate villain, no exaggeration, was overkill. The author couldn't decide whether to make Jeff an adulterer, a rapist, a woman beater, a pedophile, or a child-abuser, and so he's all of them. We learn about his extramarital affairs in the middle of the story, worse we learn he likes rough sex, really rough sex. Suddenly in that same scene, we find out he sometime likes his "women" young, which kinda hinted at pedophilia. I'm not 100% sure about the pedophilia because the author never outright say it.
Some of these women were just a little older than her daughter, than Jeff's daughter, and in each one, there were marks and bruises.I have no idea how old Jeff's daughter is.
His mother is scared and told his wife to leave Jeff before anything serious could happen to her and their children. Especially their children, because he might end up beating them and/or raping them. And then when Jeff finds out that his wife left him and his mother made it happen, he beats her.
Near the end of the story, we find out he's the one who raped Beth. That was stretching the story too far because how could Jeff and Beth be at the same party? They don't run in same social circle, Jeff's rich and Beth's poor. I thought it was too much of a coincidence for them to be at the same place same time. What happened to the Hayes and Campbell avoiding each other?
The author didn't make Jeff a believable person, he was just evil in human flesh. Out of all the characters, Jeff was the worst not because he was the villain but because he was poorly developed. In short, Jeff was a one-dimensional character who just did bad things because he was evil like that.
Gerald Hayes
I didn't get Gerald. He was the bad guy at the start but he helped our heroes at the end. Um...okay. I was confused because the author set up Gerald as the final villain, like the final boss of a video game, our heroes must defeat before they get their HEA. Gerald was a bigot who wanted his son Riley to get married and be normal.
"Aaah, the American dream." Riley tried to keep the cynicism out of his voice "Two point four kids, the picket fence, the station wagon and the dog."Then we find out Riley isn't even his son, but a bastard born out of an affair between his wife and his lawyer. With that, I better understood why Gerald wanted Jeff to be the boss of Hayes Oil instead of Riley. And why Gerald couldn't care less if Riley died after the fire accident at Campbell ranch.
So for the first half of the story, Gerald was the villain. And then it switched to Jeff. Wait, what? After Jeff's mother confronted his wife to leave Jeff, Jeff became the main antagonist and Gerald wasn't seen again till the end.
When we do see Gerald again, he saves Jack Campbell by falsely confessing to be Jeff's murderer. Whaaaat? What happened to the Gerald who didn't care if Riley died, who hated all Campbell, who was homophobic, who preferred his own flesh and blood son Jeff over the bastard son Riley, who blah blah blah. Why the hell did Gerald do a good thing for our heroes? I would have expected Gerald to wreck bloody vengeance upon our heroes.
No, he saves them and to a point, even accepted their gayness and all that liberal crap and was happy that Riley became the boss of Hayes Oil instead Jeff. Really? O>o
Riley Hayes
I thought the whole fire "accident" could have been easily avoided if Riley had hired some people to watch over the Campbell. For someone who knows full well how underhanded and devious the Hayes men could be, Riley should have expected his father and brother to sabotage the Campbell. Hell, he should have accepted the small possibility that his father and brother might have even wanted him and Jack dead period. It's not like there would have been any lost love.
What's up with Riley thinking he isn't gay. He isn't, he's bi as he admits so himself. Why did he resist his attraction for Jack? It wasn't because of the Hayes-Campell antagonism since Riley felt no repulsion in marrying Jack. I had a hard time watching Riley internally debating whether he was straight or gay. He's bi! Everyone knows, this wasn't a coming out of the closet. He even had a bisexual friend in Steve. The Heart of Texas wasn't a Gay-For-You story, but I got the impression that author was forcing it to be.
In Short, Inconsistent Characters
Jeff was almost everything a villain in a contemporary story could be. Gerald who was the villain became the heroes' savior at the end. Riley was either Bi or Gay or just GFY. And those were just the main characters.
Eden, the youngest child of the dysfunctional Hayes family, was described by Riley as a shopaholic.
I mean, she's a complete airhead, thinks shopping defines her life, but she has a big heart.She didn't shop for a single damn moment. In actuality, I thought she was one of the few sensible characters in the story. She was calm enough to call her parents to give Riley the blood transfusion he needed to survive. She was smart enough to prefer Jim as her father, observant enough to know Hayes Oil hardened Riley. And no airhead could quickly cover up Jeff's murder and keep her mouth shut in front of the police. I have no idea why Riley thought his sister was ditzy.
Steve, Riley's bisexual friend, was a head turner of a character. He went from being described as a party animal to Beth's husband. Talk about instant character development, he went from having indiscriminate sex to someone settling down with a wife and kid. Somehow his love for Beth went from one of friendship to one of marriage. Right. *rolls eyes* The author was really forcing the story hard to make everyone have a happy ending, even if meant turning a character's personality upside down.
Plot Twists After Twists
I love plot twists like any reader, but I like them in reasonable amount or else they lose their thrill. I was surprised to learn Jim Bailey, the Hayes' lawyer, was Riley's biological father. But after that secret was revealed, we didn't heard much from Jim anymore. I was hoping for some sort of scene where Jim and Riley sit down and bond, to connect as father and son instead of lawyer and client. I never got that.
Once it seem the plot twist of Jim being Riley's birth father was revealed, the author sent Jim away, and then revealed another plot twist. BAM! Once that was over, another occurred making previous ones irrelevant. It was strange because I read stories whose entire premise was just the plot twist of finding out your parent wasn't your biological parent. In The Heart of Texas, it was just used a plot device, made quickly irrelevant by the next dramatic moment.
The only plot twist the author really spend time developing throughout the story was Beth's pregnancy. Anyway, too many plot twists took the focus away from Riley and Jack's romance in the last half of the book. That's why I thought The Heart of Texas wasn't a true romance but instead a family saga.
The Ending Was Too Perfect
I don't mind perfect ending, but I had in my mind The Heart of Texas as a serious story. Not to say I didn't want a HEA, I did. But I was thinking the HEA would only be for the couple and that the other characters, the good ones, wouldn't get their HEA. I even expected one or two of the good guys would died or something. I so did not expect a HEA for everyone. I mean everyone.
Jeff died. His wife and kids are safe from him. Gerald saved Jack and died. His wife Sandra is free from domestic abuse. Steve married Beth, Beth survived the pregnancy, they end up as a happy nuclear family. Riley becomes the boss of Hayes Oil, Riley and Jack have an actual wedding ceremony. All the Campbell and Hayes and their friends become nicey-nice with each other like there was never any feud. So basically all the villains were dead and all the good guys got their HEA. Uh, yeah. Would never happen in real life, though. =/
Things I Like
All the flaws I described above is what made me not give the story 5 or 4 stars. What stop me from making the story 2 or 1 star was the decent writing, not making Sandra the cliché helpless drunken housewife, capable Eden, and keeping Jack's character consistent. The author did indulge the readers with a few sex scenes, so that was good. I rate The Heart of Texas 3 stars for I-like-it.
February 21, 2016
“Adam, may I have a glass of water, please?“
Guy pours water into a glass in front of her, while Alexis addresses the board.
“I’m a very direct woman. If I do not get that approval - and please understand that I have a controlling interest in Denver-Carrington – I shall fire you all on the spot and replace you with a board that will approve of the merger.”
I admit I was too young to have watched “Dynasty” in the 80s, being 3 years old when the show was at the height of its fame, but even I have memorized Alexis Carrington’s power-woman speech that was later comedically re-used in the Bette Midler/Lily Tomlin movie ‘Big Business’.
Therefore I do consider myself a fan of the cult series and I think this book is a glorious homage to “Dynasty” if I’ve ever seen one.
Hayes Oil is the leading oil company in Texas, with the company’s founder and CEO, Gerald Hayes, transferring the power over the family empire to his sons Jeff and Riley Hayes.
Things for once seem to go smooth for Riley who is the head of the Research and Development branch of the company. Having a rather strained relationship with his family and being a notorious party-boy and womanizer, he is more than ready to have his father acknowledge his achievements for the company.
His whole world crumbles to pieces once again when the family lawyer informs Riley that his father only granted a small percentage of the company to him and the majority of the power went straight to his cunning brother Jeff, who has always been his father’s favorite.
Furious and out of his mind, he reads the small print of the contract, stating that Riley will be given the same percentage of the company as his brother if he manages to settle down, marry and stay married for at least a year to prove that he has matured and is ready to carry responsibility on his shoulders.
Calling his father all kinds of names, he thinks of a way to get his fair share of the company and piss his father off in the process.
When his best friend Steve unintentionally brings Riley’s attention to the Hayes’ rivals from when the company was founded – the Campbell family – Riley realizes that there is a way to get what he wants.
The Campbells lost everything after their father, Alan Campbell, and Gerald Hayes set the foundation for the oil empire. No one really knows what happened back then, but Alan was a broken man until he died and his family's only possession left is a horse breeding ranch where Donna, Alan’s widow, and their children live.
Jack Campbell, a typical Texas cowboy, is in charge of the horses and the land, doing his best to make ends meet and to keep his beloved farm running.
So when Riley Hayes shows up on his doorstep, offering to bring an end to his financial struggling by acting as his same-sex husband for a year, Jack still turns him down – his pride outweighing the relief the unexpected money would bring.
However, Riley has some leverage over Jack that he is willing to use – so the two end up married with a water tight marriage contract that requires them to stay together for a year, with no lovers, but lots of public displays of affection whenever needed and sharing the same bed.
With Jack being gay and Riley being anything but certain about his own sexual identity these guys are in for quite a ride before they realize that it’s not a contract keeping them together.
I loved this story. It was fast-paced, exciting and consisted of short cliffhanger chapters. It was like a screen play for a drama soap opera. I just loved it.
Jack and Riley were quite an unusual couple, since they did not get together because they loved or at least liked each other. They did not even know each other before they met for the arranged marriage.
Still, Jack’s love for his family, his animals and especially his sick sister Elisabeth, melted Riley’s cold heart and made him see the wrong path he was going with his life.
While the story was probably overly dramatic and a bit on the extreme soap opera side, I really liked how all the characters got their own POVs and the story was presented from all perspectives.
I might add, though, that there are some characters in there that are so purely evil it was almost comical. Usually, every character, even the evil ones, get to show their motivation and what made them the way they were if we watch them through their POVs, but not here. It’s like Dr Evil himself just walked on stage.
Still, Riley and Jack were an adorable couple. I loved their interactions and how Jack saw something in Riley even though the guy blackmailed him into marriage.
“Look Campbell-“ Riley started.
“That’s Campbell-Hayes!” Jack snapped angrily.
5 stars and definitely a favorite.
February 26, 2020
***** This is a Texas "soap opera" like no other !
***** A wiz at finding oil, Riley
gets cheated at work by his own family. He needs to marry for one year to regain his shares.
So he schemes and gets rancher, Jack Campbell
to agree to marry him in exchange for saving his ranch and sister's health. The Campbell/Hayes feud puts the Hatfields and McCoys to shame, lol.
" Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive " (the Marmion, Sir Walter Scott)
This GFY story is full of hot erotic M/M sex and deep emotions. We see evil family members, conniving and treachery, gay bigotry, arson, assault, plus a surprise twist that turns out to be a blessing. More twists at every turn all throughout with love and hate, good and bad, and violence, plus a fast paced plot that keeps us interested.
At first I was leery of Riley, but his intentions were good. Jack is a dear, sweet cowboy, a hard working buff rancher who loved his family and desperately needed the deal.
Amazing, hot, smokin' sex for these two, as Jack shows Riley the delights of M/M action, and it is wonderfully written, intense tale of a set of men who needed each other.
The circumstances enabled them to help each other. But will it crumble around them ?
There is SO MUCH going on ! Loved these main characters, love the beautifully written drama by R. J. Scott.
Amazing novel that I highly recommend. ENJOY !!
============
***** A wiz at finding oil, Riley
gets cheated at work by his own family. He needs to marry for one year to regain his shares.
So he schemes and gets rancher, Jack Campbell
to agree to marry him in exchange for saving his ranch and sister's health. The Campbell/Hayes feud puts the Hatfields and McCoys to shame, lol.
" Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive " (the Marmion, Sir Walter Scott)
This GFY story is full of hot erotic M/M sex and deep emotions. We see evil family members, conniving and treachery, gay bigotry, arson, assault, plus a surprise twist that turns out to be a blessing. More twists at every turn all throughout with love and hate, good and bad, and violence, plus a fast paced plot that keeps us interested.
At first I was leery of Riley, but his intentions were good. Jack is a dear, sweet cowboy, a hard working buff rancher who loved his family and desperately needed the deal.
Amazing, hot, smokin' sex for these two, as Jack shows Riley the delights of M/M action, and it is wonderfully written, intense tale of a set of men who needed each other.
The circumstances enabled them to help each other. But will it crumble around them ?
There is SO MUCH going on ! Loved these main characters, love the beautifully written drama by R. J. Scott.
Amazing novel that I highly recommend. ENJOY !!
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December 5, 2011
How to review? Firstly I enjoyed this story, the question is did I enjoy it for the right reasons.
For me this story brought back happy memories. The main plot line of a blackmailed marrige was a popular plot in the hundreds of MF romances I used to read and enjoy, plus the whole Dallas feel, (I really don't want to say anything but anyone that reads and has watched will see what I mean), was part of the appeal for me. Although, I would't label this as a soap, it was much much better.
The emotions for all the characters not just the main 2 were very well written. The plot twists? while some might find predictable added to my reading pleasure. I love me a book I can get a little worked up in, and characters like Jeff and his dad work me into a frenzy lol. I admit I teared up a few times too, as well as chuckled out loud and mumbled to my computer causing my daughter to question my sanity (again)
Definitely a worthy read for anyone that likes a good story thats not too heavy or too deep, but still enough emotion to keep it interesting.
For me this story brought back happy memories. The main plot line of a blackmailed marrige was a popular plot in the hundreds of MF romances I used to read and enjoy, plus the whole Dallas feel, (I really don't want to say anything but anyone that reads and has watched will see what I mean), was part of the appeal for me. Although, I would't label this as a soap, it was much much better.
The emotions for all the characters not just the main 2 were very well written. The plot twists? while some might find predictable added to my reading pleasure. I love me a book I can get a little worked up in, and characters like Jeff and his dad work me into a frenzy lol. I admit I teared up a few times too, as well as chuckled out loud and mumbled to my computer causing my daughter to question my sanity (again)
Definitely a worthy read for anyone that likes a good story thats not too heavy or too deep, but still enough emotion to keep it interesting.
July 4, 2012
This is a real romance-with-family-drama, and the twists in the plot of family dysfunction and feuding come fast and furious. The romance part is very sweet, very hot, and pretty credible. The relationship between Riley and Jack begins as a sort of twisted sham-marriage and fairly quickly becomes real. I did think the GFY element sort of disappeared without any real consideration or hesitation on Riley's part. But maybe having a bi best friend for so many years really did make Riley so comfortable with the idea that he didn't question his attraction to a man when it happened.
The bad guy is pretty unredeemable, but most of the secondary characters are interesting and turn out to have hidden depths. And Jack and Riley together are more than worth the price of admission.
The bad guy is pretty unredeemable, but most of the secondary characters are interesting and turn out to have hidden depths. And Jack and Riley together are more than worth the price of admission.
April 12, 2020
That's a pretty good story with nice characters. Nevertheless, I have two serious complains that affected my rating. But still somewhere at 75 percent I was ready to give this book four stars. However, at that time the author made some choices that I do not agree with.
Let's start with a minor thing which, however, drove me crazy. For God's sake, don't call the main characters of your novel Jack, Josh, Jeff and Jim. I mean, not in one novel! First we meet Jeff, and half a page later Jim. I authentically came back to see if they are two different characters. Later on it was easier for me but at first I had a serious problem. But with Josh and Jack, who are also brothers, I had a problem to the end. It's a small thing but it made reading difficult.
The second thing is something that I know irritates many people but me, not always. However, this time I noticed it and it bothered me. I think I prefer when the bad characters, those really bad ones, stay bad until the end. Not everyone has to undergo a wonderful change of character. And here we have a whole range of characters who suddenly, after many years of abusive behavior, completely change their actions and even apologize for everything. It's weird and unnatural. Only one of the negative characters remains negative until the end. I was disappointed with this and it was the reason why I rated this book lower.
I generally liked Jack and Riley. I also love the motif of forced marriage or marriage of convenience. This is a fairly rare motif in MM romances. And nicely carried out. Although Jack and Riley fall in love a little too quickly in my opinion.
I know there are more books in this series with Jack and Riley as the main characters. But honestly? For me it's a finished story, I don't feel the need to read about them again. I don't know if I will read more books in this series, I don't think so.
Let's start with a minor thing which, however, drove me crazy. For God's sake, don't call the main characters of your novel Jack, Josh, Jeff and Jim. I mean, not in one novel! First we meet Jeff, and half a page later Jim. I authentically came back to see if they are two different characters. Later on it was easier for me but at first I had a serious problem. But with Josh and Jack, who are also brothers, I had a problem to the end. It's a small thing but it made reading difficult.
The second thing is something that I know irritates many people but me, not always. However, this time I noticed it and it bothered me. I think I prefer when the bad characters, those really bad ones, stay bad until the end. Not everyone has to undergo a wonderful change of character. And here we have a whole range of characters who suddenly, after many years of abusive behavior, completely change their actions and even apologize for everything. It's weird and unnatural. Only one of the negative characters remains negative until the end. I was disappointed with this and it was the reason why I rated this book lower.
I generally liked Jack and Riley. I also love the motif of forced marriage or marriage of convenience. This is a fairly rare motif in MM romances. And nicely carried out. Although Jack and Riley fall in love a little too quickly in my opinion.
I know there are more books in this series with Jack and Riley as the main characters. But honestly? For me it's a finished story, I don't feel the need to read about them again. I don't know if I will read more books in this series, I don't think so.
September 2, 2014
Another 5 star read to go onto my favorites shelf. I literally read this one on my Kindle while walking around doing other things because I just could not stop reading. There was mystery, blackmail, suspence, murder, plot-twists, lots of passion, heart break, dirty family secrets, all ending in a great happily-ever-after.
In order to inherit his share of the family multi-million dollar oil company, Riley must marry someone "for love" and stay married for a year. So to gall his father, he blackmails Jack Campbell, the gay son of his father's biggest enemy. Riley uses secrets that make it so that Jack can't refuse so off to Canada they go to get married.
It doesn't take long for things to start unraveling around them and for deep, dark family secrets to come to the surface. We soon learn why the Campbells and the Hayes hate each other and the emotions boil to a head... and to murder.
The pace of this book rolls along at break neck speed. Hold on tight for an exciting ride. Although Riley is straight, and a playboy, he's had some light experience with men. Jack is attracted to Riley. There is a spark that Jack knows how to work. They are hot together. These two families are deeply entertwined and the secrets that come to light are very interesting to see as the story unfolds. It's a bit of a mystery. It felt a bit like Dallas if you remember that show. The other characters in the story really added a richness and depth to the story. This is one book that would make a truly awesome movie. Truly breath taking and time well spent. I'll definitely be reading this one over and over again! If you've not read this one, you should.
In order to inherit his share of the family multi-million dollar oil company, Riley must marry someone "for love" and stay married for a year. So to gall his father, he blackmails Jack Campbell, the gay son of his father's biggest enemy. Riley uses secrets that make it so that Jack can't refuse so off to Canada they go to get married.
It doesn't take long for things to start unraveling around them and for deep, dark family secrets to come to the surface. We soon learn why the Campbells and the Hayes hate each other and the emotions boil to a head... and to murder.
The pace of this book rolls along at break neck speed. Hold on tight for an exciting ride. Although Riley is straight, and a playboy, he's had some light experience with men. Jack is attracted to Riley. There is a spark that Jack knows how to work. They are hot together. These two families are deeply entertwined and the secrets that come to light are very interesting to see as the story unfolds. It's a bit of a mystery. It felt a bit like Dallas if you remember that show. The other characters in the story really added a richness and depth to the story. This is one book that would make a truly awesome movie. Truly breath taking and time well spent. I'll definitely be reading this one over and over again! If you've not read this one, you should.
September 18, 2017
Epic soap opera of a romance in true Dallasty style
Dallasty, that's what we used to call the American soap operas Dallas and Dynasty, their overblown and unbelievable storylines kept us enthralled as teens through the 80s as we discussed who shot JR or which of the Carrington and Colby clans would survive the Moldavian Royal massacre.
This epic effort from RJ Scott is all of those in book format and it's awesome. There's so many dramatic moments there'd have been newspaper column inches for days at the plot twists and jaw dropping events which keep dropping the more the story runs.
But, underneath it all, is a wonderful romance between two guys who start off not even liking each other very much, from families with a feud going back decades but with a sexual spark bright enough to light up the old Cowboys Stadium.
Can't wait to find out what happens next!
Dallasty, that's what we used to call the American soap operas Dallas and Dynasty, their overblown and unbelievable storylines kept us enthralled as teens through the 80s as we discussed who shot JR or which of the Carrington and Colby clans would survive the Moldavian Royal massacre.
This epic effort from RJ Scott is all of those in book format and it's awesome. There's so many dramatic moments there'd have been newspaper column inches for days at the plot twists and jaw dropping events which keep dropping the more the story runs.
But, underneath it all, is a wonderful romance between two guys who start off not even liking each other very much, from families with a feud going back decades but with a sexual spark bright enough to light up the old Cowboys Stadium.
Can't wait to find out what happens next!
August 5, 2015
I really enjoyed this 'Dallas/Dynasty' type romp from RJ.
I have to admit I found the wedding a little unbelievable at first, but the pairing of Riley and Jack soon grew on me, and most of the family members on both sides were people you would wish to have in your own family, with certain very noticeable exceptions!! Jack's family were wonderful, and Riley's, well, let's just say that his sister was the best of a bad bunch!
I'm hoping that the follow-ups feature Eden, maybe Steve and Beth plus little Emily
, and of course, more of Jack and Riley.
I have to admit I found the wedding a little unbelievable at first, but the pairing of Riley and Jack soon grew on me, and most of the family members on both sides were people you would wish to have in your own family, with certain very noticeable exceptions!! Jack's family were wonderful, and Riley's, well, let's just say that his sister was the best of a bad bunch!
I'm hoping that the follow-ups feature Eden, maybe Steve and Beth plus little Emily
, and of course, more of Jack and Riley.
January 22, 2013
One of my favourite RJ Scott books. I read a while ago but have since read again. Jack and Riley sizzle together and the sexual chemistry between them is electric! Lots of misunderstandings and dastardly goings on in the background to rival any US soap opera. The GFY aspect really worked for me and even though the marriage seemed a bit too far fetched an idea, it was actually handled quite credibly. Keeper.
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