'A Daring Ride' indeed! The similarity between what Simon faces once he leaves home to follow his dream and become a bullrider, then comes out as gay, and a ride that comes close to daring fate is significant. Simon isn’t one to hide, once he realizes the truth about himself, but he pays for it in mental anguish and emotional pain. The one thing he learns to rely on is Jacky's love and support, even though that is something he never even knew he could get from a man. Once Simon and Jacky get together and overcome the initial obstacles of Simon's doubts and hesitation, they both know they belong together. It's all about "daring" the rest of the world to come between them.

Simon "the Frizz" has been brought up by Fundamentalist parents who own a bookstore chain selling "family value" and Christian books. His mother is dead-set against him becoming a bullrider because her brother was trampled to death by a bull, but her resistance to Simon's chosen profession is nothing compared to the storm that hits once his parents find out he is gay. All this happens just when he's begun to understand being gay isn’t just about "base urges" and sex, which is what they taught him, and he takes his first steps into accepting who he is. Only to have all of it questioned when he faces the massive disapproval and outright hatred from his parents, mostly his father. With Jacky's help he stands a chance of coming to terms with being gay, but the one thing he has to deal with on his own is his parents, and whether or not he will give in to them so they can remain the perfect family they want.

Jacky has known he is gay for a very long time, his mother totally accepts him, and while he understands where Simon Is coming from, he wonders whether he'll have the patience to stick it out with the man while he struggles with his inner demons. Problem is, he has no choice, because he's fallen hard and fast and can no longer step far enough back to leave Simon to it – not without hurting himself as well. And considering he lost his last serious boyfriend when the guy went back into the closet to appease his family, Jacky knows what is at stake and is determined not to let the damn thing happen again. So, in typical cowboy fashion, even though he isn’t a cowboy, he sticks with Simon and toughens it out.

Oh, and I loved that Dante and Ryan from the first book are back and play a major role in Simon and Jacky's romance, since Simon works on their ranch and Dante, now retired, is the one to train him to become an even better bullrider. If you like cowboys and rodeos, if you enjoy reading stories about men who fight their own nature because they've been taught it's a sin to want another man, and if you're looking for a hot read that is deeply emotional and a wonderful love story, then you'll probably love this book as much as I did.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
( )