The Cowboy and the Dom Trilogy: Book OneA tragic murder brings an inexperienced cowboy and a sophisticated lifestyle Dom into each other’s orbit. But transcending their differences to explore the fragile connection between them will be a huge hill to climb… the first of many. When a killer strikes, Texan and former rodeo cowboy Sam O’Reilly loses his brother. Wealthy New York City Dom Thomas … Ward loses his lover and sub. Sam comes to the city determined to stay until he can bring the murderer to his own brand of justice, while Thomas hopes for a legal solution. Neither man expects his reaction to the other. Having each lost something irreplaceable, their hearts are crying out for comfort almost as loud as their bodies are screaming for each other. They come from such different worlds that making a connection might not be possible under the best circumstances, let alone the worst they’ve experienced. But some yearnings refuse to be ignored, and as Sam and Thomas take the first tentative steps on the rocky path that might lead to a relationship, the killer steps out of the shadows… And this time, his sights are set on Sam.
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I loved First Rodeo, it’s a great start to the new series, The Cowboy and the Dom. I think it started out with such a great pace as Sam and Thomas got to know each other. Nothing was rushed and I really loved that. A great slow build to super hot. I also like that there is a bit of a mystery happening in the background that keeps the story going as well. I think Thomas and Sam are a great couple slowly learning each other, mistakes, flaws and all. I absolutely loved the dynamics between them, probably because it’s not perfect and I totally recommend this book.
What a great start! I love the dynamics between Sam and Thomas. The give and take and vulnerability of the two as they navigate their relationship and grief is beautiful. As for the murderer, I have several ideas. Can’t wait to see who it is.
First Rodeo by authors Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga is the first book in the Cowboy and the Dom series. This is a romantic murder mystery with a twist. I loved the pace of this book, felt like it unfolded nicely and kept me wanting more. Both characters have a great story arc that make them interesting.
Sam has found out his baby brother has been murdered. He is like the family appointed one to make sure justice is done, even if it is outside the law. I felt this was super unfair to him. He is a person and sometimes his family forgets that. Nothing is ever black and white as it seems.
Thomas has had to deal with a ton. His lover being murdered. Now practically his twin sitting on his ex-lover’s doorstep. It is a shock. It is also a shock the feelings he has. Are the for Sam or the man he lost?
Thomas is the one to take care of people. It is a part of his soul. Sam desperately needs to be taken care of. He is trying to find out who killed his brother and he could be next if he is not careful.
These two are really good together. I liked how the authors make Sam feel very different from his brother. So, it really felt like Thomas was falling for Sam in a different way. That is crucial to this storyline and was done very well.
This is an intense bittersweet read that I am keeping on the keeper shelf. I want to bring this out when I want to remember that there really is light at the end of the pain.
Five Shooting Stars
I would rate this book 3.25 stars.
This is the first book in a trilogy and as such is the introduction to the romance of Sam and Thomas. It’s not a cliffhanger, so the reader can just read this and be content, or read the second book coming out soon for a continuation of their relationship. When Sam’s brother James gets murdered in New York, the family sends Sam to take care of his apartment and send back his things. Both his mother and older brother Bowie put a lot of unreasonable pressure on Sam to also find James’s killer. This is supposed to be a suspense element, but it’s not the focus and stays on the back burner. When Sam meets his brother’s lover, Thomas, neither of them are expecting to need each other. Thomas is missing James and feeling the pull to help Sam, but he’s smart enough to worry the grief could lead to something unhealthy.
Sam is floundering and needs direction; he’s also too busy trying to please everyone else, he can’t seem to get his own life together. They were getting to know each other, and then suddenly Thomas is using what he’s learned about human psychology as a dom, to help Sam. I felt the transition could have been smoother, especially the part about Thomas finding out Sam is also gay. The way Sam learns about his brother James being a sub was an easy way for Sam to understand who Thomas is, who James was. The book seemed to flounder with introducing some of James’s friends, coworkers, and neighbors. No one is fleshed out, and I assume these are meant to give the reader suspects to James’s murderer? There were more jarring moments like his job interview when all of the sudden Angel, someone he met at the BDSM club, is also at the biker bar and helps him home. This seems like too huge coincidence. The main point here seems to be BDSM is healthier than bar fights. This all happens a bit too fast for me, there is still an element of Thomas taking advantage of Sam, his naivete, or even them using each other to escape processing their shared grief.
James and Sam are somewhat alike, they were brothers, but they are also different enough and those differences are never forgotten. The writing here is deftly handled so James doesn’t feel forgotten, but they are not constantly compared–rather Thomas struggles to learn how to be what Sam needs. For the subject matter, there is surprisingly low angst and guilt which seems at odds with the way the book was set up. Sam has always felt he was was supposed to stay in Emory, help with the ranch, have babies, and die there. Yet he suddenly throws off the expectations of his family quite easily and dives into a relationship with his brother’s lover. It’s good that Tommy is not an all seeing, all knowing dom. I like that he makes mistakes and recognizes them. I like that he realizes that where James fit into what he wanted, his style, Sam is much for challenging, taking him out of his comfort zone. They build their relationship and trust scene by scene, yet this is a bit messy–not just the emotions of the characters, but the writing. The sex scenes are always hot, it’s moving the characters around to get them there that seems to not flow well.
I like both these characters, so I’m a bit frustrated that the whole book isn’t as smooth as the parts are or I would have rated it much higher. With more time and effort, this could have had so much more depth, but maybe that’s just what I wanted and not where the authors wanted to take it. I’d like to see more of Sam and James, but this was all too easy, so I’d like to see more about the conflict with Sam’s family. Also, there is nothing about Thomas’s family at all. There is a little intrigue about James having different characters or roles he fulfilled for different people; I definitely would like to see more about that. For right now, James doesn’t seem like a real person, so I don’t care who killed him. I hope the second book takes more time to draw the audience into that part of the plot.
What a wonderful story! Sam and Thomas come together after Sam’s brother James, and Thomas’ lover, is murdered. They both have to come to terms with their grief and shared attraction for each other. The story progresses wonderfully and I was totally hooked! Can’t wait for book two.
I gave this book 5 stars not only because the story about Sam getting together with Thomas is sweet and entertaining but also because the amazing way the authors described the Dom/sub world. The writing style got to you, really helping to immerse you in each scene. As the first one in the series, it is exciting to guess, what else Jodi Payne and BA Tortuga are preparing for book 2!! I can’t wait!!
I received this book as an ARC and this is my honest opinion.
I was really looking forward to read this one, because one of the authors (Jodi Payne) is also co-author of possibly one of the best and most realistic BDSM series ever written Deviations, and I wasn’t disappointed. This slow burn romantic mystery/suspense /BDSM novel gives the reader an insight into the mind of a Dom. Too many times I’ve read simplified approaches to the topic, or sole focus was on the sub, completely leaving out the struggles a good Dom is or should be going through. I just wish that in this case the insight was better balanced because we don’t learn enough about the feelings of the sub especially when he’s new to the lifestyle. They are almost solely described through dom’s eyes or to put it better, through his reading of his sub’s reactions. The beginning sucks you in, but very soon the suspense part of the story is pushed on the sidetrack, focusing almost solely on developing relationship. We learn almost nothing about how Sam’s brother James died, some more details would be appreciated. All this reservations aside – this is possibly one of the best books I was lucky to get my hands on this year and I can’t wait to find out how this story continues and how relationship develops. Important! Make sure you you read the first chapter of book 2 in the series which is attached at the end of the book. It will certainly keep you on your toes.
First Rodeo is the first book in The Cowboy and the Dom series by Jodi Payne and B A Tortuga.. this story has a lot of drama, emotion, suspense, mystery, steam, and romance. Sam and Thomas grabbed my attention and held me captive with their story…. these two characters intrigued me and made me yearn to know more of them and to watch find what they needed in each other, to heal. Now, I am anxious for the next book in the series to read more of the overarching mystery.