Review: Intriguing story
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 7, 2014
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Cowboy and The Barista by S.C. Wynne offered an interesting look into a problem that I haven’t read a lot about – the Barista is out but the Cowboy isn’t. I appreciated how Ms. Wynne tackled this issue and used it as the conflict between the two leads.The Barista is Tom Lexington, an out and proud gay man. He has recently returned to his hometown in Colorado to open up a coffee shop. When Asher Jones walks into the coffee shop, Tom can’t help but find himself lusting after the gorgeous cowboy. Since the attraction is definitely mutual, Tom is excited about the possibilities. But after a hot, passionate encounter, Asher reveals that he is not yet out and he has no plans of coming out. Tom has been burned in the past with closeted men and he refuses to get involved with Asher unless Asher is willing to be true to who he is. Is their connection strong enough to give Asher the courage he needs?Tom is a fascinating and intriguing character. I love how he sticks to his principles and refuses to become involved with a man who is still in the closet, no matter how attractive he finds him. This was obviously a tough decision and not made without a lot of pain, but Tom knew who he was and what he needed in a partner. I found it much harder to like Asher. I cannot begin to imagine how difficult it must be to come out to your family and friend, but it is difficult to respect and admire Asher while he hides his true self behind a girlfriend. It felt like he was stringing Tom along and his wishy-washy attitude was frustrating.Ms. Wynne did a great job in portraying Tom and that’s why I felt so much animosity toward Asher for his actions. Kudos for writing characters that I cared that much about that I was bothered how others treated them. The passion between the two characters leapt off the pages. The writing flowed naturally and I found myself finishing the book in one sitting because I was curious as to how it would be resolved.Speaking of the resolution. . . I did have a problem with how abruptly the story ended. I expected a happy ending but after the difficulty leading up to the happy ending, I did not expect it to be resolved is easily and quickly. It was just too simplistic of an ending given the complexity of the problem and it caused the ending to be anticlimactic. The story would have benefitted from an epilogue thus giving the characters, and the readers, true closure.With the exception of the incomplete ending, I really enjoyed this book. It was the first book of Ms. Wynne’s that I have read and I was sufficiently impressed with her writing skills to read more of her work.