For Ruby's Love

By: Starla Kaye

Narrated by: Chase Johnson

Sequel to The CEO and the Cowboy....

Calhoun's a simple cowboy with more problems in his life than he can handle at the moment. After nearly two years, he struggles to hang on to a relationship with Daniel, his first male lover. Daniel is worried about him because of the fire, because of his concern for his prized breeding mare, and because he is determined to buy the neighboring ranch to expand. But Daniel isn't a businessman without goals of his own for expansion, a fact that frustrates Calhoun as well. He doesn't want to lose Daniel, but will their differences finally be too much?

Daniel considers himself a lucky man to have met the rancher, someone almost his opposite and someone he doesn't want to live without. Standing beside the moody Calhoun has been difficult since the fire that burned down a horse barn took the lives of two valuable horses and traumatized a favored mare. Along with all of that, his harried friend is determined to expand his ranch holdings. Daniel is against the purchase and would prefer to find a way to slow the man down. Lately he's also begun worrying if maybe he isn't enough to satisfy his lover's needs.

Complicating everything even more, Ruby shows up later than expected at Calhoun's ranch to honor a job as a horse therapist that her father had agreed to before his sudden death. She knows what happened to the mare and is certain she can help her if given the chance. But the stubborn rancher can't get past the idea of her being a woman, someone not strong enough to work with such a damaged horse. They butt heads over the matter until she finds an ally in Daniel. He's concerned and yet believes in her abilities. Another problem arises, though. She and Calhoun have been skirting around an unwanted attraction, and then she discovers another surprising interest between her and Daniel....

©2015 Starla Kaye (P)2015 Starla Kaye

rough

Ruby is a horse whisperer who has recently lost her father, her last living relative. She has uprooted and decided to live out of her camper as a nomad conducting her trade. She is thrown into the lives of Cal and Daniel at a time where the two of them are really starting to forge a relationship. Ruby makes them question their plans, their lives and her. Can they all find peace together?

I really struggled with loving this story. individually, each of the characters have a story that you can almost like but the narrator makes me want to strangle them all. From the narrators attempt to make Cal sound like a rugged cowboy but really making it so that Cal is this angry yeller in everything he says; to Daniel who sounds like the token feminine gay guy, to Ruby who sounds like a petulant twelve year old, I have no love loss for this narrator.

As for the written story, I found that this author really needed to find a thesaurus and stop repeating the same words over and over and over. If I never hear the word glower again, it will be awesome. This is not the only word that had no diversity. I also think this failed in that I was waiting for a menage climax that never came. The menage might have saved the book.

Three fangs.

What a Story!

What did you love best about For Ruby's Love?

I was gifted this fabulous book in exchange for an honest review. This is the first Starla book for me and listening to it made it so much hotter I think then reading it would have. It is an amazing story that pulls you in and doesn't want to let you go. I listened to it in one setting and could listen to it again over and over!

What about Chase Johnson’s performance did you like?

The voice was perfect. He kept it simple and it flowed very well.

For Ruby

In For Ruby's Love, we meet Calhoun and Daniel two years into their relationship. They have a good relationship but have their hands full Calhoun with the ranch and Daniel with his business. I guess, it's called the post-honeymoon phase. Calhoun has a problem with one of the horses in the ranch and need a horse whisperer. The person he booked to attend never showed up instead he got Ruby, the horse whisperer's daughter. When she shows up days later, Calhoun is in a bad move and things don't start out too well for her. Ruby is still mourning the loss of her father who'd always been in her life. She feels lonely but knows she has to get on with the job. If only she can get past the brooding cowboy and her attraction for him.
When Calhoun finds out he is attracted to Ruby, he fights it. How could he be attracted to someone else when he loves Daniel? Daniel also notices the attraction between Ruby and Calhoun. He knows Calhoun hasn't been totally settled recently. Is Ruby what his lover needs to complete him?

I enjoyed this duo of stories especially watching as the relationship between Calhoun and Daniel got deeper. Calhoun was always abrasive and I was expecting the introduction of Ruby to mellow him down. But it only seemed to make him even more defensive. I always liked the way Daniel handled the situation. And Ruby was a strong character. She needed to be in order to deal with Calhoun.

I listened to the stories pretty much back to back. They are at a reasonable length that you can listen to both in one sitting. The narrator's voice was okay, albeit he came across as aggressive sounding. But that's because the characters he portrayed seemed to be angry a lot, especially Calhoun.

Great Story

I really enjoyed this book great follow up to The CEO and the Cowboy. I really hope there will be another one after this because I wasn't ready for it to end. Will definitely read more by this author again soon.