Down Low

Down Home, Book 1

By: Parker St. John

Narrated by: Daniel James Lewis

His broken bones could finally mend their broken bond....

Bull-riding was the only thing that calmed the thrill-seeking, self-destructive beast inside of Calvin Craig. It allowed him to escape a small-minded town and the pain of his troubled youth, fleeing to bright lights and big city fame without looking back.

One trip on the horns of the wrong bull changed everything. Cal is forced to come crawling back home for the first time in 10 years, his body broken and his riding days behind him. But not everyone is happy for the return of their local celebrity.

Eli Jackson was once the tall, dark, and sinful preacher’s son who had Cal wrapped around his little finger. Now the steely-eyed sheriff of Sweetwater, Eli is hell-bent on running him right back out of town. He’s never forgiven Cal for the spectacular implosion of their relationship. Even though the lingering tension soon has them burning up the sheets, he refuses to be tamed.

Cal is surprised to find himself rising to a new challenge: breaking the bull that is Eli Jackson. He might have run out of luck, but he’s not out of miracles...yet.

©2020 Parker St. John (P)2021 Parker St. John

A beautiful and emotional top-of-the-shelf story!

Another stellar writer I’m a lifetime fan of, has shown me what talent and dedication is. Author St. John pulls me into a story and doesn’t let go; I’m engaged in every word, situation and thought that she puts her MCs in and I saw the scenes, felt the emotions and pain, building towards the HEA. An authentic romance. That is what talent brings you. And Daniel James Lewis didn’t tell me a story, he made me live the story of Cal and Eli. Brilliant! I’m looking out for Down and Dirty, narrated by Daniel James Lewis. ❤️

Don't Let That Bad Review Stop You!

It makes me a little crazy that the first review that pops up for this book is a negative one because the reader disliked an ancillary character. I didn't have to try to like this book. It pulled me in from the beginning. The main character is a bull rider coming back home to his only family, his estranged little sister, because he has nowhere else to go. He's suffered a career-ending injury and sold most of his possessions to pay medical bills and rehab. He's coming home to the place his heart was broken as a gay kid. His sister, who has a young child, is not overjoyed to see him. Even though he sent her money when his career was going well, he walked out of her life when he was 17 and she was 12, leaving her in the care of an alcoholic uncle, and has not been a part of her life since then. She's obviously struggling financially and not overjoyed to see him. And then, there's the man who broke his heart when he was 17--back in town and working as a deputy sheriff. I really enjoyed this book and wish that the next two books in the series were available. I've followed bull-riding over the years, a dangerous sport where the question isn't if you'll get hurt, but when. I found the characters likeable, and their individual realities relatable. I've listened to this books several times ,and if the next books in the series came out on Audible, I'd race to buy it. While the narrator isn't perfect, he's very good. If you like complex characters and m/m romance or a western/rodeo setting, please don't let a bad review deter you. Try this book. I loved it. You may, too.

Great audio great story

4.5

This is an angsty cowboy romance and i was so stressed but rooting for them the entire time.

The best part about the book is the authors writing style. I enjoyed it thoroughly & the smut is not overpowering the romance but it is also hot asf.

Cal made me want to scream but hes a knuckleheaded trailer park boy u cant expect him to make smart decisions.

Loved Eli even though hes a cop (it doesnt take up too much into the book)


Sn: why is that baby so large? Its scaring me

Best purchase I’ve made yet!

I don’t usually do a full review for books but I had to for this one! The narrator did an amazing job not only bringing the story off the page but conveying the emotion too! I found myself captivated and often stopping whatever I’m doing to just sit and listen. Will definitely be listening to it more than once!

Second chance success

This was a much better book than I expected based on the first reviewers comments that appeared below the story summary. That reviewer felt Cal’s sister, and Eli his old lover, were mean and hateful to an extreme degree. My take was that there were hurt feelings because Cal left abruptly, no goodbyes, and didn’t come back for a decade. Cal felt he had good reason to leave and not look back. When he returns from 10 years in the rodeo circuit he’s broke and injured. Parker St. John then weaves Cal back into the lives he deserted. At first the three protagonists are at odds and lots of mean words are exchanged. Over time, and after Cal becomes a hero through a selfless act, each character shares their experience and feelings and it turns out that there was a break down in understanding fueling resentment. Cal failed to communicate, he was young and selfish, but he was in an untenable situation those ten years ago and just escaped. I think the author did a good job revealing the underlying layers of emotion and responses each character possessed. Humans are complex and when misunderstandings and mistakes occur between one another, it’s not an easy task to sort things out. And forgiveness is not a given.
Good narration by Daniel J Lewis, realistic accents.
I enjoyed the book, and think it’s worth a listen.