Genre/Tags: Gay Romance, Cowboys

Author: Ashley James

Story Rating: 4 Stars

Narrator: Greg Salinas, Alex Kydd

Narrator Rating: 5 Stars

Length: 10 hours & 30 minutes

Audiobook Buy Links: Audible, Amazon

Review:

**The quotes I’m using in this review are close to what the author wrote but a word or two, ellipses, may be different because I listened to Finn and I couldn’t clip exact notes. 

I bought this audiobook because of three things 1) Greg Salinas narrating, 2) I felt that this would have a similar vibe to Burning the Midnight Oil, I love that book, I’ve already re-listened several times, and 3) I find Ashley James addictive. She’s not reinventing the wheel in this book, nor was she with the Copper Lake series, but they’re sexy fictional fun. In Copper Lake it is some bio family with quite a lot of found family. This series seems more like bio family. James had some good narrators for that series, and she again starts the ball right with this series.   

The Narrators: As stated above, I already like Greg Salinas. He has a deep-toned voice which suits the to-the-point, single father Finn Moore. Alex Kidd is unusual. He is incredibly passionate in his narration of Ash. He took the character James wrote and went for it. The only thing that I had to get used to, and maybe I didn’t completely, was the way he would say “chapter” then “Ash” at the beginning of his specific chapter. It sounded like it was an entrée to a horror novel.   

TW: Some would say this book contains cheating. I see the argument for that. So beware if cheating is a hard limit for you. Violet, Ash’s twin sister, has been seeing Finn for two months once a week, maybe. Finn saw it as a casual thing. Violet clearly didn’t. No families had been met. Not really significant relationship material. Ash is somewhat petty in his thoughts about his twin sister – ‘She took all the boys I fancied in high school when we were growing up. I don’t think it was malicious of her but… but… but… she got the guys.’ He uses it to allow himself to pursue Finn. I felt like, dude, pretty sure they were straight. But anyway, you do you. It drives some drama later.

Because of her friends-with-benefits relationship with Finn, Violet organises a job interview for Ash to be the new nanny for Finn Moore’s three/four-year-old son, Tucker. A boy she’s never met. The job doesn’t start off the best, with Ash spilling coffee on himself and standing behind his car trying to change clothes at the Moore property. That’s the moment the straight-laced Finn meets Ash. He isn’t super impressed but Ash has good qualifications and he’s available. When Tucker meets Ash, Tucker likes him, so Ash is in. 

Where Ash is more outgoing and breezy, Finn is the opposite, he is stern and far from being the loquacious type. It’s a bit of an adjustment for Ash who’s been living and working in the city in Oregon. He moved there to get away from a small southern town and to meet guys he didn’t feel like he was in competition with Violet for. But necessity brings him to Wolf Creek and into the life of Finn Moore. It also brings him back closer to Violet who he has an internal rocky relationship with.

Things get into a groove once Ash moves in but Ash increasingly sees the rugged Finn as one hot cowboy. He owes Violet for the job and knows he is pushing the limit of not okay because – “I shouldn’t do this with my twin sister’s boyfriend.” But he pretty aggressively flirts with Finn, and reasonably quickly into the job, although it takes a while for them to fully get together. And, of course, Finn is having heated thoughts about Ash that don’t make sense. There are a series of things, like accidentally dropping Ash’s towel, that brings the lust closer to the surface.  

You know how this goes. Cowboy who appears to be the stereotypical straight guy, never been with a man, never thought about a man, starts seeing the guy he’s in forced proximity with as hot. It’s also problematic because it’s Violet’s brother, and he’s also his employee. Ash does yoga in tiny short-shorts. He has bar piercings in his nipples, and Finn thinks to himself-

‘Okay, nipple piercings are objectively hot.’

Then he also discovers Ash has a Prince Albert piercing ~~ heat levels rising from ‘objectively hot’ to zing! Ash calls Finn “Daddy” by accident on one occasion then leans into it, as does Finn after drinking a few bourbons one night. Then we roll into the first ‘naughty’ scene where the straight guy is in mental gymnastics about the holy hotness of the other guy and, bingo, he becomes part of an interactive masturbation scene… as you do. After “the masturbation incident” – as Finn names it – there are periods of rumination. Finn goes avoidant for a while. He’s nearly thirty and he’s never looked at a guy with desire before. What does this mean about him?! Later, Ash goes radio silent on Finn for a couple of weeks after his sister asks could he talk to Finn and find out what went wrong between them, and Ash feels guilty. He questions what they’re doing. It’ll end up being like high school all over again and Finn will choose Violet. 

Oh, and Ash does a few nanny things, he sends pictures and little videos of Tucker to Finn during the day. Then Ash goes above and beyond, cooking and making lunches for all. It helps melt the tough cowboy’s heart, well, that and the lusting, blowjobs, and fucking   

He’s just so… thoughtful, and I don’t know how to deal with that.

After the initial (standard) concerns,  Finn wildly embraces his newfound bi side, breaking up with Violet to be sexual with the extremely flirtatious and very filthy Ash, who also continues to refer to Finn as Daddy Finn and Finn goes with it.  

“Do you want daddy to suck your cock, is that it?”

Pffft. Of course he does, Finn.

The size queen that is Ash loves Finn’s ten girthy inches and we get to hear it all. Not going to lie. It is hot. James knows how to write good sex, including men who are dirty talkers and love what they do. Often.  

There’s something so filthy and erotic about shamelessly rubbing your dicks together while making out feverishly and breathlessly.

***
“You want me to fuck this tight little hole right here on the front porch where anyone can see us?”
“Fuck yeah, Daddy.”
“You say I’m yours, then fucking prove it.”  

And prove it he does! Over and over and over. 

Overview:

I enjoyed Finn. James is good at sexual chemistry. Finn and Ash had chemistry for days. The book is  a little on the longish side, but it does have an epilogue and the romance I loves yous. If you want plenty of teasing and sexy, and you don’t mind the backdrop of the ex girlfriend’s/FWB twin now doing the guy she thought was more, I’m confused writing that, then this is hot stuff. I like some extra spice so I was here for it.   

Copper Creek is now going to have stiff competition as the gay cowboy epicentre with this new Moore Men series set in Wolf Creek. Finn’s family members are all slated for or already have a book, including August, Finn’s cousin, I’ve already read that novella. Then there’s Gentry, Finn’s father, and Hollis, Finn’s brother. Buckle up for cowboy GFY, bi, gay books aplenty. 4 Stars!