Thursday, March 24, 2016

File Gumbo by BA Tortuga


Beau is riding like the two-time champ that he is, but nothing is assured in the world of bullriding—not happiness, not wealth, and not survival.

Beau is a two-time champion bullrider who is working on his third title. Sam is his long-time lover and traveling partner, who is feeling the sting of having just about the worst season he can remember.

The two of them are on the road together twenty-four-seven, and it’s starting to get to them a little, between the constant injuries Sam faces, and the relentless press that Beau has to put up with.

Add in friends on the circuit who need their help and the fact that they have to hide what they mean to each other, and it’s no wonder that Sam and Beau’s relationship is starting to wear a little from the friction.

When things blow up in their faces, Sam leaves the bullriding tour for a while, but the boys find out they’re far more miserable apart than they are together. Beau and Sam may agree to disagree in order to make peace and help out their friends Jason and Coke, but in the unpredictable world of extreme sports, nothing goes as it’s planned. Can Beau and Sam recover from what just might be the last ride of Sam’s life?

Publisher's Note: This book was previously released elsewhere. It has been re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.


Add to Goodreads


Book 3
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Pride  Publishing



Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie☆☆☆
This is the third book in the series – and I really enjoyed the first two, so was delighted to get a chance to read this one.

We get a good catch up on all the previous characters, so even if you haven't read the series for a while, you will soon get back into the gang and their fun names and habits. The big difference with this story is that these two men have been quietly together for years, so rather than trying to get together, we see two guys trying to decide how to stay together. As one's career is flying and the other is plummeting, external pressures as well as those they place on themselves cause a lot of stress. Given a bad injury, the hard life on the road and the interference of others, the drama definitely ratchets up in this story. Amongst the hardness though, there is also romance and passion and the closeness that comes from years of living and working together. I felt that this was a bit of a mid-series summary, and that the pressures were different to the previous two, but there are plenty of guys who still need their HEA, so I am looking forward to the next book coming out!


Angela☆☆☆☆☆
One of the things I’ve enjoyed about this series is that when the books overlap, we learn new things about previous events because we see them from another character’s point of view. One of the things I don’t like about this series is that at least one of the book’s main characters gets hurt, usually pretty badly. But that’s the way of the rodeo circuit – men get hurt and sometimes men get killed. While none of the characters have died yet, Tortuga had me worried that File Gumbo was going to break that seal. Needless to say, I cried when love drove Sam to throw himself in harm’s way to save Beau because I knew there was no way that scene would end well. I cried for a love so strong, one man (Sam) was willing to sacrifice his life for the man he loved (Beau). I cried for Beau when he became aware of what Sam had done. I cried for Sam because the injuries he sustained were so severe that survival wasn’t guaranteed, and if he did survive, he would never be the same again. I cried for the bullfighters, especially Coke, who I knew would take Sam’s injuries on their conscience as a personal failure. I cried for Beau’s grandparents who already loved Sam, but whose love was even stronger (if that was even possible) when Sam’s act of love meant their grandson survived. And again, I cried for a love so strong that there was not even a moment of consideration that Beau wouldn’t be there for Sam as he, thankfully, began his long and arduous journey of recovery.

I should note, though, that the part of the book that stuck with me the most and hit me so hard was the last third of it. So don’t let my tears scare you away, because long before we get to the tragedy, we learn how Beau and Sam have been a discreet couple for years – discreet from the fans and the media, because the other bullriders and the bullfighters are well aware of their relationship. We see them as they work with Jason on his ongoing goal to ride again. We see their relationship struggles as one of them has a stellar season and the other does not. We see them as they find their way through that and come out stronger on the other side. Along the way, we get to catch up with several of the characters from the previous books and get to know a few others a bit better. File Gumbo was a great addition to the Roughstock series and I’m looking forward to reading Coke’s Clown soon.


Also Available in the Roughstock Series

Book 1
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Pride Publishing

For reviews & more info, check out the Blind Ride post.


Book 2
Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Pride Publishing

For reviews & more info, check out the And a Smile post.



Texan to the bone and an unrepentant Daddy's Girl, BA spends her days with her basset hounds, getting tattooed, texting her sisters, and eating Mexican food. When she's not doing that, she's writing. She spends her days off watching rodeo, knitting and surfing Pinterest in the name of research. BA's personal saviors include her wife, Julia, her best friend, Sean, and coffee. Lots of good coffee.

Connect with BA

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https://www.pride-publishing.com


Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of File Gumbo (Roughstock #3) by BA Tortuga to read and review.

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