Judith’s review of Lisa’s Summer Cowboys by Talya Bosco.

Plus-sized Lisa has always had a thing for cowboys, and her two new bosses are no exception. Dreaming of them while she uses her vibrator just isn’t cutting it anymore. Which works perfectly for the guys, because they’ve decided to finally make their move–and make Lisa’s summer memorable in more ways than one.

I find stories about “rubinesque” women especially interesting since they are, in the opinion of most of our culture, already out of step because they are not size 4. The heroine of this story is a young woman who has always felt a bit out of step because she knows that she is “overweight” in the opinion of many, and because of that has always felt insecure and, down deep, a social failure. She moved to Vermont to be with a young man who then “moved on” without her, so now she has taken a summer job as a cook in a resort in Montana. The last thing she is looking for is a relationship of any kind. But her bosses, both really, really good looking guys, want something from Lisa: they want to share her, and not just for one night only. Lisa is certainly happy about their interest–they seem to appreciate her more generous curves–and she is never opposed to a romp with guys that seem to be kind, caring, generous, and alpha male to the core.

This is really a cute short story about a particular period in Lisa’s life. She has some decisions to make about the direction of her life, and she is honest about the fact that she uprooted her life f or one guy–she isn’t going to do it again. She likes her job, she likes her life, and she is happy to be in Montana. So this short story is about this summer interlude and the possibilities that grow out of it. There is really no resolution — but rather than feeling like I was kept hanging at the end, I felt that Lisa’s experience was very realistic–no one can ever promise “happy ever after.”
We can agree to keep our connections and see what happens.

This is a very erotic little story but it is well-written and fun to read. I give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5.

You can read more from Judith at Dr. J’s Book Place.

This book is available from Ellora’s Cave. You can buy it here in e-format.