Book Review: Waltz With a Lawman by Brit Blaise

Title: Waltz With a Lawman
Author: Brit Blaise
Genre: Historical Romance, M/M Romance
Sensuality Rating: Erotic
Source: Review copy provided by publisher
Published: April 4, 2014 by Ellora’s Cave

Lee Moore wants to fulfill his father’s final wish to start a new life in the Arizona Territory. In a drunken stupor, he ends up in bed with his best friend and her brother at the same time. Not only is his chance for a decent life destroyed, he’s forced into marriage.

Ex-lawman Shad Flynn is ready for a change, but not if it involves getting too close to a citified Easterner with a damned nasty wife. Shad can’t control his deepening protectiveness for Lee. When it becomes clear Lee is in danger, Shad will do whatever is needed to keep him safe…even fall in love.

Lee and Shad are on a journey more perilous than their trek to the West. One man has lived by the gun and the other comes from high society, but together they will find that not everyone is who they say they are.

Reviewed By: J9

In a Nutshell: This book seemed more an excuse to have all sorts of sexual pairings and less about developing a romance between Lee and Shad.

The Set Up: Lee was tricked into marrying a shrew but he’s still determined to take his new wife and her horrid brother on his trip west to build a new life. Shad is the ex-lawman who is leading the ragtag group on their journey and he can’t deny the attraction he feels for hardworking Lee. But Lee’s wife and her brother aren’t who they seem and they will do everything in their power to destroy Lee and Shad.

Why I Read this Book: I love historical MM romance and read it whenever I find it.

What I Liked: Shad and Lee were both everyday men trying to live by their own moral codes and I liked this. Lee is grieving for his father’s death and how Shad deals with an emotional Lee is the best part of their relationship connection.

The western setting of a wagon journey was also well written with secondary characters. The author did a good job of showcasing Lee’s generous personality in his dealings with the impoverished families traveling with them. Likewise, Shad’s protective nature is shown as he feeds and cares for the wagon train.

What I Didn’t Like: I’m a romance fan and I didn’t see that between Shad and Lee. Yes, they have sexual attraction but there wasn’t any growing intimacy, other than Lee’s grief over his father’s death. The romance felt secondary to the mystery of who Lee’s evil wife and brother were. Even this “mystery” wasn’t much of a mystery.

But the worst thing about this novel is how much nasty sex was in it. Lee’s wife’s brother repeatedly has dubious consent sex with a young man on page and manipulates this man constantly. In fact, I think there was more manipulative sex between these two men (and others) than between Shad and Lee. Even MM readers who don’t mind dubious consent may dislike the graphic sex between men and women that permeates this novel.

IMO: Unless you’re desperate for an historical MM romance, pass on this one.

J9’s Rating:

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