Bareback Paperback – June 16, 2008

This book has a mix of a lot of passionate encounters, some physical threats, and many unpacked emotions. Jake is and ex-con and the foreman of a ranch. He's been pretty much alone for years, but when the ranch hires Tor, he feels an attraction for the man. Tor's attraction is mutual, but he's not initially sure that Jake is even attracted to men. Once they figure that out, their relationship goes through many ups and downs, twists and turns. I felt like the pacing was somewhat off in this book, with a drawn-out middle section that could have been condensed and still have gotten the story across. All in all, it was still an enjoyable book.

I read this book several years ago and I was immediately hooked on M/M romances with cowboys in the starring roles. Bareback is just as fresh today as the first time I read it in 2003, and Chris Owen has become one of my favourite authors since then.The story is not very complicated. Jake Taggart is the foreman on a ranch in Arkansas and loves his job and its challenges except for one cowboy with an attitude, Tornado, who took every opportunity to torment him, until one day a thunderstorm and a mud fight made them realize that what was simmering underneath the surface was not anger, but a different type of raging emotion - lust. As they make out in the mud and rain (and this is only page 16) I could feel the emotion driving these two characters, neither one giving an inch in their game of oneupmanship. The sex was raw and unrestrained as they ripped their clothes off to get naked in the shortest possible time and I knew that this was going to be one helluva book and it was - it exceeded all of my expectations.The teasing and the sex were so incredibly hot I thought that the book would go up in flames. These two characters were tough, uncompromising hell-raisers but soft where it counted, with each other. They were probably two of the most memorable characters that I ever fell in love with and they made each other work for every wonderful moment in their relationship. Tor's and Jake's relationship was rocky at best but clearly they loved each other. After hanging around they decided to try commitment and it worked ... for a while; they even considered themselves married and everything seemed to be going fine for our two guys but, of course, true love never runs smoothly and there is always a serpent in the Garden of Eden. Jake had a pretty horrific past and that helped to define the man he had become and how he dealt with issues like trust which was in short supply and hard to earn. His faith and belief in Tor was put to the severest test when Tor committed the ultimate act of betrayal of their love and marriage and Jake could not deal and totally fell apart.What I like about this author is that she is real. In this book she did not create two perfect characters who were totally unrealistic. She made them imperfect like the rest of us with flaws that caused significant problems in their relationship. Some readers and reviewers have been very outspoken about the major plot point in the story - Tor's infidelity - and a few of them have crapped all over the book because they personally don't approve of cheating and all the sex in the book. I'm not giving away any secrets because this book has been around long enough and everything has been revealed, but most reviwers seem to forget that M/M romance is about gay men, some of whom don't play by society's rules for the most part where sex is concerned, and the characters do what many gay men and some het men and women do, they play around and sometimes they get caught.Chris Owen handled this difficult situation in a way that was realistic and she demonstrated how difficult Jake found it to forgive Tor as well as the major personal toll Tor's infidelity took on both of them. It was not easy for either man to swallow his pride - one to ask for forgiveness and the other to grant it. This is such a powerful book about the human condition and how we as people always manage to screw up despite good intentions.There were wonderful supporting characters as well to round out the story - Elias, a very complicated cowboy who never said much; the Big Boss, who was tough but had a very soft core; Missy, his daughter, who was a little brat and was always trying to get into Tor's pants and sought revenge when he wouldn't play; and a whole lot of other personalities who made this still the best cowboy book I have read to date.This is one terrific story and I highly recommend it to any fan of the genre who is not turned off by a cheating spouse either in real life or in the fantasy world of books.

Amazingly, "BAREBACK," this pinnacle of gay romance, has been brought about by a relative unknown: this writer, this Master of the Novel, this Chris Owen. I have yet to encounter any other author who is as able to produce scene after scene after scene of arousing male sex and love-making and do so by giving each what must be called an aura of rightness, with every encounter being beautifully, and differently, described from its predecessors. And it's all done with simple, 'impactful' writing, unusually free of the very distracting grammatical and typographical errors so often found in gay romance. In sum, Chris Owen, as a writer, is a true wonder.In this novel we've been given one of the most memorable (and masterfully described) relationship-beginning, love-making scenes ever put to paper, and it all takes place within the first 12 pages. More correctly, though, I should have described this initial introduction as sex-making, not love-making. Why? Because the thrilling 'fall into love' by our two cowboys, with its ensuing love-making, comes later during this story's timespan.....and when it does, Owen ever so vividly makes us in-your-face witnesses.He should be crowned "Master of Sex Act Description" (it's raw, it's romantic, it's heated, it's loving.....above all, it's memorable). He manages these intense love scenes on the average of every 10 - 15 pages---all different, all stellar. Plus, it's not just that he can give us super-heated 'foursomes,' it's that he gives them with style.....and even more notable, every other author's run of the mill 'twosomes' Owen is able to give to us with a depth, an ache, a hope that is breathtakingly unforgettable.All of you know how it is when you are given characters who you "like", who you wanna be with (in this case: Jake, Tor, Elias, The Boss). That's a special something that doesn't happen often in reading......but I'm telling you that it 'happens' here (and you can spell that with a capital H and A and P and all the rest of em as well). Indeed, in this respect Owen is simply amazing. He gives us REAL people and what REAL people do, and he gives us this in REAL depth (when we're given a character talking to his horse, saying things that you and I might say to a close animal or pet, and it feels right, you just have to tell yourself that this is a writer who can, and does give us REAL people). And the all-important sex isn't just "quickies"---he gives us time with the 2 lead characters (Jake + Tor), time after their sex play, time in which they hold and snuggle with one another, time that other writers don't give us after the physical release of sex.....yes, Owen gives us that very 'special time' which leads to love.....and, quite notably, he gives us one of the most romantic post-coital scenes you're ever gonna read.As a concluding thought, I just have to add: If "Brokeback Mountain" made it to the screen, "Bareback" deserves no less. Let the world see that not all of us are ready to in some way hide, or to check out.PS--No, Owen has paid me nothing for setting up the preceding comments---they all come from the heart. I will add, here, that I have finished reading his latest effort: "An Agreement Among Gentlemen" (2006). Does it "stand up" to its big brother? I'll be placing my own thoughts on the matter in that particular title's web-page. If you're interested, see my thoughts there.****

I've been on a hunt for great gay themed books. We can all admit that those are hard to find just like gay movies (don't ask me why). Now the title of this book for me is laughable. Its not something one would pick and up and say this looks great. But don't be fooled. Chris Owens is a fantastic writer and has written a beautiful book. I read the whole 300+ page book in 24 hours.The characters are modern day cowboys (if that makes sense). So you don't need to be "saddled" down with redneck American English. The characters Jake and Tornado are beautiful, heartbreaking and real. Unlike some authors they tend to steer away from writing gay sex - but not Chris Owens. The writing is beautiful and so very hot.Its a beautiful story and I can't reccommend this enough. Its a heart gripping story and the best news of 2007 is that Mr.Owens has released the sequel after 4 years after publishing "Bareback" called "Natural Disaster", the book is only available at [...] at the moment.Buy this book if you're looking for great writing and story telling, with beautiful characters.[Jake Taggart's life was almost perfect--he'd worked hard to overcome his past, and he loved his job as foreman on a ranch in Arkansas. The only thorn in his side was a dark eyed cowboy named Tornado whose stubborn attitude brought frustration and confusion to Jake's mostly happy existence.A late spring rainstorm brings out hidden passions and unleashes a chain of events neither of them expected--and eventually brings about events that threaten to destroy them and what they worked to create. Strong wills and forceful personalities make for intense encounters....but is it enough to keep love alive? ]

Ich besitze das Buch schon seit Ewigkeiten als Taschenbuch und habe mir es jetzt nochmal auf mein Kindle geladen , weil ich es von Zeit zu Zeit immer gerne nochmal lese. Es ist extrem sexlastig , was teilweise schon sehr nervt, da zu viel Sex in einem Buch auch langweilig werden kann. Aber dann gibt es immer wieder diese Momente , wo beide Figuren wahre Gefühle und schreckliche Erinnerungen teilen. Und dann kommt es plötzlich und unerwartet zum Bruch und diese Szene / Szenen sind so schmerzhaft gut beschrieben wie ich es selten in anderen Büchern gelesen habe. Man leidet hautnah und intensivst mit.