Cowboy Love in the Rugged Old West
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Before the other day, I had never read a western novel. I have nothing against them. I just never had the urge. I am not a huge fan of American-style movie westerns either. Give me the dark, stylized Italian ones any day of the week. I also hated Brokeback Mountain, which was the only thing I had ever encountered involving gay cowboys. That being the case, I started Mark R Probst's, debut novel, "The Filly", with minimal expectations. To my surprise, I found the book to be a charming, engrossing and thoroughly entertaining read.
The story in a nutshell: Handsome cowboy Travis, new in town, breezes into the general store where he encounters teenaged bookworm Ethan. Sparks fly. Travis finds work at the local ranch. Travis and Ethan become friends and Travis talks Ethan into signing onto a 900-mile cattle drive. En route, Ethan spies Travis bathing in the river and the sight of the water glistening off his lean, well-muscled frame makes the young man go all light-headed (as all the blood rushes from his head down into his quivering young loins). There's much more to the story of course, but it isn't very long so I don't want to give anything else away.
There are a few stock characters in the book (some of the other cowboys are fairly interchangeable, for example), but they all add to the rustic, "Zane Grey" feel of the book, so it's okay. As to the main characters, Travis and Ethan, they are both well-developed and highly likeable, and the evolution of their relationship is both touching and believable. Now, for those of you looking for a one-handed read, you won't find it here. What sex there is in the book is mostly implied, which makes it an ideal read for teens as well as adults.
Being an author myself, I quibble a bit with a few of the author's word choices, but none of those really interfered with my overall enjoyment of the book enough so that I feel they need to be mentioned here. All in all, "The Filly" is a great first novel. It grabbed me early and kept me wanting to turn the pages right up through to the end. I look forward to reading Mark Probst's future works.
- Pat Nelson Childs, author of The Chronicles of Firma
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