In the Spotlight: Chris Owen

[reviews_and_ramblings]

The Book: 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?

My review: I still remember the first time I read this book, it was almost a shock. I was fairly new to the gay romance world, and till that moment, my past experiences consisted of vanilla relationships, boy meets boy, boy loves boy and they live happily ever after. Bareback gave me a burst of sex in the first chapter, under the rain and in the mud. All right, you think, it's dirty but it's quite normal, isn't it? but after telling me that Jake was almost a reclusive and didn't have sex for a bit, the author threw the two in a foursome, with a lot more sex in the open (this time not under the rain)... it seems that Jack and Tornado like to do things out of the closet... at least when they are around people they know and know them.

The contrast between open and close is not only for the behavior, something I remember very well is how the author describes the life of the ranch hands in the house they share, the lack of intimacy, the fact that everyone knows what the other is doing, the almost impossibility to avoid to interfere in the personal relationship trouble of your fellow cowboys. Sometime, I could almost smell the sweat and the scent from the kitchen, since it's so keenly described.

Bareback is a really long book and follows Jack and Tornado's life for a long bit, and so we read not only of the happy moments of when they meet and love, but also the aftermath, when love is maybe still there, but the passion is a bit soothed; when it's not enough that someone says "I love", you also need to have a proof, a tangible element that reassure you that you are not something expected... and yes, there is the obviously cheating, the regrets, the tears and the words... but it's life, isn't it? 

Amazon: Bareback

Other Books in the List:

Deviations: Submission (2008)
Amazon: Deviations: Submission

An Agreement Among Gentlemen (2008) 
Amazon: An Agreement Among Gentlemen

911 (2008) 
Amazon: 911

Deviations: Domination (2008) 
Amazon: Adagio

Natural Disaster (2008) 
Amazon: Natural Disaster

Adagio (2006) 
Amazon: Adagio

Deviations: Bondage (2008) 
Amazon: Deviations: Bondage

Deviations: Discipline (2008) 
Amazon: Deviations: Discipline

Gemini (2009) 
Amazon: Gemini

Sex, Lies, and Celluloid (2008) 
Amazon: Sex, Lies and Celluloid

Ranges (2008) 
Amazon: Ranges

Coverge (2008) 
Amazon: Converge

To Serve and Protect (2007) 
Amazon: To Serve and Protect

Merge (2008) 
Amazon: Merge

The Five O'Clock Bar (2009)
Amazon: 5 O'Clock Bar 

The Author: "I live and write in eastern Canada, where the winds blow cool and calm on the good days, wicked and fast on the bad. There's rain and sun, and in the winter there's snow... a lot of snow. A nice fire to keep warm, a nice pen with good flow, and a decent notebook are all that I really require. Which is not to say that the PowerBook isn't the best thing ever. I went to a bunch of schools, learned a lot of things, and now make stuff up because not to do so is unthinkable.

I have various people, a dog, three bettas, and a gecko all living in an old Victorian house under constant upgrades, and an in ground pool which is filled with gravel. It's much more interesting that way, although it makes it tough to swim.

I like Star Gazer Lilies, micro-brewed beer, and Australian wines. Granny Smith apples and slice of sharp cheddar are the foods of the gods. Don't ask me to choose between mountains and the ocean, because I will be locked in an impossible choice forever.

At its heart, I write because I have to. At its tawdry base, I write because it's cheap entertainment. At its soul, I write because it's fun. And then there's the bills to pay, too..." Chris Owen
 
http://chrisowen.prettymuses.com/

Top 100 Gay Novels List (*)

External Link to the Top 100 Gay Novels List (simple - without photos)

External Link to the Top 100 Gay Novels List (wanted - with photos)

*only one title per author, only print books released after January 1, 2000.

Other titles not in the top 100 list:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/top50MM

Comments

[smuffster.livejournal.com]

I love that book SO much. Am generally not into threesomes and moresomes, and I struggled through the first part of the book because of that, but then it was just them and the heartbreak and then them again. I've got the sequel but not read it yet cause I don't want it to be over. Like you said, the book is LONG, but I still was left wanting more when it ended, which is always a sign of a good book.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

We are similar, also I have Natural Disaster, but for a reason or another, never read it. I don't know, Bareback was perfect as it was, and I have a mental boundaries to read the sequel ;-) Elisa

[smuffster.livejournal.com]

Yes I think that may be part of it. So many times I've read or seen sequels and they just don't hold up as well, and I'm kind of afraid it will lessen the impact of Bareback if it's not as good.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

I believe that I never found a sequel that it was good as the first book. Probably the impact is lessened since we know the characters. Probably sooner or later I will read also Natural Disaster, it would be a shame to not read it if it is as good as Bareback. Elisa

[smuffster.livejournal.com]

lol, well I've been meaning to, so I shall start it when I finish my current book and report back :)

[snowmore.livejournal.com]

Bareback was an eye opener early in my reading of male/male stories. It also remains a favourite. It's a little bedraggled from random passage reading. :P

I also live in eastern Canada and wonder if I've passed by Ms. Owens at some point in my life. If ever I find out who she is and see her in person, I will hug her and thank her for such a good story.

I read Natural Disaster. It is good but is only a shadow of the great read that Bareback is.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

All of my first Owen's books were eye opener ;-) I remember with pleasure also Gemini and 911 (twincest and threesome, two boundaries down!).

Canada is so big that it's almost impossible to meet someone by chance, and on the other side, the community are smaller (I think...) that if an author like Chris Owen live among them, it would be known, I believe.

Elisa

[snowmore.livejournal.com]

I think I'm a little star-struck that a writer such as she lives in Eastern Canada. Sounds a little naive of me, but, still, I'm amazed. I try to tell friends that a lot of women write male/male stories, and one writer actually lives on the east coast like us. My friends look at me like I'm sprouting three heads. lol

[lilygcs.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love this book, it's one of my all time favorites. And while a sequel never seems to be quite as good as the original, Natural Disaster is also very good. I love all of Ms Owen's books, she is a great author.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Yes, Chris Owen seems to do good everything she writes. Elisa

[pandorasvase.livejournal.com]

Uno dei miei libri preferiti indubbiamente. Ho perso il conto delle volte che l'ho riletto.



p.s. una curiosità, anche se non legata a questo particolare libro: non ho visto Mary Renault citata In the spotlight e mi chiedevo come mai.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Quando ho cominciato la "lista" ho messo dei paletti, sennò mi si apriva un mondo: i principali sono libri in stampa e usciti per la prima volta nel nuovo secolo (dal 1 gennaio in poi). Ho fatto alcune eccezioni per libri usciti alla fine del 1999 (come Comfort & Joy, di Grimsley), ma la Renault è davvero troppo indietro. Se includo lei, dovrei includere Maupin, White, Leavitt... la lista si allunga se solo ci penso. Elisa

[pandorasvase.livejournal.com]

sì, una lunga lista... a volte penso ci vorrebbe più di una vita per poter leggere tutto!


Altra curiosità [perdonami ma in questi giorni mi sono messa a sistemare la libreria e risaltano fuori vecchi nomi :P] hai mai letto qualcosa di Mark A. Roeder?

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

> hai mai letto qualcosa di Mark A. Roeder?

No, anche se il suo nome entra ed esce tra i 50... attualmente si posiziona un po' sotto. Le copertine sono accattivanti, ma ce ne sono così tanti che vorrei comprare, che lui purtroppo passa sempre in secondo piano.

Elisa

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

It was the first full-length m/m novel I bought and it blew me away. The angst killed me and the sex scenes melted me into a puddle.

Love all of Chris' writing; so very good.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

It seems a first for many people :-) It's not exaclty my first, but it's close. I could say that it was the first M/M novel to introduce me to certain aspect of the genre. Probably the first threesome/foursome. Elisa