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Buy it direct from Bold Strokes Books
I am a lesbian romance virgin. Okay, maybe not a virgin but
certainly a blushing bride. They haven’t heretofore appeared in Out in Print
because I haven’t had any exposure, but I recently had the opportunity to hear
some of the best and brightest authors in the genre read their work, and I was
blown away. One of the most memorable readers was D. Jackson Leigh, whose Every
Second Counts is a rip-roarin’ ride.
Marc Ryder is a wicked, sexed-up badgirlbullrider with a
roving eye and a bad case of wanderlust. An injury forces her to rehab and
recuperate among some old friends, but she meets artist Bridgette LeRoy. Both
of them are confused by the feelings each arouses in the other—lust, certainly,
but more than that. Can Marc bring Bridgette out of the shell she encased
herself in when her brother, also a risk-taker, was killed? Can Bridgette
settle Marc down?
Well. We know the answer, but the fun is all in how
Leigh takes us there. Too many genre books
I’ve read are written solely for the purpose of making money out of series
characters, but Leigh’s delight and dedication to her craft is evident and
makes Every Second Counts a terrific read.
Ryder is a great, complex character—all bluster on the outside
and mostly yearning on the inside. Bridgette appeals to this yearning, but
she’s had too many disappointments in her life to trust her completely. That
said, Ryder gets back on the horse (or bull, in this case) to try again before
she’s completely spooked. Bridgette, for her part, is more than a match for
Ryder in the skittish department, and the “c’mere, c’mere—getaway, getaway”
games they play make for some deliciously tense reading.
Are there plot complications? Oh yes, you bet. Bull-riding
bar accidents, an art auction featuring works by Ryder’s grandmother, births,
broncs and the thrills of discovering a new relationship. Leigh has packed a
lot in here. Her knowledge of bull-riding is extensive, and I came away from
those scenes with a rudimentary understanding of how to stay on (in theory, at
least) and some of the lingo. I always like books I can learn from.
Her prose is clean, lean, and mean—elegantly descriptive
whether the subject is an angry bull or a pastoral scene. And speaking of scenes,
did I mention the sex? Oh yes. Since Ryder is a playa, there’s much sex, and
all of it is hot. In particular, the scene where Bridgette takes control and
goes to Dallas to convince Ryder not to make her comeback on the bull-riding
circuit.
But there’s much to like in Every Second Counts. I
know many of the supporting characters appear in other of Leigh’s books, but
this standalone is certainly a standout. Well worth your time.
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©, 2013, Jerry Wheeler
Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews 