Review - Cowboy Nod by Luke Hartwell
Cowboy Nod
My rating: 
Heat level: 
Tags: Poly Contemporary
Posted in Book Reviews on 28 October, 2026
Lucas is a freshman who works in the campus theater box office to earn money. He has a crush on the lead actor in the current production, Mason, a senior student. Since there’s a nude scene in the play, Lucas has seen all of Mason, but thinks the other man is straight. When Mason expresses an interest in Lucas, the freshman is over the moon. But, then there’s Juan, a former rodeo bull rider in his late twenties. Juan offers maturity and stability that makes Lucas feel safe. Then Juan introduces Lucas to Kaden, an up-and-coming bull rider his own age, and Lucas is instantly infatuated, especially when Kaden returns his feelings. What’s a young man to do when he has his choice of three imminently suitable lovers?
“Cowboy Nod” is a curious romance mostly centered on a young man juggling three boyfriends. It’s a situation with all sorts of opportunities for tension and jealousy, yet the story is remarkably free of drama. None of the men Lucas is involved with pressure him to pick them and abandon the others. They seem happy to share the young man and trust that things will work themselves out, which, in a way, they do. It’s hard to know where it’s all going. That’s surely the point, but the way it all plays out seems unlikely.
In theory, the first half of the book is from Lucas’ point of view while the second is from Kaden’s, However, the narration can suddenly jump from one character to another between paragraphs. There are also time jumps between paragraphs that are sudden and unexpected. The writing and proofing of this book leaves a lot to be desired. It’s not bad, it just feels uninspired and not engaging.
Lucas seems like a nice guy, despite the way he seems to be leading three men along. Lucas is clearly an attentive lover and attractive enough to get the attention of the men who love him, but I didn’t get any sense of why the young man seems to evoke such devotion from the three men who vow to stay with him forever.
Kaden is the only one of Lucas’ lovers that gets a substantial portion of the story from his point of view. Kaden is the same age as Lucas, but effectively closeted when they meet. Lucas captures Kaden’s heart just as he did with Mason and Juan, but Kaden is very determined. He wouldn’t be pursuing life as a professional bull rider if he wasn’t.
“Cowboy Nod” is available from Smashwords or visit Bookshop.org to purchase from an independent bookstore.