The Shearing Gun

By: Renae Kaye

Narrated by: Dave Gillies

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

At 25 Hank owns a small parcel of land in Australia's rural southwest where he supplements his income from the property with seasonal shearing. Hank is a "shearing gun" - an ace shearer able to shear large numbers of sheep in a single day. His own father kicked him out when his sexuality was revealed, and since no one would ever hire a gay shearer, Hank has remained firmly closeted ever since.

Elliot is the newbie doctor in town - city born and somewhat shell-shocked from his transplant to the country. When a football injury brings Hank to Elliot's attention, an inappropriate sexual glance and the stuttered apology afterward kick-starts their friendship. Romance and love soon blossom, but it's hard for either of them to hope for anything permanent. As if the constant threat of being caught isn't enough, Elliot's contract runs out after only a year.

©2014 Renae Kaye (P)2015 Dreamspinner Press

Such a sweet story

The Shearing Gun was a sweet and at times funny read. Great characters to fall instantly in love with - and the country setting and cowboys were just the cherry on top.

Signing a contract with the government to work in rural areas for the same amount of time as his education, Elliot finds himself in the rural South West working with the local doctor treating everything from broken bones to delivering babies.

A football injury forces Hank to the local doctor for treatment, only the doctor treating him wasn't the elderly Doc Larsen, but a handsome young city transplant, who if he wasn't mistaken checked him out when he was removing his shirt. After a few hiccups, the two forms a tentative friendship slow growing into something more. The rest is as they say history.

I loved watching Hank and Elliot together. They shouldn't work, but they do. They are both closeted and afraid of the consequences if people finds out about them. Heavy subjects are dealt with, but it never brings the story down. It still feels light, romantic and hopeful.

I've only listened to one book narrated by Dave Gillies (Loving Jay) before and really enjoyed it. Overall I enjoyed listening to The Shearing Gun too, with one exception; his voice for Elliot didn't quite match the personality. It was light pitched and immediately brought my mind to twinks and femme characters (yes, I know I'm stereotyping, and I'm sorry for that). This voice was perfect for Jay (in Loving Jay) or Jimmy, Hank's uncle's partner who were in fact on the more femme and dramatic side of things. I just couldn't quite get there with Elliot, it just didn't fit him or his personality. That being said Gillies has a wide range of voices for the characters - and I just love the accent, it added another layer to an already great narration.

I loved listening to this book. It was everything you've come to expect from Renae Kaye. And who can resist a cowboy and a small town doctor? Not me that's for sure.


A copy of this book was generously provided in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

Wishing ewe were here?

When I first came across this book (almost 10 years ago) I liked the story setup but had just read a spate of Australia-based books and decided to put this one on my wish list. (Back then it was still paperbacks and the occasional Kindle book)

I tend to be a sucker for stories about cowboys and ranchers, so Renae Kaye's story appealed to me right away. Coming from a mostly rural upbringing, seeing the way these guys were closeted was perfectly understandable and had me pulling for them from the beginning.

A while back when this was featured in an Audible sale, I decided to pull the trigger and finally get it. I'm finally getting around to listening.

Dave Gillies does the narration, and for a Scot, his Australian accent seems pretty legit. (At least to this "Yank") Another reviewer that I follow criticized the narrator's choice for his "Dr. Elliot voice" suggesting that the character's voice didn't fit the guy in the story. The voice is a bit "whispy" but I feel that it kind of fits someone who'd been dominated by an overbearing mother as Dr. Elliot recounts. I can see someone from that environment having just the kind of voice we get here. This is made even more minor in that the tale here is told almost exclusively from Hank's point of view.

There ia a bit of "slippage" which sometimes happens in audiobooks. That's where a solo narrator temporarily gets the wrong voice for the wrong character. In this case, there are a couple of spots where Elliot sounds a bit like Hank and even one spot where Hank sounds a bit more like Elliot than I would have expected.

As mentioned previously, I'm a sucker for cowboy stories and despite the Aussie main character here dealing with sheep instead of cattle, that's not at all as offputting. (Brokeback Mountain anyone)?

I enjoyed reveling in the "bushy" feel of this tale and the frequent "Aussieisms" made this story even more fun. Mentions of the unfamiliar like "sunnies" and "mosies" and having to translate those terms on the fly to "sunglasses" and "mosquitoes" kept me engaged on yet another level. The casual phrase "Mid-D and his rousies" sent me down a Google rabbit hole until I remembered the earlier scene where Hank and Elliot herded a mob of Hank's rams by shouting and waving their arms at them.

The double-entendre teasing that these two engaged in was great. It makes the reader feel like they're in on a group joke,unlike the other characters in the story. And at one point the transition from teasing to phone sex was the most organic I'd ever encountered.

I also has an LOL moment when Hank comes out to the old doctor. He says that he's never come out to his mates because he was afraid no one would hire a gay sheep shearer. The old doc just asks "Why? Do gay people shear sheep differently from straight people?" I just couldn't get a Gary Larsonesque image of a sheep with a giant poodle cut out of my mind. Particularly the anthropomorphic one of the poodle lady reading a book in her hornrimmed glasses.
And the guys' conversation about counting sheep was anything but somnifacient.

This is one of those easy-to-enjoy books that will clearly become a frequent re-listen. I'll definitely have to check out more of this author's work.

Hank & El, Super Sweet

What made the experience of listening to The Shearing Gun the most enjoyable?

Just love the narrator, love the accent, love the story line - Renae Kaye writes very well for this genre. Hank & El were just a natural fit from the beginning. I love how Renae makes you feel you could know these people.

What other book might you compare The Shearing Gun to and why?

Well, maybe to Red Dirt Hearts (N.R. Walker) my favorite series... as that is also set in Australia, is M/M genre and has Joel Leslie narrating so close to this narrator. I love the stories of ordinary people who feel deeply and how they work out happiness, as I said, I love the accent, love the people who come to love unexpectedly.

Which scene was your favorite?

there are several...probably when Hank allowed El to love him.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The same scene, Hank and El both came to know that they truly needed each other in body and in spirit.

Any additional comments?

I like writers who don't explain every detail and yet, give you enough, I love authors that get inside your head and their writing just flows - N.R. Walker is such a Writer, Rhonda Riley, Diana Gabaldon, Sara Donati, J.R. Ward, James Patterson in Sams Letters to Jennifer and several others I can think of, and now Renae Kaye - I may make it sound like it's not a rare quality, but I'm a voracious reader, and Audible listener - and Renae has it - the Blinding Light was beautiful and I love this one too!

Loved this story

I really love this author's work and I especially enjoyed this story about life in the bush, in Australia. It was very different, was entertaining, and I recommend it to anyone wanting a good story and nice romance.

Such a fun story with fantastic narration!

Hank gets hurt playing “footy” and meets Elliot. There is some instant attraction, but Hank ignores it because he doesn’t “fish where he lives”. Hank fears being gay bashed like his uncle was and only goes to the city for anonymous sex and has resigned himself to a life of hook-ups and no real relationships.

Elliot the Quack (called by Hank, then turned into Quack Elliot, then Quakel) comes out to Hank but accepts that Hank is “straight” and becomes a good friend. Even once Hank is accidentally outed to Quackel the two are reluctant to start something up in their small, rural town, though the attraction is simmering between them.

As time goes by the reasons for not “fishing” get murkier and murkier until suddenly Hank was thinking about “fishing” but in fact he was already “hooked”.

**

I can’t say enough positive things about this book. It is funny, sweet, sexy, touching, a teeny bit angsty and just fun to read.

The Australian dialect is hilarious in the hands of the wooley headed sheep farmer and even Elliot has to translate sometimes to keep things clear.

The fishing theme is so well done! It gives Hank this way to think about his attraction to Elliot in this non-sexual way that ends up being totally emotional. Lines like “Suddenly fishing was my favorite pastime” or “I was a born again fisherman. “ And “Although fishing wasn’t all smooth sailing. Fishing trips got canceled at the last minute…”or “It seemed that the fish in my backyard were leaping from the pond onto my fishing rod”. I just loved them! So well used and imaginative and absolutely in character for Hank who is secure in his sexuality, mostly, but can barely get the words “I’m gay” out when the time calls for them.

The relationship between Elliot and Hank is magical. It’s such a slow burn as seen through Hank’s eyes. At first Elliot barely blips on his radar. Then, bit by bit, he grows on him, and suddenly what was sort-of attractive becomes beautiful. He’s now worrying about Elliot leaving him and wondering how he’s going to live alone for the next 25 years without him. Gah! So touching and sweet!

Meanwhile Elliot is just quietly persistent, he may have an end game in mind, but you’d never know it. He just does his thing, not hiding, not pushing, just being there, until now he’s a vital part of the community, of Hank’s life, everything.

I have really enjoyed all of Renae Kaye’s other books and this one tops them all.

I highly recommend this and give it 6 of 5 hearts, because I just want to go back and re-read it already!




Audio:

Having David Gillies read this was outstanding! He did an amazing job with it and I really loved listening to his accent since this book was so FULL of local flavor.
I absolutely think this added to the overall experience and made a great book that much more enjoyable!


6 of 5 stars

happy sigh worthy

this one is absolutely perfect! The narration is flawless, the story has very little angst but plenty of meat. The characters are well developed and completely loveable. I wanna go hang out with them, they are just that relatable. Funny and sexy to boot. Truly sigh worthy

It's practically perfect in every way!

Any additional comments?

Okay so, full disclosure? I've now read this ten times. I know, I know...ten times?! Yes...well, nine actually reading and ten with the audio listen. For me, this gets better every time I read it. So what I'm trying to say here is I am not unbiased. At all. It's all about the bias up in here.

We'll start out with me gushing a bit about Dave Gillies' performance: I thought he did an excellent job with the many character voices, the timing, humor and heat. I'm looking forward to listening to this story again and again until I can quote it ad nauseam!

Don't look at me like that. Look, it's just that I love Hank and Elliot, ok?

Hank is a genuine down to earth, no pretense kind of guy. When he first meets Elliot he's not hugely impressed with either his looks or his bedside manner. When he returns for a follow-up he realizes the doc is a bit easier on the eyes than he first thought and catches Elliot checking him out. You know, in that way. When Elliot apologizes, Hank accepts (without revealing his own sexual preferences) and they strike up a friendship. Because Hank has one rule: No fishing in your own backyard.

It's only when Elliot catches Hank in a club in the city that Hank even admits to being gay.

QUOTE:
He thrust his hands on his hips. “Perhaps a few words like, ‘Hey, I’m gay too,’ when someone comes and apologizes to you and begs you not to tell anyone. Shit! No wonder you took it so well. Were you laughing at me the whole time?”
I frowned. “Of course not. You’re gay—so what? It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Just the same as my queerness is none of your business.”

Once Hank's secret is out their friendship deepens, and then evolves. I'll admit this is a bit of a slow burn, which is actually part of what I love about it because it makes their relationship seem so genuine and real (and pretty honest for the area they're living). Once they finally "get together" there are several sexy scenes that are definitely fan-yourself worthy, which makes the wait totally worth it, and I love the humor and the supporting characters. All of this combined makes a recipe for a brilliant, sweet, romance. Nothing ever feels over the top or inauthentic.

In short...this is pretty close to perfection for me. Well, as close as "damnit" is to swearing.
It's practically perfect in every way.

This is a story that stays with me long after I read it, leaving only warm memories behind. I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wants to enjoy a low angst, sexy romance novel.

Warning: It may make you crave Pavlova.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Just Good

Where does The Shearing Gun rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It would probably rank around the middle of the audiobooks I've listened to in this genre.

If you’ve listened to books by Renae Kaye before, how does this one compare?

Renae is an amazing author. She has written some of my all time favorite books, so this one really doesn't stand up to those other ones.

What about Dave Gillies’s performance did you like?

His narration for this book is great, Elliot's voice was by far my favorite. Dave Gillies definitely does my favorite narration for Renae Kaye's books. His accent and character voices mesh perfectly with her writing style.

Any additional comments?

In general, I'm not a huge fan of the Rural/ Cowboy/ Farmer M/M story, so thats probably part of the reason this book wasn't really my cup of tea.

Wonderful love story, well-told

The author gave a great feel for the life of a gay sheep farmer in middle-of-nowhere Western Australia. Great book. I’ve listened through it more than once and will again. The narrator’s Australian accent made the book even better for me.

I haven’t rated before?

I love this book. It’s my 4th listen. How have I not managed at least a star rating?
Quackel and Hank need a Second book now that there is marriage equality in Australia.
Loved the narrator. He kept all the voices distinct and did a great job of making you feel every emotion with his delivery.