City boy, sci-fi novelist, and recovering pushover Scott Howe doesn’t know what to expect when he inherits his grandmother’s house outside the quaint village of Gilead, Ohio—but it isn’t an enormous bald man in nothing but tighty-whities and orange rubber boots shouting at him to keep his weed whacker away from the rhubarb patch.
Scott has never met anyone like Phineas Robertson: homesteader, recluse… Republican. A tender—if unlikely—friendship grows over the summer while Phin and his schnauzer, Sister Mary Katherine, teach Scott about life in the country and the grandmother he never knew. Opposites attract, but widower Phin worries his secret will send Scott running faster than his politics, and Phin isn’t convinced he deserves a second chance at romance.
Scott is convinced—rural life, and his one-of-a-kind, older neighbor is the future he wants. Before he can settle in, his mother drops a bombshell that strains their already tenuous relationship, and a cousin who believes he is the rightful heir to the property puts Scott in danger. It’ll take a lot of compromises, and even dodging a few bullets before they’re out of the weeds, but nurturing something as special as true love always takes hard work.
REVIEW:
The Rhubarb Patch is the first book in a new series from Deanna Wadsworth, I went into this book thinking it was going to be a cute May-December romance, and it was, but it was also so much more.
This book comes out of the gate with lighthearted fun but quickly becomes more serious. I experienced the gamut of emotions reading this book. I literally laughed, cried, got pissed and went awww while reading. Both MC's are strong characters but they are both flawed and dealing with some very significant things.
The relationship between Scott and Phin develops slowly and is interspersed with some interesting details about the town of Gilead and gardening/canning,so much so that they become characters in their own right. This gave the book a more rounded, full feeling and added so much to the story line.
Be prepared to sit and read for several hours, because once I got started I did not want to put this book down. The characters are real and likeable and I want to visit Gilead again and again.
Please tell me Davis is getting a love story of his own??
BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by the author.
This story is part of the 2017 Advent Calendar but is set in the Men of Gilead World.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2017 Advent Calendar collection Stocking Stuffers.
Clay and Daniel fell in love as enlisted men during Desert Shield, but Don’t Ask Don’t Tell meant they had to keep it secret. After Clay’s convoy was ambushed, PTSD changed him, and their relationship ended in a horrible fight on Christmas Eve.
Twenty-five years later, they’ve reconnected on Facebook, and Clay finds out Daniel will be alone on Christmas Eve. Impulsively, he sets out for Daniel’s hometown of Gilead, Ohio—where Daniel is now the mayor—to surprise him with a visit. But a blizzard strikes and Clay wrecks his car. All hope of seeing Daniel is lost—until a mysterious old man named Nick offers Clay a ride.
The weight of past wounds and the scars of war might make their reunion awkward, but Clay is willing to take the risk to win back his lost love. Despite a lifetime of disappointing holidays, Clay hopes that this soldier is finally coming home for Christmas.
REVIEW:
WOW, so much emotion in just over 70 pages.
I am a huge fan of second chance romances and this one hit all of my buttons. Not only do you have two MC's who are getting the opportunity to come together again, but you have snow and a cabin and the magic of Christmas.
Daniel and Clay were hot, sexy and completely irresistible!
BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
RATING: 4 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by the author.
Men of Gilead #2
Forrester Giordano comes from a huge, nosy Italian family, and with their homophobic jokes and slurs, he’s decided to stay in the closet. He finds respite in his bookstore in the quaint village of Gilead—where he has a huge crush on one of his customers, Kyle Benson.
Kyle is determined to live his dreams, and though life isn’t easy being deaf, one by one he’s making them come true. He’s scored a great job practicing law, bought a cute bungalow where he can finally have a big flower garden, and he has a dog he loves, Jasper. Now he just needs one thing to complete his happiness: a family of his own to make up for the one he never had.
Forrester and Kyle’s relationship starts off hot and heavy, and neither man can deny the depth of their connection. When Forrester’s little brother gets mixed up with their heroin-dealing cousin and his mother falls ill, Forrester has a decision to make—maybe the hardest of his life. For the first time, he’s found a man worth coming out for.
Unfortunately nothing ever goes according to plan with la famiglia.
EXCERPT:
The faded sign above the door read Galaxy Comics, with a cartoonish
spaceship painted underneath. Galaxy bought, sold, and traded both vintage and
new comic books. Though modern kids were more into gaming, the purists like
Forrester kept the place in business. With online sales and the collectibles,
the store didn’t hurt for business. And now that Gilead was becoming so
popular, they were busier than ever.
“I haven’t been in here,” Kyle told him. “I’ve seen
it, but I’ve never been into comics.”
The excitement of sharing the place with his
boyfriend made Forrester giddy. He held open the door and gestured him inside.
“That’s about to change.”
“Is it okay for Jasper to come in?”
“Yeah, Benny won’t care.”
“Greetings, Forrester,” the fat man behind the counter
said. “I thought you might have been assimilated into the Borg. Where have you
been hiding?”
Forrester was pleased that Kyle grinned at the
strange greeting. “Nowhere particular. Just working.”
So fat his wrinkles barely showed, Benny looked
almost the same as he had the day Forrester met him. Just fatter and grayer.
“Benny, this is Kyle.”
“Greetings, Kyle.” Benny rolled off his stool and
came out from behind the counter.
Kyle shook his hand. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Are you the boyfriend we’ve been hearing about?”
Kyle arched his brows suspiciously at Forrester. “I
think so.”
Forrester nudged him. “You know you are.”
“Who’s this?” Benny asked, seeing Jasper. He reached
over his counter and produced a little green dog bone. Unable to really bend,
he held it out and Jasper propped his front paws on Benny’s knees when he spied
the treat.
“Jasper,” Kyle said.
“Greetings, little Jasper.” Benny gave him the
biscuit.
“Get down.” Kyle tugged lightly on the leash. Jasper
obeyed, then began crunching and making a mess.
“That’s okay,” Benny assured him. “Dogs are my
favorite people.”
Kyle grinned, then looked around. Forrester’s smile
widened when he saw his lover’s appreciation.
“What comics are you into?” Benny asked Kyle.
“I’ve never really read comics before.”
Benny gaped and stared.
Before Forrester could defend him, Kyle raised his
hands. “Hey, I played D and D in college. I see all the superhero movies. I’ve
just never read comics. But I could easily be brought to the dark side.”
Benny nodded his approval. “Come with me, Jasper.
And bring your human. I’ll show you guys what we got.”
Kyle threw a backward glance at Forrester as Benny
led him to the section of the store with the bins of Marvels. It was awesome
being able to share this place with a lover who’d appreciate it. Most people
bitched that the place smelled musty, and they would be right. The place did
have a funk after the numerous floodings that had struck downtown Gilead.
But that was part of its charm.
“Hey, Forrester.”
Startled, he turned from browsing the bins of
plastic-sleeved comics to find Lucas standing behind him, wearing X-ray
glasses. Freckles had popped out on his face from all the Florida sunshine, and
the tip of his nose peeled a bit from a healing sunburn.
“What the hell do you have on, Lucas?”
Lucas gave him a defensive look. “You said to keep a
low profile when you brought your boyfriend in. Benny had these in the back.”
“Jeez, that’s not what I meant, ya meathead.”
“How was I supposed to know?” His brown hair had
been highlighted copper from the sun, and the big grin he sported betrayed the
innocent act. “You’ve never brought a guy in here before.”
True, he never had. Not only because most of the
idiots he’d dated would’ve thought the old place was gross, but Forrester had
too many private memories with Lucas he hadn’t wanted anyone else to be a part
of. Lucas still worked at Galaxy every other Tuesday, and since Kyle had taken
to using vacation days during the week when Forrester was off, his BFF and boyfriend
could finally meet.
“How was Disney with the mothers?” Forrester asked.
“It’s a Small World in the Tiki Tiki Tiki Room, you
know, the usual,” he said as he eyed Kyle up and down lecherously, still
wearing the X-ray specs. “You lucky bastard.”
Forrester grinned, admiring his boyfriend.
“He’s kinda preppy,” Lucas observed. “You look like
a dork next to him.”
He glared at Lucas. “Thanks a lot.”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t started redressing you.”
“Maybe he likes me just how I am.” Forrester began
riffling through a stack of Superman comics. Maybe he should get some grown-up clothes, instead of looking like a teenage
geek too lazy to wear real shoes.
Lucas regarded him, and then a huge grin spread
across his face. “Well, fist-fuck me on a Tuesday! You’re in love with him.”
Forrester threw a brotherly arm over his shoulder
and pulled him into a half nelson before kissing the top of his head. “Shut up,
freak. Now take off those ridiculous glasses and come meet him.” Lucas had been
home from Florida for a few weeks, but working crazier hours than Forrester due
to his extended time off. They hadn’t seen each other in a month.
He kissed Lucas on the cheek and grinned. “I missed
you.”
“I missed you too, Frankie.”
Forrester shook his head at his teasing.
Benny had disappeared into the back room, leaving
Jasper to sniff the smelly carpet and Kyle to thumb through the pages of a
comic book appreciatively. He looked up and caught Forrester’s eye as they
approached.
Forrester flipped a thumb at Dork Boy. “Kyle, this
is Lucas.”
“Hi, Lucas.” Kyle smiled, extending his hand. “Nice
to finally meet you. Forrester’s told me so much about you.”
Lucas knelt to pet Jasper, saying seriously, “If he
told you about those letters from NASA, he lied. I didn’t do any of the stuff
they accused me of.”
Forrester rolled his eyes, but Kyle laughed. “Nope,
nothing about NASA.”
Seeming pleased, Lucas stood, and Jasper kept
jumping on his legs.
“Settle it, would ya?” Forrester gently nudged
Jasper down.
“Your uncle thought I should check out Alan Moore’s Watchmen.” He looked at Forrester. “You
think I’ll like it?”
“Duh, it won a Hugo Award,” Lucas said before
Forrester could reply, as if that explained everything.
Kyle looked at Lucas. “I hope it’s better than the
movie.”
“Isn’t everything?” Lucas said.
“Speaking of movies, Forrester and I went to see the
original The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Have you ever seen it?” Kyle asked.
Lucas’s jaw dropped, and he glared at Forrester.
“You took Kyle without me?”
“Well…,” Forrester hedged.
Lucas threw up his hands. “Unbelievable. You
probably told him about the strings holding up Patricia Neal and Gort’s zipper
showing too.”
“So I take it you’ve seen the movie,” Kyle said.
“Only a hundred times. And Forrester was supposed to
go with me for a hundred and one.”
“Why? You’d just talk through the whole movie,”
Forrester countered as his phone sounded in his pocket.
“Guess the only people you take to movies are the
ones that suck your dick,” Lucas said petulantly.
Forrester looked at his phone, not recognizing the
number.
“Whose dick are you sucking now?” Benny wanted to
know, startling them as he came out of the back room. Jasper hurried over to
him, hoping for another biscuit.
Kyle laughed, and three guys and one girl at another
bin started giggling, eyes wide at Benny’s words.
“Jeez, Benny,” Forrester said as he swiped his phone
to answer. “Hello, this is Forrester. What’s up?”
“May I speak with a Forrester Giordano?” a woman
said.
“That’s me.” He rolled his eyes at Kyle, mouthing,
“Telemarketer.”
“This is Shiloh General Hospital. We’re calling
about your mother.”
REVIEW:
The best in the series....so far!
I fell in love with Forrester and Kyle because I totally geeked out on their book conversations. You can feel the chemistry between the two men right from the beginning and it just builds from there.
Forrester comes from a big Italian family and all that that entails. He is not out to his family and that fact creates one of the many plot lines through out this story.
Kyle, an only child who has lost his parents and had to deal with being deaf in an audible world. And while being deaf is not a deterrent for Kyle in his everyday life, it did lead to his having trust issues.
The two men would like nothing more than to hole up, read and play with Kyle's rambunctious dog Jasper, but real life keeps getting in the way. Between the secrets, health issues, and Forresters little brother Joey possibly ending up being prosecuted by Kyle, the two have their hands full.
Ms. Wadsworth does a fantastic job representing a big Italian family without making them seem like caricatures. Every scene with Forresters family felt so very real and authentic. I fell in love with them as much as I did Forrester and Kyle.
Each book in this series has dealt with some very difficult, emotional, subject matter and the author does a wonderful job touching on the issues and weaving them into the story but not letting it take away from the building of the relationships. There is a strong sense of family and love and community through out the stories.
I am loving the Men of Gilead and can't wait to see where Ms Wadsworth takes us next!
BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner
Amazon
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