Home and Family by Andrew Grey

Home and Family by Andrew Grey
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Mark has worked on Clay and Dell’s farm for a year, and he’s now in charge of the care and feeding of their growing herd of goats. He’s worked hard to provide for himself and build a life of his own. But with the operation continuing to expand, additional help is needed.

Isaac lives in a self-sustaining, simple-life community a few miles up the road. He’s spent his life working and wondering what the outside world might be like. When his father requires him to earn outside money, he asks for a job at Clay and Dell’s farm.

What neither Mark nor Isaac expects is a friendship that quickly grows into something more. But their feelings for each other go against everything that Isaac has been taught, and acting on those feelings will mean leaving the only way of life he’s ever known.

Together, Isaac and Mark are going to need a great deal of strength to weather the storm that’s sure to head their way.

Mark has been working on Clay and Dell’s farm for a year now, helping with their growing herd of goats. With the business and herd expanding Clay and Dell know they need more help and so they hire Isaac, who lives a few miles up the road in a self-sustaining, simple-life community. Mark and Isaac quickly form a deep friendship and soon those feelings could lead to something more, but Isaac struggles as his feelings go against everything he’s been taught and Isaac isn’t sure he wants to leave behind everything he’s ever known.

I’ve really enjoyed the two previous stories in this series and I was really impressed that this third book (same as the first and second) easily stands alone and can be read independently to the other two. The farm, characters and setting are all quickly and simply explained so these three books can be read in any order and missing one doesn’t detract at all from the others. That said, I was really happy to catch up with Clay and Dell, and Alan and Haley – the farm and setting is such a lovely, comforting and wonderful place it makes me happy to read about it. And at no point did I feel that “catching up” on previous characters infringed at all on Mark and Isaac’s spotlight. The author has an awesome way of balancing the various characters, plots and subplots so each gets enough time and I thought this book had that in spades.

While I thought Isaac’s home life – and the narrow mindedness and controlling aspects of Isaac’s father in particular – were tastefully and carefully handled it really took Isaac quite some time to solidify is own thoughts and desires for the future. Such a monumental change – effectively turning away from the entirety of life as he knew it – couldn’t have realistically happened in just one or two days, but I think that some readers may feel this aspect of the plot and story moves just a little slowly. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Isaac settle into the farm’s routine and the strength and confidence he gained as he became more comfortable in those surroundings. It also really made sense to me how the constant contrasts between life on Clay and Dell’s farm, and the life being lived by the community in Isaac’s hometown showed Isaac just how strict and overbearing – and unreasonable – Isaac’s father was as the community leader.

The friendship that slowly grew between Mark and Isaac was really lovely. I thought this was so well written and really tasteful in that Isaac was learning and slowly coming out of his shell. This is not some hot and heavy, intensely erotic blossoming of a romance and readers expecting something that sizzling and intense probably won’t find themselves satisfied here. Instead I really appreciated the slow burn, the deepening and growing trust, friendship and attraction that turned into love. I thought this was really special and although the pace is slow, I really felt it needed to be considering Mark and particularly Isaac’s circumstances.

With wonderful characters, a great plot and plenty of emotional conflict this is a lovely story and I feel it’s a great addition to this series.