While reading 'Home is the Heart' by J.M. Griffyn, a bible verse came to mind from the Book of Ruth: “...whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge...” Ruth 1:17—which is what I imagine that Will and Brock feel about each other. Wherever they are, as long as they are together, their hearts will be home.

Will goes back the the place where he was born and is scheduled to inherit after the war, but he doesn't want to stay; it's not home anymore. With a broken and weary heart, he wants to find a place where he's comfortable. When he meets a Gypsy boy named Brock his attitude begins to change. After their first tryst, Will and Brock realize that their coupling is more than simple physical desire. They're consumed with emotions which neither of them truly understand; they only know that they belong together. Their backgrounds make this impossible, so they both leave everyone and everything behind and go from Ireland to New York City.

The adjustment of moving to New York City is a bigger one for Brock, whose Gypsy life style means moving constantly from place to place and living in the open air. The dirty, crowded, noisy city threatens to smother him physically and emotionally and Will isn't much better off either. Life there is not what they imagined it to be. Just when they begin to despair, a chance meeting with a lady and her horse leads to an invitation to interview for a job. Finally they're able to live outside of the city, in their own place; Will and Brock finally find their home.

'Home is the Heart' by J.M. Griffin is an endearing love story about forbidden love and the lengths to which two men are willing to go in order to have a life together. The Gaelic endearments used by both men, such as a ghrá mo chroí, meaning love of my heart, added a poetic nuance to an already amorous story. The tale is sweet, passionate, thoughtful, romantic, and has a happy ending. I recommend it to anyone who loves to curl up with a cup of tea and escape into a charming romantic fantasy. Thanks, J.M., for a very pleasant story.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on QMO Books.