The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club

by John Wiltshire

Alternate-cover edition for this ebook is located here: The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club

Rory McGrath suffers from a debilitating condition—he caught it from reading too many books. Rory believes in true love. He’s saving himself until he finds it, preferably with Mr Darcy, but definitely not with the arrogant, unpleasant ape Adam Sandstone. Adam isn’t impressed with Rory either. Both Rory and Adam have yet to learn, however, that you cannot always judge a book by its cover. The nine other members of the new club could have told them this, had they been consulted. The founders of the Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club know only too well that not all truths are written in books. Truth, like life, is what you make of it.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Romance, Contemporary Romance, LGBT, Military Fiction

253 pages, ebook

First published August 12, 2016

About the author

John Wiltshire is the fictional persona of the author of the More Heat Than The Sun series. After spending twenty-two years in the military perfecting the art
of looking busy whilst secretly writing, John left as a senior officer
when a hastily dug tunnel was ready for use. Now living in New
Zealand (at least until enough money can be raised to leave) John has no plans to return to the army. Unless the world situation gets considerably worse, that is.

Reviews

[BevS · Rating 5 out of 5]

***Re-read July 2020. God, isn't it amazing to think that we've gone 4 years without a new John Wiltshire story. Yes, we know that John has moved back to the UK from New Zealand...but other than that?? Zilch, zip, nada. He said there would be more Ben and Nik stories, and I can only hope he will honour that promise...maybe his muse has done a runner or life in general is too hectic for any new stories at the mo, but a little more info would give all of us Wiltshire fans a huge boost please John 🙏🙏🙏***


What a sweet, feel good story this was from John, set once more in his beloved Devon. It couldn't be more different to the More Heat than the Sun series, but in a really good way. John is certainly ringing the changes lately with his stories, and I for one can't wait for the next instalment to appear. Loved Rory and the Old Dears...ooh, and Fat Sam of course 😉 5 stars from me.

Adam?? Well, a bit of a Dick with a capital D, and he deserves everything he gets as far as ribbing from practically everyone is concerned, Rory in particular is playing him like a fiddle but let's hope he grows up and comes to his senses soon. As for the juvenile antics of the *coughs* officers at Sandhurst, the less said the better....

[Ulysses Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club (Inaugural Meeting)
By John Wiltshire
MLR Press, 2016
Cover by Molly Wright
ISBN: ISBN: 9781944770273
Five stars

I’ve loved old houses and libraries since I was a boy. I love dogs. I’ve loved romance novels since I was a teenager, and have always enjoyed the company of old ladies. I am also a romantic, and for nearly 41 years have lived with a man who is not romantic in the least.

Clearly this book was written for me.

John Wiltshire is not a writer of romances, at least as some folks define them. I have often found his books difficult to read, because they offend my romantic outlook on the world. But here he has written a book that both mocks the very idea of the gay romance novel, while also defining the means by which a romantic individual can survive in a cynical world.

Adam Sandstone Rory McGrath are both young gay men living in an isolated, but entirely charming small town in Devonshire. Adam is ex-army and helps his father run the ancestral family farm. Rory is an elementary school teacher and a passionate lover of books. Adam is angry and broken, profoundly scarred by two tragedies, one as a child and one as a major in the army. Adam lonely and frustrated, all too aware of his isolation in this small but charming town and his tiny cottage.

Adam and Rory are caught up in an adorably hare-brained scheme by a group of old ladies in their town to start a book club that focuses on gay romance novels. Misreading the flyer announcing the inaugural meeting of the club (hence the book’s absurd title), Adam and Rory show up at the meeting thinking is some way to meet other gay men. Adam is looking for a hook-up, while Rory is looking for love.

This is the underlying emotional tension that gives the rest of the narrative its distinctly John Wiltshire discomfort. It is gently hilarious, seen from the viewpoint of the “old dears” and their ridiculous scheming. The book is exquisitely British in its lovely prose and vivid, affectionately painted setting. But it is also painful, because Rory and Adam see the world in fundamentally different ways. Adam is a cynic and thinks that love is a delusion. Rory, the romantic, feels that love is real and essential for a happy life. The old dears don’t understand this at first. But they, for all their absurdity, are not stupid.
Rory has a stark revelation in the book: “Jane Austen had died a spinster. She’d given Elizabeth Bennett the life she’d wanted for herself but could not have. Emily Bronte, a frustrated virgin, had been dead at thirty. That was reality.” It is his darkest moment, in the face of Adam’s self-punitive dismissal of romance. But it is also Rory who offers up the ultimate defense against cynicism, defying Adam’s anti-romantic belief in casual sex: “But I’m holding out for something better than that, and if that makes me a sad, delusional romantic in your world, then it does. I don’t care.”

As the old ladies of the book club discover, the truth of love seldom follows the rules of romance fiction. Wiltshire offers a relatively pointed critique of the genre and its unthinking audience, while simultaneously giving his readers an emotional option other than some bleak vision of a loveless world. In doing so, I would argue, he manages to take what is presented as nothing more than a bit of light reading and transform it into a work of literature worthy of the company of Austen and Bronte. It lures us in with promises of silliness and British quaintness, then surprises us with its depth.

[A.B. Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a reread and loving it even more, I feel better equipped to share in more detail why I like this so much. I don't usually reveal plot in my reviews but will in this case, so beware. Many spoilers ahead.

The book starts off with the luridly, lycra-clad and openly gay school teacher, Rory, seeing a sign inviting people to the inaugural meeting of a gay book club.

Seeing he thought he was the only gay man in a quiet, country village on Dartmoor, he's overjoyed at the opportunity to meet other gay men. Not in a bar, where hooking up for sex is the major preoccupation, but discussing books! Because literature and books are Rory's passion.

It's not until the next chapter that we discover that it is actually a club devoted to reading gay books.

Thus we meet Gertrude who becomes another of John's classic characters, on par with Miles Toogood's grandmother and Babushka from his More Heat than the Sun series. All are fiercely independent elderly ladies who are much loved and respected by the main protagonists and their “adopted” children.

Gert, we discover much later, is single because she didn't know Adam's father, Brian, was himself gay. Back in those days they never mentioned or even envisaged such a thing. Men were “confirmed bachelors”.

“Perhaps I wouldn’t have wasted the best years of my life chasing you if they had. I’d have realised why you ran so fast.”
Brian stared at her for a long time but only replied calmly, “Perhaps I’d have known why I was running.”

So when she comes across some steamy gay novels while on holidays, she's fascinated and decides they're just the thing to brighten the lives of the “old dears” back home. From the titles, “Hard Ride” and “Deep Tunnel” we can assume the books are probably erotica or porn of the James Lear variety.

”Was it possible she had discovered something entirely new? Was she the only woman in the world who had read such a book and...Gertrude was thrown, which was a new occurrence for her. She'd been pretty sure of things for most of her eighty years. She wasn't convinced she liked this sensation of standing on the edge of something so tantalising and far beyond her expectations.

Gert and her companion, Ivy, have referred to themselves and their friends as the old dears for over forty years. According to the dedication these characters are inspired by women in a real book club who are friends (and possibly relatives) of the author. Mostly widows or spinsters, the old dears are asset rich, thanks to the growing value of their properties, but dirt poor. We discover later that one cannot afford to keep buying hearing aids and another uses an old push bike for balance instead of a walking frame.

It's through Gert's eyes that we meet the rest of the group: Constance, Jane, Ivy, Mary, Myrtle, Hilary and Thea. Each is a fabulous character in their own right. Whose strengths and weaknesses are well known to Gert as she has known them for so long.

Gert is an integral part of the story. She admits to herself that

she would not have wanted anyone to interfere with her unrequited courtship. Her time on Earth, with all its petty frustrations, had worked out for her as it had been ordained. It was wrong to interfere in other people’s affairs. Which was why she and the old dears were treading so carefully with Adam and Rory.

however, she is also very aware of the march of time.

Things seemed to be closing in on her, time running out, and she felt a frustrating imperative about opportunities slipping away. If only these young men, still in their twenties, could see how short life was, how few opportunities anyone had to simply live each day to the full.

Using devious tactics, one borrowed from Sun Tzu's “The Art of War” she does what she can to encourage a relationship between the two gay men who unexpectedly join their meeting. Because

Rory and Adam were the embodiment of gay book romance. They had the main necessary ingredient after all:mutual initial apathy

Mind you, this antipathy is not exclusive to gay romances. Think Elizabeth and Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice”!

So, after an unfortunate start, she even sets up a sub group, with just the old dears called the Adam and Rory RPS Club (Real person slash for the uninitiated).

I loved that Adam and Rory were accepted so unequivocally. There was no resentment at these two men turning up. They were welcomed with open arms because, after all, don't gay men have a right to be part of a club that discusses books about them?

Gertrude had not expected her book club to do much more than pass a few winter's evenings for her ladies in pleasant company, sharing a newfound delight in theoretical men and their intriguing love lives. She'd had no idea that two characters would literally walk off the pages and come to her first meeting. Todd and Brad and Danny and Jimmy and all of her favourites mixed up and even prettier, yet solid and in the flesh, and she had literally bumped into them as they'd hovered in the doorway like the helpess creatures they were.

From then on, seating arrangements, cups of tea and biscuits were skilfully brought in to achieve certain results. Because

Oh, what delicate, shy, creations they were, men, when you got beneath the leather and the strut. She'd actually smelt the fear.

What hope did Adam and Rory have?

Rory, “the very pretty one” identifies strongly with Hugh Dancy and Grigg, the character he played in the film The Jane Austen Book Club. Rory loves books with a passion and longs for a bookworthy romance. He wants his Heathcliff (Wuthering Heigts), his Gabriel Oak (Far from the Madding Crowd) ”whenever you look up there I shall be—and whenever I look up, there will be you.” He knows that life is not like a romance book, but he fervently wishes it was.

For years, he'd dreamed of being a teacher and sharing his love of books with children. However, he is quickly becoming disillusioned with his career.

Teaching English to Year Ten wasn’t fun. Not difficult, merely…lacklustre. The Department for Education had apparently decided anything intellectual and actually related to an education in English literature was too fraught with cultural elitism to attempt. The set book this year, consequently, was a gang-related graphic novel. Year Ten enjoyed colouring in the pictures though.

Added to this is his inability to understand or cope with another teacher, Lexi.

While the book is very funny in places, I didn't laugh at Lexi, and I don't think the reader is meant to. I've decided I must still be stuck in the second tier of feminism as described in this article. I also think that you can stand up for your rights without impugning those of others or being downright hostile to the opposite gender. My attitude is always that no one has the right to be rude. Old, young, male, female, fat, skinny, rich or poor. So when Lexi said things like this:

Rory nodded and debated volunteering to carry her heavy book bag for her. Sometimes she accepted these offers gracefully, but sometimes he got a lecture on insidious male benevolent sexism, and she would accuse him of thinking of her as incompetent or needing his protection.

and from her partner, Susan

he was nothing more than a biological accident. When his stunned expression had been mistaken for defiance, Susan had added that in her opinion he was a walking, talking deficiency disease. Lexi had saved him by explaining he was gay.

Yet, knowing he was gay, Lexi still shamed him into handing out pamphlets entitled “Our Culture Perpetuates Violence Against Women” and “Male Violence on the Increase” while during Rape Culture awareness Day at the school he had to stand under a banner proclaiming “Violent-Masculinity and Victim Blaming”. Her style of rabid feminism is not shared by all females, as evidenced in this article

Her rudeness extended to belittlement of him for daring to be skinny.

She was particularly vocal about thin privilege (#thinprivilege), which she accused him of daily, citing many examples of how he shamed those who were obviously equally fit and healthy but nevertheless discriminated against in the workplace by virtue of being fortunate enough to be fat.

and

she commented on his cycling shorts. They were oppressive apparently, and it was thoughtless of him to parade around in them, given they only made such attire for skinny people.

It's interesting comparing her to his treatment of Peyton and Miles in More Heat than the Sun series. Both characters are overweight, but neither use this as an excuse for anything and neither are ever rude.

Lexi, on first meeting Adam, the other MC, immediately launches into an aggressive diatribe on the way women should be able to serve on the front lines in the army regardless of the fact that they do not share a male's physical capabilities. According to her, the rules should be changed to suit them. She doesn't get Adam's sarcasm in wondering whether the rules of engagement will also change to match it.

Ah, Adam. If ever there was an anti hero it's him. He starts out by insulting Rory when they first meet, inadvertantly punches him at the first book club meeting and then, at every opportunity tries to prove to him that getting involved in a relationship with him would be a BAD IDEA. He doesn't do romantic, He isn't nice. He's only interested in sex. And Rory should look elsewhere.

Yet despite all this, we keep seeing signs that this is all surface bluster. Underneath he's yearning for a connection as much as Rory is. Gert sees through his bluster immediately, because she knows about his tragic past. She doesn't know the full extent of the tragedies however and the self blame he is heaping on himself.

Adam left the army because of this tragic incident and is deliberately rejecting all the things that reminds him of his time there. After years of inspection and maintaining rigorous standards, he deliberately doesn't clean the house and takes no care in his appearance. But he's finding it difficult

Step by step, he’d decoupled himself from the army and all it had meant to him. A conscious survival mechanism to turn from something he could no longer have to something he needed to become: squalor in the house, foulness of mood, existing on anger and self-pity.
...But it was so hard to let go, to be so much less than he had once been. To be so diminished.

He likes to think he's a bad ass and then does things like this:

Unwilling to disturb his father by dragging three very reluctant collies back out to the yard, he gave them each a pat and tickle of rebuke then left them to it.

and he takes an instant liking to Charles, the frail husband of one of the old dears whose acting abilities are called into play one day

He lifted the old man, making a small joke about them having to stop meeting like this and tucked him in securely.

and it's not just the males he helps. When he comes across Fat Sam, the pet he had left behind

Adam put his hands on either side of the old dog’s face and felt an emotion so overwhelming he thought he might cry. He covered by gently play wrestling the silky ears.

But Rory is incensed that Adam left Fat Sam behind when he left Sandhurst. In fact, he discovers that

Being with Adam was like rolling in barbed wire—extremely uncomfortable yet increasingly entangling. Struggle for your life, or stay still and twist in the wind, either way there seemed no escape.

Because, even though they both know it will probably end in tears (for different reasons) they're drawn to one another. True humor occurs when Gert and the old dears try to help but often end up hindering their inevitable coming together.

But the old dears stick with both the book club and their efforts to get the two together. Rory suggests different books for their reading and they indulge him by agreeing. First off, Brokeback Mountain (which they found too short and wanted a happy ending) then a fictitious series which they loved, starring a librarian, Andrew French, and a homophobic detective called Jack (obviously based on Josh Lanyon's Adrien English!).

Adam, obviously uncomfortable at the similarities between him and Jake had been scathing of the series and after Adam's inexcusable behaviour at Sandhurst, Rory also rejects the series as "silly and unrealistic" and suggests instead they read The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren as the ending was much more realistic.

The (old dears were) willing to take his recommendations, of course, and lovely Andrew and amusing Jack were therefore put to one side.

But death intervened and securing their future became paramount.

How this was achieved was probably more for literary suspense than fulfilling a feminist agenda, but it had the added benefit of leaving them with cash for possible future health issues rather than once again being asset rich and cash poor.

There's no doubt that Adam and Rory wouldn't have got together without the intervention of the old dears, but I loved the way there was no intrusive or insensitive manipulation. If any happened, it was inadvertant and forgiven because Adam and Rory knew they meant well and wanted only the best for them. Everything was done through understanding of what makes people tick. Of seeing what was unsaid as well as what was said. Of treating people with respect for what they did rather than what they demanded. And if Adam or Rory fucked up and acted badly, then they tried to discover why.

The writing is a delight as usual. Sometimes his books need to be read twice to enure you haven't missed things. This time, although there's a trademark John Wiltshire dog, it's really the old dears who steal the book. Especially as they espouse that great British tradition of self deprecation and the ability to laugh at their problems.

More importantly, the financial security and support of Adam and Rory as a team, has left the old dears in a position to add another type of distraction to fill their days. The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Murder-Mystery Club

I'm really looking forward to reading that.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

John Wiltshire proves once again that he's one of the most versatile writers in the world of m/m. This seemed like a big departure from the More Heat than the Sun and A Royal Affair series. I mean, it's about a book club -- in Dartmoor -- with a bunch of "Old Dears" trying to use what they've learned from reading m/m romance to matchmake for our two MCs. So yes, very different. But yet, this does still have his trademark humour, a great sense of place and, of course, a lovely romance with a very endearing (and perpetually apologizing) MC (Rory). Fun and unique.

All that being said, I'm going to admit that there were some parts of this book where I was beginning to think I should be offended (especially as a female reader of m/m!) ...

[♣ Irish Smurfétté ♣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review on Prism Book Alliance®

Rory saw the handwritten sign posted on the village hall notice board as he flew silently past on his bicycle at the end of the first day of the new autumn term. It was his favorite part of the ride home, coming off the moor with its seductive scents of bracken and dung, down into the pitch dark of the green tunnel lane that wound through the tiny Devon village of Buckland-in-the-Vale.

Opening paragraph and I was already grinning. Talk about setting the scene and the tone from the git go. This follows through most of this story, with the fun references, the character motivations, being the 100% completely built characters they are, in a tiny village in Cornwall. We’re introduced to most of these people one by one, including those involved in the event alluded to in the title of this amusing yarn.

Also from the git go is the battle between my chuckling on page after page and the obvious shade being tossed towards women and anyone with an ounce of fat, which, according to the main character Adam, automatically assumes they’re unhealthy and therefore unworthy. He doesn’t use those words but those are clearly the feelings he has. More on this later.

I’m not kidding when I say I was chuckling and giggling at these sweet, caring people who so obviously want nothing but the best for their neighbors and friends, despite some of their own inner thoughts. Well, except for those neighbors who might slightly annoy you from time to time. But yeah, even them. The fact that they know each other, their family histories, so well translates into that deep level of care, as well as the ability to lay on the snark, show their true colors, no matter how muddy, and feel they have license to interfere in each others’ goings on.

A number of the tropes found within many of the books floating around the romance world, and the stereotypes often attributed to those who read them, are used as points of said snark. The tropes are true, while most of the stereotypes unfair. However, one of them is utterly on point: simply because one reads books doesn’t mean one then possesses a vast vat of knowledge about gay men (in this particular case) and what they feel and why. There are no points awarded for reading books. And there are certainly no rewards given for then using said reading of these books as proof of that vast vat, especially while simultaneously treating gay men as items to collect and crow over with pride, and proof of said support. People aren’t things to be set on shelves and highlighted as demonstrations of one’s enlightened state and entrance into some nonexistent club.

Yup, I said it. And Wiltshire wrote it. And it’s all wrapped up in a truly sweet, loving, humorous tale about folks in a tiny village living their lives together and loving each other, sometimes in their own special ways.

Let’s get back to those things, shall we? Because they are plentiful and there’s no denying these truths: I chuckled, giggled, and cackled (this bared repeating because, holy funny bone, Batman, I snortled); I understood and felt most of the emotions of these wonderfully fleshed out characters; and I loved the multiple pokings of the stick at the aforementioned tropes. It was so easy to picture, hear, feel every scene, what was happening and where. I felt those connections, even to the characters I didn’t necessarily want to do so. This is especially true of Adam. There are two ‘a-ha’ moments that do inform a good amount about his personality, letting things slide into place and allowing for empathy on my part. This doesn’t apply, however, to the dislike/suspicion/disdain (one? all of?) for women (which is a contradiction given the way some of the old Dears are portrayed, while others do in fact prove this point), and anyone who carries an amount of fat on their bodies. Both of these things are brought up more than once during the times we get Adam’s view of current happenings. Do these things fit the character? Maybe. Did they toss me right out of the story, especially after multiple times? Yep. For anyone who reads this and experiences the same, I understand. By the same token, I’m also more than strong enough to slough off any misogynistic and shallow digs at women, and anyone who isn’t a walking set of svelte muscles. More than anger or sadness, I felt bad for Adam that he walks around with these feelings.

As I said, though, there’s no denying the enjoyment I experienced while reading this. Wiltshire’s humor is spot on and Rory is one of the most interesting people, as is Gert, and Brian (Adam’s father), and Charles, and many of the other supporting characters, including the dog. Yep, there’s a dog. ;)

This is not heavy on romance between Rory and Adam. They have their (mostly interrupted) sex scenes, but most of their time is spent trying to figure each other out, sometimes failing, and deciding whether they do in fact belong together. The jury’s still out, but I liked watching them play the first few minutes of what could be a lifelong match. They’re surrounded by many people who wish to see them happy, together, and I liked watching them try to make it happen, too.

On a technical note: I’m pretty sure the copy I bought was missing a few alternating pages at the end. Anyone else experience that? I got the gist, but happening at the end of the story wasn’t great timing.

*Originally Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance®

[liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm angry about this book. I highlighted so much of the misogyny and mocking, but I don't know if I feel like typing it all and getting angry all over again. The book made me wonder if *I* just didn't have enough of a sense of humor, and no. No. There's nothing wrong with me. There is, however, a whole helluva wrong with an author writing a book where the feminist lesbians are made into caricatures of social just warriors. This wreaks of so many types of privilege, it's boggling. Meanwhile, I felt in this endless cycle of "it's just a joke" humor. WTF. What kind of book requires pages of that? Who are you poking fun at? Everyone? At least pick a target and stick with it.

I'm horribly disappointed in a book full of caricatures and stereotypes. I'm not for sure the author isn't poking fun at romance readers and particularly m/m readers...but that would be a level of fuckery I can't even with.

I've been buying on release day everything this author writes since the first time I read and loved LOVE IS A STRANGER. I've had quibbles and fights with this publisher and continued to buy the books from this author. Now, I can't even see a time when I'll feel ok rereading the books I already have.

[Shanen · Rating 5 out of 5]

F**king stellar !!! The old dears are lovely. Adam is ridiculous but I'm in love regardless. Rory....~ sigh. Rory. I just loved this story so much.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if Buckland-in-the-Vale is a real place, but if it is, I want to go and live there. I want Gertrude and Ivy and Jane and Hilary and all the old dears in this book to be part of my life. I want to join the book club. And that puzzles me, because I also want to be part of Ben Rider and Nikolas Mikkelsen's life--the terror, the mayhem, the killing, the passion of those two previous main characters of John Wiltshire's novels. I guess that's the power of this author's ability to create a sense of place, to create characters that seem quite real, that each time I pick up one of his books I'm there, wanting to be in the action and not just reading it.
This book particularly resonated with me because it's more similar to my world than the More Heat Than the Sun novels. They are full of almost fantastical happenings, a pounding of the senses with high-adrenaline adventure. Here, in this book, a slightly too large glass of sherry is about all the excitement the old dears have to look forward to--until the book club is formed. And it's those tiny details of an elegant, polite, well ordered English life slowly slipping away that made me grin and tear up over this story.
I have no idea how foreigners (no, not the Cornish, LOL) will take this book. It's so quintessentially English that I'm beginning to think the author's denials that he's the John Wiltshire of The Hidden Jane Austen are wearing a bit thin. He even mentions The Jane Austen Book Club in this novel.
But, I hear you ask, this is a gay novel, right? It most definitely is and with two of the best MCs I've read in a long while. Rory is just adorable. There's no other word for him. His stumbles through the PC-gone-mad world of education had me spitting my tea. I want all my teacher friends to read this book because it presumably explains why they are going prematurely grey and leaving the profession. Rory is a great MC because for all his sweet innocence and squirming attempts not to give offence to anyone ever, he's got a core of steel. And Adam (the other MC) for all his uncaring outward demeanour and give-offence-whenever-I-like attitude is hollow inside. He's a man collapsing in on himself through grief and a sense of complete dislocation with his life. So, who rescues whom in this lovely little book? The teacher or the soldier? You'll have to read it to find out.
Pour yourself a small (or large) sherry, sit in a beam of sunlight where you can smell the moors (or have a good imagination) and indulge.
I'm off to read this one again slowly. Because of course I can live in Buckland-in-the Vale with Rory and Adam and Mr Samuel Springer and all the ladies--whenever I pick this book up to re-read.

[Tamika♥RBF MOOD♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Groans**

I'm not sure what more can John Wiltshire do. I've been dreading this review for a few days. Before this book was written, I was super desperate to see if Wiltshire can write a pure contemporary romance without any of the exceeding reality situation from the More than Heat the Sun Series. He did write a humorous, contemporary romance. Why the head bang? Because I wasn't satisfied. I like how in my mind he's writing for me. I'm not happy, and he's probably thinking like what more do they want? He did enough, but it just wasn't enough for me. Clearly, I have some sort of complex, and I promise you I don't but I had huge expectations for this book. The only thing that saved me from DNF this book was Rory!!! I loved Rory. I liked the old lady gang in the beginning, but them heifers had to much page space for me. Adam is



 
That's exactly how I felt. He was such a douche-face! ARGH!!! It was super teeth pulling for me to like him. He was an asshole, the biggest prat ever, and super self-absorbed. I literally kept picturing myself kicking in him the nads over and over. It was slim pickings for Rory, so the only available gay guy had to be this dude. I swear, if it wasn't for his good looks then I'd want Rory to be a monk forever. Just let it go, or move away. I won't give the plot away. I love the initial meeting in what both guys thought this was a gay hookup instead of an actual book club. I loved the premise of it as well. Definitely a feel good story, and I can see people fawning over it. Wiltshire humor and writing is super spot on. I found myself intrigued with the story right off the back. It was a bit of angst, but I definitely appreciated it. It leaves off with a HFN with the strong possibility of a HEA. It could go two ways, but we'll see if a sequel is written.

[Bellbomb Bellbomb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection!

I had so many LOL and some hiccupping moments while reading this book. So rich with delightful story and endearing characters, and all the literary references make me want to recommend this book to my college English professor. Rory reminds me of him so much since he was also English, very intelligent, gay, and had misgivings about the mandatory syllabus but tended to express his misgivings with temperament that would rival Adam’s at the beginning of the story (much to us Thai students’ bewilderment). Another thing that really fascinates me is how Rory likens Adam to Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights, because of all the literature I had to read back then, Wuthering Heights was my favorite that I asked my professor (a different one, also English but not gay) if I could write a midterm paper on it instead of the other titles he gave us. I always knew Heathcliff was different from his fictional peers, but now Rory gives me the whole new perspective to view him from! XD

The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club is thoroughly enjoyable. There are also many interesting subtexts about social issues I’m sure are close to John’s heart. So, apart from the feel-good vibe, the book also gives me many things to think about beside how I’d like to whack Adam sometimes or how I want to give Rory and every member of the old dears a hug. Definitely one of my best reads this year.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everybody NEEDS to read this book because it's the most heart-warming, tongue-in-cheek, yet nuanced and well-written book I've read this year.

If you've been hearing about John Wiltshire and are curious but find his other books too heavy for you. This is the one to start. Because it's really sweet and light, but not vapid.

Please. Do yourself a favor and buy this. Because it's an amazing read.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gentle parody that while playfully mocking the mm romance genre, succeeds in paying wonderful tribute to books and romance at the same time.
This hopeless romantic (I have the DVDs of every Austin movie/tv series ever made) loved it.

[C · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm deeply saddened by this book, not because it's badly written, but because it's poisoned by the disappointing social views of its author. I liked the story, felt sympathy for its protagonists, found the writing engaging. I even related to the frustration of dealing with a so-careful-not-to-offend-that-it-avoids-education school curriculum. But to have a character's internal thoughts write off the entire faith spectrum of a quarter of the world's population as a "murderous psychosis"? To dismiss the identity of trans people as ridiculous? To scoff at the notion that rape culture is a problem distinct from actual sexual assault? This was not gentle satire of a society overcompensating for past sins against women and marginalized people.

I'm sorry I read this book. The sections I found troubling lead me to look into the author and read some of his comments elsewhere on Goodreads. They appear to affirm my suspicion that the views above, expressed by his character, are views he holds as his own. I should have stuck to reading his historical adventures—it's unlikely I would have discovered this sad truth if I had. I doubt I'll read Wiltshire again.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winning m/m romance by Mr. Wiltshire. Rory is sweet, naive and utterly adorable, and I loved how he negotiated Adam into a relationship. The "old dears" were just lovely, too. I thoroughly enjoyed this.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

Due to lack of punctuation, Rory, an English teacher and Adam, pretty much the only gay guys in a small English village, are intrigued by the announcement of the inaugural meeting of a Gay Book Club. The club is actually started by a group of older women who have discovered the joys of reading Gay Romances, and they immediately plot to try and create a real life romance against all odds.

Adam is not a happy guy, having left a career in the military to help his injured father on the family farm. Rory is not his type at all and chatting about Gay Romance with a coterie of elderly ladies is also far from his thing. Rory isn't all that impressed with Adam, either, even though he can't help thinking Adam could be Heathcliff, or some other romantic literary character that he seems to fixate on as an answer to his lacking love life.

There is humor, some gentle, but also some rather sharp. There is also sadness and tragedy. And in the midst of it all, romance. Despite the sharper pokes at political correctness and the educational system, the overall message is positive and loving. The ladies of the book club could easily have been skewered for their views of gay men derived only from books, but they are not. Rory is not just a timid teacher with a penchant for wearing bright cycling gear. Adam is not just a guy with a chip on his shoulder. His buddies aren't just crazy party-boys. But there is a lot stacked against... just about everyone. And the path to true love is definitely not smooth.

I loved the characters. The book club women are amazing. The village and place also plays a distinctive role. There are dogs with character, even if they are an indistinguishable pack. Situations that are hilarious and events that are bittersweet. There is just SO much in this book! It's different, quirky, strange, beautiful, and dark-edged. Not your typical M/M Romance in many ways, even though all the elements and many of the tropes are there. Wiltshire is a unique voice in this genre, and well worth checking out.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really thought I was going to love this book, simply because everything about it should have been wonderful: the gloriously ridiculous mistake that led to the MCs' first proper meeting; the gorgeous backdrop of Devon countryside; the interfering and misguided yet lovely gaggle of old women... and yet, this book left me so angry I wanted to punch something; preferably, the author.

First of all, the author was very obviously trying to make a point that the vast majority of m/m readers are silly straight females who only want to read about model-worthy men having lots of sex, because apparently they have nothing better to do with their lives. Which, while the demographics may be based in truth, the reasons behind it are many and varied, and while it's okay for a character to think these things, when there is no opposing view to put it into perspective, it very quickly becomes clear that this is actually the author's own point of view.

Secondly, there is an awful lot of negativity towards the education system and its attempts to be more inclusive. The rape culture awareness project was treated as a joke, as was the Syrian refugees issue and the idea of including more diverse books in the curriculum. Wiltshire made jokes out of lesbian social justice warriors, turning them into caricature 'feminazis', lamented the lack of actual 'literature' being included in the English syllabus, as though anything not written by white men for white men was meaningless drivel, and turned Rory, who should have been a delightful, sweet, nice young man into an insta-loving, snivelling, idiot.

I have the very real sense that this book was written purely as a dig to all women who enjoy this kind of genre, and the fact that I paid to read this means that I have actively helped turn myself into the butt of a joke by a right-wing, sexist bigot. It says at the back of the book that Witlshire is currently living in NZ while hoping to return to the UK. Please don't, Mr. Wiltshire; the more of you we can get rid of, the better my country will be.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not unenjoyable, but lacking the edginess, wit and passion of Wiltshire's More Heat than the Sun series. This is a cosy sorta-romance, with the self-named Old Dears of B-i-t-V conspiring to bring Adam and Rory together. Other than the fact they are the only two gay men in the village, it really isn't clear why they *should* be together, and as a love story there's something missing. But go with the cosy flow and it's a perfectly acceptable way of spending a couple of hours.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again ........ Made me laugh out loud ! Love this author!

[Snowball · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful romp with some of the best comedic lines I've read in any book. I'm hoping there's a sequel.

[Arch Bala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure yet on how to permanently place this book on my like-o-meter because there are parts of it that I really, really love whilst some scenes (mostly from the insufferable Adam Sandstone) makes me want to hurl my e-reader into someone or something. Preferably against my nosy neighbour’s flower garden. Or my neighbour himself. Truth.

I loved Rory because I can totally relate to him and geez, he’s basically me (minus the model-pretty look, lol!) He’s funny, incredibly charming and just about the most adorable ever! His penchant for apologizing is just too endearing…made me winced a couple of times but mostly, made me root for him and his quest for his one true love. A total darling indeed!

Adam on the other hand is the total opposite of Rory. He’s abrasive, insolent, self-absorbed and just about the biggest prick in their little home town. And he’s drop-dead gorg. Served the military. And again, a prick. I didn’t like him one bit if I’m being honest. And his douche move during the party made me a bit restless that I needed to pause on my reading. It’s really minor so it’s a “me” issue. Ugh.

The old dears of course are just about the best book club members ever! They’re like the Desperate Housewives, only 20 years older, funnier and actually knows how to read. Hah! They’re just so cute!

John Wiltshire’s humor is always spot on. His writing style kind of reminds me of Josh Lanyon. The latter isn’t known for her humor but their style got the same intensity regardless of the genre and theme of the story.

Here, we’ve got a full-on John Wiltshire humor mixed with some of his characters’ usual angst (from Adam, ahem!). A tiny bit of angst, that is. It’s a HFN ending which I thought was kind of cruel because I just want lovely Rory to get his happy-ever-after-book-ending. I reckon that there would be a second book in store for us? I do hope that it’s for another couple altogether – say the vicar himself? Yay! Is that even possible? Not entirely sure about the mechanics but yeah… I’m going to finish this asking you guys to pick this up because it’s an absolutely delightful read. For now, I think I’d categorize this one as “I kinda liked it.”

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Slightly different to what I usually read.
A group of oldies thrying to set up the town gays to become a couple.
I liked ROry and Adam together . I wish the suthor might make this a series there seems to much more the old dears and Roray and Adam could do.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings. I think I didn't "get" this book. For some reason (blurb and cover, perhaps), I thought this would be a lot lighter and cheerier than it was, but it's John Wiltshire, and I probably should know better than to expect a charming and cheery and light small-town love story from him. There is charm and humour and small-town loveliness here, but it's matched with really cutting commentary and an almost too-harsh mocking of pretty much everything. I think I'm not quite sure what the author was going for. I liked the Old Dears and I liked Rory. Adam is called "unpleasant" in the blurb and he really is--I found him unlikable and rude and kind of manipulative and I didn't like how he treated Rory. The romance felt a little flat to me and the ending is almost fairy-tale-unrealistic in how prettily it all ends. I've really enjoyed several of this author's books and there's good things here, but I think I just didn't "get" this book.

[Cerisaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this novel so much (just what I needed as a break from complex Scandinavian crime and my WWII obsession) I was reluctant to finish reading, and would be very happy to hear John Wiltshire plans to write more books set in Bucklands-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor (the ending certainly gives hope).

What can I say to add to the many great reviews here? A wonderfully positive, life-affirming read with a sweet, though not angst-free, romance between two men, Rory and Adam, who are very much 'opposites'. Aided in love (not that Adam would use the word) by a group of elderly ladies all too aware of the shortness of life, how few opportunities anyone has, the necessity to live each day to the full.

It is very English, wickedly funny, beautifully written with witty dialogue and lots of literary references, abundant with sense of place (Devon), with lovingly created characters (male and female), warm, human (and multi-generational) relationships and, for good measure, sweet romance and enough erotic excitement to keep hearts well aflutter. Like curling up on a comfy sofa before a blazing fire while rain lashes against the windows and icy winds blow all around. Eating hot buttered crumpets toasted (on a proper toasting fork) on a real fire with the smell of peat smoke permeating the air. Not many books feature a gang of octogenarians depicted in such a positive yet nonetheless believable light: elderly ladies, asset rich because of house price inflation, scrimping to make do on their small pensions. Discovery of gay romance novels gives the old dears renewed vigour and purpose, and much-needed jollies. It is obvious John Wiltshire had fun writing this book. The old dears are drawn with clear affection, a tribute to a generation of women now passing.

Ivy leant forward and patted Gert's knee. "Do you know, before all this started, I think it was us- you and me, Jane, Hetty- all of us old dears-we were the ones in the slow-motion, headlong, irreversible fall. We were tottering towards death, Gert. But look at us now! A new adventure- at our age! So, no, we most definitely aren't what we once were, and I, for one, am jolly glad of it."

And a library (with rambling house) from my dreams!

The old vicarage had been for sale when Rory had bought the cottage. Detached, in an acre of rhododendrons that backed onto the moors, he'd fallen in love so fast that he'd actually been breathless with desire. It had bay windows, with window seats and a library. A library. Empty of books, of course, but fully fitted oak bookshelves from floor to ceiling with a ladder to reach the inaccessible ones, which slid across on a rail. Seriously. A sliding ladder.

Serious truths about life, love and what's wrong with the modern world, dumbed down, hyper-sensitive, obsessed with the things that divide us, anti-elitist, anti-intellectual, an education system that fails young people.

They were the first generation to be pushed out of the education system with no language to express the yearning he now felt for that first glimpse of Adam striding off the tor to meet him. For wasn't that what great literature gave you? Belief that life should be better than it often turned out to be and an ability to recognise and express- like now- when it was.

I loved the old dears, and Rory, of course, who looks like Hugh Dancy and says "Sorry" ALL the time, but my heart really went out to Adam, the brooding Heathcliff of Rory's dreams, A windblown, disheveled Jamie Dornan- before he'd sold out to the dark forces of Twilight. More when he was terrifying Gillian Anderson in Belfast. With his Branston pickle and Mother's Pride loaf in his basket in the local Co-op. Tragic history, Sandhurst background, total denial of love & romance. All gruff surface layers and inner need and vulnerability.

And, of course, since this IS John Wiltshire, there's a dog, Fat Sam the non-springing Springer Spaniel.

Above all the novel celebrates literature and reading, the sheer joy of discovering and sharing books with like-minded souls, which after all is what Goodreads is about. I am not keen on them as a rule due to my natural disinclination to read something I have been told to, but I would definitely sign up for The Buckland-in-the-Vale and Sandstone Tor Gay Book Club!

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.25 stars

So, John Wiltshire. On the one hand, I am wholly enamored of his A Royal Affair series. On the recommendation of a blog commenter, I gave his More Heat Than the Sun series a try—it was less awe inspiring for me. Batting 1 for 1, I wasn’t sure what to expect with Buckland-in-the-vale…unfortunately, I didn’t get utterly absorbed by the characters like I did with A Royal Affair. Overall, I didn’t really feel a sense of connection to the characters. Adam I just plum didn’t like. Rory fared much better, but there are at least a couple places where, despite his fierce commitment to getting a romantically committed partner, he is willing to renege (thankfully, there are circumstances that allow me to feel it is still somewhat in line with him as a character…but still, the whole premise of “Rory” is that he’s out for true love, eh). More irritating, but taking up somewhat less space on-page, was the depiction of the octogenarians. I read the dedication in this book and it made me want to run right out and volunteer at a retirement village or something so I could have my own circle of extra generational friends. But the actual descriptions for these ladies in the book (presumably modeled after real-life people familiar with the author) left a taste of…well, misogyny in my mouth.

So I want to say that, while the characters were a bit lack luster, the story was very good. Except it, too, didn’t quite keep me on tinter hooks the way Royal Affair and More Heat Than the Sun (all it’s issues aside) most certainly did. The lengthy set-up just to get the action rolling was something of a drain, too. While I don’t need Lights! Camera! SEX! from the first page, I wasn’t a huge fan of the plodding way the author frames the whole misplaced hyphen mishap. And, to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how powerfully confusing “gay book club” versus “gay-book club” is…at least to me as an American English speaker. (Full disclosure: I happened to teach English for several years and currently, regularly translate and proofread technical documents and presentations where grammar matters. I concur, the state of the average person’s command of basic elements of style is atrocious, but hyphenated adjectives? Really?)

Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.

[Anke · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

It started out great, but at some point my mood fell. I'm with several other reviewers that I didn't like the way the women were portrayed. Then the whole scene at the Sandhurst academy was just too bizarre.
The ending was nice but in the unlikely event that there will be more books following this one - I'll give them a pass.

ETA: Although I'm more with the 1*-reviews, I'll stick to my rating as for quite some time I had fun with this book, it just then went down.

[Nana Sumire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended for all m/m romance readers!

Very sweet, funny, there's a few "awww...let's hug Rory!" and some "wtf, let's punch Adam!" but together Rory and Adam are one of the sweetest couple I've read (and I read plenty, believe me. )

So yeah, one of the best for 2016!

(I'm still smiling while writing this. So good.)

[Nicolas Chinardet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing, charming read even if some of the phrasing is sometimes a little odd and jaunty.

[Orchard Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really should not read other people's reviews. I was getting worried about this book. Was it a new Camp of the Saints? Ann Rynd of little England? LOL. Nothing of the kind. This is the sweetest tribute to graciousness and politeness in life I've read in a long time. Centered around nine women, all in their eighties, who discover a passion for gay books, the story cuts between their attempts to found and run a sensible book club to discuss gay literature, and two young men in the village who want to do a great deal more than talk. Tricked into attending the first meeting of the club, the young guys are no match for the machinations of Gertrude and the hardy stalwarts of Buckland-in-the-Vale. Because of course, who would want to read books when you can have a real life romance play out in front of your eyes?
The only trouble for the old girls is that Rory and Adam aren't all that obliging in the romance department. They take an almost instant dislike to each other.
The twists and turns of this delightful coming together had me chuckling, gritting my teeth with frustration on occasion, but ultimately cheering.
I haven't read such a feel-good story for a very long time. Like another reviewer said, I'd really like to live in Buckland-in-the-Vale and I'd definitely be a member of the book club!
The deadication in the front implies that these are real people the author knows. If that's true, then I suspect they will be very touched by this thoughtful, loving tribute to all that is still good in this world.
This one will come out and be read again.

[Ladymol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting this book. I'm slightly stunned. It's totally immersive. Within a few chapters we're introduced to the most delightful old girls you could wish to meet and swallowed whole by this lovely plot. It was like reading a Joyce Grenfell, jolly hockey sticks romp mixed with a compelling, subtle love story between two mismatched men. I use the words subtle and love very deliberately. This isn't a hardcore gay sex book by any means. But if you like stories where attraction builds slowly, despite all odds, then this one is for you. Personally, I really liked Adam, the bad boy of the Vale. He's had a bit of a hard time of it in life, one way and another, and his slow peeling away of gruff, angry layers is a delight to read. It seems to be a theme the author is particularly interested in, and in his novel Ollie Always I never quite felt the same engagement with Tom--another ex-Army bad boy. This novel allows Adam to come to the fore because the pov switches between Rory and Adam.
But for me this novel is about Gert and her co-conspirators and Fat Sam the "non-springing Spaniel" (his name gives it away).
If you follow John on twitter you'll know he has a dry but wicked sense of humour. He clearly enjoyed writing this book. Well I enjoyed reading it. Very much.
Highly recommended.

[Kim T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it


Adam and Rory don't have an easy time of it.
You have Adam who at times you wanted to hug and at times wanted to give him a slap upside the back of his head.

He is defiantly the most damaged of the two after a childhood tragedy and the way it was dealt with has shaped his life and the way he sees the world, it's not a very positive view.

Then you have Rory who is a touch naive but hopeful that someday he will meet...the one...
Rory has a joy about him that makes Adam want I suspect strangle him a time or two.

The you have the Old dears the gaggle of 80 year olds who start this whole story off with discovering M/M books for the first time.
The book discussion on Brokeback Mountain was priceless and really has to be read a couple of times to appreciate J W brilliance in smart funny dialogue.

What I like most about the way JW writes is his characters grow and develop throughout the book.

I am hoping there will be another one, I can't wait to see what mischief the ladies and Rory can get into and Adam trying to talk some sense into them.

It's a great book and well worth read.