Reverend Ian Kenyon knows the harsh sting of life and how a man can suffer a loss of faith. The death of his wife and newborn son shook him to his foundations, and he's been drifting ever since. Bryn Morgan has returned home from prison to the only family he has—an abusive father who abandoned him to the law when Bryn was unjustly accused of rape. Still poor, lost, and shunned, Bryn searches for work, any work that will allow him to survive.
Reluctantly moved by Bryn's plight, Ian hires the young man to work on his farm despite Bryn's prickly, defensive nature. Soon Ian fears his growing feelings of grace and compassion might be something else, something more... heated. Whatever the cause, he knows they are impossible to pursue, because Heaven only knows what would happen if a man of God began to have forbidden feelings for his hired man.
I haven’t been reading many historicals lately, and hadn’t realised how much I missed the genre until I came across this (it’s set in 1898). I suppose in the end the historical really is my favourite genre of gay-themed novel, with fantasy coming in a very close second.
Oh, there’s nothing too surprising here; the story progresses much as one would expect. But the plot features one of my favourite set-ups for this sort of book, where two rather damaged individuals (who have suffered some hard knocks from life) come together and experience a sort of emotional healing with one another. I quite enjoyed the story and have no problem in recommending it for those who enjoy the genre, though I do think a few aspects of the plot in the end were left up in the air.
Though---now about that cover---heh, heh, heh… I can’t help but think that it looks a bit goofy; it’s very difficult to take a book seriously with artwork like that. On the other hand---this isn’t a serious tome, is it---it’s an unabashed romance. So, I don’t know what I’m complaining about. It’s just that a more polished cover would lend the tale a bit more credibility or something….
Reverend Ian Kenyon knows the harsh sting of life and how a man can suffer a loss of faith. The death of his wife and newborn son shook him to his foundations, and he's been drifting ever since. Bryn Morgan has returned home from prison to the only family he has—an abusive father who abandoned him to the law when Bryn was unjustly accused of rape. Still poor, lost, and shunned, Bryn searches for work, any work that will allow him to survive.
Reluctantly moved by Bryn's plight, Ian hires the young man to work on his farm despite Bryn's prickly, defensive nature. Soon Ian fears his growing feelings of grace and compassion might be something else, something more... heated. Whatever the cause, he knows they are impossible to pursue, because Heaven only knows what would happen if a man of God began to have forbidden feelings for his hired man.
I haven’t been reading many historicals lately, and hadn’t realised how much I missed the genre until I came across this (it’s set in 1898). I suppose in the end the historical really is my favourite genre of gay-themed novel, with fantasy coming in a very close second.
Oh, there’s nothing too surprising here; the story progresses much as one would expect. But the plot features one of my favourite set-ups for this sort of book, where two rather damaged individuals (who have suffered some hard knocks from life) come together and experience a sort of emotional healing with one another. I quite enjoyed the story and have no problem in recommending it for those who enjoy the genre, though I do think a few aspects of the plot in the end were left up in the air.
Though---now about that cover---heh, heh, heh… I can’t help but think that it looks a bit goofy; it’s very difficult to take a book seriously with artwork like that. On the other hand---this isn’t a serious tome, is it---it’s an unabashed romance. So, I don’t know what I’m complaining about. It’s just that a more polished cover would lend the tale a bit more credibility or something….
The Hired Man