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Green Grow the Rushes
Whit’s beloved sister, Hraga, is engaged to be married. Voyaging ahead of her to the Mornhalle, the homeland of her future husband, he expects an uneventful journey. But when the nuptial celebration is threatened by delay, he agrees to stand in for Hraga at a proxy wedding–and finds her betrothed, Osfrid, to be handsome, quick to laugh, and eager to offer Whit his friendship.
Twenty-five years have passed since then. When sudden tragedy reunites him with Osfrid, and an irresistible invitation compels him to stay in the verdant mountains for the summer, Whit finds himself in a land of warm welcome and strange customs, in the company of a man as inscrutable as he is beautiful.
Here, with Osfrid, Whit could begin to finally understand himself and his deepest feelings–if only he had the time. Summer is not so long, and soon he must depart from Osfrid forever.
Twenty-five years have passed since then. When sudden tragedy reunites him with Osfrid, and an irresistible invitation compels him to stay in the verdant mountains for the summer, Whit finds himself in a land of warm welcome and strange customs, in the company of a man as inscrutable as he is beautiful.
Here, with Osfrid, Whit could begin to finally understand himself and his deepest feelings–if only he had the time. Summer is not so long, and soon he must depart from Osfrid forever.
214 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2023
2 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 19, 2023
I inhaled this book in under a day and was just so immersed in this world and its delightful wonderful characters. It felt like a warm blanket I can pull around myself on cosy winter nights that smells of pine needles and stew. It brought me such a sense of comfort and belonging and it was really just so wonderful in every single turn. I’ll be going back to this one again and again
November 18, 2023
This is more of a 3.5 than a 4 star review. This is a complicated one, because it has really great world-building outside the Christianity, and is wonderfully queer in a way I haven't seen in a lot of historical romance of its kind (though thankfully more these days). The protagonist is sweet, and the cast is lovely. There's a moment near the end that really grabbed me and probably earned a star on its own. When the prose is at its best, it is rather beautiful. I also really love a story with older male leads, which is why that as a tagline/marketing strategy really sold me on this (older man m/m? Sign me up!). Unfortunately the prose otherwise really lets it down for me.
Quite frankly this novella is incredibly long-winded and boring (which is weird for something so short), and this is further hindered by the present-tense narration and flowery prose, which make it incredibly difficult at times to figure out what is happening or who did what, or when. I had to reread chunks of the text to figure out what was going on, which was frustrating, particularly for so short a read. It also doesn’t help that this novella focuses a great deal on expanding every single minute detail ad nauseam, which at least personally isn’t exactly my cup of tea. Other folks have clearly not had this issue, which is awesome. Perhaps folks have more experience reading present tense than I do, and really love that level of expansive detail, and that made it easier to handle. It’s definitely not as bad as Cecilia Dart-Thornton, but goodness does it sometimes feel like it’s trying to be. It just doesn't work for me, and gives a winding story about very slow things even more drag. I took a break while reading to go to something else, and struggled to come back because of that drag, particularly given there was also the Christianity to look "forward" to. I do appreciate how queer the religion in this was, though.
I'm half tickled pink that the protagonist and love interest bonded by organizing a library, which is something I've done a few times (albeit alone) and find enjoyable, and it's not like I dislike archivist characters or stories, and half depressed because this was another way the narrative really slowed itself down in a way that was frustrating. I simultaneously appreciated the love of story and reading, and the love of handicrafts and respect for art, but struggled with how it combined into something of a slog.
It also would have been nice to have been told earlier that there's a glossary in the back of the book. I had a hunch about some of the special vocabulary, but I wasn't sure, and had no idea the book had a glossary in advance. I even checked twice to see if I missed some reference to it before reading, but I don't see anything. The world-building for this is quite wonderful, and the way the novella incorporates is quite good, and I appreciate that there is a glossary to explain it.
The characters do save the day, but there's frustration even there, .
Abby Gavitt's cover art is lovely, and sets the story tone well.
All in all, it's an interesting queer historical romance with older leads and incorporates religious tolerance with queerness in neat ways. If you want a soft read that's the equivalent of falling asleep while fishing on a hot day, but with , this might be for you. But if you don't like present-tense, a lot of expansion, or just slow narrative, this is going to be a struggle. If you like Dart-Thornton, this might be for you.
Quite frankly this novella is incredibly long-winded and boring (which is weird for something so short), and this is further hindered by the present-tense narration and flowery prose, which make it incredibly difficult at times to figure out what is happening or who did what, or when. I had to reread chunks of the text to figure out what was going on, which was frustrating, particularly for so short a read. It also doesn’t help that this novella focuses a great deal on expanding every single minute detail ad nauseam, which at least personally isn’t exactly my cup of tea. Other folks have clearly not had this issue, which is awesome. Perhaps folks have more experience reading present tense than I do, and really love that level of expansive detail, and that made it easier to handle. It’s definitely not as bad as Cecilia Dart-Thornton, but goodness does it sometimes feel like it’s trying to be. It just doesn't work for me, and gives a winding story about very slow things even more drag. I took a break while reading to go to something else, and struggled to come back because of that drag, particularly given there was also the Christianity to look "forward" to. I do appreciate how queer the religion in this was, though.
I'm half tickled pink that the protagonist and love interest bonded by organizing a library, which is something I've done a few times (albeit alone) and find enjoyable, and it's not like I dislike archivist characters or stories, and half depressed because this was another way the narrative really slowed itself down in a way that was frustrating. I simultaneously appreciated the love of story and reading, and the love of handicrafts and respect for art, but struggled with how it combined into something of a slog.
It also would have been nice to have been told earlier that there's a glossary in the back of the book. I had a hunch about some of the special vocabulary, but I wasn't sure, and had no idea the book had a glossary in advance. I even checked twice to see if I missed some reference to it before reading, but I don't see anything. The world-building for this is quite wonderful, and the way the novella incorporates is quite good, and I appreciate that there is a glossary to explain it.
The characters do save the day, but there's frustration even there, .
Abby Gavitt's cover art is lovely, and sets the story tone well.
All in all, it's an interesting queer historical romance with older leads and incorporates religious tolerance with queerness in neat ways. If you want a soft read that's the equivalent of falling asleep while fishing on a hot day, but with , this might be for you. But if you don't like present-tense, a lot of expansion, or just slow narrative, this is going to be a struggle. If you like Dart-Thornton, this might be for you.
January 31, 2025
This book was an absolute delight to read. So beautifully written, with lovable characters, luscious details, and nearly overwhelming emotions filling my heart. This story was all about companionship and grief, both of which were so achingly and accurately depicted. Personally, I adore a good slow burn, and this satisfied the thirst I didn't even know needed quenching. This book truly touched me, and I'm so glad to have read it.
May 15, 2023
(Full disclosure: Catrin is a friend :) )
A lovely, gentle warm read that I could not put down on the bus (and for which I fully ignored my work commute buddy who may have wanted to talk to me before we got to work) for the entire hour + of my travels. I may overempathize with Whitsun because of that.
A lovely, gentle warm read that I could not put down on the bus (and for which I fully ignored my work commute buddy who may have wanted to talk to me before we got to work) for the entire hour + of my travels. I may overempathize with Whitsun because of that.
January 24, 2024
What a lovely read this was! It felt like taking a relaxing walk in a moss-covered forest, or like a warm hug from a friend! I took my time reading it, savoring the beautiful prose, the unhurried pace of the story, the gentle atmosphere. There is so much warmth and love in this book, I was sad to put it down though I really enjoyed the ending. Truly a gem that deserves to be more widely-known!
March 25, 2023
the experience of reading this was like a mouthful of warm mead. this was such a lovely, lived-in world with a gentle, reflective ambiance, insanely lush prose, and a sweet love story centered around grief.
November 12, 2025
I've written a whole substack about my experience with this book.
(https://xhoyenauthor.substack.com/p/n...)
Sure, it has to be listed as queer lit, but I beg my fellow cis-hets of the world to not simply move on after seeing that. Read the article. You'll see.
(https://xhoyenauthor.substack.com/p/n...)
Sure, it has to be listed as queer lit, but I beg my fellow cis-hets of the world to not simply move on after seeing that. Read the article. You'll see.
April 14, 2025
Sumptuous; evocative.
November 23, 2025
Lovely exploration of grief and love in old age.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews