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The South Side Tour Guide
Andrew Wingal’s life has become a farce. Unemployed for more than a year, he starts giving tours into the seedy parts of Chicago to tourists eager to witness real-life crime. The local media, politicians, the police department, and belligerent gang members don’t like him. When Andy’s job gets him into deeper trouble, his hotheaded boyfriend insists he flee town for a few weeks until things simmer down. With nowhere else to go, Andy heads for eastern Iowa, where his former brother-in-law, Harden Krane, lives on an idyllic farm with his two school-age children, Mason and Olivia. Harden has his own specters haunting him. Left with his young daughter and son to raise on his own, he struggles to work full time and build a normal life for them. Yet when Andy shows up after a three-year absence, he hopes that the family’s hardships might ease up, if only temporarily. But during Andy’s stay, a common menace from Harden and Andy’s past appears unexpectedly—and Harden and Andy find solace in each other in a way neither imagined possible.
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2013
4 people are currently reading
245 people want to read
About the author
Shelter Somerset
12 books54 followersShelter Somerset's home base is Chicago, Illinois. He enjoys writing about the lives of people who live off the land, whether they be the Amish, nineteenth-century pioneers, or modern-day idealists seeking to live apart from the crowd. Shelter's fascination with the rustic, aesthetic lifestyle began as a child with family camping trips into the Blue Ridge Mountains. His “brand” is anything from historicals, mysteries, thrillers, and contemporaries, all with individualistic themes. When not back home in Illinois writing, Shelter continues to explore America's expansive backcountry and rural communities. His philosophy is best summed up by the actor John Wayne: "Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway."
Shelter Somerset's novels are available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Somerse...
Shelter Somerset's novels are available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Somerse...
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 12, 2013
4 Hearts
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Ok, so I loved this book. Really, it is written in such a way that even if you are totally indifferent to the story it will still enchant you and grip you till you’re done. Strange thing is it’s not the fast and furious intense kind of book. It’s a mundane thing, with a steady and calm pace, with everyday routine things in a supposedly boring part of the U.S, Iowa, with cornfields, and farmers, and waking up in the morning, working 9-5 and coming back home to eat and play monopoly games with your kids. And still, there I am transfixed and unable to look away from the incredibly hooking main characters, Andy and Harden.
Andy who is this guy fed up with the world. This guy whose ideals have gone to the bottom of the drawer and has convinced himself that if the world is going to shit, he’s gonna go with the flow and profit from it. This guy that despite what he tells himself to get the job done and survive yet another day, hates it with all his might. This City-Boy who can’t even see himself anywhere but in the City.
Harden. God, what a man, what a character. Impossible not to love, impossible not to care for this one. A man whom life has elbowed right in the face repeatedly and still stands tall, and still smiles, and still goes on. For what he doesn’t know, but he doesn’t stop. He got kids to raise and a family to keep and if he’s losing his mind and resources in the process so effing what. He’ll keep going and smiling while he’s at that. Harden, good old American boy, damn lovable.
The story is a bit wild in my head because of how very cool Harden was and how very in stride he took things. The morning rained frogs so what, he’ll wipe ‘em out and go to work. Even his sexuality and his revelations he dealt like that, with a smile and a “don’t dwell” attitude. In a way it was hilarious, in another somehow surreal. I mean, it’s not every day a divorced straight man falls for his ex-brother-in-law. It’s not every day that said ex-brother-in-law comes from the city in the middle of nowhere cornfield and sets in a rural style of life. And it’s definitely every day or anywhere that people of an entire city takes that thing in stride too. But I damn well loved it, couldn’t stop reading, couldn’t even think of sleeping when I finally gave in at 4 am in the morning and for the rest of my sleeping hours I kept dreaming the damn book. And it’s not even intense!!! Really it should be boring for me.
There was one part though that I couldn’t swallow and made a difference in my personal rating of this book and that was the Ken incident at the near end. That was not only unbelievable but ridiculous in some ways. I mean come on, a police officer would not behave like that on someone else’s property. It’s just beyond the sphere of reality for me. But thank God the previous and the rest of the book more than made up for that one scene. And God the intimate scenes between the pair, yeah, hot and sweet and familiar and yeah, repeating myself I know, but I loved it. I like this author’s writing style a lot, this slow trap he sets for you with an under the radar emotional story that before you’ve realized what has happened it has sucked you in its world and dares you to stop if you find the strength and the will, which you never do.
Recommend it? Hell yeah! Wonderful read, totally worth it.
Thommie
Review written for MM Good Book Reviews
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Ok, so I loved this book. Really, it is written in such a way that even if you are totally indifferent to the story it will still enchant you and grip you till you’re done. Strange thing is it’s not the fast and furious intense kind of book. It’s a mundane thing, with a steady and calm pace, with everyday routine things in a supposedly boring part of the U.S, Iowa, with cornfields, and farmers, and waking up in the morning, working 9-5 and coming back home to eat and play monopoly games with your kids. And still, there I am transfixed and unable to look away from the incredibly hooking main characters, Andy and Harden.
Andy who is this guy fed up with the world. This guy whose ideals have gone to the bottom of the drawer and has convinced himself that if the world is going to shit, he’s gonna go with the flow and profit from it. This guy that despite what he tells himself to get the job done and survive yet another day, hates it with all his might. This City-Boy who can’t even see himself anywhere but in the City.
Harden. God, what a man, what a character. Impossible not to love, impossible not to care for this one. A man whom life has elbowed right in the face repeatedly and still stands tall, and still smiles, and still goes on. For what he doesn’t know, but he doesn’t stop. He got kids to raise and a family to keep and if he’s losing his mind and resources in the process so effing what. He’ll keep going and smiling while he’s at that. Harden, good old American boy, damn lovable.
The story is a bit wild in my head because of how very cool Harden was and how very in stride he took things. The morning rained frogs so what, he’ll wipe ‘em out and go to work. Even his sexuality and his revelations he dealt like that, with a smile and a “don’t dwell” attitude. In a way it was hilarious, in another somehow surreal. I mean, it’s not every day a divorced straight man falls for his ex-brother-in-law. It’s not every day that said ex-brother-in-law comes from the city in the middle of nowhere cornfield and sets in a rural style of life. And it’s definitely every day or anywhere that people of an entire city takes that thing in stride too. But I damn well loved it, couldn’t stop reading, couldn’t even think of sleeping when I finally gave in at 4 am in the morning and for the rest of my sleeping hours I kept dreaming the damn book. And it’s not even intense!!! Really it should be boring for me.
There was one part though that I couldn’t swallow and made a difference in my personal rating of this book and that was the Ken incident at the near end. That was not only unbelievable but ridiculous in some ways. I mean come on, a police officer would not behave like that on someone else’s property. It’s just beyond the sphere of reality for me. But thank God the previous and the rest of the book more than made up for that one scene. And God the intimate scenes between the pair, yeah, hot and sweet and familiar and yeah, repeating myself I know, but I loved it. I like this author’s writing style a lot, this slow trap he sets for you with an under the radar emotional story that before you’ve realized what has happened it has sucked you in its world and dares you to stop if you find the strength and the will, which you never do.
Recommend it? Hell yeah! Wonderful read, totally worth it.
Thommie
May 18, 2013
Sometimes, when I read a book, it's like the words relax me, like laying back in a hammock in a warm summer breeze. Shelter Somerset's new book, The South Side Tour Guide, gives me that warm and wonderful feeling. As the story progresses, it takes the "mile a minute" pace of Chicago and gradually slows it down to something that is just more relaxed. (I don't really know how to describe it any better than that.).
This novel is about the complex relationship between two men, Harden and Andy. Harden was married to Andy's sister years before this book began. (While reading the book, the reader learns what happened to the ex-wife.). Harden has two kids, Mason and Olivia, and they all live in a farmhouse in rural Iowa.
Andy lives in Chicago, and runs a unique guided tour service of gangland areas in the south side of Chicago. He has a generally unfulfilling relationship with a closeted police officer named Ken, but it is clear that something is missing in his life.
Circumstances develop the require Andy to get out of Chicago for a time, so he calls his brother-in-law, Harden (who he hasn't spoken to in years), to see if he can come for a visit. That is the basic set-up for the book.
Throughout the book, these two main characters are trying to understand their own lives, but over time, it becomes crystal clear that these two men belong together. The two kids know that Harden and Andy should be a couple. I think that the kids acknowledge that these two men are their "parents" long before the two adults can acknowledge that fact.
As I was reading each page, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the lives of this little Iowa family -- longing for the simplicity and love that is presented to them every day.
The author writes from the heart, and I simply do not understand any reader saying that there was no love and sex in this book. It is certainly true that the story is not driven forward by one sex scene after another -- there is a real plot here folks! The love scenes in this novel are passionate, fulfilling, and totally hot: they show the bond that has developed between these two very different men.
As he has shown in his other books, the author has a special way with character development that is nearly without equal in this genre. I eagerly await each of this author's books when they come out, since you are sure not to get a "cookie cutter" romance -- each story, each character, is examined in just the right amount of depth.
Give this author a chance -- let his words weave into your heart, let the emotions that his characters feel ignite the smoldering emotions in your own mind -- then you will understand why this author consistently receives five star reviews.
This novel is about the complex relationship between two men, Harden and Andy. Harden was married to Andy's sister years before this book began. (While reading the book, the reader learns what happened to the ex-wife.). Harden has two kids, Mason and Olivia, and they all live in a farmhouse in rural Iowa.
Andy lives in Chicago, and runs a unique guided tour service of gangland areas in the south side of Chicago. He has a generally unfulfilling relationship with a closeted police officer named Ken, but it is clear that something is missing in his life.
Circumstances develop the require Andy to get out of Chicago for a time, so he calls his brother-in-law, Harden (who he hasn't spoken to in years), to see if he can come for a visit. That is the basic set-up for the book.
Throughout the book, these two main characters are trying to understand their own lives, but over time, it becomes crystal clear that these two men belong together. The two kids know that Harden and Andy should be a couple. I think that the kids acknowledge that these two men are their "parents" long before the two adults can acknowledge that fact.
As I was reading each page, I found myself becoming more and more immersed in the lives of this little Iowa family -- longing for the simplicity and love that is presented to them every day.
The author writes from the heart, and I simply do not understand any reader saying that there was no love and sex in this book. It is certainly true that the story is not driven forward by one sex scene after another -- there is a real plot here folks! The love scenes in this novel are passionate, fulfilling, and totally hot: they show the bond that has developed between these two very different men.
As he has shown in his other books, the author has a special way with character development that is nearly without equal in this genre. I eagerly await each of this author's books when they come out, since you are sure not to get a "cookie cutter" romance -- each story, each character, is examined in just the right amount of depth.
Give this author a chance -- let his words weave into your heart, let the emotions that his characters feel ignite the smoldering emotions in your own mind -- then you will understand why this author consistently receives five star reviews.
May 17, 2013
2.5 Stars
Full review with spoilers can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Full review with spoilers can be found at On Top Down Under Book Reviews.
This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 31, 2017
I totally love this one!
Is a bit sad but beautiful!!
Andy works in the bad side of the city and after some unfortunate events he needs to go away some days, so he decided to go to him former brother-in-law farm in iowa.
The brother-in-law is a LOVELY MAN of course, so imagine.
Is very slow burn! Yes!
And even the bit strangeness of their relation their romance is totally believable, the author had connected the plot very good in my opinion.
Is a bit sad but beautiful!!
Andy works in the bad side of the city and after some unfortunate events he needs to go away some days, so he decided to go to him former brother-in-law farm in iowa.
The brother-in-law is a LOVELY MAN of course, so imagine.
Is very slow burn! Yes!
And even the bit strangeness of their relation their romance is totally believable, the author had connected the plot very good in my opinion.
May 16, 2013
At first I thought the bro-in-law concept would be kinda gimmicky, but then as I reached the end I realized the plot wouldn't have worked any other way and in that sense the novel is somewhat brilliant in its construction for making you accept the relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and would read again someday.
May 30, 2013
4.5 Stars. http://joyfullyjay.com/2013/06/review...
Andrew Wingal is the south side tour guide. When he lost his job a year ago in a slagging economy, he decided to start up his own business by catering to people’s morbid fascination with the seedy underbelly of the city. Maybe it’s not the most moral of enterprises, but Andy’s never made as much money as he manages to rake in each week. People pay him to take them to the wrong side of town in order to get caught up in some sort of criminal activity and become part of the action.
When Andy becomes a witness to a murder, he needs to get out of town, and the only place he can escape to is his ex-brother-in-law’s Iowa farm. He quickly finds himself getting attached not only to his niece and nephew, but to the slow, laid-back lifestyle in Iowa that is completely opposed to his life in Chicago.
Andy starts to notice how easy things are with his sister’s ex-husband, Harden, as well. Harden, for his part, is ecstatic to have someone to help entertain his children, as he’s felt the burden of single parenthood since his wife has been gone. Andy steps into the role quickly and the children adore him. Life becomes almost too idealistic, and there are some problems that come their way before they can decide what the future holds.
It’s interesting that, as I started to write the summary for this novel, I found there wasn’t a whole lot to say, which is unusual for such a long book. This is not to say that the story was at all boring. Most of it takes place on a rural farm in Iowa, though, away from any type of city life. The pace is slow, but at the same time, really captures the feel of the setting. This is small-town life. There are town picnics. Everyone knows your business. Trips to the community pool are as exotic as it gets here. But by the end, I was ready to pack my bags and move to a farm. After I bought one. And figured out how to run it. There’s something so fascinating and intriguing about farm life.
There was also something compelling about the two main characters, Harden and Andy. This is an OFY story and gives you a good, slow build-up. I have such a love/hate relationship with these types of books. There’s nothing better than that anticipation of two characters coming together, but man is it frustrating! In this case, I was happy to wait for Harden and Andy. They were men full of integrity and kindness and were so good for each other. And it is not at all lacking in the steam department. There are a couple of great sex scenes, but the book is not overwrought with them. I think it maintained a perfect balance of sex and story.
I had a couple of small problems with this book. First of all, the author, on fairly frequent occasions, used kind of unnatural sounding language. For instance: “Some hurried to see where he was going, for they knew wherever Andy’s van traveled excitement wasn’t far behind.” It’s that “for” that’s throwing me off. It’s kind of a silly criticism, but one that I noticed on more than one occasion.
I also had a problem with the premise of the story — the idea of the south side tours. Perhaps I’m naive, but not only does this idea seems ludicrous, it would be a liability nightmare. Let’s drive into the seedy part of town and see if we can get shot at! If these tours exist, can they just not? While I thought the idea lent some real originality to the story, I felt it may have been at the cost of some credibility.
Overall, though, I thought the writing was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Shelter Somerset was a new to me author, and I will be following his books in the future. It’s a perfect summer read, so pick it up and give it a try!
Andrew Wingal is the south side tour guide. When he lost his job a year ago in a slagging economy, he decided to start up his own business by catering to people’s morbid fascination with the seedy underbelly of the city. Maybe it’s not the most moral of enterprises, but Andy’s never made as much money as he manages to rake in each week. People pay him to take them to the wrong side of town in order to get caught up in some sort of criminal activity and become part of the action.
When Andy becomes a witness to a murder, he needs to get out of town, and the only place he can escape to is his ex-brother-in-law’s Iowa farm. He quickly finds himself getting attached not only to his niece and nephew, but to the slow, laid-back lifestyle in Iowa that is completely opposed to his life in Chicago.
Andy starts to notice how easy things are with his sister’s ex-husband, Harden, as well. Harden, for his part, is ecstatic to have someone to help entertain his children, as he’s felt the burden of single parenthood since his wife has been gone. Andy steps into the role quickly and the children adore him. Life becomes almost too idealistic, and there are some problems that come their way before they can decide what the future holds.
It’s interesting that, as I started to write the summary for this novel, I found there wasn’t a whole lot to say, which is unusual for such a long book. This is not to say that the story was at all boring. Most of it takes place on a rural farm in Iowa, though, away from any type of city life. The pace is slow, but at the same time, really captures the feel of the setting. This is small-town life. There are town picnics. Everyone knows your business. Trips to the community pool are as exotic as it gets here. But by the end, I was ready to pack my bags and move to a farm. After I bought one. And figured out how to run it. There’s something so fascinating and intriguing about farm life.
There was also something compelling about the two main characters, Harden and Andy. This is an OFY story and gives you a good, slow build-up. I have such a love/hate relationship with these types of books. There’s nothing better than that anticipation of two characters coming together, but man is it frustrating! In this case, I was happy to wait for Harden and Andy. They were men full of integrity and kindness and were so good for each other. And it is not at all lacking in the steam department. There are a couple of great sex scenes, but the book is not overwrought with them. I think it maintained a perfect balance of sex and story.
I had a couple of small problems with this book. First of all, the author, on fairly frequent occasions, used kind of unnatural sounding language. For instance: “Some hurried to see where he was going, for they knew wherever Andy’s van traveled excitement wasn’t far behind.” It’s that “for” that’s throwing me off. It’s kind of a silly criticism, but one that I noticed on more than one occasion.
I also had a problem with the premise of the story — the idea of the south side tours. Perhaps I’m naive, but not only does this idea seems ludicrous, it would be a liability nightmare. Let’s drive into the seedy part of town and see if we can get shot at! If these tours exist, can they just not? While I thought the idea lent some real originality to the story, I felt it may have been at the cost of some credibility.
Overall, though, I thought the writing was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Shelter Somerset was a new to me author, and I will be following his books in the future. It’s a perfect summer read, so pick it up and give it a try!
May 27, 2013
A relaxing read that takes the reader into a better romantic place. The lack of steamy sex acrobatic scenes enhanced the character and plot development and made the read more enjoyable.
The South Side Tour Guide is about Andrew and Harden, brothers-in-law who share a traumatic relationship with Andrew's sister. It begins when Andrew Wingal’s life had become a farce. He had been unemployed for more than a year and he starts giving tours into the seedy parts of Chicago to tourists eager to witness real-life crime. The local media, politicians, the police department, and belligerent gang members don’t like him. When Andy’s job gets him into deeper trouble, his hotheaded boyfriend insists he flee town for a few weeks until things simmer down. With nowhere else to go, Andy heads for eastern Iowa, where his former brother-in-law, Harden Krane, lives on an idyllic farm with his two school-age children, Mason and Olivia.
Harden has his own specters haunting him. Left with his young daughter and son to raise on his own, he struggles to work full time and build a normal life for them. Yet when Andy shows up after a three-year absence, he hopes that the family’s hardships might ease up, if only temporarily. But during Andy’s stay, a common menace from Harden and Andy’s past appears unexpectedly—and Harden and Andy find solace in each other in a way neither imagined possible.
What Should Have Gone Wrong But Did Not...
Some may not agree, but I really, really liked the slow pace of this love story. It made the plot develop at a more "realistic" pace and is thankfully lacking of gimmicky acrobatic-sex-filled-scenes that many authors fall back on to make the books marketable or "entertaining."
Usually, slow paced novels do not attract me or keep me reading. I usually get to use the forward button more often and within a few, I get to the end. In the case of The South Side Tour Guide by Shelter Somerset, I never got to skip to the end. Instead, I totally enjoyed the romance developing between Andy and Harden and instead of looking for some steam, I wanted to know how their characters and plot would develop. They developed very, very well.
The minor characters turned out to be important in the end instead of just text filling up space. I especially liked the character of old Mr. Dick Carelli who turned out to be a quiet, but very brave man who acted on an unexpected situation in a totally unexpected manner.
And then there is Stretch. He is hardly a minor character, being a dog and all. He comes in at the very end, and yet this dog's description took my imagination into high gear. I have raised German Shepherds all my life, and I have a good friend who raises basset hounds, so I am still trying hard not to laugh at the picture of a mix between the two. I keep wondering over different scenarios on how and when this mix could occur. ?????
The book is littered with corny jokes. Again, something corny is not my thing and yet, somehow, Somerset managed to make me laugh.
The author used elements that usually do not work, or never work. And yet he made them work.
How he did this can only be read and enjoyed.
Purchase Link
The South Side Tour Guide is about Andrew and Harden, brothers-in-law who share a traumatic relationship with Andrew's sister. It begins when Andrew Wingal’s life had become a farce. He had been unemployed for more than a year and he starts giving tours into the seedy parts of Chicago to tourists eager to witness real-life crime. The local media, politicians, the police department, and belligerent gang members don’t like him. When Andy’s job gets him into deeper trouble, his hotheaded boyfriend insists he flee town for a few weeks until things simmer down. With nowhere else to go, Andy heads for eastern Iowa, where his former brother-in-law, Harden Krane, lives on an idyllic farm with his two school-age children, Mason and Olivia.
Harden has his own specters haunting him. Left with his young daughter and son to raise on his own, he struggles to work full time and build a normal life for them. Yet when Andy shows up after a three-year absence, he hopes that the family’s hardships might ease up, if only temporarily. But during Andy’s stay, a common menace from Harden and Andy’s past appears unexpectedly—and Harden and Andy find solace in each other in a way neither imagined possible.
What Should Have Gone Wrong But Did Not...
Some may not agree, but I really, really liked the slow pace of this love story. It made the plot develop at a more "realistic" pace and is thankfully lacking of gimmicky acrobatic-sex-filled-scenes that many authors fall back on to make the books marketable or "entertaining."
Usually, slow paced novels do not attract me or keep me reading. I usually get to use the forward button more often and within a few, I get to the end. In the case of The South Side Tour Guide by Shelter Somerset, I never got to skip to the end. Instead, I totally enjoyed the romance developing between Andy and Harden and instead of looking for some steam, I wanted to know how their characters and plot would develop. They developed very, very well.
The minor characters turned out to be important in the end instead of just text filling up space. I especially liked the character of old Mr. Dick Carelli who turned out to be a quiet, but very brave man who acted on an unexpected situation in a totally unexpected manner.
And then there is Stretch. He is hardly a minor character, being a dog and all. He comes in at the very end, and yet this dog's description took my imagination into high gear. I have raised German Shepherds all my life, and I have a good friend who raises basset hounds, so I am still trying hard not to laugh at the picture of a mix between the two. I keep wondering over different scenarios on how and when this mix could occur. ?????
The book is littered with corny jokes. Again, something corny is not my thing and yet, somehow, Somerset managed to make me laugh.
The author used elements that usually do not work, or never work. And yet he made them work.
How he did this can only be read and enjoyed.
Purchase Link
May 30, 2013
Originally reviewed for The Book Vixen
In a Nutshell: Excellent nuanced romance with fully developed characters I greatly enjoyed. I wish the ending had a bit more relationship closure but even I can argue it was enough for the characters.
Why I Read this Book: Chicago is the second city of my heart so I knew I had to read this book.
What I Liked: I love the characters of Andrew and Harden. They’re flawed men each trying to build a life in a hostile world. They do the best they can in difficult circumstances and muddle through even when they want to give up. Their reactions to each other and the children in their lives are believable and heartwarming. These aren’t two-dimensional characters that are placeholders but instead are full developed characters that I could relate to and root for.
This is a complicated romance between Andy and Harden. If you want an immediately erotic romance this isn’t the book for you; instead it has a relationship that develops over time as the men begin to rely emotionally on each other and this evolves into sexual intimacy. The sexual intimacy compliments the emotional intimacy and completed this excellent romance that I highly recommend.
What I Also Liked: I also like that the men have lives beyond each other. The specter of Andy’s sister and Harden’s wife is mysterious and provides excellent storytelling that captured my attention. Harden’s kids are more than plot moppets and are great secondary characters in their own way. Harden’s Bosnian housekeeper is another complicated character that rounded out this stellar cast of characters that were well written in their complicated humanity.
The plot serves to keep Andy and Harden together. First, Andy’s Chicago crime tours turns sour when he is required to testify in a murder trial and the criminals target him. This serves to make Andy choose Iowa to lay low and I liked this exploration of a city boy dropped in the middle of farm country (mmm…sounds a tad like my life!) Second is Harden’s zombie life where he goes through the motions but doesn’t enjoy anything, even parenting his children half of the time. He needs something to wake him up and Andy does that in an organic way. The final plot thread is Andy’s semi-boyfriend who is a cold-hearted, closeted Chicago police officer who controls Andy instead of loving him. This plotline was the least original and hit expected points but it provides decent drama as well.
What I Didn’t Like: After all Harden and Andy go through in their romance I wanted a larger public claiming. I admit that’s because I desire the idealistic HEA that I’ve come to expect from romances but I should have known that wasn’t this novel’s way. This novel is a complicated with realistic characters so I should have known the relationship ending wouldn’t have an over-the-top ending with everything wrapped up neatly. The lover of great storytelling in me appreciates the ending but the hopeless romantic in me wanted just a tad more.
IMO: I highly recommend this romance for its great storytelling and compelling leads.
*review copy from publisher*
In a Nutshell: Excellent nuanced romance with fully developed characters I greatly enjoyed. I wish the ending had a bit more relationship closure but even I can argue it was enough for the characters.
Why I Read this Book: Chicago is the second city of my heart so I knew I had to read this book.
What I Liked: I love the characters of Andrew and Harden. They’re flawed men each trying to build a life in a hostile world. They do the best they can in difficult circumstances and muddle through even when they want to give up. Their reactions to each other and the children in their lives are believable and heartwarming. These aren’t two-dimensional characters that are placeholders but instead are full developed characters that I could relate to and root for.
This is a complicated romance between Andy and Harden. If you want an immediately erotic romance this isn’t the book for you; instead it has a relationship that develops over time as the men begin to rely emotionally on each other and this evolves into sexual intimacy. The sexual intimacy compliments the emotional intimacy and completed this excellent romance that I highly recommend.
What I Also Liked: I also like that the men have lives beyond each other. The specter of Andy’s sister and Harden’s wife is mysterious and provides excellent storytelling that captured my attention. Harden’s kids are more than plot moppets and are great secondary characters in their own way. Harden’s Bosnian housekeeper is another complicated character that rounded out this stellar cast of characters that were well written in their complicated humanity.
The plot serves to keep Andy and Harden together. First, Andy’s Chicago crime tours turns sour when he is required to testify in a murder trial and the criminals target him. This serves to make Andy choose Iowa to lay low and I liked this exploration of a city boy dropped in the middle of farm country (mmm…sounds a tad like my life!) Second is Harden’s zombie life where he goes through the motions but doesn’t enjoy anything, even parenting his children half of the time. He needs something to wake him up and Andy does that in an organic way. The final plot thread is Andy’s semi-boyfriend who is a cold-hearted, closeted Chicago police officer who controls Andy instead of loving him. This plotline was the least original and hit expected points but it provides decent drama as well.
What I Didn’t Like: After all Harden and Andy go through in their romance I wanted a larger public claiming. I admit that’s because I desire the idealistic HEA that I’ve come to expect from romances but I should have known that wasn’t this novel’s way. This novel is a complicated with realistic characters so I should have known the relationship ending wouldn’t have an over-the-top ending with everything wrapped up neatly. The lover of great storytelling in me appreciates the ending but the hopeless romantic in me wanted just a tad more.
IMO: I highly recommend this romance for its great storytelling and compelling leads.
*review copy from publisher*
June 11, 2013
Reviewed on Hearts on Fire
The blurb for this one caught my interest because it was about a man providing tours of the South side of Chicago crime neighborhoods looking for shootings, stabbings & beatings to entertain folks on vacation. I wondered is this a satire on the sad state & decline of humanity or is this some dark comedy?
Turns out neither as Andy just needed a job and there’s good money in tips to be had from conducting tours of the shady side of Chicago. But It also turns out despite the title, this story really isn’t about that at all, but about Andrew’s foray into pastoral Iowa spending time with his niece and nephew and subsequently enjoying carnal knowledge of his former brother in law Harden.
How this all comes to pass is Andy is asked to testify as an eyewitness to a crime that occurred during one of his tours. Things start to get uncomfortable for Andy as a result and he has to leave town in a hurry until things cool down. The book leaves city life and the pace slows down as Andrew heads out to visit the family he hasn’t seen in years; his ex brother in law Harden who lives on a farm with his two children, Mason & Olivia. And just like that we’re in the land of silos, tractors & barns with corn to exploit, handsome farmers to attract and angry housekeepers to pacify.
Even with the drastic scenery change, I kept waiting for this to turn back into a crime drama, but it never did although we do get drama of a different kind. Andrew finds himself enjoying being with the children & around Harden more than he expected and is surprised by his growing attraction towards him.
I was iffy about the two of them at first, but I like the slow development of their relationship from friends to something more. Harden is a single dad who doesn’t always enjoy his kids & who’s working in a job he doesn’t really love. But the moment Andy arrives, Harden begins to feel lighter and happier and starts looking forward to coming home. Despite the not inconsequential fact of Hayden being straight, I thought Hayden & Andy fit well together and I bought into them as a couple and how they gelled together as a family.
The writer paints a very vivid & enjoyable portrait of small town Iowa. There’s lots of little details about day to day life of Harden & the children that normally would annoy or bore me but somehow didn’t.
Even things that normally would put me off didn’t. Andrew is in a relationship with Ken at the start, albeit a very shaky one, with a closeted Ken who repeatedly says he doesn’t want to get serious. But when Andrew and Hayden get together, technically Andrew hasn’t broken up with Ken. Since I found Ken to be a disagreeable bully it didn’t bother me as it probably should.
In fact, I went with the flow on most things in this book even accepting Hayden heretofore undisclosed attraction to men almost as easily as he did. It’s just one of those books that I found very relaxing. I liked the slow pace and how everything is resolved. It’s not a book filled with a lot of fireworks but I was left with a very agreeable feeling by the end.
The blurb for this one caught my interest because it was about a man providing tours of the South side of Chicago crime neighborhoods looking for shootings, stabbings & beatings to entertain folks on vacation. I wondered is this a satire on the sad state & decline of humanity or is this some dark comedy?
Turns out neither as Andy just needed a job and there’s good money in tips to be had from conducting tours of the shady side of Chicago. But It also turns out despite the title, this story really isn’t about that at all, but about Andrew’s foray into pastoral Iowa spending time with his niece and nephew and subsequently enjoying carnal knowledge of his former brother in law Harden.
How this all comes to pass is Andy is asked to testify as an eyewitness to a crime that occurred during one of his tours. Things start to get uncomfortable for Andy as a result and he has to leave town in a hurry until things cool down. The book leaves city life and the pace slows down as Andrew heads out to visit the family he hasn’t seen in years; his ex brother in law Harden who lives on a farm with his two children, Mason & Olivia. And just like that we’re in the land of silos, tractors & barns with corn to exploit, handsome farmers to attract and angry housekeepers to pacify.
Even with the drastic scenery change, I kept waiting for this to turn back into a crime drama, but it never did although we do get drama of a different kind. Andrew finds himself enjoying being with the children & around Harden more than he expected and is surprised by his growing attraction towards him.
I was iffy about the two of them at first, but I like the slow development of their relationship from friends to something more. Harden is a single dad who doesn’t always enjoy his kids & who’s working in a job he doesn’t really love. But the moment Andy arrives, Harden begins to feel lighter and happier and starts looking forward to coming home. Despite the not inconsequential fact of Hayden being straight, I thought Hayden & Andy fit well together and I bought into them as a couple and how they gelled together as a family.
The writer paints a very vivid & enjoyable portrait of small town Iowa. There’s lots of little details about day to day life of Harden & the children that normally would annoy or bore me but somehow didn’t.
Even things that normally would put me off didn’t. Andrew is in a relationship with Ken at the start, albeit a very shaky one, with a closeted Ken who repeatedly says he doesn’t want to get serious. But when Andrew and Hayden get together, technically Andrew hasn’t broken up with Ken. Since I found Ken to be a disagreeable bully it didn’t bother me as it probably should.
In fact, I went with the flow on most things in this book even accepting Hayden heretofore undisclosed attraction to men almost as easily as he did. It’s just one of those books that I found very relaxing. I liked the slow pace and how everything is resolved. It’s not a book filled with a lot of fireworks but I was left with a very agreeable feeling by the end.
June 16, 2013
3.5 stars. Slow-pace and a mature story about a seemingly straight man falls in love with his former brother-in-law. This is as much about finding your sexuality, as finding where your true home is. Andy was cynical and jagged, running his morally dubious Chicago south side "thrill-seeking" tour business, settling for a closeted cop boyfriend who treated him as a possession - and worse was that Andy thought this was what he deserved. Until he had to hide in his former brother-in-law's farm house in Iowa, he got a taste of different kind of home life and a man who cherished him.
There are quite a bit of angst involved and it is very leisurely paced. Andy and Harden didn't get together until well into the 50% of the story, but the undercurrent and sexual tension was there before. I thought most of the characters were well drawn and played their parts, except maybe Lilian (the former wife and Andy's sister), a tragic figure that didn't get enough description for readers to put a finger on.
I thought Harden's sudden possessiveness over Andy was slightly awkward, but overall, I found their romance a touching one and both were flawed heroes that readers could cheer for. I stayed in Chicago for a while and have always loved that city, that definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.
There are quite a bit of angst involved and it is very leisurely paced. Andy and Harden didn't get together until well into the 50% of the story, but the undercurrent and sexual tension was there before. I thought most of the characters were well drawn and played their parts, except maybe Lilian (the former wife and Andy's sister), a tragic figure that didn't get enough description for readers to put a finger on.
I thought Harden's sudden possessiveness over Andy was slightly awkward, but overall, I found their romance a touching one and both were flawed heroes that readers could cheer for. I stayed in Chicago for a while and have always loved that city, that definitely added to my enjoyment of the story.
September 26, 2013
This was a sweet little contemporary romance that basically showed the difference between a fast-paced lifestyle, and the idyllic life that can be had with hearth and home in the countryside.
It was a nice light read that was a pleasant way to past the time. No real angst, other than the ex coming out to the countryside to see what's up, and why his 'boyfriend' would choose/want to be out in the boondocks, and not seeming to take it too well... nice character development, and the kids were a nice touch.
It was a nice light read that was a pleasant way to past the time. No real angst, other than the ex coming out to the countryside to see what's up, and why his 'boyfriend' would choose/want to be out in the boondocks, and not seeming to take it too well... nice character development, and the kids were a nice touch.
August 6, 2013
Nice book that got my attention. Best part as always with Shelter Somerset is the writing. Tight and fully developed characters and a plot full of unexpected events that all lead to the climax. I won't reveal a spoiler but there's one scene that made me cry. That never happens! The ending confused me at first but then I realized it was many back stories, kind of like here you are in the present but this is what happened after the climax.
May 16, 2013
What a fun wonderful fun read! Another great novel from Shelter Somerset. Excellent prose, amazing characters, plot grabbed me from the start, realistic and emotionally riveting. It's one of those novels where I actually did laugh in parts and blubber in others. Harden, Andy, Olivia, Mason, even the housekeeper Kamila (love that name!) came across so real I truly believe these people exist somewhere. This is as well-crafted and entertaining a M/M romance I've ever read. Highly recommended.
August 5, 2013
Fantastic novel with in-depth character development and insight into many of today's social issues and how they are often exploited for profit, ah-hem Al Sharpton and Nancy Grace. The romance and sexual tension between the two characters is intense and builds to an amazing climax. Highly recommend.
August 18, 2019
I enjoyed this one alot. Both Harden and Andy have their own problems in this book. Andy isn't really happy to be in Iowa but I like the the way he is slowly pulled into being their with Harden and the kids. This was a slow burn start for them and I liked how completed thing were for them but how their wasn't a great deal of angst outside of Harden's wife coming back and upsetting the kids.
June 3, 2013
I'm only 15% into this book and I'm already so annoyed by Harden that I almost want to give up. He is such an ass. I don't want to say too much but I just wonder if I'm the only one that thinks this. For those who read this book, does he get better?
May 30, 2013
2.5 stars - I didn't connect emotionally with this story. I guess I wanted more from the characters, from the story itself, something that would've made this book stand out for me. Still a decent read though.
June 25, 2013
Its interesting reading material and story plot is not to crazy to be bored. But I still have negative thought about accepting being gay even if you never tried it before. Taking step in another direction is to unrealistic from my point of view.
October 22, 2013
Too many Ugh! moments to include in a review. Did not like either MC. I couldn't decide which one of them I despised more. The one good thing... I'm glad they end up together if only so other innocent souls don't get trapped in a relationship with either "hero." I feel bad for the kids though.
April 26, 2015
NOOOOOOOO
I just finished reading all of his books. All of them are excellent. Characters come to life and the stories are different settings but always about love.. READ HIS BOOKS!!!!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!
I just finished reading all of his books. All of them are excellent. Characters come to life and the stories are different settings but always about love.. READ HIS BOOKS!!!!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!
April 23, 2016
Too many Ugh! moments to include in a review. Did not like either MC. I couldn't decide which one of them I despised more. The one good thing... I'm glad they end up together if only so other innocent souls don't get trapped in a relationship with either "hero." I feel bad for the kids though.
May 22, 2013
¡Fantástico ficción!
June 2, 2013
4.5 stars.
April 29, 2022
I love this book.. whenever I am feeling down.. I think about this book and I reread it. One of my favorite books.
May 26, 2013
Shockingly impressed.
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