Professional marketer Alan Wright needs time to recover, both physically and mentally. After getting out of the hospital, his best friend Clay takes him to his farm, where it’s quiet to recuperate. Healing is going to take a lot more time and effort than Alan ever imagined and require professional help, which comes in the form of a strong man with a gentle touch. Haley Martin, a nurse-therapist, has never fit in with his family, the town, or himself. When he’s hired to assist Alan with his recovery, he discovers a place with people like him who live their lives without shame or fear. As Alan begins his recovery, Haley starts to come into his own as well. He just has to have the courage to take it to heart. As Alan and Haley both learn to overcome their challenges, Haley needs to figure out how to deal with his overbearing father and stand on his own two feet. Together, holding on to each other, they learn to be stronger together and start to build a possible future. But their old lives still have pull, and they both must decide what’s truly important.
Well written tale by Andrew Grey, one of my favorite authors. Professional Marketing man, Alan, with his blue eyes and flirty attitude, is Clay's best friend from Chicago, and Alan's been attacked. Alan will be going to the Wisconsin farm to recover. Giving soul, Haley is a Nurse Therapist who is assigned to Alan's recovery. Perky Alan's light had faded with his pain. Sassy Clay, his Dad, Dell and young Archie, plus Haley, are a wonderful team for Alan, to keep him safe, and comfortable. Archie is an amazing character. Closeted Haley has a cruel homophobic father, and we'll see him later on. Haley helps Alan and they get along well. Alan can see the real person hiding out in Haley's controlled front. Much is happening with the farm, with the addition of goats, and the new garden prep. Dell also has a heating repair business. Farm life is gentle, soothing, full of fun, happiness, plus friendly and caring. It's a combo of love, acceptance and cooperation. We watch Alan battle his dreams, his recovery, and wrestle with his future. We get deep thoughts, intense passions, and fabulous helpfulness. Haley's father commits an unforgivable act and everyone joins forces. Haley stands up to his evil father as does the whole farm and others.
Haley and Alan are a true slow burn, with the coming out and first loves. Haley is on board to be there for now and the future with Alan. What will happen when Alan must go to work and the scene of the attack?
A beautiful tale with an awesome epilogue. ENJOY !
First of all I love Archie. He is so cute. 💖 After it I loved also this story. I have almost cried when Alan said those words at the end of 10th. 😭 This story is made of fights but it is also touching. I am loving this series by Andrew Grey.
I am behind with his kindle books but only because I am not a Native so I need some time to read them. I am going to buy all of them.
Heart and Home is the second book in the Heart Home Family series, but can be enjoyed as a standalone. This is a great follow-up to A Heart Back Home, where we get to see the growth of Clay and Dell’s relationship, and the intermingling of three generations in the farm. Archie plays a big role here, as he did with Clay and Dell, sharing his sweet and innocent love—and a special turtle stuffie—with all the sad and broken people he meets. The steps Alan must take toward recovery mirror those that Haley needs to assert his emotional wellness, and they bring each man closer to the happiness neither had expected to find in this rural locale. There are conflicts, of course, but they are external to the passion that is growing between Alan and Haley. Alan’s future doesn’t lay in Clay’s guest room, and while Alan’s job was discontinued, a new and lucrative opportunity strains the fledgling connection he’s made with Haley.
Recovering from having been attacked, Alan is grateful his best friend Clay opens his house and farm for Alan to heal and take some time. Determined to get back on his feet, Alan accepts when Clay hires a local nurse-therapist, Haley to help Alan recuperate. Haley has never felt like he belongs anywhere. In the comfort and safety of Clay and Dell’s home, Alan and Haley learn together how to both get stronger and come into their own. Can Haley and Alan both realise what’s most important and move together in the right direction.
I really enjoyed this lovely slow paced romance. At the very beginning, even though Alan and Haley were immediately attracted to each other, they both had their own issues to overcome. While a fair bit of the story focused on this I enjoyed watching Haley find his strength and find a home and place where he belonged. Alan was a secondary character from the previous book and so I was delighted for him to get his own story – but this book totally and completely stands on its own. Readers can definitely start with this and go back to Clay and Dell’s story. I felt awful for Alan – needing to physically, mentally and emotionally recover from his injuries, but I loved watching him come back into his own and find his strength – mental and physical – once again.
Readers looking for an emotional and well paced story should definitely find this fits the bill. With two super solid and interesting plots this story wasn’t just about the blossoming romance between Alan and Hayley, but also about them both sorting through their lives and issues in a safe, stable and warm environment. Hayley had a very difficult family environment he needed to come to terms with and Alan not only had to recovery from his injuries but also try and figure out the direction his life and work in general was heading. Neither of these issues were small or had quick fixes and so I felt the balance in the book was really well handled. The two plots and the relationship were given equal attention and I felt like the whole book sang because of this.
With a bunch of strong secondary characters and layered, realistic and interesting people this was a lovely and engrossing read for me. Readers who want a heavily erotic or intensely sexual story might feel that aspect of the story is a little light on. While there is intimacy and a lovely emotional and connected romance between Alan and Haley – and a few intimate scenes – the story really is more focused on their building a new life together and working to get there. With some awesome characters, some solid and interesting plot and a wonderful setting this is a lovely story and one I will enjoy many times again in the future.
After reading book 1 I have to say I couldn't wait to read this next book! I fell in love with Clay, Dell and of course Archie. The little family they created together including Harvey, Clay's father.
So to have a glimpse again of this family was wonderful.
That being said this book ,despite that it is being told from the same place, Gray and Dell's home, is definitely about Alan and Haley.
Like the blurb says we meet up with everybody when Alan is healing from a traumatic experience and Clay offers him a place where he can recover in peace at his farm.
Bringing in Haley, as an nurse therapist who is hired to help Alan recover.
For Haley the world opens up by stepping into the farm and his occupants. The openness and the love in the household brings something out in Haley that wants him to live in the biggest sense of the word.
During Alan's healing, both men grow closer together and Haley finds the courage to go out and act like he always wanted to do.
Of course this doesn't go without struggle and Haley's father is especially seriously unbelievable in all the bad ways you can imagine.
I loved how Alan and Haley both struggled with their own things and still were in eventually drawn to each other no matter what.
For me the best part of this book is Archie. I mean I absolutely adore that sweet little boy and his interactions and familiarity with Alan is so wonderful.
Author Andrew Grey did a wonderful job creating a standalone book while still keeping the warm and sweet comfort from the farm and it's inhabitants.
I will even say I would have loved even a bit more of that because for me the made the book. Despite Haley and Alan and their attraction and struggles I felt myself longing for Clay and Dell and Archie.
And the little surprise there at the end made me smile big time for Harvey.
If you are looking for a gentle contemporary story with low angst around family, friends , small town struggles and life issues this is one to pick up.
This is a sweet romance about two broken men who have been finding their way and finding each other. Alan was seriously injured in a brutal hate-attack. His friends Clay and Dell take him to their farm to help him recuperate. The therapist they hire—Hayley—is the man of Alan’s dreams but Hayley has his own demons to deal with—namely his homophobic abusive father. Both men must face their own demons before they can move forward. Note: I had trouble getting into this at first but put it down a few days and then picked it up again. Once I got past the first couple of pages (the darkest part of the story), I couldn’t put it down. It’s a good story and very much in the style of Andrew’s other works.
What I liked: I loved Archie’s enthusiasm and his willingness to give up T.T. (His stuffed turtle) to help anyone who needed it. The characters in this story are very well done and believable, as is the small town.
What I didn’t like: There were a few very minor typos/editing issues that kept this from being a 5 sparkler, but the author has been notified and has said he will be making corrections.
Recommendation: If you’re a fan of Andrew’s, definitely pick this up as it is a decent story with a HEA that satisfies.
Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in hopes of giving a review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone or anything.
5* - very very good and rare (it would be a Blow- Away-book like ‘Jesse's Smile' or ‚Joey’ from Angelique Jurd, ‘Save the kids' series from EM Leya, ‘Love’s Tethered Heart’ from C.L. Etta or 'Liberty' from Seth King), it's like an A+
4* - very good and will be often reread and is a WOW-book with interesting plot and surprises (like most of Andrew Grey books and Davidson Kings 'Haven Hart'-series) it's like an A
3,5* - a really good book, which will be reread a few times a year (most romances where you can enjoy for relaxing and during waiting times in hospitals). I can recommend them definitively! It's like an B+
3* - it could be more then a one-time-reader, maybe 2-3 times a year. It’s like a B
2* - it was ok to read, but it's more a one-time- reader (i wouldn't recommend it heartily, but it was ok). It's like a C-, D
1* - sorry, but that isn't really a book for me (too many mistakes, not nice plot, illogical, so an absolut NO-GO). It's like failure in the whole line, dismissed, repeat the class
I have been waiting on this book since reading the first…A Heart Back Home. (It is best to read book one first as those characters take a major part in this book as well and most of the story is on Clay’s Farm) I was excited to get Alan’s story. It started out a little sad, but as Alan got better the sadness faded. I felt sorry for Haley having to deal with a father like his and just when you think things are all worked out there is a change. I absolutely loved all of the characters, the plot and storyline was really good, then there was little Archie that stole the show again! Andrew Grey has a way of making his books very sensual and sexy without a lot of graphic sex, so it is pretty hot. If you like hurt/comfort, coming out, good friends, city boy/country boy, and cute kids with moderate heat, this is for you!
Alan is recovering from a brutal attack and is staying with his best friend Clay and his family. He needs help with some things so Haley is helping him since its his job, but he starts falling for Alan.
Home life is horrible for Haley and he has to leave it and by end thankfully his mom does to. The sperm donor is a horrible human being. Haley gets to be his true self at Clay and Dell's home. He can explore his feelings with Alan and do his job as well since his 'dad' was trying make him quit.
Alan also has to find who he is after the attack. He discovers so much and that there is more to life than just working it away. Loved the family dynamics here. Archie was back as well and he is sweet as can be. There are even goats which awesome.
Alan Wright showed up in the first book of this series visiting his friend Clay on the farm in Wisconsin up the road from his home in Chicago. In this one he is back with Clay and his now husband Dell and their over-the-moon precocious young son Archie, but this is no vacation visit.
One night in Chicago Alan has been mugged and beaten badly outside a gay bar and is basically forced (by Clay and Dell) to come back to the farm to recuperate. And what do you know--a cute physical therapist named Haley Martin whom Alan met the year before is assigned to help Alan recover physically and mentally, if not emotionally. When it comes to emotional recovery, Haley is the one who needs the help, and there you go: A classic Andrew Grey set-up.
Alan has had a one-off encounters in his life and Haley is deeply closeted because his father is fiercely homophobic and his mother is terrified of his father. This leads to all sorts of situations which are predictable, some of which are surprises, and many of which involve that wild little snarky Archie who can carry the ball as well as a story.
This was another sweet ride from a man whose books always have lots of sugar and plenty of spice and mostly everything nice.
I am so glad Alan got to have what Clay found back at the farm....a man who truly loved him for who he is. I loved his sassy attitude in Clay's book and kind of had a feeling Haley would be the one. I was upset with why Alan was back at the farm and introduced to Haley again but then if he had not gone through that he would not have the sweet and adoring man he winds up with. I will also say that I really liked how much Harvey has changed since Clay and Dell are living together. Even some old dogs can learn new things! These books would not be the same without Archie however. That kiddo is the best!
Andrew Grey has a magical way of bringing total opposite together in ways that show how love can bring the real miracle into the light of day of the dark of night. For those characters who have
"lost-their-souls" he lets us experience the pure he'll that we have the ability to avoid. The author also permits his readers to enjoy the pleasures we're able to experience with our friends.
3.5 - A bit like with the first book, I struggled with this one. I am usually a fan of this author and again I liked the idea of the series, enjoy both the main characters and the supporting ones, but was disappointed with poor editing - basic errors like the wrong word or character name being used, stuff that I would think would have been easy to pick up. I’ve not noticed this is any of the authors other series, and it’s a real distraction.
This was another super sweet story! This book had a lot more turmoil in it with Alan’s accident being a hate crime, and then Haley’s dad being homophobic and abusive. But through it all their sweet courting and romance shines through. And I really enjoyed how much Clay, Dell, and Archie we got throughout! I liked this one!
This is a very touching story. Alan, who we met in the first book in this series, is back after being the victim of a violent hate crime. Haley comes to live with Clay, Dell and Archie after being a victim of a hate crime within his own home. The relationship they form was healing for them both.
We met the outgoing Allen in the first book. But when he needs to recover we find him with Clay and Dell. Allen has some help from Haley his in-home nurse to help him recover and get stronger. Haley has his own demons at home that he needs to deal with and ends up staying at the farm as well. I loved when both realized what they wanted and made it happen.
I don't care what other people say, but if you find the one GO FOR IT! Don't think of the pros and cons, just of the main reason, do you want to give up who is right in front of you? Harvey and Irene didn't, and even though it took some time, neither did Alan and Haley. THANK YOU ANDREW! ENJOY!
With a well written storyline and good character development this is a great addition to the series. The book is primarily about the relationships, with the negative events occurring out of scene. Ends positive, with a hope for a HEA.
Relationships are complicated at best. Grey covers so many issues gay couples and families deal with all the time with ease and grace. This story - or stories, since there are several in Book 2! - is shows how with willingness we can have the families we want.
Another winner. This was a great 2 book set with people finding their way back to love and learning what/who is really important. Definitely recommend reading Alan and Haley's story and how the city and country boys worked it out.
We got to meet Andy in book 1 and he was a hoot. Knowing how Andy was, the beginning of this story is a downer. It turned around though when you say the love of the two guys and their ranch. Add in some PT and one has a love story.
I expected Alan's story will be... more. Not sure how to explain it. There's just more to this particular plot that could've been explored more. Overall it was enjoyable to read.