Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Up on the Farm #1

Finding a Farmer

Rate this book
Sometimes you need a new job to put the important things in life into perspective. And sometimes love finds you when you least expect it…maybe even while picking apples.

Dale Devereux is an unemployed, spoiled rich kid on the cusp of turning thirty. His grandfather, Jameson, decides it’s time for Dale to learn the family business, so he sends him to work on one of the corporate farms in Woodstock, New York.

Talgat Kudaibergen is the twenty-seven-year-old who is currently running things at Deveraux Farms Upstate. He took over operations after his mother’s and father’s deaths. Along with his younger sister and brother, Ayala and Rasul, the three siblings have kept the farm running.

Dale finds out quickly that he has a lot to learn about living life outside the big city. Talgat and his siblings grow to appreciate Dale and what he’s able to bring to the farm.

Slowly, Dale and Talgat realize that they may have more in common than either imagined. The two start to have feelings for one another, but their romance is threatened when money goes missing from the farm’s coffers.

Reader advisory: This book contains mention of embezzlement, attempted murder, and cancer.

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 16, 2022

1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read

About the author

Jason Wrench

29 books34 followers
Jason Wrench writes. He writes a lot. He’s authored eleven academic textbooks, thirty-five plus research articles, authored numerous chapters in other books, and edited eight academic books. When he’s not in his day job as a college professor at SUNY New Paltz where he teaches in the Department of Communication, he’s writing romantic thrillers like 12 Days of Murder (November 2021) and Till Death Do Us Wed (February 2022), both with Pride Publishing. Jason loves reading/writing, Broadway, coffee, and his puggles. He’s a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Textbook and Academic Author Association.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
13 (32%)
4 stars
13 (32%)
3 stars
10 (25%)
2 stars
2 (5%)
1 star
2 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Tiff.
183 reviews4 followers
Read
August 14, 2022
This book and I did not vibe. There was so much unnecessary information that could have been taken out or traded for some actual relationship development. We are reminded time and time again that the city MC is sooo rich and such a playboy. He’s definitely out of touch and offensive with his inner monologue.
The city MC hooks up with a UPS driver his first day in the small town (on-page details included) and has a friends with benefits relationship with the UPS driver as well as an on/off situation with a friend back in the city (though no other on-page details with others are included outside of the aforementioned scene). It took about 60% of the book for the two MCs characters to admit feelings and go on a date, and honestly there isn’t much relationship development outside of thinking the other is attractive. No steam outside of some kissing until about 80% and then only one steamy scene (morning or@l, hand job, and then shower sex).
Big 3/4 drama where the MCs both say really hurtful things to each other. The farmer MC was harsh to the city MC but the city MC is the one who has to come grovel and apologize, though the farmer does apologize as well after he receives his apology first. The drama and harsh words seemed pointless as they were resolved almost immediately with just a few “I’m sorrys”. And the ending is abrupt and barely a HFN in my opinion.
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,104 reviews520 followers
August 30, 2022
A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars


This odd couple, city boy/farm boy romance is cute. Dale makes big changes to be more human and less caricature as the story develops, which is nice. He’s super materialistic at the beginning, but matures a lot as he experiences real world living for the first time in his life. He’s a decent enough man, and I appreciated his dedication to his granddad. Talgat is, naturally, a good guy through and through. He’s diligent, thoughtful, and patient. He loves his family, and the farm, and gives both his all. I liked how he didn’t hate on Dale, who fully embodies the Richie Rich life experience, but teaches him the realities of farm management. Plus, Dale’s wacky-ish ideas for increasing profits are rather successful, so it’s a win-win.

Ultimately, the prose felt overly descriptive, and I struggled to connect with the characters’ emotional landscape as a result.

Read Veronica’s review in its entirety here.
Profile Image for Janet Hunt.
3,538 reviews46 followers
August 17, 2022
Finding a Farmer was a good story. But honestly, I struggled with how arrogant Dale was in the beginning. He is the heir of Devereaux Farms. He grew up wealthy and has never know anything outside of what money can do for him. His Grandfather decides its time for him to learn the family business. I really liked Talgat and his siblings. They have run the farm for years. Dale and Talgat have an extremely slow buildup in my opinion. They didn’t really spend any time together until the story was about halfway done, then everything came to a head too fast. I really liked the character growth of Dale. There are some fantastic secondary characters. Overall, a great story.
Profile Image for Raven and Chris.
3,306 reviews30 followers
July 31, 2022
This book is decent. Dale and Talgat are completely different but somehow that just works. Dale is the heir of Devereaux Farms but knows absolutely nothing about agriculture. He is an arrogant entitled jerk in the beginning. Money has hidden him from many of the harsh realities of life. Talgat and his siblings have been pretty much running the farm in Woodstock for several years now. Dale has no idea what living outside NYC is like but he swiftly discovers that it takes more than money to make it work. I loved some of the characters, especially Talgat’s siblings and Jordan. The subtle racism and homophobia that people can show just by a look or an action is also something that Dale has never experienced. Honestly it was a little whitewashed in here, no pun intended. I thought the whole embezzlement scheme was a bit too tidy and had a bit of a plot hole but it was a good point to sink home. Also Dale was such a snob that he turned me off. His friend Grayson came from the same privilege but had refused to just let everything ride. As the book went on, Dale really is a nice guy, he just clueless as to the reality of life.
Profile Image for Xanthe.
2,538 reviews46 followers
August 13, 2022
*3.5*
This is my first from this author and it's an enjoyable read. Two men who have led such different are brought together when Dale is sent to work on one of the family owned farms to learn the business from the ground up and he works alongside Talgat and his siblings who have been running it for several years. Dale is a trust fund kid so has never wanted for anything and that's clear from how he speaks, what he thinks to buy and the way he goes about solving problems. Talgat is hardworking having learned from his parents who moved from Kazakhstan and all have worked to make the best of the farm but have had to fight to get help with anything.
I really found most of this story was based around Dale and his "transformation", going from city living to the shock of Woodstock. He is so clearly from a world where money is no object that's it's occasionally rude but not intentionally so it's hard to not like him. There's not a lot of build up to the plot of the story with the farm but it's good once we get into it, with a whodunnit search going on. The relationship between Dale and Talgat is a slow build up as they go from, kind of looking down their noses at each other to grudging respect to friendship, attraction and more. Again, I found not a lot of build up to their romance but there's a bit of drama towards the end bring both aspects of the story together.
It's a good story overall with a well paced story and development of the characters.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
3,384 reviews28 followers
August 18, 2022
Mixed vibes 3.5 stars
Let me say I’ve got this book of gay romance reviews and this is me leaving my honest review. I’m going to be really really honest and say I wasn’t totally hooked on this book. It was a ok read but a lot of things were missing for me a lot of connections a lot of chemistry it just didn’t gel well for me. Which I’m surprised because I’ve read a few of Jason Wrench’s Book and I really enjoyed them.
This Story is about spoiled rice guy who has just lost his job on Wall Street and his grandfather decides that its time he learned the family business and sent him to a farm in Woodstock to learn the ins and outs of running a corporate farm. They’ve got people that take care of it. The Kudaibergen Family. It was the parents to begin with but just recently after the father dies leaving the eldest son Talgat in charge running it with his brother and sister Radul and Ayala. They work really hard to make the farm work and stay current Talgat is surprised when he gets told Dale Deveraux is coming to help with the marketing.
There’s no real chemistry between these two at all and for a long time it’s just them taking on the farm and learning how to make things better for everyone. To begin with Dale even sleeps with the local UPS guy who drops off some parcels it’s just all very bizarre

This is an extremely slow Burn and I’m really sorry to say not overly keen.
4,903 reviews18 followers
August 20, 2022
Can city mouse and country mouse get along? Dale, is approaching his 30th birthday. His family has money, and he worked on Wall Street until he was downsized out of a job. Grayson, is his lawyer bestie. His GrandDad, Jameson, has a health scare and is reminded of his mortality. He decides it's time for Dale to get up close and personal learning the family business. He sends him to their farm in Woodstock, to learn the business from the ground up. Talgat's family has run Devereux Farm for almost 20 years. His siblings Ayala and Rasul work at the farm also. He took over after his Father passed, hoping to be named permanent Farm Manager. When Dale and Talgat first met, they made social cultural assumptions about each other. Working together and getting to know each other was a fun experience for both. There is a mystery which adds a bit of spice to the story. Dale and Talgat are nice guys and Ayala is a peach. Does Dale survive life on the farm? Does Dale complete his mission of learning the business and making the farm profitable? Does Talgat reform his opinion about city mouse? Do they solve the mystery? Fun story. Nicely done. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
504 reviews11 followers
August 22, 2022
I’ve enjoyed reading one of Jason Wrench’s books. I was excited about reading this one because I really liked the front cover and the title! Honestly, the only thing I expected was that it was a mystery type of M/M story and I wasn’t disappointed at all. It was a very good read…a page-turner! My jaws dropped when I got to the end of the page. A shocker, I may add! Mum’s the word! Grin!

The story focuses on Dale, a silver spoon kid who lost his job on Wall Street due to downsizing. His grandfather who’s the CEO of an empire decided to help him gain some experience by sending him to manage a farm business in upstate New York. When he got there, he met Talgat, a guy who managed the farm along with his sister and brother who worked on the farm as well. Talgat was disappointed that he didn’t have the full rein of the farm but was willing to work with Dale. Dale had to learn the hard way on how to manage a business, much less, a farm! Like I mentioned, there’s a shocker that you’d have to read to find out!
Profile Image for Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews.
5,476 reviews177 followers
November 11, 2022
Opposites attract and it’s so good.

I love a good “opposites attract” story and this one doesn’t disappoint. Jason Wrench is a new to me author and I’ll be reading more from this author. The characters are interesting, and the story flew along. I got right into it and couldn’t put it down.

Dale is a jerk, I won’t lie. He’s entitled and needs a bit of a knock down. He gets it when he’s got to work on the farm. He’s got no idea how to be a farmer, so it was amusing and interesting to see how he figures it all out. Tal is great at farming and doesn’t really have time to coddle Dale, but he spends time with him, and they find out they’re not totally dissimilar. The relatability of them is what really got me. The ending was a little fast, but that happens. It only made me want to read more about these characters.

If you want a book that’s cute and hot, then give this one a try. I know I’ll be looking for more from this author. Give it a try.
353 reviews
August 17, 2022
Finding a Farmer is a solid story of opposites attracting. Dale is rich and Talgat is not. As their relationship unfolds, we get to know some of the family and friends that support the story. Dale and Talgat’s relationship developed slowly. Aside from one being rich and the other not, there was an employer/employee aspect that had some impact. The author introduced other material and topics to keep the reader engaged.

The story ended sooner than I expected and I would have liked a bit more of a conclusion or epilogue for Dale and Talgat, but it was a complete story. I’m looking forward to finding out what else this series has to offer. I hope Jordan has a story. I’d like to find out more about him.
772 reviews7 followers
August 18, 2022
A great first book in a series. If you like totally opposites attract, characters that are slightly meant to one another initially, and a nice slow buildup to romance, relationship and love, then this is the perfect book for you. Dale is the spoiled rich kid that gets sent to work on one of his family’s corporate farms where he meets Talgat,who along with his sibling are running the far. I will say the book ended too quickly leaving me wanting more, but hope that is what the next book will do is continue and fill in the story. Also do not give up on Dale who is mean initially (but Talgat can hold his own), but in the end you will root for this couple. I did receive an ARC and leave this honest review.
Profile Image for Bob Jackson.
368 reviews
August 19, 2022
Jason Wrench is another of my favorite authors in this particular genre. His latest book, Finding A Farmer, shows off Wrench's ability to hit the ground running and keep the reader's attention until the end. The book is a fun take on the idea of a privileged character from the city who is forced to live in a rural environment. Kind of like Eva Gabor from the 60's sitcom "Green Acres" except the protagonist is gay, better able to adapt, and there is mischief afoot and a mystery to be solved.

The characters are endearing and are full of glorious snark. The story is well-paced and there are some surprises, with a satisfying HEA end. It's about an 8 hour read and most definitely well worth it.
3,045 reviews21 followers
August 18, 2022
Dale and Talgat are men who have lived very different lives. Dale is rich and from the city and Talgat is lives on the farm with his siblings. Each guy has his prejudices and neither in the beginning saw how they might compliment one another. This is a very slow burn romance as it takes both men a significant portion of the story before they really pay attention to one another. When they do finally become friends, acknowledge attraction and go on from there things move quickly. Their story was an interesting introduction to the series and it will be interesting to see where things go from here. 3.5 stars for a solid story with potential.
401 reviews2 followers
August 18, 2022
This was ok. It is the first book that I have read by this author. It was hard because one of the MCs was just really unlikeable. But the other Talgat made up for that. I think the whole rich boy/poor boy is interesting, and farmer/city boy is a cool concept but the execution could have used some work. Talgat is hardworking and knows his stuff he is down to earth and the complete opposite of Dale. Dale is the rich city boy who is the heir to Deveroux Farms but has no idea what that even entails. He has all these notions that make him think that he is superior. But I did read the whole thing so it was readable.
Profile Image for Malia Winger.
702 reviews47 followers
September 6, 2022
Dale is living the perfect life. Raised in privilege, backed by power, a dream job on Wall St and an understanding on again off again boyfriend. Then his job is eliminated. Before he can blink his grandfather has recruited him into the family business and he is shipped to Woodstock to help rejuvenate an under performing farm. The farm has been run by Talgat and his siblings since the death of their parents. This story is an excellent blend of rom com and mystery. Dale has a few fish out of water moment but before long he adjusts and begins to thrive. Even though the crime is not as high profile as other written about by this author it is no less compelling.
Profile Image for Maureen.
3,745 reviews39 followers
October 1, 2022
This was a nice read, if you want a lesson in apple farming this is the book for you. I found it pleasant, a little underwhelming at times but enjoyable. We get well past the half mark before the romance begins, before that it's all farming, family and finance. I did like the slow but steady transformation of Dale from super rich and pampered to level headed and business-like. But then, at just before the 70% mark, it starts to ramp up as things look decidedly suspicious in the farms booking keeping, and then things go bonkers. A very enjoyable story, slow to get somewhere but definitely not boring.
Profile Image for Thera.
828 reviews10 followers
August 16, 2022
There was so much potential for this book. It could've been amazing. Worthy of 5 stars. However, it started super slow and I wanted to give up after 25%. Talgat and Dale barely flirted or spent any time together until about 50% through the book. And then everything snowballed from there. And then suddenly it was over. I couldn't believe it was over. This book needs an epilogue badly. Or more chapters. Talgat and Dale seemed like an amazing match but I needed more. I dunno. Like I said it could have major potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mir Jak.
509 reviews1 follower
August 17, 2022
3.5 stars / 5. I enjoyed the story - you have Dale, a privileged and wealthy city guy, who's been sent to the country to review operations of a working apply farm. Talgat, who manages the farm, helps Dale settle in etc. Yes, there's the city & country mixups etc but I wasn't convinced of the chemistry between them. They did seem more like friends, until they weren't. And the sub-plot added gave it some drama. If you're wanting an easy "beach" book without intense/indepth storylines....this is your book.
203 reviews2 followers
August 18, 2022
Finding a farmer is a very cute romance between the spoiled city boy Dale and the country boy Talgat.

Yes, Dale is in the beginning very arrogant but it’s necessary for the story, so see how he changes when falling in the new situation on the farm.

The story is slow burning, but that’s how it works between Dale and Talgat, they have to find their way together and Dale has to find out who he is and what he wants from his life.

I read the book in one go, the story is great, romantic and cute.

I had the luck to get an ARC to read.
Profile Image for SJ.
2,020 reviews33 followers
March 21, 2023
Is there a romance in this book anywhere?? The UPS guy is getting more action with one MC than the two MCs are together. I’m over half way through and there has been nary an eyebrow raise between these two men. When does the attraction to each other begin?? Oh, they had a nice discussion about being gay. Add that to the the huge amount of exposition in the narrative. I am getting tired of reading things like ‘August turned into September…’ and there was no romance, no nothing in August. Just a whole lot of apple tree tending. This book sucks. DNF
The cover is bad, too.
3,010 reviews46 followers
August 17, 2022
Finding a Farmer is astory of opposites attracting. Dale is rich and Talgat is a working man.
As the story unfolds they realize that they have more in common than you would expect. They also realize they have feelings for each other.
The relationship between Dale and Talgat is a slow build up as they go from looking down at each other to friendship, attraction and more.
I look forward to the next book in the Up on the Farm series.
608 reviews3 followers
August 17, 2022
3.5 stars. This was a fun light read about a spoiled 30 yr old man sent by his father to their corporate farm to learn the family business. Here he is humbled as he learns to grow up and take life seriously. It is an opposites attract mm romance. I enjoy the authors style of writing where we are not spoon-fed every detail and allowed to use our own imaginations.
I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy.
Profile Image for Leanne Hart.
75 reviews
August 18, 2022
I have read many books by Jason and have always found them to be a good read and this book was no exception.

The book is centred around Dale who is a City guy and is no stranger to having money, he is sent to live on one of the family farms where he meets Talgot who lives and works on the farm with his siblings.

I enjoyed watching these to navigate there way and work together towards finding their HEA, I would say this book is a slow burn with some angst to it but was an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Ida Umphers.
5,545 reviews48 followers
August 19, 2022
I actually enjoyed the details about running the farm and how all the characters fitted into that, more than the relationship in this one. Dale never became a character I liked as I never really bought his growth from playboy/entitled rich guy to something else. The two MCs patching everything up also didn't work for me 100%. I will read the next in the series just because of the world building in this one.
16.7k reviews157 followers
August 19, 2022
He is an unemployed rich kid who knows nothing of hard work. His grandfather sends him to one of his farms to learn things. He is unsure how he will cope and he also learns he has an awful lot to learn. He is starting to get close to the manager. What is going to happen between them? Can they overcome difficult issues? How will they deal with it all? See just how these two men get on and deals with the problems they encounter
925 reviews5 followers
August 18, 2022
This is my first book by this author. The story is about Dale and Talgat who are totally opposites attract in more than 1 way. The story is a very slow build up to their friendship and then the book is over way too soon. I thought the secondary characters were great. I received an ARC of this book for my honest review.
1,582 reviews12 followers
August 19, 2022
From reading the blurb you know what to expect from the storyline. Dale and Talgat are from completely different worlds. Almost as soon as things start to go well they collapse. I quite enjoyed their journey, the secondary characters and there was an unexpected twist that worked well. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
736 reviews1 follower
August 5, 2022
This is a new to me author and I loved this book! The ineptness of the city boy and the thrill is the mystery. All of this made fine reading. All the characters are well thought out and developed. The Grandfather rocks!
Profile Image for Rachel .
2,250 reviews1 follower
August 16, 2022
Great start to a new series! Dale and Talgat are opposites for sure and I couldn't wait to see how they connected. Mix of sweet and sexy moments, with some great side characters too. The plot had some twist and turns that had me reading. Can't wait for the next.
Profile Image for DLB2572.
3,259 reviews26 followers
August 16, 2022
This book took me some time to really get into. There were some parts that I felt didn't really help it to move further along but, even with that, there was an enjoyable story.

I received an ARC and this is my unbiased opinion
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.