The Words We've Never Said

by J.H. Knight

Sam Northwick’s dreams have always been simple. Keep his ranch going the same way his father had and his father before him. Be a part of the community he grew up in and take care of his neighbors, the same way they always take care of him. And, mostly, be the kind of man his parents would’ve been proud of if they’d lived long enough.

Finding out his train wreck of a sister has two kids he’s never heard about isn’t much of a surprise, but finding out he has to take in and raise his niece and a nephew shakes his world to pieces. Almost as much as running into Billy Jones for the first time since high school.
Billy would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about Sam more than a few times over the years. Mostly in the shower. Seeing him again, watching him struggle through daily life as a caretaker to a pissed-off teenage hellraiser and a little boy who is exactly like Sam wakes up that little crush and gives it a life of its own, making Billy do everything he knows he shouldn’t. Including start up with a man so deep in the closet he can’t see the door.

Is a little time, a little patience, and a little Texas heat enough to bring them together, or will it take more than either of them is willing to give?

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Westerns, Romance, LGBT, Gay, Childrens

323 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 29, 2022

About the author

J.H. Knight has been writing love stories since the second grade. When she’s not catering to the whims of her imaginary friends (whom she sometimes refers to as “characters”), she’s usually found in the kitchen setting dinner on fire or in the garden trying not to kill a rose bush.
A Pacific Northwest native, she loves the outdoors in every season whether she’s in the city, the mountains, or watching the sunset from her back porch. She gets through most days with a lot of laughter, a little snark, too much coffee, and a commitment to not taking life too seriously.
Never miss a freebie, deleted scene, or new release by signing up for her newsletter at https://subscribepage.io/gmScFR Visit her blog at knightwylde.blogspot.com or find her at her website, http://www.authorjhknight.com/ where you can check out her available books, follow her on social media, or drop her an email. She loves hearing from readers!

Reviews

[~Nicole~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys, this booook !!!! 😍😍 God, Ive missed and waited for another book like this from this author since forever… Since the wonderful “The last thing he needs” to be more specific.. This book is everything and I loved it to pieces; the author has such a way with words and they seem so in tune with kids’ minds and feelings, especially kids who come from dysfunctional families.
I loved everything about this book..I loved the writing , it was exquisite and so full of feelings and emotions that I found myself tearing up without realizing. The characters are amazing, the stoic , calm and sweet (and closeted ) cowboy and the brave and beautiful and very obviously gay florist. The side characters were realistically fleshed out though I had trouble warming up to Bree .. If at first I got where she was coming from , later in the book I still found her to be particularly and unnecessary mean to her uncle . I also wish we could have been told more about Billy. We didn’t know anything about his past, his family or what he did for a living prior to re-encountering Sam and even though it was dual POV , Sam’s voice was much stronger than Billy’s. Wonderful wonderful book , sweet and romantic and hot and one of my favorite books with a ranch as a setting and a cowboy as an Mc .
I thought this was shaping up to be a pretty meh year for new releases but apparently all the good books are crammed in the last 3 months lol It’s my 5th five stars book in the last 2 months.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy cowboy books for some reason and I thought this one was very well done. Strangely enough, my favorite part about this book wasn't the romance but the side plot about the nephew and niece - I really thought the author did such a good job with the characters, especially the niece and her progression throughout the story was so well done. I also thought the author did a good job of writing a small conservative town it felt very real.
I do wish this book had more actual romance plot in it, the way they got together was so abrupt and anticlimactic it felt more like a side plot at times. Also, I wanted more chapters from Billy's POV. The last 10% with Sam's speech was so good though that it made up for the lack of romance plot in the beginning of the book.

And also - do people in Texas really say "might could" I hate it. I live very close to Texas and I have never heard anyone say that, it just disturbs me somehow.

[Em’sBookNook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had a run of really average books and this sorted me right out. I loved this soooo much. I loved Sam and Billy, I loved Bree and Whinston. Honourable mentions to Lorraine and Charlie too.

Both main characters were well developed and I completely understood their motivations. I really loved Sam’s relationship with Bree and how that developed.

I don’t have a bad word to say because I loved this and that 9 year later epilogue was *chef’s kiss*

I would very much like more stories that crossover with this.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨This dragged a little and went kinda too slow paced for me. But overall an enjoyable read.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bein' with you feels like...living and dyin' at the same time"

Star Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
POV: Dual
HEA: Yes
Spice Rating: 3/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

Overall Opinion
This was such a beautiful story and once I started, it was impossible to put down. It encapsulated the realities of homophobia in small towns and the fears of the repercussions of coming out. The writing was so smooth and the plot flowed in a way that it felt like I was living alongside them, dealing with the baggage these two both carried, and the mutual pining. I couldn't help but loving all the characters from the get-go, even feisty Bree, and the author did a wonderful job at developing them into well-rounded characters that held depth and attention the entire time. The MCs were the sweetest and most living characters, and I was praying for their happy ending, holding onto hope that it would happen. Overall this was a realistic, well-written book that had the most beautiful story-line and I hope one day we get to see the characters again. It'll be on my mind for a while to come, that's for sure!

Read if you like:
❣️ M/M Romance
❣️ Small Town
❣️ Slow Burn
❣️ Mutual Pining
❣️ Cowboy/Florist
❣️ HEA

[Love Is All Around · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voto: 4.5
RECENSIONE A CURA DI BARBARA
Pacata rassegnazione!
“Le parole che non abbiamo mai detto” è una storia d’amore che spezza il cuore tra accettazione e conflitti interiori. Una vicenda che ci parla di solitudine e arrendevolezza, di speranze illusorie che lasciano una sensazione dolce amara che strugge e commuove.
J. H. Knight ci parla di famiglia, di legami spezzati che hanno inciso ferite profonde nei cuori, cicatrici dolorose mai dimenticate che instillano reminiscenze a ricordo di ciò che è stato e di ciò che, invece, avrebbe potuto essere.
Texas, terra sconfinata di praterie, di Cowboy, football e timore di Dio. Terra pregna di razzismo e omofobia, di condanna per tutto ciò che è diverso o non conforme a una concezione morale inquinata da ignoranza e ottusità, chiusura e discriminazione.
In queste praterie sconfinate ricche di bestiame e ranch, dichiararsi “diversi” è difficile, spesso potenzialmente pericoloso per la propria incolumità, e poter vivere ciò che si desidera, ma si tiene trincerato nel profondo di sé, dietro a muri spessi fatti di paure e dolore, perdita e solitudine, è forse un sogno impossibile, un miraggio, un’illusione che spezza il cuore dei nostri due protagonisti.
Continua sul nostro blog!

[Marthea · Rating 5 out of 5]

4+
Cicha, spokojna historia o życiu, jego zakrętach, o różnych rodzajach miłości, o rodzinie, o podejmowaniu decyzji i ich konsekwencjach.
Ciepła książka o prostym życiu, prostych potrzebach i marzeniach, elementarnych dla każdego człowieka uczuciach i emocjach.
Bez fajerwerków, bez zwrotów akcji, bez udziwnień.
Prosta historia.
Podobało mi się 💙

[amber. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Bein’ with you feels like… living and dyin’ at the same time. I can barely breathe when you’re around, barely think. But I told you once that my heart don’t beat until I see you, and that’s still the whole truth.” He had to swallow hard before he could go on. “I need my heartbeat back.”

I need a minute 🥹

[Mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seemed to be all over the place. I thought the book was trying to achieve too much all at once - insta family, MC in the closet, teenage angst, problematic mother etc. I skimmed most of it.

[Relly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars

I very much enjoyed this one. It combines two of my favourite troupes, cowboys and single parent, and in this one showcased the characters reactions well as they all learnt how to live together and create a new family.

Sam was a great character, so caring and at the same time nervous about how he would be received if it came out he gay. He took on his sisters kids as soon as he knew about them, and with patience let them adapt to life on the ranch. I found his patience in dealing with the kids fabulous to read, especially his niece who was quite abrasive, I had to keep reminding myself she was a teenager as she was at times really unlikeable, and yet he only lost his patience once. He did love Billy he just struggled with how the ranch would survive if he came out and supplier or hands refused to work with him.

Billy was also great, he did the hard part and looked out for him, yes it hurt them both, but he couldn't and shouldn't have to live a life that was constantly hiding. He took responsibility when he made a mistake at the end.

Enjoyable read.

*** Arc provided by GRR. ***

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story. Very heartfelt. This author writes troubled kids and secondary characters with addiction issues and the impact this has on others really well. The interactions felt real between all of these characters and the connection between the mcs really strong. I did find Billy’s voice wasn’t as clear and I missed him not having more backstory. Sam definitely felt like the stronger voice and I really felt for him and his struggles with keeping his sexuality a secret in his Texan cowboy life. Some really emotional scenes! I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as ‘The last thing he needs’ but this is probably because I read a very similar book just recently. I’m really glad this author has given us a new release.

Everytime they said ‘might should’ my brain had a small conniption 😆 I love learning little language nuances of different places.

[Shelba · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 23%.

This isn’t a romance book. Maybe there is a romance subplot, but almost 1/4 of the way into this book, it’s more about Sam crying over his niece being mean to him.

So, 23%, 75 pages, 7 chapters. One of those chapters has been from Billy!s POV. He obviously made an appearance in that chapter, and briefly in chapter 1. Otherwise, it’s been The Sam Show.

Poor Sam, has to deal with the awful Bree:

Part of him wanted to let his frustration and exhaustion out on her, wanted to shake his fist and tell her how tired he was of her attitude and her meanness, her snide comments and rolling eyes.

At this point, it’s been a day (or less) since he picked the kids up. Two pages later, he tells his worker: “I’m about at my limit.” Are you sure you should have offered to take these two into your care, bud? And this comes to a head a week later, after a phone call from his sister (where he shames her for sex work, I should add).

“Bree, what the hell have I ever done to you? We’ve known each other a week, and you act like I’m a goddamn demon.”

He hasn’t seen his sister in 14 years, and yet he goes off on his 14 year old niece, telling her she doesn’t know what her mother is like.

”I know she’s your momma, and I know you love her, but you don’t know what it was like with her,”

Um… this 14 year old had to live with her for 14 years. The 14 years in which you hadn’t seen, and hardly heard from, your sister. Like, however hard this is for you, it’s probably super hard on a 14 year old girl who just had to move halfway across the country to live in the middle of cow country Texas with her uncle she’s never met after her methhead mom shot the BF and wound up in jail. Maybe have a bit of empathy.

Maybe, at some point, Billy will show up again. Maybe this romance book will get some romance in it. Maybe, at some point, these guys will all become one big happy family. Maybe Sam, Billy, & co will get their HEA. But maybe, just maybe, I think Sam is being treated like he is asshole because he is being an asshole. I can’t root for Sam while he, self-absorbly, throws himself a pity party.

It’s a shame, because I’ve really enjoyed other books from this author, but this is as full of shit as all those stalls Bree had to muck out.

[Liza Broadaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these two so much! Single cowboy uncle/dad to two kids falls for the adorable florist who falls for the kids and the uncle! The Deep South, hiding who you love is required but honestly the way each of these characters helped one another embrace who they are was just my favorite thing!!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-written book that is at times bittersweet, then hopeful and filled with love. Sam first meets Billy in high school when he saves him from a beating by some homophobic classmates. Their paths cross again as adults when Sam interacts with Billy at the local flower shop, after Billy returns to the area. Sam is on the way to the airport to pick up his niece and nephew, as their mother was in jail for a long-term sentence and he has agreed to raise the children

At first, Sam is overwhelmed in dealing with the anger, resentment, and nightmares of the kids. When Billy drops by with some food for the family, he and Sam spend time together and really connect. Billy is out as gay, but Sam is deeply in the closet. This book spans many months and the ups and downs of the relationship, as it is too difficult for Billy to stay in the closet with Sam. Living in East Texas ranch country, Sam is extremely wary of revealing his sexual orientation because the bigotry is prevalent and ostracizing. Can Sam and Billy make their way through the fears and the potential opposition of the community? This book has a fantastic epilogue that spans years in the future to provide a very satisfactory HEA. At its core, the story is one of deep and abiding love.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Words We've Never Said was sooo freakin good!! Sam has taken in his sister’s kids, that he didn’t know about and is struggling. He has a chance meeting with Billy. Billy has been out most of his life, where Sam has not. This was a beautiful story, so much pining. I picked it up and didn’t put it down until I was done with it. The Words We've Never Said ensnared me and kept me engaged. Overall, loved it. Well written with addicting pacing.

[Wendriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very beige. Doubtlessly, that is a strange start to a review, but it’s the thought that kept circling through my mind as I read it, and it’s the foundation of all my more specific points about it.

The very best thing about this book is its tone, which feels much as I imagine living in the dry, desert heat of Texas would. Knight has captured that sense of constancy, of futility, of desolation with pockets of greenery, oases from the deadly heat. The world that these characters live in is a weight on them, sometimes an oppressive one, and every sentence in this book, every line of dialogue (especially Sam’s), is positively dripping with that feeling, that context, that soporific and often uncomfortable energy. The fourth star is given entirely on the basis of this triumph.

Everything else about this book, though, is entirely average at best. The characters should feel fleshed out, given their complex and often dark backstories and the nature of many of their challenges, but they didn’t to me, at any point. Rather, they feel like automatons, programmed with the relevant tropes and then set on stage to play them out. There’s nothing wrong with that- certainly, none of them are bad characters- but there’s no spark to them either, no real life or personality beyond their surface presentation.

I personally had a huge issue with Billy. I could not connect to him at all, though so much of his outsider trauma should have been very resonant. For me, his trope (fabulous sparkly out-and-proud queer) descended into caricature at some points, though that might have been exacerbated by the sharp contrast between him and the beige of the world and other characters around him. However, I also felt that Billy leaned a bit too far toward “too good for this sinful world”, to the point that I sometimes wondered if the author was building up to his martyrdom. He’s forgiving, understanding, and generous to a fault, and while we’re informed that he’s angered by his encounters with prejudice and homophobia, he always meets it with reason or dodges it entirely whenever it crosses his path. He actually at one point states that he suffers life in Texas in the hopes of making it a better place. To me, he never felt remotely like a real person.

The plot is also very by-the-numbers and predictable. There’s very little conflict that isn’t either resolved immediately or invalidated in very short order, with the exception of the “Sam is in the closet” problem, which of course is the core conflict and needs to be in play for the entirety of the novel. I felt that this was dissonant with the circumstances and challenges that these characters are up against- surely, things shouldn’t be working out half as well or half as quickly as they do over the course of the novel. Ultimately, it’s another beige aspect of the story- no conflict, no twists, just keep the plot on the rails for 90,000 words.

With a book that long, you would think that the author would at least have space to provide all the detail which could potentially be relevant, but this book is one of the more egregious examples of why “show, don’t tell” is such a fundamental piece of writing advice. There are many time skips throughout the novel, which isn’t necessarily a problem, but I often felt that I was reading a synopsis rather than the story itself, especially in later chapters. The worst example of this, however, is the fact that the homophobia in the environment is largely not demonstrated, only talked about. We don’t see the banners that say “God Hates F**s”- Sam tells Billy, and us, about them. We don’t see anyone shouting slurs at Billy while he’s working or going about his business. I don’t want those scenes to be in the book because I would enjoy reading them, but without them, it feels like there’s no teeth to the argument against Sam coming out of the closet. And indeed, when he does, the backlash is not only minimal, but largely described rather than shown to the reader.

I appreciate that this may have been done purposely, that the author wanted to keep the tone of this story light and not delve into the darkness of homophobia and hate crimes. However, it feels disingenuous for the author to touch upon these dark subjects without giving them the respect and examination that they deserve. Homophobia is the most obvious case, but I also felt that the themes of drug abuse, childhood trauma, aging and death were largely glossed over, mentioned for the sake of a sad scene or in a character’s backstory and then summarily discarded, because to linger on them for too long might turn the beige into brown or make the plot shift to a less well-defined track.

All of that said, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from picking this up if the story of a closeted cowboy becoming a single father to two kids and falling in love with a manic-pixie-dream-boy florist in small-town Texas ticked any of their boxes. This is far from the worst thing I’ve ever read, and it’s not even truly bad. Just don’t go into it expecting anything more than a thoroughly average rendition of precisely what it says on the tin.

*I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.*

[1000storie1000vite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questo romanzo mi ha conquistata cammin facendo. Sam e Billy mi sono piaciuti un po’ di più ad ogni capitolo che passava e, se all'inizio ero rimasta un po' fredda nei loro confronti, alla fine si sono conquistati un pezzetto del mio cuore, tutti e due, ma Sam un po' di più.
Questa è una storia delicata, che affronta il tema della famiglia e dei legami familiari, della fiducia da conquistare, del coming out e della dipendenza con gentilezza e fermezza allo stesso tempo. Tutti i personaggi principali (e non sono pochi) sono delineati con cura e profondità. L'amore, il dolore, la paura, la rabbia, la gioia sono tutte emozioni raccontate con vividezza e partecipazione.
Ci sono passaggi che mi hanno commossa intimamente, frasi e riflessioni che ho sottolineato, riletto e poi risottolineato perché le volevo imprimere nella memoria.
Il ritmo è placido e avvolgente, fatto di giorni che diventano settimane e mesi e che cementano sentimenti ed emozioni.
La resa italiana ha più di qualche sbavatura, ma nell'insieme il libro si legge tutto di un fiato con grande piacere.
Davvero bello.
4 stelle e mezzo
Hugs&kisses

[Amy Weller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

This book is amazing! An emotional journey, the story of Sam and Billy is filled with love, loss, secrets and is an absolute must read! The two meet when Sam needs gifts for the niece and nephew he had not only just found out about, but has also just gotten custody of them. Their mother, his sister Lisa, has found herself in a bit of legal trouble and Sam is left to pick up raising her kids. The two begin a roller coaster ride of a relationship as Billy is out and proud and Sam is most definitely not, worried how people will react. Their relationship grows to something amazing while Sam struggles with raising two kids. There will be bumps and bruises along the way as both Billy and Sam struggle with trying to have it all without anyone finding out. There are some growing pains with Sam’s niece Bree as well but in the end, it’s love that will win the day as Sam gets to have the family of his dreams with the man he loves, his niece and nephew and eventually his sister.

I read an ARC copy of this book and am volunteering my honest review.

[K-Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the poetic writing style of this book. It gave the book a flowery yet down to earth feel. Sam is the new single parent to his sister's children. He is such a loyal and dedicated cowboy! The book has a strong focus on Sam trying to figure out how to create a good family life and well Bree is a wonderful handful! Sam is in the closet and Billy is a florist who is completely open about who he is. There is quite a bit underlying angst as these two have hidden feelings for each other and they need to figure out what do to with that and how to express it. I will not give too much away, but yes, they do finally get some sweet and steamy romance in! I found this to be a really enjoyable realist romance about the challenges of accepting yourself and finding your place among your loved ones!

[Anto64 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quattro stelline e mezzo.

[crabapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shitballs this was good. 99% angst plus a whole lot of good side plot and characters. Closeted cowboy Sam and never had a chance at passing Billy gave all the feels. Including the feels of wanting the one person who breaks your heart the most. Ugh. All I can say after one of these is thank god for a happily ever after. Now I want another …

[Imogen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐️ super cute cowboy romance. I was hooked by this but I actually was more invested in the kids storyline and I could have read about Sam and the kids allll day. So maybe if there was a tad more romance with Sam and Billy this would have been a 5!

[CateReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

***4.25 sweet and fluffy stars***

This is my first book by Knight and I am a fan!! A few quibbles, but this is a sweet and solid book.

The plot of an uncle taking on his niece and nephew could have been the makings of an angst-fest but I can happily report that this is moderately angsty. It does deal with more serious issues, such as domestic abuse, addiction, murder (of a bad man,) child abuse and abandonment, and homophobia. However, these issues were part of the landscape and were woven into the plot in a way that moved the story along, and not as salacious events written to torture the characters. (I am VERY wary of stories that make bad things happen to characters for no good reason.) It was also interesting that the plot of "gay uncle takes on niblings" was actually "closeted uncle temporarily takes on niblings while their mom is in jail, and deals with the fallout of that as well as the scars from their own fractured sibling relationship." This made for a much richer plot and stronger characterization of the kids having to deal with a mom who is alive but not there with them, and Sam has to contend with the sister he knew and the woman she became.

Honestly, I think I liked the plot with the children more than the romance, and therein lies the problem. Billy was sweet, but we weren't given a lot of info about his life before the book starts. He had a crush on Sam when he was a kid, but their romance felt more like insta-love, but insta-love because there aren't a ton of gay people around. We knew what draw Billy to Sam, but a little less to of what drew Sam to Bill in the beginning. I like Billy's relationship with the kids, especially Bree, but there was just something missing in the romance between Sam and Billy. It felt secondary to the plotline of Sam and the kids when they should be equally important.

Another plot point is the small-mindedness of the town where they live. I did find some of the casual homophobia to be accurate (mentions of stares at a barbecue, and innocently ignorant comments from people who should know better...) but there was a weird disconnect between how Sam thought everyone would treat him if they knew he was gay, and how people actually behaved. It felt as if the author didn't want to put her characters through too much of a hard time, which I get! Honestly, I don't want to see overt acts of prejudice in my books, anyway! But the homophobia felt like more of a looming sector than an actual threat, which made Sam's fears seem less of an issue than they should have been.

Overall, 4.25 stars! I'll definitely be seeking out more of J.H. Knight's work.

***I was given this as an ARC and this has been my honest review.***

[mck · Rating 2 out of 5]

an unfortunate victim of getting the family bond to romantic bond ratio wrong :/ usually i would be pretty vexed at this bc obvs going into a romance book, i want my romance, but truly the relationship between billy and sam sprung up so fast and out of the blue that i was more interested in the acquired children plot line…

it’s shocking i know, and you might never hear me say this again, but i found the relationship between sam and bree and winston to be way more interesting and compelling than the romance between him and billy. i especially loved seeing bree warm up to sam and become so comfortable and happy in texas. i also really loved her bond with billy, that was really cute. and i ofc love how feisty she was in defending her uncle and billy.

winston was a cutie as well, and the time jump in the epilogue was a very nice touch. i loved seeing how his dedication to ranch life persisted, and how bree’s interest in animals continued as well.

the romance wasn’t all bad, clearly i cared enough to be so freaking mad when sam wasn’t fighting for him and billy. i understand that i won’t ever be in his position and therefore can’t truly speak on his choices and fears, but i just felt so bad for billy. still im glad when he found the courage to come out, he had a good support system even if there were some hateful people. other than the few cutesy moments, the romance just came out of nowhere and there wasn’t too much development shown when competing with the kids’ storyline.

besides all that, i will say that i liked all the little one off mentions of the shitty politics and societal issues in texas. even as someone not from the south, this author captured a lot of my frustrations as a texas girly myself, so i felt very validated in my anger there. but other than that and the story with the children, i didn’t care too much for this book, at least not as far as romance goes.

2.5

[Theodore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was an ok read. Had some good moments, a few that were just alright, and none that were really bad.

The thing I personally disliked the most about the story was the homophobia tbh. It wasn't egregious or awful, but its presence in the story just made me feel bad. I know it exists in the world (and shows itself in worse ways that in the story) and you can hardly write a Cowboy MM Romance that takes place in Texas and not talk about it in some form, but I still didn't like it. I'm happy the author did decide to follow through with its consequences for Sam (losing suppliers, having people be hateful) because otherwise his fears would've just been in his head.

Speaking of which, Sam and Billy were alright. Sam is pretty much your typical cowboy + new father figure combined and Billy was really just the flamboyant love interest. Nothing super stand out about either.

Winston and Bree were also good additions to the story, Winston in particular was definitely endearing, but Bree often came across as too old for her age? Idk, maybe my perception of fourteen year olds is wrong, but she often spoke as though she was already in college or something. Likely an explicit choice from the author though since she probably had to grow up a lot because of her mother.

Lisa was fine. Character redemption off screen was appropriate for someone who was barely present and not the main focus of the story anyway.

Sam and Billy's reconciliation was a little quick? The setting was good but it could've been built up a little more as opposed to the word soup that Sam ended up doing. Sam deciding that a life with Billy was worth all the hardships was sweet though.

All in all, solid 3 out of 5.

[Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

JH Knight is one of my all-time favorite authors. I love her books SO MUCH. Since she doesn't publish regularly, I often waver between feeling bereft that she doesn't have any books coming out soon --OR-- experiencing low-level anxiety because I fear she's given up writing and in turn, is denying us all a chance to sink into her beautiful mind once again.

So you can imagine my glee when I realized she published a book in 2022. I quickly picked it up and devoured it in one evening. Like all of Knight's works, her strength is in the families she creates. She has a particularly knack for creating compelling characters with complex and/or moving family dynamics. She mades you feel like these families are real and has you rooting for not just the MC's, but every family member's happiness.

In this case, I feel in love with the relationship Sam creates with his sister's children. I also loved Billy and Sam's origin story and rooted for their romance. If I had any quibble, it's that we don't get enough pages devoted to Sam and Billy as an established couple, but it's a pretty minor quibble overall.

The Last Thing He Needs is still my favorite all-time book by this author, and would be the book I recommend if you are new to this author. But after reading that book (and Learning to Feel!), I would definitely recommend you check out this book as well. I suspect you won't need any nudging by me to do so at that point. :)

[Romanticfairiesblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voto 4 stelle e mezzo

Sam e Billy, due personaggi che non dimenticherò tanto facilmente. Siamo in Texas, non proprio uno degli stati più accoglienti con la diversità, e Sam è il proprietario di un ranch a cui vengono affidati due nipoti, di otto e quattordici anni, figli della sorella che deve scontare una pena in prigione. Sam è gay ma nessuno ne è al corrente. Billy è il nipote di Lorraine, proprietaria del negozio di fiori ed è la persona che è stata più vicina a Sam quando i suoi genitori sono morti anni prima. L’incontro tra di due scatenerà un incendio di proporzioni bibliche, i due sono fatti l’uno per l’altro ma dopo qualche tempo l’essere nascosto di Sam fa sì che il rapporto si complichi troppo e si fratturi all’apparenza definitivamente. L’autrice ci descrive i sentimenti, le sensazioni, il dolore dei due protagonisti in modo straziante, tanto da avermi fatto emozionare moltissimo. Cosa ci lascia questo libro? Ci lascia la consapevolezza di quanto sia terribile non poter essere se stessi, di quanto possano essere crudeli le persone che abbiamo intorno, di quanto l’amore sia la vera forza che fa girare il mondo.

“Non posso darti nulla di vistoso, non posso comprarti cose o portarti in Europa, non posso darti il mondo,” disse lentamente premendo la fronte alla sua.

“Ma se vuoi il mio mondo, il mio cuore, è tuo, la mia casa, la mia vita. Perché nessuna di queste cose significa molto se tu non ne fai parte.”

E qui, lo ammetto, è scesa una lacrima.

[Anna Lupelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

recensione per blog Letture sale e pepe-copia arc
I country romance racchiudono lo struggimento dei tramonti infuocati, la fatica del duro lavoro, la semplicità dei rapporti fra la gente: sono dei libri rassicuranti, comfort books.
Questo di cui vi parlerò è un country romance m/m e, perdonate il doppio senso, con tutti gli attributi al posto giusto.
Sam manda avanti il ranch che è stato della sua famiglia, i genitori non ci sono più e la sorella è fuggita da casa quando era poco più che una bambina.
Le sue giornate sono scandite dalle incombenze lavorative, la sua compagnia sono i suoi aiutanti e gli animali.
Un giorno il destino decide di stravolgere la sua vita: scoprirà dai servizi sociali di avere dei nipoti (Bree, un’adolescente indisponente, e Winston, un bambino tenero ed esuberante) e che gli verranno affidati a breve poiché la sorella è finita dietro le sbarre.
Lo stesso giorno in cui va a prendere i ragazzi in aeroporto, conosce il nipote di Loraine, sua amica/fioraia di fiducia. Billy è un giovane dai capelli rossi e la passione per i cowboy e, dallo scambio di sguardi, sappiamo già che scatterà la scintilla.
In un ambiente ad alto tasso di testosterone è meglio non sbandierare troppo le proprie tendenze omosessuali, ma il gay radar di entrambi funzionerà in modo immediato!
Un romanzo rassicurante come un vasetto di Nutella, il plot potrebbe apparire quasi scontato, ma c’è bisogno anche di questo genere al quale attingere quando abbiamo bisogno della nostra copertina di Linus. Scritto bene, dialoghi fluidi, personaggi piacevoli, doppio pov, un’ambientazione stimolante, un amore difficile e un cambio di vita che da incerto diventa la cosa più bella che potesse capitare.



“Non so come sia possibile essere tanto frustrato, triste e felice allo stesso tempo, ma è così che mi sento”



Ragazzi che scoprono un ambiente sano dove crescere ed imparare che bisogna faticare per guadagnarsi le cose, cose che mai avrebbero potuto immaginare di desiderare.
Personaggi minori che rendono brillante la trama: rideremo, sbufferemo e ci commuoveremo con loro.
Un amore che sboccia ma che non può essere vissuto sotto la luce del sole, per la paura di perdere tutto a causa dell’omofobia. Billy è come uno dei fiori che tanto ama: colorato, brioso e portatore di felicità; riuscirà a sopravvivere nell’ombra?

Immergiamoci nelle calde atmosfere texane, fra ranch, cavalli e vita all’aria aperta con questo romanzo dolce, carino e, ovviamente, spicy.

[EQUUS · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is everything - moving, realistic, hot, questioning....I could add many more adjectives but I'll stop here. You just need to read it to fully understand. It made me feel and sucked me in from page one and I wouldn't put it down except I needed to work, sleep...On the second thought - sleep is overrated... On the top of it - it's not even my favourite trope, because my tastes in books vary from very dark to mystery suspense, sports, military, paranormal, urban fantasy, cowboys, family found...The only thing I hate is sugary sweetness and you won't find any here - just life written in such moving and realistic glimpses that is unforgettable, at least for me. You be the judge.
Can an out and proud gay florist and overworked deeply closeted struggling rancher, suddenly "saddled" with two kids make a life together in rural and mostly bigoted part of Texas?
Will their attraction and connection on other levels be enough?
You'll just need to find out. Do it. You'll be missing out if you don't.
This is a first book I've read from this author but it's most definitely not the last.
Brilliant writing with deep insights into life and human souls and relationships, great character development, no easy answers, family found..
Highly recommended..

[livia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book I didn't expect to make me cry but absolutely did. Damn the cowboy + children combo.

Although this is primarily a romance about Sam and Billy (two very different men who somehow fit perfectly), that aspect of the book took a while to grow on me. For the first half or so, I was almost completely focused on the family dynamics and how exceptionally well they were done. I loved Sam and his relationship with his nephews, and how it had both its struggles and triumphs. It felt realistic and emotional, and they were all very easy to root for. I found myself hand to heart with how sweet some scenes were, such as when his nephew accidentally called him "dad" or when his niece first hugged him.

This is a rare case for me where the angst was my favorite part of the story; Sam and Billy absolutely tore my heart apart, and I cried with them multiple times. I could empathize with both of their situations and points of view, and while they hurt each other in many ways, it was never mean-spirited and never got to the point where I didn't want them to figure it out. My one criticism is that after so much struggle, the resolution came a little bit out of nowhere.

Very well done, and I'm hoping to read more from this author in the future.