The Blind Season

Common Threads in the Life #2

by Ronald L. Donaghe

Joel and his husband, Tom, decide to start a family. Knowing that two gay men will never be able to adopt, they decide to find a surrogate mother to carry their child. What they find is a lot more than they bargained for. Sharon Minninger, a beautiful and determined runaway from a Mennonite community near Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico, offers to carry their child. Her influence has more impact on their lives than the couple could ever have imagined. Joel and Tom discover that the backlash of their decision to be fathers is much worse than expected. They are unprepared for the venomous reaction from some of the less open-minded citizens of the small southwestern New Mexico town, and in particular a nefarious religious organization new to the small town that will stop at nothing to get the child.

Genres: Gay Fiction, Gay, LGBT, Fiction, M M Romance

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2001

About the author

Ronald L. Donaghe was raised on a farm in southern New Mexico. The setting for many of his novels involves the desert and the mountains of New Mexico. He is a master at evoking the stark beauty and sheer majesty of such settings but also the unforgiving and harsh side.

Reviews

[Neet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in Common Threads in the Life series and in this wonderful book we find our favorite couple Joel & Tom in all respects happily married and 5 years since the events in Common Sons.The only thing that is missing in Joel's opinion is a child.Joel feels that they would make excellent parents,but they being gay will never be allowed to adopt.They begin to think it might be a good idea of paying a surrogate.While travelling the two meet young and beautiful runaway Sharon Minninger.Sharon is living on the streets because as a part of the Mennonite community she has been shunned.Joel & Tom become friends with this young woman,feed her and clothe her and start confiding in her their dreams of becoming parents.Sharon consider the two men her saviors and she offers to be the surrogate to their baby.Soon after the deed is done the three make the journey back to Common,New Mexico.Each with dreams for the new life that Sharon is hopefully caring.Sharon also dreams of getting and education and Joel & Tom promise to fund her college education.But this is Common,New Mexico in 1970,and the three discover that they face the same rabid cruelty and homophobia that they did in 1965.Thank goodness for family and good friends that stand by the three young people.This is definitely a good series and a good read!***Still a wonderful story and an excellent series to read. I love the characters and Mr Donaghe is a brilliant writer. 2/24/17.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eager for parenthood despite its seeming impossibility, Tom and Joel team up with a (female) Mennonite shunnee to have a daughter. But the religious fanatics in their town attempt to interfere in their lives again, especially when Tom's mother returns. Another good read.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

the beginning of one of the best written series, written with honesty, heart and enough magic to inspire dreams!!!!