“Homespun” Is Not Your Everyday Yarn

“We are sun and moon, dear friend; we are sea and land. It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is: each the other’s opposite and complement.” ― Hermann Hesse

BLURB: For twenty years, Owen Fortescue, a down-to-earth farmer in upstate New York, has had an on-again, off-again relationship with volatile New York City artist Kerry Ruehling. Now that same-sex marriage is recognized in New York, Owen wants to tie the knot. But Kerry responds to the proposal with instant, angry withdrawal. Owen resolves to prove to Kerry that, regardless of the way his family of origin has treated him, family ties don’t necessarily tie a man down. With help from his grown daughter, Laura, who loves them both, Owen hopes to convince Kerry that his marriage proposal isn’t a trap, but a chance at real love.

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This story is not your everyday love story. These two men are not young, they are not just meeting each other and there is no slow “getting to know you” period for Owen and Kerry. Twenty years ago Kerry found his way to Owen’s ranch, and he found more there than just odd jobs. I don’t think I have ever read a book with two MC’s that are more different than these men. Owen is a small town farmer that produces wool and wool products. Kerry is a New York City guerrilla artist. Somehow these two men made a connection those twenty years ago, and Kerry comes and goes from the farm two or three times a year.

Since New York has made marriage legal, Owen has decided he wants to make his family whole by adding Kerry legally as his husband. Little did he know that Kerry wants anything except that from him.

Since Kerry was a teenager, the word “family” has meant nothing but pain to him. He can only see heartbreak on the horizon if he were to accept this proposal. Kerry has lived a very different life than Owen can even imagine. He survived the “gay plague” and watched way too many of his friends die. He has been beaten up and tossed aside because of his sexuality, and he feels that Owen just can’t relate to his life.

With Owen’s grown daughter’s help, these men open up to one another and they finally have a conversation that seems to have been put off for twenty years. Once Kerry stops running and Owen finally starts chasing, they air some truths between them and they both start to heal wounds they never knew existed.

Like I said before this is not your usual romance novel, there really is no HEA, but there is hope for a happy future for them if they can learn to compromise. I liked this story and would highly recommend it for anyone that likes an opposites attract story, but can live with a HFN ending.

You can buy Homespun here: