Review: Crocus by Amy Lane

Title: Crocus

Series: Bonfires: Book Two

Author: Amy Lane

Length: 244 Pages

Category: Contemporary

At a Glance: Amy Lane does real life like no other author I know. Gritty, messy and hectic does not begin to describe the life these two men live with their kids.

Reviewed By: Sammy

Blurb: Saying “I love you” doesn’t guarantee peace or a happy ending.

High School Principal “Larx” Larkin was pretty sure he’d hit the jackpot when Deputy Sherriff Aaron George moved in with him, merging their two families as seamlessly as the chaos around them could possibly allow.

But when Larx’s pregnant daughter comes home unexpectedly and two of Larx’s students are put in danger, their tentative beginning comes crashing down around their ears.

Larx thought he was okay with the dangers of Aaron’s job, and Aaron thought he was okay with Larx’s daughter—who is not okay—but when their worst fears are almost realized, it puts their hearts and their lives to the test. Larx and Aaron have never wanted anything as badly as they want a life together. Will they be able to make it work when the world is working hard to keep them apart?

Review: I loved meeting Larx and Aaron in Amy Lane’s first novel in this series, entitled Bonfires. Now in the sequel, Crocus, we revisit the two, picking up right where we left off at the end of the first novel. With three teenagers in the house—Aaron’s son, Kirby, Larx’s daughter Christi, and the boy they have basically adopted, Kellen—there is little time for either man to have a spare moment to breathe. Aaron is still the deputy chief, Larx still the principal of the local high school, and both are trying to make a life with each other in Larx’s home.

As seems to be the way with this couple, it’s not long before turmoil and danger find a way into their lives once again. While Larx is trying to deal with his college-age pregnant daughter suddenly showing up on their doorstep, announcing that she is quitting and moving back home, Aaron responds to a tip-off call about a possible child abuse case. As Larx tries to save not one but two additional teenagers, the tension will ratchet up, and it will be a race to rescue an abused teenage girl, find a home for the boy who reported her abuse, and help the boy’s brother cope with PTSD from his time spent in a gang that essentially nearly killed him when he wanted out. During this rescue, Aaron will nearly lose his life and Larx will have to decide if he really can face life never knowing if his boyfriend is going to come home at night or end up in a body bag at the morgue. Their love for each other is never in question, but the ability to deal with the stress of their jobs and hold on to that love is stretched to the wire.

Crocus is the follow up to a first novel I really enjoyed. Personally, it’s a real toss-up for me as to which one I now like better. Life in all its glorious pandemonium descends on the home that Larx and Aaron are trying to build together. Author Amy Lane never lets us doubt that these guys are in love, but the stress they endure just in trying to raise not only their biological children but the strays they seem to pick up along the way is an incredibly heavy burden on both of them. Both Aaron and Larx have difficulty delegating and trusting. It’s not that they lack faith in each other; it’s just that they have been single dads for so long that they are inclined to shoulder whatever problems come their way in quiet determination. Larx, in particular, desperately needs to lean on Aaron, but when Aaron gets shot, Larx reels his emotions back in and tries to make it on his own. The result nearly tears them both apart.

Amy Lane does real life like no other author I know. Gritty, messy and hectic does not begin to describe the life these two men live with their kids. Add in two very stressful professions and not nearly enough time for intimacy, or just plain old soul-bearing chats, and you have a pair of fellows running on octane fumes alone by the end of the day. This is life and it’s a mess, but there are so many brief, sweet moments in this novel where Larx and Aaron can breathe together, and those are just magical to read.

In Crocus, Amy Lane takes on depression, unwed pregnancy, PTSD, child abuse and more. Yet, despite these many crisis points, she is able to weave a story that speaks of the resilience of a love that is shared by two men determined to make a go of life together. I really liked this story—I got to know Larx and Aaron better, see their lives develop and watch their children become really fine young adults. No, there was no perfect happy family in the end—there were still so many problems and much healing that needed to take place—but the idea that they would face it together was what made Crocus a beautiful story of love and survival.

You can buy Crocus here:
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