Title: Oz
Series: Finding Home: Book One
Author: Lily Morton
Publisher: Amazon/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 287 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Romantic Comedy
At a Glance: Oz and Silas left my heart in a shmoopy little puddle of joy. This book is every bit as hope-filled and touching as the series title, Finding Home, suggests.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Blurb: What happens when temporary becomes forever?
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy free as the day he left it.
However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He’s also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Oz banks on the fact that they’re from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he’s finally home?
Review: “It’s like watching elephants mate. Dangerous, messy, and uncomfortable, but ever so slightly sweet.” ~ Lily Morton
Comedy is not an easy minefield to navigate. Humor is so subjective and personal and as an author, I’m sure the adage “It’s much easier to make an audience cry than laugh” has a ring of the absolute to it. For a comedic line/scene not to fall flat, readers must not only be in on the joke but we need to get it as well, whether the moment is based in irony, dark humor, sarcasm, irreverence, or in the absurd. Author Lily Morton does humor so very well, in my most humble opinion, and amongst all the lovely and touching moments she compels readers to embrace in her latest release, Oz, there are plenty of noteworthy chuckles and pure laugh-out-loud moments that make this novel a tremendously delightful read. I would even go so far as to say this is now my absolute favorite of this author’s books, which is notable as I’ve adored so much of Morton’s work. In the end, it all comes down to my unabashed love for her MCs, Oz Gallagher and Silas—aka the Earl of Ashworth.
There is nothing like a good hook to set the proper tone of a story, and Morton offers that up in a singular fashion when Oz comes home to find his boyfriend (who also happens to be his boss) has not only stuck a landing dick-first in another man, but he’s had the audacity to do it in their bed, and then has the nerve to be angry at Oz for being miffed about it. From this moment on, I knew there was something special about Oz and that, in spite of his bad track record with men, a lot of that had to do with the fact he just hadn’t found the right man yet, a man who was kind and gentle and thoughtful, and who Oz could laugh with. Because when two people can laugh together, it makes going through the difficult times a bit less treacherous. Little did Oz know that man would end up being a member of the aristocracy.
Silas, Lord Ashworth, was introduced in Morton’s novel Risk Taker, book three in the Mixed Messages series. He is the oldest Ashworth son, which means he inherited the title of Earl as well as Ashworth House itself and the acreage that goes with it. And, unbeknownst to his brother, Henry, Silas also inherited the tremendous debt and expense that came along with it thanks to their father’s mismanagement and negligence. On top of that, Silas is also a veterinarian, which keeps him busy enough without his ancestral home falling down around his ears thanks in part to his ex, who also happened to be Silas’ employee and was supposed to be overseeing renovations to the estate so the manor could be opened to the public in the hope that it would help pay off some of the debt as well as help pay for the upkeep of the childhood home and land Silas loves so well.
You’ll see how this works.
Lily Morton takes one sassy and unemployed man with a degree in Fine Art and History of Art, introduces him to an advert for a job he isn’t qualified for, adds an interview in which he puts on a spectacular performance, stirs in some preconceived notions, some self-doubt, a sweet and sexy Earl with an equally bad track record in relationships as well as a dragon-spawn mother, and a heaping helping of chemistry, and gives her readers the recipe for a perfect boss/employee, opposites attract happily ever after.
Every moment Oz and Silas spend together on-page drives this story towards its inevitable conclusion. There is almost a sense of awe and wonder as their relationship morphs, grows and also, at times, feeds into Oz’s insecurities. Why would a man such as Silas ever be interested in a commoner like Ozzy Gallagher? Oh, but Oz is anything but common, and Silas is a man worth fighting for and holding on to. There is no doubt by story’s end that they belonged together and that the tone and nature of their relationship defines the series’ title, Finding Home. There is also no doubt by story’s end that my heart was nothing but a shmoopy little puddle of joy. This book is every bit as hope-filled and touching as that title suggests and as we have a hint of the setup for the next couple in the series, there is sure to be more embraceable and swoon-worthy moments ahead. It’s also certain this is a book I’ll read over and over again.
You can buy Oz here:
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