Husky Love

Isaiah Roby

June 21

"Danny

I may be young, but I've done a hell of a lot of growing up in the past year. I watched my big brother deal with the challenges of loving someone, went through some medical stuff myself, and changed my career plans and my city. Gaynor Beach is smaller than where I was, but it has two attractions—my brother's big new house, where he's letting me live for now, and Rob Dunn. When I met Rob, just, damn. Like my brother, I wanted to help that sweet, stubborn guy and his cute kids get back on their feet. Maybe the rescue husky wasn't the right gesture, despite Rob's connection to him, but a dog is love on four paws, and I plan to be there to help all the way.

Rob

I left my abusive husband with my two kids and the clothes on our backs. I'm grateful every day for the support the Gaynor Beach folks have given us…okay, I'm not sure I'm precisely grateful for the rambunctious young husky Danny Reynolds gave us, but Trouble makes my kids smile, and that's a big win in my eyes.
I'm determined to get back on my feet. I hate relying on other people to help us, but somehow it doesn't bother me as much when it comes from Danny. It's nice to have a real friend after all those isolated years, but do I want to keep him in the friend zone?

This slow-burn small-town gay romance novel is about fresh starts, accepting help, two sweet kids and an adorable husky named Trouble."

I got an ARC of this book.

I was emailed about this book and Iw as on the fence. Who gifts someone a husky when they are already in a tough spot. To quote my wife "when is a husky EVER the answer?" (They have had huskies and huskies are wonderful dogs, but they are not for first time dog owners or for someone who is barely hanging on.) I caved, because I wanted to see how the husky plot played out. I was not ready.

Let me start with the bad. A few chapters in and I could make an assumption about the author. She was either from the east coast or not from the US. "Wicked" is an east coast/New England slang term. It is not really heard in California. I was actively made fun of for saying it when I lived in California. The other issue was It is pretty rare for Oklahoma to get snow. There are a few parts that get snow, but it is a pretty snow-free state overall. So I was giggling about those things. Not really issues, but they amused me. The actual first issue I had with the book was the speed of the romance. It was slow burn and SO, SO good. They went from not kissing until 67% to first date to engage in like two-three chapters. It felt like the slow just got thrown off. The other issue I had was Rob clearly states that he was ordered to have sex and some other clearly sexual assault things (there is a difference between kink and abuse. Rob could not say no without punishment), but kept claiming he was not sexually assaulted. I wish that Rob had been able to address that instead of pretending it wasn't. I am not sure if this is just the idea that gay men can't be sexually assaulted or that only somet things are sexual assault. It just felt really glarling wrong.

The good, so much more good. Trouble was ADORABLE. The slow burn was such a good slow burn. I was so ready for the kissing to start. I was living for the kissing to start. I was so into the romance. I wanted to see Rob heal. I wanted to see Danny find his way in life. I wanted the kidney transplant to go fast and smooth. I wanted to live in this world forever. The family was so vivid and amazing. Mama gave me that small town busybody that I adore in books. But then add in a stubborn streak a mile wide and reigning over a family with the biggest hearts on the planet. I just adored everyone so much. It was a perfect book to read when I was stuck in bed sick.

The dogs had their own personalities. The husky was clearly a husky. The kids were clearly kids. Sadly, these kids showed signs of abuse and it was heartbreaking. The abuse of the kids does not appear on page. They are safe. They get to heal too. I was really worried how much of the abuse would be traumatic and on page, but all of it was Rob reflecting back and being anxious. It worked in a way that allowed the depth of the feelings to show without it feeling like it was trauma for trauma sake. I was really into the way that it was handled.

I can keep going. There was so much about this book to love. Very little that I was against. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I can see myselfy checking out more of this shared world and checking out more Grey.