Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North is a sweet love story between ‘country mouse’ and ‘city mouse’.  Two men living in vastly different worlds fall in love and have to figure out how to make a relationship work in the real world.  I received a copy of this book at no charge through Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own.

Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North

Preorder Link:  Riptide Publishing

Title:         Blueberry Boys
Series:      N/A 
Author:  Vanessa North
Publisher:  Expected publication: November 30th 2015 by Riptide Publishing  
ISBN:   9781626493414
Format/Length:   46,100 words/186 pages
Genre:       M/M, Contemporary
Heat Rating:   3
Star Rating:    4 1/2

About the Author:  To learn more about the author you can check out her website or follow along on Facebook or Twitter.

Blueberry Boys Blurb:  Connor Graham is a city boy—a celebrated fashion photographer in New York. When his uncle’s death drags him back to the family blueberry farm, all he wants to do is sell it as quickly as he can. Until he meets his uncle’s tenant farmer.

Jed Jones, shy and stammering, devout and dedicated, has always yearned for land of his own and a man to share it with. Kept in the closet by his church, family, and disastrous first love, he longs to be accepted for who he is. But now, with his farm and his future in Connor’s careless hands, he stands to lose even the little he has.

Neither man expects the connection between them. Jed sees Connor—appreciates his art and passion like no one else in this godforsaken town ever has. Connor hears Jed—looks past his stutter to listen to the man inside. The time they share is idyllic, but with the farm sale pending, even their sanctuary is a source of tension. As work, family, and their town’s old-fashioned attitudes pull them apart, they must find a way to reconcile commitments to their careers and to each other.

Blueberry Boys Review:

In Blueberry Boys by Vanessa North, Connor escaped rural New England many years ago and became a fashion photographer in New York City.  His uncle’s death means that he needs to go home and deal with the sale of the family farm.

Jed has been in this tiny, rural town his entire life.  He loves the land and the food it produces but is shy, closeted and has a stutter that makes it difficult for him to express himself.  When the owner of the farm he leases land from passes away, he is unsure what his future holds.

Jed stumbles upon Connor in a field of blueberries and from the very first moment these men are drawn to each other.  Connor can hear past Jed’s stutter to what he is truly trying to say.  Jed appreciates the beauty that Connor creates in his art like very few have before.  These two men are nowhere near perfect but they fall in love anyhow, not quite sure what their future will hold.

I loved Jed’s character in Blueberry Boys from the very first moment that he was introduced.  From his stutter right down to his blueberry stained fingernails, the author does an amazing job of bringing his character to life.  You feel his frustration at not being able to communicate well and his resignation at having to live the rest of his life in the closet.  The lack of support he received from his family when he finally came out to them was appalling and my heart broke for these two men who couldn’t figure out how to bring their relationship into the real world.  Jed’s strong beliefs in his Christian faith made things even more complicated for  him.

While Connor seemed a bit more put together on the surface, he really wasn’t.  He had a horrendous relationship with his brother and the loss of his uncle hit him harder than he let on.  The emotion on the page when he broke down in Jed’s arms was incredibly moving.

These two men are so sexy and sweet together.  There is the perfect balance between steamy chemistry and gentle romance.  I will honestly never look at a pint of blueberry icecream the same every again!

I was so glad the Connor didn’t give up the fight for a long term relationship with Jed.  This struggle to find a balance between love and life was so very REAL.  Sometimes, falling in love is the easy part.  Finding a way to make that love work with family, faith, jobs, location, and real life is the hard part.  But, these two men DO get their HEA…you just have to be patient!

Vanessa North put some amazing details into Blueberry Boys.  From the frustrations of organic farming to the delicious sounding blueberry vinaigrette…this was a wonderful story and I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.  I also feel an intense need to go out and buy a whole bunch of blueberries and start cooking!