Chase Michaels lost his future in a car crash almost ten years ago, and he's made a new one for himself in Serenity. One that doesn't include getting emotionally involved with people who are just passing through. But Jaden makes his common sense flee and his gut react. He's got one month with the man who made him believe in taking a chance.
This is another winner for me from Meg Harding.
Finding Home is a character driven quiet romance with low angst combined with sweet and extremely sexy moments. It was the perfect read on a Sunday morning during a holiday weekend.
Jaden Matthews and his Great Dane, Magneto, are on his way to a town he’s never been, to meet three half-brothers Jaden never knew existed at all because his late paternal grandmother they share whom he never met left him part of a business and her house. Jaden has nothing to lose after being laid off from his job and left by his soon to be ex-husband after he cheated on him with a med student, so why not drive from New York to Florida to finalize the things he never knew he had to move on with his life.
But visiting and then staying in a town called Serenity for a high strung guy like Jaden is bound to have all sorts of consequences.
Chase Michael’s had the world at his feet as a star college football player on the path to and NFL career when one night of too much partying and a bad decision changed everything. An accident that messed up his shoulder and leg forced Chase to rethink his life and fall back on the business degree he earned. Laying down roots in Serenity, opening a smoothie shop and becoming close friends with Jaden’s family was never his plan, but the town has a way of welcoming you in and never letting you go. It’s a small town thing right along with raccoons that hold you hostage from your front porch and sea turtles laying eggs on the beach.
The meet cute with Jaden and Chase was super cute because rescuing a stranger on the side of the road always turns into more and Chase and Jaden have chemistry immediately. Though both men do not know the other is gay, they form crushes and settle for friendship that moves along beautifully.
The memory of their Grandmother and who she was to her family and the town was bittersweet. Everyone loved her and her office filled with binders, pictures and notes shows how much she loved her family, even her asshat of a son who donated his sperm, but never took responsibility for the children he created. Jaden’s brothers were a complete joy to have in this story as it is one that focuses on family, a theme I am beginning to associate with the author. Jaden had never met his brothers, Phoenix, Zane and Elliot but considering the men arrived in Serenity in much the same way Jaden did, it’s not surprise that they want to get to know him and immediately take ownership of him as their brother. I loved each of the “Bannister boys” for many reasons but I have soft spot for the one with the long blue hair with his love for all animals and being their knight in shining everything but after a slip at the beach when discussing sexuality… I want Phoenix’s story and I kinda want it bad.
But back to the romance of Chase and Jaden. Both men know that Jaden is only there for a short amount of time to settle the new affairs he acquired from his grandmother. They know this and don’t deny their attraction mutual attraction and fall into one another with eyes wide open. Their eyes aren’t the only thing that’s open and with every “Can I try something?” from Jaden, he and Chase open their hearts to one another. Their time spent in bed was smoking hot with a side of small serving of kink from a bossy Jaden that both shocks Jaden for doing it and Chase for liking it. But it’s all what happens out of bed that is the romance and how Jaden, who has been repressed by making everyone else happy, is finally able to let his dork out and just be his true self because Chase lets him. It was adorable watching Jaden let go and let Chase in, even if neither of them are ready to spill their souls to one another.
The moral of the story is that pressure can be a bitch, and it doesn't matter where it comes from. At some point we have to realize we need more than one priority, and those priorities shouldn’t interfere with our well being. Figure out what you want, and do the selfish thing for once.
That quote right there is the moral of this story really. It’s too often that we can get caught up in doing for others that we forget to do things for ourselves. Even when we think we are being selfish, we tend to put others first and that can lead to a miserable existence. Jaden needed to learn this but needed to learn it where we could let go and find his own peace of mind.
I really liked that the story felt realistic down to the last word. As the reader you know where things are going and why you don’t want separating of angst for Chase and Jaden, you know it has to happen. It’s a good thing that end was totally romantic and so damn worth it.
Now I have to add…
The only thing for me that didn’t make this a five star read was terribly picky on my part and totally personal. For Chase to teach yoga, it bugged me that the first class he taught in the book didn’t make much sense. I’m not a professional, but I’ve been practicing daily for over two years and could not figure out what positions he was getting students into without giving any of them a name at all. Then we get that he was in Kapotasana on the beach, which is a very advanced pose in the second series of Ashtanga Yoga, and we were given the Sanskrit name of it out of the blue instead of calling it Pigeon Pose. It was just really odd to go from Chase giving no name to the poses before and then nailing this one. I am not sure why this pose was chosen, but including how it’s a back bend plus a heart opener could have added to Chase needing it at that moment and what deep poses like that can do to emotions. It’s ridiculously picky on my part, but it bugged me to the point I couldn’t see Chase as this yogi who practices authentically as he was supposed to. Even if some of yoga sounds new age-ish or hippy etc. using the language, even the non-traditional names for it give more meaning as it seems to be applied to Chase and not just some class he teaches like step aerobics.
Anyway, gripe aside I really loved this story. I liked the romance, I liked the family dynamics and I liked how the town of Serenity became a character as well with its own charms. I am going to say again, a book about Phoenix exploring more than just a one off would be amazing and I’ll leave it at that.
Don't miss the Finding Home release blitz HERE
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