Audiobook Review: Tender Mercies (Men of Lancaster County #2) by Eli Easton

Eddie Graber's dream of a sanctuary for rescued farm animals was about to come true when his partner backed out at the last minute. Now Eddie risks losing the 25-acre property in Lancaster County - and all the hopes he held for it - before the project even gets off the ground. He needs help, he needs money, but most importantly, he needs to rediscover the belief in a higher purpose that brought him here in the first place.

Samuel Miller worked hard to fit into his Amish community despite his clubfoot. But when his father learns Samuel is gay, he is whipped and shunned. With just a few hundred dollars to his name, Samuel responds to an ad for a farmhand and finds himself employed by a city guy who has strange ideas about animals, no clue how to run his small farm, and a gentle heart.

Samuel isn't the only lost soul to serendipitously find his way to Meadow Lake Farm. There's Fred and Ginger, two cows who'd been living in a garage, a gang of sheep, and a little black pig named Benny who might be the key to life, love, money - and even a happily ever after for two castoffs.

Listening Length: 8 hours and 28 minutes
Narrator: Will Tulin

I enjoyed the audiobook narration by Will Tulin. This is the first time I’m listening to his work, and I’d definitely do so again without any worries.

The way readers are introduced to Samuel broke my heart. The abuse by his father made my blood boil. But even sadder was how Samuel knew nothing could be done to change his family’s minds.

But despite those awful circumstances, Samuel has an inner core of strength and resiliency. He doesn’t let his family’s rejection, or his club foot, keep him down for long.

I was rooting for Samuel from the first page!

Eddie has his own struggles with the farm. But he’s determined to make his sanctuary work, even if it costs him both financially and personally.

The two men are brought together in less-than-perfect circumstances, but it’s clear from the beginning that they’re a strong match for each other.

The romance in ‘Tender Mercies’ is a slow-burn. While Eddie and Samuel are attracted to each other from the beginning, it takes a while for them to do anything about it.

Instead, they gradually become friends. Over shared meals and farmwork, the two get to know each other. And eventually, they start leaning on one another for comfort and support.

But underneath that friendship, there’s a lingering sexual tension. When Samuel and Eddie finally give in, it’s a natural extension of the emotional relationship they’ve already built.

I thought it was really sweet how the two filled a whole in each other’s life. For Samuel, Eddie becomes the home he was so desperately looking for. And for Eddie, Samuel becomes his driving force when he thinks about giving up.

Most of the conflict in this book is driven by the struggle to keep the farm sanctuary running. I could have done with less of it, because it overshadowed the romance and unnecessarily slowed the book down.

Even so, I enjoyed ‘Tender Mercies,’ and I was glad to see Samuel and Eddie get their HEA. If you’re looking for a slow read with a sweet and gradual romance, I’d give this book a try!

Audiobook Review: A Second Harvest (Men of Lancaster County #1) by Eli Easton

David Fisher has lived by the rules all his life. Born to a Mennonite family, he obeyed his father and took over the family farm, married, and had two children. Now with both his kids in college and his wife deceased, he runs his farm alone and without joy, counting off the days of a life half-lived.

Christie Landon, graphic designer, Manhattanite, and fierce gay party boy, needs a change. Now thirty, he figures it's time to grow up and think about his future. When his best friend overdoses, Christie resolves to take a break from the city. He heads to a small house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to rest, recoup, and reflect.

But life in the country is boring despite glimpses of the hunky silver fox next door. When Christie's creativity latches on to cooking, he decides to approach his widower neighbor with a plan to share meals and grocery expenses. David agrees, and soon the odd couple finds they really enjoy spending time together.

Christie challenges the boundaries of David's closed world and brings out feelings he buried long ago. If he can break free of the past, he might find a second chance at happiness.

Listening Time: 7 hrs 40 min
Narrator: Will Tulin

Reviewer: Lost in a Book

I may have overeaten, destroyed my liver and rocked myself in a corner all while reading this book. The overeating because this book is full of amazing foods that were described to perfection. *hangry* The liver because I needed a little lot of wine to get through the first half. The rocking in the corner because this book is full of feelz that kick you in the balls and repair your broken heart within the same page. I loved this one so hard.

Christie and David were imperfectly perfect. David is a 41 year old widowed Mennonite and father of two. “Fierce” Christie is a 30 year old party boy that is sick of the party scene. He escapes to some land he inherited from his dearly departed Aunt and is now David’s neighbor. David was barely existing prior to Christie entering his life. He worked, ate, slept and occasionally wondered what it would be like to look down the barrel of his shotgun. He was depressed and his true self lay in a vintage lock box hidden in the depths of a barn. He is a closeted gay man brought up in an extremely religious family. David’s life was mapped out for him from the early age of 17 when his father passed away and all responsibility went to him. He is a lonely man just waiting out his years for death to “take him.” Until Christie.

Christie represented everything David wanted to be but never dared to dream of. In his world of black and white, Christie was color; He was magnificient and had a zest for life that forced splashes of color to take root in David’s darkest areas.

“But right now being with Christie was like hot sunlight. And when you were in the sunlight, it was hard to imagine the darkness.”

Their relationship was slow burn at its finest. With a friendship forming and meals shared, Christie sent sparks of life through David. David had been “dead” so long that be forgot his sense of adventure. Although they didn’t know it, they were falling deeply in love as Christie handed David the world one meal at a time.

”He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this, like joy was a fossil fuel buried deep in his soul, and he had suddenly struck deep and hit a gusher. He felt vibrant and alive, wanting to be in this moment and nowhere else, wishing he could bottle it up and keep it forever.”

The first 50% I was begging for any sign of affection without restraint. When their first kiss happened, it was like giving a starving women a mint. It was hard and glorious. The build up and torture of them sloooowwwwwwly falling in love without realizing it...gahhh! That kiss was f’ing amazing.

”There was an absolute tempest inside him. It felt like a class-five hurricane, raging and howling and sending bits and pieces of long-standing walls flying. It wasn’t a kiss so much as a statement, a moment of rebellion, an act of desperation, or maybe one of solidarity.”

The sex was hot and purposeful throughout. It served to further their connection and wasn’t just a sexfest. The sexting though. Y’all, holy shit. Talk about show and not tell. Those pictures were definitely *ahem* effective.

On a more serious note, David had a lot of baggage to get through. Besides overcoming his own self, he had to overcome the obstacles of his children and his town. They worked through those issues without drama coming between them and the outcome was authentic even if I wanted to throat punch his son. I would have liked more closure around the end. Although there weren’t loose ends, it was a little too abrupt for my liking.

My only real negative was about the audio. I learned a very valuable lesson about audiobooks with this one; The narrator can make or break a book. I wasn't enjoying the audio. At all. Sadly, the narration was very robotic and monotone. If I hadn't decided to download the ebook as a companion, I would have missed out on the gem that is A Second Harvest and called it quits.

As a warning, there is a trigger warning for suicidal thoughts a few times throughout. I would definitely recommend this book and will read the next one in the series when it is released.