Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: Cultivating Love
AUTHOR: Addison Albright
PUBLISHER: Loose Id
LENGTH: 120 Pages
BLURB:
A man of few words, Joe is a hard-working farmhand who likes his simple, uncomplicated life. Ed is satisfied with his existence as an auto mechanic, but thrilled when an unexpected development in his life allows him to help Joe realize a dream.
It forces them, however, to reevaluate the casual, undefined nature of their relationship. They’re too macho to speak of love, and neither would ever dream of acknowledging he doesn’t really mind when it’s his turn to bottom. When life throws them a curve ball, and the rules of their game get old, Ed makes an effort to take every aspect of their relationship up a notch. Will Joe be able to adapt to the open sentimentality Ed’s injecting into their relationship, let alone the new spice in their bedroom activities?
REVIEW:
I first read this book a few years ago and the reason I continue to re-read it each year is my mad love for Joe and Ed. Usually I’m not big on books featuring already established couples. I hate seeing their happy lives messed with. But Ed and Joe’s relationship is never in jeopardy at any point of this story. In fact, the two men just get stronger as the story unfolds and their lives take some unexpected turns.
When the story begins Joe and Ed have already been together for two and a half years. Neither of them have any family other than each other. Joe is a farmhand who walked away from his family’s farm and his family years earlier after his father couldn’t deal with having a gay son. Ed is a mechanic whose parents died many years ago, his father before his mother. Or so he thought, until the day he receives a letter informing him that his father has been killed in an accident and has left his farm to Ed, his only child. Ed is confused about why his father abandoned him and why his mother lied about his father’s death but despite any negatives that may have arisen from the arrival of the letter, Ed is happy that he now has the ability to help Joe recognise his dream of owing his own farm. Though the men have concerns about living as an out gay couple in a small country town, they pack up their lives and proceed to do just that. But life still has a few more surprises in store for Joe and Ed.
Why do I love Joe and Ed so much? I think they remind me of myself. No, I’m not a six-foot gay farmer with a penis but when it comes to an aversion to saying, “I love you”, dudes, I feel your pain. My husband is the same, Joe and Ed are totally us. We somehow managed to get married without having once said those words to each other. I think in thirteen years we’ve said it maybe twice. So, to me, Joe and Ed are fascinatingly real and relatable. But for them it goes even further than a dislike of being emotionally vulnerable. Joe and Ed are both “manly men”. They’ve never held hands, they’ve never exchanged blowjobs and they take turns “enduring” bottoming. They don’t even have sex face to face. Reading that back, it sounds ridiculous but somehow the author pulls it off. Makes you believe that two men who are madly, crazily devoted to each other still feel the need to put on a front. The fact that they are so open and willing to discuss everything else just makes it all the more glaring that they are totally lacking in the emotional sharing department. But don’t worry, because that all changes – to some extent.
I appreciated that the residents of the town they moved to accepted the two men and the fact that they were gay was really not a big deal. Well, for most people. Actually all of the secondary characters were great and when I think back on it, there were actually quite a few of them. Considering this book is only 120 pages, a lot actually seemed to happen but at no point does the story feel rushed or light on details.
This is simply one of those books that make you feel all mushy and good about the world in general. How could it not with lines like these…
Well, goddammit, I’d rather bottom fifty percent of the time with you than top ninety-five percent of the time with anyone else.”
RATING: 
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