Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Blueberry Boys
AUTHOR: Vanessa North
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 186 pages
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.
REVIEW:
This story had the potential to be predictable and bland. We have seen this plot before, country boy meets city boy, they fall in love but can’t figure out how to be together. Yes, it is predictable, as most romance novels are to be honest, but it is soooo not bland. That is all do to the fantastic writing of Vanessa North. There is so much more to this story than simply country boy meets city boy.
The city boy is Connor Graham, who grew up as a country boy but got out as soon as he could. His uncle has just died, and he has returned home to meet with an attorney about what to do with his uncles blueberry farm. Connor has an asshole of a brother, but no other family, they decide to sell the farm as soon as possible.
Unfortunately that isn’t a great plan for the country boy half of our story. Jed Jones has been renting the farm from Connor’s uncle, and is quite happy to continue to do so. Hopefully buying the land at some point. Jed has also grown up in this small town, but is from a conservative family and was home schooled. Connor and Jed meet in the blueberry fields and again at a game night, realizing they have more in common than they thought.
So there is a lot going on in this story. Jed has been in the closet for years, and meeting Connor pushes him to change. He faces his life, his religion, and family deciding to be honest with everyone. Connor has issues with his brother, coming home forces him to deal with that. Jed has communication problems, he has a stutter, and the two learn how to communicate in a way that works for both of them. Both have to face potentially losing the farm, Jed as his career and passion, Connor as the safe bit of home he had as a teenager. Then the big problem of how a relationship could possibly work between them, when Jed is set on a life of farming, and Connor is a photographer and needs to live in the city.
The one place they don’t have an issue is in bed. They fall in bed (truck bed!) quickly, much quicker than I was expecting, and they are a beautiful match immediately. Jed is not the shy, inexperienced man I thought he would be. He’s assertive and comfortable with his sexuality. Connor is just a big love, happy to be with Jed.
Vanessa North is a new author to me, I’ve read a few of her books and I am very impressed. She has taken this story to a totally different level, all by giving us deep characters, a bit of drama, and a perfect ending. I didn’t actually know how this was going to work out. Well, I had an idea, but it was the opposite way of how it did end. I would love to know what comes next for Jed and Connor. This is just the beginning of their story.
There is a lot of beauty in this book, the beauty seen in a blueberry field, the beauty seen in a meteor shower seen from the back of a truck, the beauty seen in a lover, the beauty in a passion whether it is photography or farming. The beauty in a family accepting their son even though they don’t understand. The beauty in finding the love of your life. The beauty in really good sex. The beauty of a happy ending! And the beauty of a great book.
I’ve read a handful of really good books this last month, I’m happy to say this was one of them. I loved the characters, the connection between them, I loved the plot that was so much deeper than it could have been, I loved the writing, the details, and the ending. So good! Give this book a read, you won’t be disappointed!
RATING: 
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