Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Fair Isn’t Life
SERIES: States of Love (Minnesota – book #45)
AUTHOR: Kaje Harper
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 148 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2018
BLURB:
Luke Lafontaine survived the past year by not thinking about the father he lost, the dairy farm he couldn’t save from bankruptcy, or his way of life that vanished with the rap of an auctioneer’s hammer. Cleaning up city folks’ trash at the Minnesota State Fair is just another dead-end job. But at the Fair, surrounded by a celebration of farm life, ambitions he’d given up on and buried deep start to revive. And seeing Mason Bell in the parade—gorgeous, gay, out-of-his-league Mason—stirs other buried dreams.
Mason left his hometown for college in Minneapolis without looking back. Student life is fun, classes are great, gay guys are easy to find, but it’s all a bit superficial. He’s at the State Fair parade route with his band when he realizes a scruffy maintenance worker is Luke, his secret high school crush. Luke should be safely home working on his dad’s farm, not picking up litter. Mason wishes he hadn’t fallen out of touch. He’s an optimist, though, and it’s never too late for second chances. Now he just has to convince Luke.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
REVIEW:
Sometimes these States of Love books can either be a hit or a miss. They are a different author writing about each of the 50 States in the US. Fortunately, for me, this one was a real great one.
Luke Lafontaine has had it bad the last couple years. His dad, his last living parent, had succumbed to his illness and left Luke with a struggling dairy farm and a mountain of medical debt that he could never get out for under. When the farm was sold at auction he headed into the Minneapolis to try and find work. He was homeless and couch surfing until he landed a job cleaning a building and sharing a small one bedroom apartment with two other guys. Then his luck turned bad once more and he was laid off. Now he is stuck picking up garbage at the fair grounds he used to show at but that job was ending very soon. When one of his old high school nemesis, Arnie, spots him and starts tormenting him, Mason, his former tutor and high school crush, gets him away. But gorgeous Mason has always been “out and proud” and completely out of his league. Mason has always had “a thing” for the tall, blonde dairy farmer. Now he just needs to convince Luke to give him a chance.
I really liked these two men. It was obvious that they had had an interest and attraction to the other when they were younger but never felt comfortable in pursuing it while in high school. Given the second chance at Luke, I loved that Mason just took charge. And that was something I liked even more in this book, Mason was a much smaller and more effeminate young man but he loved that Luke didn’t judge him or assume instantly what their roles with each other would be. Mason was caring and considerate but he also realized that Luke needed him to take charge. Yes, Luke self questioned if that was the right way, considering society’s assumptions, but both men fell into their respective roles flawlessly. Mason truly let Luke to be allowed to explore who he really was, something he had never felt comfortable or safe doing. But with Mason’s support and love Luke was allowed to become the man that he truly was.
I was really drawn to the exploration of the plight of how difficult it is to still succeed in the dairy farm industry. These small, family-owned and ran farms have survived through generations but are being swallowed up. The cost of running these farms is just too much for most of the families. The land is more valuable to be sectioned off and sold for subdivisions than to be allowed to remain as a farm. It is a sad but true reality for most of our smaller farmers across the country.
I had never had the opportunity to read and review one of Kaje Harper’s books and I now realize what I have been missing. She has the ability to build a relationship that isn’t rushed. She took her time with these two young men and let their attraction grow and bloom. It was refreshing to see that especially with a influx of books that seem to push insta-love or attraction becoming more and more popular. I was also impressed with how I felt that this was a complete book in such a short amount of pages. I felt like we got the entire story and never felt cheated or left wanting.
I really enjoyed this sweet, quick book. It was heartwarming and genuine. Both men made me smile and I wanted the best for them and their budding relationship. I hope that you enjoy this as much as I have. This is not a quick “romp in the hay” type book but a genuine love story that builds and grows.
RATING: 
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