Reviewed by Anabela
TITLE: Outside Looking In
SERIES: Browerton University #6
AUTHOR: A.J. Truman
PUBLISHER: Truman Books
RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2019
LENGTH: 258 pages
BLURB:
When it came to family, Nathan Hargrove has always been on the outside looking in.
Abandoned by his mother as a baby, ignored by his father, and bullied by his cousins, Nathan learned years ago that he’s the blackest of black sheep. He dulls his loneliness with casual sex, acid wit, and lots of booze. Fresh out of yet another stint at rehab, Nathan stumbles onto a clue that leads him to his late mother’s whereabouts. His search takes him halfway around the world to New Zealand to solve the mystery of why she left.
Liam Foster would rather deal with sheep than people. After catching his girlfriend and BFF cheating, he moves back to his family’s farm to connect with his roots and help his widower brother raise his kids. His other brothers want him to sell the farm so they can all make a big profit, but Liam needs one more year to prove he can succeed. When a handsome Brit wheeling designer luggage wanders onto his field, claiming to be the farmhand he advertised for, Liam is suspicious, but he can’t make it through lambing season by himself.
As Liam helps Nathan transform from Posh Spice to Old Macdonald, they realize they’re the perfect salve for each other’s tattered souls. But the longer Nathan holds off on telling the truth of what brought him to New Zealand, the harder it becomes for him to come clean. Because if he admits who he really is, it could shatter not only Liam’s family–but also Nathan’s one true shot at love.
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN is a slow burn, opposites attract M/M romance about lonely hearts finding redemption. It’s filled with humor, heart, and hot guys. And lots of sheep.
REVIEW:
When he was fifteen, Nathan found out that his mother had abandoned him on the doorstep of his father’s house. Now, at 22, and after some stints in a rehab facility, an internet search directs him to a farm in New Zeeland where his now deceased mother’s family should live. It seems like she’s been married and had other two children that, unlike him, she kept and raised.
The news is devastating to Nathan. Why not keep him too? Why discard him, robbing him of a mother’s affection and maybe a different, happier path in life?
He needs answers and he leaves for New Zeeland, resolute to knock at the farm’s door, tell the truth to Mark, the husband, and get the past cleared out.
But he arrives at night and his welcoming comity is a flock of scared sheep and Liam, a man wearing only boxers and a shotgun. Not only that, but once he looks into Mark’s eyes, he doesn’t have the heart to tell him about who he really is.
He lies and that’s how Nathan finds himself forced to work for Liam as a farmhand…with sheep. Yeah, you can imagine how well that works out for Nathan: it’s literally a shitty, stinky situation! Although, Liam kinda provides a yummy eye candy, despite his grumpiness, and riling him up is the amusement Nathan needs to lighten up his tiresome days.
Funnily enough, as days pass, Nathan starts to enjoy working with the sheep and even more so with their owner. Who would have expected that the poshy britt could eventually have such a deep emotional connection with the dirty, gritty farm owner?
But can a relationship built on lies be real? Not only the one Nathan has with Liam, but also the one he now has with his step brother and sister, and with Mark. Nathan loves all of them dearly and for the first time in his life, he feels like he has a caring, loving family. Would they still want him when the truth come out?
Well, read Outside Looking In by A.J. Truman and find out. If not for the romance, read it so you can learn why Tilly the sheep is a better therapist than a high priced, two legged one.
I really enjoyed it. I’ve always had a smile on my face while reading, because there’s an easy flow between the saddening moments and the funny ones. Cute, endearing characters and relatable feelings. Definitely recommended.
RATING: 
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