Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Home Work

SERIES:  Life Lessons

AUTHOR:  Kaje Harper

NARRATOR:  J.F. Harding

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  10 hours & 28 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  September 6, 2022

BLURB:

Murder, trauma, and raising children—who said love was easy?

Mac and Tony thought the hard part was over. They’re together openly as a couple, sharing a home and building a life with their two kids. It’s what they dreamed of.

But daughter Anna struggles with the changes, Ben is haunted by old secrets, Mac’s job in Homicide still demands too much of his time, and Tony is caught in the middle. It’ll take everything these men can give to create a viable balance between home and work. Especially when life refuses to give them a break.

(This is a lightly edited rerelease of the 2012 original novel.)

REVIEW:

NOTE:  This is the third story in this series and is best listened to/read after the first two book.  It is not a standalone.

After the events of the last book, Mac and Tony are together and Mac is out at work.  He and Tony are working at how to be a family with their two kids, Ben and Anna.  Anna has had some issues after leaving Aunt Brenda’s house.  Ben is still dealing with the trauma of his mother’s murder and his homophobic grandparents that he is required to spend time with.  They have found him a therapist though and are making headway.  In the middle of all this, of course life in the big city goes on.  And Mac catches a homicide case that is proving extremely difficult as the victim was obviously using and in pretty rough shape.  But what looks to be maybe a robbery gone bad or something else less sinister goes in a totally different direction when Mac and Oliver, his work partner, discover who the victim really is.

As Mac is fighting his way through the murder case and working too many hours, Tony is left to do the lions share of not only the household work, but also the emotional work of dealing with two kids whose lives have changed drastically in the last few months.  While there are many good moments, dealing with two small children who have both been only children and the focus of their caregivers – well at least Anna was even if it wasn’t the healthiest focus – is some pretty heavy lifting.  While Tony understands that Mac’s dedication is just who he is, and frankly probably saved Tony twice already, it’s hard to be the one keeping all the plates spinning all the time.  Mac then is dealing with guilt over how much of the load that Tony is carrying.  He wants to do better but he struggles with what could be the consequences if he doesn’t catch a murderer.  It’s a conundrum and they are working their way through it.  It’s not always perfect.

On top of all that, there are the holidays.  There is family to deal with and also there are things that Mac and Tony want that aren’t really available to them.  Things that would cement their little family and give the kids an added feeling of stability.  Friends and family step in to help and provide additional support – some that Mac never expected.  There is a new church family for Mac and Anna.  Tony’s sister is a huge support.  Tony’s best friend and Mac’s colleagues Ramsey and Oliver are also there for them.

Of course just as things seem to be going their way, the other shoe has to drop.  That event tests them like never before.  Tony has to be there for Mac in ways he always worried about but never wanted to voice.  Mac’s case turns in a totally different direction and the consequences of his less than supportive coworkers are catastrophic.  Only time will tell what kind of long term affect the events of this story will have for Mac and Tony and their family.

So full confession that this series is a favorite of mine.  It’s one of the first series I started reading back in 2011 and it was so solid.  The characters, the mystery, the setting – all perfectly done.  Ms. Harper captures what midwest winters are like so well 🙂  I loved Tony and Mac and   This was back way before Marriage Equality and there was still a long way to go for LGBTQ+ equality (not to imply that we are by any means there now).  I was happy that at least this murder mystery didn’t have Tony in its sight for once!  But of course that means Mac is in peril.  I love the way this story does NOT shy away from the difficulties of trying to build a family from people who have had no previous association.  The children’s possessiveness over their perceived person is completely accurate.  The petty comments and hurtful stuff that kids say is spot on.  They really have a self-centered viewpoint.  It’s up to parents to TEACH them that the world isn’t all about them.  Even the sweetest children have to be taught these lessons.  Tony and Mac and Bree and Tony’s mom all are wonderful at helping the children move forward in their new lives.  The love and stability that are woven into the fabric of this little family are the real deal.  There are many wonderful romantic and tender moments for Mac and Tony – all richly deserved.  The climactic scenes are the story are gut wrenching and it’s once again a not particularly easy read.  There are lots of hard moments – but in the end, the love between Tony and Mac is what saves the day.  It is a lot of work, but so worth it 🙂

J.F. Harding did just an exceptional job performing this book.  From the haughty stone-cold law student, to the small child lashing out to get what she wants even at the cost of hurting her brother, the voice characterization and acting of this narrator were spot-on.  The tension as the case is coming to a climax is masterful as are the tender moments and quite and intimate scenes between Mac and Tony.  The normal fighting of couples was also perfect 😉  I can’t recommend this book, this series, this author and this performance highly enough.  Just Brilliant.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

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