Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Second-Best Men
AUTHOR: Fearne Hill
PUBLISHER: self-published
LENGTH: 162 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2023
BLURB:
Two snowed-in men. 300 cows. And a mangy dog.
Tucked away down a rutted dirt track lives a grumpy dairy farmer.
He’s firmly in the closet. And he’s desperately lonely.
That farmer is me—Rob Langford. I have more meaningful conversations with my prize bull than people. Except, one snowy night, I stumble across a fancy car wedged into a ditch.
The driver needs my help.
He’s injured. Stranded. The snow lies two feet deep.
And over the next few days, I discover this quiet, thoughtful man doesn’t mind my run-down cottage and my lumpy old sofa. He’s even quite tolerant of my smelly arthritic dog.
Strong. Handsome. Self-possessed.
A man who knows what he wants. In bed and out of it. And bizarrely, that thing is me.
But to be what he needs? I must step out of the shadows. And into his life.
REVIEW:
Rob Langford is a closeted dairy farmer. He’s lived his whole life in Rossingley and taken over the family dairy farm. He’s had some interesting hookups over the years, but he doesn’t have a great track record. He’s never wanted to be thought of differently by the lads at the Rossingley Arms. He’s not had a great history either – particularly with Toby, the 16th Earl’s Manny. But he loves his life on his farm. Beneath the gruff and grumpy farmer with the ridiculously spoiled heard of dairy cattle, a prize bull named Watermelons and an ancient poodle named Zeus, he’s a big ole softie.
On his way home from his sister’s family home after a Christmas/Boxing Day visit, a snow storm arrives. Things are getting dodgy as he nears the turnoff to his farm and he sees a car up against a tree and a clearly injure man trying to escape. Rob tries to get the guy to wait for him to assist, but the guy, who is clearly in pain, doesn’t do so. Turns out he’s a surgeon and he has ideas about what’s wrong. The roads are a mess and there is no way that a tow or an ambulance is going to get to them. So of course Rob does the only thing he can and he takes the man, Evan, home with him. Turns out Rob is fine with animals, but not so good with human frailties. Evan needs Rob’s help with some of his injuries and well let’s say Rob is left a bit the worse for wear 😉
Rob has to keep his herd taken care of, so while he’s milking the cows, Evan sets about trying to cook something. But Evan is vegan and Rob starts his day with a bacon sandwich if he’s honest. The food Evan makes is pretty good though 🙂 Evan, it turns out, is a friend of the Earl’s husband – they did their medical training together. Now, like Jay, Evan has admitted that he is gay and he’s going through a divorce. This greatly surprises Rob. He’s not out and he’s kind of in awe of Evan sharing this. Finally the tow shows up while Rob is milking the cows again and all he’s got left is a note from Evan thanking him and he’s off.
Surprisingly after only a couple of days, Rob misses Evan. Then he has a medical situation and the doc he’s referred to is Christopher E. Richardson. Imagine their surprise when it turns out to be Evan! They are both happy to see each other, although Rob is a bit embarrassed at the medical situation. Rob goes for it and asks Evan to have a drink with him. They end up at a local bar near and have dinner at a vegan restaurant. From there, well Rob figures he is just going to go for it. But there is the little issue of now Evan is his doctor. Evan has a brilliant solution though 😀 This way, Rob can get taken care of, but they can still be together.
From here things really start to change. Rob can see himself actually wanting to wake up next to Evan for the rest of this life. But he’s not out. Is he finally ready? Evan is now slowly coming out also. Can they do this together?
My goodness! This was an absolute delight! These two minor characters from the author’s Rossingley series are destined for a love all their own. This is so unexpected and yet just so perfectly timed 🙂 If you haven’t read the Rossingley series, you will have no problem with this story as it works entirely as a standalone. If you have read it, then you will be happily surprised to spend some time with some of those characters here. Rob really transforms in this book from a bit of a heel into a loving and devoted partner. Evan just want to live his life authentically and he never thought he’s find someone like Rob really. He is pretty new to the ways of men loving men, but he’s a quick study and he and Rob get along swimmingly. He’s also quite a surprise for Rob who finally is willing to let go and just be himself for once in his life. They are absolutely adorable. Their coming out as a couple is brilliant and I couldn’t have loved them together any more. Honestly, I am a huge fan of this author and this kind of story is a big reason why. One of my favorites from her. I’m so happy to see Rob grown up and get his happily ever after 😀 Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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