Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A Furever Home
SERIES: A Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue Romance
AUTHORS: Gabbi Grey & Kaje Harper
NARRATOR: Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 8 hours and 48 minutes
RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2025
BLURB:
Arthur
When I was squeezing rescue dogs and cats into my small house, all I wanted was to not turn away a pet in need. Opening the Safe Haven Pet Rescue was a dream come true. But when I get hurt, standing between a man with a gun and a stray dog, I realize I still can’t do it all.
My injured leg, a concussion, having to lean on my friends, and realizing how helpless I feel, throws me back to my childhood when nothing I did ever seemed to be enough. But there’s one silver lining. Brooklyn West. He’s the kind of guy who holds a stranger’s hand in a crisis. He’s great with my dogs, even cranky little Chili, and really wants to help the shelter. I like watching him be a protective big brother when his sister turns up on his doorstep, even though I think there’s pain underneath his sunny smiles. But as we move toward friendship, I keep looking for the strings, and wondering how I’ll pay him back, because nothing in my life can be that sweet, or that simple.
Brooklyn
I went through medical hell, and came out the other side with enough money to move to the opposite side of the country and start the doggie daycare business of my dreams. The cherry on top of that good luck is meeting Arthur Bjornsson. Big, wild-bearded, soft-voiced Arthur is the kind of guy my family would’ve ridiculed. He’s warm-hearted and willing to throw himself into harm’s way to save one pathetic stray dog.
He’s the kind of guy who gives me back some faith in humanity. But when my underage sister Cheyenne shows up on my doorstep, on the run from the family I thought I’d escaped, my old life and new collide. I want to help Arthur, get to know him, and, as he heals, I want more than just friendship. But Cheyenne brings legal risks, a teen on the other side of my bedroom wall, and the threat of retribution from our family. The simple relationship I thought Arthur and I were building is suddenly messy as hell. I don’t know how we’ll get through this to reach the furever home I so desperately want.
REVIEW:
Note: This story is set in the town of Gaynor Beach, the setting for two multiauthor series. Some of the characters from previous stories appear here in supporting character roles, but it’s not necessary to have read those other books before this one – it works perfectly fine as a standalone.
This story takes place in the familiar small California town of Gaynor beach. In previous books, we’ve met a number of these characters, including Arthur, the man behind the Gaynor Beach staple, Safe Haven Pet Rescue, and Kevin, a boy who is determined to save all the animals. New to this community is Brooklyn. Brooklyn is in the right place at the right time?? Or maybe it’s the wrong place at the right time 😉 Because he runs towards a gunshot and steps into a volatile situation. A young boy and another man are in a standoff with a guy with a gun who is threatening to shoot a dog. He seems a bit unhinged and while keeping the boy safe, he shoots the other man, Arthur.
Arthur can’t believe he’s been shot – and not only that but he’s taken a whack to the head. Having had a concussion before, he knows that they are not pleasant. Besides dealing with his leg wound, the head injury is the bigger problem – dizziness, severe headaches, nausea, vertigo, etc. His best friend is out of the country and he doesn’t want to bother him. His home is at the shelter. It’s upstairs and he won’t be able to negotiate those it becomes painfully obvious. He’s very lucky because Brooklyn has volunteered to help. He’s gone to the rescue, helped with the pets and then helped Arthur with his own animals. But staying at the rescue isn’t feasible with Arthur’s condition.
Brooklyn is happy to help Arthur. He’s a little lonely if he’s honest, but he’s moved to Gaynor Beach for the open and welcoming community. He’s fled his past life and started over with his doggy daycare business. He wasn’t allowed pets when growing up and he’s thrilled to be able to do his own thing now. He’s come into some money – not the easy way – and he’s now living the life he wants. He’s got room in his house so he convinces Arthur to come stay with him with his dogs and cat while he recovers. He drives him to the rescue every day and then he runs his business.
While Arthur is staying with Brooklyn, he is more and more attracted to the man. Brooklyn reciprocates and just as they move things to the next level, Brooklyn’s teenage sister shows up in the middle of the night. This leads to some strain and Arthur leaves 🙁 Brooklyn has only shared a part of his past with Arthur and not everything that drove him to start over. He is worried about his sister and he doesn’t want anything to happen to her, nor does he want to have to deal with his family. He’s also not happy that Arthur has left just as things were getting started.
With Arthur trying to keep out of Brooklyn’s hair so he can deal with his family issues, he’s staying at his friend’s place. The rest of the community is looking after him too – small town vibes for sure. Everyone seems to know what has happened and there are lot of people who would like to see Arthur get together with Brooklyn 😉 There are plenty of obstacles to overcome though.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story of two men who are at different stages of their lives but have more in common than it appears at first. Their love of animals is the first thing, but it goes on from there. The both have some baggage and certainly Brooklyn’s situation is more than Arthur is initially aware of. Watching them figure things out was a very good read. I enjoyed seeing characters from past stories in this world too 🙂 The dual POV was immensely helpful and clarifying in understanding the motivations of both men. These are two of my favorite authors and this collab was a lovely addition to their book worlds 🙂
Michael Ferriauolo is one of my absolute favorite narrators. This is another reason why. All the characters – male, female, young, old – are distinct voices and personalities. The continuity from previous books is spot on – whether it’s kids who are growing up, friends, other MCs from previous books. Just perfect! I would literally listen to Michael read a grocery list 😉 Highly recommended.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
