BRIDGING LIVES by

Fiction, Contemporary Romance, M/M Gay

5*****

Blurb: Cliff Anderson hopes to build on the legacy of his late parents, but that dream seems lost when his California homestead is lost to a wildfire. Devastated, he travels to Oregon to stay with his aunt and uncle on their dairy operation while he makes plans for his future. College professor Brandon Forest has always yearned for a family and a home of his own. Maybe that’s why, despite being busy with his job and his side gig as a fantasy author, he’s stayed on as a seasonal worker at the dairy farm. The farm feels so welcoming, and working on their dairy farm might be the next step in building the life he’s dreamed of. Then he meets Cliff. As Cliff and Brandon confront their own broken pasts, they build a connection that runs deep. Laughter and shared experiences prove to be strong medicine for the wounds life has inflicted on them. Cliff hasn’t let go of his past or the hopes he had for the farm in California. Will his future burn down as he holds on to lost hopes, or can he blaze a new path with Brandon?

Thoughts: This author really knows how to pull out all the stops when it comes to emotions. They had me from page one as Cliff is trying to save plants from his family farm as wildfires sweep in and he barely escapes. With nowhere else to go and no other family, he heads to his relatives in Oregon. He helps his aunt and uncle on their dairy farm while he tries to figure out what to do next. While there, he meets Brandon, a part-time college professor, writer, and friend of the family. Their attraction is instant, but their relationship takes a while to build, though it does.

The situations with wild fires, family farm struggles, and more are realistic. The author does an impressive job with imagery and the use of all the senses (Cliff’s clothes smelling of smoke, the devastation on the farm). The characters are believable and the romance builds slowly – even though there are several very hot scenes. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but it will definitely not be the last.

Recommended.

Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not solicited or influenced by anyone or anything. Thanks to Dreamspinner Press for providing this copy.