Love Means Endurance Spotlight and Review

Guest Post:

This is the ninth novel in the Love Means...
series and I felt very strongly that I needed to return to Geoff and Eli.  There were issues I needed to close out from the earlier stories.  Those centered around Eli’s family.  I also needed some sort on internal conflict, something that would threaten Geoff and Eli’s happiness.  They couldn’t have a fight or something like that.  The relationship was too strong.  So I used Eli’s health as a way to not only add tension to the story, but to center both Geoff and Eli on what was truly important in the life they’ve built together.  I really hope readers enjoy capstone story to Geoff and Eli’s relationship.  I adored returning to them as a couple.  It reminded me of what I fell in love with in the first place. 

Blurb:

Together for over ten years, Geoff and Eli built a fulfilling life. Their love and support helped raise their adopted son. Their hard work and dedication grew their farm from raising cattle and boarding horses to expanding into therapy riding sessions. Surrounded by a loving circle of friends, Geoff and Eli couldn’t ask for more. Until driven Eli loses his energy, and the doctor gives them the dire diagnosis of cancer.

Caught up in never-ending doctor’s appointments, surgeries, and treatments, their world turns upside down. With so many people dependent on them, they must pull together to put on a brave face, continue living as best they can, and care for their family. Geoff fears Eli, the love of his life, while a fighter, may not endure this battle, but neither is willing to consider succumbing as an option.

Purchase link:  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5952
On Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Love-Means-Endurance-ebook/dp/B00S3E2F5S

Excerpt:

“Papa, I got Strawberry’s stall cleaned out,” Jakey called.

“I’ll look at it and help him with the rest of his chores. You do what you need to.” Geoff knew Robbie would take care of what he could in the office. The rest could wait. He kissed Eli quickly and walked to Strawberry’s stall. Jakey had done a good job of clearing away the soiled bedding. They had him do that stall because it was the smallest and didn’t take too long. “Okay. That looks good.” He turned to smile at his son, resting his hand lightly on his shoulder. “I’ll bring in the sawdust, and you can spread it for him. Then you and I can feed and water all the horses.”

They got busy. Geoff hauled, and Jakey spread. Then Geoff helped him carry water and fill all the troughs. He also explained to Jakey how much hay each horse got, and they cleaned out mangers and refilled them with fresh hay.

“What else do I have to do, Dad?”

“You need to sweep the center aisle of the barn, and do a good job. Then you can go inside to finish your homework at the kitchen table. Once that’s done, you can call your friends.” Geoff checked around the barn. “When they’re over, you remember the rules?”

Jakey nodded seriously. “No playing around the horses. Stay out of the paddocks, and no one is to go up in the hayloft.” He paused. “And don’t let them ride Grace—she is not a pony.”

“Very good.” The last time they had been up in the loft, he’d found opened bales and piles of hay that had been used to make forts. That wasn’t going to happen again. “They can come over after Papa is done with his therapy riding, so you’ll need to ask him what time he thinks is good. But you have to have your homework done first. So the sooner you sweep and get it done, the sooner you can call your friends.” Geoff was firm with Jakey, though he always made sure chores and homework were rewarded in the end.

“I will, Dad,” Jakey said, rushing to the tack room. He came out with the broom and walked to the far end of the barn, then started to sweep with a vengeance. Geoff grinned at his energy and figured it was best to help him get some of it out constructively.

“And watch out for the horses as Papa’s students arrive.”

“I will,” Jakey said without looking up. He was heads-down sweeping. Geoff knew that would last about ten minutes, so he checked all the stalls, spot-cleaned the worst spots, and hauled out the mulch. The great thing about spring was that the horses spent more time outside, so there was less cleaning to do. By the time he was done, students had started arriving, and Jakey was reaching the front door of the barn. Geoff checked on his work and helped Jakey pick up the sweepings. They never just swept it outside. It was best to pick it up in case anything got swept up that shouldn’t be there. They had found tacks, bits of plastic, and other debris that was best gone forever and not tracked back inside.

“You did very well. Go see Robbie after your homework and he’ll pay you.” Geoff believed in paying Jakey for his work, just like everyone else who worked for him. His father had done the same, and it had helped Geoff learn the value of work. It also meant that as he got older he didn’t feel like an indentured servant, the way some of his classmates in school had. His work had been valued, just like Jakey’s was.

Jakey hurried to put the broom away and then ran toward the barn door.

“Jakey,” Geoff said, and he slowed to a walk without stopping. Once he was outside, he took off toward the house and immediately disappeared from sight.

Eli’s students began to arrive, and the barn filled with their voices as they saddled their horses. Geoff checked that Eli didn’t need anything before going to his office. The one thing about a farm was that the work was never done, even office work. There were books to be done, herd records to be updated, invoices to pay, and money received and payments to follow up on as well as plans to be developed and updated.

Jakey was at the kitchen table with his math book open, working on his problems, when Geoff came in. He looked over Jakey’s shoulders as he worked. Since Eli had freed him of the burden of showing his work, Jakey was filling in the answers one after the other, and they were all correct. They definitely needed to speak to his teacher. It didn’t take Jakey long before he held up the page for Geoff to look over. It looked good to him. He nodded, and Jakey closed his book and put it in his school pack.

Geoff went to his office. It wasn’t necessary for him to listen as Jakey called Mark and Juan to ask them over.

Robbie was busy working at his desk, headphones over his ears. Geoff knew he was listening as a computer voice guided him. There was also an embosser attached to the computer so Robbie could print out what he needed in Braille. He and Robbie had worked together for years, and Robbie had a real knack for coordination and detail. Most people, when they arranged for lessons or classes, had no idea that Robbie couldn’t see. Geoff went to his desk and got to work. He sent Robbie a message to tell him that Jakey would be in to be paid and how much. It seemed dumb to text when they were in the same room, but it allowed Robbie to stay focused, and he’d listen to it when he got a chance.

On weekends he tried to be done in the early afternoons so he would have time with the family. He’d been working about an hour when Jakey rushed in, breathless.

“Robbie has your money,” Geoff said.

“Daddy,” Jakey gasped. “Papa fell in the barn. Uncle Joey said to get you.”

“Is he hurt?” Geoff asked as he stood and came around the desk. Robbie had taken off his headphones and was listening.

“He fell and isn’t getting up,” Jakey said, and Geoff heard the panic in his voice.

Bio:

Andrew Grey grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived all over the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and now works full time on his writing. Andrew's hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing). He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving husband. Andrew currently lives in beautiful historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Visit Andrew's website at http://www.andrewgreybooks.com.

E-mail him at andrewgrey@comcast.net.

LITTLE BACKGROUND:

I had the pleasure of getting to read an ARC of this book, and I'm so glad I did. I also happened to read it the day after finding out some wonderful news about my mom, but more on that in a little bit.

This book focuses on one of my favorite book couples, Geoff and Eli. I recently dove head first into the M/M romance world after avoiding it for quite some time. It's not that I have anything against being gay, but as a straight woman, I wondered how easily I could relate to a gay relationship between two men. Then I took a chance on Andrew Grey, among other authors.

What drew me initially to Andrew's books was how real his protagonists are. They are never perfect, but they don't have to be. You know his characters wll struggle in some form or another, but you also know that they'll fall in love in the end. When I read that Andrew was revisiting the couple first couple from his Love Means... series, I HAD to read it. When I saw that it tackled that dreadful disease, cancer, I especially had to read it for two very important reasons.

Cancer has touched my life twice this year. The first was 6 months ago when I found out that my daddy's best friend, and my pediatrician for years, had been diagnosed with end stage lung cancer. He'd gone from being this vibrant man who golfed with my dad just 2 weeks before his diagnosis, to passing away less than 2 months after receiving the news. The scarier part? Just a couple of months after his funeral, I was visiting my sister's new baby and got the terrifying news that my mom had had a mammogram and they'd found a lump. It was breast cancer.

WHAT I LIKED:

I didn't know going into the story that Eli's cancer was lung cancer, and I'm not sure I would've been able to read it to be honest, given we lost such a good family friend to lung cancer. I would've missed out on so much. This book addressed the very real fears you go through with someone who's suffering from the disease. This book is not for the faint of heart. Your heart will break when Geoff and Eli get the diagnosis. You will tear up as they struggle for some sense of normalcy battling a disease that doesn't care that you have a family who can't stand the thought of losing you. And this book will ultimately renew the faith that with love, you can get through anything.

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I mentioned earlier that I started reading it just after receiving some wonderful news about my mom. The day before reading it, she found out she has only a 6% chance of having the cancer come back in the next 10 years. Still feeling raw from the death of our close family friend and the roller coaster of my mom's struggle, I wondered how I'd feel about reading it. All I can say is that I couldn't ask for a more well written, ultimately uplifting look at how love really does mean endurance, and to borrow a cliche, can conquer anything.

I would highly recommend readers first read Eli and Geoff's first book, Love Means...No Shame before reading this one. You'll be so much more invested in the characters after experiencing the birth of their love. While not strictly necessary, I also encourage readers to read all of the Love Means books, because you get to revisit many of the couples and it will make this book much more rich.

On a side note, I have found that a number of gay romances lean heavily toward erotica. While there are graphic love scenes in Andrew's books, they don't overwhelm any of his books and I find that they enhance the story instead of bordering on porn like I've found with some other authors.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

Honestly, there wasn't anything.

OVERALL VERDICT: 5/5 Blue Duckies!

Overall, this book will make you believe in love and how it can carry you through anything. Andrew brings the characters to life in such a way that you find yourself fully invested in what will happen to Eli and Geoff. It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, if you're gay or straight, I can't recommend this book enough.