A grumpy closeted farmer meets a posh surgeon that has just recently admitted he's gay. Rob rescues a stranded Evan and finds he would be happy if the man never left. When they meet again they decide that maybe a relationship between them is something that they both are willing to work towards.
From the blurb for Second-Best Men:
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.
SNik's Review:
Standalone (within the author’s Rossingley universe). Forced proximity. Opposites attract. Slow burn. Quick read. Single POV.
His days and nights filled with running his dairy farm, Rob has never had a relationship and feels his loneliness keenly, but he’s still in the closet and doesn’t know when he’ll get a chance to come out. Rescuing a handsome surgeon from a car wreck and letting him stay through a snowstorm, Rob finds attraction and an unusual craving for more than sex from surgeon Evan.
Rob is actually on a redemption arc from his past mistreatment of other lovers and Evan is newly divorced and never been with a man. They find their attraction leads to the hope of something more meaningful between them and a true commitment to try to see if they can work.
Evan and Rob have an interesting and sweet dynamic, opposites in so many ways but yet being so happy in each other's company.
A cute read.
Rating: 4 Stars
Sheena's Review:
Second-Best Men is set in the Rossingley universe, and the two MCs are tangentially connected to that, but this can easily be read as a standalone. This is Rob and Evan's story. We have met both briefly in other stories and neither really came out shining with glory from that. That said, I loved these two, and I loved their story. Rob is a hard working dairy farmer, in the closet and unbearably lonely. Evan is a newly out doctor and the two meet when Evan's car crashes in the snow and Rob rescues him. What follows is a low angst story of two lonely men finding each other and perhaps, a second chance.
This is a slow burn, with lots of time for Rob and Evan to get to know each other and they really do become friends in the short time they spend together before meeting up again by chance. It's relatively low heat, but that really suits these two. I loved seeing them together and seeing their relationship develop, which it does fairly quickly once they realize they're looking for the same things. It's such a lovely read, although it did make me cry in the end (no spoiler) but ultimately made me happy as there's such a lovely HEA.
Long story short - a dairy farmer with a VERY soft heart for all his animals finds love when he thinks he never will and it's all low angst, sweet and charming.
Rating: 5 Stars
Miki J's Review:
Love the Rossingley world and it's wonderful to be back. I wasn't sure what to expect but I found this book to be refreshingly funny!! All told from Rob's POV... we get quite an insight on who he is and how he thinks. Yes, we probably don't have the best impression of him (and of Evan really...) but they do redeem themselves.
I found this book to be tenderhearted, heart-warming, loving, funny... oh so funny - I was cracking up out loud!!! Not a petting zoo!!! And I've never seen Freddie lost for words. That by itself was brilliant!!!
This is just a fabulously brilliant book!!
Rating: 5 Stars
KjnRose's Review:
I could not put this book down, I haven't read the Rossingly series but this reads just fine without any backstory.
I absolutely loved reading about Rob and Evan, this was opposites attract, kind of second chance, short enjoyable read.
Rating: 5 Stars
Second-Best Men is available to buy as an ebook or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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