Customer Reviews

Wishing For A Home

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wishing For A Home was like candy - sweet, but in the end, not terribly filling.

The book description lays out the plot pretty accurately: Derek St. Martin, country singer, has let his mega-stardom corrupt his dreams and his life. Realizing he needs to get himself together, he agrees to a long vacation on a ranch in Wyoming, where it's left to ranch foreman Max Furlo to keep an eye on the music star while his bosses are away.

Of course, Derek and Max are attracted to each other from the get-go, and start up a sexual relationship pretty quickly. The rest of the story is them forging a relationship, even knowing that Derek is soon going to have to leave and go back to his regularly-scheduled life. Being a romance, it's not a spoiler to say that the boys eventually work things out and we get a happily-ever-after, although that's down the road a bit.

All that aside, the sex was fine, but not terribly exciting, and the author glosses over things after the first few times. The characters are a little thin; about the only thing I remember of Derek is that he pouts, and of Max is that he doesn't talk much. The plot is predictably, and uneventful. Overall, a pretty ho-hum kinda story.

One significant detraction, there were a LOT of side characters! Clearly, these folk must have popped in from other stories the author has done; not having read them, I didn't care about them, and they didn't add much to the plot of THIS story.

I give this book just over four stars. It's a very sweet and lovely romance.

Derek St. Martin is a country singer superstar. Over the last eight years, he's built up a great career and huge fan base because of his sexy looks, great voice, strong songwriting abilities, and flair for performance. The catch was that before he broke it big, the manager about to take him on told him that he'd have to keep the gay thing under wraps since it would be almost impossible to break it big and be openly gay at the same time. So now it's years later, he's definitely made it big, he's only got one more album left to record to fulfill his contract, and he's on the verge of being totally burnt out. Using alcohol and pills to keep him going and dull the loneliness, it's all taking its effect. Under doctor's orders, he's taking a three month vacation to recover, and his brother uses his connections to arrange a stay at a ranch in the midwest. The ranch is owned by a gay couple and is very gay friendly. The people there respect privacy and it's one of the few places where he can relax, be himself, and not be worried about fans and paparazzi hounding him.

Max Furlo is the foreman at the ranch. He's a guarded Aussie who seldom, if ever, laughs and he likes keeping to himself. He resents having to "babysit" Derek at first, but soon finds that Derek is amiable and doesn't need babysitting. The fact that Derek is a very nice guy, and very very sexy, soon wins over Max. Knowing that Derek is only here for a few months and will have to leave, he's faced with the choice of pursuing a temporary relationship that he know will soon end and leave him heartbroken, or keep his distance. Obviously there'd be no story here if he kept his distance, so Max decides a temporary relationship, even if it it leaves him heartbroken, is better than none at all.

Characters are well developed and nuanced. There is a ton of secondary characters who also have their own little quirks and traits. There are actually so many secondary characters that it's hard to keep track of them all. The story moves along at a very appropriate pace. The romance is allowed to grow, and it's captivating watching the two men grow closer and closer and gradually treat themselves as a couple, even though they both know it must come to an end. Focus is on the romance, and erotica is light, which is perfectly fine. Dialog and writing style is strong. The characters are compelling, and I found them rather interesting. They probably could have been given more quirks and detail to make them seem a bit more unique, but they were still enjoyable characters that I liked reading about.

When I was finished, I had the urge to listen to country music. It was a nice tale and I do recommend it as a sweet romance.

I guess when you read m/m romance you have to remember you are in the romance genre and not have too many expectations.
But with some books you don't even really get why the characters are into each other. I did get why Max was into Derek but not what Derek found in Max. It did feel like he just fell inlove with the first man he slept with after 8 years of denial.
Even the sex in this book is average.
Don't get me wrong it's a cute story (hence the 3 stars and not 2) but nothing more.

It was a pleasurable read for me that I didn't want to put it down and do other things. I loved the dynamics(if you can call it that) of Max and Derek. What I write next may be considered spoilers for some, so read with caution.

Derek St. Martin is a famous country singer who's deeply in the closet as directed by his manager. For 8 years he hasn't been with a man and has spiraled down to drug and alcohol abuse. After his doctor recommends him to a 3 month vacation, his step brother arranges for him to spend the summer at a ranch where he can be himself.

Max Furlo is a foreman at the ranch who doesn't talk much and mostly keeps to himself. At first he disliked the idea of "babysitting" the celebrity but later grows to like him. Polite, sweet and sexy as Hell Derek is, Max can't help but feel attracted to him. Knowing that the star won't be staying for long he has to decide whether to hook up with Derek and end up hearbroken in the end. Or stay away and end up regretting not making a move at him.

It's a great read and I know you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Though there are some grammatical errors, the author's writing keeps you invested in the story well enough to ignore them. Enjoyable characters left and right help too. If they ever made a short movie adaptation I would totally watch it. And if he ever writes a sequel to, "Wishing for a Home" I would read that too.

Not my usual reading material but a nice diversion. I mean really--me listening to country music or spending even a day getting dusty? Not likely. And yet hunky cowboys on a gay owned horse ranch makes for a nice fantasy read at bedtime.

As others have pointed out, a handsome country singer needs to hide out while straightening out his drug addiction and coming to terms with how the closet is impacting his life (we all know how much country music loves gays). He takes refuge on a gay friend's ranch in Wyoming. An attraction develops between he and the ranch foreman, Max. Max is a man's man but has his own issues he's running from. Of course these two have to work everything out and this fills out the book.

Great literature? No. A predictable romance, sure. But taken for what it is, it's decently written and I enjoyed reading it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. The author writes well and the the characters are realistic and engaging.

I sort of had an idea from the book description what this story was about, but was more that surprised by the indepth story line. Mr. Chase has given us an insight to the music world and you can't tell me that some of those HOT Country/Western singers up there on that stage are straight as an arrow and all is well in their world. Well, think again. This is a story of a man wanting to be able to like who his is, be honest to himself, and love who he wants to love without shame or having to hide ( but still make lots and lots of money). This is also the story of a man who is willing to do what it takes to complete his obligations to others, but also learn to be true to himself (and still make lots and lots of money). Maybe we need a few more men like Derek, but then Max was no slouch either. Okay, so I gave in and let a tear or two drop when he started singing to Max the lyrics that he wrote. I won't let it happen again unless Mr. Chase writes another story this good.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought the plot, and the characters were well developed, and it kept my interest and attention throughout. My only criticism, was expressed by another reviewer, who said that number of secondary characters, who were in fact extraneous to the plot, were so many that it was difficult to keep them all straight. I liked the ending very much, and would highly recommend this book to everyone.