A review by galleytrot
Tamarillo Tart by Jay Hogan

  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

READ: Apr 2023 
FORMAT: Digital 

BRIEF SUMMARY: 
In this contemporary romance, Stef and his best friend have plans to take a guided horseback tour through some of the natural locations of Lord of the Rings movie sets. It’s the sort of outing that goes completely against Stef’s city-blooded lifestyle, especially considering his fear of horses and the fact that Tanner cancels on him last-minute. After watching Cass - the tour’s guide - step out like something straight from a Texas country pub in his Stetson hat and cowboy boots, he decides that maybe not all hope is lost, and at least the eye candy might help get him through the tedious ordeal if nothing else. 

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE: 3.5 / 5⭐ 
This story was quite sweet, if not especially impactful or memorable. It’s very big-city meets small-country in tone, and never stops reminding us of that. Cass runs his business by bringing tourists out to experience the natural beauty of the New Zealand woods, rivers, and mountains in a way that the big screen could never adequately portray them. Stef is a massive LotR fan, and even though roughing it has never been in his agenda in any way; and even though horses are massive, unpredictable bringers of death with horror-teeth and a will of their own; and even though he never saw himself ever falling for anyone so neatly fitting into the textbook definition of a cowboy, he’s prepared to put himself outside of his comfort zone if for no other reason than to piss off an unrepentant homophobe. 

Sparks fly and attraction is immediate between both Cass and Steph, but there are complications to face: they live on opposite ends of the country from one another; their lifestyles are completely antithetical to one another; Steph is out and loud and proud, while Cass is locally closeted in his bisexuality; both have been burned by relationships that were set up for failure from the start; and, both are very certain that one taste of what they could have together is simply not going to be enough. 

TECHNICAL / PRODUCTION: 3.75 / 5⭐ 
This is not my first book from Hogan, but it’s my first after resolving to consume books more mindfully and write detailed reviews for each one. To me, Hogan’s writing is fairly par for the course – she doesn’t stand out or shine above other romance authors, but neither does she suffer under scrutiny. Her stories are pretty solid and I admire the focus on imperfect families and relationships that face additional challenges (i.e.; divorced parents, neurodivergent relatives, substance abuse, etc.). 

Due to availability, I skipped reading the first book in this series and this second one did not suffer much for it. I prefer when stories within a romance series are more self-contained. This one referenced and cameoed the first book’s couple often enough that I figured out who they must be, but it never revealed so much that circling back to read the first one would be a drag. I’m very prone to rallying away from reading a romance if I’ve been given the gist of their journey, outcome and all. 

FINAL THOUGHTS - OVERALL: 3.75 / 5⭐ 
I recommend this read if you’re looking for something with more of a circumstantial angst rather than relationship angst. Our boys are mostly pretty mature about how they handle the hangups they each have, and it’s actually quite refreshing. The conflict here is coming from an outside source in this book’s case. 

This book has representation for gays and bisexuals. There is a neurodivergent side character (Down syndrome). There is otherwise not much in the way of diversity. 

The following elaborates on my content warnings. These may be interpreted as spoilers, but I do not go into deep detail.
This book contains: homophobia; someone getting sneezed on by a horse (as someone who has been sneezed on by a horse, I assure you this is a legitimate content warning); mild alcohol use; mentions of horse excrement; mild injury to a horse; horse-related accident causing injuries, bleeding, medical trauma; on-page depiction of seizure/convulsions; urination; and, vomiting related to injuries and trauma.
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