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A review by toddles
The Rancher's Mail-Order Husband by Layla Moran
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
3.75 ⭐️
I received an E-book ARC edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review after it had been released. The novel will be available on Amazon & Kindle Unlimited.
This slow-paced 291-page Alt Historical, slow-burn MM Romance, is the perfect read to escape present day reality. Written in Graham's POV, this novel gives you insight to how it was in 1880 with classic tropes but also what our history could have been if no one blinked an eye to someone being gay, let alone, having a husband.
--Butter yellows, sunrise red, the blue of deep, clear water, the white of sheared, cleaned wool---Graham held all the colors in his hands…..--
After the Civil War, Graham builds himself a lonely, quiet and colorless rancher life but wants a partner to brighten it up and share it with. After arranging himself a marriage through the mail without ever meeting the other man, he sets out to pick up the Irish city boy Ciarán from the train station. The meet-cute was adorable. The shell shock of them both seeing each other for the first time after only a couple letters in conversation was a LOVE IS BLIND moment and made it clear they both got what they were least expecting. With the disbelief lingering through the instant wedding, it makes it a blur in memory like a hazing dust cloud after a wagon comes to an abrupt stop.
With new territory for them both, and trying to fight forced proximity, they slowly and shyly get to know each other while Graham teaches Ciarán how to tend to the animals and garden. While introverted Graham gets used to having another person on the ranch, extroverted Ciarán has to get used to his new surroundings and people in town, which he does haste stat forcing Graham to open up his own world to a colorful found family they both needed.
When a thief strikes and someone is attacked, their friends, as well as the other towns people are put on edge, Graham is worried about little Ciarán on the farm alone at times. With no experience to protect himself, Graham, the burly caregiver that he is, finds a solution to protect his husband until the culprit is caught. The ensemble was a collective group of individuals ranging from other gay couples, other Irish speaking people, and neighboring ranchers that come together and take care of each other. I loved this part of the story. Found family, size difference, and polar opposites tropes are heartwarming and fun.
The Spice was ok. 2/5🌶. Fast and quick was the name of the game with little detail. The bedroom plot wasn’t a huge part of the storyline. It was more about being together as a whole in every aspect of life. Yes, it gets steamy… I mean they have to consummate the marriage, but it’s about how they share small intimate moments with each other outside the bedroom as well which I found even better in this case as it goes more with the time period and circumstance of their relationship.
This book was a great escape into a simpler time and a calm new beginning that anyone could ever dream about. It is a unique plot and calm plot that I highly enjoyed. And the ending couldn’t have pulled at the heart strings harder. Is this book perfect, NOPE. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s an Alt-Historical where we would never get a Brokeback Mountain movie and Matthew Shepard would still be alive today. Period facts are a bit blurred and the writing details could have been edited into more of a consistent flow. However, in this case, the good of the story far outweighs the overlooked.
💜Happy Reading🫶
I received an E-book ARC edition of this novel in exchange for an honest review after it had been released. The novel will be available on Amazon & Kindle Unlimited.
This slow-paced 291-page Alt Historical, slow-burn MM Romance, is the perfect read to escape present day reality. Written in Graham's POV, this novel gives you insight to how it was in 1880 with classic tropes but also what our history could have been if no one blinked an eye to someone being gay, let alone, having a husband.
--Butter yellows, sunrise red, the blue of deep, clear water, the white of sheared, cleaned wool---Graham held all the colors in his hands…..--
After the Civil War, Graham builds himself a lonely, quiet and colorless rancher life but wants a partner to brighten it up and share it with. After arranging himself a marriage through the mail without ever meeting the other man, he sets out to pick up the Irish city boy Ciarán from the train station. The meet-cute was adorable. The shell shock of them both seeing each other for the first time after only a couple letters in conversation was a LOVE IS BLIND moment and made it clear they both got what they were least expecting. With the disbelief lingering through the instant wedding, it makes it a blur in memory like a hazing dust cloud after a wagon comes to an abrupt stop.
With new territory for them both, and trying to fight forced proximity, they slowly and shyly get to know each other while Graham teaches Ciarán how to tend to the animals and garden. While introverted Graham gets used to having another person on the ranch, extroverted Ciarán has to get used to his new surroundings and people in town, which he does haste stat forcing Graham to open up his own world to a colorful found family they both needed.
When a thief strikes and someone is attacked, their friends, as well as the other towns people are put on edge, Graham is worried about little Ciarán on the farm alone at times. With no experience to protect himself, Graham, the burly caregiver that he is, finds a solution to protect his husband until the culprit is caught. The ensemble was a collective group of individuals ranging from other gay couples, other Irish speaking people, and neighboring ranchers that come together and take care of each other. I loved this part of the story. Found family, size difference, and polar opposites tropes are heartwarming and fun.
The Spice was ok. 2/5🌶. Fast and quick was the name of the game with little detail. The bedroom plot wasn’t a huge part of the storyline. It was more about being together as a whole in every aspect of life. Yes, it gets steamy… I mean they have to consummate the marriage, but it’s about how they share small intimate moments with each other outside the bedroom as well which I found even better in this case as it goes more with the time period and circumstance of their relationship.
This book was a great escape into a simpler time and a calm new beginning that anyone could ever dream about. It is a unique plot and calm plot that I highly enjoyed. And the ending couldn’t have pulled at the heart strings harder. Is this book perfect, NOPE. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s an Alt-Historical where we would never get a Brokeback Mountain movie and Matthew Shepard would still be alive today. Period facts are a bit blurred and the writing details could have been edited into more of a consistent flow. However, in this case, the good of the story far outweighs the overlooked.
💜Happy Reading🫶