second harvestRating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links: 
 Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Christie Landon is a graphic designer and NYC party boy. His social life is clubbing and hookups, but at 30 he is getting tired of that life and looking for more. When his best friend overdoses, Christie decides it is a good time to take a break and he heads to Lancaster County, PA, where he has a house left to him by an aunt that he needs to prepare for sale.

David Fisher is a farmer with a house next door to Christie’s. He is just over 40 with two grown kids and lost his wife two years ago to illness. David feels like his life has passed him by. He grew up in a religious family, always doing what was expected, including marrying his wife and taking over running the farm when his father died young. David longs for new experiences and more out of his life, but lately it seems like he is just biding time, watching his life pass before him.

When the men meet, they are both a bit wary at first with so many differences between them. But they soon begin to form a friendship, especially as Christie’s love of cooking has them sharing many meals together. Christie knows he is attracted to the hunky farmer, but he also knows that David is straight and certainly not interested in him. But David has feelings he has kept pushed aside for years, and slowly with Christie he begins to realize that he can actually have happiness with a man if he lets himself. The many hours the guys spend together continue to fuel their attraction, and finally the men are brave enough to act on it.

Being with David is everything that Christie could want. But he also knows David is from a religious family with two grown kids who would not approve of him dating a man. Not to mention David’s church and the small community would not be receptive either. Christie would love a future with David, but also knows that taking the chance on being with Christie would change David’s whole life. Now David needs to decide if he is brave enough to take steps to claim the life and happiness he has always wanted and move forward with Christie.

A Second Harvest is such a warm, wonderful story and I really loved it. One of the things I often notice about Eli Easton’s writing is how tender and warm her stories are. Regardless of where they fall on the sexy to sweet scale, there is just something so lovely about her books that just leaves me feeling happy and satisfied when they are over. And this story is no exception. It is a romantic opposites attract tale of two men who are unhappy with their lives, both stuck in a path they aren’t quite sure how to escape, and looking for something more. Christie and David are so different in personality, but they share a loneliness and a longing to set their lives in a new direction, but neither quite knows how until they find each other.

I loved the slow build of their friendship as they find themselves so drawn to one another. David is sweet and solid and kind, always putting others first. With Christie, David takes his first steps to claiming something that he really wants, just for him. And Christie is lively and so full of spirit. There is an intensity about him, a commitment behind everything he does. I love the scenes where Christie cooks for David, especially as he introduces David to new worlds and experiences through the food. David has been stuck on the farm his whole life and craves exploring, and Christie helps satisfy some of that wanderlust by making new foods for him to try from all over the world. It is so sweet and heartwarming to watch them together.

The conflict of the story is David making that leap to take what he wants and really be with Christie. It is not an overly angsty story, despite the premise, as it is pretty clear that once David starts to move forward with Christie that he is moving toward coming out. But Christie knows he needs to take things slowly and give David time to sort out his life, and his patience and longing are so wonderfully portrayed. I could really feel for him as he tries to give David the room to figure things out, but at the same time, faces possibly losing the man he loves to his family and societal pressures. It is really a nicely balanced conflict and carries the story well.

So I really loved this one and adored both Christie and David. The pairing worked perfectly for me with the older, more sheltered David coming into his own and claiming his life, spurred on by the lively and sweet Christie. Easton gives them a great progression, from friends to lovers to true partners, and we see them face their challenges, but also experience such joys and happiness with each. I love Easton’s writing and this story is definitely toward the top of my list of favorites by the author. I certainly encourage you to give it a try.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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