Rating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Tavish “Tav” Greer is the son of Scottish immigrants. His father worked construction and his mother cleaned houses, meaning Tav grew up decidedly working class. That didn’t matter one whit to Judah Dailey, the one true love of Tav’s life. The two met when Tav’s mom started working as a housekeeper for the wealthy Dailey family. Not only were Judah and Tav immediate friends, they became a devoted couple in high school. Everything was the picture of idyllic teenage love until Tav broke Judah’s heart. With no excuses or explanation, Tav told Judah he was leaving.
Tav and Judah don’t run into each other for another twenty years. Despite the abrupt parting and total radio silence over the past two decades, these two are immediately drawn back to each other. Judah would love an explanation for the abrupt way Tav ended things between them, but more than that, he’s desperate to have Tav back in his life. Tav struggles with his conscience, knowing the role Judah’s mother played in their teenage heartache, but also being extremely aware of what it means to lose a parent. Tav must also balance the man he’s become with the partner he wants and needs Judah to be–namely someone who has a heart big enough to share Tav with his found family. Sometimes, it takes more than just an intense connection to someone to make a relationship work. Tav and Judah are about to find out if they have what it takes.
Fool’s Errand is a contemporary lovers-reunited story from authors Ki Brightly and M.D. Gregory. In addition to reuniting Tav and Judah, there are strong elements of opposites attract, class differences, and family issues. It’s set in a fictional city called New Gothenburg; the book is the second in the Fool’s series, but works well as a standalone. The chapters alternate between having Tav and Judah narrate, giving great insight into both of their motivations and struggles.
The story basically opens with Tav and Judah’s breakup scene as teenagers. There’s a little stage setting that shows how into each other they are even as teens, before Judah’s mother makes Tav an offer he can’t refuse, even if it breaks his and Judah’s hearts. From the next chapter onwards, we stay in the present day. I really enjoyed this brief look into Tav and Judah’s relationship. It was short, sweet, and to the point. These two are clearly in love and want nothing more than to build a life together. All the things that separate them–especially being from different classes–just never occur to them.
When Tav and Judah reunite two decades later, that same spark that brought them together as teens burst into a flame. These two fall into bed almost immediately. As much as I enjoyed watching these two come together after so long, I was a little taken aback at the hyper focus on physical intimacy. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that they could rekindle that part of their relationship and their needs and desires felt well matched. It just sometimes felt like the sex took precedence over showing how Tav and Judah worked as a couple outside the bedroom.
For example, Tav has a knack for helping young gay men who have been rejected by their own families. Judah seems reluctant to really accept this side of who Tav is, just grudgingly allowing (for want of a better term) that Tav has basically adopted a little brother. The same thing happens with a clingy ex of Judah’s whom Tav also sort of “adopts.” These four eventually come together like a found family, but it felt more a function of circumstance rather than Judah understanding and appreciating that Tav wants to provide these young men with the kind of stability his own youth lacked. If anything, Judah learns to overcome his irritation and jealousy at having to share Tav’s attention before finally somehow coming to see the two younger men as a kind of family.
As far as the character goes, I felt like Judah personified an aloof, entitled rich guy pretty well. His response to having to share Tav’s attention is one example. Another is how he behaves towards his mother when he discovers the truth about her role in his and Tav’s breakup. The mother-son battle is a significant theme in the story and, all the while, Tav pleads with Judah to tread lightly considering he only has one mother. I didn’t feel like Judah really got the memo and that whole thread felt a little rough, even though the resolution to the mother-son drama felt pretty clear cut. Tav, on the other hand, has a sort of golden boy vibe. He may be poor as dirt, but he’s always trying to help those around him be and get better. Sometimes that’s offering a disowned teenager a place to stay, sometimes that’s trying to convince Judah not to burn family bridges. Tav even has good connections to a local motorcycle club (see the other books in the New Gothenburg world). I enjoyed them as individuals and thought they had great physical chemistry, but I longed for more sweet moments of connection like we saw when they were teenagers.
Fool’s Errand is a super steamy lovers-reunited story. It stars two strong male leads who have extraordinary chemistry between the sheets and a star-crossed-lovers kind of origin that is strong enough to pull them together like magnets when they reunite after a twenty-year separation. If you enjoy opposites-attract stories or are a fan of other books in the New Gothenburg series, I think you’ll enjoy what Fool’s Errand has to offer.
