Farm Fresh, book #1 of Naked Organics by Posy Roberts.
Getting down and dirty
never felt so clean.
Blurb:
Jude
Garrity visits the farmers market every Saturday. As an environmental
engineering student, he’s curious about living off the grid and sustainable
agriculture.
And
one particular farmer.
Hudson
Oliva has worked hard to support his commune, where queer people live without
fear of harm or retribution. When Jude asks pointed questions about living
there, Hudson realizes he needs to be honest about his home. Few people know
what the farm is actually about, but Jude is insistent.
Jude
moves to Kaleidoscope Gardens, however his sexual hang-ups make it hard to
adjust. He’s an uptight virgin living among people who have sex freely and with
multiple partners. When Jude finally loosens up, Hudson is flooded with
emotions. Falling for Jude wasn’t part of Hudson’s life plan. But when
vindictive rumors about the commune begin to spread, love might be all he has
left.
Genre:
Contemporary Romance, MM Romance, Gay Fiction, with a splash of MMM+
Length: Novel, 202 pages
It's my practice not to rehash story because you can get what you need from the blog. In this case, the basic story is simple and clear. Jude joins a commune and learns to live a more relaxed and fulfilling life; mentally, physically and sexually. Of course there are twists and turns, bumps in the road and a little angst but that's the crux and it's more than enough.
I found the story very easy to read and I was carried along with Jude's naivety and Hudson's angst. The other characters were a strong supporting cast, each with their own story and their part to play in Jude and Hudson's. Despite being set in a commune where sex is like breathing (open, natural and sometimes public) the sex is surprisingly underplayed, which was a delightful surprise. I was expecting the story to be woven around the sex, when in fact the sex is woven into the story, and I really liked that.
Miss Roberts writes delicately, with beautiful detail. The way she describes the commune can almost make you smell the cooking, and she colours the emotions of the characters very well.
All of the characters have their own issues to resolve and their own ways of doing it. Tension comes in from all sides and, whilst it threatens to tear them apart it ultimately just brings them closer together.
My favourite part of this book is the way that the characters interact with each other. It's not always positive and there are misunderstandings and wrong choices, but it's all done with the very best intentions. These are people who truly care about each other and want what's best for each other. One of my very few - not complaints as such but slight itchest - was that they fit together a little too well. There is always one, isn't there? At least one who's a twat and rubs everyone up the wrong way. There are always jealousies and niggles, character clashes and people who don't quite fit with each other. Here everyone is just so nice! At least to each other.
I think the biggest praise I could give to Ms Roberts and her story is that I would give my left leg to live in Kaleidoscope Gardens, and would LOVE to spend some time there with these wonderful people and their awesome philosophy.
What we have been given is a peep into a way of life that really works for those who are living it and I'm envious of that.
I wouldn't read this book if you have preconceptions about life and how it should be led, or if you're expecting explicit sex every other page. For everyone else, it's a must.
About Posy Roberts
Real life. Genuine men. True love.
Posy is married to a man who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep. Her daughter, a budding author and dedicated Whovian, helps her come up with character names. When Posy’s not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.
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Thanks for hosting Farm Fresh, the thoughtful review, and for helping make this book launch a success. xoxo
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