Book 93, 2022

The Gift by May Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finished reading The Gift by May Archer last night. It's the second book in her "Love in O'Leary" series of m/m romance. Main characters are reclusive author Daniel Michaelson and veterinarian Julian Ross.

After critics pan his latest book, his marriage has ended, and his parents are pressuring him to join the family business, Daniel leaves Manhattan behind and buys a rustic cabin on the outskirts of O'Leary. Feeling like a failure at everything from his career to his relationships, Daniel keeps to himself until the day he discovers an injured owl in the woods and rushes it to the local veterinarian.

With a widowed mother and two younger brothers, Julian is used to playing things safe. He doesn't rock the boat, and he prefers to work with animals. When Daniel brings him an injured owl, the two of them form an instant friendship. While Julian finds Daniel attractive, he keeps his feelings to himself until the day he announces to everyone in the diner that Daniel is his boyfriend. Since Julian made his declaration to protect Daniel's reputation, Daniel agrees to play along. Somewhere along the way, however, this 'fake boyfriend' thing starts becoming all too real. Maybe they can make this work, as long as they can work through their secrets and past hurts.

What a lovely and heartwarming story. The angst wasn't over the top, but each of them was certainly in need of some stability and comfort. I enjoyed not just the interactions between Daniel and Julian, but also their interactions with other characters. It was amusing to see how Daniel went from being the 'odd stranger in the woods' to becoming an accepted O'Learian. Characterizations were wonderful, the humor was amazing, and the narrative moved along at a perfect pace.

Favorite lines:
♦ "And that's when shit got complicated," I told the cat.
♦ If I wanted to fantasize about hot guys having sex, I'd open a private browser as God intended.
♦ "Welcome to O'Leary. That seemed weird is practically our town motto."
♦ Love was when your rough corners and missing pieces weren't imperfections you needed to correct, they were the tabs and blanks on a jigsaw puzzle piece that perfectly aligned with someone else's and locked you together seamlessly.
♦ I turned around so we were facing the same direction, specifically so I could hip-check him.
♦ When I finally did laugh, the sound was like a cross between a donkey braying and a balloon deflating, because I couldn't not be awkward.
♦ "I want to discuss the treachery that has been perpetrated at our own table."
♦ They were locked in some kind of staring contest that could only end in death or hard fucking.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I didn't love it quiiiiite as much as other May Archer books I've read. This one gets a solid four.