Reviewed by Ami
Title: Fair Isn’t Life
Author: Kaje Harper
Series: States of Love #45
Heroes: Luke/Mason
Genre: MM Contemporary
Length: 148 Pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Available at: Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads
Blurb: Luke Lafontaine survived the past year by not thinking about the father he lost, the dairy farm he couldn’t save from bankruptcy, or his way of life that vanished with the rap of an auctioneer’s hammer. Cleaning up city folks’ trash at the Minnesota State Fair is just another dead-end job. But at the Fair, surrounded by a celebration of farm life, ambitions he’d given up on and buried deep start to revive. And seeing Mason Bell in the parade—gorgeous, gay, out-of-his-league Mason—stirs other buried dreams.
Mason left his hometown for college in Minneapolis without looking back. Student life is fun, classes are great, gay guys are easy to find, but it’s all a bit superficial. He’s at the State Fair parade route with his band when he realizes a scruffy maintenance worker is Luke, his secret high school crush. Luke should be safely home working on his dad’s farm, not picking up litter. Mason wishes he hadn’t fallen out of touch. He’s an optimist, though, and it’s never too late for second chances. Now he just has to convince Luke.
Review: You don’t know how excited I was when I saw Kaje Harper’s title listed in Dreamspinner Press’ Upcoming Release section. Harper is one of my favorite authors, and it’s been a while since I read any of her stories – the last one was back in 2017.
Luke Lafontaine has had a challenging year – losing his father and his family’s daily farm in a short amount of time, ending up working a dead-end job at the Minnesota State Fair. Mason Bell, on the other hand, has been living his life as a college student and an out gay young man, even if the relationships is short and rather meaningless.
They meet again at the State Fair and Mason remembers his crush over Luke in high school – he tutored the guy back then, but Mason didn’t even know Luke’s sexual preference, so he never really did anything about it. However, now that he finds Luke again – and that he knows Luke is gay – Mason wants that second chance, despite Luke’s reluctance because of his economic condition.
Fair Isn’t Life — how great is the title? – it is simply lovely! This is story about two young men, who come from different stages in life, but discover that when they’re together, they can overcome the unfairness of life. 🙂
I liked that the ‘conflict’ was about Luke’s financial (and job) situation – I felt that it added a realistic touch to the romance. I really loved how Mason, slowly but convincingly, managed to give Luke a helping hand. Mason also showed Luke that he had something to offer in their relationship. Not everything in life is about money after all, is it? Though yes, having it really helps. 🙂
It’s a hopeful kind of read, which manages to put a satisfactory smile to my face when I finish it.
Overall Impression: I really liked it!
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*
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