Rainbow Reviews

BOOK BLURB:
Reverend Ian Kenyon knows the harsh sting of life and how a man can suffer a loss of faith. The death of his wife and newborn son shook him to his foundations, and he's been drifting ever since. Bryn Morgan has returned home from prison to the only family he has ~ an abusive father who abandoned him to the law when Bryn was unjustly accused of rape. Still poor, lost, and shunned, Bryn searches for work, any work that will allow him to survive.

Reluctantly moved by Bryn's plight, Ian hires the young man to work on his farm despite Bryn's prickly, defensive nature. Soon Ian fears his growing feelings of grace and compassion might be something else, something more ... heated. Whatever the cause, he knows they are impossible to pursue, because Heaven only knows what would happen if a man of God began to have forbidden feelings for his hired man.

BOOK REVIEW:
The Hired Man is another great book by Jan Irving. Set in the late 1800's, Ms. Irving tells the story of two men struggling to find new purpose in their lives. One is Bryn who has returned home after spending time in prison only to find that things are still the same. Used to abuse, he has little hope for the future.

The other is Ian, the town's reverend. Ian has been grieving the deaths of his son and wife. He is also struggling with his loss of faith. The two come together when Bryn goes to Ian's farm looking for work.

While Bryn finds himself wanting the reverend in every way, Ian is unsure of the need the young man is causing him to feel. As the two of them forge a bond, the reader learns of the tragedies both men have suffered. It is easy for the reader to see the love these two have for each other even as it looks like things may not work out.

When dealing with the subject of intimacy between the men, the author does an excellent job showing not only Ian's confusion over his feelings, but also his struggle in dealing with his desire to please Bryn while having no idea what he is doing. A far cry from the normal perfect lover that readers usually see in erotica books.

The descriptions, dialog and situations the author weaves throughout the story stay true to the time period while the secondary characters, whether the motherly house keeper or the abusive store clerk, help move the story along nicely making the story more believable to the reader.

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