When The Bluebird Calls

Title: When the Bluebird Calls
Author: Leiland Dale
Publisher: Silver Publishing
Genre: Contemporary M/M
Length: novella
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

THE BLURB

Devon Reid, veterinarian, had a partner of 2 years, a beautiful house, and a fantastic job.  Then, life as he knew it, changed.

Six months ago, he became his mother’s sole caretaker when her cancer returned.  With his constant absence from home, his relationship ends leaving him alone in one of the most emotionally draining points in his life.  When his mother passes, he is lonely and loses his zest for life.

With his emotions and life in turmoil, Devon decides it’s time to make a change. Leaving the city life behind and taking a job in a small town in Montana, was just what the doctor ordered.  Then, he meets the hunky ranch foreman, Greg Elliot.

Greg has lived most of his life on a ranch. Living in a small town didn’t offer many prospects for a relationship, until he meets the new veterinarian in town.

While they try to resist the obvious mutual attraction, a fateful call during the night changes it all.

What is a city boy to do when a small town cowboy ropes him in?

THE REVIEW

Devon was looking to make a clean break after the death of his mother who had been cancer stricken for several years. He took care of her during her long illness but it cost him his boyfriend Kevin, who dumped him after 2 years. He found the ideal situation in Bridger, Montana and sold his veterinary practice so that he could buy one that was up for sale in Bridger. Two weeks before moving Devon had a series of weird wet dreams about a cowboy but thought nothing of it until he arrived in town and met Greg Elliot who was the hottest cowboy he had ever seen, and it seemed that Greg was just as smitten.

Greg had been living in Bridger since he was kicked off his family ranch 7 years ago by his father, at gunpoint, when his sexual orientation became known. The only items he was allowed to take were his truck and the clothing on his back. Since then, he had built a life for himself in Bridger and was now a ranch foreman. When he showed up in Devon’s clinic to make arrangements for him to visit the ranch every month to take care of the animals, the attraction between them was instantaneous and Devon was overwhelmed because he had never felt like this for anyone, even Kevin with whom he had lived for 2 years.

A few nights later Devon was awakened by an urgent phone call and requested to attend a mare that was in labour at the ranch where Greg was foreman. After delivering the foal he was tired and Greg offered him coffee before he went home. Of course the expected happened and they had sex. Devon stayed over that night and they spent the next day together getting to know each other. After several days of seeing Greg and talking to him on the telephone Devon realized that he was falling in love with him, but someone else tried to put a stop to his new relationship, his ex Kevin who showed up and wanted him back. Matters did not go well with Kevin who was upset that Devon had found someone else so quickly, and that evening when Devon and Greg were out on a date the Fire Chief called Devon to tell him that his house was ablaze and there was also damage to his clinic. Devon was devastated. Would this setback mean that he would have to start over from scratch? Devon had many issues to resolve but Greg made it clear that he wasn’t alone and that he would support him in whatever decisions he made.

I liked the characters although the instant love and the dreams were a little bit hard to believe. Also, I thought that the fire at Devon’s house happened very fast, as well as finding the evidence and arresting the perpetrator. It just seemed that everything was rushed in an effort to wrap the story up neatly. However, I did think that the characters had a lot of chemistry together and that their personalities seemed to fit, but I felt that the entire town of Bridger, Montana was a bit too OK Homo. For a small town the residents were pretty open minded and everyone apparently was fine with gay relationships. I also did not feel that there was enough development of  Kevin’s character who was portrayed as a vicious ex boyfriend who would stop at nothing to get Devon back, with no rational explanation for his change of heart. He was the one who dumped Devon yet he drove all the way to Bridger a few weeks later to win him back. Was he a borderline mental case? His characterization didn’t work for me.

There were a few spelling and editorial errors as well as the over the top “rose puckered hole winking at him” but overall the book was well written and there are many characters who I can see having their own stories if the author does write other books in the Heart of the Mountain series.

When the Bluebird Calls is a pretty good story, with likable characters and a credible plot for the most part. Recommended.