Stevie‘s review of Worth Fighting For (Heart of the South, Book 3) by Wendy Qualls
Contemporary Gay Romance published by Lyrical Shine 14 Aug 18
I’ve been aware of this series before, but with the two previous books it was definitely a case of ‘too much to read and too little time.’ The blurb for this one, however, really spoke to me, and so I got hold of a review copy with great anticipation. The story stands up well outside of the series; there are some characters who may be familiar to readers of the previous book, but the main focus is very much on Sterling, Jericho, and Sterling’s daughter, Alexa, who is the driving force behind the events of the book.
Sterling is a widowed single parent, living in a very conservative small town, where he feels unable to come out as gay. His wife, who was also his best friend at college, was very aware of Sterling’s sexuality, and fell pregnant after an experimental one night stand between the pair. After marrying, they agreed to raise the resulting child close to Sterling’s wife’s parents. Now, with Alexa’s social transition to female – begun right before the school holidays started – Sterling is finding that his in-laws’ bigotry and transphobia are too much for his little girl to handle. Unable to either take leave from the local dental practice until school starts again or to take Alexa to work with him every day, Sterling advertises for a nanny who will be able to cope with Alexa’s transition and with her other issues that stem from her being on the autistic spectrum.
Jericho is very used to dealing with kids like Alexa. Having spent the past three years working with a variety of children with special needs – and their teachers – on a project in Haiti, he is now hoping to move back to the US and take on a similar, more permanent teaching role. There’s a job open for him at his aunt and uncle’s summer camp, where he worked as a student, but he’d rather do something different while he looks for post-summer employment. What Sterling needs seems a perfect fit for Jericho, and he gets on well with both father and daughter, even if he is going to have to avoid thinking about just how well he gets on with Sterling – at least, while he’s an employee.
Sterling is also attracted to Jericho, but worries about the power imbalance between them, as well as about the repercussions for himself and, more importantly, Alexa, should the neighbours find out about any possible relationship between the men. He’s in line for taking over the partnership at the dental practice, although he’s having second thoughts about whether that’s what he really wants, and doesn’t want to do anything that might affect the business either.
I really liked the set-up of this book. All the background characters, even the very minor ones, felt three dimensional and real, and I loved Alexa and her enthusiasm to make friends with all the adults and children she met. I found the timeline a little tricky, however, and felt as if there was a longer story that had been cut down to fit a particular page count, which led to some jumpiness in the development of Sterling and Jericho’s relationship. On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading about their various contrasting days out to the beach, to Jericho’s aunt and uncle’s summer camp, and into the city for one of Jericho’s friends to take Alexa shopping for new clothes.
Of course, there was a fair portion of drama in this story too. Sterling’s in-laws can’t keep from meddling and are convinced that Alexa would be much happier as a boy living with them, rather than being raised in her correct gender by her father and his potential new partner, driving a rift between Sterling and Jericho. The resolution to this series of crises was very sweet, and as a result I’d like to read more from the author at some point.
Grade: B
Summary:
For two gay men in the Deep South, fighting for love and family can lead to one beautiful, sexy, and unexpected knock out . . .
In college, an “are you sure you’re gay?” experiment with his (female) best friend left Sterling Harper married with a baby on the way. Eleven years later, his life is flipped upside-down—his wife has died, his “little boy” is transitioning to her new life as a girl, Alexa, and his embittered in-laws have proven too transphobic to babysit for the summer like they’d planned. They’re fighting for custody of Alexa, though, so Sterling can’t afford to give them more ammunition. If only there were a nice, conservative, trans-preteen-friendly nanny available on short notice . . .
Jericho Johnston doesn’t do “conservative,” but Alexa takes to him immediately. He’s got a teaching job lined up for the fall, a killer smile, and loads of charisma . . . but he is not going back in the proverbial closet. It doesn’t take long for the two men to go from comrades-in-arms against their rarified community to two men in love. This kicks off the looming custody battle with Sterling’s bigoted in-laws, though, and the idea of two gay men raising a trans daughter isn’t going over well with anyone. Now, with so much to lose, Sterling and Jericho must fight harder than ever—for themselves, for Alexa, and for their future.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
