WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews - 19. Home & Away by Samantha Wayland

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25690047-home-away

My first thought after reading this novel was: “I’ve read this before”

It’s a nice novel from 2015 that probably would settle well on this site with @MrsgnomieBoss Nanny, along with classics like @Bill WCastaway Hotel, basically a gay romance with found family. Samantha Wayland is someone I can understand, being a fellow New Englander and Hockey fan, but I’ll try to avoid giving her book favorable treatment based on those two points alone. Her story is very nice and cozy on its own without a tense emotional roller-coaster type issues between the male couple involved.

At 404 pages and an audible length of 12 hours and 12 minutes, I must note that this is not light reading by any stretch of the imagination. You will be spending a full day reading this novel. If I had a partner, I think this would be the kind of book I’d snuggle up to him and spend a lazy day enjoying.

Rupert Smythe is the manager of the Ice Cats, a Canadian hockey team. He’s quiet, shy, and a bit introverted, but he’s a very good business-minded manager and can objectively make decisions without being influenced through interactions with others. Rupert originally came from the UK and we learn through inference that he is financially well-off due to his family along with the fact that he is minor nobility, a Scottish Earl, with lands and an estate, but enjoys working. He is openly gay. He is annoyed at his job, when one of the co-owners Callum Morrison enters the picture. Callum is an American professional Hockey player, a goalie, who was on the medal winning winter Olympic team. Callum has been hiding his sexuality due to the fear of professional backlash, up to the point of asking for his best friend Michaela to pretend to be his girlfriend for public appearances. Rupert begins to open up to Callum over drinks, when his personal issue began to creep into his life. Rupert has a 4-year-old half-brother, named Oliver “Ollie”, who he has been searching for nearly a year. Rupert’s father had died a year ago and he had heard disturbing news that his young brother has been mistreated by his stepmother Lydia, who spent the money meant to care for Oliver by partying across Europe through alcohol and drugs. Rupert and Callum effectively rescued Ollie from a poorly maintained London apartment. During this period, Oliver develops a close attachment to Callum, clinging to him like a life preserver. Callum, having had several younger siblings, felt an innate urge to take care of the 4-year-old, while Rupert was worried over how to react or handle the situation. In fear that he could not secure Oliver’s freedom, Rupert instructs Callum to protect Oliver, no matter what happens during his negotiations with Lydia. The situation is resolved and Rupert gains full custody over Oliver, so they return to Canada. We are introduced to Alexei and Michael, who were hockey players on the Ice Cats Hockey team (Note: their story is part of a Samantha Wayland's Crashing Series). It turns out they were secretly a gay couple in a relationship. Callum was introduced to Rupert's friend, the reclusive writer Reese, whose insecurities and fears prevent him travel. After a series of encounters, Mike and Alexei made an offer to Rupert. They had an extra apartment, which Rupert was in desperate need to settle Ollie in. Through a series of interactions, Callum and Rupert begin to settle into a sexual relationship and organically became a gay couple through trial and error. They meet a young boy, named Christian Shaw, who enjoyed figure skating and had an abusive homophobic father through a charity skating event. Rupert is revealed to have been a famous award-winning figure skater in his youth. Christian’s home life spirals downhill and there were signs that his father was being physically abusive. This resulted in Callum, Rupert, and their friends rescuing the Christian from his home, Rupert adopts him into his new makeshift family as a result. Callum is distraught that he couldn’t be as brave as Rupert with his sexuality, but he finds courage eventually in coming out and becoming Rupert’s partner in their new family. The story ends in a wholesome hockey game during the Holidays with Callum’s family.

This is not one of those stories with overly complicated characters, motivations, or plots. It’s simple and crisp as a story. I enjoyed it for it’s fluffy quality and happy “found family”-type storyline that I have been accustomed to for years. Does that mean it’s a great story worth reading? Yes and No, depending on what you are looking for. As I said, I consider this something I’d read on a lazy day, but it’s not a story that is thought provoking or provocative. I think the found family genre has been done a lot over the years, it’s a good wholesome concept within the LGBT community and one I am proud to have been a reader and contributor to at times. Still, the themes of the stories usually follow similar patterns: LGBT lead character encounter or must take care of a child with a potential romantic partner, main character “rescues” a kid, or adopts a child into an unconventional family unit. The addition of hockey players is neat, I know it is window dressing, but good window dressing can brighten up rooms and sports themes can improve storylines. There’s some sex scenes, but it’s very tame in comparison to other novels within gay romance, I’d argue Sarina Bowen’s Him series had far more intense sex scenes for instance among hockey players/partners (though it's close at times, I think Samantha and Sarina are Two Towers of the gay Hockey romance genre for their series).

What set this story apart was its family oriented plot. The little wholesome details about correcting language in front kids and attempting to be good role models were also nice touches to this story. The little details about raising kids and being attentive was also sweet. When Olivers frightened 4-year-old need to be close to his parental figure, Callum in this case, and his fears made it hard for him to speak to others, it just felt like I reading a tender moment. The conversations that Rupert and Callum had with Christian about how he felt and his sexuality were things I wish every queer kid had as they grew and found their identity. Rupert's lack of experience with kids due to his upbringing and detached experience with his own father played off a little bit like a British stereotype, but it worked to make his lack of knowledge far more believable. The fun part was that despite his lack of experience with kids, Rupert experience as a gay man can still play an important role for others being an advocate, rising above his own fears. I also appreciate the fact that Callum despite being in love with Rupert and being acknowledge by their friends to be in a relationship, is still reflexively unable to be public about his sexuality and feeling shame for his lack of inner strength. Callum might possess fame and fortune, but he isn't perfect, nor does his physical appearance as a dominant muscular male archetype correlate to his personality. Important little details like that helped give the narrative a sense of focus and touchstones for readers to relate. Although, the amazing serendipity of friends offering assistance and twists of fate were a little too "perfect" at various points, but I am used to it in this genre. It made me feel like I was watching a gay hallmark movie, probably an R-rated one due to the amount of sexual content, but still well below X-rated amount versus story content.

I compared this story to @Bill W Castaway Hotel, because when I think of Rupert and Callum’s relationship, along with the kids they saved, it just made me think of that Bill W’s story. Some of the extraneous details involving, Rupert’s wealth, gay friends, and other character backgrounds also made me think of Brew Maxwell’s Foley-Mashburn saga from Cryboy.org as well, outside of our site. Like I said, I have read a lot of stories in this genre. For me, those kinds of stories were things I read as a gay teen trying to find an adult voice on how to be a decent gay adult male someday, when the internet was mostly filled with hot erotic stories that gave me masturbatory fantasies, but no north star to guide me on what is right and wrong. Wholesome stories like this one are needed in the mainstream, because we all need this kind of comfort story. For that, I think Samantha Wayland is doing a service by her writing. I compared this story to @MrsgnomieBoss Nanny, because the premise actually mirrored Samantha Wayland's novel of an older brother taking care of a younger toddler brother, absent any parents, with a prospective romantic gay partner, along with some sports themes (Hockey instead of Football) in the background. As I've said, I've read similar stories and enjoyed all of them for years, I don't think I am in the minority on this sentiment.

My Rating: 4 out 5, it’s worth reading as something a bit more wholesome and less sexually charged; though there are some hot scenes. Sometimes, readers need a break from heavy plot-lines and interpersonal conflicts, if you need to escape to a safe world where issues get resolved through love and family, give this story a try.