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A review by bookandcoffeeaddict
The Growing Season by Diana Copland
5.0
Secrets of Neverwood is a three book trilogy with each book following one of three foster brothers: Calvin, Danny, and Devon. The brothers, who vaguely remember and feel no brotherly love towards each other, come back to their old home when their foster mother Audrey dies, leaving her run-down family home, once a grand Victorian estate, to the three. The men run afoul of a deceptive developer who will do anything to get his hands on Neverwood and must learn to work together, trusting and opening up to each as brothers, to keep the house and carry on Audrey’s legacy of taking in gay or questioning youth who have nowhere else to go. Under the overarching storyline of keeping and bringing Neverwood back to its former glory, each book deals with the men discovering Audrey is still with them in spirit, coming to terms with personal demons, and finding love.
At twenty-one, Danny is the youngest of the returning brothers and The Growing Season is his story. Unlike Calvin or Devon, Danny Redmond didn’t age out of the home, he ran away at seventeen. Life wasn’t easy for him out there and he brings the ghosts of his horrific experiences back with him when he returns home. He has no money to contribute to the restoration of Neverwood, but he does have experience as a landscaper and the memories of helping Audrey in the gardens. Danny bristles at having his toes stepped on when Sam Ignatius, a landscape architect from Seattle, is brought in to help with the grounds. Eventually Sam and Danny come to an understanding – and then more as they get to know each other, but Danny’s past is still affecting his present and Sam is dealing with a terminally ill mother and a father who’s never been happy with his son’s sexual orientation.
The Growing Season was my favorite book in The Secrets Of Neverwood series. The angst was higher and the emotion more heartbreaking than the other stories. I teared up at parts and really felt for poor Danny and the things he’s been through. I don’t want to give anything away, but I feel the need to give a trigger warning for assault of a minor (and it’s pretty graphic too). After what he’s been through no one can fault him for having adverse reactions to intimate situations, and Sam’s gentle and patient nature was much appreciated, as was Danny being strong for Sam when he needed someone to lean on. Audrey helps Danny on his path to recover as well, speaking to him as a voice in his head that only he can hear (which, no wonder, makes him feel like he’s going crazy sometimes).
This was overall a more intense book than book one (One Door Close – Calvin’s story) with more straight forward prose and more graphic intimate scenes. It breaks your heart in parts, but it puts it back together again with the love and understanding Danny and Sam share. It might not be for everyone, but I definitely enjoyed this book very much.
I absolutely recommend this book. This is the first time I’ve read Diana Copland, but any author that can make me feel so much emotion is definitely one I’ll look for and read again.
*I received an ARC of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.
At twenty-one, Danny is the youngest of the returning brothers and The Growing Season is his story. Unlike Calvin or Devon, Danny Redmond didn’t age out of the home, he ran away at seventeen. Life wasn’t easy for him out there and he brings the ghosts of his horrific experiences back with him when he returns home. He has no money to contribute to the restoration of Neverwood, but he does have experience as a landscaper and the memories of helping Audrey in the gardens. Danny bristles at having his toes stepped on when Sam Ignatius, a landscape architect from Seattle, is brought in to help with the grounds. Eventually Sam and Danny come to an understanding – and then more as they get to know each other, but Danny’s past is still affecting his present and Sam is dealing with a terminally ill mother and a father who’s never been happy with his son’s sexual orientation.
The Growing Season was my favorite book in The Secrets Of Neverwood series. The angst was higher and the emotion more heartbreaking than the other stories. I teared up at parts and really felt for poor Danny and the things he’s been through. I don’t want to give anything away, but I feel the need to give a trigger warning for assault of a minor (and it’s pretty graphic too). After what he’s been through no one can fault him for having adverse reactions to intimate situations, and Sam’s gentle and patient nature was much appreciated, as was Danny being strong for Sam when he needed someone to lean on. Audrey helps Danny on his path to recover as well, speaking to him as a voice in his head that only he can hear (which, no wonder, makes him feel like he’s going crazy sometimes).
This was overall a more intense book than book one (One Door Close – Calvin’s story) with more straight forward prose and more graphic intimate scenes. It breaks your heart in parts, but it puts it back together again with the love and understanding Danny and Sam share. It might not be for everyone, but I definitely enjoyed this book very much.
I absolutely recommend this book. This is the first time I’ve read Diana Copland, but any author that can make me feel so much emotion is definitely one I’ll look for and read again.
*I received an ARC of this book to review. You can find this review and others like it at BookAndCoffeeAddict.com, along with recommendations for a fantastic cup of coffee.