Series: Paw Prints
Volume: 1/?Publisher: Small Black Cat Media
Genre/s: Contemporary Gay Romance
Pages: 177
Read in: English
Review copy format: epub
Rate:✮✮✮✮✮✮
Not so long after the stormy breakup with his unfaithful boyfriend, Noah Jenkins decides to start a new life. That's why he buys a full of energy and curiosity Labrador puppy and moves to the farm he inherited from his grandfather. Although he doesn't have the slightest idea how to deal with all the new responsibilities he accepted, he has enough determination and enthusiasm to try to settle down in the new place and take care of the farm. Daisy's – his puppy's – little accident puts Hunter Ross, a local single and extremely attractive vet, in Noah's path. Although Noah interest in Hunter is quickly reciprocated, it turns out that a 39-year-old veterinarian not only doesn't openly admits his sexual orientation but also is not willing to do it for fear of the townsfolk's reaction. For Noah it's something inconceivable but for Hunter this secret is already an integral part of him and it's a guarantee of security. The question is, for how long will they be able to hide their deepening with every moment feelings and whether this lack of honesty will not affect their relationship.
I'll be honest. When I decided to read "Daisy, Yellow" I didn't know what to expect, as it was my first contact with Angelique Jurd's works. I wasn't even sure if it was a novel for me. However, I decided to take a chance and see for myself. Now I know that it was a very good decision, because I fell in love with this book from the very beginning and with every chapter my feelings were stronger and stronger. "Daisy, Yellow" is a perfect combination of a love idyll with a brutal reality. Our adventure with this story gently begins from the accidental meeting of the two main characters and their shy, innocent attempts to get to know each other better and to check their chances. Then begins a truly sweet love story that warms the reader's heart. And just then, at the moment when we start to think that it's probably a bit too fluffy, some dark clouds gather over our lead characters. The author reminds us that her novel, although creating the impression of a fairy tale, is set in our reality where every moment of happiness has to be purchased by an equal moment of drama. At some point, the plot takes on such a pace that when we reach the epilogue, we simply can't believe that this is the end of this volume. I literally stared at the last chapter with my mouth open and didn't want to accept the fact that I finished reading and the next volume is not written yet. In truth, it still can't believe it.
It should be noted that in her novel about sweet love and bitter reality, Angelique Jurd raises the extremely important subjects of tolerance and its lack, homophobia and small-town small-minded people. This is all the more important because it sketches a picture of the world as it is in most cases. In the end every day we hear about some smaller and bigger victories of the LGBT + community but let's face it, our world is still far from complete acceptance of people with non-heterosexual orientation. The author combined these two faces of reality using her characters – Noah who bloomed in the sun of sincerity and openness and Hunter who was hiding in the shadow of secrets. At the same time, the contrast between the mentality of people in a large city and those in a small town is outlined, which we can successfully apply to individuals, social, cultural, religious groups or entire countries. What's more, we clearly see how much a person can gain through acceptance and how much they can lose because of a lack of it, as at stake in this "game" often is the right to life. And that's exactly what is really well shown in "Daisy, Yellow".
I have an impression that recently we are being flooded by books in which the characters came out of the closet and openly admit their sexual orientation. Therefore, it seems more important to me that in "Daisy, Yellow" we have a character for whom, despite his age, all of this is a part of some distant future. On his example we see how difficult it is to leave the comfort zone and face the world that can accept us as we are or reject us without making the slightest attempt to accept who we are. Coming out is like leaving a safe nest, jumping into the abyss with hope that we will be able to spread our wings and fly. On the other hand, there is a fear of falling, hitting the ground if we fail to rise into the air. That's why Hunter is so important to us and deserves our special attention. What's more, in the thought of saying that "what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over", the author also drew our attention to the problem of loneliness associated with hiding who we are, which existence we don't even realize. With all this in mind, I would say that Angelique Jurd offered us insight into the psyche of not only one of her characters but also of many real people being in a situation similar to Hunter's.
Since I partly started the topic of the characters, I will stick to it for a little bit longer as they are another great advantage of the novel and I admit that I'm really delighted with them. Reading "Daisy, Yellow" I fell in love with them in the blink of an eye. Angelique Jurd has created not only a lovely pup but also two great men who have a lot in common but at the same time they are so different that if not for a series of quite fortunate coincidences, their paths could never cross and they could lose their chance for love. Naturally, it would be a huge loss for both them and the reader, because although Noah and Hunter separately are truly wonderful and monopolize our hearts, together they create a pair so perfect as if they've been waiting for each other all of their lives, that, by the way, is totally true. From the very beginning, their relationship raises in the reader a lot of very warm feelings that are addictive. Because of that, we not only can't stop reading but above all we don't want to stop. Reaching the last page, we realize that we feel so close to the characters that we don't want to part with them, and as we have to wait for the next volume, we want to start reading this novel again right away.
To sum up, "Daisy, Yellow" is an intelligent story full of warmth and truth about life that you want to come back to many times. It shows the danger of coming out of the closet as well as the advantages and joys of freedom to love who we want to, of being honest with others and with ourselves. In this book we can also find fantastic characters, some delightful animals and a whole lot of feelings with which the novel is filled to the brim. However, I must warn you, "Daisy, Yellow" is seriously addictive.
Headcanon: On a daily basis, Hunter dresses very fast, but when he has to go out with Noah, it takes him forever because he tries on almost everything he has in the wardrobe.
Fanfiction idea: Noah collects all of Hunter's first times - the first real date, the first time in the gay bar, the first erotic game with dressing up and roles to play, etc.
AU idea: The Little Mermaid!AU, where Hunter is Ariel, Noah is Prince Eric and Campbell is Ursula.
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