Romance on Aisle Sixteen—opposites attract amid the hammers and screws of the home improvement store.Gabe Mason became a father at seventeen, and his daughter, Ellie, is the most important thing in his life. But being the parent the courts demand means Gabe has given up most of his dreams—education, making furniture, a gay social life—to be a model dad with a steady, reliable job in a home … home improvement store. Life’s predictable until Jerry, a shy, eccentric guy in a hat and sunglasses, begs Gabe to oversee the renovation of his run-down mansion.
Gabe loves the house and the work, and Jerry’s pretty lovable too, but when Gabe discovers Jerry’s secret identity, he fears their passion could overturn both their lives forever.
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Finding your heart and choosing your future theme is beautifully done in this story. Carving our a bit of life for you when the world is demanding so much of your time can be daunting. These MC’s both have immense demands on their time and their commitments are important. I really enjoyed the low angst and beautifully crafted plot that moves the reader on a journey that will touch your heart.
Gabe and Jerry are wonderful characters that i found touchable and was rooting for them to find their way to love. The book is well written and it flows nicely. I love the way the author took a very simple phase of ‘customer on isle sixteen’ and has created an image in my mind that will last for years.
I was gifted this book from the author and i freely give my review.
Tara Lain has done it again! This was a sweet, charming, engaging, grab-you-by-the-feels, slow burning, delightfully different, and beautiful friends-to-lovers story. I absolutely loved Gabe, Jerry, and Ellie, and was hooked from beginning to end.
4.25 stars
“Home Improvement” by Tara Lain features single father Gabe Mason, who is content to devote his life to providing for his soon-to-be seventeen-year-old daughter. His life gets complicated when an unusual customer at the home improvement store hires him for a home renovation that is going to be life-changing for both of them.
This lovely adult contemporary gay romance reminds me of why I adore this author’s stories so much—I’m always smiling by the end, and the angst is relatively low-key even as it enriches the story. I am always glad to “meet” her characters because they are folks I would like to get to know in real life because they seem like such genuine people. I enjoyed the maturity of Gabe’s daughter and wallowed in the warmth of their father-daughter relationship even as I chuckled when she went into fangirl mode and reverted to being a squealing teen. The evolution of the relationship between Gabe and his mystery guy was fun to watch and had a great balance of heat and romance. As usual, the overall theme of “be true to yourself” is artfully presented with plenty of “aw” moments. I did think some folks got off a little too lightly (*cough* Tiffany) but I guess it shows what a generous heart Gabe has.
Adding to the fun is the wonderful house that has a character of its own, and I can’t help but wonder what actually did or will happen to the real property. I can only hope that it was given a similar new lease on life.
For a new perspective on the “glamorous” life of a music icon and an entertaining story about making a house a home and finding love along the way, be sure to enjoy this fun story.
A copy of this title was provided to me for review
Home Improvement A Love Story by Tara Lain was given to me in exchange for an honest review. Working at a home improvement store has its share of weird people and Gabe has had a few but never one like Jerry. Jerry, shy and very private, just bought a house in need of some major renovations and finding Gabe was a lucky trip to the store. I absolutely adored this story, I loved the house with all the renovations which were so well described I could really see the work done. I would love to love in this house. I also enjoyed the Love story intertwined with the house’s journey to becoming a home by building a family they both have wanted along the way.
Here it goes….this story is really cute. Yes, I said cute. Gabe is a single dad doing his best to raise his daughter. He has given up some of his dreams to give her a stable life. His ex-wife is a constant source of tension in their lives. Gabe doesn’t date because he is aware that his ex is likely to use his dating as a cause to change the custody arrangements. And then Gabe meets Jerry and his world is turned upside down. Jerry is an incredibly awkward dude. He stops in at the home improvement store to buy knobs for his kitchen and instead he ends up hiring Gabe to renovate his entire house. Jerry comes off as a bit of a naive loner. In the end, Gabe and Jerry are a perfect fit because neither man is what they appear.
I really liked how the men got to know each other from all of the different aspects of their lives. The men are both multifaceted characters. I really like that both more than just one thing. I don’t want to give it away but there is a nifty twist (it was a little obvious once the story got going).
I recommend this story to anyone that likes m/m contemporary romance. This is a sweet love story. It’s also a very fast read.
Quotes:
Gabe swallowed hard. While Jerry’s hand felt ridiculously good, he’d never help the hand of a man in his life, even his own father. loc 958
“The best. Amazing really. I don’t know how many kids could be born to a seventeen-year-old father and a totally mismatched set of parents and wind up so bright and well-adjusted. Jesus, she keeps me together.” loc 1017 (less)
Being your true self (an audio review)
Gabe has a decent life. He’s raising his sixteen-year-old daughter whom he had when he was only seventeen. He’s done everything in his power to protect Ellie and, in return, she’s appreciative of that. Her mother was a bit of a disaster and Ellie knows she’s lucky her father loves her so much. But raising Ellie means Gabe has to hide who he really is. Wouldn’t be good to come out, to be sure. So he stays in the closet and suppresses the homosexual urges that might lead him into a temptation he might not be strong enough to overcome. He even holds down a boring job at the local hardware store because he understands how important a steady position is. Everything is for Ellie, and he has no regrets.
Then, on one ordinary day, Gabe finds a lost soul in aisle 16. The bi-coloured eyed man triggers something within Gabe and when the chance to spend more time with the intriguing stranger presents itself, Gabe lets down his guard.
Jerry just wants to be an ordinary guy. He’s bought a run-down house in a rural part of a town that is pretty much in the middle of nowhere Oregon. He plans on fixing the place up and it being his refuge. His sanctuary. The problem? He knows nothing about renovations. He has a couple of chairs and a mattress and no clue where to begin. Then he meets a guy in the hardware store and something clicks within him. He offers the man money to fix up the house and trusts it’ll get done. Although Jerry’s not had a lot of luck with people, he sees Gabe and knows everything will be okay.
Gabe needs the money as his side business of woodworking isn’t bringing in much revenue. He worries about spending Jerry’s money, not realizing just how rich Jerry really is. See, Jerry has a secret. A secret that devastates Gabe when it’s revealed. Gabe feels betrayed. Because as much as Jerry just wants to be an average guy, he isn’t one. He never can be one.
The question was whether the men could overcome all the hurtles to find love or would the cold realities they faced drive them apart?
I love Tara Lain books and this was definitely a good one. I wanted the men to make it despite the odds stacked against them. The point of view was a little uneven as the first several chapters are in Gabe’s point of view, but eventually I got inside Jerry’s head – although never as much as I wanted to. I adored Ellie and her practical sensibilities. And her ability to call out her dad’s BS. This was a good book.
Kirt Graves narrated the book and I have to say I enjoyed his performance. He’s always consistent and does a good job. So, yeah, a nice little listen I appreciated.
I loved it! The story is cute and engaging, the plot really well thought out and the connection developed in a natural way. The premise of the story had me riveted from the start!
I also listened to the audio version and loved it! The performance was really good.
I was given a free audio version from the author and the GRR arc team for review.
I absolutely loved this. I was drawn in from the start and listened to it from start to finish in one listen. The story stayed interesting from start to finish and all the characters were wonderful. Very well written. I definitely recommend this.
I listened to the Audio version. They did a great job. The narrator had a pleasant voice and good pace. They used different voices for the different characters and each was well done. Even the young girl. You could hear the emotions in their tone. Great performance.
5 stars for both story and narrator
Yet another winner from Tara Lain whose books have me begging for more. In ‘Home Improvement’, we meet Gabe Mason, a single dad that father a child at seventeen, and his daughter Ellie who is the most awesome teenage daughter in adult fiction! The writer pulls us on board with the characters right at the start when we encounter Gabe on his job at a home improvement superstore meeting an awkward and shy Jerry Castor. Jerry turns out the be the owner of a beautiful mansion with loads of potential but needing massive amounts of work. He trusts Gabe with the renovation of the home that will be his very special sanctuary. But Jerry has a secret identity that comes to the attention of both Gabe and Ellie, then the entire entertainment community. He is left with some tough decisions to make in order to preserve his life, sanity, and love. Tara Lain is an especially wonderful writer in that she moves the story along beautifully in a way that does not leave the reader frustrated and annoyed. The resolutions are always plausible and satisfactory. I am delighted that she gave us a teenage book character that is truly beautiful on the inside, making all of her father’s past sacrifices for her so completely warranted. This book is sheer awesomeness. AWESOME, I tell you! Whoo-hoo!
Kirt Graves,
The voices he gave Jerry and Gabe were perfect for them, and easy to tell apart. I always enjoy listening to books he’s narrated.
When he stepped in for a coworker, to help a strange customer, Gabe had no way of knowing that his life was about to change.
This is a story of two mismatched men, who deserve to find love, but haven’t allowed themselves the opportunity. For Gabe, his daughter has always came first, and he’s not about to change that. This book is about unexpected possibilities, with very little angst, and a lot of happy moments you will find yourself grinning over.
The characters are very likable. I can sympathize with Jerry and his social discomfort, even before his true identity is revealed. Gabe really is a very good guy, and I was really rooting for his much deserved happiness. Their chemistry was electric, their conversations flowed easily, and their connection felt genuine. Tara Lain did a great job writing the story and developing the characters. I really enjoyed it.
Once I started this book, I could not put it down. For the most part, I don’t go for rock stars or band romance’s but I recently read another Tara Lain book and really enjoyed her writing style so I picked this one up and absolutely loved it. Jerry/Jet being a rock star really came secondary to the story of Jerry, a shy and awkward guy falling in love with Gabe, a home improvement employee who is raising his brilliantly, kind-hearted daughter, Ellie. There were some bumps along the road, but Gabe and Jerry got their happily ever after in the end.