Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Sometimes you have to lose everything to find the one thing that matters most.

The day begins like any other—canoodling with my live-in boyfriend, making weekend plans over breakfast, and arguing about the apartment renovation list. Then my best friend and business partner texts, begging me to ditch Thad so we can meet for a lunchtime quickie in our usual spot.

Small problem: I’m Thad. Oops.

By midday, I’ve lost one ratface boyfriend, my best mate, the company I built from scratch, and the courage to hire a hitman—although I’m not ruling that last one out just yet. The future I had neatly mapped out is now toast. In its place, a laundry list of awkward questions, rumours, and pitying looks.

And so, I do what I do best. I run—my crumbling life fading in the rearview mirror. No plan. No destination. Just a road. Through a forest. In a storm. To a dog. And a shed. And a towering man who smells of pine, rain, and, mercifully, bacon.

There’s dirt under my nails, something growing in my heart, and suddenly I’m breathing again. Breathing and smiling and lying, lying, lying. To the man I’m falling for. To the people I care about. To myself, most of all.

But for every lie, there’s a reckoning. And when the truth catches up, and the heart is truly at stake, there’s no running anymore.

 

Book Review

“People can change, learn, and grow, and it's better to face your demons instead of perpetually running away from them.” ~ Jessica Rothe

Thaddeus Grey (Thad), the main character in ‘The Greening of Thaddeus Grey’ by Jay Hogan, seems to have everything: a thriving business, a loving partner, and a reliable best friend who is also his business partner. He thinks his future is secure, but that all changes when he accidentally finds out that his partner and best friend are having an affair. Unable to face either of them, he leaves.

 

A violent storm rages as Thad drives on. He soon realizes how badly he has misjudged the situation when his car slides down an embankment. Though not seriously injured, he has no idea where he is or how to get help. He wanders through the pouring rain until he spots a cabin with a nearby shed. The shed is far from ideal, but it is warmer and drier than being outside.

 

Ryder Nelson comes out of his cabin and calls his dog Ziggy in for breakfast. When he doesn’t come right away, Ryder is concerned. Ziggy never misses a meal, so something must be wrong; he searches and finds him in the shed, but he also discovers a trespasser. Ryder is furious to find a stranger on his property. Because his land is remote, he has to be extra cautious about trespassers. However, after seeing Thad’s condition – wet, bleeding, and cold – he decides that Thad is not a danger.

 

After Thad explains his emotional crisis, Ryder brings him into the cottage and gives him dry clothes, a shower, and breakfast. Thad promises that he will leave as soon as he can.  

 

Even in the short time Thad has been there, Ryder begins to feel his walls crumble; his resolve never to let anyone in his heart again doesn’t seem as important as it was before.  The closer he gets to Thad, the more he realizes that, just maybe, Thad is someone he might be able to trust.

 

Thad has a lot of practical and emotional issues to deal with—his company and how to split with his boyfriend, to name a few. Although Thad loves the company he built from the ground up, he won’t tolerate working with Philip any longer. Thad decides to either buy him out or be bought out. Still, there’s a long way to go before this happens.

 

As Ryder teaches Thad to appreciate a simpler way of life, including gardening and landscaping, Thad uses his expertise to help Ryder with a legal problem involving possible eviction so that a huge corporation can build on his land.

 

Sorting out feelings, thoughts, trust, and compatibility will not be simple, but if they can manage it, they could have a bright future together.

 

I loved Ryder and Thad. Opposites do attract, and in their case, they attract spectacularly. Thanks, Jay, for giving them their happily ever after.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel, 343 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-May-2026
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHT5JJSS