REVIEW: 'La Famiglia' by Deanna Wadsworth
Title: La Famiglia
Series: Men of Gilead #2
Author: Deanna Wadsworth
Published: January 23, 2018
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Anne Cain
Genre: Contemporary Romance; Erotic Romance
Length: 324 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Coming Out; Animals: Dog; Humor; Deaf; Family Drama; Geek/Nerd; Lawyer; OFY; HFN; Standalone
NOTE: There are tags and content warning we chose not to disclose for sake of story arc.
About La Famiglia
Forrester Giordano comes from a huge, nosy Italian family, and with their homophobic jokes and slurs, he’s decided to stay in the closet. He finds respite in his bookstore in the quaint village of Gilead—where he has a huge crush on one of his customers, Kyle Benson.
Kyle is determined to live his dreams, and though life isn’t easy being deaf, one by one he’s making them come true. He’s scored a great job practicing law, bought a cute bungalow where he can finally have a big flower garden, and he has a dog he loves, Jasper. Now he just needs one thing to complete his happiness: a family of his own to make up for the one he never had.
Forrester and Kyle’s relationship starts off hot and heavy, and neither man can deny the depth of their connection. When Forrester’s little brother gets mixed up with their heroin-dealing cousin and his mother falls ill, Forrester has a decision to make—maybe the hardest of his life. For the first time, he’s found a man worth coming out for.
Unfortunately nothing ever goes according to plan with la famiglia.
5 HEART READ
REVIEW:
Deanna Wadsworth’s La Famiglia is the best feel good story I’ve read in months. It’s a beautiful peek into an every-day family’s life; although it be a brash, in your face, hot-headed Italian family. But that is its real charm, making it relatable and real!
If you haven’t read the previous book in her Men of Gilead series don’t worry you’ll follow this one just fine as they are written to be enjoyed as standalone’s with previous couples making cameo appearances for a quick update. But let me just say The Rhubarb Patch is a must read and you don’t want to miss Scott and Phin’s journey.
La Famiglia is just that, all about family as Forrester Giordano treads the waters of coming out to the Giordano clan. Since his return home after his father’s death Forrester has sunk everything into his dream of opening his bookstore cafe, A Novel Idea. Back home, and back in the closet, he’s secretly crushing on his favorite patron, Kyle Benson. He’s learned through observances of, and business interactions with, Kyle that he is deaf, smart, stylish, sexy, funny, loves sci-fi, is chivalrous – out of his league - and of course Forrester’s dream man.
Kyle has spent time connecting with Forrester over their love of books and knows their connection is more than chitchat. One rainy night finds both their yearnings unfolding and we get to watch as the rapport between customer and owner begins its flirtatious dance.
Like a good chick-flick you’re drawn into their blooming temptation.
As their attraction unfurls they learn they have so much more in common than books, except Kyle is out and proud – and Forrester is still in the closet. But it seems Kyle has a secret of his own and as he wars with himself you can feel it bears scars.
In La Famiglia you get a true sense of Forrester’s familial bonds, thick with Italian history and old school ways, and you feel his trepidation about coming out. While at the same time Wadsworth builds the tension of what happened to Kyle in his past that has him fearful to let go.
Through earned trust each learn to reveal hurts and fears. Kyle’s secret is as disheartening and disturbing as you can imagine. And Forrester, with Kyle’s love, finds the courage and strength he needs to be his true self. When his truth comes to light Kyles earlier words could not be more true,
“’Being gay is not who you have sex with. It’s who we are... No matter how hard you try, fate eventually outs you.’”
Barriers are broken while a true partnership is born.
These guys are just adorable, yes I said adorable, and at the same time they are bold as hell. In fact their first kiss gave me that moment of adorable awwwwww we all wish to experience. And if sex can have meaning (which we all know it can) I found each encounter to have such behind it. Add in Kyle’s extra heightened senses, and Wadsworth’s descriptions, these scenes could not display more brilliantly the connection and growth happening between these two men.
What I find I enjoy most about Deanna Wadsworth’s books is there is so much dialogue that molds who the characters are, their back stories, and she uses it with alternating points of view at just the right moments to push the story forward in an engaging fashion. One example of this is at first I didn’t understand how Kyle could be deaf with how he was engaging with Forrester but the way Wadsworth brings it up in conversation and has the details unfold is rather educational, including Kyle’s history with the hearing and deaf communities. And she manages to sprinkle reminders throughout to keep readers aware.
La Famiglia is a powerful story of growth injected with humor and a cast of characters who engage you and propel the action along while showing you that coming out can be an adjustment for many parties.
Even a tight knit, loving famiglia with a kick-ass Italian matriarch. Everyone’s coming out should be like this in the sense that we can open our hearts and embrace those we know and love...showing them, love is love!
A copy of La Famiglia was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Dreamspinner Press, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Be sure and check out Kimmers' 5 HEART read recommendation of book 1 in the Men of Gilead series, The Rhubarb Patch!
Meet the Author
Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions at her local RWA chapter and is the current President 2017 for Rainbow Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.
For more from Deanna be sure and visit her website!
