Book Reviews

Book Blurb

James Callahan is the only son of Nicholas Callahan, owner of the Willow Hollow mine in West Virginia—but he’s never considered himself any better than the miners. He’s best friends with Owain Rees, one of the miners’ kids, and he’s been attracted to Cai, Owain’s older brother, for years. James gets the feeling he might not be the only one sensing the tension between them, but Cai avoids him religiously.

 

Cai has been working the mine since he was sixteen. He acknowledges James is cute, but he’s grown up privileged while Cai’s family has always been working class, and Cai fears that chasm is too wide to cross. When family drama pushes them together, will Cai and James see they’re more alike than they realized?

 

Take a leap of faith as two men from different worlds, employer and employee, rich and poor, discover that love transcends social barriers.

 

 

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Book Review

While the “coal miner’s son” appears in the title of this family drama set in West Virginia, the “boss’s son” plays a significant role as well. In fact, it’s the social differences between the two that stand in the way of a possible relationship and it was fascinating to watch how both men deal, or not deal, with the problems arising from such a different background. As usual in these ‘States of Love’ novellas, the setting is almost as important as the story, and I loved all the details about the people, their attitudes, and some of the sights in “The Mountain State”.

James is “the boss’s son” and he hates that title. He has always loved spending time with the people of Willow Hollow, one of his father’s biggest mines, and he never wanted to feel any different. Owain, one of the miners’ kids, was his best friend growing up, and they have remained close now that James is more involved in managing the mine. James wants to help, whether it’s by making the mine more secure or by supporting the miners and their families financially. But his biggest wish, getting closer to Owain’s older brother, Cai, has been thwarted for years – Cai avoids James like the plague.

Cai is the one with the biggest issues around his attraction to James. He “admits” that James is cute, but he can’t see how their different backgrounds will ever let them become equal partners. Cai has been working in the mine since he was sixteen, and while his family is not dirt-poor, they do have to watch the pennies. James has grown up with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, is educated, and is Cai’s employer. It’s interesting to see that, once Cai starts actually talking to James, he discovers that they both have very similar values. Not to mention that the physical attraction begins to pretty much sizzle between them once Cai opens up to the possibilities.

James and Cai might have continued living alongside each other for years if not for some unexpected problems around one of Cai and Owain’s sisters. It means Cai is upset enough to let James into his personal space, and they soon discover the differences between them are more superficial than real. It doesn’t make figuring out how to relate any easier – after all they are still employee and employer. But with quickly evolving feelings in the air, the incentive to find a way is definitely there.

If you like characters who come from opposite ends of the social spectrum and have to figure out how to make a relationship work, if you enjoy stories with a distinctive, interesting setting, and if you’re looking for a read that has longing, drama, and an understated romance all in one, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 107 pages/38806 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	04-January-2017
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-coal-miners-son-by-ta-chase-7989-b