Family Unit

I thoroughly enjoyed this story by Maxfield ~ two olders MCs (45 & 49 yo) finding love and battling to hold on to MC1's grandson. There was a real journey for both MCs; one to overcome a fear of war/conflict and one to realise his need for a family. So sweet and uplifting.

Narrated by JP Handler: 3 stars. A new narrator for me. It was solid narration but there is little character differentiation.

Reread: 27 June 2020
Really enjoyed this reread - there was a bit of silly indecision on one MC's part which I thought was an over-reaction, but I guess its all points of view :) I loved how committed MC Logan was to both MC Richard and Nick, and what a good and gentle he was. Just so sweet for a 'crazy soldier guy'.

I really like Z A Maxfield but this is my least favorite book of hers so far (though I've loved the others so the bar is high!) One thing I really appreciate is how different all her books are, and how varied the dynamics between the lovers are. This is definitely not one author who is rewriting the same book endlessly. So huge points there.
But this book feels uneven, and while it's going on and on about how old the men are, actually they feel incredibly young and active, and certainly their bodies aren't showing any signs of age, each is extraordinarily fit and active. I liked Logan and felt the poignancy of him being able to express his feelings publically after years of don't ask, don't tell. And Iliked Richard's commitment to his show more grandson Nick. But the book didn't come alive for me like other Maxfield books have. That being said, it's still a keeper and a reread, it's just an A-, rather than an A+ show less

There is a subgenre of romance that not often is chosen by authors, the Silver Romance. Usually the characters are forty years old and plus and usually at the second chance at love. Both these characteristic are respected in Family Unit.

45 years old Richard is an not ordinary grandfather. When he was still a confused teenager he fathered a child who he has never had the chance to raise. At the time he thought it was better for the boy, above all when he decided to be true to himself and living as an out artist in an open gay relationship. But when his son died in a motorbike accident and Richard was the only relative able to raise his then 3 years old grandson, Nick, that time Richard had no doubt that it was the time to step in and do show more his due, even if it meant loosing his not-fatherly-type partner.

Six years later, Richard is the perfect June Cleaver type of parent, working at home to be always near Nick and practically not having any personal relationship other than with him. Richard is gay and no one question it, but there is nothing to question since no man has ever entered their life. This is the situation in which enters Logan, retired Marine colonel recently moved in the neighbourhood. Logan inherited his died lover’s home in the West Coast and to respect his lover’s love for it he decided to move from the East Coast.

Where Richard is all West Coast artistry type, rainbow flag and peace wave, Logan is all East Coast’s integrity, with a planned life that resembles very much a military mission. They are at the opposite, the only thing that links them being both gays and over 40.

What I like most of the book is the mix of stereotype characters with original development. Richard is the stereotype artist, peace and love and all, but he is not the perfect parent: he is totally unable to cook an entire meal, he continually makes mistakes like leaving his naked pictures sketches around the house when there is an underage kid living with him, but basically he is trying to do the right thing, and so he wins for the commitment rather than for the perfect result.

Maybe Logan is more inside the boundaries of the military man stereotype, but there is the nice oddity of him being an out gay man. Logan is not the tortured gay military man who has only bad memories of his period as a closeted Marine; he willingly and consciously chose to be a Marine, and to follow the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. He didn’t question it, he wanted to be a Marine, and he had to do it. His previous partner was a Marine, one that retired before him, and when they were apart, they lived their life like any other ordinary “military” couple, made of long-distance relationship and letters and phone calls.

This is a very well planned balanced novel: it’s romantic enough without being too sugary, it’s funny enough without being too light, it’s angst enough without being too dramatic. And above all, it’s sexy enough without being unrealistic: these characters are more than 40 years old, and it means that they can be handsome, but the hair are going white, the flesh is not more so tight, and the skin is showing the first signs of age. This doesn’t mean that they can’t be sexy and enjoy it, each chance they have.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0035ROW7C/?tag=elimyrevandra-20 show less

Within a few pages, it's obvious where the story is going and how it'll get there. The writing is good, characterization is good, and the story is amusing, but there's nothing new or particularly exciting here.