Review: Love Means... Endurance - Andrew Grey

Title: Love Means... Endurance
Series: Love Means... Series
Author: Andrew Grey
Genre: M/M Romance
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: January 16, 2015
Pages: 200

Reviewed by: Linda Tonis

Member of the Paranormal Romance Review Team

Geoff and his lover and partner, Eli, have been together almost fourteen years. We met Geoff and Eli in the very first book in the series. Now trouble is brewing for the two men. Geoff has noticed Eli has not been himself for a while. He is worried about him, but Eli insists he is just tired. Unfortunately, when Eli collapses in the barn, both men realize it is more than tiredness.

Hospital tests reveal a plum sized tumor on Eli’s lung. He will need surgery the next day. Since Geoff lost his father to cancer, he can only visualize the worst case scenario. Trying to be strong for himself, Eli and their nine year old son, Jakey, Geoff is losing the battle, he can’t hide his fright. His father’s death was difficult for both Geoff and his partner Len, and now Geoff, face the same thing.

Just as a refresher, Geoff was from Chicago where he lived the high life. When his father died, he found himself back at the farm, last thing he ever expected to be doing. Eli had been granted his year away from his Amish community. When he met Geoff, he knew he had a hard decision to make, but he chose Geoff. After choosing Geoff, Eli was as good as dead to his family and their community. Although Geoff never wanted to run the farm, meeting Eli made it the best thing that ever happened to him.

Eli has cancer. Although the doctors believe they cut out all of the tumor, he will still need radiation and chemotherapy. Both men try to stay brave for Jakey, but the treatments are leaving Eli weak and unable to do much. He can’t spend quality time with his son or his partner. While undergoing all his treatments, Eli can’t stop dreaming about his parents and his siblings. This is normal when you feel that you are facing death and have unfinished business. Now that Geoff and Eli are facing the possibility of Eli not making it, they realize you can’t take anything for granted, you have to live life as though there is no tomorrow because there may not be one.

Although Eli misses his family, he realizes that during trying times you really get to know who your friends are and who loves you. All the men they helped along the way are rallying behind Geoff and Eli and are doing everything possible to help. Eli is very well loved, and he now knows it.

As with all of Andrew Grey’s books he writes about ordinary people who have to face extraordinary situations at one time of another in their lives. I don’t care if you are gay or straight the problems that Mr. Grey writes about face us all. In this case it is cancer and how one deals with it.

I am a real sucker for Andrew Grey’s books. They always touch me in one way or another. I have faced cancer with a family member and can feel for Eli and Geoff as if they were men I knew. His books are always about love, I don’t mean sex, I mean love, devotion and caring. I always feel I learn something new about life every time I read one of his books.