McFarland's Farm

Hope, Book 1

By: Cardeno C.

Narrated by: Paul Morey

Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

Wealthy, attractive Lucas Reika treats life like a party, moving from bar to bar and man to man. Thumbing his nose at his restaurateur father's demand that he earn his keep, Lucas instead seduces a valued employee in the kitchen of their flagship restaurant, earning himself an ultimatum: lose access to his father's money or stay in the middle of nowhere with a man he has secretly lusted over from afar. Quiet, hard-working Jared McFarland loves his farm on the outskirts of Hope, Arizona, but he aches to have someone to come home to at the end of the day. Jared agrees to take in his longtime crush as a favor. But when Lucas invades his heart in addition to his space, Jared has to decide how much of himself he's willing to risk and figure out if he can offer Lucas enough to keep him after his father's punishment is over.

©2014 Cardeno C. (P)2014 Cardeno C.

Rich boy from the city and his big,solid Farmer

The story has been done before, but I always enjoy Cardeno C. writing. Its a cute novella about a pretty, rich, 'bad' boy who did a little too much bad, and of course gets the 'no money until you shape up', and gets sent off to his sister's ex hubby's farm... and we all know what happens. HEA. Of course. It's a fun listen. And less than $5... Plus I have always enjoyed Paul Morley, so it's worth it... enjoy.

Too Short...

As always, I enjoyed this latest offering by Cardeno C but it was entirely too short. I see that it is Book 1, so there is hope for the future. There was just so much more that could have been covered in my opinion. This is the first book of CC's in which I feel incomplete. Not the author's problem, just my feelings. This is a quaint little story about Jarod and Lucas, finding love in Hope. Though too short, certainly a must read/listen. Additionally, as usual, Paul Morey did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life.

Short, Sexy and Steamy!

What made the experience of listening to McFarland's Farm the most enjoyable?

The relationship that developed between Jared and Lucas, and Paul Morey's fantastic narration.

What did you like best about this story?

Again, the relationship between Jared and Lucas. So many things could have gone horribly wrong, but CC managed to blend everything together well.

Which character – as performed by Paul Morey – was your favorite?

Jared. The lonely farmer that just wants to be loved, to have someone to come home to.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not extreme, no, but it was well worth the short time to listen to it. An oddly romantic little love story.

Any additional comments?

Jared McFarland lives a lonely life, secluded at his farm just outside of Hope Arizona, only venturing to town for groceries and an occasional meal at the local diner. While Jared longs for a companion, someone to share his life and heart with, he is content in the life he leads. When his ex-wife calls in a favor, asking Jared to take in her ungrateful little brother, Jared is wary but he can’t say no. After all, he has lusted after young Lucas from afar for years, at least now he will be able to lust after him up close and personal. You guessed it, very bad idea!

Lucas Reika lives his life no holds barred on his Father’s dime. After being caught in one of father’s restaurants in a compromising position with the head chef, Lucas is cut off from his bank account and credit cards and exhiled to Hope Arizona with his sister’s ex husband, the man he has longed to love since he knew the meaning of the word. He does a fantastic job of masking the attraction behind a bad attitude and characteristics of a spoiled rotten brat. But living in close quarters with a man you want so bad he makes you quiver, and to learn the attraction is mutual, well that proves to be more powerful than Jared or Lucas and their combined efforts to not act on their attraction.

Neither of them planned on falling in love, and it’s a shock to the system when they put a word with their feelings. The question is, can a young man of money and privilege truly be happy on a farm with a distinctly different older man?

I am a huge fan of Cardeno C’s books and this latest story did not disappoint! Just the right balance of angst, romance and a love story that took a little effort on the part of both characters to succeed in the end. There is an age gap between Jared and Lucas, and the twist of Lucas being Jared’s ex brother in law, either of these things could have gone way wrong in the story, but CC managed to pull off all the details and descriptives flawlessly. And you will not find a better narrator than Paul Morey, he is the master of subtle nuances and tone inflections when re-telling a story.

Short, Sexy and Steamy was the finished product with the marriage of CC’s writing and Morey’s story telling. I highly recommend this read for those that love a passionate love story. Can’t wait for the next book in this new series!

Sweet short story

Would you listen to McFarland's Farm again? Why?

Yes, I love Paul Morey.

What was one of the most memorable moments of McFarland's Farm?

The scene where Jared picks Lucus up at the bus station and the dinner scene

Have you listened to any of Paul Morey’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Cardeno C is one of my favorites, She can tell a wonderful love story with so much humor tied into it. She does a good job by multiple POVs

Who was the most memorable character of McFarland's Farm and why?

nothing

Any additional comments?

Love Paul Morey, Love Cardeno C, it was just too short and now I have to wait for more...

McFarlands Farm

This book (Audio) was ok. I have to say the story didn’t really hold my attention as much as I thought it would, though I did like the Narraor. A few times I had to rewind a few minutes back and re-listen cause my mind started to roam. This is the first time listening to a book narrated by Paul Morey and he did a good job. I enjoyed his voices for Lucas and Jared and he out in a decent amount of enthusiasm into them. Lucas is a spoiled rich boy who gets cut off from his dads money and is forced to actually work - at Jared’s farm. I would have liked to see a little more Story to this Story. Like, they go from being distant and not talking to each other and then Bam. They’re in bed. And then next thing you know the book is done. My main complaint; Just Wish it was a little longer.

Sweet romances are Cardeno C's specialty.

Narration – I’ve listened to many books narrated by Paul Morey and find him to be a good narrator. He creates different vocal tones and accents for most of the characters. I can’t say that I know an Arizona accent, but I thought his drawl for Jared might have been a little too strong. Still it was well narrated without mistakes and a good amount of variety.

The story – For Lucas and Jared this story is a case of Beauty and the Beast with a twist. Lucas is a large man, physically scarred by an accident that happened in his teenage years. Jared is a beautiful, trim man, flawless in his looks. But Jared is also a man who didn’t receive a lot of attention during his formative years, his father much too busy with his business to actually raise him. It made him bristly, attention seeking, and somewhat selfish with money as his closest companion. Jared whose father was never in the picture and mother died in the same accident that disfigured him, was taken in by the town of hope and given work, a place to stay, and food. Though his situation growing up was dire, he was a beautiful man inside, due to his realization of human goodness. Both Lucas and Jared are attracted to each other, but have no expectation of acting on those feelings. until a moment where they see the physical evidence of each other’s desire.

For me this was a sweet romance, which is a specialty of Cardeno C. Outside of Jared’s need to find his own self worth, there is not a lot of angst. There were no questions left unanswered and as the attraction grew to love for the two men, Jared managed to make up with his father who sent him to Jared as punishment. His attitude after was improved and became even better when the two men gave in to their feelings. Another plus in the story was the character of Susan. As Jared’s sister and Lucas’s ex-wife, she is the tie between them and the reason for Jared’s banishment to Lucas’s farm. Even though things didn’t work out between her and Lucas, you could see the strong friendship between them that had to be the basis for their marriage in the first place. There was no bitterness from discovering Lucas was gay and that their relationship was not one that could last. She saw the best in both Lucas and Jared and ultimately played matchmaker for them along with her father.

It was a great story with a decent narration that I definitely recommend to any Cardeno C. fan, and any fan of m/m romance.

Bad Boy Turns It Around

Fully, absolutely expected to hate Lucas after the first few pages of this book. What a self-absorbed, selfish, rude jerk! Whether we blame his way too busy with his career single dad or we blame Lucas, just wow, he’s obnoxious. When Lucas is shipped off to the farm by his father, who is cutting Lucas off from the millions of their family, he is bound and determined to take it out on anyone and everyone he sees. The ever-present phone (which gives our first clue that maybe Lucas is salvageable) , the sunglasses worn inside and the bag he refuses to carry all point to a spoiled LA party boy. The reason he was sent to the farm in the first place shows how confused he is, (the where and when, not the why are what’s important!)


By comparison, the quiet, helpful, lonely Jared just seems like he’s going to be steamrolled by the rudeness. Jared’s best friend, Susan, is his ex-wife and reading his conversation with her, it just seems like he’s not going to be able to stand up for himself with Lucas.

And then, lo and behold, we see it. Jared has a backbone (which he uses with respect) and he isn’t going to be railroaded or treated poorly. He may be shy and not a partier, but he is definitely someone to be taken seriously and he will not tolerate Lucas being rude to the people of his town. When he sets out the way it will be and why, I cheered for him.

As Lucas and Jared get to know each other, histories and personalities come forth. “There was something undeniably intimate about sitting in a quiet room and talking with someone.” Something we of the digital age tend to forget, so it was so different for Lucas.

Of course, he has to go and ruin it and act like a complete and utter asshat so I wanted to smack him. He may have been acting out of disappointment but the phone call to dad was cruel and showed me, nope, he’s not grown up yet. It is after this that we really get to see the awesomeness that is Jared and the growth that occurs with Lucas. “…he’d always remember being cherished.” What an amazing gift to give someone.

When Lucas finally begins to see past himself, it’s a joy to read (hear?) and you get to see the man he really is. I did love that his dad, always too busy for him, showed some remorse. It was a reminder to Lucas, no one is perfect but you can make changes to be better. And Lucas so does this.

As an aside, Jared’s ex, Susan, is a strong female character and I enjoyed listening to her manipulations to get Jared out of his shell.

When I got through with this book, my thought was how much it made me smile. And my second was, it’s just lovely. An interesting thing about the audio, Paul Morey (a favorite narrator of mine) makes Lucas sound exactly like I thought he would. Kudos!

Too much for a short

I really think we missed out because there is so much there for a longer story that I just want to know and a lot left unfinished in my opinion but overall its a good story with a great narrator.

Lucas and Jared

4.5 stars. Lucas struck me as is he was putting on a facade with his rich, snotty brat routine when he's first introduced. Removing him from his uber rich life and friends brought about a much needed change. I liked watching him become a man. Jared is shy and awkward. It appeared that he'd isolated himself using the farm as an excuse. I liked that Lucas was willing to reach out and connect in a romantic way with Jared. When they encounter Todd's flirting, I was impressed by Lucas's adult thinking and more impressed by Jared putting Todd in his place.

Audiobook: good narration

City Meets Country

Jared's all but given up on love, and Lucas wouldn't know a real connection if it hit him across the face. Which is kind of what happens. Lucas is deprived of his father's money after demonstrating his utter lack of respect and maturity. His isolation is compounded when he's sent to Jared's farm for time to think and reflect. They share an undeniable attraction for each other and the enforced proximity challenges Lucas to build emotional intimacy in ways he usually avoids life the plague. Together both men struggle to figure out what they want from each other and themselves, and what they're willing to risk.

A nice short story

A nice short story about people that should learn to listen better and communicate properly with each other. Extremely forgiving ex wife too. Lol

quick easy listen

This was a quick listen. Enjoyable with no real angst or thick plot to process through.

as good as the ebook

The story is always full stars, because if I wouldn't like the story as ebook, I wouldn't listen to the audiobook. I can't listen to an audiobook without knowing the book, that's not possible for me.

The performance from the narrator is also very important for me. I can't listen to a lot, because my English as a non-native-speaker isn't so perfect to follow a whole story over hours, when the narrator speaks too fast or too sloppy. Normally I have to SEE the person, who is talking to me in English. It took me a little bit, to come into the narrator, but at the end, it worked. I only have to take a few breaks between. I'm just not yet finish with the book, but I listen enough to give a review.

PLEASE READ MY RATING SYSTEM!!!

To my ratings:

5* - very very good
it's like an A+

4* - very good and will be often re-listening
it's like an A

3* - it's more then a one-time-listening.
it's like a B

Moving farmland fun and love!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely, great narration for a great story!

What was one of the most memorable moments of McFarland's Farm?

There is a moment when Jared and Lucas misundertand each other, they feel they have let themselves down and apologise at the same time, both believing themselves to be in the wrong!

What does Paul Morey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Characters get a bit more life added to them, giving more depth it's like listening to a movie. When reading a book you can imagine how they might sound and look, audio does give you that bit extra. I enjoy listening to Paul Morey's voice and how he presents the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There are a few moments within this story to move you. For me probably when Jared realises Lucas is not going home after all.

Any additional comments?

As with all Cardeno C's books well written with likeable characters, who can almost be living real lives. The characters emotions are right where they need to be, the characters have fun, they fall in love and they doubt themselves. Perfect listening, totally recommended!