Farthingdale Valley Series by Jackie North

First, you have to trust. Then comes trust in return. Then comes love.Gabe’s working hard to save up to buy his own cattle ranch. That dream is years in the future, but he’s a patient man.For now, he’ll be the first team lead in the valley’s ex-con rehab project. The idea is, put a parolee to work for a summer and he’ll have a leg up on the rest of his life... moreFirst, you have to trust. Then comes trust in return. Then comes love.Gabe’s working hard to save up to buy his own cattle ranch. That dream is years in the future, but he’s a patient man.For now, he’ll be the first team lead in the valley’s ex-con rehab project. The idea is, put a parolee to work for a summer and he’ll have a leg up on the rest of his life.Blaze, who’s just been released from prison after serving two years for a crime he did not commit, is among the first group of parolees to enter the program.Nobody believes he’s innocent, including Gabe.After all, all ex-cons are just liars, right?A gay m/m cowboy romance with age gap, hurt/comfort, opposites attract, forced intimacy, emotional scars, lumberjack stuff, fish out of water, trust issues. A little sweet, a little steamy, with a guaranteed HEA. less

Bad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do when I fall for you? A job in the valley provides the break Royce so desperately needs from his regular life. Fresh air, plenty of sunshine, and hard work? That’s the ticket. Evenings around a campfire? Sign him up.But when a new group of ex-cons arrives, ex-cons he’s responsible for, Royce realizes he is woefully unprepared. Not for the task of being team lead, he’s fully capable of that. No, it’s the bad in one particular bad boy that he is drawn to... moreBad boy, bad boy, whatcha gonna do when I fall for you? A job in the valley provides the break Royce so desperately needs from his regular life. Fresh air, plenty of sunshine, and hard work? That’s the ticket. Evenings around a campfire? Sign him up.But when a new group of ex-cons arrives, ex-cons he’s responsible for, Royce realizes he is woefully unprepared. Not for the task of being team lead, he’s fully capable of that. No, it’s the bad in one particular bad boy that he is drawn to. The challenging mind beneath that messy dark hair, the insouciant slouch, and the long legs in grease-stained blue jeans and disreputable black motorcycle boots. It’s more than Royce is prepared to resist. The bad boy in question, Jonah, has a telling I-don’t-care shrug that reveals a heart-stopping vulnerability—and now all is lost as Royce falls hopelessly in love. A gay m/m cowboy romance with opposites attract, fish out of water, first time, falling for the bad boy, slow burn, endless flirting, birdwatching, and s’mores around the campfire. A little sweet, a little steamy, with a guaranteed HEA. less

Everywhere I go, I look for home. You are my home.On the run for two years from an abusive family situation, Kell searches for a safe harbor. Instead of that happening, Kell gets arrested, but, unbelievably, amidst the horrors of prison, there shines a glimmer of hope. Marston’s life is a mess. Everything he touches crumbles to dust... moreEverywhere I go, I look for home. You are my home.On the run for two years from an abusive family situation, Kell searches for a safe harbor. Instead of that happening, Kell gets arrested, but, unbelievably, amidst the horrors of prison, there shines a glimmer of hope. Marston’s life is a mess. Everything he touches crumbles to dust. A second chance comes in the form of a job with the Farthingdale Valley New Start Program, except the two parolees assigned to him don’t even show up, so the job is a disaster from the get-go. Temptation appears to Marston in the form of a particular skinny, foul-mouthed, unable to keep up with the other prison-hardened parolees. Now he’s Marston’s responsibility.Marston has failed at everything else - he knows he’ll fail at resisting temptation. Can’t sleep. Can’t touch. Can’t have. Kell and Marston are lonely, until they find each other. Can they make love last?A gay m/m cowboy romance with hurt/comfort, opposites attract, emotional scars, fish out of water, and s'mores. A little sweet, a little steamy, with a guaranteed HEA . less

The valley works its magic, even on the most broken of hearts. Galen Parnell is the type of guy who would stop at a four-way intersection, even at midnight with nobody around.Obadiah "Bede" Deacon is a drug dealer who was sentenced to five years in prisonNewly released with a broken heart that simply won’t heal, Bede is now a free man. But now he needs to decide whether to return to his old life, wheeling and dealing drugs... moreThe valley works its magic, even on the most broken of hearts. Galen Parnell is the type of guy who would stop at a four-way intersection, even at midnight with nobody around.Obadiah "Bede" Deacon is a drug dealer who was sentenced to five years in prisonNewly released with a broken heart that simply won’t heal, Bede is now a free man. But now he needs to decide whether to return to his old life, wheeling and dealing drugs.His other option is to remain in the Fresh Start parole program, digging up knapweed and sleeping in a tent each night, all while doing his best to figure out what the hell his team lead’s problem is.His team lead is Galen. He’s got eyes full of disdain, a mouth full of truth, and he does not like ex-cons at all. Doesn’t like that they’re getting a free ride in the valley, when he’s been working hard for years and is still broke.Galen thinks his biggest problem is keeping his job in the valley long enough to pay off medical bills after his dad died last spring. That, and getting new tires for his truck.What Galen’s actual problem–so hard for him to admit–is that even with his preconceived notions about the kind of men he’s in charge of–criminals, all–he’s unable to remain blind to the fact that they’re people, too.Especially Bede. OMG, Bede. Who, in spite of the fact that he’s a freaking drug dealer, is smart and funny and the kind of dark and handsome that is Galen’s favorite kind of eye candy.The summer is turning into a disaster. A deliciously confusing whirlwind-of-discovery disaster. Enemies to lovers, boss/employee, opposites attract, forbidden love, hurt/comfort, midnight swims, and, of course, an HEA. less

Will you go with me? Yes, to the ends of the earth and back again.CalCal made a coding mistake that got him arrested and far away from Preston, his horrible boyfriend.After over a year in jail, he’s touch-starved and afraid. Not of doing his parole in the wilds of Wyoming, but that Preston will come and force him back to Denver.In the valley, when Cal is assigned to Zeke Malloy’s team, his luck starts to change because Zeke is patient and kind, both with the horses and with Cal... moreWill you go with me? Yes, to the ends of the earth and back again.CalCal made a coding mistake that got him arrested and far away from Preston, his horrible boyfriend.After over a year in jail, he’s touch-starved and afraid. Not of doing his parole in the wilds of Wyoming, but that Preston will come and force him back to Denver.In the valley, when Cal is assigned to Zeke Malloy’s team, his luck starts to change because Zeke is patient and kind, both with the horses and with Cal.Cal doesn’t trust anyone now, except Cal’s crush on Zeke starts with a single word of kindness. A warm touch. And the smile in those green eyes.ZekeAfter a horse fell on him, Zeke’s bronc riding days are over. His girlfriend wants a buckle-wearing man, not a broken one, and leaves him.Zeke finds he doesn’t care that he’s alone now. But he can’t stop thinking about the time Galen Parnell asked him out, as if there was something Galen saw in Zeke.Was he gay?When Zeke starts to work with Cal Tamalin, the only parolee on his team, he begins to think maybe Galen had been on to something.Getting close to Cal can only spell disaster, and surely Zeke’s had enough of those, right?He shouldn’t take the risk, but doesn’t think his heart can resist the biggest blue eyes Zeke has ever seen.The Cowboy and the Hacker is a story of forbidden love with hurt/comfort, bi-awakening, mutual rescue, only one tent, moccasins, a bear, maybe two bears, two men and three ponies on a long, lonesome ride, and of course an HEA. It is book 5 in the Farthingdale Valley series but can be read as a standalone. less

If you don’t believe in anything, believe in my heart, for it loves you. In the tree-swept beauty of Farthingdale Valley, two men emerge from the shadows of pain and hardship.Hudson, scarred by betrayal, guards his heart fiercely. Released from a brutal chain gang, he’s ready to shut the world out.Ty, released from the same chain gang, is a hopeful spirit with a knack for seeing the silver lining. He believes in what the valley can do, and is determined to show Hudson that trust can be rebuilt... moreIf you don’t believe in anything, believe in my heart, for it loves you. In the tree-swept beauty of Farthingdale Valley, two men emerge from the shadows of pain and hardship.Hudson, scarred by betrayal, guards his heart fiercely. Released from a brutal chain gang, he’s ready to shut the world out.Ty, released from the same chain gang, is a hopeful spirit with a knack for seeing the silver lining. He believes in what the valley can do, and is determined to show Hudson that trust can be rebuilt.In a place where hot showers and good food offer more than comfort, they promise transformation–can Ty’s faith in the valley break down Hudson’s walls?Can love flourish when trust has been shattered?A gay m/m cowboy romance with opposites attract, ex-cons, mutual rescue, slow burn, endless flirting, and walking in the rain. A little sweet, a little steamy, with a guaranteed HEA. less