Lily Morton - Oz

What happens when temporary becomes forever?
Oz Gallagher does not do relationships well. Bored and jobless after another disastrous hook up, he decides to leave London for a temporary job in the wilds of Cornwall. Surely managing a stately home on a country estate will be easier than navigating the detritus of his relationships at home. Six months there will alleviate a bit of his wanderlust and then he can come back to London as footloose and fancy free as the day he left it.
However, when he gets there he finds a house in danger of crumbling to the ground and a man who is completely unlike anyone he’s ever met. An earl belonging to a family whose roots go back hundreds of years, Silas is the living embodiment of duty and sacrifice. Two things that Oz has never wanted. He's also warm and funny and he draws Oz to him like a magnet.
Oz banks on the fact that they're from two very different worlds to stop himself falling for Silas. But what will he do when he realises that these differences are actually part of the pull to one another? Will falling in love be enough to make him stop moving at last and realise that he's finally home?
From bestselling author, Lily Morton, comes a romantic comedy about two very different men and one very dilapidated house.

Comment: I had read and liked other books by this author and then saw some positive reviews about this book, so that was pretty much why I added it to my TBR.

In this story we meet Oz, a young man whose luck on romance has been null, When the story begins Oz is just finding out that his boyfriend cheats and he catches him in the act. While ranting and talking to his best friend, he decides to apply to a job as a way to change scenery but when he arrives for the interview, he can't help feeling he is out of place. Although he tries to have fun by bombing the interview, somehow he is still offered the job. When he arrives in Cornwall, at the estate he will be responsible for to organize, so that the historical house can be open to he public, he starts falling in love... and not only with the house. Silas is the heir to an earldom but he cannot pay the fees of maintaining such an estate, thus why he and his younger brother decided transforming the house into public tours could be the solution. He and Oz should not have anything in common, but it is impossible to ignore the connection. Will they take a bet on a possible relationship?

This is described as a romantic comedy of sorts and I'd say the label might be apt if one thinks that most of the narrative is told in a supposedly cute or funny way. I cannot say I had this impression all the time and, as a matter of fact, I missed having a bit more balance in the story when it comes to the mix between the fun and the serious situations. Still, taking that into consideration, I still think this was an enjoyable read for me.

Like I said, this is not the first book I try by the author either and I knew what to expect in terms of style, which helped me to want to keep reading. I say this because I was not a fan of the beginning of the story, when Oz finds out his boyfriend was cheating. I think this scene was so cliche and it seemed to be included so that we could understand Oz' state of mind and decision to move on, especially geographically, so he could start anew, but I really don't think this would be that necessary.

The tone is definitely one of comedy. I knew to expect that, but I was still a little disappointed that most of the scenes where characters interacted had to be made to be vibrant and bubbly or funny. I would not say the comedy factor was over the top or silly, but I think it could have been toned down without losing interest. That doesn't mean there are no serious or more dramatic situations happening or being discussed, but to me it felt things weren't deepened on purpose, the subjects are there, are mentioned and developed, but clearly not the actual focus.

The characters are the heavy force driving the novel. Oz, in particular, is the main character and most of the story is told from his POV, although there are also sections we see through Silas'.

Oz is out and proud, didn't have many opportunities and lives in modest place with his mother, who is Irish and when she got pregnant, her parents disowned her. She had Oz and they are a strong family unit, which means we can understand that Oz might have gone into a different path but the support system of his mother and some friends helped him out.

Silas had more advantages financially and socially growing up but his parents weren't loving like Oz's mother. Silas and his brother had to be united and strong to grow up and still be good people. Silas is now a veterinarian and he loves what he does, but he also loves the estate and would feel bad letting it go, so he is trying to do the right thing.

I think the demonstration that the main characters are genuine and good people, even Oz under all the brave and loud persona, and that makes it easier to root for them and to want to see them happy. I think the character development and personal issues were dealt with with enough skill to make things seem appealing and for the reader to grasp that there was some kind of evolution between the main couple, and even an inner growth. Was this as well done as it could? Perhaps not, but I think the lighter tone of story is justified when adding this proportionally light development.

As one would imagine, Oz is not only a funny guy who conquers pretty much everyone, but he is also a lot more skilled than what he would think, and he does a brilliant work with what he has. I think this was a little too sugary, clearly a set up for why he might decide to stay there instead of returning to London as he planned early on, for he thought the job would be for six months. I don't really mind this tactic, it's certainly supposed to make him look even more admirable, but it does make the plot seem rather flimsy.

Despite the issues I might have had with the novel, this was still easy and fluid to read.

I'll probably read the next one in the series at some point, Milo is a secondary character here, he doesn't seem very intriguing, but who knows... I'm hoping the author's writing style will remain good enough to keep me interested in reading, as it ended up happening with this story.

Grade: 7/10