Book Review by El: Picked Fresh, by Posy Roberts

Picked Fresh, by Posy Roberts
Series: Naked Organics, Book 2
Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press
Release Date: June 23, 2016

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Is five thousand miles far enough to say I love you?

Hudson Oliva loves stability. He was a throwaway teen before finding Kaleidoscope Gardens but has since thrived at the commune. When Jude Garrity moves in, life gets even better, but Hudson still craves more. He knows he has to be satisfied with their exclusive status being temporary and that Jude will eventually navigate his full sexual awakening with their other housemates.

Hudson has a journey of his own to make. It might only require going home to settle his grandmother’s estate, but he plans to use his time away to figure out how to temper his feelings for Jude and bury his jealousy once and for all. But when Jude joins him on his trip, Hudson falls even deeper in love, especially after Jude stands by his side when he finally confronts his mother for rejecting him.

However, it’s not all hearts and flowers while they travel. They’re over two thousand miles from home when Hudson learns a ruthless corporate farm threatens the commune they both love. In order to save their way of life, Hudson must ask his mother for help. And if he wants a chance at a stable future with Jude, he has to tell him the truth about his feelings, no matter if it ruins the harmony he’s tried so hard to preserve.

M/M Pairing
Gay Characters
Poly/Menage
Contemporary
Road Trip
Recreational Drug Use

Warnings For:
Past Abuse

I’m going to start by saying that I really love Posy’s novels. I think they’re emotionally-charged and riveting, with sex that is not only passionate but also a way for characters to form strong bonds. I gave the first book in this series, Farm Fresh, 4.5 out of 5 stars.

So when I say that this book just didn’t work for me, it’s not a slam against Posy’s writing or the characters. The writing is strong and Hudson and Jude are stunning, and the sex was intense and often cathartic for both reader and characters.

What I didn’t like here was where Posy chose to focus the story.

There are two plots paralleling one another: Hudson and Jude go on a road trip to bury Hudson’s grandmother and claim his inheritance, while on the farm Leo and Charlie struggle with the revelation that their commune is in dire trouble.

Most of the novel focuses on Hudson and Jude. And… I was bored. I wanted more about the farm, to see Leo and Charlie’s relationship blossoming, to see the fear and tension and anger that everyone on the farm seemed to be buckling under.

By removing Hudson and Jude from the drama, Posy unfortunately removed all of the tension from the story. What I got instead was bland, a sex-filled hippie journey where nothing actually happened, possible antagonists fizzled into mere background noise, and everything was fixed by sex instead of the therapeutic drama of the first book.

I think Hudson and Jude are lovely characters, but their story was satisfactorily over for me in Book 1. There was another story that could be told here, and I felt cheated because we weren’t given that story instead.

I’m giving this 3 stars because the writing is excellent, and the novel does resolve in a way that I found pleasing, but most of the novel felt like a 2.5/5 rating for me.

But I will absolutely be looking forward to Posy’s next work. She has serious talent!

Posy Roberts writes about the realistic struggles of men looking for love. Whether her characters are family men, drag queens, or lonely men searching for connections, they all find a home in her stories.

Posy is a Jill of all trades and master of the drill and paintbrush. She’s married to a partner who makes sure she doesn’t forget to eat or sleep during her writing frenzies. Her daughter, a budding author and cinematographer, helps her come up with character names. For fun, Posy enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make regular life more interesting.

Find Posy at https://posyroberts.com/