Title: ⟫ The Sheltering Tree
Author: ⟫ J.R. Lawrie
Rating: ⟫ 4.5/5
Blurb: ⟫ The heart of Alastair Harding's life is his duty. Becoming the first gay chief of the Metropolitan police has required certain sacrifices, but Alastair made them willingly. If his life now lacks human connections, he can't exactly complain—and it's a little too late for regrets.
Jay Fieldhouse knows all about sacrifice, too. Brought to London for his own safety by witness protection, Jay's grassroots charity works day and night to save vulnerable kids from a life of crime. But getting close to other people is tough when no one really knows who you are.
When he meets Alastair one night at a charity event, Jay is intrigued by his glimpse of a gentle soul beneath the commissioner's uniform. The two men decide to run their lonely paths side by side for a while—after all, life is short and good sex is hard to come by.
Then the shadows of the past begin to stir, and the words which go unsaid might be Jay and Alastair's undoing.
The Sheltering Tree is J.R. Lawrie's first full length novel, following her debut anthology, Let Your Heart Be Light.
Review: ⟫ I loved this book. I cannot believe it is the author’s first full length novel – it was freaking amazing!
Alastair and Jay meet at a charity event and two more different men don’t come to mind. Alastair is at the peak of his career as the Police Commissioner and Jay has pulled himself up from nothing and built up a worthwhile charity. But the sparks fly, and a one-nighter turns into a FWB relationship that neither man is prepared to admit has deepened considerably.
That in itself would be a brilliant story, but J.R. Lawrie goes much further and this is where the tale reminds me strongly of some of Garrett Leigh’s work. There is a red herring that truly sucked me in, a reveal that is heartbreaking and
then things hot up even more.
I truly loved this book – it struck so many chords with me. Both Jay and Alastair were so lonely, despite their achievements, and the way they were together was incredibly touching.
I have followed the author on Amazon/Goodreads and look forward to reading more.
