Book Review: Picked Fresh by Posy Roberts

Title: Picked Fresh

Author: Posy Roberts

Series: Naked Organics #2

Publisher: Labyrinth Bound Press

Genre: MM Romance

Length: 85,000 words, 270 pages

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30296892-picked-fresh

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.

This is an excellent follow up to Farm Fresh, the first book in the series. It’s the best of both worlds: While it should probably be read in sequence and is most enjoyable after reading the first part, it’s also an entirely stand-alone novel. It’s not plagued by any of the usual second-part problems, chiefly in that it doesn’t try to recreate the magic of part one. It makes its own magic.

I often find road trip stories not to my liking—they try to do too much or they end up not doing enough. This isn’t either of those; it’s a perfect balance. I loved seeing Jude and Hudson come alive with each other, taking their relationship to a deeper place. Their increasing emotional nakedness takes a parallel trajectory with their physical explorations, and the pacing of both is perfect.

I still struggle to really like Hudson. I don’t dislike him, and I did feel like he grew much more in this story, but he still seems less mature than he should be at this stage of his life. Part of my difficulty is that there was something I’d been hoping would happen regarding his relationship with Jude, only it didn’t, and I was a bit disappointed. That’s on me, not on the writing or the storytelling, and I can’t say more without spoilers for both books. It looks like it will be resolved in a completely different way than I’d anticipated, but I’ll wait to see what happens in the next part.

I loved the interactions with Hudson and Jude’s respective families. Both situations felt as though they achieved closure in satisfying ways. I was pleasantly surprised in each situation because they didn’t conclude the way I expected them to. For the most part, I don’t feel any special need to read about their families any further, though I do want to know what becomes of Henry. It would be fantastic to find out he too fits in at Kaleidoscope Gardens.

There were a few moments with this one, as with the first, which felt a bit…preachy, I suppose. Not with the ex-religious aspects, actually—those were handled nicely, and there was clearly only judgment against the religious people’s vile acts. It was more the organic snobbery that I found slightly annoying. I absolutely agree that commercial farms cause issues, but some of the characters have a “more wholesome than thou” attitude which grates, and there are some unfortunate parallels with religious fundamentalism in the sense of only being as free as the rules, unstated and not, allow. It’s not constant, but there’s a mild tone of superiority. Hudson actually does this a bit, though Jude is an excellent balance for him. I don’t think this is entirely intentional; I think it’s more a function of trying to help readers understand why this is the best place for these particular people. It just makes me uncomfortable in the way it comes across.

Readers should be aware that there are a lot of heavy issues Hudson and Jude deal with, and while nothing actually happens on-page, they do both describe in some detail the horrors they endured. Some people might find that hard to read, especially if they’ve been through anything similar. The same goes for the often very graphic sex—both the level of detail and the fact that pretty much all the characters have some level of psychosexual dysfunction as a result of trauma.

Overall, this is an excellent read. I felt less emotionally engaged than with the first book, but I still loved it and am looking forward to the next part of the series.

For a well-written road trip, a multi-layered love story, and an emotionally satisfying conclusion, this gets 10/10 fountain pens.

Read For Free:

Origin Story:

Interested in reading how Hudson ended up living at Kaleidoscope Gardens? Read Naked Origins—Hudson for free. This is not a romance, but for those who want to dig a little deeper, this story covers much of Hudson’s history that is hinted at in Picked Fresh. Visit https://posyroberts.com/2016/02/02/free-read-naked-origins/ to read the summary and download it.

In The Series:

Farm Fresh (Naked Organics #1)

FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1UItlbq

Amazon CA: https://goo.gl/KTZHBM

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/twt1QR

Amazon AU: https://goo.gl/BYf0Jf

Universal buy link: myBook.to/PickedFresh

FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1YAvdsB

Amazon CA: https://goo.gl/RiKuus

Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/x2GFUo

Amazon AU: https://goo.gl/0C8Bqe

Jude shifted in his seat and stared at Hudson. Hudson couldn’t take his eyes off the road, but the desire to turn toward Jude and mirror him was overwhelming. “What was your first impression of me when I met you at the farmers market?”

“Should I be diplomatic or honest?”

“Honest.”

Hudson ran that day over in his mind. It was crystal clear, still, even though it had been more than nine months ago. Jude had meandered from stand to stand. He initially stood out from the crowd because of what he was wearing: a bright blue, almost turquoise wool coat over a black turtleneck and tight black jeans. In the blur of quilted plaid flannel and fleece hoodies in various shades of drab, olive, and Carhartt, Jude was all Hudson could see.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you. You were… stunning.” He shook his head. “I don’t know another word for it. I was talking to some customer about how we raised our chickens, and when I saw you, I stopped midsentence. I stared, felt like a dirty old man because you looked so young, and when I turned back to the woman to carry on our conversation, I had no idea what we’d been talking about. Literally none. It was like looking at you sucked the words out of my throat and the thoughts right out of my head.”

Jude chuckled. “Seriously? Was it the coat?”

“It made you stand out, but no, it wasn’t the coat. It was everything about you. Your broad shoulders and your hair and your eyes and your fucking lips.”

“You like my lips?” Jude pulled his rose-flavored lip stuff out of his front pocket and made a show of smearing it across the bottom one. Then he rubbed his lips together and licked them, all while staring at Hudson with soft bedroom eyes.

The bus vibrated, a jagged noise piercing Hudson’s ears as he drove too far to the right, edging his tires onto the rumble strip. “¡Coño!” He maneuvered back into the center of his lane.

Jude laughed. Hudson’s heart thundered against his rib cage.

“You’re evil,” Hudson said. “Evil, I tell you!”

“Maybe.” Jude bit at his bottom lip.

“Stop. Stop tempting me with your fucking gorgeous mouth. I can’t have you doing that shit while I’m driving.”

“Okay.” Jude smirked but kept his tongue and teeth from doing anything else. He put away those hazel sex-eyes too. “So, how did you see this trip going down?”

“Just like that?” Hudson was incredulous.

“What?”

“You can just turn it on and off like a switch?”

“With you, sure.”

“Well, I can’t.” Hudson gestured to his crotch, where his dick was obvious, thick, and quickly moving on its way to fully hard, even though Jude had stopped the licking and the biting.

“Want me to touch you?” Jude’s voice was breathy as he slid his warm palm up Hudson’s inner thigh. He thumbed over the head of Hudson’s cock, and Hudson got harder. Jude played with just the head, moving back and forth, his touch light and delicious.

“Want me to drive off the road?” Hudson managed not to sound choked off.

“No.” Jude pulled his hand away and smiled like the devil. “I want you to drive. And I want you to tell me about what you want to do on this trip besides the obvious. And for the record, turning it off doesn’t happen like a switch. Turning me on with one look, easy!”

“You’re dangerous.”

“Damn right I am.”

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.