For the Love of Beard

by Lani Lynn Vale

With each and every one of the Rejects books that I have read, I have fallen more and more in love with this glorious band of misfits.
Ms Vale leaves you in no doubt that despite the perception that others may have concerning this brotherhood of men, those that wear the Dixie Wardens Rejects patch are men that are cut from an entirely different cloth. They stand for everything that a real man should and treat their women with a reverence that speaks volumes without actually saying a word.
These are men that love unconditionally and Tobias is absolutely no different.
When Ghost asks him as a “brother” to collect his sister Audrey, and bring her to him, Tobias (aka Fender) was on the road without giving it a second thought and from the moment Audrey opened her front door he was totally smitten but this was a couple that had more than their fair share of painful demons.
Audrey was a survivor; her past was brutal but one that she wasn’t prepared to allow to break her. She valued her friendship with Tobias and I think that was because he made sure it was uncomplicated, he knew all about what she had been through , Ghost made sure of that and that knowledge of the events that she had experienced meant that he was able to gauge how and what she would be receptive too and how their friendship would grow, I couldn’t help but hope that she would be willing to allow him to be a lot more than a friend because he too had his own heartache, something that I was sure she could help him heal.
Tobias, was the most considerate man I think I have ever read, he was so kind, so patient and so empathetic towards Audrey that I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, this was a man that knew how to treat a woman and was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that she …not he was entirely comfortable and confident with the direction their friendship was travelling.
I adored the fact that when the decisive step towards their something more fell into place, that step was made by Audrey. Tobias, this glorious man, curiously wary of the woman that secretly loved was caught by surprise by her actions but he wanted her more than he had ever allowed her to see and I was hollering with joy for him!
Please don’t think that this dwelt too heavily on the past, while it dealt with it honestly, what was more apparent was the fact that their spirit shone, they brought the screen of my kindle to life, their enthusiasm was infectious and the humour and attitude brought a smile to my face.
As you would expect with one of Ms Vale’s Dixie Warden stories, there is always an element of angst peppered through the story and this was no different but who was the target this time?
I think I have to say in summing up this book that on reflection, I think what I loved most was the strength that both Audrey and Tobias brought to the story, I think the author through them, was able to show that hope is a powerful emotion, to show others who may have been through similar situations that events of the past can be left behind. Time is a great healer but it can’t do it on its own, it can often be the unforeseen and unexpected that can unlock the future and for me the positivity of that message leapt off the page and I felt it to my very core.