A Furever Home

A Friends at Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue Romance

By: Kaje Harper, Gabbi Grey

Narrated by: Michael Ferraiuolo

Arthur

When I was squeezing rescue dogs and cats into my small house, all I wanted was to not turn away a pet in need. Opening the Safe Haven Pet Rescue was a dream come true. But when I get hurt, standing between a man with a gun and a stray dog, I realize I still can't do it all.

My injured leg, a concussion, having to lean on my friends, and realizing how helpless I feel, throws me back to my childhood when nothing I did ever seemed to be enough. But there's one silver lining. Brooklyn West. He's the kind of guy who holds a stranger’s hand in a crisis. He's great with my dogs, even cranky little Chili, and really wants to help the shelter. I like watching him be a protective big brother when his sister turns up on his doorstep, even though I think there's pain underneath his sunny smiles. But as we move toward friendship, I keep looking for the strings, and wondering how I'll pay him back, because nothing in my life can be that sweet, or that simple.

Brooklyn

I went through medical hell, and came out the other side with enough money to move to the opposite side of the country and start the doggie daycare business of my dreams. The cherry on top of that good luck is meeting Arthur Bjornsson. Big, wild-bearded, soft-voiced Arthur is the kind of guy my family would've ridiculed. He's warm-hearted and willing to throw himself into harm's way to save one pathetic stray dog.

He's the kind of guy who gives me back some faith in humanity. But when my underage sister Cheyenne shows up on my doorstep, on the run from the family I thought I'd escaped, my old life and new collide. I want to help Arthur, get to know him, and, as he heals, I want more than just friendship. But Cheyenne brings legal risks, a teen on the other side of my bedroom wall, and the threat of retribution from our family. The simple relationship I thought Arthur and I were building is suddenly messy as hell. I don't know how we'll get through this to reach the furever home I so desperately want.

©2025 Kaje Harper, Gabbi Grey (P)2025 Kaje Harper, Gabbi Grey

arthur finally gets his person and family

The Gaynor Beach and related series have been so much fun. I’m a fan of both authors. This was the first co-write for these 2 authors and I was curious to see how their styles would blend. I was not disappointed. Arthur finally gets his person and family!

Arthur and Brooklyn are both dealing with past hurt and trauma. Brooklyn’s shows up in a giant way with the arrival of his runaway teen sister escaping the family cult. The animals were key to the story and not just there for cuteness. Their relationship started with a bang with ups and downs that felt very realistic.

Michael Ferraiuolo is a favorite narrator, though I admit I listen to more of his fantasy/paranormal titles than contemporary. He excels at voice acting, providing distinct character voices and emotions.

I am voluntarily reviewing a complimentary copy from GayRomanceReviews.

ALC Review

Thanks to GRR for providing me with the audiobook!

This book was just so sweet – I mean, come on: gays and animals? There’s nothing better. I absolutely adore Arthur and Brooklyn, especially because of how much they care about the animals. Honestly, I wish every animal had someone like them. What I loved most was how Brooklyn stepped in to help Arthur and the animals in his daycare after an incident – that was such a heartwarming detail.

Overall, this is the perfect cozy read for animal lovers. And even though it’s more of a slow(ish) burn, I still really enjoyed it because the rest of the story kept me hooked and smiling the whole way through.

Cute furry animals

After listening to this, I had to give it a couple days to sit. There were bits of this that I loved, in particular that each animal had its own personality, and gravitated to its own spaces and people, but there were also pieces that I didn’t like so much. Brooklyn was a very private person, and the fact that none of his past came out until very late in the story made it harder to relate to him. I’m not sure we learned much about Arthur at all, other than his current situation and that he’s got a lot of imposter syndrome. Then there was the violence. For such a sweet love story, there was a lot of violence.
I listened to this in audio, and I found the narration good, but not stellar. There were places where the tone did not seem to match the emotion of the words. I like the voice, so it was an okay listen.
Overall, I would say that I liked this book and would recommend it if cute animals are your thing and you can handle some violence.

Good story!

This is exactly what I expected from this author. Kaje Harper doesn’t disappoint. It’s an easy read, with a few potential triggers. With a guaranteed happy ending you know all will be well, no matter what dangers appear. I enjoyed getting to see/hear Arthur get his own happy ending in Gaynor Beach.

michael made thus book

Michael Feraiuolo does not disappoint in this story. He makes these characters sing and draws in for the ride.

As for the story itself their were many ups and downs throughout, where it felt like a little too much at times. You did feel the characters connection yet for me the pacing felt somewhat off. This was my first read from these authors and can say I prefer the audio format, reading alone would take away the magic Michael brings to a performance leaving it not as strong of a story at least for me. The story itself would be 3 stars, but Michael's narrative brought it up to a 4 star listen.