Pinot & Pineapple Lumps by Jay Hogan

Narrated by Gary Furlong

Pinot & Pineapple Lumps, book four in Jay Hogan’s Southern Lights series, is an heartfelt age-gap romance that tackles some difficult issues in a sensitive but realistic way. It could be listened to as a standalone, but I wouldn’t recommend it; you’ll have a much better idea of the complicated relationship dynamics involved in this story if you at least listen to book one in the series, Powder & Pavlova, as that’s where we first meet the Sharpe brothers, Ethan and Kurt, the latter of whom is one of the leads here.

Note: There are spoilers for previous books in the series in this review.

At the end of Flat Whites and Chocolate Fish, Kurt was attacked and then badly burned in a fire which was set deliberately at the coffee roastery co-owned by his brother and their mutual friend, Adrian Powell. Pinot & Pineapple Lumps opens around a year later, and Kurt, now nineteen, knows his life has changed – that he has changed – irrevocably as a result of what happened. He’s living with PTSD, but he’s cognizant of it and is working on it with a therapist, but he doesn’t feel as though he fits into his old life any more, and he’s feeling somewhat directionless. The friends he used to hang out with from his design course at college have drifted away and Ethan is smothering him. Kurt knows Ethan’s protectiveness comes from a good place, but he’s tired of being treated as though he’s going to break – and also afraid he’s turning into someone he doesn’t recognise.

He’s at a wedding at a beautiful Ortego vineyard and has stepped out for some air when he meets Penn. They strike up a slightly flirty conversation and Kurt is shocked – and pleased – to realise that he’s feeling the pull of attraction for the first time since the fire. During the course of their chat, Penn mentions that he’s home for a visit – he’s based in Australia – but before they part, they share a passionate kiss that brings Kurt’s shorted-out libido back on line big time. Here, if only for this one moment, is someone who wants him for who he is now, someone who knows nothing about his past and sees and treats him as an adult. It’s been a long time since Kurt has felt much of anything, so to have this amazing kiss and everything that goes with it feels like a fog has finally lifted.

A year later, and Penn Cunningham has returned to New Zealand from his life and job in Adelaide because his father is dying, and although they’ve never really seen eye-to-eye, Penn knows he needs to be there to help run the family winery business and to make sure his father’s affairs are in order. Otis Cunningham doesn’t make it easy though – he’s always been overbearing and his rigid insistence that everything has to be done His Way is what eventually drove Penn so far away. Wine making is Penn’s passion – it’s in his blood – but his interests lie in a different direction to his father’s, and Otis’ persistent refusals to allow Penn to pursue them caused a rift between them that time and distance have done nothing to heal.

Kurt is six-months from finishing his design degree, and has been slowly making a name for himself off the back of the design work he’s been doing for Ethan’s company. Getting an invitation from Cunningham’s winery to discuss a re-branding project is a surprise – Cunningham’s is a big deal – although perhaps not quite as big a surprise as coming face to face with Penn – who is every bit as gorgeous as he remembers. After Penn’s awkward attempts to apologise for not having realised Kurt was “a kid” when they kissed, and Kurt’s very firm shut-downs, the pair begin to discuss the business at hand and discover that their ideas mesh very well. Over the following days and weeks – and despite Penn’s attempts at denial – it’s clear to both men that the powerful attraction they’d experienced that night a year earlier was no fluke, and that if anything, it’s getting stronger. Kurt makes his interest in Penn plain, but Penn holds back because he thinks Kurt is too young (he’s thirty to Kurt’s twenty) – yet the more time Penn gets to spend with Kurt, the more he likes him. Yes, he’s young, but he’s smart, funny and talented, and his life experiences have matured him more than other guys his age, and made him stronger and more resilient than even Kurt gives himself credit for. It doesn’t take too long for Penn to realise that it doesn’t matter how old Kurt is, or how many years lie between them – here is a man with whom he could have something very special indeed, and all he has to do is let himself reach for it.

The chemistry between Kurt and Penn is electric, and their romance evolves naturally from the friendship and understanding that grows between them. I loved how open and honest they are about their problems and what they want from life, and how much thought they put into their relationship.

Both men have complicated family issues to deal with. For Kurt, it’s getting Ethan to realise that he’s in danger of alienating Kurt by trying to wrap him in cotton wool, that he needs to take a step back and let Kurt make his own decisions and handle things his own way. For Penn, it’s dealing with the mixture of anger, grief and guilt that are currently the mainstays of his relationship with his father. He’s dreadfully torn – he loves the land and loves making wine, but his already conflicted feelings are further complicated by the stipulations Otis is threatening to impose as part of his will, which Penn sees as an attempt to control him from beyond the grave.

Kurt and Penn are complex, likeable and superbly drawn characters who are easy to root for. Kurt’s a survivor – never a victim – he knows what (and who) he wants and I really admired his strength and determination to get his life back on track. He’s been through life-changing experiences he’s still coming to terms and learning to live with, and the author shows his healing journey extremely well. Penn is – perhaps – cast into the shade just a little bit, because Kurt is such a force of nature, but he’s equally complex and likeable, and the problems he’s facing are just as compelling and well-handled. At this point, I have to mention Otis and the way Jay Hogan so skilfully avoids making him a one-note villain. He’s a cantankerous git, for sure, but she makes him into a nuanced, deeply flawed individual who elicits a degree of sympathy regardless of some of the things he says and does.

Gary Furlong delivers another highly accomplished performance in which he expertly captures the personalities of all the main characters and hits every emotional beat of the story perfectly. Kurt being forced to face some of his worst fears and Penn coming face to face with some very harsh truths are just some of the really powerful moments in the book, and Mr. Furlong renders them incredibly well – he’s able to get into the heads and hearts of the characters he portrays so that the listener experiences their emotions along with them, while never being ‘showy’ or over the top. The chemistry and connection between Kurt and Penn are strongly communicated, and his vocal characterisations are spot on, as always; Kurt’s confidence and his determination shine through, and while the gruff, sharp tones used for Otis are an excellent reflection of his crotchetiness, there are hints of vulnerability, too,

Pinot & Pineapple Lumps is a wonderful series finale, and possibly my favourite book of the Southern Lights series. The story is deeply emotional, the romance drips with chemistry, the HEA is deeply satisfying, and the narration is superb. Highly recommended.

Caz

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