Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Geography of Happiness

SERIES: Mackenzie Country

AUTHOR: Jay Hogan

NARRATOR:  Gary Furlong

PUBLISHER: Southern Lights Publishing

LENGTH: 10 hours and 34 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  March 28, 2025

BLURB:

One thing I know about Terry O’Connor—the man has complicated relationship written all over him, something I’ve avoided for pretty much forever. One thing I know about Terry’s hometown, Painted Bay—it’s a long, long way from my life as a Mackenzie Country veterinarian, and dedicated, carefree bachelor. All of which should be good news.

No reason to look twice at the gorgeous man currently staying at Miller Station with his daughter.

No reason to daydream about his soft lips, quirky sense of humour, sexy smile, or the way he blushes whenever he catches me staring which is far too often.

No reason to second guess my future plans or reconsider the no-strings lifestyle I’ve worked hard to perfect.

And absolutely no reason to feel disappointed that Terry is even less interested in a relationship than I am. I should be relieved.

Then why can’t I stop thinking about him and how right it feels when we’re together? Why does my heart spin at the very mention of his name? And why does the thought of moving on without Terry and his daughter in my life feel like the loneliest decision in the world?

REVIEW:

Note:  This is the fourth book in this series and as such contains spoilers for the previous three books.  That being said, this book works as a standalone.

I have to say this one dragged a bit for me.  Given that Terry was very likely demisexual, it makes sense that he wasn’t exactly jumping into bed with Spencer, but it literally took HOURS to get anywhere.

Terry’s character was hard to like if I’m honest.  His focus entirely on his daughter who was dealing with a chronic condition got very very repetitive for me.  I felt like it really dragged the pacing.  Becoming a teenage father I’m sure wasn’t easy.  Then dealing with his daughter’s health condition on his own without her mother also wasn’t easy.  At least he had his parents.  I get that he’s a single father and he’s got a kid who has special needs, etc. but man it got to the point of Debbie Downer and just shampoo, rinse, repeat.

Spencer is sort of the man whore of Mackenzie. He’s a one and done.  He’s not ashamed of it.  He’s not dishonest about it.  He likes men and women but he does not do relationships. This can be a problem if the other person wants more, but he NEVER offers that.  So it’s a problem for the other person really.

Someone Spencer is weirdly drawn to Terry.  He finds himself telling Terry things he’s never told any of his friends or his colleagues or anyone else on the station.  Things about this past.  Things about his family.  Things about why he isn’t a relationship/family guy.  He’s done his time thanks.  He’s a gorgeous charismatic man so it’s not like he ever has trouble finding bed partners.  But it seems like he’s more interested in Terry as a person than he is in any potential sex – although he’s not averse to that either 😉

Hannah, Terry’s daughter has her heart set on going to a boarding school on her own with her service dog.  She and Terry are there so she can get advanced training and see if she’s ready to handle such.  Not sure that is the case though and Terry is very much worried about her health and safety.  She’s doing well with her training and she’s determined.  But her dad is her stumbling block.

Terry and Spencer dance around each other quite a bit.  Terry isn’t out and he has seen no reason to come out.  He’s rarely interested in anyone.  Truly Spencer is only the second person he’s been interested in.  The other person – well Terry missed his chance and so he’s a bit surprised to be drawn to Spencer.  He has finally figures he might be demi but that’s about it.  So what are they going to do about it when Terry admits to Spencer that he’s not straight and that he has to feel really comfortable to have those feelings for anyone.  They have barely known each other but for a few days so what is this??

Of course there is a subplot with a cut rescue puppy and some mishaps with Hannah’s training.  And there is the little possibility of Spencer moving to Adelaide for a year.  So the geography would become evening farther apart.  These things both push Terry and Spencer together – but also pull them apart.  At the end of the day, is their connection worth the effort for them to stay in contact and figure out alternatives for everyone?

I don’t want to give the impression that this wasn’t a really well written story.  I felt like the author did a great job of depicting all the issues that Terry and Hannah were dealing with.  There was a lot of empathy for both MCs.  Spencer’s parentification and his subsequent views on relationships/family I thought were very well presented.  Totally understandable also.  I really likes how much growth both characters showed over the arc of the story – not just the time on the station, but how they managed things after Hannah and Terry returned home.  Spencer’s dealings were important to see also.  The damage done to Spencer wasn’t going to be undone with one visit, but having another perspective and some gratitude and acknowledgement was good to see.

Gary Furlong does a fantastic job with this narration.  His accents were spot on.  I liked all the voice choices – and I loved the snarky females a lot 🙂  Spencer’s receptionist, the clerk at the store where Terry finds the puppy, and especially Hannah were so well done.  Even Amber, Hannah’s mother I thought was very distinctive and on the money.  The rest of the guys from Mackenzie station were consistent with the previous books which I appreciated.  Gary is one of my favorite narrators for a reason.  He truly embodies the characters of the book he performs.  Although it’s a long haul, I do recommend this audiobook.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon

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