Going Off Grid

This is the first book I’ve read by SJD Peterson and I have to say, I really liked their style of writing and the whole narrative of this book.

It’s part of Dreamspinner Press’ States of Love series, each book set in an American state and with characteristics unique to that geographical location. This one is in the deep heart of rural North Dakota.

There’s not, actually, a lot to the story, it’s two men who’ve worked hard long hours, hardly seeing each other for more than a snatched day or so having a dream to go off grid and live out their early retirement in a cabin in the woods.

And that’s it, but it’s also more than that, it’s a story about romance, about love, about compromise and hard work, about making sacrifices for the ones you love, about finding true peace and about working with nature to create your own perfect piece of paradise.

It’s relatively low on steam but there’s a couple of scenes which burn the pages for a short time and there is so much love between the two that the sex really is just a bonus. I loved Clay and Elliott and I like to picture them out on their porch, Little Man the obnoxious cat out chasing leaves, sipping their coffee and enjoying the life.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Angela – ☆☆☆
Nope. No way. No how. Not me. Never gonna happen. Nooooooooo. There is absolutely no way I would ever consider going off grid to live in a cabin in the woods, with no electricity, no modern plumbing, and no internet. I’m the girl who will die early in the post-apocalyptic world because I am spoiled by modern conveniences. The idea of living off the grid only appeals to me after multiple bottles of wine and in my entertainment, hence my signing up to review Going Off Grid for our blog. Now that I’ve got all that out of my system, on to the review…

I actually enjoyed Going Off Grid quite a bit. I liked seeing Clay and Elliott work together to get the cabin ready for full-time habitation. Also entertaining were Elliott’s efforts to distract Clay from their long to-do list from time to time. The men certainly had their fair share of obstacles to overcome, some of which tested the strength of their commitment to living off grid and to each other. Despite that, I never felt like I actually got to know either of the men. Peterson relies upon a seven-year relationship and history to forge the bond between the men, and this kind of built-in history is an approach that I like in novellas because it makes it easier for me to believe in their love. In this case, however, it was as if there was too much reliance on their shared history, with the author not sharing much about the men outside of their present-day interactions and inner musings. I never doubted that Clay and Elliott loved each other, but I didn’t feel as fully invested in them or their story as much as I expected to be.

I’m a novella lover. I love full-length novels as well, but there are times when I want to read but don’t have more than a couple hours of reading time available and this is when I tend to look for a novella. Keeping that in mind, this is one of those rare times that I wish a novella had been fleshed out more and expanded into a full-length book so that I could have seen more character development, gotten to know the characters better, and been more invested in their outcome. Don’t get me wrong, Peterson has penned an entertaining novella and one I’m certainly glad I had the opportunity to read, making Going Off Grid a solid three-star read for me. It’s just that I needed a bit more from the characters to connect with them.

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Going Off Grid (States of Love) by SJD Peterson to read and review.

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DreamSpinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**

Going Off Grid by S.J.D. Peterson is a novella in DSP’s States of Love line. Each of these books explores a different area, with the area and environment being a large part of the story. In this story, existing couple Clay and Elliott are making good money working for an oil company, when it comes to an end and they need to figure out what their future should be. The men go from not spending very much time together, to spending all their time together renovating a cabin in the woods.

Both men were likable and their relationship seemed really easy. They were able to communicate what they wanted and able to compromise with each other. They worked together well and it showed their history of being partners. This story really showed the day to day life of a couple in the midst of change, and how that changed made their relationship stronger.

This was a quick read with no angst and gave an interesting glimpse of North Dakota, not a place I’ve ever given much thought to. I’m not sure if the descriptions of the area are true, but they felt like it to me. I think this whole line of books in the series is a great way to explore the world from the comfort of your home, while reading about men in love.

Rating: 4 stars

Going off Grid is a short but sexy story of two longtime lovers working to fulfill a dream so they can retire early and live in a cabin.
Circumstances arise forcing them to decide to move away and find other jobs or to retire early and go off-grid in the cabin they have.

They have lots of work and the story is fun following them through the process. I loved both Clay and Elliott. They are different but enough alike to get along well. The story is interesting and also sexy.

I do wish it showed us through the entire year instead of going to the epilogue after their winter. I would have loved reading how they prepared for the next winter and all that was told about in the epilogue. In other words, I would have loved seeing this in a full story.

I am a fan of SJD's writing. This new story from her is part of the States of Love series through Dreamspinner press. I have not read any other of the books in this series but I feel you do not have to enjoy this one.
We have Clay and Elliott who are a couple working really hard to save up enough money to make their dreams come true. They both work very long hours in order to save money and it does take a toll on their relationship. They never really get to spend time together.
Their dream is to live off the grid in a cabin and live off the land. When their company goes under they decide to take the money they have and go for the dream. Clay and Elliott know it will be hard work to achieve but will spending so much time together pull them together or tear them apart.
The story SJD gives us is really a love story about how to work through difficult times and come out the other side happier. Both men have to compromise in order to reach their goal.
The story did move a little slow for me but we do get to see how their relationship struggles and grows.
It is a quick read but you do get a lot of life lived on those pages. Reviewed by Jodi for Alpha Book Club.