Home on the Range

Fox follows kickoff e-novella Caribou Crossing with a full-length paean to the virtues of rural life and family bonds. Evan Kincaid fled western Canada and an unhappy home life for Cornell University and then N.Y.C., making his fortune as an investment counselor. When he’s sent to appraise a business opportunity at a Canadian resort ranch, Evan is unexpectedly reunited with T.J. Cousins, his former lover. T.J. inspires Evan to help heal family wounds and encourages him to engage with his emotions, contrasting with Evan’s girlfriend, Cynthia, a shallow, city-dwelling corporate finance attorney. Descriptions of the ranch’s amenities provide an advertisement for the beauties of the British Columbian interior and the joys of country living. Aside from a convenient contrived event that forces T.J. to reveal her most closely held secret, plot surprises are minimal and romantic tension is low. Agent: Emily Sylvan Kim, Prospect Agency. (Aug.)