Simple gestures like bringing home favorite snacks or tending to aches and pains left a sweet smile on my face. They are both good men but become better when together. It’s clear they couldn’t conquer this dream without one another. Clay pushes Elliott and in turn, Elliott pulls Clay. Clay and Elliott are similar yet vastly different and their relationship demonstrates how couples strengthen each individual when they become a pair. When the pages are limited character connection is key. What I loved most about this book was the characters. What will they do now? Can they hold on to each other and survive the life storm flipping them upside down? I really enjoyed the quick submerge into their new reality, the beautiful setting in North Dakota, and the steady pace to this short story. It wasn’t completely unexpected but it was premature and put a major kink in their plans. That is until their grand plans are derailed when they both find themselves laid off. Trusting a solid foundation, they cherish the sparse moments they have together and focus on the end game. They both realize the gravy train they are riding has borrowed time and they sacrifice building their relationship in the process. They work opposite shifts and have very little quality time together. Both Clay and Elliott are breaking their backs with long hard hours at the oil refinery in their small town. This novella kicks off with our lovely couple pushing hard towards their goal. Going off Grid is a prime example that a couple striving and driving towards their dream can capture their happiness despite unexpected roadblocks. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that, “it’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it’. The first is exciting, the next is full of hope and the last is warm and fuzzy. I adore fresh and first love, second chance stories, and established couples navigating obstacles as they continue their journey together. I’m really not picky when it comes to my love stories. But when they go from all the conveniences of the modern world to outhouses, solar power, a shoestring budget, and more mosquitos than they ever thought possible, will they find there’s such a thing as too much time together? They’re going off the grid and fixing up an old cabin so they can be self-sufficient. What they’ve always wanted is to be together and have time to enjoy it, so they follow their hearts.

Should they find comparable work somewhere else, or is it time to throw caution to the wind and go after their goal-years earlier than they intended?

The pay is good, but is it a fair trade for never seeing each other? The point becomes moot when the company folds, like so many others, and the couple is left with a difficult choice. Clay and Elliott are working toward a dream-working sixty-hour weeks for one of the oil companies that recently sprung up in North Dakota.

Going Off Grid by S.J.D. Peterson