Geoff Laughton lived the gay life in fast-paced Chicago. His life revolved around being inebriated and living a shell of an existence. Until an emergency prompts him to return home, a place where he’d forgotten how to live. His return was embraced by all but one dour and bitter woman. Geoff recognized the needs of others, and sought to help them without taking away their sense of pride. Along the way, he discovers Elijah Henninger, a young Amish man, asleep in his barn, and falls in love at first sight. Hiding both his feelings and his passion was hard, he had to rely on Len, his father's partner, to help him or his best friend from Chicago.

Elijah had tough decisions to make. Eli is spending a year away from his community before accepting baptism into the church. When bigotry reared its ugly head, he made a rash but hard decision, based on family loyalty and total selflessness. His decision would prove the hardest of all while the others around him who’d come to love him were made to live on without him, knowing he sentenced himself to a life of unhappiness.

Love Means No Shame by Andrew Grey floored me. At the beginning, I worried about Geoff and the fast, empty lifestyle he was living. Upon his homecoming, I was pleased to see that he grew up in a love-enriched family, except for one family member. His decision to help those around him in the community showed the measure of this man. His forgiveness for affront and insult further demonstrated the measure of his worth. When he met and fell for Eli, hell I fell right along with him. In an effort not to go on and on about the merits of this heartfelt story, I’ll say it made an impression on me that I’ll never forget. The insight I gained from this tearjerker will keep me smiling for days to come, while waiting for the next work from this wonderful author.