It's not often that I finish a novel and then have to go think about it a bit before starting a review. Like, I could tell immediately what I already know, that Kim Fielding has written a lot of good stories, just by the way this one is constructed.

This is a slow-burn romance, but an unusual one.

The farther in you get, the more the reasons each character is where he is rise up, and matter. Each chapter is another delicate reveal, building and building through unexpected reactions and what's kept secret, careful talks and scary actions. The conflicts seem insurmountable. How can this possibly work? The author is clever, but kind, and insightful. Every supporting character is also great. The setting ought to be boring, but it's absolutely not. Why? Because the author respects it. And she respects her characters, an element a lot of writers fail to include. For instance, the sex scenes are deeply personal and not often detailed, because that's not the point of each scene. The conflicts are not choreographed, but realistic, and upsetting, and the recoveries are earned. The end made me smile. I'll re-read this one, some day, which is unusual.

If you read this one, don't skip the short author's note at the beginning. ( )

CA: violence; set during the Covid-19 pandemic

A man running from a bad relationship and a man stuck in his family's past meet, rescue one another, and fall in love. A tender romance novel with a nice sense of place. This was a lovely read and a good, gentle entry into reading fiction set during the pandemic, as the realities of this time are present but not horrific within the context of the novel. ( )