Little Harbour by Sophia Soames
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

This was a hard one for me to read and rate. For the first quarter of the story, I absolutely loved it. Every word. There was so much greatness here...

Jens lost his wife a year ago. He's now the single parent of 4 children with a full time job as a professor and lecturer at the local college. His life has fallen apart, his kids have fallen apart, he's got no idea what he's doing.

Axel is a mid-wife and has started a blog online. When he gets an email intended for someone else, he notices that it's from Jens, the best friend he fell in love with and then lost 20 years ago. And he's been in love with him since. He takes a chance to meet him again and see if he can finally let him go.

This was a story about second chances and was written so poetically. I really was amazed at the writing in this. I fell in love within the first 15 minutes and was so invested in both Jens and Axel, but also the children. Each one was so dynamically engaging in the story and I literally felt like part of the family. I honestly can't say enough about the writing in this. It was just beautiful.

My only hesitation in giving this a full five stars was the length. The story was angst free. There were no issues or crossroads. It was blending Axel's life with a family of five and how to cope with work and friends and family and feelings. Once I got 2/3 of the way through, I was ready for the end. Yes, the writing was still stellar. Yes, everyone was still engaging and funny and the stories were epic, but it was so much without direction, I suppose.

It was all heart and I would have honestly given this 5 stars just for the writing and the story line alone. So many words of love and the dialogue just flowed seamlessly. I really loved so many exchanges.

"You looked like you needed a hug." Axel whispers in his ear.
"I did." Jens whispers back. "I needed you, and now everything is okay."

I totally recommend this author as I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the prose, and I know I'll be thinking of the Sommerfeldt family for a very long time.

*Arc copy generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. Cross posted to http://gaybook.reviews/ *

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