Review: One of my favorite books - already read it again!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 9, 2013
Kc Wells's September's Tide is one of those marvelous feel-good stories that make reading romance novels a delightful pleasure. It could have been the story of a man and a woman but that would have been oh so ordinary. The fact that it is the story of two men falling in love, without the whole world's blessing and support, makes it an epic romance.David is a well-known American writer, although he writes under a pen-name so that his identity as David Hannon is private. He has lost his lover to faithless cheating and has spent his time since then moping and drinking instead of moving on and continuing to write. He is sent to the Isle of Wight by his agent in an effort to jump-start him back to life.Taylor is a happy-go-lucky surfer and surf shop owner who spends his days as he pleases, has many friends and companions, and a loving family. He was born and raised on the Isle of Wight, which is home to thousands of people and a vacation mecca to thousands more, but still offers little opportunity for a gay man to openly meet and spend time with other gay men.And so, we have two men with much in common: they are gay, both have traveled extensively, both, as it turns out, are writers, and both secretly long to find that one partner who completes them and with whom they can spend a life of contentment and love. But they are also very different. David is much older than Taylor. David is also much less happy, has insulated himself from friendships, and has major trust issues. There is one more chasm between them that comes into play and that is the Atlantic Ocean itself. It is a very wide gap that when David's vacation ends will separate them permanently if they let it.September's Tide takes these men from the moment David spots Taylor out on the water in his wetsuit to the moment they must each make life altering decisions about their futures together and apart. In between is a discovery of how two people learn to know and possibly love one another, despite the odds against them and their own hearts telling them this won't work. And just as they have decided that maybe, just maybe they have some kind of future together, Ms Wells throws in the angst, the twist of the heart that throws the MCs and the reader back into reality full force. It comes in the form of what started as a small omission of information but now is seen as a deception that breaks all trust Taylor has built with David. If that isn't enough, a great misunderstanding occurs and... well, I'll leave it to you to find out what happens and how it is resolved, because there is definitely a characteristic Kc Wells HEA at the end of this book.Ms Wells lives on the Isle of Wight and unselfishly shares the beauty of her home with us. If you can read this book without booking your holiday flight (and train and boat and taxi) it's only because you haven't yet worked out the time and money to do so. Her descriptive powers bring the people as well as the water, the shore, the towns and even the very buildings to life in a way that is beyond any tourist brochure's ability to tempt the traveler.I fell in love with David and Taylor. They remain one of my favorite couples and I find myself thinking about them as real people that I could and should visit. I can imagine David offering to show me around and Taylor preparing a dinner of fish he just caught that afternoon. I love Ms Wells's writing. Her stories and characters are enchanting and absolutely addictive, always leaving me satisfied but wanting more. This is an author to follow and put on your autobuy list.Review originally appeared at Mrs Condit & Friends Read Books.