Second Chances in New Port Stephen

A pleasant end of year surprise, a new to me author with a thoughtful, occasionally humorous romance between transmasc unemployed, recently sober comedy writer Eli and his cishet former BFF/boyfriend Nick, general manager of a restaurant and divorced dad. Eli hasn't visited his hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida in many years for a variety of reasons, hateful anti-trans legislation being only the most recent. The plot invests an equal amount of space to Eli's relationship with his inadvertently hurtful parents, Nick's love for and fears about his four year old daughter, and the peculiarities of a second chance at love with someone whose whole identity has changed.

Could have used fewer Big Misunderstandings, but there were plenty of show more scenes with the two MCs being kind to each other, which frankly goes a long way for me these days. The action takes place around the holidays but they're not the driving force for the plot. The real happy ending is that Eli and Nick's future together lies in a better, bluer state. show less

Did I read a holiday book in January/February to simply feel something.... possibly. The banter is truly what did it for me. The relationship between Frankie and Ophelia made me laugh and blush both at the same time. While there were some parts I had to suspend disbelief, I found the majority of their relationship believable and I ultimately was cheering for them throughout the story. In the grand scheme of things, I think the plot was extremely reliant on the impending timeline that the story was structured on, which did impede some of the flow of the story. It felt a little too quick at the end, like it all finished up too fast. It was still an ending I was satisfied with, so I'm happy.

T.J. Alexander has the romance formula down. This book has all the requisite parts; if you're not familiar, read about them here: https://diymfa.com/writing/structure-romance-writing/

This is a great story with likeable protagonists, a goofy family that really tries hard, and well-drawn peripheral characters, like a young daughter, a supportive father, and an insufferable mother-in-law. All in all, a good, accessible read. CW: two (I think) well-telegraphed on page sex scenes.