Sunset at Pencarrow

I did not really like this book. I bought it because the sample was long, and I got kind of involved and wanted to know where the story went. But although the quality of the writing is very good, the story is not my kind of thing.

The plot: two men who both have massive amounts of emotional baggage spend a couple of days together. Often, I really enjoy it when romance characters learn to cope with life together, not by ignoring their own burdens, but by sharing them with someone else. But I guess I don't read many books where interpersonal stuff is the entirety of the plot. In this book, there are a lot of conversations, which feel like awkward emotional minefields for both characters, with both afraid to say the wrong thing; a lot of introspection, which is pretty repetitive in nature; a few sex scenes, which are very good; and some New Zealand scenery / local flavor, which I enjoyed.

Also, from the blurb and the first few pages of the book, I expected there to be some emphasis on Rusty's grief. But it was pretty much in the background, as his main reason for not wanting to get into a new relationship, rather than something that he dwells on now. There's much more focus on Nate's recent breakup, which is a heavy situation, although the blurb does not make it seem that way.

So I don't really recommend this book, although there is nothing awful about it. I'm sure someone who prefers contemporary romance would like it more than I did.