Full disclosure- I am not a contemporary romance person. I have a tendency to avoid them since they mostly all follow a cookie cutter plot with the major differences being characters and the setting. I will admit, I was hesitant at first. I almost DNFed it after just twenty minutes. Xavier’s (the main characters) speaking style is very much the stereotypical “gay guy” accent. I was worried that it, like most romance novels, would fall into the trap of oversimplifying the characters and giving readers a romance with not depth or complexity. Thank goodness I was wrong.

While the overarching plot itself is straight out of a Hallmark Christmas special (minus the Christmas part), the characters were extremely well-developed and the relationship itself followed a logical progression. I deeply enjoyed Xavier’s internal dialogue and how he worked through the complexity of his disdain for Harper’s Cove, its people, and its culture. It was interesting to watch his thoughts and feelings shift throughout the book and to see how Logan was the catalyst for it all. Seeing Logan’s transformation through Xavier’s eyes was just as interesting. Watching him learn to trust Xavier was an absolute treat.

(Spoilers Coming Up)

That being said, Jackson did not shy away from giving his main characters flaws to overcome (and move the plot along). Logan’s trust is hard earned and easily lost, Xavier can be prideful, and both seem allergic to honestly communicating their thoughts and feelings. Xavier’s initial and main driving factor throughout the story is earning enough money to participate in a year-long exclusive business fellowship in Berlin. He constantly expresses in his inner dialogue how this fellowship was everything he wanted and would kickstart his career and life to exactly where he wanted it to be. Even while his relationship with Logan progresses, he still desires the fellowship. When it comes to Logan, almost every interaction someone remarks about how Logan trusts Xavier in ways they’ve never seen before. Whether it be when he takes Xavier to the farmer’s market or leaves him in charge of the restaurant when a food critic comes, Logan shows that he trusts Xavier- except when it comes to the restaurant being close to failing. This is where the flaws seem more like plot devices than actual parts of the characters, and both Xavier and Logan contradict themselves.

Once Xavier finds out from Logan’s friend that Logan’s restaurant is close to failing, Xavier tries to help. Of course, following Hallmark movie logic, this backfires spectacularly and we have the dreaded “third act breakup”. Xavier then sets his mind on going to the business fellowship in Berlin and finally getting his life back on track. Then Logan sweeps in at the last second apologizing and of course Xavier agrees to give up the one thing he has been working for the entire book to pursue his relationship with Logan. Look, I would have been a bit more accepting of the contrived third-act break up and Xavier’s subsequent realization that Harper’s Cove was the place for him if he actually took the year to go to Berlin and go through with the business fellowship. I think it would have been the perfect way to show how even though Xavier was adamant that small town life wasn’t for him, his heart belonged to Harper’s Cove (and Logan). But no. He had to give up his once-in-a-lifetime experienced that he worked so hard for so that he could stay with his boyfriend of a couple weeks. Words cannot describe my frustration with this choice, so please imagine your favorite screaming gif and take that as a representation for my utter rage at this particular character and plot choice.

Now, despite the enraging ending, I did really like this book. And I think others should read this book. If you’re looking for a quality gay romance book written by a gay author, I definitely recommend A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson.