Review: Safe Harbor by Derek Adams

I have a hit and miss relationship with Derek Adams' books. I often like his writing style and I'm impressed that he seems to be able to write in a range of genres within m/m, but his earthy and raunchy erotic sex scenes don't do it for me.  I was pleased to find that this book was quite different to many of the other things I've read before by this author.  It's still a very sexy book, but it's also sweetly romantic and has two very appealing lead characters.

The story opens with Mikey who works at the harbour of a tourist town. His job is mainly grunt work, but he also helps out his nearing retirement boss with things like book keeping and other organisational tasks.  Mikey has a ten year old daughter, Becky, who he had when he was only 18 and whose mother ran off not long after the birth.  Immediately we get a picture of Mikey as a sensible, intelligent, hardworking, responsible man, and it wasn't hard to like him.  He's a on the quays sorting out tangled ropes when he sees a group of gay men depart from a nearby boat. Mikey recognises one of the men, and is transported back ten years to the summer he spent with Eric, before all his dreams of College fell to pieces.

The story is mostly structured with a lengthy flashback sandwiched between parts set in the present day. I know some readers hate flashbacks, but this one worked for me because the bulk of the story is contained within the time set ten years previously. Mikey meets Eric and is taken aback when he is attracted to him. They begin a gentle exploration with Eric being the confident and more experienced one of the pair. I thought the author had managed to capture well all of Mikey's concerns and confusion over his feelings for Eric, and I was soon caught up in this story of a young man's coming out to himself.  The sweetness of the romance is balanced by the way that Mikey struggles with his image, especially with his other friendships, and some of the homophobia he encounters there.

The relationship that Mikey has with his daughter was touching without ever becoming mawkish. He could have been bitter about having to raise a child on his own, but instead he delights in her, even if she seems to find ways to embarrass him.

The relationship between the men in both sections of the book is that of mutual admiration and a healthy desire. There were lots of scenes where compliments are given, small touches bestowed and lingering looks which hype up the sexual tension. The sex scenes were toned down from the usual raunchy scenes I associate with this author, and were instead very romantic without being too sweet.  They were still very hot, but you also get a good sense of the growing admiration these guys feel for each other.

Whilst there is a little bit of drama in the book, the story is mostly focused on Mikey coming to terms with loving a man and taking that step out of the closet. Those looking for a very angsty read will have to look elsewhere but I found this to be a perfect book for those readers who are looking for an easy sweet read with nicely drawn characters and a steady plot where the focus is very much on romance.  This is a perfect read for a cold winter's evening and gets a grade of 'Excellent'.

Buy this book HERE.