In some passages the writing is exquisite - no hyperbole! ( )

This deserves a re-read soon! ( )

Edwin, a book conservator at the Bodleian Library, lives in an area known for flooding and a lot of rain is headed that way. As he prepares his home for the onslaught, he ruminates on how his life has come to a standstill since his longtime partner left, but he doesn't seem to know how to move on. Enter an engineer and flood management expert with flaming red hair and freckles for days, like literally on his doorstep. It takes a while and some emotional resistance from Edwin, but he eventually realizes that it's time for the flood of grief to be over.
A slim little chapbook of a romance, but all the more impressive for packing such a punch in so few pages. I adored it, and Edwin and Adam of the red hair and freckles. ( )

A romance novella about an angsty young conservator at the Bodleian library struggling to get over a breakup, while flood waters are rising in his Oxford neighborhood. Well written, two fine characters (other than the narrator, whom I didn't love), a bit of humor, with the requisite happy ending. Nifty, but probably totally un-followable recipe for elderflower wine at the back. Not my favorite sort of fluff, but worth 3 stars. ( )

This is the second book in the Spires series. It's short but has the wonderful writing I've found in all Alexis Hall's works. Edwin Tully is a restorer of damaged books in Oxford, England. He wishes he could restore his damaged heart, broken when his longtime love, Marius, left him two years earlier. But there's a storm and Oxford is flooding, so Edwin needs to buttress his home with sandbags and tarps. The engineer in charge, Adam Dacre, is helpful and Edwin is almost immediately attracted, but he's shy and he stutters. Adam is a big man, red-haired and not Edwin's usual type, but the two of them find an intellectual rapport and maybe something more.
Mr. Hall is such a wonderful writer and I've been devouring his books. This story was great but a quick read. I really wanted to know more about Edwin and Adam (I need a sequel). Still, it's a little gem. ( )