Genre: Historical, Romance
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
It’s 1947. George is going through the motions, sowing seeds and tending plants and harvesting crops. The nursery went on without him perfectly well during the war and he spends a lot of time during the working day hiding from people and working on his own. In the evening he prowls round the place looking for odd jobs to do.
It’s been a long, cold winter and Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever get properly warm or clean again. Finding a place with heated greenhouses and plenty of nooks and crannies to kip in while he’s recovering from nasty flu was an enormous stroke of luck. He’s been here a few days now. The weather is beginning to warm up and he’s just realised there’s a huge reservoir of water in one of the greenhouses they use to water the plants. He’s become obsessed with getting in and having an all-over wash.
What will George do when he finds a scraggy ex-soldier bathing in his reservoir? What will Peter do? Is it time for them to both stop running from the past and settle down?
The Review
George Parker and Peter Tollingham served time in the military during the WWII. They both returned home to the loss of their families. George came back to Roseland where he was able to go on, making a living, growing lettuces and tomatoes. He lives a quiet life, but it does get lonely.
George has a good life in Roseland, along with his companion Polly. He’s now able to grow Christmas Chrysanthemums, along with lettuces and tomatoes, since the war has ended. Doing his evening rounds with Polly, she makes George aware of an unusual discovery.
Peter was discharged in 1946 and returned to his home in Coventry. Nothing was left of his family, not even a grave site. He left, never looked back and never settled down. He still suffers the nightmares of war – he’s tired of people and society, and lives a life of solitude.
Peter’s been sick and hiding out at Roseland. Feeling better, he’s gained his strength and wants to clean up. Then he gets caught by the boss-man, George Parker.
Lester weaves a heartfelt, wonderful, love story about George and Peter, who have both suffered the traumas of war, loss of family and loneliness. The novella flows perfectly, with great time period-appropriate worldbuilding, and what life was like for both characters. Even though it’s a short story, there’s enough shared about George and Peter that the story makes them easy to like. The gradual care and connection that grow between them are written from the heart, complimented by the beauty of music in general and the piano in particular.
There are a few secondary characters jere Alice, Millie, and Mrs.Leland. They never questioned anything of George and Peter and played small supportive roles.
And of course Polly! She was sweet and knew how to pick her people.
Warning! Deep Water is another excellent historical romance read from A.L. Lester!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
