4.5 stars.
I can see why some people don't like this, but I really like the characters. I couldn't believe how involved I got in the book. I would look, and it would be oh, I've already read 40%, and then (what felt like) a couple of minutes later oh, I'm at 70%. Definitely sorrowful, but well written with a happy ending. ( )

I’m sad to say my first full-length novel by Nash Summers didn’t really live up to my expectations. But that’s entirely on me. I expected some sort of star-crossed-lovers romance. What I got was a lovely, slow-paced story centered around grief, depression, and friendship, with romance taking the back seat. NS’s descriptive writing was beautiful.

That said, the pace was just a bit too slow for my taste. I didn’t like the MCs spending so much time apart, and I couldn’t really feel the connection between them. The romance here was pretty much a case of telling, not showing, which I don’t really like in my books.

All in all, I enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. I will probably read all of NS’s other works, though. ( )

And they danced anyway

Beautiful age-gap romance set in Banff. Two men, drawn together by grief, bound together by love. Think: crisp air, trees, scents of cedar and sweat. This is one of those woodsy romances which reinforces the theme of ‘trees, and woodworking = love and moments of heavy passion. No wonder there are so many varieties of tree scented candles... ( )

As you might have noticed, I'm one of those that can rave about books that piss me off and have no words for books that touch me.
I simply loved it. It made me cry several times. It made me sigh. I'm existing in a happy bubble right now. ( )

I felt like I’d plucked each and every star from the sky and there was nothing left of that night but the darkness overhead.

Another lovely one by Summers! ( )