Driftwood

By: Harper Fox

Narrated by: Chris Clog

This is the FoxTales edition of the book previously published by Samhain Publishing. Other than the cover art and description, the book is the same.

Thomas Penrose is a village doctor in rural Cornwall. Popular with patients and friends alike, and handsome into the bargain, he lives in a romantic clifftop tower by the sea. It's a wonderful life - if only Dr. Tom could enjoy it. He's a veteran of the conflict in Afghanistan, fighting a lonely battle against alcoholism and PTSD.

Determined not to inflict his troubles on anyone else, Tom keeps himself to himself. But fate has other ideas, and brings a handsome surfer crashing to his feet after a dreadful wipe-out on Porth Beach. Just another crazy surf bunny? Not a bit of it - Flynn Summers is one of Cornwall's heroes, a fearless search-and-rescue helicopter man. Why is he risking his beautiful neck in the stormy off-season waves?

Despite the rocky beginning, Tom and Flynn become friends. Both are concealing sorrows behind a tough façade, and for once in his life Tom thinks he's met someone who can handle him, shadow-side and all. But Flynn isn't a free man. He's unhappily locked into a bond of obligations and bad memories with formidable pilot Rob Tremaine - and Rob has no intention of letting Flynn go.

As Tom and Flynn begin their high-risk, high-reward romance, will the tides of the past sweep in to destroy their new love?

©2017 Harper Fox (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Two wounded men free each other

This story was harder than I thought it would be based on the description. But it was so worth the journey. The two MCs were so deserving of the found love that they fell into. Their story was of a love hard fought for and worth dying over. Loved the prose and poetry of their story.
The narrator captured the Cornwall dialect and did an excellent job of keeping the characters voices distinct. Very well done.

Gripping and sweet

I really enjoyed this intense and romantic story. Very engaging! I was emotionally invested in the two main characters; scared, sad, happy... I also want to visit Cornwall now lol. Excellent story and an outstanding narration. Thank you to all Troops for your Service & sacrifice. These stories are a grim reminder of how much you give in the line of duty. Thank you so much.

not bad

I was looking for something a little more edgy. I was pleased with the narrator and the story. idk why I thought there would be more danger or something. I felt like it needed just a little more.

flowery

well written as always, full of angst and love and sex. the pacing was off for me, but I got through it alright. love Fox's writing.

Intense Story / Great Performance

The plot is intense and engaging, and the gay elements realistic. The writing was excellent, vivid and even eloquent in places. The reading / performance was outstanding.

If you only you knew men such as these

Thank you Audible and Mr Fox; I knew WWII and Vietnam American soldiers such as these, they hid, they came about and they were dedicated to themselves and each other…gone now, but, not forgotten

Beautifully written

Harper Fox may be the highest quality M/M writer out there, currently. Her books have a true sense of place; whether they're set in modern day, as this one is, or in post-WWII Britain, or the Dark Ages, you feel like you're immersed in the setting. Her characters are complex, the plots exciting, and the romance lovely but always subservient to the plot.

One feature of Fox's characters is that they are all somewhat broken, to varying degrees. Thomas has PTSD, OCD, is an alcoholic, and probably has some form of social anxiety disorder. But he is never defined by his issues, and they don't get in the way of the plot. Typical, overdone romance novel tropes are absent, as they are from most Fox novels; no big misunderstandings, no alternating point of view, no "I thought I was straight but then I met my roommate's brother and I'm smitten" sexual identity crises. It's just a solid love story framed against an exciting plot in a beautiful setting.

Fox's books do occasionally have some drawbacks, but none of them are present here. There's no surprise supernatural element, no twist 80% of the way through the novel that negates much of what was written before, and no politics clumsily jammed down the reader's throat.

Chris Clog narrates a lot of Fox's books, and always does an admirable job. The only issue I had with the audiobook--and it's not only minor but I'm not sure whose feet at which to lay the blame--is that occasionally the scene will change and there will be no indication, either in the vocal inflection or the text itself, that it has. More than once I was listening and realized that it was the next day, and I had to rewind to see exactly when the time jump happened.

Overall though, just a spectacular book, and it revived my interest in this author after a couple disappointing efforts.

Another Epic Love Story!

Every Harper Fox story is unique and this one is now in my top5! The narrator brought every character to life!

Oh you minx, you!

There is something very special about harper and how she can evoke suck emotions in her story’s. This is now my 8th book I have listened to and I’m blown away with her writing. It’s just so good.

For everyone saying that her story’s are just “gay romances trying to be passed off as mystery”… do you even hear yourself?? Like, if you don’t like it, move on. This is 2022 and this story having gay men in it; isn’t the basis of what it’s about. If you don’t like it, don’t listen!! It’s that simple!

Me on the other hand, these story’s are simply wonderful.

Good listen, good ending, kinda slow but worth a read

It was a slow kinda boring listen. I ended up liking it, but felt a bit tired and sleepy listening to it. I liked the ending. I enjoyed it overall.