Review & Giveaway - - Waiting for the Flood

Waiting for the Flood

by Alexis Hall

Spires - Book 2

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: February 20, 2024

Reviewed by PJ

Quietly heartbroken, Edwin Tully lives alone in the house he used to share with the man he once loved. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to build a future from the fragments of the past. Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwin's quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again.

As the two men are drawn together in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin slowly lets down his guard as he comes to accept he can't shield his heart from everything—and perhaps he doesn't even need to try. Because love doesn't only leave scars…sometimes, it heals them, too.

PJ's Thoughts:

What a lovely, lovely story. I am awash in all the feelings. Hall is a master of language and emotion, crafting a gentle, thoughtful story that flows with a lyrical, almost poetic quality. Like the impending flood, I was swept away by the pain, the healing, and the hope within Edwin's world.

Sometimes our hearts are broken. We feel we aren't worthy of being loved. The grief of losing the life we were certain we were meant to live sets us adrift. Those are all facets of Edwin that Hall deftly addresses with an honest but nurturing hand, creating a deeply emotional journey of moving on that I was hard pressed to put down. He made me laugh, touched my soul, and certainly brought about a flood of tears. Through Edwin, and Adam, he shows us that love that ends is not love wasted. Worthy of grief and sadness, certainly, but not a waste. Sometimes, it's just not the right time for that love to continue. And, sometimes, a new love will come along. A love that's better, deeper, healthier, and right for the person you have now become. I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking of these characters and their story for some time to come. 

Alexis Hall wrote Edwin's story almost a decade ago. This book is a reissue of that original story but includes new content. The author has now penned a story for Marius, the former boyfriend of ten years who left Edwin and broke his heart, sending him into a two-year spiral of quiet grief. "Chasing the Light" follows Marius as he deals with the fallout of the events he set into motion when he left Edwin and the possibilities of forgiveness, acceptance, and moving on. It's edgier than Waiting for the Flood, as Marius is a flawed character with a sharpness that at times leans to cruelty. His journey is an interesting character study of both him and the man who comes into his life at a vulnerable moment, illustrating once again that we are all worthy of love and, if we're lucky, will meet that right person who will love us, flaws and all. I appreciated the crossover of characters in the two stories, bringing much needed closure to both Edwin and Marius, enabling them to move forward with a healed heart. 

Waiting for the Flood is a book I'll be visiting again. I have no doubt that each time I read it I'll be moved by something new in Alexis Hall's gentle, masterful prose. 

Have you read any of Alexis Hall's books?

Do you have a favorite?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, March 1 will receive a print copy of Waiting for the Flood. 

*U.S. only

*Must be 18