Mended with Gold

Very sweet slow burn romance between a 45 year old PTSD survivor and the shy younger man he meets when he moves to a small New Zealand town. Lots of pining and “he can't possibly want me, I'm too old and damaged” and a bit of a mystery about why the younger guy is so skittish. Lovely lyrical writing that puts me in mind of [a:Harper Fox 4059028 Harper Fox https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1308927760p2/4059028.jpg]'s best work. Almost lost a full star at the end due to an unnecessary external obstacle is placed in the MCs path, and an explicit sex scene that seems jarring after all of the chaste pining that took place before it. I read this several months after [b:Salt Magic, Skin Magic 40722060 Salt Magic, Skin Magic Lee Welch https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1530750775s/40722060.jpg 63344403], and although it's not as polished as Welch's breakout novel, it's interesting to see how she got her start. She definitely showed a lot of promise with this debut, and I'm glad the promise was fulfilled.