Reviews

Driftwood by Harper Fox

bfsooner's review against another edition

2.0

I've ready many Harper Fox novels, and have enjoyed them enough to continue to read her. But this one is just bad...so, so bad. May need to take a break from her. 

linda_1410's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Wow, I forgot a lot more of this than I thought I had. 

This was going ok, even with the insta-love and the cheating (the bf was an abusive bastard, and that's the least of his sins, so don't feel sorry for the douchenugget), but that ending... 🙄 It's like someone asked Fox how many soap opera tropes she wanted in her climax and she chose all of them. Seriously, we have

the car accident resulting in a five-day coma - not that that's going to stop the doc from going out in a storm to save his man; the storm; the drug dealers; the miracle flying by our ace who hasn't flown in two years but he needs to save the men on the chopper, dang it, and not crash this time; and then all the revelations about the douchenugget who on top of running drugs also nearly killed his bf the first time Flynn tried to break up with him and blamed him for the crash that killed all their teammates, and Flynn forget about the near breakup and stayed with him for two more years because reasons. Then the bf tries to kill Flynn yet again, but then still comes back for him just in case he was alive, because he needed a hostage??? But he got away, so...why did he need a hostage? Everyone would've assumed he was drowned. And of course, he almost kills Tom but Flynn in a manly display of righteous something or other shoots the bf first. Killing him. We're pretty sure this time. *nods* And if that wasn't enough, once they're home safe and sound, the dog saves them from the house when the cliff gives way and it all crashes down the hill.

Because obviously there wasn't enough excitement going on. But at least I have another book for my new "magical libido" shelf! And this is a double magical libido, since one guy is just awake from a coma and the other guy is in shock from nearly drowning. But nothing fixes all your ills faster than a boner, am I right?!!! 🤦🏻‍♀️

Honestly, this probably doesn't even deserve two stars, but I was amused by how silly and OTT the drama it got and the dog was a sweetie pie. The writing was pretty decent too.

The narration by Chris Clog was pretty good, though he could have changed his voices a bit more with some of the characters.

lezreadalot's review against another edition

3.0

“You’re different, you know. When you touch me, when you look at me. You make the world seem different. Less of a battlefield.”

2.5 stars. This is a weird one. It's undeniably well-written and I think the characters have great spark together. But the plot progression and events in this one were just so weak that it didn't come together in anything near a convincing love story for me. And the thing is, plot is usually the last thing I care about. Good writing and good characters are infinitely more important to me, especially if we're talking romance. There was an intensity to this that I liked, but the super quick burn just didn't work for these characters. They're both military men, past and present, and they're both brimming over with trauma. Nine times out of ten, if you're giving a character that much baggage, the story has to be fleshed out enough to hold up under it. And this both wasn't long enough, and didn't span a long enough time. I believe these characters could have fallen in love, but I didn't see it on page at all. I don't think the abusive partner storyline was handled badly, but I wouldn't give it any awards either. Through and through, this entire book just felt a bit lacking.

However, I did really earnestly love all the descriptions of the Cornish country and seaside, the solemn, lonely atmosphere, the fact that the characters' PTSD was taken into account. Like I said, it was really intense, which I always love, even if this did include some of my squicks. Fox can definitely write really well; no doubting that. I'm pretty sure the other book I read by her also took place in a short period of time? Like, a week? But idk, either that one was done way better, or my tastes have changed since then. I was never captivated by this romance.

Listened to the audiobook as read by Chris Clog, who was great to listen to, and did a good job of bringing all these different characters alive. I'm sure I'll read from this author again. This just wasn't it for me.

Content warnings:

Spoiler

intimate partner abuse, gaslighting, violence, war, PTSD, alcoholism, death

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tricia03053's review against another edition

4.0

There are some major plot holes in this. But you know, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. These flawed characters became compelling, and their struggles to find the ability to love, to survive, was the strength of the novel. I will never be able to believe that a man with a broken collarbone could accomplish what Tom did out on the ocean, but darn, the story itself was wonderful.

teresab78's review against another edition

3.0

I didn’t like this as much as I have others of this author. It was quite depressing and I didn’t quite feel the connection between the characters other than situational. They didn’t have much time together. The writing was beautiful though and it was full of imagery.

shan198025's review against another edition

4.0

I liked this. Some reviewers have said it's really sad and hard to read but I didn't find that true. Flynn is in an abusive relationship and I felt for him. Tom was a little too standoffish for me but overall it was a well written story that pulled my heart strings.

slee907's review against another edition

emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

suflet's review against another edition

5.0

I loved these characters and their dynamic relationship. I completely recommend this book.

friends2lovers's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

The pacing in the beginning was a little slow and it took me a while to get into the story. Once the pace picked up, I was engrossed. I did not expect there to be a thriller/suspense subplot, but it was a nice surprise. I liked Fox's prose for the most part, though at times it was a little too florid and I noted a few overlong sentences. The characterizations and sense of place were both very good and probably my favorite aspects of the story. The biggest negative for me was that the romance, although not exactly insta-love, felt underdeveloped, rushed, or taken for granted.

Both this author and narrator, Chris Clog, were new to me. I really enjoyed Clog's narration, with the exception of a failure to clearly distinguish Tom's and Flynn's voices in a couple of scenes. Sadly it looks like he's only done a handful of titles (unless he also narrates under a different pseudonym). Next up I'm listening to The Salisbury Key, narrated by Hamish Long, but after that I'll return to Clog with Seven Summer Nights.

ENDNOTES: MM contemporary romance, suspense, traumatic/tragic past, other man drama, doctor MC, military MC, coastal setting (Cornwall, UK), late spring & early summer, 3rd-person single POV (Tom only), short novel (60k words), audiobook on Audible Plus

HEAT INDEX: 4/5 

4 full, moderately explicit sex scenes + 2 brief masturbation scenes. Includes a HJ, BJ, and anal sex. Also, a couple of sex scenes were outdoors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Infidelity, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, War, Medical content, Homophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

becka6131's review against another edition

4.0

Oh, Harper Fox. There's no one like her for making me want to run off to Cornwall and become a SAR helicopter pilot/rural GP/psychic/local bobby. It's really quite the skill that even in books where things look as bleak as they do in this, she still manages to create this atmosphere of lyrical beauty and hope. The way she writes makes everything luminous, even the very difficult stuff - and this one does get quite grim at points. She's so good at writing characters who come into the story already wounded, lugging around a lot of baggage, finding it difficult to connect to other people, so that when they do meet the right person and feel a renewed sense of desire to exist in the world, you can't help but get swept up by it. I hope she continues to write for a very long time, I really do.