3.5 starsThis is a kind of mixed one for me:There were a lot of things I liked about this one- the whole premise sounded quite exciting- Josh - the broken man slowly healing. I loved all the detail about his back story from his time under cover.- Eli's character - he was just this amazing, kind, patient sweetheart of a man. I enjoyed all the info about the horses and the ranch too- the delicious slow-building healing and development of a relationship between the two guys- and even the secondary character of Tucker was really well done- oh and COWBOYS! :PBut I also felt that there were quite a few niggles- the pacing was off for me as the beginning gripped me, the middle was all a bit slow and repetitive, and I found myself losing interest a bit, and then all this action was kinda crammed into the last quarter of the book- Despite loving slow-building relationships, there was just something about the way they actually got together that didn't feel it was quite right to me - I think its because it didn't lead in at the same pace as things had previously been developing...it was like slow-building healing and friendship developing slowly and then suddenly sex in a barn! I can't remember the exact order of everything now, but that's what it seemed like - although admittedly the sex in the barn was pretty hot!- I couldn't help but feel Josh was a self-absorbed selfish arse towards the middle and end, despite knowing what he has gone through. You get his behaviour at first but then he makes some really stupid decisions towards the end and I can't really forgive him for effectively abandoning Eli at the point at which he probably needs him the most.- I felt it kind of needed an Epilogue or something. It didn't just abruptly end, but after all the action that was happening in the last part, I thought it wrapped up a bit too suddenly.So overall I liked it and some parts were great, but I didn't love those parts enough to overlook the niggles unfortunately. I can see this book has had a load of great reviews and that's why I decided to read it - and it really wasn't a bad book at all, but I think this one just wasn't really for me for whatever reason. This started off slowly, but it may have been the narrator's voice that makes me think that. I think the various character voices were well done, especially the ones with the accents. Love, Like Water is brimming full of a emotional and physical drama, horror and heartache. My heart ached for both Josh and Eli. But mostly for Josh. There are a several cringing parts and few that brought me to tears because some of the subject matters are harsh. I think listening to the words made those parts more intense. That's not all there is though. There is tenderness and love and acceptance, but it takes some time to get there. But they do, finally!I enjoyed listening to this and I will listen to it again in the coming months. I highly recommend.
What do You think about Love, Like Water (2013)?
Excellent story of recovery from trauma and love. Loved it!
—nelly
