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A Christmas Harbor
David has always spent Christmas alone. For most of his career as a Navy officer, being with another man could have cost him everything. Now that regs have changed and he’s fully out, all that stands in the way of love is his fear of getting it wrong.
Paul has never spent Christmas alone. Yet that’s exactly what he’s chosen to do this year, driving halfway across the country to forget the man who broke his heart. If a change in scenery can’t cure his Christmas blues, at least it might banish his writer’s block.
In a sad little piano bar on a soggy Christmas Eve, all David and Paul want is to drown their sorrows in fine bourbon and godawful mulled wine. But when they meet, the connection they forge could lead to a night of honest passion with serious possibilities.
Chase away the holiday blues with this short standalone novella featuring a suggestive drawbridge, a jolly misfit singalong, and a romantic rendezvous aboard a Christmas boat!
Paul has never spent Christmas alone. Yet that’s exactly what he’s chosen to do this year, driving halfway across the country to forget the man who broke his heart. If a change in scenery can’t cure his Christmas blues, at least it might banish his writer’s block.
In a sad little piano bar on a soggy Christmas Eve, all David and Paul want is to drown their sorrows in fine bourbon and godawful mulled wine. But when they meet, the connection they forge could lead to a night of honest passion with serious possibilities.
Chase away the holiday blues with this short standalone novella featuring a suggestive drawbridge, a jolly misfit singalong, and a romantic rendezvous aboard a Christmas boat!
Kindle Edition
First published December 9, 2022
20 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Avery Cockburn
18 books501 followersAvery Cockburn (rhymes with Savory Slow Churn) lives in the great State of Maryland with one infinitely patient man and two infinitely impatient cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
December 14, 2022
4.5 Stars
It always makes me so happy when I see Avery Cockburn has released new content, so picking up her latest Christmas novella was a no-brainer for me.
This story and these characters packed quite a punch in the scant 101 pages on offer, as we get to follow two deeply thoughtful and lonely men—writer and professor Paul and sailor and Navy instructor David—as they find each other serendipitously on a snowy Christmas Eve in Annapolis.
Paul and David were such lovely characters, and although their story only really showcased their first night together, it was jammed packed with so many great conversations, profound emotions, and some heart-warmingly tender moments of both physical and emotional intimacy, that it was all too easy to see how one night would be all it would take for these two men to recognise they’ve finally found their right person in one another.
As always, I love how complex and thoughtful Cockburn’s characters are, always spurring such great dialogues that challenge me think and feel in new and different ways, every single time, without fail. I love that about her writing; her deep intellect—which shines through her characters thoughts, feelings and actions with every poignant turn of the page.
A Christmas Harbor was a near-perfect Christmas romance for me, making me feel warm and contented in all the best ways only a great Christmas romance can.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ❤️❤️❤️
It always makes me so happy when I see Avery Cockburn has released new content, so picking up her latest Christmas novella was a no-brainer for me.
This story and these characters packed quite a punch in the scant 101 pages on offer, as we get to follow two deeply thoughtful and lonely men—writer and professor Paul and sailor and Navy instructor David—as they find each other serendipitously on a snowy Christmas Eve in Annapolis.
Paul and David were such lovely characters, and although their story only really showcased their first night together, it was jammed packed with so many great conversations, profound emotions, and some heart-warmingly tender moments of both physical and emotional intimacy, that it was all too easy to see how one night would be all it would take for these two men to recognise they’ve finally found their right person in one another.
As always, I love how complex and thoughtful Cockburn’s characters are, always spurring such great dialogues that challenge me think and feel in new and different ways, every single time, without fail. I love that about her writing; her deep intellect—which shines through her characters thoughts, feelings and actions with every poignant turn of the page.
A Christmas Harbor was a near-perfect Christmas romance for me, making me feel warm and contented in all the best ways only a great Christmas romance can.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! ❤️❤️❤️
December 10, 2022
This is the kind of Christmas read I look for around this season.One that is about real people and real lives, and characters with real struggles and kind souls who need a Christmas miracle.Even the sex scene was realistic . And I loved the beautiful writing, the melancholic tone of the book, the awkwardness between the two MCs.. I loved that they are more mature and I loved that they were flawed. Such a good story and so sweet and enjoyable. Paul and David were so perfect for each other, emotionally and intellectually.
I could have done with a bit less technical submarine talking because I had no idea what all those things meant lol . I’m extremely happy when I find a Christmas book that it’s a bit different from the idealistic rom com Christmassy reads we usually see. I wish more authors were willing to put more originality into their holiday books.
I could have done with a bit less technical submarine talking because I had no idea what all those things meant lol . I’m extremely happy when I find a Christmas book that it’s a bit different from the idealistic rom com Christmassy reads we usually see. I wish more authors were willing to put more originality into their holiday books.
December 19, 2022
I stopped reading Avery Cockburn's books years ago because I don't think their writing style lends itself to the romance genre.
This story is a perfect example. From the get-go, the atmosphere is sad and somber.
The rain is heavy and cold; the bar, empty, occupied by a few miserable patrons (the couple who loathe each other, the old man who can't hear even the most boisterous of songs); the depressed piano man; the bartender trying so hard to smile in the face of darkness and drink specials no one wants to buy.
Shadows lurk in every corner, but David and Paul meet despite (or maybe because) of it.
Paul is mourning the loss of a relationship. David is still reeling from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." All the Christmas songs bring back cruel memories.
It's all terribly dreary.
The epilogue is a ray of sunshine, but I was a bundle of melancholy by the time the summer came along.
Writing style and character development: 3 plus stars.
My subjective enjoyment of this bleak holiday story: 1 star (and that's only if I'm drunk; otherwise, I'm just gonna sob all over my pillow).
I don't recommend if you're seeking something happy and emotionally fulfilling.
This story is a perfect example. From the get-go, the atmosphere is sad and somber.
The rain is heavy and cold; the bar, empty, occupied by a few miserable patrons (the couple who loathe each other, the old man who can't hear even the most boisterous of songs); the depressed piano man; the bartender trying so hard to smile in the face of darkness and drink specials no one wants to buy.
Shadows lurk in every corner, but David and Paul meet despite (or maybe because) of it.
Paul is mourning the loss of a relationship. David is still reeling from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." All the Christmas songs bring back cruel memories.
It's all terribly dreary.
The epilogue is a ray of sunshine, but I was a bundle of melancholy by the time the summer came along.
Writing style and character development: 3 plus stars.
My subjective enjoyment of this bleak holiday story: 1 star (and that's only if I'm drunk; otherwise, I'm just gonna sob all over my pillow).
I don't recommend if you're seeking something happy and emotionally fulfilling.
December 12, 2022
I’m a big fan of Avery’s Glasgow Lads series so I was looking forward to this one.
This was just really lovely. It was just a long warm get-to-know-each other Christmas Eve that I just really enjoyed. We learn quite a bit more about David as a person but his story was the most intriguing. Just a little personal niggle, I have an in-law that is a former nuclear engineer for the navy and worked on those top secret submarines… and that’s all we were allowed to know. He couldn’t tell anyone anything about his job, let alone a stranger. But for the sake of entertainment and fiction, I’ll let it slide for this book. 😉
This is little to no steam, and the one scene in it is very… non-descriptive. I was disappointed by that but that’s because I’m a horny bastard. It’s okay because this story made up for the lack of steam.
It’s very literary. The writing is just thoughtful. It makes you feel good and root for these men.
And the engagement plan mention is something I REALLY hope she releases in a short because it sounds like one of the most creative proposals I’ve ever read.
Anyway. Yay. A book I didn’t hate.
This was just really lovely. It was just a long warm get-to-know-each other Christmas Eve that I just really enjoyed. We learn quite a bit more about David as a person but his story was the most intriguing. Just a little personal niggle, I have an in-law that is a former nuclear engineer for the navy and worked on those top secret submarines… and that’s all we were allowed to know. He couldn’t tell anyone anything about his job, let alone a stranger. But for the sake of entertainment and fiction, I’ll let it slide for this book. 😉
This is little to no steam, and the one scene in it is very… non-descriptive. I was disappointed by that but that’s because I’m a horny bastard. It’s okay because this story made up for the lack of steam.
It’s very literary. The writing is just thoughtful. It makes you feel good and root for these men.
And the engagement plan mention is something I REALLY hope she releases in a short because it sounds like one of the most creative proposals I’ve ever read.
Anyway. Yay. A book I didn’t hate.
December 19, 2022
5 Stars!! 🥰😍🤩🤩 Loved this perfect Christmas novella.❤️❤️. It had everything that I love.. grown-up MCs who were realistic; a touch of shared melancholy, a meet-cute with sparks of emotional connection and finally a steamy chemistry that could rival a full-length book. 🥰
This novella was so addictive that I read it in one sitting and although it left me wanting more, it did not leave the story unfinished. Told from both POVs, it was beautifully written. Highly recommended to all fans of holiday m/m romances 💕💕 One of my favorites among this year’s holiday books. 😍
This novella was so addictive that I read it in one sitting and although it left me wanting more, it did not leave the story unfinished. Told from both POVs, it was beautifully written. Highly recommended to all fans of holiday m/m romances 💕💕 One of my favorites among this year’s holiday books. 😍
December 9, 2022
Two lonely men find that their Christmas dreams might just come true in this gorgeous romance.
I was very lucky to beta read this book for Avery and what an absolute delight of a story it is.
If you know Billy Joel's Piano Man, then you won't be at all surprised by the plot of this story which has a writer and college lecturer, a bit down on his luck, meeting a guy from the Navy in a bar:
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life
Over the course of the night they forge a connection and head off back to David's boat, anchored in the harbor near the Naval College where he works, and discover they're more compatible than even they might have hoped.
While there's a relatively short period over which they meet and get down and dirty, the pacing never feels rushed, neither does their relationship, which seems like a bizarre thing to write, but this book gives you the impression they're sort of suspended in time for a while.
I firmly believed they'd still be together a year or more later, they just have a bone deep emotional response to each other, coupled with the maturity to know when something's worth taking a chance on.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
I was very lucky to beta read this book for Avery and what an absolute delight of a story it is.
If you know Billy Joel's Piano Man, then you won't be at all surprised by the plot of this story which has a writer and college lecturer, a bit down on his luck, meeting a guy from the Navy in a bar:
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life
Over the course of the night they forge a connection and head off back to David's boat, anchored in the harbor near the Naval College where he works, and discover they're more compatible than even they might have hoped.
While there's a relatively short period over which they meet and get down and dirty, the pacing never feels rushed, neither does their relationship, which seems like a bizarre thing to write, but this book gives you the impression they're sort of suspended in time for a while.
I firmly believed they'd still be together a year or more later, they just have a bone deep emotional response to each other, coupled with the maturity to know when something's worth taking a chance on.
#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review
December 10, 2023
Lovely realistic Christmas story. Mature characters with a surprising amount of depth for a holiday novella. Real characters who are a bit lonely and sad on Xmas Eve, this story was heart warming and felt full of hope for other lonely people out there. I loved the meeting between these two, the awkardness and how genuine their first night together was. This is my kind of Christmas novella.
December 17, 2022
This is one of my favorite holiday stories this year -- the story feels so grounded. I loved that both characters, Paul and David, were both more mature, and their connection is believable.
Yes, it's a happenstance that Paul and David met on that little piano bar, both were lonely, both had heartbreak, both had things going on in their lives. But when they talk, they created this CONNECTION that I was DYING to see play it on screen, because OH MY GOD, I want this kind of stories to be MORE available as readers.
I could do less with the technical talks though, because I didn't have enough reference to imagine it in the first place, so I was a bit lost for that. But everything else IS GOLD.
Yes, it's a happenstance that Paul and David met on that little piano bar, both were lonely, both had heartbreak, both had things going on in their lives. But when they talk, they created this CONNECTION that I was DYING to see play it on screen, because OH MY GOD, I want this kind of stories to be MORE available as readers.
I could do less with the technical talks though, because I didn't have enough reference to imagine it in the first place, so I was a bit lost for that. But everything else IS GOLD.
November 13, 2023
3,5 stars.
Lovely and quiet christmas novel, with adult characters behaving like adults, having adult conversations, no drama or silly situations, just two lonely people getting closer.
The story covers one night, plus the epilogue 6 months later.
Liked it overall.
Lovely and quiet christmas novel, with adult characters behaving like adults, having adult conversations, no drama or silly situations, just two lonely people getting closer.
The story covers one night, plus the epilogue 6 months later.
Liked it overall.
January 5, 2024
3.5 stars
Nothing life-changing, but still a good story to pass the time. The additional half star is for the good quotes about engineers. What can I say, sometimes I’m easy to please.
Nothing life-changing, but still a good story to pass the time. The additional half star is for the good quotes about engineers. What can I say, sometimes I’m easy to please.
December 16, 2022
4+
Kameralna, nastrojowa historia. Teatr dwóch aktorów, z którego spokojnie można byłoby zrobić sztukę. Ciepła książka o zbiegu okoliczności oraz nieoczekiwanej nadziei, której nie spodziewałeś się już spotkać, a która znalazła Cię w wigilijny wieczór, w pustej niemalże tawernie.
Cała historia dzieje się w 18-20 godzin. W filmie całkiem często spotykane, ale w książkach rzadko - nawet w tych świątecznych. Ale jest prawda w tej opowieści. Jest dwóch dojrzałych facetów - 37 i 42 lata. Jest sporo rozmów, jest zaciekawienie i pewna fascynacja, jest seks - choć nie dominuje absolutnie opowieści. Jest w końcu obietnica HEA w ostatnim rozdziale. I epilog, który pokazuje, że obietnica stała się rzeczywistością.
Podobało mi się 💙
But if they were together, the cold would be no hardship, not with the warmth of electric blankets, wool socks, and a fuzzy wiener dog (among other things). If many waters could not quench love, nor rivers drown it, then wind and sleet stood no chance at all.
Kameralna, nastrojowa historia. Teatr dwóch aktorów, z którego spokojnie można byłoby zrobić sztukę. Ciepła książka o zbiegu okoliczności oraz nieoczekiwanej nadziei, której nie spodziewałeś się już spotkać, a która znalazła Cię w wigilijny wieczór, w pustej niemalże tawernie.
Cała historia dzieje się w 18-20 godzin. W filmie całkiem często spotykane, ale w książkach rzadko - nawet w tych świątecznych. Ale jest prawda w tej opowieści. Jest dwóch dojrzałych facetów - 37 i 42 lata. Jest sporo rozmów, jest zaciekawienie i pewna fascynacja, jest seks - choć nie dominuje absolutnie opowieści. Jest w końcu obietnica HEA w ostatnim rozdziale. I epilog, który pokazuje, że obietnica stała się rzeczywistością.
Podobało mi się 💙
But if they were together, the cold would be no hardship, not with the warmth of electric blankets, wool socks, and a fuzzy wiener dog (among other things). If many waters could not quench love, nor rivers drown it, then wind and sleet stood no chance at all.
February 5, 2023
I enjoyed this holiday story but it wasn't the 'feel good' book I was craving.
Almost all of my December reads are ooey-gooey and so sweet your teeth ache.
This did not fit the bill.
It was somber and reflective.
It was hopeful and held promise.
I NEEDED the epilogue and was relieved it gave me exactly what I wanted.
I have always adored Avery's Glasgow lads and for some reason, thought this would have the same vibes. It did not.
That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy them. I just didn't love them.
Almost all of my December reads are ooey-gooey and so sweet your teeth ache.
This did not fit the bill.
It was somber and reflective.
It was hopeful and held promise.
I NEEDED the epilogue and was relieved it gave me exactly what I wanted.
I have always adored Avery's Glasgow lads and for some reason, thought this would have the same vibes. It did not.
That isn't to say that I didn't enjoy them. I just didn't love them.
November 20, 2023
A Christmas Harbor is charming and most enjoyable! Of course, I've never read anything by Avery Cockburn I didn't thoroughly enjoy.
Engaging characters and a fun plot, with a tiny bit of emotional angst thrown in to keep it interesting. Plus Cockburn writes wonderful physical romance. Lovely.
Engaging characters and a fun plot, with a tiny bit of emotional angst thrown in to keep it interesting. Plus Cockburn writes wonderful physical romance. Lovely.
December 18, 2022
I'm quite a fan of this author's works, but I'm always a little nervous when it comes to holiday books. Thankfully, I think this novella was a winner! There was a lot of depth here, and though I could have read a full novel with these two, I think the author pulled off the shorter format. There's a sense of realness and the faintest hint of meloncholy, but not in a way that felt overwhelmingly depressing. It was overall quite a hopeful, happy, sexy read, with a satisfying ending. Things maybe move a smidge more quickly between them than ideal, but sometimes connections like that happen.
December 25, 2022
This is perhaps my favorite of the Holiday stories I've read this year. I'm old enough to love the homage of the opening scene, and Avery Cockburn's characters always hit the sweet spot for me, with emotion but not angst, reality and past trauma and hope.
David has spent a career in the Navy, and can't imagine being anything else, but it's been lonely, and it's no surprise to find himself in a small bar on Christmas Eve, listening to the piano player and drowning his sorrows. Paul is an author, facing writer's block and the first truly lonely Christmas in a long time. But he's also a man with some ability to hope, and to get outside himself. In a small piano bar, unexpectedly open on Christmas Eve, he meets a sailor who lives on his own houseboat, and with an unsuspected talent for singing carols, and by the time they end up there, both their lives will be changed.
I would happily have read a full novel, and enjoyed the moments between HFN and the HEA epilogue, but what is here gave me two men who really felt human and relatable, and whose happy ending mattered to me. Another great couple from this author.
David has spent a career in the Navy, and can't imagine being anything else, but it's been lonely, and it's no surprise to find himself in a small bar on Christmas Eve, listening to the piano player and drowning his sorrows. Paul is an author, facing writer's block and the first truly lonely Christmas in a long time. But he's also a man with some ability to hope, and to get outside himself. In a small piano bar, unexpectedly open on Christmas Eve, he meets a sailor who lives on his own houseboat, and with an unsuspected talent for singing carols, and by the time they end up there, both their lives will be changed.
I would happily have read a full novel, and enjoyed the moments between HFN and the HEA epilogue, but what is here gave me two men who really felt human and relatable, and whose happy ending mattered to me. Another great couple from this author.
December 18, 2024
B+/ 4.5 stars
I admit I’ve veered somewhat off course for this year’s December theme of “It’s a Party!” with this one; I usually read something festive/Christmassy for the final TBR Challenge of the year, and that’s what I had in my mind when I chose to read Avery Cockburn’s A Christmas Harbor. I suppose I could make the argument that both the characters are – individually - having a bit of a pity party when we meet them, so maybe the book fits the prompt if you squint!
Author Paul McCafferty has come to Annapolis because he needs to find an apartment prior to taking up his new job as a visiting professor at St. John’s College, and he’s deliberately come during the holiday to avoid the memories of the previous Christmas he knows will keep plaguing him if he spends it at home with family. He’s trudging around town in the rain, trying to find a dive bar where he can get quietly drunk before heading back to his hotel, but things are pretty quiet. He’s almost given up when he sees a tavern with a sign announcing “Live Music” hanging in the window. As he pulls open the door, he’s met by soft lighting and the bluesy sound of a piano… yep. Here will do very well for the state of drunkeness he’s aiming to achieve. He takes a seat at the bar, perfectly placed for people-watching, and scans the room, taking in the guy playing the piano and the old man sitting to one side, the couple who are clearly together, but not talking, and the guy with close-cropped sandy hair sitting alone at the other corner and absently rolling a glass tumbler between his hands. When the pianist launches into the opening notes of Wham’s Last Christmas, the guy lets out a deep groan – and Paul can’t help wondering if the song reminds this man of a lost love, too, his writer’s brain starting to spin a story. Or, he reasons, he could just go over and talk to him to make sure he’s alright – after all, it’s Christmas Eve; what better time for a good deed?
Naval instructor David Jeffries is used to spending Christmas on his own. Year after year after year of hiding his sexuality for the sake of personal ambition, of pushing away anything and anyone that threatened his career, means that hiding his true self has become a habit that’s hard to break. And even though it’s now possible to be an out, gay man in the Navy, those habits have died hard and the relationships he’s attempted since just haven’t worked out. He’s not quite sure what to make of it when the guy who just arrived approaches him and asks if he’s okay – and is just a bit wary when he strikes up a little low-key flirtation. But then David relaxes into it and decides to let himself have this, to enjoy some good company and conversation, and very soon, he and Paul are getting on like a house on fire. A few hours spent talking about his life and career as a submariner, about Paul’s books and literature in general, swapping college and classroom war stories, and then leading the Christmas Eve Cheer-the-Fuck-Up singalong, bring about a genuine closeness, and what had begun as the second-worst Christmas Eve of Paul’s life has been tranformed into one of the best.
A Christmas Harbor is a quiet, character-driven story that is just Christmassy enough and which packs quite an emotional punch as we follow these two lonely and thoughtful men through a single evening (and morning after). The author’s use of pathetic fallacy; how the drab, wintry streets and dreary weather echo the melancholy tone of Paul’s thoughts at the beginning is skilfully done, and I liked how that continues as the relationship develops and the world becomes both literally and figuratively brighter. The dialogue is terrific – funny and insightful – the characters have depth and complexity and the story is full of wonderful conversations and warm, tender moments. I liked that David and Paul are two mature, kind men with real problems and real lives and struggles, and the sense of bone-deep connection the author has created between them makes it completely credible that they could realise they’ve finally found their forever person in such a relatively short space of time. They’re perfect for each other, intellectually and emotionally, and by the time I finished reading, there was no doubt whatsover in my mind that they would make it long term.
A Christmas Harbor is a short but immensely satisfying story and an absolutely lovely romance. My only complaint is that it’s not longer.
With a nod to Billy Joel’s Piano Man:
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life...
I admit I’ve veered somewhat off course for this year’s December theme of “It’s a Party!” with this one; I usually read something festive/Christmassy for the final TBR Challenge of the year, and that’s what I had in my mind when I chose to read Avery Cockburn’s A Christmas Harbor. I suppose I could make the argument that both the characters are – individually - having a bit of a pity party when we meet them, so maybe the book fits the prompt if you squint!
Author Paul McCafferty has come to Annapolis because he needs to find an apartment prior to taking up his new job as a visiting professor at St. John’s College, and he’s deliberately come during the holiday to avoid the memories of the previous Christmas he knows will keep plaguing him if he spends it at home with family. He’s trudging around town in the rain, trying to find a dive bar where he can get quietly drunk before heading back to his hotel, but things are pretty quiet. He’s almost given up when he sees a tavern with a sign announcing “Live Music” hanging in the window. As he pulls open the door, he’s met by soft lighting and the bluesy sound of a piano… yep. Here will do very well for the state of drunkeness he’s aiming to achieve. He takes a seat at the bar, perfectly placed for people-watching, and scans the room, taking in the guy playing the piano and the old man sitting to one side, the couple who are clearly together, but not talking, and the guy with close-cropped sandy hair sitting alone at the other corner and absently rolling a glass tumbler between his hands. When the pianist launches into the opening notes of Wham’s Last Christmas, the guy lets out a deep groan – and Paul can’t help wondering if the song reminds this man of a lost love, too, his writer’s brain starting to spin a story. Or, he reasons, he could just go over and talk to him to make sure he’s alright – after all, it’s Christmas Eve; what better time for a good deed?
Naval instructor David Jeffries is used to spending Christmas on his own. Year after year after year of hiding his sexuality for the sake of personal ambition, of pushing away anything and anyone that threatened his career, means that hiding his true self has become a habit that’s hard to break. And even though it’s now possible to be an out, gay man in the Navy, those habits have died hard and the relationships he’s attempted since just haven’t worked out. He’s not quite sure what to make of it when the guy who just arrived approaches him and asks if he’s okay – and is just a bit wary when he strikes up a little low-key flirtation. But then David relaxes into it and decides to let himself have this, to enjoy some good company and conversation, and very soon, he and Paul are getting on like a house on fire. A few hours spent talking about his life and career as a submariner, about Paul’s books and literature in general, swapping college and classroom war stories, and then leading the Christmas Eve Cheer-the-Fuck-Up singalong, bring about a genuine closeness, and what had begun as the second-worst Christmas Eve of Paul’s life has been tranformed into one of the best.
A Christmas Harbor is a quiet, character-driven story that is just Christmassy enough and which packs quite an emotional punch as we follow these two lonely and thoughtful men through a single evening (and morning after). The author’s use of pathetic fallacy; how the drab, wintry streets and dreary weather echo the melancholy tone of Paul’s thoughts at the beginning is skilfully done, and I liked how that continues as the relationship develops and the world becomes both literally and figuratively brighter. The dialogue is terrific – funny and insightful – the characters have depth and complexity and the story is full of wonderful conversations and warm, tender moments. I liked that David and Paul are two mature, kind men with real problems and real lives and struggles, and the sense of bone-deep connection the author has created between them makes it completely credible that they could realise they’ve finally found their forever person in such a relatively short space of time. They’re perfect for each other, intellectually and emotionally, and by the time I finished reading, there was no doubt whatsover in my mind that they would make it long term.
A Christmas Harbor is a short but immensely satisfying story and an absolutely lovely romance. My only complaint is that it’s not longer.
With a nod to Billy Joel’s Piano Man:
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talkin' with Davy, who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life...
December 3, 2022
Beautiful. Perfect. Loved it.
December 23, 2022
DNF @ 72%
I could have skimmed to the end, but I couldn't be bothered. This story absolutely didn't work for me. I read nearly three-quarters of it and the entire thing consists of the MCs talking to each other. It was typical first-date stuff (talking about their jobs, likes/dislikes, random family info etc) and it was incredibly boring. There was no plot!
In addition, there were tons of references to old/pop Christmas songs and classic literature, neither of which I'm familiar with. I'm happy that the MCs had so much in common, but I didn't know what they were talking about so I got bored. For example: multiple times, there's a random Christmas song being played and the MCs talk about how song made them feel, but I don't know that song so I don't know what the tone/meaning of it is and I'm not going to do research while reading a Christmas novella.
Then there was the cringey karaoke scene in the bar. Any inclusion of karaoke scenes that involve characters who are clearly not comfortable doing that automatically lowers my rating but seeing how this was a DNF, it didn't have any lower to go. Lastly, the way Paul talked and acted made him seem younger than 37 years old. It wasn't atrociously bad and it's possible that 37 year olds like that exist out there in the world, but if I'm reading about older characters then I don't want them to come across like they're a decade younger because plenty of books with MCs in that age range exist.
I could have skimmed to the end, but I couldn't be bothered. This story absolutely didn't work for me. I read nearly three-quarters of it and the entire thing consists of the MCs talking to each other. It was typical first-date stuff (talking about their jobs, likes/dislikes, random family info etc) and it was incredibly boring. There was no plot!
In addition, there were tons of references to old/pop Christmas songs and classic literature, neither of which I'm familiar with. I'm happy that the MCs had so much in common, but I didn't know what they were talking about so I got bored. For example: multiple times, there's a random Christmas song being played and the MCs talk about how song made them feel, but I don't know that song so I don't know what the tone/meaning of it is and I'm not going to do research while reading a Christmas novella.
Then there was the cringey karaoke scene in the bar. Any inclusion of karaoke scenes that involve characters who are clearly not comfortable doing that automatically lowers my rating but seeing how this was a DNF, it didn't have any lower to go. Lastly, the way Paul talked and acted made him seem younger than 37 years old. It wasn't atrociously bad and it's possible that 37 year olds like that exist out there in the world, but if I'm reading about older characters then I don't want them to come across like they're a decade younger because plenty of books with MCs in that age range exist.
December 12, 2022
Never thought one novella would bring so many feels. Very surprised at the setting and characters. This reader was raised in Annapolis, is Navy and sails, has a child who was a ‘Johnnie’, and so many more references that coincided with my past that I found myself stopping every time to let my mind drift. Had a few tears about a smiling face who would also say ‘Roger that’, and I’m looking at the black and white winter photo of Annapolis from Spa Creek that I have on the wall. These were lovely MCs in a well written story.
December 11, 2023
Liked this Christmas short story, but didn’t love it like I hoped I would. Maybe it was on me, but I kept checking who was who, and to me their voices weren’t all that distinctive, even though they were quite different characters with a different job and a different past. And yes, I need to admit it was a little too insta love for me to rate it higher than 3 stars. Insta love is just one of my least enjoyed tropes, I guess I never read a book with that trope that made it above 3 stars. But I guess if you do, this story offers a lot of sweetness and holiday charm.
December 17, 2023
Two lonely guys that come across each other on a rainy Christmas Eve. I liked the way this started out dark and dreary (literally & figuratively) and got progressively brighter (literally and...you get the idea) as these two guys make a connection that changes their lives. The second Christmas book in a row (after The Humbug Holiday) where the guys weren’t pretty young things. Well, maybe the pretty part, but they’re 37 & 42. And this is practically all dialogue which is right up my alley. Enjoyed.
December 10, 2022
4.25 stars. Enjoyed this one.
December 22, 2022
This was a lovely, short and sweet holiday read. Things move fast and it does have a healthy dose of instalove, but it's incredibly cozy.
Tags/warnings: military MMC, mention of , instalove, maritime/ships, one MMC is an author/writer, takes place on Christmas Eve
Tags/warnings: military MMC, mention of , instalove, maritime/ships, one MMC is an author/writer, takes place on Christmas Eve
December 3, 2024
This is the first time I enjoy Avery Cockburn.
(I’m not throwing shade here. He simply never gelled with me.)
Both protagonists were carrying their own weight.
They never got boring or overwritten.
I really grooved on this from start to finish.
(I’m not throwing shade here. He simply never gelled with me.)
Both protagonists were carrying their own weight.
They never got boring or overwritten.
I really grooved on this from start to finish.
January 1, 2023
Omgoodness! My first venture with Avery Cockburn and I think I am in love! Off to read more! Thanks Avery, for a lovely story!
January 14, 2023
This was so sweet and romantic and lovely.
January 21, 2023
This is a sweet story with satisfying depth. I happen to know insta-love can happen, so I enjoyed it. It didn't wow me, but the playful parts put it above average.
December 17, 2022
Unexpectedly, this short gem goes on my Best of the Year list. I love its ruminations about writing and the need to define oneself, sprinkled within a lovely meeting with the man who will be The One. I'm also struck by the maturity of the MCs. I'm going to check out other work by this author.
January 31, 2023
Short, Sweet, Super
If you buy this book (and you should) sit down in your favorite resting place, take a sip of your sidecar and try to find Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and play it before you start reading.
Then go to the first page and get ready for a wonderfully conceived, beautifully told and quietly exciting romance between two of the least likely characters you'd expect to be attracted to each other, let alone become bed mates.
I've read quite a few Christmas MM books and novellas over the years. This one is among the Top Five and when you finish it you might agree with me.
If you buy this book (and you should) sit down in your favorite resting place, take a sip of your sidecar and try to find Billy Joel's "Piano Man" and play it before you start reading.
Then go to the first page and get ready for a wonderfully conceived, beautifully told and quietly exciting romance between two of the least likely characters you'd expect to be attracted to each other, let alone become bed mates.
I've read quite a few Christmas MM books and novellas over the years. This one is among the Top Five and when you finish it you might agree with me.
December 23, 2022
I'm giving this one a five star independently published rating.
It's actually somewhere between four and 4 1/2 but I want to acknowledge the fact that this is such a well done, beautifully atmospheric and emotionally satisfying book when so many of the other Christmas themed works have been utter garbage. I really like these characters and I like the way they brought out the hope and love within each of them for each other and for themselves.
I am now differentiating ratings for independently produced works and big publisher produced works. Often, the independently produce works don't hold up to the commercially published works when it comes to punctuation and typos and those nuanced elements that elevate a book. I don't think it's fair to compare them because so much hard work goes into self publishing and I think that effort needs to be acknowledged and honored for what it can reasonably offer.
It's actually somewhere between four and 4 1/2 but I want to acknowledge the fact that this is such a well done, beautifully atmospheric and emotionally satisfying book when so many of the other Christmas themed works have been utter garbage. I really like these characters and I like the way they brought out the hope and love within each of them for each other and for themselves.
I am now differentiating ratings for independently produced works and big publisher produced works. Often, the independently produce works don't hold up to the commercially published works when it comes to punctuation and typos and those nuanced elements that elevate a book. I don't think it's fair to compare them because so much hard work goes into self publishing and I think that effort needs to be acknowledged and honored for what it can reasonably offer.
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