Review: A Different Kind of Love by Nicola Haken

Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

Nicola Haken may not be the sort of author who releases a new book every few months, but ever since I started reading her work back in 2016, every upcoming novel of hers ends up landing on my list of most anticipated reads. Such is the case of A Different Kind of Love, a brand-new M/M romance standalone, featuring thirty-seven-year-old William Walker as its main character. When he's introduced to readers, he has been married to his wife Rebecca for just over two decades and is a father to nineteen-year-old Lucy and seventeen-year-old Benjamin. He's also on the cusp of losing his job as an electrician, but hope springs eternal when a frequent client, who happens to be a manager for actors, recommends him as a spark, i.e. the person in charge of electrical equipment, for a film. One of said client's actors is slated to be part of the film, thirty-four-year-old Scotsman Laurence Cole. Striking up a friendship with the famous actor is otherworldly enough; developing long-ignored, not-so-foreign pesky feelings, however, could be life-changing.

This novel surpassed every single one of my lofty expectations, and I'm still in the throes of a massive book hangover long after I reached the final page. Will's story is far from simple, and getting to his happily-ever-after was definitely not easy, but it's a hard-earned one. If you read the blurb for the book, certain facts are clear: Will is a husband to a wife named Becca who adores him and whom he cares for deeply. From the moment he meets Laurie, he recognizes the spark--pun quite intended--of something long buried stirring to life. We see the impact of Will's actions on Laurie, Becca, and his kids, but the same goes for those of Becca on Will and Laurie on Will and Will's family. Will, Laurie, and Becca are very much human, and yes, they are very much fallible, but goodness, it was impossible to not feel for everyone involves. There were moments of empathy and sympathy on my end, times I found myself frustrated with choices and indecision of the characters. But all throughout, Nicola Haken's writing kept a firm hold on my heart and my attention, and I won't be forgetting Will and Laurie, and Becca as well, anytime soon. A Different Kind of Love has earned itself five stars out of five stars, and quite deservedly.

Release Date: 01 February 2023

Date Read: 22 January 2023

Learn more about Nicola Haken.

Purchase A Different Kind of Love on Amazon.