"Scrap Metal" by Harper Fox is a beautifully written love story set in a dream-like location. The novel follows Nichol, who returns to his family sheep farm on the Isle of Arran after a tragedy, and meets Cam, a young drifter who brings unexpected change to their lives. The writing style is evocative and lyrical, capturing the essence of the landscape and the slow development of Nichol and Cam's relationship.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of grief and loss, homophobia, and a significant character's death.
Has Romance?
Romantic elements are prominent, with a strong focus on the developing relationship between the main characters, Nichol and Cam.
From The Publisher:
Is there room for love in a heart full of secrets?
One year ago, before Fate took a wrecking ball to his life, Nichol was happily working on his doctorate in linguistics. Now he's hip deep in sheep, mud and collies. His late brother and mother had been well suited to life on Seacliff Farm. Nichol? Not so much.
As lambing season progresses in the teeth of an icy north wind, the last straw is the intruder Nichol catches in the barn. He says his name is Cam, and he's on the run from a Glasgow gang. Something about the young man's tired resignation touches Nichol deeply, and instead of giving him the business end of a shotgun, he offers Cam a blanket and a place to stay.
Somehow, Cam quickly charms his way through Nichol's defenses and into his heart. Even his grandfather takes to the cheeky city boy, whose hard work and good head for figures help set the farm back on its feet.
As the cold Scottish springtime melts into summer, Nichol finds himself falling in love. When tragedy strikes, Cam's resolutely held secret is finally revealed and Nichol must face the truth. He's given his heart away, and it's time to pay the price.
Warning: Contains explicit M/M sex and the disruption of a quiet Scottish town by a fistfight and some tight designer jeans. more
Ratings (4)
Incredible (1) | |
Loved It (2) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (5):
Read It (4) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
WARNING: If someone close to you has recently died, or you are particularly sensitive to such topics, it may not be a book for you.
I was wondering recently why I read more and more MM romances and why I practically stopped reading MF romances, except for those published many years ago and a few favorite authors. And this book answers my questions quite well. I've always liked when there is something else in my romance than only the love story. I love the addition of some crime mystery. But it can also be the life dilemmas of the characters, I like when the characters are complicated, they have moral dilemmas, when they search for meaning in life. In a word, when there is some depth in them. And here we have it all. And it seems to me that this is what many MF romances are missing today. This and interesting, mature characters.
And Nichol and Cameron are certainly mature and complicated heroes. Nichol seems to be a walking ideal, calm and sensitive, devotes himself to the family, he is almost naive. But he is not so perfect to be unrealistic and he is very easy to like. Seemingly little is known about Cameron, he hides his past. But in fact we know a lot about him, everything that is important at least. Both he and Nichol are fully developed three-dimensional characters. Many authors could learn how to create mysterious characters with a well-developed character.
When it comes to romance, it is somewhat uncomplicated. Nichol and Cam are interested in each other from the very beginning. Fortunately, this is not one of those books in which the characters fall into each other's arms on the first few pages of the book whenever they feel the desire. On the contrary, the problems faced by Cam make him doubt whether he should get involved in a relationship. It is also worth mentioning the uncertainty of Nichol, who has a kind of complex of always being the second, redundant. This very interestingly affects their relationship.
And of course there is Harry, Nichol's grandfather. A very interesting and expressive character that clearly affects both main characters. Watching these three very different men who are maneuvering through the meanders of everyday life and its problems is a unique experience that gives great depth to this book. I really like that Cam in some way bridges the gap in Harry's and Nichol's relationship, steering clear of conflicts between them. The dynamics of their relationship is one of the best elements of this story.
In addition, we have many other topics here that affect Nichol's relationship with Cameron. Besides Harry, there's Cam's past, the struggle to maintain Nichol's family farm, the relationship of Nichol and Archie, Nichol’s own problems. All this makes a really difference, this is no ordinary simple love story.
I'm sure I have some books by this author on my TBR shelf. And although I liked this book very much, I hope that the others are not so emotionally exhausting. Some fragments in this story broke my heart. I will definitely include this author's books in my reading plans.
What can you read after
Scrap Metal?
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