I'm rounding this up from 3.5. I was pulled in by the premise of the story. I did enjoy the overall story but there were some things that didn't work well in it for me.

I'm rounding up from 3.5. Edwin is still dealing with a breakup after almost 2 years after the fact. Adam is an engineer helping with the fallout of a flood. As Edwin prepares his home for the impending flood and meets Adam, he discovers that he needs to move on and needs to be himself again. I wouldn't have minded a more fleshed out story and more of Edwin and Adam together, but it's still a sweet story.

A quiet, tender, deeply moving story of a man reopening himself to love. The novella from Marius' point of view was similarly touching, and made the perfect companion to the original story.

Alexis Hall's greatest strength, in my opinion, lies in his representation of mental health challenges. Here, he takes that skill and uses it to show us the experience of two characters dealing, in different ways, with invisible disabilities. Once again, he demonstrates empathy, tact, and humour. Both of these interrelated stories are sweet but not saccharine, and left me feeling privileged to have caught a glimpse into these characters' lives.

Alexis Hall’s 30,000 word novella, Waiting for the Flood, was originally published in 2015 , and, like Glitterland, has now been reissued as part of his ongoing publishing deal with Sourcebooks Casablanca. This new edition, however, has been substantially expanded to include a second, brand new, 50,000 word novella – Chasing the Light – which will not be released separately, so if you want to read it, you’ll have to purchase the new version. But it’s worth it, I promise.

In Waiting for the Flood, we meet Edwin Tully, a conservator at the Bodleian Library in Oxford.

Twelve years ago, Edwin Tully came to Oxford and fell in love with a boy named Marius. He was brilliant. An artist. It was going to be forever.

Two years ago, it ended.

Now Edwin lives alone in the house they used to share. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to a build a future from the fragments of the past.

Two years after Marius left, Edwin is still alone, still struggling to move forward with his life. It’s not so much that he’s still in love with Marius or that he can’t accept that they’re over – it’s that he doesn’t understand why Marius left; nobody cheated, there were no flaming rows, just the quiet “click of a closing door”, the utter non-event-ness of it continually nagging away at his already shaky sense of self-esteem and reminding him that perhaps he just wasn’t worth staying for.

There’s a major flood alert in effect throughout the area, which is what throws civil engineer Adam Dacre into Edwin’s path. Adam is working with the Environment Agency to help manage the crisis and try to keep the damage to a minimum, and he’s exactly the sort of man you’d want to have your back in a tight spot – kind, calm, dependable and confident. He’s clearly interested in Edwin, but Edwin is still so scared of being hurt that he is unable to see beyond his fears to realise that the future he’d always longed for is staring him in the face and that it’s up to him to reach out and take it

Waiting for the Flood is a gentle and deeply moving story about coming to terms with grief, that is both melancholy and hopeful at the same time. The relationship between Edwin and Adam is superbly and convincingly developed, even though it happens over such a short space of time, and Edwin’s elderly neighbour, Mrs. P is a delightful mixture of mischief and wisdom.

I’ve always enjoyed Alexis Hall’s skill as a wordsmith. Some of his books hit the spot for me and some don’t, but the quality of his writing is never in question, and Waiting for the Flood is surely one of his highest achievements on that score. The writing is astonishingly beautiful – lyrical, insightful, painful, funny, truthful – and the way he uses the descriptions of Edwin’s home to mirror Edwin’s emotions is masterful. I often say that I’m not a big fan of novellas, but this is a rare exception - it's something really special.

(Grade: A: Sensuality: Kisses)

Chasing the Light

Edwin’s ex, Marius Chankseliani, doesn’t appear in Waiting for the Flood, but has a strong presence in it nonetheless. Chasing the Light, which begins a few months or so after the events of Waiting for the Flood, brings him into sharper focus and reveals more about the complex, messed-up man who hurt Edwin so very deeply.

A mishap down by the river on Christmas Eve finds Marius alone, injured and unable to stand or walk. He doesn’t expect cursing loudly into the dark to be any use, but fortunately for him, help does arrive in the form of Leo, who lives on one of the narrowboats moored along the bank. He helps Marius aboard and proceeds to take care of him, wrapping Marius up in the kind of warm, tender care he normally hates – but which this time, he can’t bring himself to walk away from.

Although Marius is the cause of Edwin’s heartbreak, he doesn’t come across as a bad person in WftF, but rather as someone doesn’t know what he wants or needs in order to be happy - although when we finally meet him in person, there’s no denying he’s a bit of an arsehole. He’s extremely prickly, sarcastic and often mean, but it doesn’t take very long to see that he’s sad and lost and full of self-loathing, the hurtful words he so frequently spits out a mask to hide his vulnerable underbelly. He’s struggling to come to terms with something that is potentially life-altering and he pushes away anyone who tries to offer him the comfort he doesn’t feel he deserves and tells himself he doesn’t want.

Leo is a lovely man – thoughtful, kind, funny and comfortable in his own skin. He’s been through a lot but has finally found his place in life and his peace far away from the man he used to be, and his patience and understanding are exactly what Marius so desparately needs - although Marius would rather die than admit it. Once again, the relationship in the story develops quickly but it’s so well-crafted that it’s easy to believe that these two will find their way.

Both stories end in a very firm HFN, giving Edwin and Marius new starting points that offer the potential for future happiness. I liked the emphasis on love being nothing to do with worth; that everyone, no matter how messed up or how broken, deserves love, acceptance and to be seen by someone who gets them, and I also really appreciated the fact that Edwin and Marius finally get the opportunity to talk and achieve some closure.

(Grade: A; Sensuality: Warm)

Waiting for the Flood and Chasing the Light are perfect companion pieces featuring similar themes of heartbreak, loss, and recovery. The prose is beautiful and profound, the characters are endearing and their love stories are full of compassion and hope. Highly recommended.

I love Alexis Hall's versatility. He can write witty British humor, over the top rom coms, and more subdued emotional romance. This one is the latter. As is typical with this author, it did take me a bit to get into the story, and it was a little weird having essentially two different books combined together, but on the whole, this was an enjoyable, sweet read.

What a lovely, lovely story. I am awash in all the feelings. Hall is a master of language and emotion, crafting a gentle, thoughtful story that flows with a lyrical, almost poetic quality. Like the impending flood, I was swept away by the pain, the healing, and the hope within Edwin's world.

Sometimes our hearts are broken. We feel we aren't worthy of being loved. The grief of losing the life we were certain we were meant to live sets us adrift. Those are all facets of Edwin that Hall deftly addresses with an honest but nurturing hand, creating a deeply emotional journey of moving on that I was hard pressed to put down. He made me laugh, touched my soul, and certainly brought about a flood of tears. Through Edwin, and Adam, he shows us that love that ends is not love wasted. Worthy of grief and sadness, certainly, but not a waste. Sometimes, it's just not the right time for that love to continue. And, sometimes, a new love will come along. A love that's better, deeper, healthier, and right for the person you have now become. I'm pretty sure I'll be thinking of these characters and their story for some time to come.

Alexis Hall wrote Edwin's story almost a decade ago. This book is a reissue of that original story but includes new content. The author has now penned a story for Marius, the former boyfriend of ten years who left Edwin and broke his heart, sending him into a two-year spiral of quiet grief. "Chasing the Light" follows Marius as he deals with the fallout of the events he set into motion when he left Edwin and the possibilities of forgiveness, acceptance, and moving on. It's edgier than Waiting for the Flood, as Marius is a flawed character with a sharpness that at times leans to cruelty. His journey is an interesting character study of both him and the man who comes into his life at a vulnerable moment, illustrating once again that we are all worthy of love and, if we're lucky, will meet that right person who will love us, flaws and all. I appreciated the crossover of characters in the two stories, bringing much needed closure to both Edwin and Marius, enabling them to move forward with a healed heart.

Waiting for the Flood is a book I'll be visiting again. I have no doubt that each time I read it I'll be moved by something new in Alexis Hall's gentle, masterful prose.

ARC received from publisher.
Fair and unbiased review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

There is just something about the way Alexis Hall writes first person POV that is like poetry to the ears.

This re-released version includes two stories--the original Waiting for the Flood and then another novella, Chasing the Light.

Waiting for the Flood
Edwin and Adam are so precious, so soft, so gentle, and their story is just as good. They're like two balls of sunshine and I adore them both. I was not expecting it to end where it did but it was absolutely perfect.

Chasing the Light
Marius is Edwin's ex. He is prickly, difficult, and sometimes downright rude. He is also the complete opposite of Leo, who is kind, tender, and patient. Both of them sharing a narrowboat together at Christmastime gets a little... steamy.

Hall's prose is truly beautiful and lyrical, and I could read it time and time again and never get tired of it. And definitely do not miss reading "Aftermath" at the end. It wraps everything up beautifully, and if you don't end the book going, "squee!" I don't know what to tell you.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the option of reading this republication of two short stories by this author. I did not get into this book or its characters and therefore did not complete the second half of the story that was a different point of view form the first. Therefore I am giving it a middling starred review.

Waiting for the Flood is a cozy, soft romantic story set against a backdrop of grief, healing, and self-acceptance. Hall examines what it looks like for both sides of relationship when a multiyear romance comes to end and both people have to relearn how to exist without each other. Edwin and Adam's story takes place against the backdrop of an angry mother nature who is intent on flooding Edwin out of his house and Adam swoops in with sandbags and used wellies and show Edwin that is is worthy of another love story after the blinded sided ending of his relationship with Marius.
Part two of the novel/the novella Chasing the Light focuses on Marius and his struggles in his own post-breakup world. Still hurt and angry at the hand the world dealt him he lashes out when he sees Edwin and Adam at his family's Christmas festivities. Injuring himself on a rage fueled walk, he ends up on the houseboat of a burly stranger while he recovers enough (and the ice thins enough) to get to the hospital. Marius and Leo discover their own version of healing from their pasts and learn that maybe they can heal together.
Alexis Hall continues to surprise me with the depth and breadth of his writing and how his books can feel so similar, while also feeling so different. I will definitely recommend Waiting for the Flood to my audience.

This is a wonderfully gentle and lovely novella. This was my first time reading this updated edition, but my fourth read overall. I first read it during election night in 2020, when I needed comfort and companionship, and it was perfect for that task.

I find this a little tricky to review, because it now has so many parts, and the new bonus novella, Chasing the Light, does have its own entry on Goodreads. But I think it makes sense to review the whole kit and caboodle here, as it all comes as one package.

This is a book with a good deal of ambling conversation, it feels very authentic but occasionally struck sort of an odd note for me. On the one hand, it does add to the cozy nature of the book and give us insight into the characters, on the other hand, for such a short book, there's rather a lot of it. And while I found all the stuff about book binding and etymology captivating, I admit I was a bit lost during some of the game theory bits. Some of the jokes were also lost on me. But, actually, that did make me feel more like it was a real conversation I was just listening in on.

I adore both MCs in Waiting for the Flood. There's only one featured side character, but I loved her as well. It's just a really soothing book. One of my top comfort read recommendations.

Bonus recipes!! I'm such a sucker for recipes, and these are written in the voice of the characters, so they are great fun. My favorite kind of bonus material.

The second, new novella is Chasing the Light. Marius, the MC, is Edwin's ex. We hear a good deal about him in Waiting for the Flood, so I was interested to get to know him better. I think he's changed a good deal in the four years since he and Edwin broke up. In WFTF, it seemed like Edwin and Marius were two people who had drifted apart. I didn't get the sense that Marius was cruel or especially closed off. But the Marius we meet in Chasing the Light is practically wrapped in barbed wire. He hurts himself and the people around him, including Edwin. He is not a likeable character, but I did find him a relatable one. I know what it's like for discomfort to turn to prickliness, especially around family. I certainly don't think I'm as much of an asshole as Marius is, but I did understand many of his reactions. He's going through something that feels life shattering, and hates himself for the way he's handling it, and hates anyone who tries to offer him what he feels he doesn't deserve, what he tells himself he doesn't want. He's an interesting, infuriating character. I don't know if he's purposefully written as being neurodivergent, but there were definitely times his feelings about things reminded me of my own.

Chasing the Light is higher heat than Waiting for the Flood, as is Aftermath, the short bonus at the very end that mostly features Edwin and Adam. Chasing the Light also has a lot of those intricate details about a subject, as WFTF did with book binding and game theory, this time about living on a boat. And pierogi :) Again, I felt it gave the story a cozy aspect that I really enjoyed. Though Chasing the Light is certainly less soothing than WFTF, because Marius is who he is, I'd still classify it as comforting. I laughed a good deal during Chasing the Light and Aftermath.

I think my one slight disappointment with both novellas is that I wanted Leo and Adam, the love interests of the MCs whose POV we get, to be a bit less... perfect? I mean I love that both Edwin and Marius get these wonderful people to care for them. And I loved what we got of their characters. But I wanted them to have a few more flaws. And I actually loved that Aftermath shows us Marius is still very much Marius.


Again, in Aftermath, there is some conversation that seems sort of unnecessary? There's another chunk of game theory math stuff (expecting my invite to Mensa anytime) that only bothered me because it went on for so long and it's such a short story. And then there's a big section about Edwin's family that felt oddly out of place? I think for me it just didn't offer a lot that I didn't get in WFTF. I didn't dislike it, I just found it odd to devote so much space to both of these conversations when it's such a short story.

All in all, I very much enjoyed this whole package. Absolutely recommend.

Edwin captured my heart right away. His lonely life with his books and memories made me want to wrap him in a warm blanket. At the same time I wanted to encourage him to embrace the world and believe that he's worthy of happiness. Adam got my attention too. His no non-sense attitude had me rooting for him right from the start. At the end of the book I found myself wishing there would have been more. Wanted to find out what happened next.

I really enjoyed this story of second loves, set in a disaster of a flood. The town, the characters, the Englishness of it all was all a joy to read.

This was an interesting title to rate as it was really two interconnected stories. The first tale, "Waiting for the Flood", I definitely liked more. I felt it was beautifully written and managed to elevate what otherwise might have been a somewhat pedestrian story of instalove, or at least instalike. Edwin has been mired in grief for years, in a sense swimming in it, since his husband of ten years, Marius, left him. But as flooding threatens his home, Edwin meets Adam, one of the engineers charged with minimizing flooding damage in Edwin's neighborhood. As Adam's attention turns to Edwin, Edwin finds himself wanting to move on from his grief and start a relationship with Adam. I found the story to be a beautiful meditation on the nature of love and all its aspects, including the grief attendant upon losing it and the fear of taking a chance on it. Edwin has found it safer to be mired in his fears but finally finds the courage to break free and take the first steps of a relationship with Adam. All in all, a moving story with prose that almost sang. I'd rate this one a 5 (4.5 rounded up due to the prose).

It was the second story, "Chasing the Light", that I had a few issues with. This was a continuation of sorts of "Waiting for the Flood", but from Marius's point of view. I have to admit that I was somewhat predisposed to dislike Marius after his treatment of Edwin, but I suppose this story redeemed him...somewhat. At least there was an interesting plot turn that helped explain some of Marius's actions, even if it didn't completely excuse a lot of his actions, as it seemed that Marius generally just a self-absorbed character. I found it hard to believe that he found a husband in Edwin, much less a new paramour in this new story. Still, I suppose the fact that I found myself at least somewhat sympathetic to Marius at the end was a tribute to the author's skill and showed they weren't afraid to take on an unlikable character. 3 stars for this story.

For the overall book, I'd rate it a 4 with the balance of both stories.

Waiting for the Flood is an older book from Alexis Hall that is now being traditionally published. It focuses on split partners Edwin and Marius who haven’t been together in years and their journeys to finding new relationships. Waiting for the flood is Edwin’s story and Chasing the Light is Marius’.
Waiting for the Flood, the first short story, focuses on Edwin as he lives alone since his partner left. Edwin appears shy and a bit lonely. The street he lives on is expected to flood and the council are on the scene preparing homes and people for the bad weather. This is where Adam comes in. Him and Edwin hit it off before, during and after the flood. Edwin was really sweet. You could tell he was lonely and lost, trying to navigate his new life and Adam showing concern was unexpected to him. Their romance was lovely. The only downside was that it was a quick romance and you didn’t learn too much about Adam. I’m always on the fence with Alexis Hall’s books and this book especially, is on the fence.

In Chasing the Light we meet Marius, Edwin’s ex. His character was really difficult to like. I understand his way of protecting himself was to essentially lash out at others but sometimes he was just rude and slightly cruel. Marius comes home to celebrate the holidays and finds Edwin and Adam loved up in his family home. Angered, he leaves, walking along the river/canal. After falling and injuring himself, Leo comes to his aid. A quiet, almost reclude who lives on a narrow boat helps Marius and shelters him while the weather takes a turn for the worse. I felt bad for Leo here. Marius just came off as rude and ungrateful and his automatic response was to try and seduce Leo. I found it difficult at times reading his narrative as he was entirely unlikable to me. I think his character and the romance needed more development for him to become a nicer character to read. After the third act breakup, Marius recognised what he had done and said to Leo but there wasn’t much of a resolution, he just turned up at the narrow boat and all was dandy.

Overall, it was a sweet story of finding love after a breakup but it wasn’t for me I don’t think. I love that others enjoyed the book, but this wasn’t the story for me.

Edwin and Marius met in university. They hit it off and Edwin was sure they would be together forever. Until Marius walked away.

This is a collection of two previously released short stories taking place about two years after Marius left Edwin.

Waiting for the Flood is Edwin’s story. He took the break up hard and has spent the past two years lamenting the break up of the relationship and trying to figure out what went wrong. When heavy rain brings floods to his street, he hurries home to make efforts to protect his home. And he meets Adam, the civil engineer the government sent as part of a team to assess the flooding river.

Despite his stutter that gets worse when he’s frustrated which causes Edwin to be a bit self conscious, he’s a pretty confident character, even looking out for his elderly neighbor during the flooding. But Marius leaving shook his confidence in his ability to have a relationship. After Adam makes an effort to get to know him better, Edwin starts to examine what has caused him to doubt himself. Adam’s bright, positive attitude, as well as his gentle, understanding personality are just what Edwin needs at the time..

This story has only six relatively short chapters, but they reflect the slow change in how Edwin sees himself. I love that the chapters aren’t numbered, but have names like “The Front Door is Green” and “The Living Room is Mainly Full of Sofa”, that are descriptive of the house he's trying so hard to protect, but that also are clues to the action taking place and a metaphor for where Edwin is in his budding relationship.

Chasing the Light is Marius’ story. It’s the flip side to Edwin’s story. It is much darker than Edwin’s story. Marius is sarcastic and self deprecating. Leaf couldn’t be a more perfect partner. His background allows him to see underneath the hard, ornery shell Marius hides behind. Yet Marius fights against every effort to help him.

This story is a bit longer than Edwin’s and much more difficult to get through. He’s a hard character to like, mostly because I don’t think he likes himself. It’s hard to even call him a sympathetic character. But the end of his story will stick with you for a long while.

I love Alexis Hall and enjoyed Glitterland, but Waiting for the Flood was too depressing and disjointed for me. I didn’t realize going into this that this would be 2 novellas put together, which explains why they felt so rushed. Given the rough state each MMC was in, they just didn’t have enough interactions with the love interest for attraction and relationships to play out the way they did. At least not in a way that made sense to me.

Whether or not you've read Alexis Hall (Boyfriend Material, 10 Things That Never Happened) before, I recommend picking up this book!

This revised edition (released February 2024) contains two companion novellas: Waiting for the Flood and Chasing the Light. They are both queer romances where the characters are dealing with real stuff like social anxiety, a life-long stutter and an eating disorder. It's all handled really well and the stories are written more like literary fiction than fluffy romance - though you can rely on there being meet-cutes and happy endings!

One aspect of the pairing of these two novellas that was really enjoyable was that they are dealing with main characters who used to be in a relationship. The first story is about Edwin and the second about his ex-partner Marius, with some scenes with them both together, dealing with moving on from each other and finding new loves. A great concept, demonstrating that that first long love story isn't necessarily the be-all and end-all when it comes to life and romance.

This book also contains the short story epilogue Aftermath, which nicely rounds out the frame narrative.

The Spires series will have six books in total but according to the author, "each story is loosely connected and will be about a different couple". Some characters appear in other books but they can be read in any order. I read book 1, Glitterland, first but it's not necessary going into this one since there was nothing mentioned from that novel here.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing an eARC for review consideration! All opinions are my own.

The captivating writing perfectly captured the struggles of Marius and Edwin trying to find the courage to love again.

This edition is actually two stories in one. The first one, Waiting for the Flood, sees Edwin floundering a little bit on his own post-Marius, when he meets Adam, the engineer in charge of flood mitigation. The second story is Chasing the Light where Marius is wallowing in self-pity and sprains his ankle on an icy pathway after running away from his mother’s Christmas Eve party. Leo rescues him and nurses him on his boat.

Edwin’s story was over too quickly. He was such an interesting character and I think we missed out a bit on seeing him gain confidence in himself and his ability to love again after Marius dumped him. He did make an appearance in Marius’s story where they got the chance to clear the air. That was my favorite part. Both Edwin and Marius were a lot of woe-is-me. It was realistic, but also slightly annoying.

I loved the imagery that the author used. It created such a vivid picture of the characters and their inner thoughts.

This book is for you if you like steamy MM romance and redemption arcs in a novella format. It is part of a series, but each book stands well on its own.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was privileged enough to receive both the eARC and the ALC from Sourcebooks Casablanca and Dreamscape Audio and picked up the physical book as a birthday present to myself.

This story is told in two parts following Edwin and Marius four years after they break up as they figure out themselves and how to move on. Edwin is left with the house they purchased and is dealing with an imminent flood and the hot civil engineer helping the neighborhood. Marius is left reeling from the events of finding his ex and his new boyfriend at his family’s Christmas event and goes on a disastrous walk ending up with a sprained ankle on a narrow boat on the Thames with a guy who rescued him.

I thought these two disaster gays were fascinating characters and I genuinely cared for them while also wanting to bash their heads on occasion. The audiobook was absolutely fantastic, Will M Watt brought the characters to life and did an amazing job.

Highly recommend if you enjoyed Boyfriend Material and Glitterland. The first section has no spice per se, but the second section has several on page descriptive sex scenes.