Reviewed by Valerie
TITLE: Warning! Deep Water
AUTHOR: A.L. Lester
PUBLISHER: JMS Books
LENGTH: 62 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2022
BLURB:
It’s 1947. George is going through the motions, sowing seeds and tending plants and harvesting crops. The nursery went on without him perfectly well during the war and he spends a lot of time during the working day hiding from people and working on his own. In the evening he prowls round the place looking for odd jobs to do.
It’s been a long, cold winter and Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever get properly warm or clean again. Finding a place with heated greenhouses and plenty of nooks and crannies to kip in while he’s recovering from nasty flu was an enormous stroke of luck. He’s been here a few days now. The weather is beginning to warm up and he’s just realised there’s a huge reservoir of water in one of the greenhouses they use to water the plants. He’s become obsessed with getting in and having an all-over wash.
What will George do when he finds a scraggy ex-soldier bathing in his reservoir? What will Peter do? Is it time for them to both stop running from the past and settle down?
REVIEW:
I love this short story set in postwar England in 1947. It’s definitely not a meet-cute. It’s more of a meet-awkward and embarrassing when nursery owner George comes across a soaking wet and very naked Peter in his greenhouse one evening.
Like Peter, many men found it difficult to reintegrate back into society after years fighting in the war. These men drifted from one place to another, finding work where they could, and often sleeping rough. That’s how Peter came to be hiding in the greenhouse while recovering from illness. Both George and Peter had been discharged a year or less earlier. George, fortunately, had his family’s home and business to return to, even if his parents were now gone. Peter, on the other hand, lost everything to the war – his home and family – when they were caught in a raid. He had nowhere to return.
Although wary, George took in Peter, knowing it was the decent thing to do. It had nothing to do with Peter’s very attractive naked ass. Nope, not at all. Peter found kind and generous George attractive, too, but not just in appearance. As they got to know each other through day-to-day life, the more they liked each other.
“He and George just clicked. They had quickly become good friends. And… in addition to that, sometimes they watched each other in a way that Peter found deeply arousing.”
You’ll have to discover the rest of this well-written, angst-free story for yourself. It’s heartwarming to read about these two men finding comfort and love with each other.
Solid short stories are sometimes hard to come by, often feeling incomplete, underdeveloped, or rushed. Warning! Deep Water has none of these issues. I got to know George and Peter well enough and was more than satisfied with the ending, which came to a natural conclusion. This was my first A.L. Lester story but it won’t be my last. I look forward to delving into her backlist. Highly recommended for a lovely, quick read.
RATING: 
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