Second Chances in New Port Stephen by TJ Alexander

Second Chances in New Port Stephen is a delightful second-chance romance between two men in their forties who reconnect over the Christmas holidays. It’s not overly cutesy, and although a lot of the plot involves my least favorite trope (Poor Communication) and one of the characters is a little too self-centered for my tastes, I really enjoyed this book.

Eli and Nick grew up in Florida together and dated in high school, long before Eli came out as transgender. Eli moved to New York City and became a stand-up comic and a writer for TV shows. Nick married, had a daughter, divorced, and now co-parents his four-year-old, Zoe, while he runs a local restaurant. When Eli comes home for Christmas he reconnects with Nick. Clearly the sparks from high school are still there, but can they rekindle romance after so many life changes?

This isn’t a book with a ton of plot. Eli’s sweet, supportive, and well-meaning parents drive him crazy and he spends a lot of time with Nick and Zoe – at first to get out of the house, and increasingly because he loves spending time with them. For his part, Nick finds that spending time with Eli, with or without Zoe in tow, is a welcome break from his work/parenting/sleep/repeat routine.

Eli and Nick are so darn relatable and enjoyable to spend time with and some of their exploits are very funny. Special points to an excursion to their old high school that ends on an unexpected and hilarious note, and for a trip to see a boat parade that leads to Eli explaining to a very concerned Zoe that of course the boats cannot hit any mermaids because mermaids go super deep underwater in the daytime.

Nick and Eli have an easy rapport – most of the time, when they aren’t tripping over each other’s feelings. It’s the strength of their bond, plus the fun sense of place and the supportive yet mortifying extended families that surround Nick and Eli that earn this book a high grade. Their connection is so strong that even when the book falters a little bit I still believed in their HEA. I have to give extra credit to the fact that Eli specifically mentions loving it that even when they both start exercising regularly together, they both remain “a little soft around the middle.” Realistic body standards for all genders, please! They talk about the challenges of growing up and living in Florida as marginalized people (Eli is gay and trans and Nick is Taiwanese-American) but the angst level stays low.

You guys, I loathe, LOATHE, conflicts that could be solved with one simple sentence, two at the most. This book would be a lot shorter if the following sentence was uttered: “I’m not looking for a casual fling, are you?” I’d love to say that middle-aged people should have the sense to spit this sentence out but real life suggests that age is no protection from silliness. Anyway, all of the relationship angst and drama comes from the fact that Nick and Eli constantly make incorrect assumptions about what the other person wants from a relationship, and this bugged the crap out of me and diminished my enjoyment of the book overall.

I also felt that Eli, though generally a sympathetic character, was pretty self-centered in his dealings with Nick. Eli, understandably, talks to Nick a lot about what it was like to grow up trans in Florida. At one point Nick starts to talk about how it wasn’t easy being one of only four Asian kids in their high school (as an independent conversation, not a point of comparison) and Eli immediately goes back to talking about his own story. Of course Eli has a LOT of trauma around his high school experience, and it deserves to be heard and validated. However, I wanted him to make room for Nick’s experience and emotions as well.

It also bugged me that the minute some real obstacles come in the way of romance, the story ends and the epilogue wraps everything up. The really tough work of their romance, especially when it involves blended families, demanding careers, and multiple locations never gets done on the page, and that felt a little too easy to me.

With this kind of story, I find it easier to express what I didn’t like than what I did like. I appreciated the matter-of-fact handling of Eli’s sexuality and gender. I also liked the sensitive manner in which Nick’s questioning of his own sexual orientation was described. Eli and Nick’s relatives hit the right balance between supportive and embarrassing, and I loved Nick’s mature, amicable relationship with his ex-wife. Although it’s not perfect, this is a lovely romance overall with a lot of depth, warmth and humor.