Narrated by Gary Furlong
Powder & Pavlova is the first book (of four) in Jay Hogan’s Southern Lights series, which is set in and around Queenstown, on the borders of Lake Wakatipu and at the foot of the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s South Island. The romance – between a young man struggling under the weight of his responsibilities and an older former winter sports star – is poignant, sexy and dripping with chemistry, the characters are flawed and relatable, and the descriptions of the breath-taking scenery will have you searching for the next flight out. In typical Jay Hogan fashion, it’s warm, funny and very down-to-earth; I loved it when I read it a few years back, and enjoyed it just as much this time around, especially given the added benefit of a wonderfully judged and emotionally real performance from Gary Furlong.
After leaving school, Ethan Sharpe decided to go travelling for a year while he worked out what he wanted to do with his life. Before he knew it, one year had become two, then three, then four… and he still hadn’t made any definite plan to go back home to Queenstown until he received the devastating news that his mother has terminal cancer. Ethan returned to New Zealand immediately and helped to care for her until she died; and now, some months later, is struggling to process his grief, keep her coffee shop and bakery afloat, and deal with his sixteen-year-old brother Kurt, who is going off the rails. Ethan knows Kurt is hurting, too, but he just doesn’t know what to do – nothing he does is right, and the hope that they’d be able to help each other through this tough time has been crushed beneath the hobnailed boots of teenage attitude and bruising hostility.
Tanner Carpenter – who was a champion snowboarder until he wrecked his knee some fourteen years earlier – works for a PR company looking to extend its client base and win some contracts in the sports arena – rugby and winter sports in particular. Even though he hasn’t been able to face getting back getting back on the snow since his injury, Tanner’s knowledge of snow sports makes him the ideal person to head up the small three-man team who are to come up with a pitch for contracts for the next Audi Quattro Winter Games, so he’s relocated from his home in Auckland south to Queenstown for five months.
Tanner noticed Ethan working in the kitchen of the local coffeeshop when he was on a coffee run for his team… and has made a point of making the runs ever since. After all, it’s important for the boss to pitch in to foster team culture – right? (Keep telling yourself that, Tanner!) He hasn’t, so far, exchanged more than a few words with the guy, but when the opportunity arises, he grabs it, engaging Ethan in an undeniably flirtatious conversation – and is delighted when Ethan doesn’t waste any time in flirting back. He’s definitely noticed the hot, almost-silver-fox coming in regularly for coffee, but thinks the older man is way out of his league – and even if he wasn’t, Ethan has enough on his plate, what with trying to keep the café going and dealing with Kurt – plus Tanner will be leaving in a few months. The sparks fly from the start, and even though they know that anything long-term is off the table, neither man is able to turn their back on the attraction zinging between them. It’s difficult to do, but they agree that sticking to friendship would be the best for where they’re at in their lives right now.
Well, anyone who reads or listens to romances regularly will know how that’s going to turn out, and as the friendship between Ethan and Tanner deepens and their longing for each other grows, the author skilfully shows us just how perfect for one another they are, creating a strong emotional connection between them. I’m a fan of age-gap romances in general and I very much liked the way Jay Hogan handles this one, giving each man the right mix of youth and maturity to make it easy for them – and us – to mostly disregard the fourteen/fifteen year age gap lying between them. Ethan is twenty-three and has had to grow up pretty quickly, assuming responsibility for his mother’s business and for his younger brother, not having time to process his own grief and mired in guilt as he faces the prospect of the business going under and worries about not being able to relate to Kurt and not being what he needs. Tanner is in his late thirties and much more settled, but is finally facing up to the loss of career and identity he experienced as a result of his injury, and I loved the way they’re so supportive of each other. Ethan is dealing with a lot and although he has some good friends around him, he needs someone who can bring some joy into his life and help him to gain some perspective.
The other important relationship in Ethan’s life – with his brother – is superbly written and incredibly realistic; we don’t get Kurt’s PoV, but his hurt and frustration come through really strongly and it’s easy to sympathise with him, even when he’s being a shit to Ethan, and to root for them both to find each other again.
Gary Furlong delivers a well-paced, wonderfully nuanced performance that works on every level. All the characters are clearly defined and easy to identify aurally. and he does an amazing job with the relationship between Ethan and Kurt, injecting very real, raw emotions into their key scenes together while also clearly showing how much they care for each other. His portrayal of the two leads is excellent – there’s a nice contrast between Ethan’s sparkiness and Tanner’s more laid-back manner, and the secondary characters are strongly realised, especially Ethan’s neighbour, Elle, who is from Ireland, so Mr. Furlong gets to have a bit of fun with a Northern Irish brogue amid the Kiwi twang. In fact, it’s easy to forget that the accent he adopts for these stories isn’t his own because he sounds so comfortable with it.
Powder & Pavlova deals with some difficult themes, but does so in a way that feels both realistic and respectful, and although the attraction between Ethan and Tanner is a bit full on from the start, they make a great couple and their relationship is so well developed that it’s easy to see them making it in the long term. I read the book – and the rest of the Southern Lights series – when it was first published, but Gary Furlong’s excellent narration definitely makes the case for revisiting in audio. I’m really looking forward to the next instalment.
Note: As of April 8, this title had not yet been released in audio on Amazon/Audible US but can be purchased at other audiobook outlets including Spotify, Google Play and Scribd, linked below.
Caz
Buy Powder and Pavlova by Jay Hogan on Spotify Buy Powder and Pavlova by Jay Hogan on Scribd Buy Powder and Pavlova by Jay Hogan on Google Play
This isn’t showing up on Audible UK either.
I enjoyed this book when I read it, so look forward to hearing Gary Furlong’s narration.
About accents – I think he’s Irish but lives in Texas? IMO he’s one of the best narrators over a range of accents. Certainly his contemporary UK accents are more nuanced than many others.
It wont be anywhere at Audible until Jay can get the situation fixed. She posted some info at her FB group explaining the delay. It’s a ridiculously unfair situation that’s occurred at Audible’s end – hopefully she can get it sorted out soon.
And yes, Gary is Irish and lives in the US (I think Texas, too). He can do an amazing array of accents!
I’ve been waiting for this to come out!! Thanks for the review. I hope Jay can get it worked out at Audible without too much more hassle. When I looked on Google Play I noticed Book 2 is also out.