Tall Girls Have Short Memories

I'd actually give this a 4.5 or a 4.75.This is a beautifully written book and one that I loved more and more as I read. The world building is fantastic and the character work is just wonderful.It felt like I had walked in to a painting, I could see the Welsh countryside so clearly in my head, without the details being too much or the exposition being to "telling".I loved all the side characters and loved how they filled out Harry and Jim's world, so that everything felt real.The danger of the world they were living in was so real and heavy and THERE- both the danger of the Germans bombing them and the danger of being caught as queer felt real and heavy. This was not a story where the weight of homosexuality was hand waved away and I appreciated that.I did like that while the danger of the law and the danger of its repercussions was always there, there were people who were willing to accept their family and friends for who they were, which I truly believe did happen in history, and I feel that Jack and Kitty were set up as characters who were capable of those choices from the beginning so that was not surprising in the slightest to me.Thomas was a bit over the top, although I did appreciate the attempts to make him a real person who was believable. I liked that Joan and her decision to marry a man like Thomas was explained- her need to support and protect her children when she knew that she couldn't count on her brother financially made sense and choosing Thomas, despite the fact that he's kind of a giant tool box but a tool box with money and stability does make sense. The only ding I would give this book is that there isn't a lot of explicit sex in the book, which is fine, but the one time where the author does get as close to graphic as you'll see in this book, it's not between Harry and Jim, but between Harry and another man, trading sex for favors. I was disappointed that their encounter was much more graphic and explicit than anything that we saw between Harry and Jim. I would have much preferred to have just had that encounter been alluded to rather than be so blunt if we weren't going to have as much or more with those that we cared so much for.This is a bit of a slower read, but one that is worth every moment.I would recommend this book to readers of historical romance and those that enjoy m/m stories. The love story is sweet, despite the lack of descriptive sex. Not for those looking for porn, but great for those looking for deeper connections.