Little Harbour

Scandinavian Comfort, Book 1

By: Sophia Soames

Narrated by: Jaxon Jensen

This is a story about life and death, because there was never anyone else for Jens. He had been with Sofie almost all his life, from the day they met at school when they were fifteen, until the day she took her final breath against his chest. She was always everything to him. As he was to her. He never doubted that. Not for a minute.

This is an adventure of hope, where Axel Kleve keeps himself too busy to even stop and think. Work, sleep, eat, repeat. He loves his job as a Midwife at Oslo’s University Hospital, He’s good at lecturing and training, and now he has somehow been pushed into running “Ask Axel”, a midwifery blog on PNN.no, the parenting-site everyone in Norway trusts.

This is a tale of second chances. Jens, he doesn't let himself think of Axel. He doesn't think of Axel at all. And Axel needs to stop longing for that one crush he’s never been able to leave behind. It’s just plain ridiculous. He should have got over Jens Sommerfeldt years ago.

A novel full of love and family life, featuring a hord of feral children, a stolen pram, a Midwifery blog and an ill advised stint on TV. Oh yes, and a man who had lost hope and another who never gave it up.

©2018 Sophia Soames (P)2026 Sophia Soames

Beautiful story

Story: The book is full of amazingly strong emotions, both light and heavy ones. The author takes no prisoners here, laying it all out in beautiful writing for the reader to experience. Loved it!
Narration: I like the voice and acting, but had to take some stars away for the quality of the recording - there’s a slight echo in the book and some background noises that bothered me throughout. Sorry.

Simple and lovely

This is my second Sophia Soames audiobook and I have to say I’m in love with this author.

First, these books are set in Norway. I love stories set in foreign lands. As a Canadian, I am very much sunk in American everything. When I get a chance to step out of my comfort zone, I love it. Norway is a bit of a mystery to me, but Sophia makes the land alive for me with vivid descriptions of the people who live there.

Okay, so we have Axel. He’s a midwife who has agreed to write a blog discussing all things birthing. He can teach classes about child rearing – or at least mention it in his birthing class – but he’s almost forty and hasn’t had any first-hand experience. He deals with births and babies.

Jens has four children he’s raising alone since his wife died tragically when their youngest was just a year old. With kids ranging in age from two to sixteen, he’s totally overwhelmed and barely keeping his head above water. He loves his kids. He loves his job as a university professor. But juggling both is proving to be almost too much. Needing to buy shoes for his youngest pushes him right over the edge. So he reaches out for help.

And accidentally lands in the inbox of the boy he loved all those years ago. He might’ve been destined to marry Sofie and have four beautiful children with her, but he never forgot the boy he loved.

Axel is happy to give Jens advice on where to buy shoes. He’s even willing to meet after work to see how much his former love has changed – or remained the same. That meeting sets both men on a very different path. One fraught with drama, tantrums, potty training accidents, stints on morning shows, and coming to realize what really matters in life.

I loved the book. Truly. The story touched me. Watching Axel and Jens create a new family warmed my heart. I got to laugh. I got to sniff. I felt satisfied.

If I’d stopped at the end of the story, that would’ve been enough. Sophia has added several vignettes - snippets of life beyond the happily ever after. And I enjoyed them – but I’ll admit I stopped before the final chapter. Content warnings abound and I know I’m not in the right frame of mind to listen right now. But I will. I can also guarantee the enjoyment of this very long audiobook is not diminished by skipping the final vignette.

Okay. So yeah, I loved it. And Jaxon Jensen is a big part of that. I’ll admit the screeching children and overexcited mama were a little much at times…but they also made the audiobook charming. His performance was wonderful and I certainly hope Sophia and Jaxon bring the next two books in the series to audio as well.

What a wonderful story!

So many tears were shed while listening to this story, some happy, some sad. But every tear I shed was so worth it. I don’t really have the right words to express how much I loved this book.

The writing was superb but the excellent audio performance by Jaxon Jensen enhanced my enjoyment. The emotions he showed, where needed, proves to me once again that no virtual voice can ever replace a good human voice actor.

I want to commend the author for including all of the bonus scenes in this audiobook. And even though it was hard to continue listening when she gave us “forty years later,” as a reader who always wants more, I say thank you.

The beauty of second chances.

This is what I love most about second-chance romance: when two people are so meant to be that destiny has a way of getting them together, despite the time and space and life that has passed.
This is the case for Jens and Axel, meeting again twenty years after their teenage-years friendship ended badly and suddenly; when they meet again, all the love they had as kids comes rushing back, stronger then ever. Despite Jens’s grief over losing his beloved wife and mother of his children, despite the chaos in their lives with the kids and their jobs and everything else going on, they just keep going, loving each other and living their lives, together.
There’s no major drama or angst in this book, (I would call it almost introspective, as we get to know the characters deeply), just the beauty of everyday life in a family that loves, fights, laughs, cry and does everything every other family does.
I have read many of Sophia Soames’ book I find her stories sweet and soothing.