AUDIO REVIEW: Second Winter Sophia Soames

- February 13, 2026

SECOND WINTER

by Sophia Soames

Release Date: July 15, 2024

Audio Release Date: March 10, 2025

Review

A lovely story set in Norway, which follows the lives of two men who are still figuring out how to live their lives for themselves.

Brought back together by a high school reunion, Teddy and Ned find themselves and happiness.

The story is tender and full of complicated emotions, but it has a quiet warmth and a beautiful payoff.

The audiobook is narrated by Jaxon Jensen, who is new to me. He has a lovely voice and delivered a compelling performance. I did struggle a bit to differentiate between the two characters, but otherwise, it was a wonderful listen, and I would enjoy hearing more from him.

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Synopsis

Ten years ago, Ned Anderson made the biggest mistake of his life.

Now he’s been invited to go back to Sweden for his exchange-year high school reunion. It’s a chance to reunite with all the people he once considered friends, and the invite promises a charcuterie board, open bar, all that…crap.

The biggest mistake of his life was leaving, and if he went back…

Does he even want to?

Teddy Backman has become exactly what everyone expected of him. He runs his farm the way his father once did. Gets up in the morning and gets things done. Tries to remember what’s next. Wonders why he feels so violently lonely when he’s surrounded by so many good things. The sun. The sky. The earth. The trees. All the trees.

He’s already deleted that email—the one inviting him to someone’s idea of a joke. There’s no one from back then he’s interested in talking to, let alone drinking or, God forbid, dancing with.

A high school reunion is Teddy’s idea of a nightmare, and he probably shouldn’t let anyone drag him along. He’ll only regret it.

But what’s the point of regret in the grander scale of things? It’s not like Ned Anderson’s going to turn up, is it? The guy who fled straight back to Arizona without even a last longing glance.

Second Winter is the story of something that was always there. A second chance at happiness in the last place you’d expect to find it.

This book is a standalone contemporary M/M romance with a HEA, dealing with the death of a loved one and the grief that follows. Please read with care if these topics could affect you.

About Sophia Soames

Sophia Soames is a UK based M/M romance writer, originally from Scandinavia. She writes quirky stories of imperfect love, always with real people, real families and real fairy tales.

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