Now, THIS is how you do a ‘vibes over plot’ book. A.J. Demas returns readers to the alternate ancient Mediterranean world of her Sword Dance novels for The House of the Red Balconies, a quiet and sweet slice-of-life romance about finding one’s place in the world and making a life. Unlike Sword Dance and Honey and Pepper, there’s no mystery plot here; the focus is firmly on character and situation, and the obstacles to the central relationship are posed by circumstance rather than manufactured drama.

Hylas Mnemotios grew up in the hyper-masculine society of Ariata, but his distaste for killing and destruction marked him as a failure as a man. As a result, he was stripped of his aristocratic status – and so were his mother and sister – so he worked as a commoner, a tradesman, to support them. After the death of his mother five years earlier, Hylas left Ariata and now, aged forty, he works as an engineer, travelling to wherever his expertise is needed – which is how he has come to live on Tykanos. The island is in desperate need of a new aqueduct to replace old and worn out infastructure that is no longer fit for purpose and Hylas has been charged with making it happen.

He’s dismayed when he discovers that the lodging he’s been assigned is in one of the island’s celebrated tea houses. When the island’s governor had talked about taking him to visit all six of them, Hylas had imagined… well, somewhere that sells tea, not a house of pleasure, a place of lively conversation, good food and drink, musical entertainment and, for an extra consideration, the charms of its companions. He has no interest in that, of course, but the idea of having to take communal meals and be sociable rather than just keeping himself to himself and not having to talk to anyone is not what he’d hoped for.

He’s shown to a small apartment backing onto a small garden and decides to have a look around, maybe introduce himself to the neighbour who occupies the apartment on the other side. Noticing the door is open he looks inside to see a young man asleep on a couch – a young man who is, quite simply, the most beautiful thing Hylas has ever seen. Not wanting to get caught staring at someone in their sleep, Hylas makes to leave when the young man wakes up and introduces himself as Zo, one of the house’s two male companions. Tongue-tied, Hylas stumbles his way through a quick introduction – then flees.

The next day, Hylas discovers that the somewhat unpredictable, laid-back way of life on Tykanos isn’t going to make his job easy. Nothing is in readiness and nobody seems to know anything about the aqueduct project; whether funds have been allocated, where it’s to be built, if any workers have been engaged and so on, and he’s further frustrated to learn that he’s going to have go through unusual channels to organise a survey team. The mistress of the naval quartermaster is the person to ask if you want to get anything done, but she’s currently away and not expected back for a while. It’s all very dispiriting.

As the days turn into weeks, Hylas settles into a routine at the House of the Red Balconies, his regular trip to the kitchen for a morning pot of tea and buns giving him the chance to get to know the people there before he heads out for a day of trying to find out what he can about the possible aqueduct sites and checking the map of water sources in the town and its environs. He’s taken to eating his breakfast in the garden, and one morning, knocks on Zo’s door and offers to share it with him – he’s always given more than he can eat or drink on his own. He’s surprised when Zo accepts his offer, and the two of them are soon enjoying the food and conversation. Breakfast for two in the garden becomes another regular feature of Hylas’ days after that.

The growing attraction between Hylas and Zo, is superbly done, their chemistry is undeniable and their gentle romance is built on a strong foundation of friendship, caring and kindness. Hylas has spent years suppressing his desire for men, had “buried that part of himself, so far down that he had forgotten it was there” and has just accepted that he’ll never love or be loved in the way he truly wants, and the realisation of his desire for Zo really does come as a bit of a shock to him. But there’s no way someone as young and gorgeous as Zo could possibly be interested in Hylas – and even if there were, Zo needs a patron if he’s to keep his place at the House of the Red Balconies, and Hylas isn’t wealthy enough to be that patron.

Hylas and Zo are beautifully developed characters. Hylas is an absolute sweetheart, a man who just wants to live and let live and to make things better for the people around him. He’s a genuinely humble individual who thinks himself ordinary and unremarkable and never really believes he deserves the esteem and respect he’s held in by others. Yet he’s not blandly perfect; he’s an endearing mixture of anxiety and competence, he still has a lot to unlearn about the toxic masculinity he grew up with, and it’s only since he left Ariata that he’s started to find out who he truly is. Zo is perhaps a little more guarded – for reasons we find out later on – and he’s living with a chronic illness which often causes pain and sometimes leaves him unable to walk. He likes Hylas a lot – it’s been a long time since he’s been able to be himself with someone – but isn’t blind to the practicalities of life and the need to secure his future.

I love the world A.J. Demas has created for these stories. As in the Sword Dance books, The House of the Red Balconies is set in a world in which same-sex love is regarded as perfectly natural and where women, although they’re not allowed to hold positions of power, find other ways to exert their influence. The setting of Tykanos is incredibly vivid and I liked the gentle humour found in Hylas’ frustrations and struggles to get anything done and the element of culture shock he experiences as he navigates Tykanos’ different customs. I also appreciate that, unlike in the vast majority of historical romances, her protagonists are generally from the working classes or lower social strata – retired soldiers, freed slaves, sex-workers, builders and engineers. It makes a nice change to read about ordinary people going about their regular lives and I really like the attention to detail given to that aspect of the story.

While ‘vibes over plot’ books aren’t always my cup of tea (!), The House of the Red Balconies really worked for me, so if you’re in the mood for a charming, slow-burn romance that centres two good people finding each other, love and happiness, then it should definitely be on your radar.