Shame and regret had been replaced by a measure of nostalgia for the people we had been. Inevitably it was tinged with regret at what our affection could have grown into if only we'd been honest with each other.
Luke Carter is a successful environmental consultant, newly promoted and looking forward to a bright future with his employer. Now thirty-five, he lives alone and has never had a meaningful relationship. Though he accepts that he is gay, he is still not fully out. Events when he was at university fifteen years earlier have left deep emotional scars and a lasting sadness, from which he cannot escape.
Ambitious politician Dan Forrester has a new job as a junior Minister and is heading for a glittering career. For many years, he has rigidly suppressed the fact that he is gay for fear of endangering his hard-won political career. However, his new job in a department, a government and a Tory party riven by disputes and divisions over Brexit has its problems. The conflict that he faces at Westminster and in his constituency leave Dan contemplating the personal sacrifices he has made over the years. He particularly remembers one man whom he pushed away fifteen years ago.
Luke's firm has a contract with Dan's department and the two meet unexpectedly, first in Whitehall and then at an environmental conference. The chemistry between them is immediate - but can Luke forgive Dan for the callous way that he ended their friendship? Is it possible for them to become close again, and how will a relationship impact on their lives and their careers in an age of intense media scrutiny?
Set against the backdrop of Brexit, Governing Passions explores what happens when political and personal lives collide. Can Dan's political career survive? More importantly, when faced with a choice between love and duty, does he want it to?
Governing Passions casts light on a period in recent history that has affected us all. It is also a tender love story that explores the cost that people still pay for being true to their sexuality.
Governing Passions is the second in a series of novels 'Love in a Changing Climate'. The first, A Year of Awakening, was published in October 2018.
