Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The five authors in this sweet anthology offer tender, gentle contemporary stories of hope and romance with a Christmas backdrop. Plots glance off serious issues such as guilt over a partner's death, a small town's quiet racism, or verbally abusive parents, instead maintaining a light, sentimental tone. In Killian B. Brewer's "Gracious Living Magazine Says It Must Be a Live Tree," Marcus Sumter's festive spirit blooms out of control when he discovers his boyfriend's receipt for a ring. In Pene Henson's "True North," basketball player Shay Williams is stranded near her Montana hometown by a snowstorm and has to face unresolved feelings for her high school crush. In Lilah Suzanne's "Halfway Home," Avery Puckett barely reacts to losing her job, wrecking her car, and being dumped; the only thing that gets through her haze is helping exuberant pet shelter employee Grace calm an aggressive rescue dog. In Erin Finnegan's "Last Call at the Casa Blanca Bar & Grill," a charming, flirtatious bartender cheers up curmudgeon Jack Volarde, who blames himself for his partner's death the year before. In Lynn Charles's "Shelved," library assistant Karina Ness conspires to bring her uncle and a friendly patron together, not realizing that what she really wants is a holiday love of her own. This cozy anthology is labeled LGBTQ but only lesbian, gay, and (possibly) bisexual characters appear. It wisely stays away from coming-out drama and the like, only complicating these romances with low-key everyday hiccups. (Dec.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Five LGBTQ holiday stories examine the power of love and the magic of Christmas.Christmas romance anthologies are a staple of the holiday season, and this collection will be a welcome addition to any shelf. In "Gracious Living Magazine Says It Must Be a Live Tree," Killian B. Brewer revisits his characters from Lunch with the Do Nothings at the Tammy Dinette and offers Marcus Sumter his first real Christmas with his new love, Hank Hudson, and the loving community of Marathon, Georgiabut with the anticipation of the holidays comes the necessity of managing expectations and getting to the heart of the season rather than settling for the surface glow. In Pene Henson's "True North," an African-American lesbian basketball star reluctantly heads back to her tiny Montana hometown for the holidays and finds inspiration, acceptance, and possibly love when she finally confronts her feelings of otherness in the community she grew up in. In Erin Finnegan's "Last Call at the Casa Blanca Bar Grill," Jack finds himself on Christmas Eve back at the bar where he used to hang out with Joey, the lover he lost a year ago to an accident. Jack is oddly drawn to Javi, who reminds him of Joey in ways that allow him to remember his lover without debilitating grief and guilt for the first time. In Lilah Suzanne's "Halfway Home," emotionally numb Avery loses her job and her girlfriend in one day but feels a sense of hope after rescuing a dog who leads her to a whole new world of possibilities. And, finally, in Lynn Charles' "Shelved," a librarian plays matchmaker to her uncle and a library patron while failing to act on her own attraction to the woman at the Christmas tree farm.Five charming, heartfelt, delightful tales bound to bring holiday cheer. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
