The Next Christmas by Liam Livings at JMS Books
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance / Holiday |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 08-December-2015 |
Genre | Gay / Contemporary / Romance / Holiday |
Reviewed by | Serena Yates on 08-December-2015 |
In a snowy small town in England, just before Christmas, garage mechanic David and office worker Christian are preparing to spend the festive period with Christian's parents. The same parents who told him last year he wasn't welcome to their family festive celebrations because he was gay. But this year is different. His parents welcome their son and his boyfriend, David, with open arms; different except when it comes to sleeping arrangements.
Will David and Christian's love overcome prejudice and old-fashioned views? Can David actually enjoy playing Pictionary? And will David's best friend Tony stay sober enough to offer his own particular brand of no nonsense advice from his perfect Christmas with friends, when David is up to his neck in family problems?
Sequel to Christmas Serendipity
David and Christian from ‘Christmas Serendipity’ are back, and after last year’s awful Christmas, when Christian’s parents told him “not to bother” to visit now that he turned out to be gay, I thought they deserved a better one this year. But while they have agreed to stay with Christian’s parents, much to David’s worry, the initial contact does not look very promising at all. It will take some doing for things to get somewhere near acceptable for two men who love each other as much as these two.
David is not looking forward to Christmas the way it is currently planned. Theoretically, now that Christian’s parents are speaking to them on a regular basis and have invited them for a Christmas visit, things should be okay. He is still worried about making a good impression, and about them judging him “not enough” for their son. Then he overhears Christian on the phone discussing sleeping arrangements – and David loses it. Separate rooms? Especially for Christmas? Why should he even bother? But as his best friend, Tony of the fabulous cocktails, tells him: “do it and think of Christian”. That made me laugh, but it also made me sad that some parents are so bigoted. As it turns out, there is more to the story, and I loved how Liam wrote the rest of it.
If you want to know how Christian and David are doing a year after ‘Christmas Serendipity’ (which you should definitely read first), if you like a distinctively British touch with your Christmas stories, and if you’re looking for a read that deals with real problems but does so in a very sweet touch, then you will probably like this novella. Oh and the ending? Absolutely perfect!
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by JMS Books for the purpose of a review.
Format | ebook |
Length | Novella, 51 pages/15210 words |
Heat Level | |
Publication Date | 06-December-2015 |
Price | $3.99 ebook |
Buy Link | http://bit.ly/1R2YCbV |
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"True love is more precious than the rarest of gemstones." --The Collector