Reviewed by Elizabetta

TITLE: Feathers From The Sky

SERIES: 2013 DSP Advent Calendar – Heartwarming

AUTHOR: Posy Roberts

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Publishing

LENGTH: 71 pages

BLURB: Cal Thompson is going a little mad over the Christmas holiday, stuck in a tiny house with fourteen members of his immediate family. There’s no privacy and no boyfriend to help him cope—because Philip is still a secret, though not for long. Cal’s family knows he’s bisexual, but they’ve always assumed Cal would marry a woman and be fruitful and multiply. Just as he’s ready to set the record straight, his parents tell the family they’re selling the family house and tip this introvert’s world on edge.

Philip Sherman arrives at Cal’s family home to find his lover mourning the loss of his home, paralyzed by the abrupt and unexpected announcement that trumped his own. Though Philip takes the setback in stride, they won’t be able to avoid the calling of their hearts for long: Cal needs to reveal the truth of his relationship with Philip to his family, and Philip has a question he’s desperate to have answered.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package “Heartwarming”

REVIEW:

The house may be on the shabby side and too small, bursting at the seems with fifteen people stuffed into it, but it’s Cal’s family home and everyone is back for Christmas week in the snowy countryside.

There are a lot of changes for twenty-six year old Cal this Christmas with the family. He’s finally ready to come out to them, and his boyfriend, Phillip, the love of his life, is coming to meet them too. And Cal’s parents have some news of their own.

I loved this. The author captures the feel of a noisy, active family, close-knit and loving, all up against each other for the holiday get-together. Cal, the middle kid, and an introvert, deals with all the bustle of his large family with long solitary walks in the snow, waiting for Phillip’s arrival. His six siblings, some with kids of their own, and his warm and supportive parents know he’s bisexual but he’s never brought a boyfriend home. He just knows they’re expecting him to marry a nice girl and add to the family flock.

And there’s the rub. They don’t know about Phillip, Cal’s lover of three years. He and Phillip are madly in love and are not interested in taking on any kids.

“He held my hand… and I could hear the quiet sound of his thumb brushing over my palm in tiny figure eights. Infinity… He was telling me he’d love me forever.”

Interesting thing… his family may be more understanding than he gives them credit for.

There is a fun, competitive snowball fight, lots of camaraderie, and the cozy, good feeling of people who care about each other. This is perfect for the holidays, full of love but never sticky sweet. As Phillip says during a walk with Cal in softly falling snow…

“Feathers from the sky,” he whispered as he looked up… “It looks like feathers falling from the sky.” I studied the flakes as they drifted down… (they) made the the air seem magical.”

Elizabetta rates it –

BUY LINKS: Dreamspinner Press

=============================

ADVENT CALENDER EVENT

Dreamspinner Press and The Blog of Sid Love bring to you an opportunity where you get to win a free set of DSP’s “Heartwarming” Advent Calender 2013. Yes! The full set with 31 stories including contributions from authors like Andrew Grey, Cardeno C., Grace R. Duncan, and many more…

If you wish to enter yourself into this contest, all you have to do is comment on every advent event post we make each day till the end of this month. Look out for titles with “Advent Calender Event” mentioned in them (such as this one) and the posts will be reviews on each and every story from this anthology.

The contest will end on 1st January, 2014 and the winners will be announced on the 2nd of January.

So, good luck to you all and Happy Holidays!