Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  Christmas of White

AUTHOR:  Devon Rhodes

PUBLISHER:  Totally Bound

LENGTH:  51 pages

BLURB: Can Blaise coming back to Montana turn Owen’s blue Christmas into a warm, shared Christmas of white?

Owen never thought he’d see the all-too tempting veterinary intern from the previous summer again, until his brother drops the bombshell that not only is Blaise returning, but he’ll need to stay in Owen’s house again until he gets settled. He’s the bachelor uncle in their ranching family, and if people know what that means, no one talks about it. He can’t be gay, no matter what happened in the barn last time Blaise was here…

Blaise made the life-changing decision to relocate to Montana for many reasons but with one clear goal in mind—to convince Owen of what they could share if he would only let Blaise in. He’s prepared himself for a long siege, but with the help of his scheming best friend, Owen’s brother, a donkey and a lot of snow, an early Christmas present might just be in store for them both.

REVIEW:  

Owen has tried his best to forget about the veterinary assistant that interned for his brother a year ago.  Tried to forget his long hair, his crazy eco-saving ways, and his electric smile.  But Owen has mostly tried to forget about the one time, in the barn, that he let himself go…and wound up getting a rather unpleasant surprise.  Then Kent, Owen’s brother, announces that Blaise is moving to Montana, taking up a veterinary partnership with Kent, and–here’s the kicker–needs a place to stay while he looks for a house in the area.  And like a loving, wonderful, brother that he is (ha!) Kent has volunteered Owen’s place.  So, despite his best intentions of forgetting and moving the hell on with his life, Owen now has to deal with the object of his temptation, and annoyance, living right under his roof.

But there are plans afoot, and some snap-judgments made under the heated Montana sun, may have been a bit hasty, because Blaise wants Owen, and is willing to do anything to convince Owen that he wants Blaise too.

This was a lovely short story.  There was just that perfect balance of tension and mystery, so that I was pleasantly surprised by the few twists offered, and the story gave me enough time to feel the attraction building between Owen and Blaise, so that the inevitable conclusion didn’t feel contrived.  I could totally feel the heat between them in the barn, and later in the scenes between them.  Lingering glances, Owen’s almost comical reaction to Blaise’s attempts to cut his hair, they worked to make this relationship feel real.

I also think the flashbacks to the summer before were really well used.  They added tension to the story, but did it in a way that didn’t immediate undercut the tension in the present.  We slowly learn the truth of what happened when Blaise had visited last, and then we get to see how it has affected them now.

A few miscommunications, and few busybody family and friends, and a whole lot of heated want between these two, made this just a really nice story.  There is not a lot of angst, but enough mystery to make it interesting.  And it just really made me want to see where Owen and Blaise go from here.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS: Totally Bound