REVIEWED BY CINDY

TITLE: A Midwinter Night’s Dream

AUTHOR: Whitley Gray

PUBLISHER: Loose ID

LENGTH: 114 Pages

Blurb:

Two years ago, Joe Blake lost his secret lover, firefighter Bryce Marshall. Grieving, Joe left his job as a fireman and paramedic to become the spokesmodel for undergarment company Escalade. They lured him into the limelight and drove him deeper into the closet. Modeling doesn’t provide fulfillment; Joe wants privacy and to feel useful again. A holiday at his mountain cabin outside Denver is the perfect escape. The last thing he anticipated, or wanted, was sharing his retreat with another man.

Last Christmas, actor Errol Lockhart discovered boyfriend Carson had stolen a play. Carson accused Errol and then blackballed him in the theater community. Some Christmas that was. Now Errol has to take whatever work he can to survive. Delivering a singing telegram during a blizzard isn’t wise, but it pays double and rent is overdue. He’s got dreams, not of a white Christmas, but of getting a shot at Hollywood. He’s determined to make it, if he survives this storm.

As Joe and Errol ride out the blizzard, more than marshmallows get toasty in front of the fire. When Errol discovers Joe’s identity, he’s sure he’s found his way in, his big break. But Joe won’t sacrifice Errol to the Hollywood sharks. Unless they can forge a compromise, they’re going to wake from their midwinter night’s dream to lumps of coal in their stockings.

Review: Joe Blake is a man who’s looking for some time alone to work through his past and to find a way to his future. Errol Lockhart (is there a more fitting name for an actor?) is trying to navigate the betrayal and misery in his own past, working at the only job he could get, even though he hates it.

As I started reading this book, I immediately fell in love with both of Whitley Gray’s main characters. Both are suffering and are broken in their own ways and there were never two men who deserved a Christmas miracle more.

It comes in the form of bad directions (or were they?) and a snow storm. Errol ends up in a potentially deadly situation and former firefighter Joe rescues him. Once they’re safely at Joe’s cabin, they begin working their way toward each other, with many moments that leave the reader smiling. Snowed in, they make the best of things.

The two characters are so perfect together even if they are seeing things from a different point of view. The sex, when they get to it, is sweet and hot and I found myself routing for them.

The angst comes in the form of their rescue, some poorly chosen words, one man’s fear and another’s anger.

It’s not hard to see where the story is going but the journey makes it worth the read. It has a wonderful happily-ever-after ending that starts with the grand gesture and ends the way you want it to.

The little twist that some might almost miss will leave you smiling as well.

A solid story that’s well written and it’s going to have this reviewer looking for more from this author.

Rating:

Buy Links: Loose Amazon