Reviewed by Carissa

TITLE:  It’s Christmas Everywhere But Here

AUTHOR:  Liam Grey

PUBLISHER:  Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH:  94 pages

BLURB:  

Christmas brings dreams of peace, love, and family time for most. Sadly, Russell Moore isn’t so blessed. Since his coming out and marriage prompted a less-than-joyful reaction from his religious parents, Russ has kept his distance to avoid their conservative disapproval. With his husband David deployed overseas for the second Christmas in a row, Russ gives in to the loneliness and takes his stepchildren to meet his parents for the first time, hoping the “goodwill toward men” spirit will overcome his mother’s zealotry.

But Russ’s Christmas joy is too quickly deflated by his mother’s unmet expectations, leaving Russ to ponder if peace, love, and perhaps matricide go hand in hand.

REVIEW:  

This was the first Christmas book I read this year and boy did it set the bar high. I had no idea going in that the children were going to play a big role in the story–which is a good thing because I tend to avoid those stories like the plague–but as I read I couldn’t help myself falling in love with Russell and his two stepchildren.

Russell’s husband, David, is still deployed overseas so Russell takes their kids to his parent’s house for Christmas. But what should have been a relaxing time with family is complicated by his mother’s religious beliefs and Austin’s (Russell’s son) Asperger’s. It seems that no matter what he does, Russell can’t get his mother to see that ‘traditional’ is just not going to work for him and the children–in so many different ways.

I may not have children (I many not ever want children) but I really get Russell. At least in that we both try to find some common ground with some members of our family, only to realize that we seem to be the only ones moving. I have a lot of family members who are like his mother. So stuck in there ideal versions of morality, tradition, and religion, that any compromise is usually me trying to placate them. Because I love them. Because I don’t want to spend my whole holidays fighting. Yet, all that ends up doing is making me want nothing more that to spend my holidays with people who actually care about me, not the pretend version that some of my family think I need to be.

So I get this book, and I get Russell’s issues. And it made me love this book all the more. Because it wasn’t about hating the evil horrible Christians. It was about family and the shit we put up with because they are family and we really do love them. Even if it seems one-sided sometimes.

And while I am not a big fan of kids I adore how Emily and Austin were handled in this book. Austin’s Asperger’s makes taking care of him more complicated than Emily, but both are so clearly loved by their two fathers (David does show up in this book but not until the end). Russell is patient and kind and loving. He is not perfect, but he tries to do what is best for his kids. And they are his kids, even if not by blood.

If you are looking for romance, this is not going to be the Christmas book for you. This is more about Russell and his family for a majority of the story. But when David does show up, we do get some pretty awesome scenes with the two of them. I love how their relationship is, how clearly in love they are (I may have got a little flustered myself when Russell saw David), and they seem solid even when the stress of separation and Russell’s family is weighing down on them.

I can’t recommend this book enough. Just go buy it, read it, and you will understand. It was just awesome.

RATING:  

BUY LINKS:

Dreamspinner

Amazon 

Amazon.UK

ARe