Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Winter Oranges
AUTHOR: Marie Sexton
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 325 pages
BLURB:
Jason Walker is a child star turned teen heartthrob turned reluctant B-movie regular who’s sick of his failing career. So he gives up Hollywood for northern Idaho, far away from the press, the drama of LA, and the best friend he’s secretly been in love with for years.
There’s only one problem with his new life: a strange young man only he can see is haunting his guesthouse. Except Benjamin Ward isn’t a ghost. He’s a man caught out of time, trapped since the Civil War in a magical prison where he can only watch the lives of those around him. He’s also sweet, funny, and cute as hell, with an affinity for cheesy ’80s TV shows. And he’s thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.
But Jason quickly discovers that spending all his time with a man nobody else can see or hear isn’t without its problems—especially when the tabloids find him again and make him front-page news. The local sheriff thinks he’s on drugs, and his best friend thinks he’s crazy. But Jason knows he hasn’t lost his mind. Too bad he can’t say the same thing about his heart.
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Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.
Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.
To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website: http://www.glbthotline.org/
REVIEW:
Sniffle… oh wow, this was just a perfect book. Can I say that for my review? How about: THIS IS A PERFECT BOOK, EVERYONE SHOULD BUY IT! Does that work? No? Ok, let me tell you about this story…
Jason Walker is done with acting. He’s done with the drama, the crappy movies, the stalker paparazzi, and he’s done with being in love with his best friend. Who thinks of him as nothing more than a friend with benefits. He’s a child star all grown up, now reduced to acting in bad horror films. He buys a house in Idaho, and leaves it all behind. Or so he thinks.
Jason is a bit surprised to see a face in the window above his garage, and even more surprised when the local Sheriff can’t see or find any sign of his intruder. He goes from surprised to stunned when he DOES see a man in the room over his garage, and shocked when he discovers the whole story. Now I have to get spoilerish here, so if you don’t want to see it, look away for a couple of sentences. Jason finds a man, Ben Ward, trapped in a snow globe. Yup. Trapped in a snow globe. By his sister, just as the civil war is starting. Ben has spent 150 years, trapped in a snow globe, or in the room around it, not able to talk to anyone, eat, drink, breath, or touch. Jason and Ben work out a way to communicate, and the sweetest relationship builds between them.
This is just an awesome story. I loved every single thing about it. Jason and Ben, soooooo sweet. Loved them. Loved the story, the creativity, the drama, I was so concerned for them! How could this work out? Yes, I saw the solution coming a mile away, but I was so wrapped up in the story I just went with it. Ben is innocent, curious, and bright-eyed. Jason goes between calm and frantic, depending on what is happening. Dylan, Jason’s best friend, pops in and out, leaving chaos in his wake. I even loved him! I can’t say any more about story than I have, but the whole back and forth thing, that I can’t tell you about, worked so very well. I loved the friendship that develops between Ben and Jason and the love it turns in to. The big thing that happens at the end had me on the edge of my seat and wide-eyed in concern, then sniffling in happiness.
This was the perfect treat before a family Thanksgiving day tomorrow, I needed this so badly! I love Marie Sexton’s books, she’s been a little slower in releasing new ones, but if this is the quality of the books she’s going to give us, I’ll gladly be patient.
Loved it! Sweet, sappy, holiday, romantic, creative…. You get the picture. Buy this book!
RATING: 
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