Reviewed by Kat
TITLE: Holiday Emergencies 
SERIES: Love’s First Response series
AUTHOR: Sara York
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 123 pages
BLURB:
Holiday Emergencies (Love’s First Response) by Sara York – Romance>Contemporary
When being ready takes on new meaning and coffee may not be enough to save Drake and Adam.
Adam Hughes keeps over committing, but this time he’s committed both he and Drake Knowles to something beyond anything they’ve ever experienced before. Drake has never really contemplated being a parent until Boyd and Ben come into their lives. He’s amazed at how awesome they all get along and how rewarding parenting is. Then all hell breaks loose when Boyd and Ben’s father shows up. Will Adam and Drake be able to prove they are the perfect parents for the boys, or will they lose the two kids who have become their heart and soul just as the Christmas season gets into full swing.
REVIEW:
First and foremost: this is NOT a Stand Alone book. It is a Christmas Novella in the Love’s First Response series. When asked to do the review on this short Christmas book I agreed, not realizing that I needed to read the series for a big part of the story to make sense. I have to say, of the entire series, this is the most complete book. I don’t know if that is because it is a continuation of an existing couple we have already met and got to know, but it seemed to flow better. It was also the longest of the series.
When I was attending a book conference this summer, I was asked by an author, in a session, why I liked novellas in a series. I told the authors that it was like when I was young and you got that special Christmas letter, written by a dear friend or relative that lived far away. Long distance calls were very expensive and there was no such thing as email or the internet to keep you up-to-date with the happenings of loved ones far away. That is what I equate a follow-up novella to. It gives you an update on what is happening in your favorite character’s lives.
That is exactly what this novella is, a catch up into the lives of Drake and Adam. While Adam is trying desperately to get the cake ready for Liam and Jordan’s upcoming wedding, Drake, an Everett, Washington Police Officer, is out on patrol. He sees something unusual with a couple of boys in a parking lot and goes to check it out. Holiday Emergencies is the story of Ben and Boyd, a set of brothers that ran away from a horrible and judgmental, homophobic foster family situation. Their story will tug on your heartstrings and how they entwine themselves in Adam and Drake’s live is wonderful. These boy’s relationship with Drake and Adam made me care for all of them even more.
I did feel like we got more of the story with this book than the others. Maybe because it wasn’t focused on insta-love but the men were already in an established love relationship. That these two men would change their entire life’s focus for two lost and in-need boys was special. My biggest problem was that I was expecting a quick read and wound up having to read an entire series to understand the dynamics of the men and their friends.
RATING: 
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