Like the last few years we at Love Bytes are reviewing the whole DSP advent calender
There will be a review posted each day (except Sundays and Holidays so some days will have two reviews instead) throughout the month of December.
Let us know what you think of the reviews and the stories and have a chance to win a fabulous giveaway.
First Prize: 10 Dreamspinner Press ebooks (winner’s choice)
Second Prize: 5 Dreamspinner Press ebooks (winner’s choice)
Third Prize: 3 Dreamspinner Press ebooks (winner’s choice)
Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Boca Dreams
SERIES: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar “Warmest Wishes.”
AUTHOR: Scudder James Jr.
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 12,485 words
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2018
BLURB:
You can’t correct the past.
Or can you?
Stephen’s not proud of who he was back in boarding school—spoiled and a player. Now, at the holiday reunion ten years later, he has a chance to show his former classmates who he really is: out and proud, devoted to helping others, and partnered with Victor.
Stephen understands why Victor, who grew up in a poor and abusive household, hates the rich kids at the reunion, but his attitude is ruining everything. Luckily Stephen bumps into Aaron, a former grunge rocker who has also changed. Stephen never forgot their one steamy night together.
With the help of three very unusual personifications of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, can Stephen revisit his mistakes and find the happiness that’s eluded him?
REVIEW:
I’ve got to be honest, this one didn’t really do it for me. If we weren’t reviewing all the stories in this year’s Advent Calendar like we do every year, I would probably have finished the story, shrugged, and moved on without writing a review, because let’s be honest, I hate having to be negative about someone’s writing. But since we are reviewing the entire package, I’ll have to give you my impressions. Boca Dreams is the story of the out and proud Stephen, and his cheating snake of a boyfriend named Victor, and it just never caught me up. Victor was a total a-hole, who cheated on his boyfriend/partner of a year, not once, but twice in the short story, and then wanted to come back?
The overall premise of the story about reconnecting with an old crush was okay, but I didn’t think it worked this time. I thought the story would be different based on the section of the blurb above that says, “Christmas Past, Present, and Future”. I was thinking something with some spirits. I was wrong.
The story was okay, and mildly entertaining. It was a very fast read at 12,485 words. To be charitable, I think if the story had been longer, with more time to get to know the characters, that I might have believed the characters a little more. It felt a little too rushed and a little too flat for my tastes.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Dreamspinner Press – Whole Collection
Dreamspinner Press – Single story
Thanks for the review. I think the premise of the story sounds great but I will pass on this one.
Thank you for the review. I’m not sure about this story, I mean why is Victor in the blurb or the story?
Sounds like Victor is the fly in the ointment!
Thanks for the review. It’s hard when you hate one of the characters in such a short story.
Thank you for the review. I tend to be cautious with new to me authors and look into reviews such as this to consider my option.
Thank you for the review. It seems it’s the author’s debut story. The blurb sounds like it’ll be interesting. Sorry to hear it didn’t work for you!
Sometimes a story just doesn’t fit the short format.
I think this story disappointed me the most in the past three years of the dreamspinner advent calendar. Sadly I don’t really know whether I would try another story by that author.