Advent Calendar Review: Holiday Island (2018 Advent Calendar - Warmest Wishes) by A.D. Ellis

REVIEWED by Jen B.

TITLE: Holiday Island

AUTHOR: A.D. Ellis

PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press

LENGTH: 43 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2018

BLURB:

No peacocks were harmed in the making of this story.

Rafa’s nautical skills are less than stellar. He’d rather be a full-time artist, but he has a duty to the family business and a fear of standing up to his father and brother.

Carpenter Lucas is determined to rebuild his business after a lover’s betrayal nearly destroyed it. But he runs into a snag when he misses the last boat to the job site.

Rafa offers to take him, but Rafa isn’t much of a sailor.

When they end up on the wrong island, fears for survival gradually give way to an appreciation of the beauty around them—and each other. Rafa insists a holiday miracle will save them, and he teases Lucas for being a Scrooge.

In the end, Rafa’s miracle might come from the last place he expects: inside himself.

REVIEW:

This was a cute story about a guy trying to rebuild his life after his ex-fiance took his business when he left him. On his way to bid on a carpentry job working on an island resort, he is helped by Rafa who offers to take him to the island when the other crews seemed to have left without him. They end up on the wrong island, end up stranded, decide to make the best of things, and things quickly heat up.

In a short span, they make plans to build a business together, joining Lucas’ carpentry business and Rafa’s artistic talents. This was a fun little story, but things happened way too fast in a number of ways. It was nice to see Rafa discover his own worth and to see him stand up to his father and brother, and Lucas and Rafa clearly shared some chemistry that foretold their relationship being successful and them finding the happiness they both needed.

All in all, this was a fun afternoon read.

RATING: