Reviewed by Kat

TITLE: A Little Christmas: Jacob

SERIES: A Little Christmas

AUTHOR: TL Travis

PUBLISHER: Sapphire Publishing

LENGTH: 172 pages

RELEASE DATE: December 12, 2022

BLURB:

For Jacob Shelton, life was anything but conventional, having been born with a silver spoon in his mouth even though it was a loveless existence.

Jacob hoped there was more to life than money and was about to find out the hard way.

Richard Worthington longs for a boy of his own. One to nurture and care for, pamper and spoil. His friends in the lifestyle found their forever partners, so why’s it so difficult for him to find the same? Sugar baby after sugar baby leaves Richard wondering if it’s worth it.

Their paths cross in a chance meeting, though it’s a life-or-death decision that ultimately brings them together.

This is an MM daddy/little Christmas twist on The Little Princess Classic tale. Each age-play romance book in this multi-author series can be read as a standalone.

REVIEW:

Jacob is the epitome of the “throw away child”! His mom died at his birth, his aunt somehow tracks down his sleazy father and dumps him on him. His father then dumps him on a nanny that really wants nothing to do with him. As soon as he can be shipped off to boarding school he never sees them again. Just before he turns 18 his life takes another bad turn. His dad is arrested for swindling countless people of their savings and imprisoned. The headmistress sends poor Jacob to the attic and puts him to work in the kitchen. That’s the first positive that happened to the boy. The cafeteria ladies take to him and watch out for his well-being. But over Christmas break it all falls apart. He turns 18 Christmas Day and is kicked out of school by that disgusting woman with only his few possessions. Living on the streets penniless is even worse than being tormented by the bullies at school. At least he had an old mattress to sleep on up in the drafty attic. When he is missed by the ladies his life is finally changed. The handsome and wealthy man he saw Christmas Day when looking at the toy train set in the Toy Store window takes him in and gets him the medical care he needs and a room all his own. Richard only wants for one thing in his life…a boy all his own that isn’t a demanding and ungrateful sugar baby. When he sees the young man gazing longingly at the train through the window of the toy store in the building he owns he see a kinder ES spirit and wants to get to know him. But he surprised and scared away the young man before he got a chance to even speak to him. Can a lonely daddy convince and lifelong neglected boy that they can have a life together?

Children are not disposable! All my years in education this has been my mantra. Just because you “knock up” some one night stand does not mean that you can just toss them aside like an old pair of shoes that you don’t want. It infuriates me even more that you are a sleazy, good-for-nothing shyster preying on good people. If you don’t want the child there are many wonderful people that would give anything to take that unwanted baby and give it a warm and loving home full of everything it would need. At least Jacob got that eventually but 18 years is a very long time to live without even a hug. To say that he was severely repressed is an understatement. He was never given the opportunity to be a child. He was just an obligation.

The cafeteria ladies were my real heroes on this story. As in real life is wasn’t uncommon for those caring ladies or the custodians at a school to notice the child that needed a little bit of nurturing and attention. Francesca was that shining Angel that just wanted Jacob to have what all children should have…a home where they are wanted and adored.

I believe that Jacob’s being a little evolved because of his harsh and repressed upbringing. He was never given the opportunity to experience being a child and playing with the toys his father could well afforded for him. He was merely an annoyance and bother to the narcissistic man. And being forced on his nanny was a reminder to her that his dad was nothing but a taker and user.

I wasn’t sure at first if Richard introducing Jacob to his lifestyle was the right thing to do. It was obvious that Jacob was young, repressed, physically abused by his schoolmate bullies and naïve. I was thankful that he didn’t rush Jacob with his desires but took his time. Would Jacob have become a little without his life circumstances? We would never know. Was he a full time boy like his friend Orion? I don’t think so. Jacob may never mature in the proper way because of his life experiences but he wanted to do something to be able to earn money so he would never have to be at the mercy of others again.

This Christmas novel and the series it is part of is loosely based on the classic tale The Little Princess. It’s not a story I am familiar with but this book is well written and explores the beginning of a relationship between a caring Daddy and his boy that needs his love and attention not the riches he can provide. It shows how resilient a child can be even faced with the toughest life.

RATING:

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