Reviewed by Ro
TITLE: The 12 Kittens of Christmas
AUTHOR: Amy Lane
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 238 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 28, 2023
BLURB:
Killian Thornton likes his downtown life, tending bar, and enjoying time with his friends and community. He’d given up on passion long ago—he wasn’t cut out for grand romance or dramatic gestures. Then one night, in a characteristic act of kindness, Killian offers his couch to help a friend’s little brother find his feet in a new city, and everything Killian thought he knew about himself and his little life gets turned upside down.
Lewis Bernard, the funny, quirky guy happy to find a spot on Killian’s couch, can’t believe his luck. After being forced to flee his parents’ house, he was afraid of what came next, but Sacramento seems to be treating him just fine. The stunningly handsome bartender who lives downstairs from his brother offers Lewis his couch and doesn’t even balk when Lewis discovers two abandoned kittens in a vacant lot as they walk home.
Vet bills, cat food bills, litter boxes—none of it was on Killian’s Christmas agenda, but he jumps in gamely to help because all the shelters seem to be full, and that’s just the kind of guy Killian is. But kittens can multiply faster than rabbits, and Killian and Lewis accidentally rescue more and more cats.
Lewis starts to panic. He really wants to know Killian better, but with each act of kindness, Lewis falls further in love while ruining Killian’s life. How can Killian find time to fall in love with Lewis and ask him to stay if they’re inundated with destructive furry poop-machines who all seem to need a home before Christmas?
REVIEW:
There are two Amy Lanes. One is the author of darker, angsty stories. The other is the master of the light, sweet holiday story. That is the Amy Lane I love and I am excited every year to start reading holiday stories. Add in some pets and I’m there! As evidenced by the title, this book has 12 cats!
Killian is former military who had a horrific experience when he came out to his family. Luckily, he was with his crush, also from the military, and he was not near his homophobic family at the time so they couldn’t physically hurt him. Instead, they banished him, burned all this things and he’s now dead to them, other than a younger sister. So he now views himself differently, maybe as unloveable. “And loneliness was such a small price to pay for a little bit of peace.”
Killian lives in Sacramento and works at a bar, Catches, and one night sees someone who looks familiar. This is Lewis, who turns out to be the younger brother of Killian’s neighbor, Todd. For his part, Lewis is a brilliant software engineer who couldn’t get hired in Texas because of bigotry. He also had a run in with the homophobes and so off to see his brother he went.
After some conversation, Killian offers Lewis his couch for the night while his brother is busy. It is on the walk home that they find the first of the kittens. Bedraggled, tiny and homeless, they can’t leave them there. “Killian had never thought of having a cat in his home once in his entire life.” That changed quickly, as Moose and Squirrel made themselves at home in his home.
Be aware it’s pretty insta-love here. They are only together a few days when Lewis is planning weddings in his head. I was okay with it, holiday magic and all. Lewis sees Killian like no one had before, even his ex-boyfriend. “It’s unique and interesting, and nobody in your life has every expected unique and interesting from you. So you keep it to yourself, and you please yourself, and most people invited over sleep on your couch.” It’s just lovely to see Killian come to terms with himself. Killian had lived the last six years of his life believing he wasn’t the kind of person somebody could love unconditionally, madly, without reserve.” But he is that kind of person.
I did question why Todd never questioned where he was living! Although Todd is killing himself working three jobs, so that makes a difference. There are some great side characters, especially Nicky, Suzanne and Lewis’ parents. When Lewis’ mom tries to get him to stay after the whole homophobic chaos, she made me laugh. “I was the high school slut. If I didn’t let these assholes drive me out of my hometown, I know you can take it.” And dad’s response was classic.
I don’t want to spoil the other ten cats, except to say I was VERY glad when the one who tossed Boris and Natasha got what was coming to him. You’ll have to read the book to see the rest. It’s so worth it!
Another added bonus is there are Easter eggs throughout, with people from other Amy Lane books. I admit, when I saw workplace coop, I was so excited because I knew who that was going to be! If only we had gotten Adam and Finn, as well! This is a happy, sweet holiday story.
RATING: 
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