Twist of the Magi

by Caren J. Werlinger

Christmas is not looking very merry for Penny Havers – she won’t be seeing her family for the holidays; she hasn’t had a girlfriend in forever; she can’t get her stories published. When two young women are hired at the shop where she works, Penny begins to think her luck may have changed. Penny is about to learn that, when Christmas works its magic, what you hope for isn’t always what you get.

11,150

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Short Stories, Lesbian Romance, Holiday

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2014

About the author

From the author's website: Bestselling author Caren Werlinger published her first award-winning novel, Looking Through Windows, in 2008. Since then, she has published fifteen more novels, winning several more awards. Influenced by a diverse array of authors, including Rumer Godden, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ursula LeGuin, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Willa Cather and the Brontë sisters, Caren writes literary fiction that features the struggles and joys of characters readers can identify with. Her stories cover a wide range of genres: historical fiction, contemporary drama, and fantasy, including the award-winning Dragonmage Saga, a fantasy trilogy set in ancient Ireland. Most recently, she created the magical setting of Little Sister Island (a place she and her readers wish were real) in When the Stars Sang and Face the Wind.

She lives in Virginia with her wife and their canine fur-children.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really sweet Christmas short. I wanted to read a few more Christmas stories while I was still in the holiday mood. I would consider this NA (the characters are around college age) with a little bit of a sweet romance. Werlinger writes well, and this reminds me I need to read more of her books.

[JulesGP · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite holiday stories is the Gift of Magi which I think is amazingly romantic and always gets me teary-eyed whenever I see a movie version. It’s one of those, oh how I wish this was a w-l-w story. I was thrilled when somebody recommended this one to me when I asked around. Twist of the Magi is more in the spirit of the OHenry short story rather than an exact retelling but it still gave me plenty of warm fuzzies by the end. Caren Werlinger always in top form.

[Corrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's that time of year to dig those holiday reads out from my to-read mountain and Caren Werlinger provides. Her Twist of the Magi is short and sweet and ticks all the boxes.

f/f

Themes: German town, working retail is brutal around christmas time, hand to mouth, homesick for family, don't give up on your dreams.

4 stars

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great feel-good holiday short story.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story read in half an hour. Fun, with tantalising back stories that could easily made a longer book. Fine.

[AnnMaree Of Oz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite short, under a half an hour.

Penny is just scraping by. She's a good person who is trying to make it as a writer. She works in a European themed Christmas shop year round, and once she pays her rent (usually late) she's got $20 for food for the week.
Her parents had to move away, so her father could get another job, and her 6 siblings are still living at home, meaning her parents wage is stretched pretty thin as it is - so she is trying her best to maintain her independence so she isn't a burden on them.

When two new girls are hired at the Shop, feelings are stirred for Penny. But is the one she's most attracted to, really who she should be going after?

A tale of friendship and hardship, but also hope and dreams coming true - especially from those who you least expect.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm trying to read as many holiday-themed works while tis the season, and I recently picked this book up on a whim. It's a super quick read! And overall, I thought it was very cute. But short stories are really hard to get right, since there's not a lot of real estate to play with. And Twist of the Magi falls into that trap--it didn't quite have enough runway to pull of a really good landing. That is to say, Penny's attraction is instant (in two cases) and not really well formed. But it is cute. And Penny is a really likeable character and you want her to have all the good things. And since the story is really about her, I can forgive the other aspects of this story.

[Velvet Lounger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent short story that will put you in the Christmas spirit. This is a delightful romance, well written, fully rounded and fleshed out in a very small and sweet package.

Ms Werlinger always delivers excellent stories. Her works are well written, well considered, well thought out. Her characters are deep and multi-dimensional. Her romance is tender and delicate. And over-all we end up with a gentle but heartwarming tale that thaws the cockles in an almost Dickensian style.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice sweet well written short story.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The real meaning of Christmas la not lost on those who see with their heart

What a delightful story. Penny the writer whose words can reach the heart. Candace who doesn't have much of a heart. Mrs Reinholtz who saw it all and her worldly shop owner perfection. Then Mary brought the real emotion to the front of this story. It is a Christmas story of old but given a blessed twist that is delicious and so warm. The characters are very real and to feel the financial poverty of our writing heroine was a raw emotion for me. She carried herself with a innocents that youth has but the growth in the end was priceless. Mary took the lead to open their hearts to the true joy the holiday brings. This is a short but oh so timely story that reminds me of the true gift of this holiday, LOVE. A must have holiday book I am glad to add to my Caren J. Werlinger collection.

[L ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

rep sapphic mc, sapphic LI, f/f romance

Twist of the Magi is a quick short story about Penny who's 23 and live alone with her cat in a small town. She works at a Christmas ornament store all year before starting grad school. She's a writer but sadly she only got rejection letters so she feels lost, she doesn't know if she could continue to pursue her dream.

This is the story of her gaining faith in her writing and people around her, understanding that not everyone is a good person and that friendship and romance can come from unexpected place.

The writing style is good and for a really short story I felt like it wrapped up nicely. I also didn't felt like it was rushed, you can really understand the characters.

Also, this is my first read for #FFFeb 🌈

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read I have to say, though I wish real life would be as cute as this.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet Christmasy story. And I enjoyed it. Except that the main character is so shallow and passive, ogling at some pretty lass. Then whoop! All change and she's kissing someone else. It's probably too close to real life for me though.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet romance story for the festive season. The only negative comment I can make is that the story was too short! That's why it lost a star...

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute enough! I mean, they fell in love pretty within the space of like 3 weeks, and most of that time the MC was in love with someone else but... meh. Cute and Christmassy! I also loved how much was packed into one tiny story, like financial issues, romance issues, work/life balance, and also writer struggles!

[Sadie Forsythe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was very sweet. I found it a little predictable and clumsy at time, especially around the Candice character. And the making of Penny's dream could be argued as the result of nepotism, instead of earned in earnest. Though I imagine that's not how readers are meant to take it. But generally it was more sweet than anything else. All in all, I enjoyed it.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I Got This Story

I picked this up because I like the writing of Caren J. Werlinger, and the story telling, and the character development. This is an earlier book, but all those qualities are there. It's a short and delightful Christmas story. I highly recommend this to anyone at anytime, not just the holidays.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story and speaks of seeing what is really real versus what we think is real. I only wish the story had been longer and further developed. Look forward to reading more of this author's works.

[Tammy Ulm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, Heart Warming Story

This is a very well written, heart warming short story, that is perfect for this time of year. I enjoyed reading it and recommend it.

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great!

I loved Twist of the Magi. Just what I needed. A little holiday cheer and a reminder of what to be thankful for during the holiday season.

[MEC · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Marilyn Langlois · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet.

[Tomasina Ravenscroft · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sweet Christmas read

[Elle Hyden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet Christmas read.

[F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a fun short-story that should be read around Christmas time.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice enough story, I suppose. I didn't particularly like how passive Penny seemed, and how her affections so easily bounced around. Quite shallow, until she's basically slapped in the face by reality.

Probably a story I'd give around 3.5 stars to. Possibly 3.7.

May 16 2016

[Evaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another story perfect for the holidays. The tale of Penny Havers was a fun read and altogether too short. And for once, an f/f romance that isn't filled with drama and angst over being lesbian!

Two thumbs up.