Christmas Kitsch in Riptide Publishing

Nov 10, 2013 Debra ~~ seriously slacking on her reviews ~~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m, ya-or-new-adult, holiday

A sweet, heartwarming read, with just the right amount of angst and drama, that had me tearing up a bit but left me smiling. It was lighter Amy Lane than I've read in the past, but still had that signature style that makes me feel so deeply for the characters. One of the things I find her writing does best is make me feel the characters' sadness and disappointment when faced with family rejection.

I loved Oliver's determination to get exactly what he wants, and Rusty's absolute devotion to Olive ...more

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May 04, 2014 Dee Wy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, ya, m-m-contemporary, christmas

Can't believe I waited a year to read this wonderful book. Yes, there is a Christmas theme, but that is just happenstance. It's really all about two young men coming of age and finding their way in the world. Rusty's overbearing parents try to make him into something he isn't and kick him out when they see him kissing Oliver. He knew how his parents would react, but rebellion was the only way he could get his life back. Besides he had a boyfriend now and a sister who would stand behind him, not ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2014 Tara rated it it was amazing

Shelves: m-m, holiday, read-in-2014, high-school-college-students

Ok, so seriously, Rex is getting his own book at some point, right?

Anyway, this book was warm and fuzzy (and i know I'm a year behind, but oh well, it was my loss- I didn't get to it last Christmas, and I really like to read my Christmas stories at Christmas!) Rusty was and Oliver were ok. This book reminded me of Keeping Promise Rock, where the cast of characters was really what made the whole thing better than ok and turned it awesome. The Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Sisters, etc... all helped ma ...more

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Feb 11, 2014 Elisa Rolle added it

Even if part of the story takes place under Christmas season, this is not “only” a seasonal romance. Rusty and Oliver, our boys, met during their last year in high school; Rusty’s life is already set ahead of him, he will go to Berkeley, he will become a lawyer and at the right moment he will married a nice girl, possibly from his same neighborhood, and they will have a white fenced house with 2.5 kids. Only that Oliver messes up everything, only being Oliver. Rusty only knows he likes Oliver mo ...more

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Jan 30, 2015 Molli B. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-m-m, length-novel, 2015-shelved, 2015-read, format-ibooks, genre-new-adult, theme-holiday

4.5 stars

Yesterday, I was in the mood for NA and Christmas, and this is where I landed. I'm glad I did, because I very much enjoyed this sweet story. I laughed a little, I cried more (but not too much, and they were often happy tears), and even though there was no snow (California), it did a good job fulfilling my hankering for Christmas.

I read so many stories in which the MC is the smartest guy in the room (and that's fine; I love smart MCs!), but Rusty didn't need to be a genius to be awesome, ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Karin Wollina rated it it was amazing

What a beautiful holiday story. I loved Rusty, Oliver and his family was so warm, and I am glad that Rustys parents were not completely bad people ( just love a happy, happy end). And please, could Rex get his own book ?

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