From the Bookshelf of Riptide Publishing…

Christmas Kitsch is Rusty’s story, told from his POV and I loved his voice and Amy Lane’s depiction of him is truly wonderful, he is without a doubt a character who will steal your heart… a beautiful person filled with goodness, so utterly and totally believable, and what I wouldn’t give to have someone like Rusty in my life, I am hopelessly in love! But not only with the precious Rusty, because we also have Oliver who is also such a darling, so patient and understanding with a magnetic personality who knows Rusty better than he knows himself, especially when is comes to his sexuality. Rusty thinks of himself as straight and Oliver is gay, no issues there, in fact it brings out yet another endearing quality, that of the protector of Oliver from his asshole friends that think it’s big to pick on the gay boy.

“Thanks,” the kid said. “But you know, I’m gay. I’m not really big on the princess dress, but if he wasn’t an asshole, I wouldn’t mind blowing him.”

And that was Oliver.

Rusty has been starved of love and affection all his life and the feeling of sadness from him at times is overwhelming, he is unassuming and lacks confidence with zero on the expectations front. He is so honest, kind and compassionate, that it just melted my heart, and it’s hard to believe that someone so genuine and adorable can come from parents that are so cold and calculating. They are rich and successful with their own agenda and ambitions for Rusty, who of course has no say in the matter and is filled with apprehension, firstly because he feels he is unable to meet their expectations and secondly he sees himself as a disappointment, filled with trepidation knowing that the Berkley education they are adamant over is above his level of intelligence… because you see, Rusty thinks himself as nothing more than a dumb jock.

But it’s not only leaving for Berkley and the unknown, he is also leaving behind Oliver, the light in Rusty’s world, his best friend and the person that gives him confidence and makes him smile, and likewise Oliver needed to give Mr Oblivious a nudge in the right direction with a kiss, just a little something for him to think about while he is away and let him know that he sees Rusty as more than just a friend.

Ohhh . . . this was kissing. I sighed back at him, and he pulled away, leaving me to suck on his tongue until the last minute, because I wanted him some more.

And then it hit me.

Oliver had kissed me, and I’d kissed him back.

Coming home for Thanksgiving and having had time to contemplate that kiss and missing Oliver so much he thought his heart would break, he decides he’s Oliver-sexual (I loved that) and coming clean to his parents for him, seems the right decision. Mmm… not such a great idea when he is thrown out on his arse with nowhere to go the day before Thanksgiving! At this point I was ready to throttle them, parents they are not!!!

Rusty is a gentle soul and likes the simple things in life, is a little slow on the uptake, and yes, oblivious at times but when he gets things right, or even just gets things, there is such an endearing amazement, I just wanted to hug him. Rusty is sensitive yet tough, gentle but also strong, what he lacks in intelligence he makes up for in perseverance and determination, he is not thick by any stretch of the imagination, but he’s not an intellect and prefers manual labour that has structure and routine, something with a purpose and a result he can see and working construction with Oliver’s Dad gives him all that and more.

Making a new life with Oliver and being surrounded by his family that accept and love him for who he is, Oliver’s boyfriend, fills him with hope, he may now be poor, but in reality he is a rich man, because he is loved and welcomed as part of that family and that in itself is worth more than all the trappings of wealth… with Oliver being the only home Rusty ever wants or needs

A perfect day for me will always start with tiny dogs and a warm house in the winter, and coffee, and people glad to see me when I wake up.

This is such a charming story, stunningly executed, the characterisation is excellent, not only of Rusty and Oliver but also the secondary characters, all of Oliver’s family, Nicole Rusty’s sister and Rex, plus his Mom’s who we never met on page but they deserve an extra special mention… all of them are just as animated as our two MC’s, there is so much love in this book you are totally enveloped in it and my heart was fit to bursting, it is the perfect Christmas story, compelling reading and one that is tailor made for snuggling in a warm blanket and savouring... and if you are an emotional wuss like me, I suggest you have the tissues at the ready, because my eyes were leaking… a lot!!!

Amy Lane… you are amazing!!! Your storytelling and literary skills superb, you have delivered a book that I will read without a doubt every Christmas, in fact, anytime I am in the need of the perfect feel good read… Thank you!