Christmas Kitsch in Riptide Publishing

Dec 06, 2013 Monique rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbt, all-time-favourites

This book is truly outstanding!!! Seriously one of the best books I have read this year, it is profoundly moving, poignant in its delivery and I literally picked it up and it did not leave my hands until it was finished, every page is filled with emotion and for the most part I was welling up with tears in my eyes or sitting here with a silly grin on my face. I love Amy Lane, as a writer she is incredibly talented and this book is AMAZING!!! I can’t even begin to tell you just how much I loved i This book is truly outstanding!!! Seriously one of the best books I have read this year, it is profoundly moving, poignant in its delivery and I literally picked it up and it did not leave my hands until it was finished, every page is filled with emotion and for the most part I was welling up with tears in my eyes or sitting here with a silly grin on my face. I love Amy Lane, as a writer she is incredibly talented and this book is AMAZING!!! I can’t even begin to tell you just how much I loved it.

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!

...more

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Oct 22, 2013 Nic rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mm, riptide-purchased, christmas

★★★★★ I found it - my 5 star Christmas story! ★★★★★

It was perfect. A wonderful emotional story that shows what love is really about.

Rusty comes from a well-to-do family. He has good looks and is in with the 'right' crowd. He may not be the brightest kid but he seems to have it all. That is until he meets Oliver and things take on a different perspective. "It's kind of sad when I think about it now. At the time, I thought I hung out with a bunch of okay kids. I figured we were spoiled and shelter ★★★★★ I found it - my 5 star Christmas story! ★★★★★

It was perfect. A wonderful emotional story that shows what love is really about.

Rusty comes from a well-to-do family. He has good looks and is in with the 'right' crowd. He may not be the brightest kid but he seems to have it all. That is until he meets Oliver and things take on a different perspective. "It's kind of sad when I think about it now. At the time, I thought I hung out with a bunch of okay kids. I figured we were spoiled and sheltered, but that wasn't our fault, really. I mean, I was proud because we sat down with someone new and different, and didn't beat him into the ground, Pathetic, really - that's what I had to be proud of, right? that my peer group didn't bully people too badly?"

Oliver is the new kid, with an ethnic background and a quick wit. He is also gay and from the moment they meet and Rusty defends Oliver, they are destined to be friends.

It's a gorgeous story as Rusty and Oliver build a deep bond. Told from Rusty's POV, he shares his thoughts on his family and his future, his worries and his doubts and his hopes. Rusty may not be overly smart but he is so focused and dedicated and with a heart of gold, should be the son that any parent would be only too proud to have.

Rusty's parents have his future mapped out. That future doesn't include Rusty working as a contractor and most definitely doesn't include him being gay. Not that Rusty thinks he's gay - he's 'undeclared'. Being parted from Oliver, after a single kiss, and now hours away at college, Rusty finds it really hard. He's adjusting to life at college, struggling with classes, trying to cope with his sexually active room mate.

It was so wonderful to see Oliver looking out for Rusty from afar but it is once Rusty returns home for Thanksgiving that his love really shines. Oliver and his family - father, aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole lot! - are totally wonderful, taking Rusty in when his own parent's reject him. They may not have a lot of money or material possessions but they open their homes and their hearts.

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a real journey for Rusty as he learns what's really important and takes a stand for what he wants. And what he wants is to make Oliver proud, to give him the home he deserves. He appreciated the love of his sister, the acceptance from his old housekeeper, the assistance of his new surrogate family, the support of his college friend and the unfailing love of Oliver.

There was heartache and emotion and sadness but there was also love and hope and happiness. The story is wonderfully written with great depth to the characters and a lovely injection of humour. And of course, it wouldn't be Christmas without a happy ending! "He was my family. He was my home. But you could never have too much home. It was good to live in a world where we were loved."

If you need another reason to buy this book, it might help to know that it benefits others as 20% of proceeds go to the Ali Fornley Center.

I publish all my m/m reviews on my blog so if you want to see all my m/m reviews in one place come visit at Because Two Men Are Better Than One! ...more

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Dec 07, 2013 Vanessa North rated it it was amazing

I'll be over here, crying, for awhile.
If I never write a proper review, you all should know this story is amazing, and heartbreaking, and still lovely and affirming, too.
...more

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Dec 06, 2013 Katharina rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary

This was... lovely. And it's almost all thanks to Rusty.

Rusty is the type of character that probably almost all readers fall a little bit in love with. In a protective, 'awww'-inducing, motherly kind of way. Rusty's young, but more than that, Rusty's slow. Not stupid, no, but it takes a while to get things cleared in his head and to get around the edges of abstraction that people lay out without second thought.
But he's genuine. He's honest. And he's courageous in that - when he comes to a conc This was... lovely. And it's almost all thanks to Rusty.

Rusty is the type of character that probably almost all readers fall a little bit in love with. In a protective, 'awww'-inducing, motherly kind of way. Rusty's young, but more than that, Rusty's slow. Not stupid, no, but it takes a while to get things cleared in his head and to get around the edges of abstraction that people lay out without second thought.
But he's genuine. He's honest. And he's courageous in that - when he comes to a conclusion, he makes sure that consequences follow. Even the hard ones. And that's... that's fantastic, because where most people procrastinate or avoid or deny or repress or pretend, Rusty thinks and thinks and thinks and then he acts. He's also self-deprecating, humble, polite, and he likes to help where he can. Rusty's precious - in the most uncondescending way.

Oliver's great too, but mostly because he recognises all that and falls in love with it. And he helps whenever the real world intrudes and shows Rusty all where he falls short (in his mind), but none of where he outshines everyone else.

Rusty's a protagonist that not only readers love but also all the characters in a book (aside from the villain-y types), but that's not annoying like it can be in other novels I've read - it's believable, because how could anyone not? And so Oliver's family, Rusty's sister, and Rex become part of the Rusty support group without a second thought and that's good because he needs them. Because, unfortunately, the people that should lead that support group are the only people who let him down so hard, he loses himself a little. His parents are the villains in this novel.

There are lots of reasons to like this book (even if you're not a fan of YA - I'm not so, I talk from experience ;-D). Rusty is the biggest one, but also, of course, Amy Lane's writing is fantastic as always. It's so easy, so casual, with such a simple profoundness that makes almost all her books so damn special.

But, aside from all that - it's also too long. A quarter less and it would have been even better I think. It's not that it gets boring - it doesn't. But some issues do get slightly repetitive and it would have been great to avoid that. And maybe the characters were drawn a little bit too much in white and black. Which makes them easy to categorise, but too simplistic to seem likely.

I absolutely loved the last chapter though. That was awesome.

I'd really like to meet these two guys again - but that's a want, not a need. I'm quite happy with the ending as it is, so, yeah. Those were good hours I spend on this novel.
Recommended! ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Silkeeeeeereads rated it really liked it

Shelves: m-m-erotic-romance, mm-coming-of-age, mm-coming-out, mm-family, mm-sweet-read, mm-disowned-by-family, mm-athlete, mm-hea, mm-best-friends, mm-geek

Amy Lane has gifted us with a special story about two special young men. I love it when is a story about someone with a huge heart and in this book, that someone is Rusty. He a little slow when it comes to school work but he makes up for any deficiencies with a loyal, giving heart. As with most of Amy Lane's book that are fantastic, I cried in several places. She always gets my emotions worked up and that's one reason I always buy her books. They are usually full of enough depth to ring emotio ...more

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Dec 07, 2013 Salsera1974 rated it liked it

Shelves: m-m-read, lendable-kindle, m-m-sweet

3.75 stars.

This was an absolutely adorable book! Rusty is a sweetheart of a young man, even if he is just a tiny bit dim, who falls in love with Oliver at his own deliberate pace. Unfortunately, he has parents who have no interest -- at all -- in trying to understand anything about him, or where he might fit into the world. So when they find out that he is in love with Oliver, their reaction is grim.

This is the very thing, though, that brings Rusty face-to-face with some crucial life lessons: th ...more

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Dec 30, 2013 Ayanna rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed, favorites, aaaaaawwww, indulgence, be-still-my-heart, whumpity-whump-whump

1/23/14
The thing about Lane's stories, I find, is I can't really sit and think about them. If I do, then it starts crumbling, at least a bit. I find that Lane tends to write MCs that read really young. The Algernon thing, for example, that I mentioned in my original review I wrote as I was reading, became more and more of a problem for me during post-read ruminations. The LI is also surprisingly flat; the focus is on the MC and the LI, I find, serves as more of a plot device to further the end o ...more

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Dec 18, 2013 Gina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, m-m, holiday-story

I love Amy Lane, and I loved this book! why didn't i read it sooner! :D ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Rick rated it it was amazing

LOVED IT!!!!! I would love to know what happens with their lives now.....

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Jan 29, 2014 Morgan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, donated-library

anyone know how to say kitsch? its driving me crazy.

back to the book! it was amazing (it;s amy lane after all) rusty and oliver were soooo cute!

was oliver's name reused from chase in shadows though? cause i know tommy named his turtle oliver ...more

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