This is a touching story which contains a lot of love, hope and Christmas spirit, while at the same time giving a thoughtful message about priorities in your life. It also touches on the topic of those who cannot cope – a tough, but very real issue for many among us who often get forgotten. As is fitting for a Christmas story, the happy feelings outweigh the sad, but this story manages to do that without forgetting or ignoring the other side of the coin of life.

Josh has always been very supportive of his sister, and that doesn’t change when she has Vivian. It was interesting to see how his support changed to one of unconditional love and acceptance (with a few watch outs) to one of unconditional love with a realization that there are just some things she cannot deal with. I also liked that he decided to stand by his lover Sammy, no matter what. As important as Vivian was to Josh, Sammy was more important, and that spoke to the romantic in me. And since Vivian would have been taken care of regardless what Josh decided (a nice position to be in) it was a decision that was Josh’s to make.

Sammy didn’t start out on my personal ‘good list’, I must admit. I love children a lot and my personal prejudice is to always place a big question mark next to people who don’t. I know that isn’t fair of me, but it’s like they have to prove themselves to me. As I got to know Sammy better, I grew to really like him. And by the end he had redeemed himself, even before he made the final decision; mainly because I understood him better and because he proved that, no matter what, he would support Josh. What a wonderful situation to get to watch!

If you like stories about the changes children can make in people’s lives just by being born, if you don’t shy away from a little bit of harsh reality intruding in your Christmas story, and if you’re looking for a heartwarming romance you will like this story. I loved it!




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Queer Magazine Online ( )