Author: Eve Morton
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: December 7, 2020
Genre(s): Holiday Romance
Page Count: 207
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Read book blurb here
Carina Press has marketed "Holidays in Blue" as "A Forced Proximity Christmas Romance" and my expectation, combined with the 207 page count, was this would be a short, sweet romance set during the holidays. So, I fully acknowledge this was my bad.
Eric and Cosmin lived across the street from one another but because Cosmin is older, were never really school friends. This did not stop Eric from crushing on Cosmin, and seeing Cosmin and his boyfriend Maurice making out when he was a teenager was an important point in Eric realizing that perhaps he was not completely straight, but rather bisexual.
Eric became a (divorced) sporadically employed actor while Cosmin is a teacher, writer and radio personality. When Cosmin loses his radio show, he has one final broadcast which he wants to center around his family relationship. When he returns to his family home in Toronto, a huge ice storm strands him and Eric together.
So far, so good. However, as Cosmin uncovers family secrets, there is a lot of reflection about his relationship with his father, his sister, etc. And Eric comes to an understanding about his failed marriage, as well as an unexpected windfall as the result of a chance encounter. I must admit that I struggled with Morton's writing style - at times exasperated by the glacial pace, and then absolutely gobsmacked by the emotional impact of an eventual revelation or understanding.
We get a lot of insight into Cosmin, and Eric, but yet their relationship seems unexamined and I just didn't feel a strong connection to the characters. Also, at times, the book felt dated, with mentions of Cosmin's Blackberry and the radio show vs. a podcast which seems like such a natural fit for his talents. On the whole, the pace of the story did not work well for me and because of this, my feelings about this book may be different than yours. 3.5 stars, and I welcome your comments!
I received an ARC from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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