Rating : 5 stars out of 5
Crispin Henry isn’t an adventurer. He learned early on that the world is a frightening place and that home is rare and precious. If his friends didn’t drag him to sports games and ill-advised trips to Vegas, he wouldn’t get out at all—and his trip to Munich for Oktoberfest is no exception. But it’s there that he meets Luka Gabriel, and he learns to take a chance.
Luka is a free-spirited world traveler, working at Oktoberfest to feed his enchantment with new places and new people. His only possessions fit in his backpack, and he depends on the kindness of strangers for a place to sleep. Crispin should know better—but he takes Luka’s hand anyway, and together they turn three nights in Munich into the relationship neither of them has been brave enough to risk—and neither can let go of.
When Luka turns up on Crispin’s doorstep before the holiday season, Crispin takes him in on hope alone. Yes, he knows the odds are good Luka will flutter out of his life again and leave him bereft, but isn’t it worth it to see if Luka is a homebird after all?
Yes, I knew to grab that box of tissues beforehand. Check! Because it was going to be one of those Amy Lane stories and at Christmas too! About two damaged men, both broken in much the same way, yet convince by life that the way to mend themselves lay in vastly different and opposite directions for their hearts. Kill me now. The tears already threatened to flow.
But I dived right in, because on this too big for arms outstretched journey, there’s so much laughter, enlightenment, and joy to be found as well as the pain and ache that goes with life and love.
And no one does that as well as Amy Lane.
I mean I had tea out my nose when reading that burrito drive through scene. Priceless! Getting ahead of myself.
But it’s Crispin and Luka’s tentative path towards love and a home that will make this a comfort read for me over and over again. And Crispin’s circle of friends who became Luka’s, well, they were mine almost immediately. How could you not love this diverse group of men whose layers continues to unfold revealing more and more depth throughout the book, more heart, more pain, more of everything. I wanted to hold onto them all and never let any of them go.
The imagery the author uses here, from the birds in flight, to empty nests with bits of colored yarn sprinkled throughout a neighborhood are haunting. They play with your mind and twist into your heart, just as they do in the story, becoming unforgettable. Just as the men they are associated with.
I loved this story. I think you will too. It’s beautifully written. It contains such feeling of family (whoever that may be), recovery, and finding the path home wherever and whoever that may be.
I highly recommend this. And don’t forget to read the author’s forward. I would love to see that photo!
Cover art: Reese Dante. This cover is everything. That’s Luka and the bird with a piece of yarn in its mouth is symbolic of an important part of the storyline.
Sales Links: Dreamspinner Press | Amazon
Book Details:
ebook, 200 pages
Expected publication: December 18th 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN139781644050101
Edition Language English
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A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar
