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The Dickens with Love
A quirky holiday romance about Faith, Hope, and…er…glow-in-the-dark condoms!
Three years ago, a scandal cost antiquarian “book hunter” James Winter everything that mattered to his job, his lover and his self-respect. But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is.
Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance.
Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.
Three years ago, a scandal cost antiquarian “book hunter” James Winter everything that mattered to his job, his lover and his self-respect. But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is.
Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance.
Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.
126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2009
29 people are currently reading
1024 people want to read
About the author
Josh Lanyon
224 books5,416 followersAuthor of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.
Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.
She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.
Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.
She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.
Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
December 22, 2018
AND NOW IS THE TIME OF YEAR I FLOAT OLD CHRISTMAS REVIEWS TO COUNTDOWN TO BING BONG BING BONG!!!
make the yuletide gay...
aww, i thought this was such a sweet story.
wildly implausible on so many levels, but it's christmas! forget the unlikelihood of troo love occurring in three days, and the consequences of decisions requiring an unhealthy and absolute faith in the goodness of mankind and the most bizarre choice for love-over-duty this side of Bastard Out of Carolina.
and forget...an ocelot??
nah, don't forget the ocelot. this is l.a., after all.
all joking aside, this book was not nearly as bad as an m/m christmas novella with the word "dickens" in the title could have been. in fact, i wanted it to be much worse. i wanted a runaway freight train of "dickens" puns peppering every page. no such luck.
instead, it is a perfectly serviceable light romance, that managed to hit me in my particulars because this time of year, a character who works at a barnes and noble during the christmas season and says things like:
Ebenezer Scrooge would have learned a few things about the dark side of humanity if he’d happened to work in a national chain bookstore three days before Christmas.
The depressing fact is, no one reads anymore. Most of the people collecting books don’t even read them. Book collecting is very hot, don’t get me wrong. In certain circles rare books are considered sexy and exotic. But for the average person, books remind them of the bad old days of homework and report cards. For these folks, books and bookstores are the last resort, the last desperate option for befuddled holiday-makers who have run out of ideas for presents for people they don’t know that well. Books rank somewhere between a tie and a box of chocolates. It’s a book or go home empty-handed—and empty-handed means again facing the stores and parking lots that one frightening day closer to Christmas.
has me in his corner.
tell me about it, brother...
and, man, did this book ever make me want a sugar daddy, just for the meals!there is so much food in this "book." i was totally turned on by the descriptions of the things they were putting in their mouths, more than any of their intercourse. (in which other things were being put into mouths)
he was speaking around a mouthful of French toast that had been stuffed with ricotta, cream cheese and honey, sautéed then baked to plump and moist perfection.
I avoided meeting his eyes by paying strict attention to a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, cheese, smoked chicken sausage, roasted peppers and chilies
A white teapot, two gold-rimmed china cups, a jar of honey, a small basket of muffins and nut breads, a bowl of fresh berries. One plate offered eggs Benedict with shaved honey ham and what appeared to be an herbed Hollandaise sauce. Another plate had thick round Belgian waffles, richly, sweetly scented of vanilla, cinnamon and topped with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and pecans.
that made me so hot.
but that doesn't mean that in between all the eating and sexing, the characters didn't have time to focus on the true meaning of christmas!
“God hears all our prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.”
religion! and boning!
and you gotta love this character's priorities:
And if you weren’t into Christmas what was there to do? No bookstores were open. No libraries. Nothing useful was open.
agreed on all counts!
a not at all painful selection from the RBRS! i wonder if the christmas cat romance would have been as painless...
make the yuletide gay...
aww, i thought this was such a sweet story.
wildly implausible on so many levels, but it's christmas! forget the unlikelihood of troo love occurring in three days, and the consequences of decisions requiring an unhealthy and absolute faith in the goodness of mankind and the most bizarre choice for love-over-duty this side of Bastard Out of Carolina.
and forget...an ocelot??
nah, don't forget the ocelot. this is l.a., after all.
all joking aside, this book was not nearly as bad as an m/m christmas novella with the word "dickens" in the title could have been. in fact, i wanted it to be much worse. i wanted a runaway freight train of "dickens" puns peppering every page. no such luck.
instead, it is a perfectly serviceable light romance, that managed to hit me in my particulars because this time of year, a character who works at a barnes and noble during the christmas season and says things like:
Ebenezer Scrooge would have learned a few things about the dark side of humanity if he’d happened to work in a national chain bookstore three days before Christmas.
The depressing fact is, no one reads anymore. Most of the people collecting books don’t even read them. Book collecting is very hot, don’t get me wrong. In certain circles rare books are considered sexy and exotic. But for the average person, books remind them of the bad old days of homework and report cards. For these folks, books and bookstores are the last resort, the last desperate option for befuddled holiday-makers who have run out of ideas for presents for people they don’t know that well. Books rank somewhere between a tie and a box of chocolates. It’s a book or go home empty-handed—and empty-handed means again facing the stores and parking lots that one frightening day closer to Christmas.
has me in his corner.
tell me about it, brother...
and, man, did this book ever make me want a sugar daddy, just for the meals!there is so much food in this "book." i was totally turned on by the descriptions of the things they were putting in their mouths, more than any of their intercourse. (in which other things were being put into mouths)
he was speaking around a mouthful of French toast that had been stuffed with ricotta, cream cheese and honey, sautéed then baked to plump and moist perfection.
I avoided meeting his eyes by paying strict attention to a breakfast burrito stuffed with eggs, cheese, smoked chicken sausage, roasted peppers and chilies
A white teapot, two gold-rimmed china cups, a jar of honey, a small basket of muffins and nut breads, a bowl of fresh berries. One plate offered eggs Benedict with shaved honey ham and what appeared to be an herbed Hollandaise sauce. Another plate had thick round Belgian waffles, richly, sweetly scented of vanilla, cinnamon and topped with whipped cream, fresh strawberries and pecans.
that made me so hot.
but that doesn't mean that in between all the eating and sexing, the characters didn't have time to focus on the true meaning of christmas!
“God hears all our prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.”
religion! and boning!
and you gotta love this character's priorities:
And if you weren’t into Christmas what was there to do? No bookstores were open. No libraries. Nothing useful was open.
agreed on all counts!
a not at all painful selection from the RBRS! i wonder if the christmas cat romance would have been as painless...
July 18, 2016
it's a wee sheet of latex you put over a pussy before you put your mouth on it.
too many extravagantly improbable turns of phrase, up to and including the conflation of fucking with smithing—plus angels, for some reason.
also: way too PC.
can't have it both ways. can't be both escapist romanze fiction and a pamphlet on face-cancer from our fun friends at the US centers for disease control.
and yet—seems like—only people in mm romances and comically undersexed and/or earnestly misinformed teenagers use rubbers for oral sex.
only people in this book do that while calling the cock to be sucked a 'hooded angel.'
not even my own physician can keep a straight face when she tells me, in the weak, thready voice of a MOTHERFUCKING LIAR, that dental dams and condoms are perfectly common accessories to a bit of cunnilingus or angel-fellating.
i wonder how many of my friends even know what a dental dam is.
still.
this world is huge.
your mileage may yet—however improbably—vary.
too many extravagantly improbable turns of phrase, up to and including the conflation of fucking with smithing—plus angels, for some reason.
also: way too PC.
can't have it both ways. can't be both escapist romanze fiction and a pamphlet on face-cancer from our fun friends at the US centers for disease control.
and yet—seems like—only people in mm romances and comically undersexed and/or earnestly misinformed teenagers use rubbers for oral sex.
only people in this book do that while calling the cock to be sucked a 'hooded angel.'
not even my own physician can keep a straight face when she tells me, in the weak, thready voice of a MOTHERFUCKING LIAR, that dental dams and condoms are perfectly common accessories to a bit of cunnilingus or angel-fellating.
i wonder how many of my friends even know what a dental dam is.
still.
this world is huge.
your mileage may yet—however improbably—vary.
September 30, 2015
WARNING RANT INCOMING:
Once again welcome to MLE's negative review of the book everyone else loved. I'm your host MLE.
Let's begin shall we.
I will start with the plot. When I was first reading the synopsis the plot sounded intriguing, and I loved the idea of the disgraced book hunter, and the lost Dickens story, but for some reason it ended up not working for me. I think that sex was introduced too early on, and was a distraction from what I liked about the idea of the book rather than something that added to the story.
I liked James for the most part, and was able to sympathize with his plight. Losing the job he loved, and the security in his world must have been terrible, and, having worked retail, understand how frustrating, exhausting, and dehumanizing that can be. Added to the stress of trying to make ends meet on part time work without any sort of benefits, it's no wonder why he does what he does.
Sedgwick, on the other hand, I never developed any affection for. I found him to be blunt to a point beyond simple rudeness, and his excuses seemed liked those of a child rather than a 42 year old man who should be old enough to understand proper behavior, or at least how to make a sincere apology for his words. I found his behavior, after he and James had a falling out, to be almost stalker like, and added to that he seems to almost bully James into hearing him out, and accepting his half hearted apology. He is also described as having a full beard, which is not my thing, and with all the scenes of both men eating it me truly grossed out imagining all the crumbs it must collect (this is not meant as a slight to any of my friends who have or enjoy beards, it’s just not my thing.)
For me the worst part of this book was the sex. This book had some of the hands down worst written sex scenes I've ever read, and let me tell you I have read some truly terrible sex scenes. Let's go to the book for some examples shall we.
"Like a suede glove grabbing me, stroking me..Like a hot black fist."
What the hell is that supposed to mean, and why a black fist?
"The pump and pull was like a hammer striking the golden frames of angel wings, pounding them into shining, glinting pennons. Perspiration sheened our bodies and our breath grew harsher as we bent our backs and worked the forge, and then the wings began to beat, trying to take flight, moving faster and faster, and we seemed to lift right off the ground, right off the pillows, and bedding, and hang there transfixed as warm, white Halle-fricking-lujah surged through.
And then we dropped back to earth, wet, winded and weak. Human again."
Seriously what in the name of pink plastic ponies did I just read? I had to look up what a pennon was because I had no idea. Merriam-Webster was kind enough to tell me it "a long usually triangular or swallow-tailed streamer typically attached to the head of a lance as an ensign" which only made the sentence even more of a mystery to me because it sounded like the author was alluding to something that would be forged, like something made out of metal, say a sword, but the word he used meant something made of cloth. Color me confused. It's also some of the sappiest, most awkwardly written sex I've even read, and that's including the het 80's romance I read in high school. Nothing about this works for me on any level, and that's not the only angel reference during sex there is.
"It was like landing on a cloud - with an angel on top of me. An angel that tasted like cinnamon and chocolate and stardust."
Really, exactly how old are these characters supposed to be because it sounds more like some child's fantasy of sex rather than real, adult sex. Sedgwick has some sort of whipped chocolate crème brulee body cream soufflé that only adds to my impression of them as much younger than they really are.
My least favorite of the sex scenes has to be the one I included in my updates, but it bears repeating.
"and it was sadly like a hood over the head of an angel, but better safe than sorry.
The angel continued to blindly feel its way to the hot, candy-slick center hovering tentatively above it."
There is nothing about that I find sexy, and "candy-slick" I guess I don't find candy to be very slick. I think of candy more as sticky which makes this analogy all that less appealing to me.
All right it's time for me to stop now.
In summary I will say I found the sappy, miracle ending to be the final straw. If things had been toned down quite a bit, and the characters' relationship developed at a more natural pace I might have enjoyed this book. Had the mystery of the Dickens story played a more significant role, and the sex scenes cut back I would have happily given this at least three stars. Alas this was not to be.
Thank you any of you who make it to the end of this rant.
END OF RANT
Once again welcome to MLE's negative review of the book everyone else loved. I'm your host MLE.
Let's begin shall we.
I will start with the plot. When I was first reading the synopsis the plot sounded intriguing, and I loved the idea of the disgraced book hunter, and the lost Dickens story, but for some reason it ended up not working for me. I think that sex was introduced too early on, and was a distraction from what I liked about the idea of the book rather than something that added to the story.
I liked James for the most part, and was able to sympathize with his plight. Losing the job he loved, and the security in his world must have been terrible, and, having worked retail, understand how frustrating, exhausting, and dehumanizing that can be. Added to the stress of trying to make ends meet on part time work without any sort of benefits, it's no wonder why he does what he does.
Sedgwick, on the other hand, I never developed any affection for. I found him to be blunt to a point beyond simple rudeness, and his excuses seemed liked those of a child rather than a 42 year old man who should be old enough to understand proper behavior, or at least how to make a sincere apology for his words. I found his behavior, after he and James had a falling out, to be almost stalker like, and added to that he seems to almost bully James into hearing him out, and accepting his half hearted apology. He is also described as having a full beard, which is not my thing, and with all the scenes of both men eating it me truly grossed out imagining all the crumbs it must collect (this is not meant as a slight to any of my friends who have or enjoy beards, it’s just not my thing.)
For me the worst part of this book was the sex. This book had some of the hands down worst written sex scenes I've ever read, and let me tell you I have read some truly terrible sex scenes. Let's go to the book for some examples shall we.
"Like a suede glove grabbing me, stroking me..Like a hot black fist."
What the hell is that supposed to mean, and why a black fist?
"The pump and pull was like a hammer striking the golden frames of angel wings, pounding them into shining, glinting pennons. Perspiration sheened our bodies and our breath grew harsher as we bent our backs and worked the forge, and then the wings began to beat, trying to take flight, moving faster and faster, and we seemed to lift right off the ground, right off the pillows, and bedding, and hang there transfixed as warm, white Halle-fricking-lujah surged through.
And then we dropped back to earth, wet, winded and weak. Human again."
Seriously what in the name of pink plastic ponies did I just read? I had to look up what a pennon was because I had no idea. Merriam-Webster was kind enough to tell me it "a long usually triangular or swallow-tailed streamer typically attached to the head of a lance as an ensign" which only made the sentence even more of a mystery to me because it sounded like the author was alluding to something that would be forged, like something made out of metal, say a sword, but the word he used meant something made of cloth. Color me confused. It's also some of the sappiest, most awkwardly written sex I've even read, and that's including the het 80's romance I read in high school. Nothing about this works for me on any level, and that's not the only angel reference during sex there is.
"It was like landing on a cloud - with an angel on top of me. An angel that tasted like cinnamon and chocolate and stardust."
Really, exactly how old are these characters supposed to be because it sounds more like some child's fantasy of sex rather than real, adult sex. Sedgwick has some sort of whipped chocolate crème brulee body cream soufflé that only adds to my impression of them as much younger than they really are.
My least favorite of the sex scenes has to be the one I included in my updates, but it bears repeating.
"and it was sadly like a hood over the head of an angel, but better safe than sorry.
The angel continued to blindly feel its way to the hot, candy-slick center hovering tentatively above it."
There is nothing about that I find sexy, and "candy-slick" I guess I don't find candy to be very slick. I think of candy more as sticky which makes this analogy all that less appealing to me.
All right it's time for me to stop now.
In summary I will say I found the sappy, miracle ending to be the final straw. If things had been toned down quite a bit, and the characters' relationship developed at a more natural pace I might have enjoyed this book. Had the mystery of the Dickens story played a more significant role, and the sex scenes cut back I would have happily given this at least three stars. Alas this was not to be.
Thank you any of you who make it to the end of this rant.
END OF RANT
October 16, 2012
This week's Guest Dear Abby is mark monday, a public policy director and "confirmed bachelor" from San Francisco.
Mr. monday will be answering your questions about the yuletide offering from Josh Lanyon entitled The Dickens with Love.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
You were assigned to read this and report on your thoughts quite a while ago. Why are you always lagging behind? Your review is overdue.
Disappointed,
RBRS
*****
Dear RBRS,
my apologies. well, here's the review:
i was surprised at how much i enjoyed this pleasant little novella. the writing was swell. several notches above my expectations actually. the two lead characters were well-developed, interesting, sympathetic. i really liked how Lanyon wove God, an orphan, a love of literature, his clear knowledge of Dickens, an ocelot, some food & hotel detail-porn, and of course Christmas into the romantic mix. not much really fell flat for me and all the different elements were smoothly and naturally incorporated. my only real caveat is that i didn't particularly care for the very ending - specifically the gift (really? just like that?) and the apparent tossing aside of a remarkable goal for that gift (really? just like that?). but other than that, overall this was a pleasant and diverting although very brief affair. i will attempt to make this review approximately ten times as long as the reviewed book in question. why not? i have nothing to do for at least a couple hours.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I also found Dickens to be diverting, frothy in fact. But I am concerned that the use of the one night stand in a gay m/m romance may be substituting one negative generalization (a woman who has one night stands is a slut) with another (those gay men are always having one night stands and it is no big deal). I also had some issues with the tone, which veered from absurd (ocelot attack) to perhaps overly-prosaic and maudlin (orphan protagonist who hates his job). Am I wrong?
Perplexed,
Ceridwen
*****
Dear Ceridwen,
first of all, no - you are not wrong! don't play the blame-game on yourself! and yet, well, i feel you are wrong. the idea of the easy one night stand in the gay world, the ease of sex in general, the lack of judgment around brief encounters... well, if i may be so bold as to make a broad generalization on behalf of my peers: as far as attitudes towards sex goes, it is just different for most of those who live in Gay World. and by "different", i actually mean "better". very few tedious hang-ups and self-hate around sexual connections. sex is a big thing - and it is not a big thing; it ain't no thing. there are many monogomous (or open but committed) relationships as well, of course. but having a hook-up in Gay World isn't the tremendous mind-fuck that it can be for the denizens of Straight World. poor Straight World. however, there are obvious downsides to this, including high rates of STDs, HIV infection, an obsession with sex, a potential of losing yourself in perpetual tricking instead of trying to develop meaningful relationships (both romantic or platonic). so perhaps "better" isn't the right word after all. so let's stick with "different".
as far as your second point... isn't that randomness a part of life? can't a fellow suffer a surprise ocelot attack in some cheesy champagne bar also be a guy with a lot of angst about being cast-out, an orphan, working at a job he doesn't like? i appreciate that mixture of tones. if this was just a dippy book featuring lots of ocelot attacks & the like, i would have been annoyed. the protagonist's personal story, his angsty bits, sorta anchored the tale for me.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I did not enjoy the mix of tones either. I wanted frothy romance trash and there were various comments that annoyed me. For example, I did not appreciate the attempts at so-called deepness from a character that I see merely as "jolly old saint condom clause". It particularly irritated me when comments that I found to be sentimental claptrap were noted as popular highlights by other readers. And I hated when they brought God in between the sheets. I was really just looking for some funny lines to laugh at, and well I suppose I found some here and there. But overall, the experience just rather bugged. Am I wrong to feel this way?
Annoyed,
Jen
*****
Dear Jen,
first of all - no, you are not wrong! we all have our own truth. we are all right and we are all wrong. that is the nature of the human condition. but actually, in this case, i do think you are wrong. doesn't the inclusion of jarringly "deep" (although, admittedly, a rather hackneyed and cliched version of "deep") comments actually make the character a bit more than a "jolly old santa condom clause"? why did you merely see him as a "jolly old santa condom clause" when he is clearly a character who has been fairly well-developed, at least for a novella of this scope? i think this is a case of missed expectations rather than any flaw of the writing. and didn't you find the inclusion of God at various points to be an interesting surprise? it was certainly an unusual and striking decision on the author's part, particularly in what is clearly designed to be a disposable bit of fluff. the straightforward and non-condescending inclusion of spiritual discussions sort of sets this bit of fluff apart. it makes it a bit less fluffy. i think that is a good thing!
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I appreciated the use of condoms. I thought this book was adequate. Am I wrong?
Didn't Laugh Myself Sick,
Miriam
*****
Dear Miriam,
first of all - no, you are not wrong! what is "wrong" anyway, and what is "right"? they are both merely constructs, figments of imagination that this poor human race enjoys obsessing over. back home on Robot Planet, we laugh at these silly human delusions. and we'll still be laughing when my people come to join me here on Earth, to colonize and to turn you humans into our silly meat-based workforce. ha! i dare say you all will no longer have the time to worry about what is "right" or "wrong"!
i do have to add that i also appreciated the condom use. but a condom for oral sex? that felt strange. i know that that must happen, and it is certainly encouraged in safer-sex messages, but my experience has been that this is rare. very rare. and yet it was so nonchalantly depicted in Dickens. hmmm, well perhaps it was needed, if only to offer more of the colored-condom jokes that i felt were a bit too present in the novella.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I liked this book. It surprised me. I liked the protagonist, the food porn, the God, the boning. Given the season, this hit the spot. Am I wrong?
Besides Myself In Worry & Anticipation of Your Response,
Karen
*****
Dear Karen,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. you are actually never wrong! that is why you are the #1 reviewer.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I also liked this book. It sure had some come in it. Or should that be "cum"? Whatever, I wrote a poem about it to get it off of my chest. So to speak. Was I wrong to do that?
Ecstatic,
Caris
*****
Dear Caris,
first of all - yes, you are wrong. there was a surprising lack of sperm in this book. however, that was a splendid poem that you wrote. i really enjoyed it. you are a talented young man. you should write a book!
__________________________
Dear Abby,
I thought this novella was cute for what it was. However i was reminded of several things that disturb me, among them female representation in the media and the female audience/female writers of slash fiction. But does this have anything to do with Dickens or its male author? I also had issues with the realism of the ocelot attack. Am I wrong?
Increasingly Agitated But Not Really,
Kat
*****
Dear Kat,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. the world is wrong! stupid, stupid world. an ocelot attack, as if! feh!
but you make some excellent points, points to consider. i am actually unsure about Dickens place in this discussion of female representation because the idea that Dickens was written for a female audience is news to me. the novella seemed tailored to the gay male audience - although it was certainly a lot less sex-tastic than other sorts of romantic gay novels, with deeper characterization and more realistic behavior in general. perhaps therein lies the appeal to the female audience? i don't know. well, actually, from my limited experience with romantic novels, i don't think so. but the idea is very interesting to me. ever since i first learned of it in college, and in many conversations since then, i have always been fascinated and continually surprised by female interest in m/m romance and even gay porn. both straight and queer women. i just have never figured that one out. some might say it is due to the idea of reclaiming roles, and/or of putting yourself (a woman) into a role (a gay male) that perhaps has less automatic - and less queasy - issues around power and control. or maybe some ladies just like to imagine themselves as dudes because it is not just transgressive, it is fun, it is freeing. i dunno. food for thought.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I thought this was okay. Blessedly brief. The sex scenes were odd but okay, and - fortunately - did not work for me. My ass shall remain unscathed - Exit Only! Am I wrong?
Fearful of Lasting Damage,
Eh?Eh!
*****
Dear Eh?Eh!,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. much like choosing a faith, a career path, or a life partner... the decision of whether to have or not to have ass adventures is a very personal decision that we all must eventually make in our lifetime.
but yes, actually, you are wrong! c'mon, it's the bomb! don't let Dickens scare you away! i say Go For It! it's what all the cool kids are doing these days.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
So none of your little jokes, okay? I do have a serious issue. Reading this novella, commenting on it, writing reviews for a book group, and thinking of the community that Dickens was intended for... well, after considering it all, it makes me uncomfortable. Am I somehow fetishizing this community, am I guilty of being a kind of leering, voyeuristic, mocking Outsider-Looking-In, oh look at this silly community, let's all laugh at it now? That is not who I am. I am reminded of the many ways that women are fetishized and objectified, and the comparison is unsettling. Am I wrong?
Concerned,
Elizabeth
*****
Dear Elizabeth,
first of all, you are not wrong. i do think that RBRS skirted this uncomfortable issue, and as a queer man, i have to admit to feeling a little anxious, a little am i going to get pissed off about this?. but in the end, i felt the reviews didn't turn out to be a problem, at least not for me. hell, i'm not even sure if you were talking about the m/m audience for romantic fiction, or for the female audience who appreciates m/m fiction. well, either way, i really appreciate your sensitivity. it is so easy to mock and condescend to things, as an outsider looking in. your mining of your own reactions, your uneasy contemplation of the gap between the goals of critical or even just plain snarky reviews and the goals of the community who enjoys novels like Dickens... impressive. i understand your discomfort. it is something i've struggled with as well when reading various genres. i really just loved your review and your perspective.
____________________
Dear Abby,
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SEX SCENES? MY GOD, ENOUGH ABOUT GOD & BEING WRONG & BEING SENSITIVE TO OUTSIDER COMMUNITIES & ALL THAT BLITHER-BLATHER... WHAT ABOUT THE SEX??
About to Shoot Off Here Unless You Answer This Very Important Question,
Josh Lanyon's Editor
*****
Dear Josh's Editor,
well, they were okay. for the most part, well-done. they didn't particularly amaze me, nothing to add to my personal spank bank, you know. but they felt real and they weren't corny, so good job. except maybe in the future, avoid the oddball metaphors please. for example, semen should never never never be referred to as "starfire". please, never allow that to happen again.
Mr. monday will be answering your questions about the yuletide offering from Josh Lanyon entitled The Dickens with Love.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
You were assigned to read this and report on your thoughts quite a while ago. Why are you always lagging behind? Your review is overdue.
Disappointed,
RBRS
*****
Dear RBRS,
my apologies. well, here's the review:
i was surprised at how much i enjoyed this pleasant little novella. the writing was swell. several notches above my expectations actually. the two lead characters were well-developed, interesting, sympathetic. i really liked how Lanyon wove God, an orphan, a love of literature, his clear knowledge of Dickens, an ocelot, some food & hotel detail-porn, and of course Christmas into the romantic mix. not much really fell flat for me and all the different elements were smoothly and naturally incorporated. my only real caveat is that i didn't particularly care for the very ending - specifically the gift (really? just like that?) and the apparent tossing aside of a remarkable goal for that gift (really? just like that?). but other than that, overall this was a pleasant and diverting although very brief affair. i will attempt to make this review approximately ten times as long as the reviewed book in question. why not? i have nothing to do for at least a couple hours.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I also found Dickens to be diverting, frothy in fact. But I am concerned that the use of the one night stand in a gay m/m romance may be substituting one negative generalization (a woman who has one night stands is a slut) with another (those gay men are always having one night stands and it is no big deal). I also had some issues with the tone, which veered from absurd (ocelot attack) to perhaps overly-prosaic and maudlin (orphan protagonist who hates his job). Am I wrong?
Perplexed,
Ceridwen
*****
Dear Ceridwen,
first of all, no - you are not wrong! don't play the blame-game on yourself! and yet, well, i feel you are wrong. the idea of the easy one night stand in the gay world, the ease of sex in general, the lack of judgment around brief encounters... well, if i may be so bold as to make a broad generalization on behalf of my peers: as far as attitudes towards sex goes, it is just different for most of those who live in Gay World. and by "different", i actually mean "better". very few tedious hang-ups and self-hate around sexual connections. sex is a big thing - and it is not a big thing; it ain't no thing. there are many monogomous (or open but committed) relationships as well, of course. but having a hook-up in Gay World isn't the tremendous mind-fuck that it can be for the denizens of Straight World. poor Straight World. however, there are obvious downsides to this, including high rates of STDs, HIV infection, an obsession with sex, a potential of losing yourself in perpetual tricking instead of trying to develop meaningful relationships (both romantic or platonic). so perhaps "better" isn't the right word after all. so let's stick with "different".
as far as your second point... isn't that randomness a part of life? can't a fellow suffer a surprise ocelot attack in some cheesy champagne bar also be a guy with a lot of angst about being cast-out, an orphan, working at a job he doesn't like? i appreciate that mixture of tones. if this was just a dippy book featuring lots of ocelot attacks & the like, i would have been annoyed. the protagonist's personal story, his angsty bits, sorta anchored the tale for me.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I did not enjoy the mix of tones either. I wanted frothy romance trash and there were various comments that annoyed me. For example, I did not appreciate the attempts at so-called deepness from a character that I see merely as "jolly old saint condom clause". It particularly irritated me when comments that I found to be sentimental claptrap were noted as popular highlights by other readers. And I hated when they brought God in between the sheets. I was really just looking for some funny lines to laugh at, and well I suppose I found some here and there. But overall, the experience just rather bugged. Am I wrong to feel this way?
Annoyed,
Jen
*****
Dear Jen,
first of all - no, you are not wrong! we all have our own truth. we are all right and we are all wrong. that is the nature of the human condition. but actually, in this case, i do think you are wrong. doesn't the inclusion of jarringly "deep" (although, admittedly, a rather hackneyed and cliched version of "deep") comments actually make the character a bit more than a "jolly old santa condom clause"? why did you merely see him as a "jolly old santa condom clause" when he is clearly a character who has been fairly well-developed, at least for a novella of this scope? i think this is a case of missed expectations rather than any flaw of the writing. and didn't you find the inclusion of God at various points to be an interesting surprise? it was certainly an unusual and striking decision on the author's part, particularly in what is clearly designed to be a disposable bit of fluff. the straightforward and non-condescending inclusion of spiritual discussions sort of sets this bit of fluff apart. it makes it a bit less fluffy. i think that is a good thing!
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I appreciated the use of condoms. I thought this book was adequate. Am I wrong?
Didn't Laugh Myself Sick,
Miriam
*****
Dear Miriam,
first of all - no, you are not wrong! what is "wrong" anyway, and what is "right"? they are both merely constructs, figments of imagination that this poor human race enjoys obsessing over. back home on Robot Planet, we laugh at these silly human delusions. and we'll still be laughing when my people come to join me here on Earth, to colonize and to turn you humans into our silly meat-based workforce. ha! i dare say you all will no longer have the time to worry about what is "right" or "wrong"!
i do have to add that i also appreciated the condom use. but a condom for oral sex? that felt strange. i know that that must happen, and it is certainly encouraged in safer-sex messages, but my experience has been that this is rare. very rare. and yet it was so nonchalantly depicted in Dickens. hmmm, well perhaps it was needed, if only to offer more of the colored-condom jokes that i felt were a bit too present in the novella.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I liked this book. It surprised me. I liked the protagonist, the food porn, the God, the boning. Given the season, this hit the spot. Am I wrong?
Besides Myself In Worry & Anticipation of Your Response,
Karen
*****
Dear Karen,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. you are actually never wrong! that is why you are the #1 reviewer.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I also liked this book. It sure had some come in it. Or should that be "cum"? Whatever, I wrote a poem about it to get it off of my chest. So to speak. Was I wrong to do that?
Ecstatic,
Caris
*****
Dear Caris,
first of all - yes, you are wrong. there was a surprising lack of sperm in this book. however, that was a splendid poem that you wrote. i really enjoyed it. you are a talented young man. you should write a book!
__________________________
Dear Abby,
I thought this novella was cute for what it was. However i was reminded of several things that disturb me, among them female representation in the media and the female audience/female writers of slash fiction. But does this have anything to do with Dickens or its male author? I also had issues with the realism of the ocelot attack. Am I wrong?
Increasingly Agitated But Not Really,
Kat
*****
Dear Kat,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. the world is wrong! stupid, stupid world. an ocelot attack, as if! feh!
but you make some excellent points, points to consider. i am actually unsure about Dickens place in this discussion of female representation because the idea that Dickens was written for a female audience is news to me. the novella seemed tailored to the gay male audience - although it was certainly a lot less sex-tastic than other sorts of romantic gay novels, with deeper characterization and more realistic behavior in general. perhaps therein lies the appeal to the female audience? i don't know. well, actually, from my limited experience with romantic novels, i don't think so. but the idea is very interesting to me. ever since i first learned of it in college, and in many conversations since then, i have always been fascinated and continually surprised by female interest in m/m romance and even gay porn. both straight and queer women. i just have never figured that one out. some might say it is due to the idea of reclaiming roles, and/or of putting yourself (a woman) into a role (a gay male) that perhaps has less automatic - and less queasy - issues around power and control. or maybe some ladies just like to imagine themselves as dudes because it is not just transgressive, it is fun, it is freeing. i dunno. food for thought.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
I thought this was okay. Blessedly brief. The sex scenes were odd but okay, and - fortunately - did not work for me. My ass shall remain unscathed - Exit Only! Am I wrong?
Fearful of Lasting Damage,
Eh?Eh!
*****
Dear Eh?Eh!,
first of all - no, you are not wrong. much like choosing a faith, a career path, or a life partner... the decision of whether to have or not to have ass adventures is a very personal decision that we all must eventually make in our lifetime.
but yes, actually, you are wrong! c'mon, it's the bomb! don't let Dickens scare you away! i say Go For It! it's what all the cool kids are doing these days.
_________________________
Dear Abby,
So none of your little jokes, okay? I do have a serious issue. Reading this novella, commenting on it, writing reviews for a book group, and thinking of the community that Dickens was intended for... well, after considering it all, it makes me uncomfortable. Am I somehow fetishizing this community, am I guilty of being a kind of leering, voyeuristic, mocking Outsider-Looking-In, oh look at this silly community, let's all laugh at it now? That is not who I am. I am reminded of the many ways that women are fetishized and objectified, and the comparison is unsettling. Am I wrong?
Concerned,
Elizabeth
*****
Dear Elizabeth,
first of all, you are not wrong. i do think that RBRS skirted this uncomfortable issue, and as a queer man, i have to admit to feeling a little anxious, a little am i going to get pissed off about this?. but in the end, i felt the reviews didn't turn out to be a problem, at least not for me. hell, i'm not even sure if you were talking about the m/m audience for romantic fiction, or for the female audience who appreciates m/m fiction. well, either way, i really appreciate your sensitivity. it is so easy to mock and condescend to things, as an outsider looking in. your mining of your own reactions, your uneasy contemplation of the gap between the goals of critical or even just plain snarky reviews and the goals of the community who enjoys novels like Dickens... impressive. i understand your discomfort. it is something i've struggled with as well when reading various genres. i really just loved your review and your perspective.
____________________
Dear Abby,
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SEX SCENES? MY GOD, ENOUGH ABOUT GOD & BEING WRONG & BEING SENSITIVE TO OUTSIDER COMMUNITIES & ALL THAT BLITHER-BLATHER... WHAT ABOUT THE SEX??
About to Shoot Off Here Unless You Answer This Very Important Question,
Josh Lanyon's Editor
*****
Dear Josh's Editor,
well, they were okay. for the most part, well-done. they didn't particularly amaze me, nothing to add to my personal spank bank, you know. but they felt real and they weren't corny, so good job. except maybe in the future, avoid the oddball metaphors please. for example, semen should never never never be referred to as "starfire". please, never allow that to happen again.
December 6, 2011
Email To: Mr. & Mrs. Crisparkle
Email from: Sedgewick Crisparkle
Dear mother and father,
How are you enjoying Christmas there at home in sunny (ha!) England? Is father's vicarage going well? Look, to put it plainly, I understand that I have only recently confessed to you that I am a gay man and that you are coming to grips with this. Which is why I feel it is necessary to explain to you what happened to our precious family artifact as soon as possible. Our treasured, undiscovered Christmas book by Dickens truly was a proud heirloom in our family and an excellent tradition that we have upheld all this time. I'm so grateful it was bequeathed to me so that I could sell it in order to finance my lifelong dream.
However, a little while ago I met a man. Three days ago to be exact. We are in love. Now, I understand you might be concerned about the fact that he has an extraordinarily sordid history with artifacts and that he spent two of our precious three days together lying and scheming to get our book. However, he is a man of great character. I presume. I am positively hopeful that he actually did love me and is a good person on the inside despite his actions shown for the vast majority of our courtship.
He slept with me on the understanding that I would at least show him the book and thus, by my calculations, he would be willing to spend the rest of his life with me if I just give it to him. I see this as perfectly justifiable and I'm sure you will too once you actually meet him. I'm not sure when that will be since the future is currently hazy for us. We have yet to discuss any permanent plans past me giving him this priceless and irreplaceable artifact (and more sex but I don't think you're ready to hear about that) but I'm sure we'll work that out in a satisfactory matter. Once he comes back from getting us some milk. Does milk take a long time to retrieve in LA?
I'm sure nothing will happen to make me come to regret this decision.
Your son,
Sedgewick
Email from: Sedgewick Crisparkle
Dear mother and father,
How are you enjoying Christmas there at home in sunny (ha!) England? Is father's vicarage going well? Look, to put it plainly, I understand that I have only recently confessed to you that I am a gay man and that you are coming to grips with this. Which is why I feel it is necessary to explain to you what happened to our precious family artifact as soon as possible. Our treasured, undiscovered Christmas book by Dickens truly was a proud heirloom in our family and an excellent tradition that we have upheld all this time. I'm so grateful it was bequeathed to me so that I could sell it in order to finance my lifelong dream.
However, a little while ago I met a man. Three days ago to be exact. We are in love. Now, I understand you might be concerned about the fact that he has an extraordinarily sordid history with artifacts and that he spent two of our precious three days together lying and scheming to get our book. However, he is a man of great character. I presume. I am positively hopeful that he actually did love me and is a good person on the inside despite his actions shown for the vast majority of our courtship.
He slept with me on the understanding that I would at least show him the book and thus, by my calculations, he would be willing to spend the rest of his life with me if I just give it to him. I see this as perfectly justifiable and I'm sure you will too once you actually meet him. I'm not sure when that will be since the future is currently hazy for us. We have yet to discuss any permanent plans past me giving him this priceless and irreplaceable artifact (and more sex but I don't think you're ready to hear about that) but I'm sure we'll work that out in a satisfactory matter. Once he comes back from getting us some milk. Does milk take a long time to retrieve in LA?
I'm sure nothing will happen to make me come to regret this decision.
Your son,
Sedgewick
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2013
**2.5 stars**
This book had a ton of potential for me. I really liked the concept of this story and the kind of nerdy, bookish main characters. I even enjoyed the writing style in all of its over-thesaurused glory. And I love a sappy, lovey holiday story as much as the next gal, so bonus points for sap-a-tude. However, there were a few issues that I had with this one that I can't overlook.
First of all, the sex scenes. What. The. Eff. Cheesiness overload.
That pump and pull was like a hammer striking the golden frames of angel wings, pounding them into shining, glinting, pennons.
I actually had to block out the writing during the sex scenes so I could enjoy the rest of the book. And enjoy the book I did (it is a mighty cute little story) until the end, where Lanyon blew it.
This book had a ton of potential for me. I really liked the concept of this story and the kind of nerdy, bookish main characters. I even enjoyed the writing style in all of its over-thesaurused glory. And I love a sappy, lovey holiday story as much as the next gal, so bonus points for sap-a-tude. However, there were a few issues that I had with this one that I can't overlook.
First of all, the sex scenes. What. The. Eff. Cheesiness overload.
That pump and pull was like a hammer striking the golden frames of angel wings, pounding them into shining, glinting, pennons.
I actually had to block out the writing during the sex scenes so I could enjoy the rest of the book. And enjoy the book I did (it is a mighty cute little story) until the end, where Lanyon blew it.
December 8, 2011
There are dicks in this books. And fucking. A Christmas miracle! Dicks! Fuck! Not a throbbing manhood in sight, no disturbing portrayals of sex as an out-of-body mystical experience, and a blessed absence of euphemisms. Why aren't more sex scenes written in everyday language instead of vulvas-flowering-like-tropical-orchids-purple-prose? I mean, it still wasn't interesting, but at least I didn't laugh myself sick and feel embarrassed for the author. Bonus points for including condoms and a sensible decision to not put food products in orifices.
Brandy, sodomy, and ocelots aside, this was a fairly straightforward story of a lonely rare book dealer who falls for a visiting British chemistry professor who has an unknown Dickens' manuscript to sell. Lanyon does an adequate job of establishing the attraction between the two characters, although since it takes place over only a few days their Love is hard to credit. James' passion for books was more convincing -- as is the author's. Plenty of allusions and puns here for booklovers.
Brandy, sodomy, and ocelots aside, this was a fairly straightforward story of a lonely rare book dealer who falls for a visiting British chemistry professor who has an unknown Dickens' manuscript to sell. Lanyon does an adequate job of establishing the attraction between the two characters, although since it takes place over only a few days their Love is hard to credit. James' passion for books was more convincing -- as is the author's. Plenty of allusions and puns here for booklovers.
December 14, 2012
That's it: I can read no further Xmas stories this year as that is the most perfect Xmas story ever. Melting true love and sticky waffles.
I say it every time, but godddamn Josh Lanyon can string words together and make something more than the sum of the parts.
I say it every time, but godddamn Josh Lanyon can string words together and make something more than the sum of the parts.
December 5, 2011
I think I did my part to dilute the importance found in underlining meaningful passages on this kindle edition.
For example, click on "Popular Highlights" for this book on kindle and you will find:
"Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's how you deal with being afraid."
Well. That's very nice. I'm glad so many other people found this line really meaningful to them. But I can get that kind of encouragement from watching a documentary on Patton or something. It's hardly the kind of life lesson I really believe from a guy that I remember as the jolly old saint condom claus.
Also, other readers found this inspiring:
"God hears all our prayers, but sometimes the answer is no."
I have no idea who these other underliners are, reading this on their kindles, but I've got to say that God here was an interesting topic to bring up between the bedcovers and body souffle.
Here's a sample of what I chose to underline:
I think I can share my favorite line without spoiling anything. I mean, this is a romance novel, does anyone not read the book summary and not think about that romance when they read a line like-
...but pride and anger was working me like an intrusive hand up a puppet's sleeve."
Because that imagery is priceless.
Oh, and my underlined encouraging passage? Well, it doesn't mention bravery. But personal pride is also commendable, and I think this line serves as a little self-esteem booster:
"Your arse is delicious in its own right, true enough."
For example, click on "Popular Highlights" for this book on kindle and you will find:
"Bravery isn't the absence of fear, it's how you deal with being afraid."
Well. That's very nice. I'm glad so many other people found this line really meaningful to them. But I can get that kind of encouragement from watching a documentary on Patton or something. It's hardly the kind of life lesson I really believe from a guy that I remember as the jolly old saint condom claus.
Also, other readers found this inspiring:
"God hears all our prayers, but sometimes the answer is no."
I have no idea who these other underliners are, reading this on their kindles, but I've got to say that God here was an interesting topic to bring up between the bedcovers and body souffle.
Here's a sample of what I chose to underline:
I think I can share my favorite line without spoiling anything. I mean, this is a romance novel, does anyone not read the book summary and not think about that romance when they read a line like-
...but pride and anger was working me like an intrusive hand up a puppet's sleeve."
Because that imagery is priceless.
Oh, and my underlined encouraging passage? Well, it doesn't mention bravery. But personal pride is also commendable, and I think this line serves as a little self-esteem booster:
"Your arse is delicious in its own right, true enough."
April 2, 2025
New note April 2025: I dnf'd the audiobook, read by Sean Crisden. The narration of MC2, Sedgewick (Prof Crisparkle), was ruining it for me. The POV MC, James, is okay, but, this narrator doing an English accent for Sedgewick made him sound like a sleazy, nasally old man and was awful and a real turn-off. So. Back to re-reading the text instead!
Original note/2019 (about my 4th re-read):
This book is my all-time favorite JL book. Safe for me, no others.
Why is it my favorite? It's set at Christmas and has all the feelings of second chances in life (NOT a second-chance romance, just...life can be hard. And sometimes people deserve good things). The underdog, down-on-his-luck hero is a disgraced book restorer (what I wouldn't give for his backstory to expand this book!). The author creates a faux Dickens "discovered" book that actually sounds like a Dickens book. The conflict between the heroes. And most of all...the ocelot. IYKYN.
HEA yes.
Original note/2019 (about my 4th re-read):
This book is my all-time favorite JL book. Safe for me, no others.
Why is it my favorite? It's set at Christmas and has all the feelings of second chances in life (NOT a second-chance romance, just...life can be hard. And sometimes people deserve good things). The underdog, down-on-his-luck hero is a disgraced book restorer (what I wouldn't give for his backstory to expand this book!). The author creates a faux Dickens "discovered" book that actually sounds like a Dickens book. The conflict between the heroes. And most of all...the ocelot. IYKYN.
HEA yes.
April 29, 2012
RBRS #...lost track
Blessedly short. Surprisingly prosaic plot with a mysterious past, dastardly villain, a misunderstanding, and two hot people hooking up. Instead of a sassy gay friend, there is a dumpy hetero friend. There was a lot stuffed into this small story. Twss, with chocolate creme brulee body cream.
The secksy scenes used some odd metaphors. They were also blessedly brief. TMI, but I was kind of relieved that none of them "worked" for me. Exit only!
This is a text in wish fulfillment and immediate gratification. Despite the thrust of the relationship, no pun intended, the omnipotent viewpoint described the feelings as being of the enduring kind. Sadly, I don't think this pair would last beyond the holidays.
Blessedly short. Surprisingly prosaic plot with a mysterious past, dastardly villain, a misunderstanding, and two hot people hooking up. Instead of a sassy gay friend, there is a dumpy hetero friend. There was a lot stuffed into this small story. Twss, with chocolate creme brulee body cream.
The secksy scenes used some odd metaphors. They were also blessedly brief. TMI, but I was kind of relieved that none of them "worked" for me. Exit only!
This is a text in wish fulfillment and immediate gratification. Despite the thrust of the relationship, no pun intended, the omnipotent viewpoint described the feelings as being of the enduring kind. Sadly, I don't think this pair would last beyond the holidays.
December 15, 2016
Josh Lanyon is starting to become a pretty safe bet for me now.
This was a wonderfully romantic story. I loved the way everything unfolded. I loved the slight drama towards the end, and I adored the perfect HEA ending lol.
Sedgwick and James were perfectly believable characters for me, as was the nasty Mr. Stephanopoulos.
I enjoyed finally finding out the big secret with Mr. Stephanopoulos and Sedgwick, I especially liked that it was totally in keeping with the image I had of Stephanopoulos.
I do rather wish the “Christmas Cake” was a real book though lol.
ETA Still a wonderful Christmas time read, and I still wish there really was a Christmas Cake story
This was a wonderfully romantic story. I loved the way everything unfolded. I loved the slight drama towards the end, and I adored the perfect HEA ending lol.
Sedgwick and James were perfectly believable characters for me, as was the nasty Mr. Stephanopoulos.
I enjoyed finally finding out the big secret with Mr. Stephanopoulos and Sedgwick, I especially liked that it was totally in keeping with the image I had of Stephanopoulos.
I do rather wish the “Christmas Cake” was a real book though lol.
ETA Still a wonderful Christmas time read, and I still wish there really was a Christmas Cake story
May 25, 2025
Likable short story. About a unknown Dickens book turning up for sale. And the man selling it. And the one acting on behalf of an anonymous buyer. Blaming it on Dickens but this felt very christmassy.
December 14, 2021
This holiday novella is a total and complete delight. A tender m/m romance with also a tense little mystery underneath. James's and Sedge's story is so deliciously prepared and served that you can almost smell and taste it! The idea of a long-lost Christmas story by Charles Dickens is intriguing and fascinating. Josh Lanyon's story has all the elements to make a wonderful holiday tale, and more. After all Christmas is the time for get-togethers, laughter, peace and love, but it's also the time of stress, loneliness, bitterness and grief. This story was a hopeful one and it left me smiling happily for the rest of the day. It was all about faith, hope and love...those truly were gifts that really matter...wrapped in gold and white paper with heralding angels and tied up with a big red bow. This book just might become a Christmas tradition for me. I'll bet its magic will work every single time...and can't we all use a little magic?
December 30, 2009
This was one of the best books I read recently, so simple and yet so wonderfully done I had to read it twice in one go within twenty - four hours. There were so many things I immensely enjoyed. The story is written in a kind, loving tone of voice that fits its theme perfectly well. The author plays with style and language, effectively creating a truely Dickensian feeling, even with using a modern setting and modern language. (By example almost every person's name in the story could have been the name of a Dickensian character - I found that brilliant). And to top it all, the story is laced with the mercurial humor so typical for the author.
If you're looking for a sweet yet substantial read for the holidays you can't do wrong with this novella.
If you're looking for a sweet yet substantial read for the holidays you can't do wrong with this novella.
December 9, 2015
What just happened? I am completely baffled by that ending. It wasn't just abrupt it was also confusing and totally had my head spinning. I don't think I get it.
What is going to happen to the book?
What is going to happen to the boys?
What is going to happen to the dream school?
I just don't understand what happened with that end.
I know Lanyon endings are always quick but this one just left me more than wanting it left me stumped.
What is going to happen to the book?
What is going to happen to the boys?
What is going to happen to the dream school?
I just don't understand what happened with that end.
I know Lanyon endings are always quick but this one just left me more than wanting it left me stumped.
February 6, 2011
Okay, I’m just stupid, but I had no idea this had anything to do with gay erotica. None. Zip. I didn’t know the author and only downloaded the story because the premise–the discovery of a previously unknown Christmas book by Dickens–interested me. Having always loved Dickens (and been SO disappointed when I got through all his novels and realized there wouldn’t be any more), I’ve toyed off and on with doing something either set in or involving Victorian England for years. So I came to this honestly thinking that I was settling in for a very geeky read about one of my favorite authors.
Uh . . . that would be no.
You know, in retrospect, the cover should’ve tipped me off. I’ve got a book about London’s East End and there are similar pictures of slouchy Navy guys who used to supplement their meager income through prostitution.
But, know what? Didn’t matter. I just didn’t care. This romance was just so good and the pacing so well done that the erotica kind of faded into the background for me. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re able to tolerate a fair amount of pretty explicit gay sex, but if you want a rollicking good story that you just won’t be able to put down, this is great fun.
Uh . . . that would be no.
You know, in retrospect, the cover should’ve tipped me off. I’ve got a book about London’s East End and there are similar pictures of slouchy Navy guys who used to supplement their meager income through prostitution.
But, know what? Didn’t matter. I just didn’t care. This romance was just so good and the pacing so well done that the erotica kind of faded into the background for me. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you’re able to tolerate a fair amount of pretty explicit gay sex, but if you want a rollicking good story that you just won’t be able to put down, this is great fun.
November 29, 2011
This was a reread of the first Josh Lanyon story I ever read; so it holds a special place in my heart. It's still a great holiday story even though both of the MCs are assholes. Even assholes deserve a little love sometimes.
May 9, 2014
I've always wanted to call someone a liar, a cheat, and a whore, all in the same sentence.
This might just be the fluffiest, sweetest Lanyon book I've ever read.
This might just be the fluffiest, sweetest Lanyon book I've ever read.
December 17, 2010
Dickens was once a word from which I cringed. It's probably a crime in some countries to force people to read his work too young, before any understanding of the history and social advocacy could be properly understood. Couple that with the memories of a too-smug, arrogant acquaintance of my youth who lived and breathed Dickens and acted as if no one, but NO ONE could possibly understand them like he could.
Personal issues aside, I re-discovered Dickens later in life and found him not half bad. Preachy by modern standards, yes, but we are all a product of our times. So it was with a good deal of curiosity that I tackled this story. (Which was free, I will add, for the season, winning it extra points in my empty-wallet household.) Would Mr. Lanyon actually try to write Dickens? Would this story be a Dickens send-up, or an attempt at a modern Dickens fable with all the trappings?
Yes and no. We do have an orphan who had a brush with falling into bad company, a character who desperately needs redemption, an amoral, greedy villain, and a complex series of circumstances to lead us to a resolution. All classic Dickens, but there the resemblance ends. Thank goodness, or it would have been a rather dry romance. This is a more personal journey for James and Sedge, in which the "lost" Dickens Christmas story is only the vehicle. The heroes are both a little odd, a little adrift, each in their own way, but are both endearing. The story is told with wit and wry humor, never too heavy, even in its sadder moments.
I enjoy Mr. Lanyon's writing style - literate, intelligent, with a good feel for well-placed detail and an excellent sense of timing. My only real nits are the over use of angel/wing metaphor in the sex scenes (OK, I get it, Christmas time, nice and thematic, but it started to feel a bit forced after a bit) and the abrupt, if appropriate, ending. I felt as if I had been suddenly kicked out so they could have some privacy. Don't mind a few lingering questions, but there were just a few too many in this case.
Overall a lovely story for the holidays. And the faux Dickens? Quite believable and charming. It made me long for a story that doesn't exist. I'm sure it would have had a happy ending, too. Even for the mouse.
Personal issues aside, I re-discovered Dickens later in life and found him not half bad. Preachy by modern standards, yes, but we are all a product of our times. So it was with a good deal of curiosity that I tackled this story. (Which was free, I will add, for the season, winning it extra points in my empty-wallet household.) Would Mr. Lanyon actually try to write Dickens? Would this story be a Dickens send-up, or an attempt at a modern Dickens fable with all the trappings?
Yes and no. We do have an orphan who had a brush with falling into bad company, a character who desperately needs redemption, an amoral, greedy villain, and a complex series of circumstances to lead us to a resolution. All classic Dickens, but there the resemblance ends. Thank goodness, or it would have been a rather dry romance. This is a more personal journey for James and Sedge, in which the "lost" Dickens Christmas story is only the vehicle. The heroes are both a little odd, a little adrift, each in their own way, but are both endearing. The story is told with wit and wry humor, never too heavy, even in its sadder moments.
I enjoy Mr. Lanyon's writing style - literate, intelligent, with a good feel for well-placed detail and an excellent sense of timing. My only real nits are the over use of angel/wing metaphor in the sex scenes (OK, I get it, Christmas time, nice and thematic, but it started to feel a bit forced after a bit) and the abrupt, if appropriate, ending. I felt as if I had been suddenly kicked out so they could have some privacy. Don't mind a few lingering questions, but there were just a few too many in this case.
Overall a lovely story for the holidays. And the faux Dickens? Quite believable and charming. It made me long for a story that doesn't exist. I'm sure it would have had a happy ending, too. Even for the mouse.
February 28, 2021
My editor suggested this book as a great example of "showing not telling" when trying to build romantic/sexual tension in a story - and, yeah, this author is a brilliant pro. But the book was also LOL hilarious (omg - the OCELOT). Enthusiastically recommended as a light, very fun (VERY witty) read about a book fanatic obsessed with rare books who has been forced, by unfortunate circumstances, into work in a book chain store who crosses paths with the aloof yet alluring (and oh so deliciously British) Sedgewick Crisparkle - when an original, never before seen Dickens Christmas story comes onto the scene. Our protagonist, James Winter, is sent by the book dealer he works for on the side to obtain said book - and both holiday romance and tension-filled book mystery ensue. This is NOT YA (explicit love scenes). But if you're in the mood for a sexy, hilarious love story (that also celebrates the love of books - and the very justified fear of ocelots) this is the COVID-escape book for you. I'll be picking up lots more Josh Lanyon books. Five rollicking stars. #TeamOcelot
March 21, 2022
A Short, sweet Christmas novella. No mystery element but just like other audiobooks of JL, this too is well narrated.
December 3, 2010
Lovely! I finished this book with a lonely tear running down my face, perfect!
James, the narrator, is a hardened man. Of all the things he had in his life, only the love for books has remained. When he meets Sedge, James is a paycheck away from the street. To survive he needs to buy the book for his sleazy client, but first his pride and then his attraction for Sedge get in the way. It's James himself that recognizes that he is not probably a model of integrity, but he acts with his own code of honesty and, even when he does wrong, he means well. What I appreciated more is that he's maybe depressed, but he's never bitter.
Sedge is giving. He's also single-minded, outspoken and blunt, and a generous lover. The reasons why he's selling the book are altruistic and speak of a man of great ideals.
When these two men meet and collide, what comes out is an unstable relationship that kept me turning the pages to see what good might come from such unpromising premises. We are in James' head all the time, so maybe that's the reason why he always seems so contained and closed and tightly wound. Sedge on the contrary seems always to projects himself to the outside. They couldn't be more different.
The opposite backgrounds of the two main characters made them even more endearing and James' humor, a trademark of Josh Lanyon's narrators, made me highlight a few paragraphs. There's a masterly drawn encounter with an ocelot that is revealing of both James' practical disposition and Sedge's helping nature. The ending is full of possibilities.
I recommend this book to everyone, because it leaves you with a warm and happy feeling.
James, the narrator, is a hardened man. Of all the things he had in his life, only the love for books has remained. When he meets Sedge, James is a paycheck away from the street. To survive he needs to buy the book for his sleazy client, but first his pride and then his attraction for Sedge get in the way. It's James himself that recognizes that he is not probably a model of integrity, but he acts with his own code of honesty and, even when he does wrong, he means well. What I appreciated more is that he's maybe depressed, but he's never bitter.
Sedge is giving. He's also single-minded, outspoken and blunt, and a generous lover. The reasons why he's selling the book are altruistic and speak of a man of great ideals.
When these two men meet and collide, what comes out is an unstable relationship that kept me turning the pages to see what good might come from such unpromising premises. We are in James' head all the time, so maybe that's the reason why he always seems so contained and closed and tightly wound. Sedge on the contrary seems always to projects himself to the outside. They couldn't be more different.
The opposite backgrounds of the two main characters made them even more endearing and James' humor, a trademark of Josh Lanyon's narrators, made me highlight a few paragraphs. There's a masterly drawn encounter with an ocelot that is revealing of both James' practical disposition and Sedge's helping nature. The ending is full of possibilities.
I recommend this book to everyone, because it leaves you with a warm and happy feeling.
December 6, 2009
It's Josh Lanyon's with love :). There is no mystery in here, just plain contemporary holiday romance between a book hunter and a British professor -- and a lost manuscript of Dickens. It's a lovely story, it puts smile on my face. Because even if it's a novella, it's well written, with good insight of both characters. It's Christmas ... faith and love to all man kind, right? ^_^
July 27, 2012
This holiday novella is a total and complete delight, a tender romance with also a tense little mystery underneath. Lanyon here tells the story of James, an antique book hunter who is on a mission to gauge the validity of a newly discovered novel by Charles Dickens. The owner of the book is a professor from England, strikingly handsome but unfortunately cold and aloof, and he seems to take a fast dislike to James. All seems lost on this mission, and James is settling into the gloomy thoughts of losing his book commission and celebrating a very impoverished Christmas, but surprising things happen to keep pushing them together, and James finds himself discovering far more than a new classic holiday story.
A real joy to read, and at some point partway through, I felt a level of unabashed glee that should only be reserved for preschoolers. “Oh boy! Reading is fun!’
I also appreciated Lanyon’s inclusion of Dickens tropes—-the suffering orphan, the shady and unsavory patron, tangled family history, etc. There’s also a fun running joke about what few items James has in his fridge (including two eggs and a jar of jam.) I appreciated the small detail of him noshing on jam sandwiches throughout the book.
My only wish is that I could have read this first on some rainy day in December with a Stardust martini close at hand, but I guess that’s what rereads are for. (Living in Seattle, a rainy December day isn’t too hard to find...)
And I loved those last few lines. A truly wonderful holiday read. Highly recommended.
A real joy to read, and at some point partway through, I felt a level of unabashed glee that should only be reserved for preschoolers. “Oh boy! Reading is fun!’
I also appreciated Lanyon’s inclusion of Dickens tropes—-the suffering orphan, the shady and unsavory patron, tangled family history, etc. There’s also a fun running joke about what few items James has in his fridge (including two eggs and a jar of jam.) I appreciated the small detail of him noshing on jam sandwiches throughout the book.
My only wish is that I could have read this first on some rainy day in December with a Stardust martini close at hand, but I guess that’s what rereads are for. (Living in Seattle, a rainy December day isn’t too hard to find...)
And I loved those last few lines. A truly wonderful holiday read. Highly recommended.
December 5, 2011
Ihana! That's "lovely" and "sweet" in Finnish. There really are no other words that better describe this story: Lovely. Sweet. Ihana.
Josh Lanyon simply makes me believe. Whether it is a hostile ocelot in a weird place or a unexpected love story unlikely to happen. He makes it up, he writes it down - and I want to believe it. When it's Lanyon's work it's guaranteed to be charming, clever, extremely well written and simply compelling. This time it is a story with two guys who turned out to be the angels to one another...
James's and Sedge's story is so deliciously cooked and served that I can almost smell it and taste it! The idea of long lost Christmas story by Dickens is titillating and fascinating. Lanyon's story has all the elements of a wonderful holiday tale - and even more. After all Christmas is the time for get-togethers, laughter, peace and love, but also the time of stress, loneliness, bitterness and grief. This story was a hopeful one and it left me smirking happily for the rest of the day. It was all about faith, hope and love - those truly were the gifts wrapped in that gold and white paper with angels on it.
This book just might become a Christmas tradition for me. I'll bet its magic will work every time. :)
Josh Lanyon simply makes me believe. Whether it is a hostile ocelot in a weird place or a unexpected love story unlikely to happen. He makes it up, he writes it down - and I want to believe it. When it's Lanyon's work it's guaranteed to be charming, clever, extremely well written and simply compelling. This time it is a story with two guys who turned out to be the angels to one another...
James's and Sedge's story is so deliciously cooked and served that I can almost smell it and taste it! The idea of long lost Christmas story by Dickens is titillating and fascinating. Lanyon's story has all the elements of a wonderful holiday tale - and even more. After all Christmas is the time for get-togethers, laughter, peace and love, but also the time of stress, loneliness, bitterness and grief. This story was a hopeful one and it left me smirking happily for the rest of the day. It was all about faith, hope and love - those truly were the gifts wrapped in that gold and white paper with angels on it.
This book just might become a Christmas tradition for me. I'll bet its magic will work every time. :)
September 20, 2011
I loved this one, right up until the end. But for me, the unreality of that last gesture pushed this from light sweet holiday feel-good into the realm of unbelievable fantasy. Made me think of some lonely guy imagining the whole thing. Because no matter how deep and hot the attraction between these two guys is, it's impossible to imagine Sedge just giving James a gift worth 1.5 million which also represents the future school for underprivileged children. After knowing each other for what, a week? Especially since James loves the book for itself. Now he's in the position of having to sell it to someone who may not appreciate it as he does and give Sedge the money (painful), keep it (betraying trust), give it back (hurting Sedge)...the gesture is too big and the consequences too extreme. I wanted to see him receive a letter from Dickens that gives the provenance or something else he could treasure and keep without the fate of children and Sedge's lifelong dream being in the balance. So a really nice story, but the ending just didn't work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2013
This is a lovely novella, quirky, fun, sexy and very romantic, but still tender and poignant in parts. It works perfectly as a seasonal offering, but you could read it any time and still get drawn into this enchanting story about two men who connect ( very sensually!) over an unpublished Dickens Christmas manuscript, and find love -and redemption - unexpectedly because of it. Everything you would want from a christmas story plus some things you wouldn't expect, think Ocelots, glow in the dark 'aids' and peppermint, but not in the traditional sense!!! Loved it from start to finish, especially its wonderful 'christmas spirit' HEA. Warm, fuzzy perfection. Oh, and it snows too......... "White christmas"- eat your heart out!
December 24, 2018
This year as I had finished my Reading Challenge early, I'd planned on doing something different and read some Christmas related books over the holidays. Or maybe winter related books, with lots of snow. Here, you can't have a white Christmas, so I was planning on having it through books. This book is the first one I had saved for this purpose. And while I've enjoyed it, it isn't my favourite Mrs. Lanyon story. I'm not too fond of instant love and this is what this one is about. It worked for me in a way, despite being "only romance", but everything felt rushed. Still, an enjoyable short read for the Holidays.
November 21, 2017
What a great story! I loved the creativity and the characters were so interesting. Perfect little one for Christmas time.
The insta-love was majorly insta but considering it was just over 100 pages long, it worked pretty well. (The sex/story ratio was pretty high for Lanyon, but I'm so not complaining!) I loved the analogy of sex to the airplane ride, she does a great job with these and it reminded me so much of that one in the Dangerous Ground story where she compares it to driving a race care (so much fun to read).
Sean Crisden was excellent on the audio.
The insta-love was majorly insta but considering it was just over 100 pages long, it worked pretty well. (The sex/story ratio was pretty high for Lanyon, but I'm so not complaining!) I loved the analogy of sex to the airplane ride, she does a great job with these and it reminded me so much of that one in the Dangerous Ground story where she compares it to driving a race care (so much fun to read).
Sean Crisden was excellent on the audio.
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