Christmas Cole by B.G. Thomas ~ Audiobook

ChristmasColeAUDLGTitle: Christmas Cole
Author: BG Thomas
Narrator: Paul Morey
Genre: Contemporary/Holiday
Length: 2 hours and 4 minutes
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (10-30-2014)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5 Hearts
Blurb: Javier Torres was a sweet, plump, and very unpopular child. But over the years, he turned himself into a gorgeous gym god. The problem is he’s also become an egotistical snob. But one day his arrogance pisses off the wrong little old lady, and he wakes up to find that, like the Prince in Beauty and the Beast, he’s been transformed into something from his personal nightmares.

Javier has nowhere to go but back home. Where to his surprise, he is greeted with open arms. Not just by the family he remembers, but by his new brother-in-law, Cole. Cole suspects there might be a pretty heart to go with the pretty face locked inside that new body. But has Javier learned enough to earn Cole—instead of coal—for Christmas?

Part of the Dreamspinner 2011 Advent Calendar – I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Product Link: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Christmas-Cole-Audiobook/B00P086MOA

Reviewer: Tams

Review: Javier Torres went from an isolated, over weight and insecure teenager to a conceited, self-absorbed and condescending adult. Somewhere along the way, Javier forgot what it was like to be the one who was picked on, ridiculed, and ostracized because of his appearance and sexual preference. Enter one lovely little old woman with silver hair and a stunning smile to remind him.

When Javier wakes up in the body he thought he left behind and his partner jets off to vacation without him, he is left alone and confused just days before Christmas. A cup of coffee in the mall and a random message scrawled on the table send Javier back to the place he couldn’t get away from fast enough a decade ago, home.

In a twist on the It’s a Wonderful Life and Christmas Carol stories, Thomas takes a man who lost sight of what’s important, and shows him that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. In an effort to hide the pain of his past, Javier remade himself. Only to turn into the type of person that sent him away in the first place. When the tables are once again turned and he heads back home, he is embraced, to spite his appearance.

I really enjoyed the moral of this story and how Thomas explored such a wide array of emotions in such a short amount of time. Add to that the voice of Paul Morey and his ability to stretch himself into a multitude of characters from one breath to the next. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him actually whine before though, and it was so perfect for Javier when he is at his lowest point.

Javier learns through pain and disappointment what is truly important. The good thing is, it’s not too late for him to have a chance at happiness. And for the first time ever, someone WANTS Cole in their stocking!

* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *