Title: Christmas Cole
Series: N/A
Author: B. G. Thomas
Genre: Christmas themed Contemporary Fantasy
Length: Novella (98 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (December 1st, 2011)
Heat Level: None
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥3.5Heart
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
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 also 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?
A novella from the Dreamspinner Press 2011 Advent Calendar package “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2601
Review: So what we have here is a slightly altered version of Beauty and the Beast, or better yet, Beauty and the Beast meets A Christmas Carol. And for a community that is youth and beauty obsessed, this is certainly apropos. This is about what happens when you allow the outside to overshadow the inside. The moral of the story is that it’s all good and well to try to get the outside to look pretty, but at what cost will you do this? Are you willing to sell your soul and self-respect? What does it say when people only like the package, but don’t really know what is really inside the package or even care about the package’s contents.
This is a very short, spicy tale of Christmas so it moves along quickly but without feeling overly rushed. The characters are nicely drawn and you have clear pictures of everyone, even the bit players who are Javier’s family. They add colour and dimension and help to make the story even more believable and relatable. Once Cole enters the picture, Javier will learn that being beautiful on the inside is just if not more important than external beauty. He will find that the people who love you will always love you and not care about things like looks or money. Most of all he will learn the importance of love and how important it is to love and be loved. What better Christmas message could there be?
So you have a tale of goodwill and rebirth all with a sprinkling of some lovely fairy, or maybe elves’ dust along with a gust of wind from the North Pole. A lovely little Christmas story that helps us remember the important things at this time of the year. Very charming!