Love at first sight is a beautiful thing, but sometimes, true love waits a lifetime to shine...and then needs a little help from the Three Ghosts of Christmas.
As a young man, Ebenezer Scrooge felt the sharp pain of loss and resolved to protect his heart from all others, taking solace in his gold and silver. Years of discarding his own emotions, and those of anyone around him, has turned Scrooge cold.
When deceased lover and partner Jacob Marley pays miserly Scrooge a late night visit, pride and disbelief buoy Scrooge's courage. As the fabled Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come arrive to show Scrooge the error of his ways, they also give him brief glimpses of a love so strong it has stood the test of time.
In an inspiring tale of change, a deep-seated need flares to life, leaving Scrooge without a doubt that love and family are what really matter at Christmas.
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With it being Christmas Eve I thought it timely to read Em Woods' take on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and I'm so glad I did! This version takes the classic story and puts a m/m spin on it but it still retains that classic feel through its language and imagery. The story is one that everyone knows by now but Em Woods has you looking at Scrooge in a vastly different, and sympathetic, way.
In Dickens' version the reasons behind Scrooge's miserly ways was never quite clear therefore his redemption never felt wholly believable to me. Woods has rectified that issue for me by showing Scrooge becoming angry with a world who damns his feelings and relations with men so that he damns the world right back. He becomes a man who cares only for himself and his wealth. Seeing Scrooge in love with a neighbor boy as a young man and desperately wanting declarations of love from Marley made me sympathetic towards him and his unhappiness relatable. Realizing that he still has time to find love again seemed a more believable reason to reform and had me cheering at the conclusion.
The m/m scenes were seamlessly incorporated into the original story with a bit of bdsm involving Marley's time with Scrooge. This relationship was mostly about power and left Scrooge even more disillusioned. Scrooge's first relationship was sweet and truly loving with an ending that was heartbreaking and made me a bit teary-eyed.
Em Woods' update is a loving homage to the original and will easily bring in a new generation. With its erotically charged m/m scenes and vividly descriptive journey through one man's life THIS version of A Christmas Carol will become the true classic and one that I'll be rereading every Christmas!
My rating for this is an A.
*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
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