Jonah hasn’t seen his family in twelve years. They don’t know he’s gay. Now he’s trapped with them in the storm of a century. A family heirloom has been stolen. And now, his childhood rival, Ethan, has arrived to steal his heart.
ooooohhhh…I liked this one very much.
It’s my first Astrid Amara book! I’ve been meaning to read others, but just hadn’t gotten to any yet. And I have to say I really enjoy this author’s style. There’s genuinely solid storytelling even in a basic contemporary holiday novella. The characters were layered and I liked both the subtle and not-so-subtle emotions portrayed here.
Jonah is in the closet to his family, he secretly writes best-selling gay romance, and he heads home to face the scrutiny and the beating that comes from the best of Jewish family gatherings. I so related to Jonah in the sense that when I head home to my beloved Korean family gatherings, I too get the lambasting about my life. (Why aren’t you married? You should’ve been a doctor! Why is your hair so long? …my personal favorite from the book: Why don’t you play golf? ha!) So, I felt a kinship with Jonah. Because despite all this criticism…and don’t get me wrong, it does hurt!…it’s family…and we love them.
Added to Jonah’s home visit is a surprise guest, Ethan. Ethan who is the perfect, handsome, successful doctor. Ethan who outed and bullied Jonah in high school. Ethan, who we come to find, was once a confused teenager and now a very self-assured, knows-exactly-what-he-wants man. And what he wants is Jonah.
Throw in a mad-capped, zany who-stole-the-family-heirloom storyline…which I found to be kinda hysterical!…and this book fully entertained. There were moments that caused physical pain in my heart. There were times I held my breath hoping for something romantic to happen. There were laugh-out-loud parts. There were heat-rising sexy scenes. And it all worked for me.
Very enjoyable and totally recommended Hanukkah read! Now off to find more Astrid Amara books…!
Title: Holiday Outing
Author: Astrid Amara
Publisher: Loose Id
Pages: 147
Release Date: December 23, 2008
Purchase Links: Loose Id, Amazon, ARe
I did the same thing…I read this several years ago and immediately looked for the back list because I wanted more. I just got The Devil Lancer & although it’s not humorous or contemporary I’m still pretty sure I’ll like it. :-)
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I’ve got that one ready to read too! KJ Charles mentioned it as one of her favorite reads of the year! I’m looking forward to that one…
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Astrid Amara was one of the authors I found in my early years of reading MM and definitely still is one of my favorites :). I love her Hanukkah/holiday stories
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