Author: Felicitas Ivey
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 50 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Holiday
At a Glance: I think there was some potential here…but instead of good character development and a nicely fleshed-out storyline, it felt thrown together.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Kobbi Aackers was excited to have a traditional family Christmas with his younger sister Franzi, a famous rock star. But instead of the peaceful holiday he had planned, she’s turning it into a televised musical extravaganza, in a desperate bid for publicity.
Kobbi can adapt, especially since the show’s host Wytt Kanard is easy on the eyes and easy to work with, even if he doesn’t believe in Christmas at all. Wytt is alternatively amused and horrified at the simplicity that is Kobbi’s life and the enthusiasm he has for the holiday, all while taking care of his houseful of unexpected guests.
Maybe Kobbi can convince the cynical Wytt that Christmas isn’t an event to be managed, but something special to be shared. Maybe he can muster the courage to confess his attraction and offer Wytt a surprise present.
Review: There is something absolutely magical about a picturesque, snowy, New England Christmas. And to All a Good Night delivers on that cozy holiday visual. In the story, Kobbi has created a special hometown Christmas, which he is excited to share with his rock star sister, Franzi, who hasn’t spent a Christmas at home in years. Instead of showing up alone to spend the holiday with him, however, she arrives with her manager, a TV network rep, and camera crew. Not what Kobbi was expecting, and he definitely isn’t happy about it, but he would do just about anything for his sister, so he agrees to play along.
I liked Kobbi. And, as I said, I loved the appeal of the warm holiday atmosphere he fostered. Unfortunately, that’s where my feel-good Christmas vibes petered out. This story needed so much more fleshing out and polishing, in my opinion. Kobbi and Franzi’s backstory and relationship had lots of potential, but we didn’t get enough to make complete sense of their dynamic, or to make much of a connection with them. Kobbi acted a fair amount older than his thirty or thirty-one years, and he treated Franzi like she was much younger than her twenty-one years. He treated her like a child.
The other glaring problem with the story was that it’s categorized as a romance, and it just isn’t. There is zero chemistry and zero connection between Kobbi and Wytt, who is meant to be the other MC. There wasn’t even a hint at a mutual attraction until the story was almost ninety percent complete. There was simply nothing there.
Ultimately, I think there was some potential here…but instead of good character development and a nicely fleshed-out storyline, it felt thrown together. Not my favorite of the DSP Advent Calendar stories this year.
You can buy And to All a Good Night here:
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