Review: Ghostwriter of Christmas Past by TA Moore

Title: Ghostwriter of Christmas Past

Author: TA Moore

Length: 57 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Holiday

At a Glance: Worth the read and a good addition to the advent calendar.

Reviewed By: Jenn

Blurb: Ever since ghostwriter Jason Burke ended up in loco parentis for his orphaned niece, Mallory, he’s been trying. He goes to parent/teacher events, and he makes packed lunches, so he definitely didn’t mean to forget about Christmas. He just hasn’t celebrated it since he left home under a cloud years ago.

Put on the spot, Jason makes the snap decision to take Mallory to see where he and her father spent their Christmases as kids. The last thing he expects is to run into Tommy, his ex—ex-best friend, ex-boyfriend—who is still living in town… and working as a sheriff’s deputy.

It’s hard to avoid someone in a small town—and maybe Jason doesn’t want to. He got Mallory a Christmas, and maybe now it’s time to get himself a Christmas boyfriend. But first, he owes Tommy some explanations.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2017 Advent Calendar “Stocking Stuffers.”

Review: I’m a big fan of kids in fiction, probably ‘cause they’re fictional so we get the cute without the hiccups and tantrums and headaches that come with real children. I’ll pause here to give props to all parents and minders and people who look after kids; you all deserve a medal. Or, at least a nice cup of tea and a sit down. So, seeing poor Mallory trying to cope with her parents’ death, and her hopeless uncle, was quite heart-warming.

Which was impressive because I didn’t like the character of Jason at all. I know Jason was aware of how selfish he was, but wow, it really did come across, so much so he was almost off-putting. In fact, from his point of view in the narration, despite going back to the hometown he fled to try and give Mallory a proper Christmas, she seemed a bit of an afterthought to him. His focus became solely on his lost love, Tom.

On the other hand, Tom was so nice, and really, I wanted to see him get with somebody less selfish. He was brilliant with Mallory when he babysat her, so Jason could go Christmas shopping. Mallory herself was aware of how Jason was trying to do something special for her so she could feel some of the magic of Christmas she would have had with her parents, and the two had a beautiful if poignant moment together.

In so many ways this felt like it should have been a redemption arc for Jason as he reignited with his love and found a family with Mallory after spending so much time alone, and with just hook-ups, and yet, it somehow missed the mark, possibly because of the constraints of a short story.

Worth the read and a good addition to the advent calendar.

You can buy Ghostwriter of Christmas Past here:
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