Review: The Mistletoe Kiss by Ruby Moone

Title: The Misletoe Kiss

Author: Ruby Moone

Publisher: JMS Books

Length: 89 Pages

Category: Historical, Holiday

At a Glance: I thoroughly enjoyed this historical holiday novella about two lonely men who manage to overcome some terrible circumstances to find a happy ending.

Reviewed By: Sadonna

Blurb: Widowed bookseller Lawrence Fenton has spent a lonely lifetime hiding who he is. He has convinced himself his feelings for his far too young, gorgeous, but troubled assistant Christy Shaw are nothing more than pride in his protégé and concern for his plight.

Christy’s life involves walking fine lines: one between his mother and his abusive stepfather, one where he must keep his needs hidden, and hardest of all, one where he must keep his feelings for his serious employer to himself.

Lame since birth, Lawrence cannot imagine anyone wanting him, least of all Christy. But when Christy’s life threatens to spiral out of control, Lawrence steps in. Then Christy’s emotions spill over into a kiss under the mistletoe at Christmas. Will Lawrence be able to face the long-buried truth about himself and keep Christy by his side?

Review: Christy Shaw has had a rough time of it. Returning from the war with Napoleon, his father has died and his mother has remarried a despicable, abusive, drunken lout with six of his own children. While his family had never had a lot, they were respectable. But that’s all gone, and he’s left to fend for himself and try to help his mother.

Lawrence Fenton is a lonely widower who owns a bookstore that Christy has found refuge in. He pretends not to notice Christy’s plight—like the obvious hunger or the bruises from his mother’s husband, or his lack of clean clothes—so as not to embarrass him. But he finds ways around these obstacles and manages to keep Christy at least fed and marginally employed.

It turns out Christy has a lot of ideas about the bookshop, and Lawrence is happy to see his enthusiasm. He encourages Christy to make changes that he thinks will bring in business. As the holiday season is upon them, the Christmas motifs and Christy’s ventures in updating the shop and are a success.

But things go from bad to terrible with Christy’s family, and he is worse off than ever. Lawrence again steps in to help. Christy and Lawrence are working better than ever as a team, but in his enthusiasm Christy crosses a line. Lawrence is shocked, but not in a bad way. And when Christy’s stepfather tries to cause even more problems, a united front keeps Lawrence and Christy from doing anything to damage their burgeoning relationship. Christmas might just be the start of something better than ever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical holiday novella about two lonely men who manage to overcome some terrible circumstances to find a happy ending. Christy has had a terrible shock when he returns from war, but he keeps trying, and Lawrence and the bookshop are his salvation. Lawrence has tried to do the right thing, but he’s suffered greatly as well. The fact that two men who have been beaten by life can still find some joy in books, and each other, is pretty uplifting. I couldn’t help thinking while I was reading this story that without the social safety nets, this type of life would be much more prevalent—a woman forced to marry to keep a roof over her head regardless of the abuse and mistreatment. It still happens far too often, but at least there are agencies that can help.

I’m making this sound like a depressing story, but really it isn’t. It’s a triumphant one for Christy and Lawrence when they are able to be honest with themselves and each other. Recommended particularly for fans of historicals and the holidays. 

You can buy The Mistletoe Kiss here:
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