Title: Tutus and Tinsel
Series: Half Moon Bay
Author: Rhys Ford
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Length: 79 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Holiday
At a Glance: If anyone doubted that Rhys Ford could write Christmas fluff, I think those doubts can be put to rest. Tutus and Tinsel is Christmas fluff, but done the Rhys Ford way. Well…minus any dead bodies.
Reviewed By: Jules
Blurb: Zig Reid-Harris has everything an eleven-year-old girl could ever want: a great home, two fantastic fathers named Deacon Reid and Lang Harris, and all the books she could possibly read.
When a school assignment about holiday traditions unexpectedly broadsides her, she discovers burying the past isn’t as easy as it looks, and the stark reality of her life before her adoption sinks in. Ashamed of the bleakness and poverty she came from, Zig struggles with the assignment until an epiphany strikes the whole family—it’s time to start their own traditions.
Zig and her fathers plunge into the insanity of holiday joy, exploring everything the season has to offer and learning how precious family truly is along the way.
Review: The only thing more perfect than this title and cover is the message inside. Christmas traditions are important—they certainly are to my kids—so I get why Zig was is so upset when the school assignment on holiday traditions gets handed out, and she realizes she doesn’t have any positive early Christmas memories at all, let alone any traditions. But, her two dads come to the rescue, of course, and show her that they can create their own traditions while they explore all of their different heritages and decide what they want to bring to their holiday celebrations.
It was so fantastic being back in Half Moon Bay with Deacon, Lang, and Zig. They have built a wonderful life together and have surrounded each other with love and all the good things, but sometimes we need to be reminded of just how much we have, and sometimes we need to be reminded of just how shitty things once were in order to really appreciate where we are now. That’s one of the things Zig learns, and Deacon and Lang, in turn, while trying out different things to see if they want to turn them into traditions. Deacon and Lang would do anything for their daughter, including overdosing on sugar while making gingerbread houses, tromping around in the cold looking for Christmas trees, and eating gefilte fish and king cake. As Zig gathers data for her presentation, she and her dads learn some things about what they each love about the holidays, and how to make them their own.
If anyone doubted that Rhys Ford could write Christmas fluff, I think those doubts can be put to rest. Tutus and Tinsel is Christmas fluff, but done the Rhys Ford way. Well…minus any dead bodies. 😉 Deacon and Lang are so swoon-worthy and perfect. And, Zig is as awesome as I remembered her being. I loved this story so much; I think I’ll go right back in and read it again!
You can buy Tutus and Tinsel here:
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