Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Review of THE WINTER COURTSHIP RITUALS OF FUR-BEARING CRITTERS by Amy Lane (A Nico Jaye Review!)




Review for The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters by Amy Lane


A review by Nico Jaye


Hi romance readers! I'm Nico Jaye, and I'll be popping into the site with some m/m (a.k.a. male/male) romance reviews.

With the holiday season coming up, Penny has me thinking about (i.e., drooling over) gingerbread men and peppermint spice lattes. I can't get enough! Ahhh! *slurps peppermint cocoa* *ahem* While Penny's in the midst of reading her Christmas-themed stories, I figured I'd swing by to share an m/m romance Christmas rec of my own. :)

Amy Lane's The Winter Courtship Rituals of Fur-Bearing Critters is a cute, sweet, angst-free novella of adorable and yarnfully-awesome proportions.  It's filled with character, from the narrator Crawford's gruff ways to the gentle hand with which he cares for his alpacas to the titular courtship rituals he engages in to woo his new neighbor. I adored it and thought it was just the thing to snuggle up with for a nice little dose of winter holiday joy.

In the m/m romance world, Amy Lane is known for her angst-filled stories, and this novella is a nice break from that trend.  I'm definitely not an angsty reader—in fact, I'm pretty allergic to it – ACHOO!—and this one hit just the right mark for me. It's heartwarming, and, if you haven't read m/m romance before, then I think it'd be a great little introduction to the m/m romance world.  There's a sexytimes scene in it, but it's not terribly explicit.  It's also at a point in the story where you'll be celebrating that the two men finally got their signals in tune and opened their hearts to each other.  :)  In addition to two wonderful men finding love, you'll also read about quirky side characters, winter prep in the Colorado Rockies, and yarn-related awesomeness.  There may even be a scandalous knitting pattern included at the end of the book. ;)

This story was super sweet and lighthearted, and I look forward to enjoying it for many holidays to come. Hope you all are having a great holiday season! Keep an eye out for more m/m Christmas-y goodies from yours truly. :)

Making merry with menfolk under the mistletoe,
Nico

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Thanks so much, Nico, for this adorable review. This book sounds RIGHT UP MY ALLEY. I can't wait to read it!

(I am trying to imagine a scandalous knitting pattern...hmmmmm................)

Happy reading,
Penny