This sequel to ‘A Note in the Margin’ is as special as the first volume, and I loved that I got to see more of John and David as well as Jamie. John and David are still working on their relationship, and will be for a while, but they have found a certain kind of balance. One that you need to see the beginning of to fully understand the nuances, so I recommend you read the full novel first. This story focuses on the twelve days before their first Christmas together, and that poses its own challenge due to David’s past. It is written with sensitivity for David’s problems, understanding of John’s reactions, and adds a nice little glimpse of Jamie’s life as well. Despite the fact that the setting happens to be Christmas, the real focus is on the characters and their way of dealing with their shared life that is centered on the little bookshop called Margins.

John and David are clearly very much in love, and Jamie, the previous bookstore owner’s son, has begun to get used to life without his mother who returned to Britain. As Christmas approaches, it becomes apparent that each man has a very different attitude toward the coming festivities. John is not a fan at all and battles with the fact that it’s summer in Australia – and for him, heat and Christmas just don’t go together. Jamie is the complete opposite – he loves Christmas and insists on decorating the entire store to the last corner. David is struggling with too many memories of Christmases past, issues around the newly begun relationship with his son, and his feelings of inadequacy.

I liked seeing all three men deal with the situation, take into account the others’ feelings, and forge a few new traditions for the years to come. If you want to see where John, David, and Jamie are after the events of book one, and if you’re looking for a read that is emotional, moving, and unites three ways of looking at the same holiday, then you might like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )

a nice update on "Margins." 3.75 stars ( )