Once we are adults, coming back home for Christmas can be a great return to childhood in the best sense, if our memories are good, or a task of epic proportions if we have left behind some unresolved issues of the familial kind. As Brandon figures out in this story, not all "issues" he remembers as such are insurmountable, and the "promise of snow" – for him – ends up being hope for a better future.

Brandon may have returned home, and his mother may be looking forward to him being at the neighborhood party, but Brandon cannot get in the spirit of things. The prospect of meeting AJ, his childhood nemesis, doesn't make it easier. Everyone seems to think they used to be good buddies, ut Brandon only remembers the bullying.

The whole situation is well on its way to a minor disaster until Brandon meets the grown-up AJ – and is rather impressed with the changes the man has gone through. And I don't just mean the physical ones, although those attract Brandon's attention first. When AJ actually shows an understanding of what he's done wrong, suddenly, there is not just the promise of snow, but the promise of newfound happiness for both Brandon and AJ.

If you like stories full of hope that are like a sketch that leaves you to fill in the details, if you enjoy reading about men who finally deal with their past, and if you're looking for a read that will make you smile, then you will probably like this short story.


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