Stephen V. Masse

A beautiful and heart warming story that I really enjoyed from the first page. Full of Christmas wonder, I would like to think that every child would read this book, although 'christmas' themed this could be read at any time of year. The story also brings alive the true meaning of family and love that binds each member together.

The story follows two sisters, Nicole and Ashley, from a lovely family who live in Austria. On the way to school one day the girls visit the market keeper, Boznik, who gives Nicole a 'magic' candy cane. As Nicole anticipates the full 'magic' to appear she fails to realise that the magic can show in many forms and believes that the candy cane has only brought her bad luck. First she is attacked by golf balls by the nasty Brunheim boys (now her enemies) but luckily escapes with only bruising, she is then stricken by fever, missing church and St Nicholas festivities that she has been looking forward to for ages, but overcomes this and recovers, then the tragedy of the house fire which she luckily escapes from, gains help and saves the home of further damage, followed by the surprise visit of her Grandparents to save the day.

To make the nasty Brunheim boys suffer, Nicole decides to take the day off school and make them believe she is seriously ill following their golf ball target practice at her and her little sister, but she is caught in a mountain blizzard, tragedy sadly strikes and her world is turned upside down, will the magic appear once again to save the day?

I loved how close the family were with each other, especially the two sisters, a lovely refreshing change. The stories told by the girls father and grandfather were really interesting and cleverly had hidden messages for the children to pick up on and in the end helped Nicole survive. The story is full of Austrian Christmas traditions for every reader to enjoy and would definitely bring the Christmas season alive and reminds you that magic moments can be taken for granted, they don't necessarily have a flashing signs. As an added bonus the author has included a special recipes section at the end of the story with wonderful Christmas recipes.

A marvelous thought provoking story for young and 'old' readers, full of positivity, highly recommended.… (plus d'informations)

I really enjoyed this book. It was a light, happy holiday read. One has to be willing to suspend reality for a bit and just go along with the story but isn't that what fiction is about? The main characters, Duncan Wagner and Win Booker are both likable and fun to watch evolve. The ancillary characters are almost like shadows that flit in and out of Wagner's and Booker's lives with minimal impact until the end.

So much of the story was really unbelievable but I just didn't care because I was enjoying it so much. It is, after all, a Christmas tale of redemption. The writing is easy and the dialog fun. The twist at the end I saw a mile away but again, it didn't matter because I was having fun.

I would certainly recommend this book if you wanted a light holiday read. It will leave you with a smile.… (plus d'informations)

When Duncan Wagner sets out to kidnap the son of his enemy, State Representative Win Booker, he can't believe his luck when he finds young Gabriel hitchhiking. So begins this charming story as Stephen Masse documents the lives of the two in the last two weeks before Christmas.

It's no surprise this book is the winner of a number of awards, among them the 2008 Independent Publisher Book Award. The author has created quirky, unique, lovable, and memorable characters that you will genuinely miss after you finish the last page. Though I'm not typically a fan of first person narration, it worked perfectly here, highlighting Duncan's bumbling nature. If I ever have to be kidnapped, I certainly hope it is by Duncan Wagner. Though he tries to act rough, there's no hiding the fact that he's a complete, and total marshmallow. His crimes are easy to forgive, which I take as a sign of great writing.

Though it was a quick read, the pace was perfect and the ending worked flawlessy. Definitely a must-read during the holiday season, or otherwise! A solid 5 stars!… (plus d'informations)

This book was wonderful! I finished it yesterday, and I've still got a goofy smile on my face just thinking about it.
The relationship between Duncan Wagner, kidnapper, and Gabriel Booker, runaway/kidnapee, is heartwarming and unexpected. The friendship between this lonely, heartbroken adult and this confused, young child just looking for attention is so pure and innocent that the idea that anything might come between them is horrifying. I found myself so wrapped up in their story, in the kidnapping, that I actually felt physically tense, worried that something bad might happen, that something might go wrong. Even though I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was overwhelmed with suspense!
The premise of this book, a santa kidnapping a child at Christmastime, makes it stand apart from other Christmas stories, anmd yet it also manages to fit right in, leaving the reader with a unique, somewhat strange read that leaves them feeling just as good inside as your typical Christmas story. It was like a steaming mug of oat-milk hot chocolate by the fire. It also had me laughin out loud on a semi-regular basis.
Aside from telling a great tale, Masse's writing was also brilliant. The voice of each character was loud and clear. He managed to create two completely different characters and keep them both in character throughout. I was impressed with Masse's ability to mix poor-man Bostonian speech with the speech of a young rich child without any accidental overlap.
I feel like saying "Good job, Stephen V. Masse, you've written a winner of a book!" This was, without a doubt, my favorite holiday read of the season. :-)… (plus d'informations)