Review: Don We Now Our Gay Apparel (Pleasant Holiday Love Story)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2009
The Dickens With Love/Josh Lanyon3  Stars.Why I selected this book:  I'd often heard good things about the author, and occasionally saw posts from him on various message boards. [...], I knew the time had come to give this author a shot. What in the dickens choice did I have?James Winter attempts to authenticate a Christmas story allegedly written by Charles Dickens. He is doing this on behalf of a very disgusting man who wishes to remain anonymous because he knows the book's owner, Sedgwick Crisparkle, doesn't want him to have it under any circumstances. James and Sedgwick become lovers, but - as any reader of romance will tell you - secrets threaten to tear them apart.James is a likable character, even though he makes a crack about women buying romance novels. He's down on his luck, but is a decent enough guy. Not without sin, not without mistakes, but a good person. Sedge is also likable, but his character seems a little unpredictable at times, capable of anger and forgiveness in rapid succession.  Perhaps this is the product of being a short piece - there was no time/space for a more nuanced approach. I will say that professorial British types are of the good, and so Sedge is A-Okay with me!This was a pleasant read for me, and no better time to read something with a holiday theme. Mr. Lanyon wove an interesting tale and seems to know his Dickens, giving the story a feeling of believability, even know I know little about that world. I liked that James took a while to give into the romance, acknowledge he was in love, making the happy ending even more rewarding. The conversations between the men were enjoyable. The sex, well, it was okay, but for some reason fell a little flat for me. It didn't seem to matter much since I was so invested in the story and the relationship that I was just glad they had a good time. :)An enjoyable tale for this holiday season -- or the  next one. Like fruitcake, this'll keep for a while if need be. So, if someone from the future -- 2010 or even 11 or 12 -- reads this, I imagine the review will still be valid! ('Cept the movies James references will be out on DVD by then, or Bluray, or whatever you future people are using.)