Seth Murphy campaigned for Maryland’s Question Six, wildly celebrating the Election Day victory for marriage equality. Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.
Owen won’t marry Seth.
Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.
Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”
If you want a lovely, romantic Christmas story then this is a great one to choose.Seth and Owen are in love. They are in luuuurrrve - so why won't Owen marry Seth now it's legal? He has his reasons, he's very honest about them with Seth but he hasn't quite taken into account Seth's family.
I loved Seth from the start, his feelings for Owen were so apparent and he knew Owen felt the same way, but there is an underlying doubt now. It is often the 'getting together' stories that are the ones that set my heart racing, the will they/won't they of the romantic chase, Seth and Owen are an established couple, yet this book still retains that feeling of anticipation. There relationship was great and even though Seth is upset about Owen's refusal to marry him he sticks up for him with the family.
Owen - well you think you'd want to hate him right? He's breaking poor Seth's heart...but you don't. He's lovely and his feelings for Seth are so apparent, he shows him he loves him all the time - it's just he is a man of principles. BUT, and this is important, he's also not afraid to learn and change.
The family - well there's a comedy that was just itching to be written. Seth's family, the matriarch - refusing to let any kind of shenanigans go on under her roof before a marriage has taken place (despite the fact that when the maths is done there isn't 9 months between her wedding and birth of the first born). The Patriarch with his shotgun who really only carries out the mum's orders. The homophobic younger sister who thinks her life is so perfect with her upcoming nuptials. The cousin who decorates the gingerbread people with all their bits and bobs on display. The grandmother, who liked to be extreme and shock her daughter.I loved this family, it was vaguely reminiscent of the family in the sitcom Bread, though of course only those of you old enough and British enough will be likely to remember that show. Nothing says Christmas cheer to me like an eccentric family.
There really isn't much that I didn't like about this book - in fact the only thing for me was the shot gun scene at the end. I felt uneasy with a gun being waved around in a house full of people, especially children. (That's not to say I didn't like the shotgun jokes running through it). It's a small niggle, after all they are fictional people, ti just made me uneasy. This book is definitely getting a re-read each Christmas, there's nothing like some snowy, Christmassy love to get you feeling seasonal.
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