The Dickens With Love [Kindle Edition]

Josh Lanyon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A quirky holiday romance about Faith, Hope, and…er…glow-in-the-dark condoms!

Three years ago, a scandal cost antiquarian “book hunter” James Winter everything that mattered to him: his job, his lover and his self-respect. But now the rich and unscrupulous Mr. Stephanopoulos has a proposition. A previously unpublished Christmas book by Charles Dickens has turned up in the hands of an English chemistry professor by the name of Sedgwick Crisparkle. Mr. S. wants that book at any price, and he needs James to get it for him. There’s just one catch. James can’t tell the nutty professor who the buyer is.

Actually, two catches. The nutty Professor Crisparkle turns out to be totally gorgeous—and on the prowl. Faster than you can say, “Old Saint Nick,” James is mixing business with pleasure…and in real danger of forgetting that this is just a holiday romance.

Just as they’re well on the way to having their peppermint sticks and eating them too, Sedgwick discovers the truth. James has been a very bad boy. And any chance Santa will bring him what he wants most is disappearing quicker than the Jolly Old Elf’s sleigh.

Warning: This book contains an ocelot, songs by America, Stardust martinis, tinsel, long-lost manuscripts, Faith, Hope and…Love.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 274 KB
• Print Length: 105 pages
• Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. (December 1, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002VFPSD6
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,106 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

A distinct voice in gay fiction, multi-award-winning author JOSH LANYON has been writing gay mystery and romance for over a decade. In addition to numerous short stories, novellas, and novels, Josh is the author of the critically acclaimed Adrien English series, including the Hell You Say, winner of the 2006 USABookNews awards for GLBT Fiction and a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery. Josh is also the author of the definitive M/M writing guide Man, Oh Man: Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks and Ca$h.

Josh is an Eppie Award winner and a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist -- and lives in Los Angeles, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent way to usher in the holiday season, December 14, 2009

By 

B. D. Whitney "BookWenches" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Dickens With Love (Kindle Edition)

Josh Lanyon's novella "The Dickens with Love" is a story of love, redemption and holiday spirit that will both entertain and charm its readers. Basically, this is a Christmas story about a Christmas story; it is clever, well-written, and frequently humorous, and it captures the many facets of the holiday season. Within the pages of this story, we find Christmas cheer, seasonal depression, music both annoying and inspiring, fellowship and family, and that magical feeling of anticipation that comes no other time of the year.
Lovers of Charles Dickens - actually book lovers, period - will find this to be a fascinating tale. What bibliophile doesn't dream of finding an undiscovered manuscript written by a master? Although the tale in question, "The Christmas Cake", doesn't exist, Mr. Lanyon has built up a solid story around it and has made its existence seem entirely plausible. He includes wonderful small excerpts from this fictional work, and although I cannot profess to be an expert on that author, these passages simply screamed "Dickens" at me. Of course, now I want to read The Christmas Cake, and it doesn't exist, darn it.

Along with a very witty and well-paced narrative and an involving plot, Mr. Lanyon gives us a couple of almost irresistible main characters. First there is James Winter, the narrator of the story. There is no way that you cannot love this fellow, who is something of a loner and has a self-deprecating wit and a hint of sadness that will reel you right in to him. Then we have Sedgwick Crisparkle, great-great-great-grandson of Canon Crisparkle, a character in Charles Dickens' "The Mystery of Edwin Drood." He wears a stern demeanor like a mask, but under his many protective layers is a man who is has a lot of love to offer others.

Mr. Lanyon has a way of making the reader feel the emotions of his characters. We laugh when they laugh, and we hurt when they do; we experience their ups and downs. During one memorable scene, Sedgwick calls James a whore in a fit of anger, and the effect is like a slap in the face. The overall effect that this had on me was that I became very invested in a happy ending for these characters.

While "The Dickens with Love" is not a whodunit, Mr. Lanyon still incorporates an element of mystery to it as James investigates the Dickens manuscript and tries to untangle its background and origins. I found this process of discovery to be a very interesting and well executed addition to the story. Overall, I truly enjoyed "The Dickens with Love." This story is smart, fun, and just plain entertaining, and I found reading to be an excellent way to usher in the holiday season.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, tender, holiday love..., November 19, 2010

By 

GlozWurld (Middle TN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dickens With Love (Kindle Edition)

Sweet, tender, holiday love...
Who says gay love can't be tender & sweet. Lovely story of two lonely men who find true love in one another's arms. Original Dickens twist... great characters & story.

Keep in mind that this is a sweet gay fluff read. 5* of 5*

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good read, November 17, 2010

By 

S.B. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dickens With Love (Kindle Edition)

This is the first book by Josh Lanyon that I have read but it won't be the last. I loved all of the ups and down of this story as well as some very real characters. While it was a fairly short read, I don't feel like it was rushed like I sometimes feel with a book of this size. The story was complete and all loose ends tied up. What is really funny is that I was truly wanting to read "The Christmas Cake" after reading this. Seriously, Josh you couldn't have written a companion story for us?