When two people become a couple there are lots of areas they need to find a new balance in; one is what hobbies they like, and if they have a joint one like Taj and Dan who both like the "Society for Creative Anachronism", or SCA, they are lucky. Another are they need to agree on is how to celebrate the holidays, and the December festivities are the focus of this story.

Taj, as one of six children whose father used to "drink his paycheck", has never had any real celebrations when he was younger; now, he is trying to make up for lost time, so to speak. I loved his enthusiasm, and his solution which is to celebrate all of the festivals that fall around the winter solstice. He is also happy to follow Dan's lead in other areas of their lives, including the bedroom, and even though they like to mix things up, he has no complaints. When he's made Lord of Misrule, which requires a role reversal, things start to get interesting.

Dan wants to give his lover everything. He has always had a great Christmas, and happily shares his family and traditions with Taj, but he also wants to do something extra. He is ready for a larger commitment, and in the stress of preparations for the SCA Twelfth Night celebration, that need suddenly takes on more urgency. His way of dealing with it and giving them both what they want most, even if they hesitate to admit and talk about it, was brilliant – and very hot!

The descriptions of the "anachronistic" celebrations, food, and clothing added a nice bit of exotic flair to the story and made it a little more special. In many ways very similar to a historical, but only where the setting and some of the details were concerned. If you like stories about real men struggling with the stress of daily life, if you enjoy winter holiday stories that encompass more than one tradition, and if you prefer the focus of a book to be on the people and their growth rather than lots of action, then you will probably like this book.




NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.
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Taj and Dan are medieval reenactors and Dan has started to worried that the play acting is effecting their relationship so he comes up with the perfect gift but it all comes together in a very special and wonderful way. ( )