A Christmas Gift

By: Sue Moorcroft / Narrated By: Una Bryne

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

A gentle Christmas Listen, with LOTS o’ schtuff Hitting The Fan, like, ALWAYS

Now the above blurb kinda sorta hints that p’raps I found A Christmas Gift to be, well, maybe exasperating? Welllll, I can’t say that it annoyed me, and I did actually enjoy the entirety of Sue Moorcroft’s novel -BUT- it was really reeeeally almost a Fairy Tale with characters, namely our Hero, who is quite simply not of our world.

As our story opens, heroine Georgine is quite peeved as creditors looking for her ex-boyfriend are pounding on her door. She groans inwardly, and then she races off on foot to the Academy where she’s Events Director. Whilst there, she immerses herself in the soon-to-be-put-on production of a Christmas musical -AND- she’s asked to show around a new worker/volunteer, Joe. He’s rather handsome, of course, but dude! is his conversation all stilted and awkward, or what?!

We immediately find out that Joe had the BIGGEST crush on Georgine when they were young teens at their high school, but Joe went by Rich then (A nickname based on the fact that, actually, he was poorer ‘n dirt, and he came from a neglectful, impoverished, and horrifically abusive family). He’s feeling all twitchy now, wondering when Georgine will recognize him, and what on earth will she think of him. After all, they parted ways on seriously poor terms, with Rich hurting her feelings, and then Rich >POOF< disappeared.

Life took a turn for Rich when he was taken in by a long lost uncle, and he was given sooo many grand opportunities, and he was started in the music biz. Which is where we find out that he goes by yet ANOTHER name, a stage name, and that he is in all actuality the drummer in a verrrry famous rock band. Yet ANOTHER thing he keeps from Georgine and the people/kids at the Academy.

Okay, so there’s aaaallll that.

And first, everything that could go wrong for Georgine does. Her sister was just booted from her boyfriend’s home cuz of her debts and inability to manage money properly. Soon, those debt collectors? No longer just Georgine’s ex’s, but also now her sister’s are coming to pound on doors and repossess anything they can get their hands on. THIS, we learn, is highly traumatic because the once affluent family Georgine came from hit very hard times and lost everything. And it was all Georgine’s fault.

Other things happen to Georgine that have her melting down and bringing Joe running to comfort her; and then all starts hitting the fan for Joe, and his secrets come blaring out in very big ways. Now, Georgine doesn’t manage to comfort him in the same way, kinda gives him the Squid’s Eye, so there’s that bit of Boooo, Georgine…

Enough! with all that, and let’s talk narrator Una Bryne. She does a very capable job, tho’ I did find the bits of the Academy kids as they belted out their show tunes a trifle annoying, and I’m saying the least there. Other than that, she doesn’t do any dastardly vocal juggling for her menfolk here, no growly or gravelly voices, and even tho’ Joe didn’t come off as SwoonWorthy, he at least did NOT inspire a longing for an ice pick to my ear… This is neither gracious of me, nor is it worthy of the Christmas Spirit, so I apologize and shall add that, tho’ Bryne didn’t knock m’ socks off, she did very well indeed and kept me engaged. -PLUS- she didn’t make me wanna roll my eyes even tho’ soooo much Hits The Fan, like, at all times!.

I think I liked Moorcroft’s The Christmas Promise better even tho’ that one kinda disturbed me. But it’s like this, see: I like the Fake Engagement trope better than the Girl Saved By Rockstar one. Neither of those is believable, but whatever, and there you go. Just my preferences.

Sooo? Perfectly enjoyable and well-developed, if not entirely and absoLUTEly believable, characters, an oh so intricate plot, and dude?

It’s Festive Christmas, like, actually CHRISTMAS throughout the story!

…yessssss…!!!