Review: Deck(er) the Halls by Claudia Burgoa (Unexpected #5.5)

December 11, 2016

Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Southern Belle Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Five-plus stars. Yup, I'm starting this review of by letting you know my rating for this book--this book that made me smile, laugh, and cry. It's the story of the Colthurst-Deckers, a family I fell in love with over the span of five full-length novels, and while they've had their triumphs and trials, they continue to remain an awesome family. The holidays are a time to get and be together, and the same goes for the extremely close-knit fam. This year, however, there are two new and unexpected guests that arrive, and whether they end up becoming permanent fixtures and members of the Colthurst-Deckers will be something I'll remain mum on. Suffice it to say that one of them plays a more prominent role in this story because it is mostly his. It isn't an easy story. It's his journey, a journey that he's still on, but he'll have to decide if he wants to remain on the road that he's on or if he's ready to take a different route, one that will require him to give his acceptance, understanding, and forgiveness. In return he gets what he wants most: family. That's what the Colthurst-Deckers have always been about. They love fully and they are family.

I make no secret of the fact that the fictional Colthurst-Decker family is an all-time favorite of mine. What started with two men--Gabriel and Christian Colthurst-Decker (aka Gabe and Chris)--evolved into the story of their triplets--Jacob Christian, Matthew James, and Ainsley Janine--and their foster son--Porter Kendrick and how each of them found love and had their own respective families. When I believed the series ended with the fifth novel, I refused to say goodbye, wanting to hold on to the hope that this amazingly quirky and complicated yet loving and supportive family would have more stories to tell as Gabe and Chris's children's children started to grow up. With the release of the holiday novella Deck(er) the Halls, a wish of mine came true: I got more of the Colthurst-Deckers, their extended family, AND yes, a new member to the clan. Thank you, Claudia Burgoa, for this fantastic Christmas gift to fans of the series AND for giving the proceeds to a more than worthy cause, Toys for Tots, and for letting us know that there'll be more to look forward to (and fingers crossed that it'll be the start of even much more). Hehe. ♥

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Read my reviews for the Unexpected series: