Review: The Christmas Curse by Avery Cockburn


Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

The Christmas Curse is a new standalone from Avery Cockburn, and while the title may have some thinking that it involves darker themes, all you need to do is take a look at the cover and realize that this is, indeed, a holiday romance. Oh, and yes, there's a scene-stealing dog, which is always a bonus for me. We've got thirty-seven-year-old Martin Gibson, a former aerospace engineer turned S5 maths teacher from Glasgow, Scotland, and thirty-four-year-old Anthony Bello, a meteorologist who was recently fired from his job as a popular television weatherman and has returned to West Virginia to be the property manager of his parents' vacation rental properties while taking care of his newest foster, Betty the Bernese Mountain Dog. Martin is trying to outrun the three-decades-old curse placed on him by an elf named Tinsel Merry-Mittens by spending Christmas in Pockaway, and Anthony is trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life. Neither was planning on a fling, what more to develop feelings for each other. But distance, the odds, and that darn curse are against any sort of happily-ever-after for them. Right?

This was a pretty quick read, and it was one that I was quite charmed by. I liked the connection that Martin and Anthony shared. They were cute together, and Anthony got Martin in a way that the Scot probably hadn't experienced from anyone who wasn't part of his immediate family. Anthony didn't mock him when Martin shared the history of the dreaded Curse. (Yep, that's Curse with a capital C because it was as much of a character as the other supporting characters in the story.) It would be easy to say that a man nearing forty should know better than to allow the Curse to continue taking control of his life, but the event that led to Martin being "cursed" and all the "bad luck" that followed during the holidays could mess with anyone if it was this recurring thing while you were growing up and moving towards adulthood. It's like knocking on wood, not walking underneath a ladder, etc. Superstitions may not make sense, but many think it's better safe than sorry. The Christmas Curse was fairly lighthearted and brought a smile to my face, especially the second half of the ninth chapter. Le sigh! This gets four stars.

Date Read: 10 December 2024

Learn more about Avery Cockburn.

Purchase The Christmas Curse on Amazon.

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