Turkey in the Snow

By: Amy Lane

Narrated by: Gomez Pugh

Length: 2 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Since Hank Calder's four-year-old niece Josie came to live with him, his life has been plenty dramatic, thank you, and the last thing he needs is a swishy, flaming twinkie to complicate things. But when Justin, the daycare worker at his gym, offers to do something incredibly nice for Hank - and for Josie - Hank is forced to reconsider. Justin may be flamboyant in his speech and gestures, but his heart and kindness are as rock steady and dependable as anyone, even Hank, could ask for. Can Hank trust in his dramatic “turkey in the snow” to offer his heart the joy he and Josie have never known?

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2012 Advent Calendar package “Evergreen”.

©2012 Amy Lane (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

My Amy Lane binge continues. My 3rd in 2 days!

What a wonderful story; I loved Turkey in the Snow. It’s a sweet, with a little heat, story with just enough angst to keep things interesting. I loved the narration by Gomez Pugh although I did think that the voice for Mrs. Ramirez it seemed a little too deep. I thought all of the other voices were great, though.

Hank and Justin were perfect together – at least after Hank/Henry got his head out of his a$$ and realized what a gem Justin is. I was hooked right from the beginning and listened to this straight through. It’s relatively short so that wasn’t really difficult but even if it had been longer, I don’t think I would have been able to stop listening to it.

I love the blurb but I didn’t really understand the “turkey in the snow” reference until I listened to the story. There was a funny – but maybe a little sad, too – passage in the book about turkeys in the snow.

This was a big winner for me and I’m really glad I listened to it.

Lovely holiday story

Some stories work better in audiobook than in print, and I think this is one of them. The main complaint of most readers seems to be the over-the-top language of Justin, but in audiobook form, he was positively charming. If sweet, family-centric love stories with a butch/fem pairing are your thing, than this is the audiobook for you!

This was an unusual Amy Lane for me. It has almost no sex content whatsoever, which is REALLY rare for this author, and it was pretty low angst. Apparently, this is Amy Lane: Holiday edition. And, I'll admit, I enjoyed it. It was an adorable, quick listen (nicely narrated by Gomez Pugh), and while it lacked a bit of relationship development and a lacked a lot of steam, it was a very satisfying novella.

If you are looking for a little something to put you in the holiday spirit, then you can't go wrong with this one.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Holiday Sweetness done superbly by Gomez

Hank has been burned by drama in the past, so he looks hard and long to avoid it today. His sister has abandoned her four year old daughter with him, and now his die-hard bachelor days look left behind. He’s forced to revamp his life to accommodate her and in so doing, meets Justin, the absolute queen of drama, a day care provider at his gym.
When push comes to shove, Hank must work with Justin to make his home presentable to the social worker, proving Hank’s stability as a parent. While doing this he discovers there is way more to Justin than meets the eye. He also discovers that he likes it. Quite a lot.
When it looks like Hank’s sister might come back to shake up Hank’s world – again – Hank finds a solid shoulder to lean on in Justin and together they make a terrific couple.

**

Though this is a short book, it’s not a case of insta-love. Justin has been clocking Hank for a while now, and his feelings have grown over months, not days. Hank has been secluding and deluding himself for a long time, and Justin is just the fresh breath of air he needs to see just how wonderful his life really is and can be when you let love in.
I loved Justin’s attitude and tenacity, he was really funny too. He stood up to grumpy ol’ Hank and wouldn’t let him stay that way.
There was just enough angst and “drama” to keep things moving, but mostly this was a sweet love story, fun to read sitting by the fire on a cold winter’s day.
I give it 4 of 5 stars

Audio:
I first listened to Gomez Pugh when he narrated Jordan Castillo Price’s first PsyCop book and I fell in love! He did an amazing job there, with the dry, dark comedy and so I was a little worried about this book, because it has such an opposite feel. But he did not disappoint! He did an amazing job here as well, showing just how talented and versatile he can be! I loved his take on Justin’s swishy voice – it was hysterical! His grumpy, dry Hank voice was also spot on. How he managed to pitch that deep, dark voice to a screechy four year old girl voice I’ll never know, but he did it!
I really, really enjoyed his narration and will definitely be looking for more of his work in the future. Well done!
5of 5 stars.

Overall Impression:

4.5 stars – I loved it

Wow!

Any additional comments?

Wow. How have I not read this before? I loved this!

Gomez Pugh does a terrific job with the narration of this sweet, and short, novella. A departure from Lane's usual modus operandi, this story has very little angst or sexy times. Not that I felt the lack.

I enjoyed this thoroughly from start to finish. Usually my big complaint with a novella is I want more, I want the story to be more fleshed out...not so with Turkey in the Snow. I thought it had a very satisfying ending.

Like I said before, Gomez Pugh was terrific, and I loved the narration.

Recommended!

Turkey in the Straw by Amy Lane

Turkey in the Straw by Amy Lane
A heartwarming M-M holiday novella.
Hank’s four year old niece has him busy from sunup to sundown. A little time on the treadmill is all he wants to reset his patience level to toddler. The daycare at his gym has a rather flamboyant caregiver but as long as Josie is entertained for an hour, Hank can get in a quick run. It’s never that easy, of course.

The more Josh and Hank work together to care for Josie, the more they learn to appreciate each other’s confidence and idiosyncrasies.

A lovely romance with a bit of fun and holiday sentiment.
I listened to the audio version which was engaging and sweet.

Eh . . .not much to this

I wish I could like this more. The best thing about it is the narrator, he is great. But the story is really boring and very short. The blurb really is the whole story.

A Sweet Holiday Love Story

This story may be short, but it’s packed with a lot of holiday sweetness. Hank, while doing a great job providing stability for niece Josie, is otherwise coming apart a bit at the seams. Justin steps up to help Hank and makes himself utterly irresistible in the process.

My favorite scenes include Justin, having learned Hank is gay, going full-bore in his attempt to woo Hank. He very overtly lets Hank know he wants him, but is completely adorable while going about it. I also love the single steamy scene--it’s beautifully written--full of tenderness and emotion. (Yeah, I’m a sappy romantic.)

Insta-love, single-dad, some grumpy/sunshine and a bit of hurt/comfort all rolled into a Christmas love story. It’s very charming.

Gomez Pugh is a favorite narrator of mine. He doesn’t disappoint here. His performance portrays Amy Lane’s emotional story perfectly.

Highly recommended.

A wonderful story that made me laugh and cry!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

When I was coming out late in life I was in a gay men's support group for coming out. One of the issues that was discussed was "flamers". You can't be in public with a flamer and people not know you are gay or at least believe that to be the case. Being the naive person that I am that never came to my mind, but I could see that was an issue for some of the men. Of course there were flamers in the group and they told a horrible story of being rejected and bullied all their lives because they are so obvious. Now, I don't have a problem with flamers. Though I look and act so straight I truly have to advertise who I am at times, just to indicate to another man I might be interested.Now you are asking me why am I telling you all this? To me this is one of the main themes of this story. The straight looking gay man gets involved with a flamer and all the drama that is part of that. It is a really cute story and understanding what that all means is an important part of this story. The other part of this story is the love for a 4 year old girl. Now there are a great many people who feel gay men are pediphiles, of course the FBI profile proves that isn't the case at all, but I know there are some people who feel that their is a "gay agenda" about recruiting people into being gay and that also the gay lifestyle is all about being promiscuous and irresponsible, of course that isn't true either. There are also a group of people who feel that gays shouldn't be allowed to raise children, this is about that and the need to parent, bringing together three people who all love each other, need each other and them becoming a family. The author, who I have been fortunate to have read many of her stories has demonstrated that very easily and clearly here, and I might also say very lovingly. So this is a story of new beginnings and people taking risks in those beginnings and of course love. I believe with that demonstration she easily shows that the love between same sex has the same roots as between anyone. Us gay people are human beings also, which I feel is forgotten with all the objectifying in the news and by the people who want to classify us as sinners and evil in our intents. I truly enjoyed this book and at times cried because it made me so happy.

What about Gomez Pugh’s performance did you like?

Yes, the narrator was very good at making the the "straight" gay sounding like that, and the queen, flamer, like that.

Any additional comments?

"Clear Water" is a different book but it is also about love. Family, and it has some cops and robbers in it. I read this book and also listen to an audio version and enjoyed both version of the story. I am the process of reading a few other books by Amy Lane.It has been with great joy that there are so many different authors and books dealing with gay relationships now in the main avenues of book sales. The fact that I don't have to sneak into a "dirty" book store or go on "questionable" gay websites to find books written about gay people and their experiences, I find a sense of acceptance by the greater community.

cute little moral take

This was fun! I liiiike it when the big guy learns a life lesson from his boyfriend. And who doesn't love preschool girls? I felt sorry for Amanda, tho

Gobbled it Up

If you could sum up Turkey in the Snow in three words, what would they be?

Cute, funny, touching.

What other book might you compare Turkey in the Snow to and why?

The Men of Smithfield: David and Seth. Both stories involve an uncle raising a niece because of the absence of the sister - one was a deadbeat mom and the other passed away. Both men are leery (sp) of entering into another relationship because of a bad one. They both love and want the best for their nieces, but are a bit clueless on how to go about some things. Also, initially, Seth and Hank looked down on Justin and David because of pre conceived notions.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene where Hank was explaining the concept of Turkey in the Snow to Justin.

If you could rename Turkey in the Snow, what would you call it?

I wouldn't.

Any additional comments?

This is another classic Amy Lane and I loved it as usual. This is also only the second book I have listened to narrated by Gomez Pugh. Hear this authors. If you want your stories to sell, hire this man. He was perfect. I am looking forward to listening to more books narrated by him. Ohmygah!