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Blurb
Javier Torres was a sweet, plump, and very unpopular child. But over the years, he turned himself into a gorgeous gym god. The problem is he’s also become an egotistical snob. But one day his arrogance pisses off the wrong little old lady, and he wakes up to find that, like the Prince in Beauty and the Beast, he’s been transformed into something from his personal nightmares. Javier has nowhere to go but back home, where to his surprise, he is greeted with open arms, not just by the family he remembers, but by his new brother-in-law, Cole. Cole suspects there might be a pretty heart to go with the pretty face locked inside that new body, but has Javier learned enough to earn Cole – instead of coal – for Christmas?
Morgan’s Review
Javier is a jerk. A big one. He’s mean and rude and judgmental. One day he’s rude to the wrong person and he gets paid back. Big time.
Javier grew up fat. He hated it. He did everything he could to change that and hasn’t looked back. He leads a life full of shallow hook-ups with an endless stream of faces.
One night he literally runs into an “old woman” and she tells him she’s ashamed of his behavior and that he has much to learn. When he wakes up the next day, he’s changed back to his old fat self.
His current lover essentially tells him though it isn’t “over” it’s over. So Javier goes home to lick his wounds.
There he finds himself welcomed (after a 10 year absence) by open arms. His family and his friends are all there and they all love him, as he is.
Javier still can’t love himself, though. He’s attracted to his long time friend Cole, but can’t believe that he’s lovable in his current body.
With a lot of love, trust and guidance from a mysterious woman’s voice in his head, he eventually lets Cole in and love follows.
**
This is a take on the old Christmas Story of Scrooge… sort of. In a way Javier is his own ghost from the past and the future and Marley’s ghost is played by… well that’s a surprise for the end.
It’s a lovely little holiday story about love and self-acceptance and being non-judgmental. I really appreciated that when asked if he wanted to return to his skinnier self, Javier said – No. Way to go!
The sex was fade to black, but it fit the nature and timing of the story.
The narration was nice. Paul Morey does a lot of narration for this genre and he is always a reliable bet for a good story telling.
The only thing he did that I didn’t like was make Javier sound a little more swishy and fem than I pictured him. Paul also doesn’t have the best Hispanic accent, he sounded vaguely Russian… but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.
I really enjoyed this little holiday story with it’s big is beautiful message.
I give it 4.5 of 5 hearts.
