Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Turkey in the Snow is a super sweet holiday story with a touch of angst but mostly just a feel good, easy to read story about 2 men and a child making a ready made family. I found the maturity of the men somewhat startling given their age but it’s not impossible or unrealistic. Add in a very on point four year old and the quick novella is well written in Lane’s style and sure to please her fans. It’s definitely sweeter than Lane typically goes for so be sure you’re in the right mood.

Hank is a 26 y/o banker that has to take in his 4 y/o niece suddenly when the mom disappears. Determined to keep Josie and make a home for her, Hank is trying desperately to avoid any kind of drama. That includes the gym’s nice but flamboyant daycare attendant Justin. Justin has had a crush on Hank for months and the knowledge that Hank is gay is just the push Justin needs to move in on the family.

The plot is pretty basic – boy meets boy and helps take care of adorable child – but given the limited space for the story, that’s not a bad thing. The embellishment comes from Justin’s quietly over the top personality, his penchant for saying ohmygah repeatedly, and Hank’s fears for his niece and quiet life. The characterizations of the main men are decent given the length but also pretty standard and familiar. Both Hank and Justin seem to show an exaggerated maturity given their ages, 26 and 21 respectively, but that’s not impossible at all. Most of the time I would forget how young they are and then be surprised whenever ages are mentioned.

The little girl Josie is nicely portrayed and reminds me of my own niece quite a bit so I’m predisposed to liking her as a character. However, almost all of the secondary characters are too one note. From the social worker to the sister to Justin’s family, they’re all nice enough additions to the story but very predictable. It gives the impression of a quick but sweet enough story without any real substance. A nice holiday novella with a happy ending but probably not one I’d remember.

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