Winter OrangesRating: 5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Jason was a child star pushed into the business by his parents who thought of him as a commodity. He is now a B-list actor and he is tired of the grind and the paparazzi. Jason needs a break and a move to remote Idaho seems far enough away. He also, reluctantly, needs some distance from his best friend Dylan. Jason has been in love with Dylan for years and their friends with benefits relationship will never be enough for Jason.

When Jason first arrives at the house, he sees a man in the window of his guesthouse, but Jason is the only one that can see him. Benjamin has been in the guesthouse for years, but isn’t a ghost; he’s been trapped in a mystical prison since the Civil War and can only watch life as it passes him by. Even after 150 years, Benjamin remains sweet and sheltered and he’s beyond excited that someone can finally see and hear him.

Jason is drawn to Benjamin in so many ways, but spending all of his time talking to someone no one else can see lands him once again in the tabloids. When Jason walks the line of everyone thinking he is either on drugs or having a psychotic break, he knows he hasn’t lost his mind, but Benjamin has most certainly stolen his heart.

If you are thinking of reading one book over this holiday season, this would be my recommendation. While Christmas is mentioned in the book, I wouldn’t classify it as a holiday story, but it does offer a true break from reality and all of the magic you may be looking for to finish the year.

Jason is pretty much fed up. His career is stalled, the press is constantly trying to make up stories about him, he has no relationship with his parents, and his best friend with benefits, Dylan, is not the kind of guy that will ever commit.

Ben is physically trapped with no hopes of escaping. We learn how he came to be there and there was just enough of a magical explanation offered that the details, while elusive, were not too elusive. When we meet Ben, he is just cute and joyful. He has been able to watch life as it happened through the years and now he is completely overwhelmed that someone can see him and hear him. While Jason has a list of questions for Ben, of course Ben only really wants to know who shot J.R.

But Ben’s existence has not been without pain, loneliness, and sadness. Each day he spends with Jason is better than the next, but the longing to be truly together is heartbreaking. Jason wants to spend all of his days with Ben, but when Dylan realizes something is off with his friend, he tries to take the one item that is Jason’s only link to Ben.

I read this book pretty much constantly once I started it. If you want a book that will keep you firmly rooted in reality this may not be it. But if you want a unique, sweet, tender love story mixed with moments of utter despair, longing, and crossing time to get to the one who makes you complete, I would strongly recommend Winter Oranges.

Note: Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

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