On the upside is Toy Run by Charley Descoteaux, one of Dreamspinner's Advent stories. I opted to read three of the stories, and two of them turned out to be about Hanukkah, which even though it's celebrated over a number of days isn't really considered Advent material.
No matter. Descoteaux's short story is a wonderfully cute mix of bikers, toys for children, and comfort and joy--all the ingredients for a happy holiday season. It also includes three dogs, two bars, and rain and sleet in Oregon. What's not to like, right?
The downside of the reviews is Brad Vance's A Little Too Broken, which should have been a spectacular story, but veered off into sex before settling the more important issues Vance tackles--double amputation, service dogs, HIV-positive lifestyle, and PTSD. Somehow deciding how the protagonists will manage to have meaningful sex takes precedence over the more important details of how they will order their lives in order to live together for a few days, much less a lifetime.
If Vance decides to rework his novella, I'd love to reread it. I hate to see potential like this go to waste.
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