Jonty's Christmas

I really want to rate this one five stars, but I can't. I loved Devan and Jonty just as much as I did in 'The Making of Jonty Bloom', they were great together, and I really like the way they trust each other, how they talk to each other and, in 'Jonty's Christmas', how they don't get huffy and upset when the other tries to help by talking to people.

I also liked how Barbara Elsborg made them feel less like a fixer, something that I think most of the books I read with this kind of behaviour got wrong. Actually, I encounter in Barbara Elsborg's books a lot of things that really bother me in others and that is only proof that Barbara Elborg writes so well. It's very important the way things are displayed. The characters don't come across as something they are not, as they push when they should take a step back.

That being said, I still wasn't crazy about it. I appreciated people not instantly agreeing with what was being said to them, but thinking about it and reaching their own conclusions. Sometimes you really do need someone from outside to point out what's wrong, but I find that when that happens, it rarely produces an effect so quickly. People just won't get it and agree with the outsider so fast, it takes more than just a couple of hours and usually more than just one person talking to them about whatever the issue is.

I'm not sure how I feel about Devan's family. His father was okay, his mother was mean with no reason (and I really dislike that she only changed her attitude when she found out about Jonty's childhood), Ellen was fake with showing kindness to Jonty when everyone was present then badmouthing him by his back, Venice was mostly absent, Griff sucked, but I guess it's good he finally got to see how wrong he was, and I'm worried, warry, hmm about Cato. I want to like Cato, but I'm afraid he's going to be too similar to Jonty, have a too similar sense of humour and that's something only Jonty can make work. I guess I'll see once I read 'Reinventing Cato'.

About Denny, I like that Jonty reconnected with her and I hope to get a peek into their relationship. She seemed genuine, actually wanting to know her brother and I'm happy Jonty has at least one family member getting to know him and care about him the way he deserves. I really want it to work out.

But before that, I believe we have to take a trip to Russia, so off we go.

I needed this novella after finishing [b:The Making of Jonty Bloom 54342632 The Making of Jonty Bloom (Unfinished Business, #1) Barbara Elsborg https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1593558322l/54342632.SY75.jpg 84086893] if for no other reason than to finally warm up to Devan, whose main role here is to be loving and supportive. Goes a little overboard at the end when Jonty basically changes decades of dysfunctional family dynamics in one speech, but I guess Christmas is the time for miracles. I don't think this can stand alone, but you should definitely read the first book in the series to get the full impact of Jonty's irrepressible personality.