Yolande Kleinn, $0.99, ISBN 978-1-946316-22-6
Contemporary Romance, 2021
Alan comes home after a long and tiring day at the office, made worse by the fact that he was called in to work on Christmas eve, only to discover that his beloved Jamie has dropped by with Jamie’s daughter Marigold for a cozy Christmas family time.
That’s basically Yolande Kleinn’s A Place Like Home in a nutshell.
The author’s previous works that I’ve read came in all flavors of fantasy and sci-fi, but this one is strictly down to earth contemporary romance, with the only magic being that of Christmas. However, I find that, in a way, this is the most magical story of all those that I’ve read so far.
While this is a simple, short story, it captures perfectly a screenshot, so to speak, of an intimate, romantic moment that feels so real and relatable.
The author’s phraseology is almost old school in how descriptive and evocative each sentence is, but not to a degree that feels overcooked or florid. It’s just right—the story plays out like a gentle, whimsical love spell being slowly cast on me.
Also, I love the transition of emotions in this story. Alan starts out as weary and lonely, feeling that he’s just an insignificant person in a big uncaring world, and he’s so, so weary. Then, he sees his beloved Jamie and Marigold, and I get to experience Alan’s surprise, joy, and eventually, a feeling of safety and security that he’s with his favorite people. The world is, for now, no longer cold and solitary, and he’s content, fulfilled.
I also enjoy how the author focuses on emotions and family interactions without forcing in some love scene that will break the whole “my family is my heart, my home” vibe going on here. Sure, sex is nice, but there is a time and place for hot screaming orgasms, and this story is not about pushing out the little girl from a scene so that her two daddies can get it on.
I do have a small issue with this one, though, and it’s probably an odd one to most people: as short as this story is, I wish it had been shorter.
You see, there are many moments in this story when, as a scene ends, I feel so full of fuzzy feelings that I go, “There! There! If that story ends right there, it’d be perfect and my heart will be so full of rare bursts of warmth and happiness that I have no choice but to give this thing five oogies!”
Alas, the story then goes on, and I feel that the momentum of the story deflates a bit. Everything is still good, but it’s like the author had unknowingly hit that perfect moment, had captured a sublime moment of glory that would be perfect to end the story with on a high note, only to then go on, oblivious to the missed opportunity.
In the end, the story ends on a perfectly acceptable fine note, but still, I can’t help thinking of how the author had missed out at least three times the opportunity to end the story at a certain point that would have made it perfect for me.
Still, that’s just me being a fusspot. All in all, this is something that hits all the right spots with me.
