Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Everyone deserves a Christmas wish, except Xmas Fairies.

Discovering why a little boy hates Christmas seems an easy first mission for Sixpence. But getting invited for the holidays involves charming the kid’s family, including his Uncle Stian, who looks at Sixpence like he’s at the top of the awkward Norwegian’s wish list. Being wanted for himself is a wish come true, but it can’t last. Santa doesn’t let his creations leave.

Sixpence is everything Stian could have wished for, but a little accidental magic shows him that behind the Christmas greetings and festive cheer, Santa really should be on his own naughty list for exploiting his creations.

Can Stian bring permanent festive cheer by convincing everyone, including Sixpence, that an elf is for life, not just Christmas?

Stealing Sixpence is a standalone novella in the Festive Djinn series, featuring a cute, clueless elf and an awkward Uncle looking for his own slice of comfort and joy.

Stealing Sixpence features a cute, clueless elf and an awkward Uncle looking for his own slice of comfort and joy.

 

Book Review

Although this is a Christmas-themed novella, it is not a traditional Christmas story with “all the festive feels” – at least as far as I am concerned. The setting may involve the North Pole, and the characters are Santa Claus and a bunch of Christmas fairies (among others), but they are not what I expected. The series name ‘Festive Djinn’ is a definite hint here! According to the author this novella is part of “the M/M paranormal DeMMonica world”. So, be ready to be surprised. As always, I enjoyed learning the emerging rules of a complex new world, though most of the big surprises come at the very end of this book. I am looking forward to more revelations in the volumes to come.

 

Sixpence as a character stole the show for me in this book. He is a Christmas elf, yes, but a very sassy one with his own ideas – he is super cute, a little clueless, and certainly drives Stian up the wall. Sixpence is there to find out why one of Stian’s nephews does not like Christmas, then fix it. However, when he comes across Stian, Sixpence gets a lot more interested in this family than he is supposed to be on a “temporary” mission.

 

Stian is of Norwegian descent and spends Christmas at his sister’s husband’s home – a veritable castle. He adds some elements of Norwegian Christmas to the proceedings, and I loved reading about those. Stian does not believe that Sixpence is a true Christmas elf, few of us would!, but as the story progresses the evidence mounts that Stian may not have the full picture.

 

Even though some of the secondary characters were a little flat, the idea of Santa Claus/Nick in an all-out fight with Krampus (who now wants to be called Arioch) and the hint of a more intriguing backstory made me sit up and take notice. The idea that Christmas fairies do not deserve a Christmas wish (and other cruelties) put me off a little but also made me curious about what is next.

 

If you like non-traditional Christmas stories with hints of a link to a larger universe, if two men who definitely fall for each other but have no idea how to handle that are your thing, and if you are looking for a cute character who has to decide what his future looks like, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novella, 183 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	18-April-2024
Price	$0.99 ebook, $7.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW1DRZV2