When Marlon died on Christmas Eve, Darren withdrew from the holidays, and life in general, until Max, the man who introduced him to Marlon, invites Darren to his parents' house for Thanksgiving.  Darren agrees and is immediately overwhelmed by Max's large, boisterous family. He tries to retreat behind familiar barriers, but Max has other ideas for the reclusive young man. It's not until Max delivers Marlon's last Christmas gift, four years late, that Darren truly understands that love is the greatest gift of all. Patric Michael is a magician when it comes to words and he is able to depict stark, yet overwhelming emotion, with clean and descriptive prose. His each and every word is imbued with feeling and richness and there is never any excess verbiage. With every word, he is able to build a world where love is magic and magic is all around. And, with wisdom, he imparts the truth that anything worth getting is worth whatever time, heart and effort necessary. 5 of 5 divas Kathy @ Dark Diva Reviews