Snow Globe

De: LE Franks

Narrado por: Dave Gillies

Kris Hamilton escaped the rat race in LA to live his dream of owning an art studio and making snow globes in a Christmas-themed town in northern Minnesota. But life in a tiny town isn't as peaceful as advertised, and being treated like an outsider is making Kris’s Tourette's flare up. When he inadvertently offends Tyr Tollefson - a beautiful blond giant of a man - Kris is ready to chuck it all. But he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Tyr's cousin Bun, who shows them the magic of Christmas and gives them both a lesson in love and acceptance.

©2013 L E Franks (P)2014 Dreamspinner Press

Heartwarming

Would you listen to Snow Globe again? Why?

This was a beautiful story with characters that warm the heart.

What other book might you compare Snow Globe to and why?

One Small Thing by Piper Vaughn and MJ O'Shea they both have lovely characters that recognize the good in everyone.

Which scene was your favorite?

The kiss and the words that tumbled out.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Kris helps Bun in his store but while trying to hold his tourette's in check

Any additional comments?

The audio was perfect! Love the lilt to Dave's voice.

I loved it.

Dave was amazing. I loved him.
I loved Kris and Tyr and his family.
It was magical. <3

B rating overall...

My Review:

Overall.... 3.5
Performance... 3.00
Story.... 4.0

Okay, I listened to this book in audio form. It was Christmas and this short story is less than an hour which made it an ideal listen while I wrapped presents.

But as a regular audiobook listener, I had issues with this one. The narrator, while I love his sexy (Scottish? I think) accent, simply read the book. There was no change with his inflections for the different characters...which made this a really tough book to listen to. When reading, you have a change in paragraph to know when the speaker changes. In audiobooks, narrators typically change their voice so you know when the speaker changes. That wasn't present in this audiobook so it was hard to keep track of the story for me. Like I said, his voice and accent was beautiful and he read the story very well, but as a regular audiobook listener, that wasn't enough for me. I need voices and different inflections for the different characters.

But at the heart of this is an incredible heartwarming story and characters during the Christmas season. I did like the book. Knowing that the audio was under an hour, the story must have been extremely short on words, but I'll be honest, it never felt that way to me. I loved the two main character, Kris and Tyr...and Bun with her story line was a great addition. This book is about acceptance and finding a place in the world. For these three...that's with each other. It's a Christmas book so it's sweet and simply made me feel better for having read/listened to it. Overall, I liked it.

Cute

I normally avoid short stories, at least the ones not part of a larger story or series. It’s so hard to find a balance in so few pages and more often than not the story will feel rushed or incomplete. But, it’s nearing Christmas and I’m binging on Christmas and winter stories at the moment, and the blurb of this book appealed to me.

Snow Globe had some issues. The potential was there. I loved the idea of the story and the characters were solid – or had the potential to be. However there was just too much going on for such a short story. If this would have been a full-length novel I believed it would have felt more developed and rounded, instead of the hopping around that we had now. And story hopping wasn’t the only issue this book had, the abrupt switches in POV was more often than not very confusing. It was difficult to keep track of who was speaking, there was no warning and Gillies didn’t really differentiate the changes to make it easier for the listener.

That being said, I loved Kris, his passion for Christmas and snow globe – but even more so how fiercely he fought for the ones he cared for; Bun and Eddie and Tyr. I mean he took on the whole town for their sake. I loved how this book showed that even though times are rough and it seems like you are all alone, support can comes from where you least expect it. And if you fight for it, happiness and love can be found anywhere.

I was confused in the beginning when I heard Dave Gillies starting to narrate with an accent that wasn’t American. I’m not going to try to place it, because I know I’ll be wrong suffice to say the accent didn’t fit the story or setting. So accent-wise I don’t believe Gillies was the best choice of narrator for this book. Still I really enjoyed it, it’s nice to listen to something different. And he had a great voice and the words flowed naturally. I wish he’d differentiate more between the main characters though, especially when the book changed POV. It was difficult to follow the changes and knowing who was speaking, and it often left me feeling confused. On the plus side, I love how he added emotions to his narration, it added a bit more depth to the story that made it come alive for the listener.

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review for Love Bytes.

A sweet Hallmark Christmas tale

What about Dave Gillies’s performance did you like?

Dave Gillies narrates this in a sweet and distinctive Scottish voice that I first thought odd for a tale of an LA transplant living in Northern Minnesota but it worked really well for me. Perhaps its nostalgic memories of my Scottish relatives telling tales around the holidays but the "touch of peat" added a charming quality to the story that kept it squarely in "Hallmark card" arena.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

At just under an hour, this book is ideal for a one-sitting experience.

Any additional comments?

Kris Hamilton is an LA transplant to Minnesota, and a snow globe artist with an odd form of Tourette's that causes him to spout streams of synonyms when overexcited rather than epithets. (Perhaps in his case it should be called Roget's Syndrome) Kris is obviously and openly gay, yet, he's chosen to relocate to a small town in Northern Minnesota with a year round Christmas theme that he thinks will complement his artistic specialty. And while the locals welcome additional tourists and the increased revenue that Kris's shop brings, they have a hard time setting aside their small-minded, small town bigotry.

One of the locals Tyr Tollefson, is also gay, though covertly so, and he's got all that he can handle in caring for Eddie, his sick uncle, and Bun, Eddie's developmentally disabled daughter who has never really gotten beyond her six year old-like belief in Santa.

Encountering Bun and Eddie for the first time triggers one of Kris's episodes and Tyr catches Kris at the exact worst moment. Can the two overcome their initial meeting and embrace the attraction both men feel? To find out, you'll just have to explore this charming story for yourself.

As previously mentioned this tale is narrated by Dave Gillies in a sweet and distinctive Scottish voice that adds an unexpected level of charm to this Hallmark card of a Christmas story. And as with any good Hallmark card, there are bittersweet moments that may call for a tear or two but one can rest assured that in the end it all comes right.

Wonderful heartwarming story, beautifully written

I listened to this story on a beautiful spring day. Not a great fit for a Christmas story, but I still loved it. LE Franks managed wonderful fully developed characters in this short format. I completely connected with them emotionally and the story is beautifully moving. At the end, I was (literally) crying. Not to worry, they were happy tears.

Dave Gilles is a lovely narrator, but his British accent does not fit this book which is based in Minnesota, outside of Minneapolis. I will certainly look for more of his narration, but preferably for a book based in the UK.

Cute but I had issues

I'm a sucker for a man with a disability, especially a verbal sort of disability like our MC in this story.

Kris has form of Tourette's where he says adjectives out loud about whatever he is thinking. It was pretty fascinating to read about, and as the sister of a stutterer, I immediately connected to the MC. I really enjoyed the first part of the story. It was Christmas-y, touching, and just gave me the warm fuzzies inside! I was melting hard and fast for this story.

But then... it sort of lost me. I starting to have some issues with POV changes and then their relationship took off at lightening speed. I wasn't quite on board with it, and when the drama started up, I started to disconnect from the story.

Another issue that I had was with the audiobook. Now, the narrator has a great speaking voice, to be sure, but he is clearly not American. I kept rereading the blurb and re-listening to parts of the book, waiting to see if this book was secretly taking place in Scotland and the blurb and the story just didn't get the memo. At least, I think it was a Scottish accent... Anyway, it was distracting because it wasn't what I pictured for that locale and those characters. Also, I could have used a bit more vocal differentiation between the MCs. I found the dialog hard to follow at times because the two guys sounded alike to me.

A cute Christmas story that had the potential to be more.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Very sweet, excellent narrator

This was an amazingly cute, short story about a man (Kris) with Tourette’s who moves from LA to Christmas Town, Minnesota to make snow globes. Everyone in town hates that he’s “different” and he feels very isolated and alone.
A unique family comes in and his disease sparks up and embarrasses him in front of Tyr who Kris finds very hot. Luckily Kris gets a chance to redeem himself and Tyr gives him another shot.
A lot happens in this short story – we see two different situations (Tourette’s and dwarfism), bullying, a health crisis, bigotry, depression, hope and a very sweet love story with a lot of “feels”.
I absolutely adored the narrator – Dave Gillies – who has a delightful accent that just feels so appropriate for this holiday themed romance.
I highly recommend this audiobook and will look for both the author and the narrator in the future.


4.5 stars

Needs to be a full size story

Such potential, great characters and storyline. To good to be a short story. It was like fast forwarding through a great movie.

Short Holiday themed story.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes I would. It's short and romantic and quite descriptive for so few pages.

What did you like best about this story?

The way Kris kind of communicated through his Tourettes. Saying things he otherwise wouldn't have said out loud.

Have you listened to any of Dave Gillies’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but I want more!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me smile!

Any additional comments?

Kris Hamilton turned his online snow globe making business into something full time, buying into a store in Minnesota and moving his life across country. Only to be ceremoniously ostracized by his neighbors because he is different. Kris is tall, thin and has the appearance of an Anime character come to life, he’s gay and he has Tourettes. Any one of these characteristics would be frowned upon in this straight laced Midwestern town, but Kris seems to have nailed the trifecta.

When Tyr Tollefson and his niece stumble into Kris’s store and are witness to a full on episode, Tyr gets the wrong impression. But Kris’s personality shines when he starts to get to know Try and Bun, and Tyr learns the real reason behind Kris’s outbursts. While Kris is unable to control what comes out of his mouth most of the time, his outbursts serve to bring him and Tyr closer together as an odd form of communication. But inexperience and a town full of judgemental people threatens to drive a wedge between them.

This was a super short Christmas themed story. I was surprised at just how much content was given for a book just shy of an hour in length. I loved the detailed descriptive of the town, Kris’s work and Kris and Tyr’s appearance overall. I seriously had a visual of these two men and where they lived just by the words used for them. This was my first LE Franks book as well as my first Dave Gillies audible, it will not be the last for either of the afore mentioned! What a great collaboration of written word and the translation of them.

Definitely a must read for any fans of the genre that are looking for a heartfelt, romantic read for the Holiday. Again, it is very reasonably priced in both Audio and E-book, cheap enough in fact, this would be a great option for gifting as well.