This was a wonderfully beautifully written book. I loved everything about it. I have read many different versions of a Christmas carol and this is my favorite one.
This book follows tiny Tim’s elder brother, who has his own adventures with the three spirits. It was such a breath of fresh air, to get this story from a different point of view!
I will definitely be reading more from this author!

Peter Cratchit has a lot to live up to; he admires his Uncle Scrooge and what he stood for after the ghosts’ visitation and appreciates the protection and happiness the old man gave. When Scrooge dies, Peter vows to take over the role as protector and make sure the Cratchits are well provided for but nothing is easy. The novel begins with him living on the streets and selling himself in exchange for food in Victorian England. As Christmas approaches, he is ready to give up and die but the ghosts return. Peter’s story of love, lost chances, and determination are revealed in unexpected ways.

Like the original, this book is dark, gritty and highlights poverty and the values of the era when life is cheap but the spirit of Christmas shines through when Peter faces the ghosts Scrooge told him about as a child for himself. Peter and the relationships he has with his family and his partner have depth and the love between them leap from the page. It is an emotional journey but the conclusion left me feeling uplifted, and warm. It will stay with me for a long time.

Elements of this novel are darker and more graphic than the original and it does not hold back in the sex scenes so this is not suitable for children.

This was a pretty good Christmas read. It was a lot heavy on the inner monologues though, and at times lost my interest because of it, especially the information overloading in the beginning. Overall I enjoyed this book and thought it was a really unique & interesting premise for a story.

An interesting take on A Christmas Carol. The prose style really helps the setting. The romance is not the main focus, so maybe not for people looking for a quick romance read. All in all a fun quick read.

What a beautifully written story! I thoroughly enjoyed Drew Marvin Frayne’s clever adaptation of Dickens’ classic.

In Peter Cratchit’s Christmas Carol Tiny Tim’s elder brother has his own adventure with the three spirits. I love the way Drew Marvin Frayne crafts this tale. Peter’s adventures are revealed gradually as we discover what kind of man he truly is, and we learn how he ended up in such a low place.

This author writes the classic, historical style absolutely perfectly and he had me completely wrapped up in this marvelous story. I’m looking forward to reading the other books he has published under this pen name.

I really enjoyed this. I thought Author Frayne had perfect use of the language and tone to make this work. I didn't find it overly sentimental, instead it is a beautiful lesson in unconditional love. No life is perfect but there is always the promise of hope. This compliments the Dicken's original but doesn't rely on it for the enjoyment of this as a standalone book. Some readers may find it a little dark and depressing- yet it captures the period perfectly, accentuating that hope and love conquers all.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've never met a version of A Christmas Carol that I didn't like and this was no exception. This is a very fun and sincere sequel focusing on Peter Cratchit and which delivered exactly the brand of schmaltzy queer melancholia that I wanted from a LGBTQ Dickens remix. The convincingly Dickensian prose style in this really helps pull it off as a spiritual successor.

This was a really fun read and perfect for christmas. I’m still confused as to why Peter needed his own christmas carol. I liked that this one seemed more about helping someone in need instead of reforming a terrible person.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at Pan/Cis LGBT2SQ+ Romance Reviews (https://pancis.wordpress.com/2019/12/17/peter-cratchits-christmas-carol-by-drew-marvin-frayne/)

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library LGBT2SQ+ ebook collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story.



Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Fast – but not the focus

Relationship dynamics: Undefined – not the focus

Sexual content: Some, explicit and “on-screen”; only some of it is romantic; most consists of descriptions of sexual acts performed for personal gain or as paid acts of prostitution

Gender Identity: Cis (only defined for the main character)

Sexual Identity: Gay (only defined for the main character)

Triggers: Prostitution (due to poverty); descriptions of physical abuse; homelessness.

Acceptance Rating: 3 stars

Acceptance Rating Explanation: We know that society is not accepting, but family support is strong in this novella.

Grammar/Editing: There were a couple of typos in my ARC, but nothing major.

Review: This fast-paced novella set in Victorian London has a very Dickensian writing style (on purpose), and, quite frankly, reuses a significant amount of the original dialogue for authenticity of both the story and the atmosphere. The development of the main character is not precisely the same as Scrooge, and it does feel like the reused dialogue forces the positive “transformation” on Peter. His clueless to clued-in transition is not as smooth as Scrooge’s, although I can appreciate what the author has done with the plot. With regard to the romantic elements of the story, Peter’s relationships are both tender and racy, but again, not the focus of the story, to my mind. The recurring supporting characters are all lovely and consistent with Dickens’ original (which I have read several times), and the new supporting characters are both interesting and engaging. A solid effort at a re-imagining of this classic story.



Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A powerful retelling of a classic Christmas story that keeps the charm of the original plot but with a magic of its own. Wonderful!

I read this book early thanks to #NetGalley!

This book started out very Dickensian, but then went pretty erotic at points. I didn't see that coming at all. It wasn't really my cup of tea, but I finished it. All of the usual Christmas Carol tropes were there, and that was nice. I guess I just felt like the erotic bits could have been implied instead of fleshed out.

“Remember the past, plan for the future, but live for today, because yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.” ~ Jerry Rice

Peter Cratchit, of ‘Peter Cratchit’s Christmas Carol’ by Drew Marvin Frane, is presently living with past regrets and fears for the future. When what was to be Peter’s great adventure ends in failure, he decides that suffering is preferable to swallowing his pride and going back home.

This Christmas Eve, Peter has given up; he has decided that death is preferable to the life he is now leading. To his surprise, he is visited by a spirit, just as his Uncle Scrooge was in the past. The spirit takes him to a scene from his past, where he was happy and loved; the memories are bittersweet, because, due to his ignorance and unworldliness, Peter wasn’t able to trust himself enough to embrace life as it was, rather than how he thought it should be. They move on to other scenes in his life, both happy and sad, but the constant in them all is that of his family’s love. At each stop, Peter pleads for the spirit to take him away from the painful memories; the spirit keeps repeating that he needs not only to look but to see. Whatever Peter experiences, one fact remains, Peter needs to reach his own conclusions and decide whether to stay on the destructive path he is presently following, or change it while he still has the opportunity.

This story was an interesting take on ‘the Scrooge’ story, complete with a gay main character. Peter’s visits, although different from Ebenezer’s experience, are designed to allow the character to face reality and make him question whether or not it was what he wanted for the rest of his life and beyond. Thanks, Drew, for a unique view of the tale.

What an interesting take on a classic! Peter Cratchit is living on the streets after enduring many hardships, and has basically resigned himself to dying, when he has an encounter with 3 familiar Christmas ghosts.

This book tried its damnedest to make me cry, but I managed to pull through. Peter's story was beautifully written, and the scenes with the Ghost of Christmas Past were absolutely heartbreaking. The story is a bit cheesy, but the subject and the season call for it, I think. It's not a bad cheesiness - it's just the right amount of cheese.

(Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review — thank you!)

Peter Cratchit, son of Bob from the original story, has fallen on hard times (understatement) due to a combination of bad luck and bad choices. Then, one fateful Christmas Eve, three ghosts visit him to show him what was, is, and will be.

This tribute to A Christmas Carol was exceedingly beautiful in conception and execution. I was a bit :( when I began the story, because it starts on a very dark, cynical note, what with Peter’s situation in life being what it is. But it ends very happily, and for that I am grateful to the Mysterious Author.

Peter Cratchitt is the brother of Tiny Tim! He's had a rough life when the reader first meets him. In Peter Cratchit's Christmas Carol, Peter is barely scraping together enough food to survive. In exchange for sexual favors, men give him much-needed scraps of food and some warmth in his otherwise cold existence.

It's been a long road to where Peter Cratchitt is now. This story picks up shortly after the original work left off. Peter sets off on a voyage to make his fortune and take care of his family. On his voyage, he meets and falls in love with Augie. In their time together, they become very close and Peter experiences love for the first time. He's content until things take a dark turn and everything begins to go wrong.

I loved this story even though parts of it were sad, other parts bitter-sweet. It is closely based on the original Christmas Carol and the author has done a great job of keeping the right atmosphere and language to go with the original. The writing is accessible and in the right style at the same time.

The atmosphere of the time is dark and a bit dismal at times...but that's in keeping with the time period in which the story is set. It was, no doubt, difficult to live without an income in Dickensian times. Peter is living a hard life ... and thinks that he can't possibly be of any benefit to his family. I suppose we all have moments like that.

This is a great holiday story... and a lovely tribute to Dickens' well-loved tale.