Gaudete by Amy Rae Durreson

Summary:

Every Christmas, child chorister Jonah Lennox used to meet Callum Noakes at Aylminster cathedral when Callum’s mother came to sell roasted chestnuts at the market. After years of friendship, an argument separates them, apparently forever. Putting away the memories of his lost friend, Jonah left the cathedral and moved on with his life.

When Jonah returns to the cathedral after ten years away, the market in the cathedral brings back memories—and Callum, who has made a life for himself as a woodturner. Upon meeting again, attraction pulls them together, and the holiday may inspire their old friendship to mature into new romance
 
 

My Review:

Tempus ad est gratiae,/It is now the time of grace,
Hoc quod optabamus;/That we have desired;
Carmina laetitiae,/Let us sing songs of joy,
Devote redamus/Let us give devotion.

Oh. I have no idea where to begin with this. What an utterly gorgeous story. I loved the voices of both Callum and Jonah. What a unique way to tell the story from past to present and the switch that accompanies it.

There were moments when you could feel your life changing around you.

I am in complete awe of this story. I am beyond any sense of coherency to describe my emotions. My heart is in my throat and I cannot stop crying at the pure beauty of words on the page to tell the story of this first and forever love. The talent of the author to have me engaged and enamored in just few pages always stuns me. This was nothing short of magical. The magic of Christmas, of hope, of trust, of faith and of love.

All the tings I’ve done, all the things I’ve wanted – they all go back to you.

The boys broke my heart more than once but so let me hope each time and they did not fail me. That end? Ugh. I want more. So much more. I cannot let these two go but yet again, I could. They are where they need to be and my heart is so full knowing that.
 

Gaudete, Gaudete!/Rejoice, Rejoice!

 

Side Note: I happen to have Erasure’s Snow Globe on my phone and listened to their version of Gaudete while reading this. Not traditional but still sung in Latin. What a beautiful song.