A Sweet Holiday Romance

Hayden Hunt has written a short Holiday romance about two men who meet by accident (or is it by accident?) and find they have much in common.

Both men have been given permission to stay at a small cabin in the woods by a friend - a friend who has forgotten that he promised the cabin to someone else when he offers it to the second man. So Chris and James find themselves in this situation, it's late and Chris, who arrived first, agrees to let James stay the night and James promises to leave in the morning. But, it is winter, and Mr. Snowman decides to dump all over the cabin, locking them in for a few days. So they decide to make the best of the situation and get to know one another.

Naturally, this quickly turns into a hot romance, but then they both realize - they will be going home soon, and then what?

Kind of predictable, of course, and a little unbelievable at how quickly they fall in love, but it's mean to be a light hearted romance story and it does the job well.


J. J. Jenness did well overall as the narrator. One thing that always bothers me, however, is that many narrators, Jenness included, tend to imbue gay male characters with the overused "gay accent". It wasn't over the top, but I actually do not know many gay men who talk like that. I think there are more of us that just have normal voices, but the stereotype gets played all the time. Ok, whining over.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Snowed In

This is a cute and sweet, feel-good story. James and Chris end up in a cabin together for a few days when they're snowed in. They have chemistry but are reluctant to do anything about it because neither one is looking for just a one-night stand. They really get to know each other but can they make a relationship work.
The narrator did a good job of bringing the characters to life and the story.

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Sweet

A nice sappy love story, not to deep but a good listen. Leaves you with that happy feeling at the end. Narrator has a good voice, but Chris and Jake sound alike.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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Sadly, didn't enjoy it.

Chris and James end up stranded during a snow storm because of a mix-up. That kind of blanket-scenario has a lot of good potential, especial with James on the rebound after his ex dumped him before the holidays. At first, I liked that it was not an easy "love at first sight" deal, after the first kiss they took a step back to figure out what they want. James was hesitant and Chris understanding. But then they ended up in bed together, and that scene was just sooooo crude in my opinion, it was very hard to read it. I did not care for the author’s choice of words at all!!!!
I wish they could stay in the stage before, talking about their feelings, kissing and so on, because that part was so sweet and I actually got to understand and connect with the characters a bit there. I had a hard time finishing the book and the story itself was just, OK, so it just made it harder. I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters at all, it was flat and sometimes I disliked them quite a bit! The story is just not written very well, and it doesn’t live up to it’s potential, unfortunately. It was just a string of actions one after the other without a good emotional base or connection between the two MC’s.

Then audio narration was also, sadly, not so good, the narrator was a bit flat, rushing, little emotions in his tone of voice. The story could have been better with a more experienced narrator and some editing for that ending.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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Wanted to like it

The narration really didn't do it for me. It made it hard to listen to. The story was okay, maybe with a better narrator, but for two hours it actually dragged a bit and I didn't feel it.

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When Insta-love is just too instant

If you’re a fan of insta-love, this is a book you’ll enjoy. I’m more of a friends-to-lovers slow burn type, but I know lots of readers who love that two characters can meet, one can threaten the other, and they wind up in bed less than a day later.

(I am going to make one comment. It’s not a spoiler, but a real issue for me. Barebacking after 24 hours’ acquaintance? Especially when one of James’ ex is such a jerk? Sorry, but I am pro-safe-sex, and condoms are necessary. In all romances. There are a few exceptions, but this one didn’t even come close.) Stepping off soapbox.

For the record, dropping the f-bomb at least 20 times in the first scene doesn’t lend credibility to a story. (Truthfully, it was probably more than 20, but I stopped counting and almost stopped listening.) Fortunately it was used judiciously throughout the rest of the book.

The truth is, I was rooting for James. Yes, he had lousy luck when it came to boyfriend choices. His neediness and fear of being alone came from a genuine place, but either the novella was too short or – more likely – the author chose not to give James enough time for self-reflection. He never took the time to understand why he went from loser to loser, letting himself be abused psychologically rather than spending some time alone and learning about himself.

And it’s that lack of self-awareness that made the insta-love not work for me in this case.

James dumps his boyfriend.

24 hours later he meets Chris.

24 hours after that they have sex.

Less than 24 hours later, they’re talking about kids and HEAs.

Also, this book could have used a good editor. I struggled to figure out if the author was writing in present or past tense (first person). If you’re not a grammarian, this might not bother you.

It bothers me.

So I went to the Amazon preview to see if I could sort out the tenses. 8th paragraph? “Threee” This was either supposed to be “there was” or “there’s”. Big deal? Probably not. Here’s another example: “which is funny, because cruelty was pretty much all he showed me.” Then, “I honestly don’t know”. One present, one past. Either is fine, but please pick one and stick to it. That being said, I know how expensive editors are. And to turn a book into audio?

Lots of money.

But there are errors in the book, aside from spelling, and those are amplified in the audio.

The book is redeemable, though. I liked Chris, with his gentleness and easy acceptance of the mix-up that precipitated James’ arrival. His caring for James during a pivotal scene was heart-warming.

James also was a good guy, even if he made bad decisions. Thank God he finally meets such a great guy.

It’s a quick listen. J.J. Jenness is the narrator and he did a really good job. I would definitely give another book of his a listen and maybe even one of Hayden Hunt’s. I’ll probably check out the preview on the e-book first to see if it was properly updated.

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1 person found this helpful

a very mundane book

not the best book out there the story was very very mundane everything happened so easily no one had issues with nothing the characters had attraction and I can understand it but behind attraction and behind first love you need to have a connection for it to get real and it just didn't I do get it's a short story I do get it's a Christmas story and it should be sweet and it was a movie like story but I was lacking I don't know how to explain we just out making spoilers so it's difficult for me to do it but just I felt like more more about the characters more about the situation maybe in this particular book and I don't say it awesome the book should have been longer and deeper because the story is mundane So for this kind of story you need emotions you need maybe more fears and more reality overall it was a sweet story but maybe it wasn't for me I don't know and I do love lgbts books very much but this one didn't work for me

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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almost

I really wanted to like the story, but it fell a bit flat for me, both in storyline and the delivery. The story started out good, showing James breaking off a toxic relationship, I was cheering for him, his ex was a jerk. Then when the opportunity presents itself, he leaves for some time alone at his friend's cabin. And here is where the story starts to fizz out for me. The unending internal debates for both James and Chris were exhausting. The yes-no-yes-no see-saw, then bam, insta committed relationship. The epilogue saved it a bit, HEA are the best endings.
I like Mr. Jenness' voice and with a little effort to separate the characters with voice variations, I had a hard time distinguishing them, and a little passion, especially at intense moments he could vastly improve the listening experience.

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Short and sweet

After an ugly breakup with his abusive boyfriend, James borrows his best friend cabin to spend a weekend relaxing in solitude… Only to find the cabin already occupied by Chris, who had rented it before. Chris suggests James should spend the night, but they are snowed in overnight, and the more time they spend together, the more they realise they are just perfect for each other…
This is a sweet story told from a bouncing point of view. There is not much depth to the characters, and the love story is fairly predictable, but it was really well narrated and the ending was pretty satisfactory as well. A bit on the shortish side, is recommended for lovers of love stories with a bit of anguish, insta-love relationships and very happy endings

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Sweet love story

This is a really sweet love story, although I did find James' fatalistic view that good things wouldn't happen to him to be a little annoying. Chris is a breath of fresh air for him, and just what he needs. A mix-up brings James and Chris together, then a surprise snowstorm traps them for several days in a mountain cabin. They use the time to learn about one another, have some hot sex, and grow close. But James worries what will happen when they go back to their regularly scheduled lives. This is a fast-moving story, with a well-deserved HEA.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

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