Title: A Christmas Memory
Series: N/A
Author: Max Vos
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (21k)
Publisher: Max Vos (November 15th, 2013)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
Blurb:J.J. has always hated the holidays. Presents, decorations, the traditional family Christmas…It’s all his colleagues in the staffroom can talk about. J.J. avoids these conversations like the plague. He’d do anything to keep his co-workers from seeing the real J.J, the gay man who doesn’t want to be noticed. When he slips up and reveals that he is all alone with no plans for Christmas, the well-meaning ladies of his high school want to take him in for the holidays.
Oh hell….
Enter Coach Adam Sutton who comes to his rescue—and now J.J. is trapped by this hulk of a man who won’t take no for an answer. And he would have to be someone J.J finds attractive, wouldn’t he? Too bad he’s straight and J.J’s not about to step out of the shadows and make a move on him. He likes his arms where they are, thank you very much. But Adam has a secret, one which is going to turn J.J’s world upside-down. Adam wants to give J.J. a Christmas to remember, but as it turns out, both men’s lives are never going to be the same again…
Purchase Link: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-achristmasmemory-1348342-149.html
Review: The reader meet J.J. and Adam in their work environment, where J.J. has transformed himself into the quintessential nerdy history professor. Adam on the other hand is the larger than life, popular coach. On the surface, opposites should not attract, but J.J. is clearly attracted and Adam’s insistence on their interaction gives the reader a clue that Adam may be more than simply a ‘nice guy’ hell bent on rescuing J.J. from an uncomfortable situation.
Adam’s pursuit of J.J. is adorable in its relentlessness, and when J.J. finally succumbs to Adam, the reader is pleased. The story is more than just a simple Christmas love story. It’s about a man who’s life has not been a happy one, allowing someone to show him how full and meaningful life can be when surrounded by love. The undercurrent of stereotypes and not judging a book by its cover are themes also interwoven into this light-hearted tale.
As we approach the holiday season, this is a great stocking stuffer. It’s a lovely little read filled with love, hope and laughter. J.J. and Adam are sexy and there’s both heart and heat enough to keep the home fires burning.