Title: Blame it on the Mistletoe
Series: N/A
Author: Eli Easton
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Novella (99 pages)
Publisher: Eli Easton (November 16th, 2013)
Heat Level: Low
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥3.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Eli/Mandingo
Blurb: When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discovers all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.
It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn’t understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.
Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQHCBI0
Review: Okay all of us are a sucker for any variation of the Ugly Ducking or the Cinderella story. No matter how many times we see it or read it, we still love it. This story takes that theme and then adds the friends to lovers theme with straight guy realizing he may not be as straight as he first thought – put all together, it’s an irresistible combination. Then you throw in a vampy harpy and a kiss under the mistletoe – what’s not to love? The book is not a long read, but in the 99 pages, we get a very good character sketch of both Fielding and Mick and it becomes very clear to the reader that they two men care deeply about each other way before they develop romantic feelings.
Fielding Monroe exhibits some classic Asperger’s type behaviours, which makes his literal and very black and white personality and approach to getting his very kiss extremely believable. Mick’s confusion and his reluctance to change his relationship with Fielding is also equally as understandable. Mick has created a life and reality for himself that includes Fielding but seeking to disturb that status quo is not one, which Mick is ready to make. The insertion of Fielding’s father into the story, which serves as the catalyst for Mick to move to a new reality, is perhaps the most heart-warming paragraph to read.
The underlying theme, however, is that Fielding, who many would consider odd, was actually quite essential to Mick’s happiness and thus reinforces the idea that there is someone for everyone. At its core, this story is really about Mick and his discovering that perhaps what he thought he wanted out of life and what it will take to make him happy may not be the same thing; and thus for him to find love it will require him to readjust his current perspective and be willing to accept a new one.
A very quick and thoroughly enjoyable read.