4 out of 5 stars
Kindle Edition. 1st edition. 52 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Sam is a journalist struggling with the recent transfer to his magazine’s Brazilian office. He doesn’t speak the language and isn’t all that familiar with the customs. It also isn’t easy to make friends when you’re the new guy. Then there’s James, his friendly and gorgeous coworker, who is so out of Sam’s league, he knows he doesn’t stand any chance with the handsome Brazilian.
Just as Sam is preparing to spend Christmas away from his family, an unexpected surprise spins his lonely holiday plans around. Another unforeseen gift is James’s offer to show Sam some of the city’s holiday traditions. With his significant low self-esteem, Sam doesn’t know what to make of James’s offer and apparent interest. Can some last-minute decorations and an impromptu meal make Sam’s apartment feel more homely?
Maybe everything could come together in a wonderful way—if Sam can find the courage and confidence to accept all James wants to give.
A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar
Likes:
- Sam’s family.
- How much James liked Sam.
- Good smut.
- Worrying about a relationship between coworkers.
Dislikes:
- Sam’s lack of self-esteem.
- Not much local flavor.
I’m not the biggest fan of characters with low self-esteem, but Sam wasn’t too bad. Sure, he thought James was out of his league because James has an amazing body and Sam doesn’t. Luckily, that seems to be the only area where Sam’s low self-esteem is in effect.
Despite James’s clear flirting, it takes Sam a while to accept it’s real. This gives the story a bit of a slow burn feel to it. Once Sam realizes that James really does like him, things ignite between them. The sex scene in this story is possibly the most explicit of all the short stories from the Warmest Wishes anthology so far. Best of all, the sex scene was more than just hot. It moved the plot forward as well.
Sam’s family is amazing and funny. I was worried at first because James is absent from the story for about 11% of the book. This happens near the beginning, when the focus is more on Sam and his family. I was happy to see that the time without James in the picture was leading to a perfect setup for James to fit right in.
The relationship between the guys wasn’t without a few hiccups, but that only made the relationship sweeter. James started off seeing so calm and collected but watching him get nervous that Sam won’t want more between them was super cute. Sam also got to show a different side of himself as he gathered up his courage to go for what he really wanted. This was one story were I didn’t mind the ‘one year later’ ending.
If I have any complaints, it’s about the lack of local flavor. There’s a scene with a traditional Brazilian dance, but more time is spent on the beach and in apartments. A minor complaint about what is otherwise a cute story.
Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.
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