5 out of 5 stars
Ebook. 1st edition. 41 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Nor O’Brien spends his days in sunny
Key West caring for and rehabilitating sea turtles. He doesn’t need anything
else in life, expect maybe a significant other to cuddle with after a long day.
But recent heartbreak has left Nor salty, and he’s not in the mood for
anything, Christmas included.
Then Eugene Montgomery walks into Turtle R&R, claiming to have found a
clutch of eggs in distress. Nor is smitten with the tourist at first sight, and
at the suggestion of his screwball colleagues, indulges in some no-strings-attached
fun. Nor and Eugene are quick to get along, happily enjoy each other’s company,
and take in the island’s unique holiday pleasures together.
But Nor would never leave his turtles, not for any man. So when his rebound
fling turns into strong romantic feelings for Eugene, it’ll take a Christmas
miracle to keep the two together forever in Key West.
A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar
Likes:
- The characters.
- Turtles.
- Key West.
- Christmas miracle.
- Cute and fun and just the right amount of sexy.
- The ‘relationship hurdle’ was reasonable but easily overcome.
Dislikes:
- Nor’s attachment to his ex.
- Lack of communication between Nor and Eugene.
- Lots of screwball characters.
This story had a little bit of all the things a good romance should have. Instant chemistry between the men. Something holding Nor back from going all in on the romance. Fun, witty banter with a slight hint of awkwardness. Smut scene. Happy ending.
I like just about any character who has found their calling caring for animals. I’m not the world’s biggest turtle fan, but this story had me invested in the clutch of eggs Nor and Eugene saved. What a unique way to start a relationship.
The instant attraction between the men was a given, since it is a short story. But it felt realistic. Nor wanted to finally put his ex in the past and what better way to do that than have fun with a hunky vacationer. The fact that Nor fell hard for Eugene was also a given. Eugene is great. The guys have good chemistry together, both in bed and out.
I’m usually not a fan of miscommunication in stories, and this time it was more like lack of communication that led to the drama. But that too felt natural, especially when both men actually talked with each other and explained what they had been thinking.
There were a lot of screwball characters in the story, which was odd. It seemed like everyone Nor worked with was a little off. Nor himself was a little strange in his attachment to his ex, a guy who wasn’t that great.
Overall, this was a great story. My complaints are relatively minor and didn’t distract from the story as a whole. The Christmas miracle ending was just the right amount of cute and sappy.
Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.
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