4 out of 5 stars
Kindle Edition. 1nd edition. 54 pages. Published December 1st 2018 by Dreamspinner Press
Blurb:
Geoffrey Saxon is in his forties, a bit plump, a lot fuzzy,
and rather boring in bed—and thanks to a very public breakup, everyone in his
street knows it. However, what they don’t know is that Geoffrey sometimes
watches his hot young neighbor, Vaughn, in the pool. Vaughn has invited
Geoffrey to join his pool parties, but Geoffrey knows it’s only pity.
As if things can’t get worse, Geoffrey’s air conditioner
breaks during a heat wave in Western Australia—and just before Christmas. In
search of some relief, he camps out in his backyard, where he also has a prime
view of Vaughn swimming… naked. When Geoffrey’s injured falling from his spying
post, Vaughn comes to his rescue and Geoffrey doesn’t think he can be more
horrified.
But he could be in for a sweet holiday surprise. Is he ready
to take the dive?
A Story from the Warmest Wishes: Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar
Likes:
- Older main character.
- Geoffrey’s body issues.
- How sweet but determined Vaughn was.
- A willingness to go slow.
- Funny.
Dislikes:
- The story felt a little unbelievable.
This story had a wish fulfillment aspect that I both did and didn’t like. On the one hand, just because someone is “ in his forties, a bit plump, a lot fuzzy, and rather boring in bed” does not mean he shouldn’t find romance. In fact, I loved Geoffrey as the main character. He was totally relatable and surprisingly adorable.
On the other hand, I don’t remember Vaughn mentioning anything about why Geoffrey had caught his eye in the first place. Aside from the casual way neighbors greet each other when they pass by, the men didn’t have much contact prior to the start of the story. Vaughn’s interest is basically summed up with a ‘Geoffrey is his type’ kind of non-answer. And while I did enjoy the story, I wanted something more as the reason for Vaughn’s interest. Because it felt a little forced that Geoffrey’s young, buff, tanned neighbor just happened to like pale, older, slightly heavy men.
Not that a little wish fulfillment isn’t nice every once in a while, but I wasn’t feeling that part of the story. Luckily, once I got invested, the rest of the story went great. There were funny moments and sexy moments. I loved that Vaughn was more than willing to go slow for Geoffrey. I also loved that Geoffrey honestly didn’t expect Vaughn to like him back at first.
Geoffrey’s body issues felt so real it hurt. All of the negative things that come along with aging, from wrinkles to lack of exercise leading to unwanted body fat, were right on the money. They gave Geoffrey a legitimate reason to doubt Vaughn’s interest. Plus, Geoffrey’s very public breakup added more fuel for Geoffrey’s embarrassment. Embarrassment Vaughn was determined to overcome.
Overall, this story was funny and sweet. It was the perfect way to wrap up my reading of the Warmest Wishes anthology.
Find the Warmest Wishes anthology review here and the full list of stories here.
Love is Love Reviews 