Erryn reviews The Christmas Deal by Keira Andrews, published November 14, 2019 by KA Books, 250 pages. The audiobook was released on October 7, 2020, is 8hrs and 13mins and is narrated by John Solo. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read the book: I adore Keira books narrated by John Solo.
Will fake boyfriends become the real deal this holiday?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – except ex-Marine Logan is jobless and getting evicted. Worse, he’s a new single dad with a stepson who hates him. A kid needs stability – not to mention presents under the tree – and Logan’s desperate.
Then he meets lonely Seth and makes a deal.
Can Logan temporarily pretend to be live-in boyfriends to increase Seth’s chances at a promotion? If it provides a roof over their heads for the holidays, hell yeah. Logan considers himself straight – he doesn’t count occasional hookups with guys – but he can fake it. Besides, with his shy little smile, Seth is surprisingly sexy.
Make that damn sexy.
Shocked that Seth has only been with one man, Logan can’t resist sweetening their deal to teach him the joys of casual sex. No strings attached. No feelings. No kissing.
No falling for each other.
Easy, right?
The Christmas Deal is a steamy holiday gay romance from Keira Andrews featuring fake boyfriends, bisexual awakening, a clueless single dad with an angry preteen, and of course a happy ending.
Buy it here: Audible | Amazon | Add it to Goodreads
My Review:
I’m on a tear through fake boyfriend romances these days. When they’re done well, they’re a joy to read and I have to say, this was done well. Because I believed Logan was desperate enough to enter into the arrangement. He’s beyond down-on-his-luck. He has no job – or even prospects. He’s in the process of being evicted, and his truck broke down. He was unceremoniously fired from his previous job for something that wasn’t his fault and he lost his friends due to that and his health suffered because of what happened. He has his sister and his new stepson. He never planned to be a father but Connor landed in his lap and aside from the kid’s surly nature, he’s kind of growing on Logan. But Logan can barely survive for himself, let alone meet the needs of a grieving preteen who’s outgrowing his clothes.
Enter Seth. The set-up for his need for a fake boyfriend was…. interesting. But Seth wants the promotion and with a new family-oriented boss who is LGBTQ friendly, it’s all about portraying that he’s a family man. Logan and Connor turn up at the perfect time. And maybe Seth won’t be so lonely, living in that big house with only himself as company. Oh, and there’s the little bonus of sex without strings. Logan is straight, writing off those few handjobs and blowjobs and whatever else as just scratching an itch. You know, when women aren’t handy. But when he discovers Seth’s only ever been with one man – and that man was a jerk – he’s determined to teach the devout religious man that it’s okay to have sex just for pleasure.
Seth’s family have rejected him and he’s done okay on his own, but between the colleagues at work and now Logan’s overtures, he’s able to see all that he’s been missing out on. So he invites Logan and Connor to stay. So he can portray himself as a family man, he tells himself. So he won’t be alone is the subconscious reason.
But things aren’t smooth sailing, especially with a surly preteen who is missing his mom desperately during this first Christmas without her. The conflict culminates in a near-disaster and it’s a moment of reckoning for everyone.
I loved this book. Just perfect for this time of year. I’m not a big Christmas fan so any book that puts me in the holiday spirit is a good one. I’ll also take a moment to mention John Solo. I think he does a great job of narrating Keira Andrews books and this book is proof of that. I look forward to more books written by Ms. Andrews and narrated by Mr. Solo.
My Rating:
10/10 pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
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