The Holiday Disaster: A Brother’s Best Friend Gay Romance (Doves of Destiny Book 1)
by Rye Cox
Two stars
Ethan is in his first year of college. He’s doing okay, but he’s terrified of falling behind in his studies. He’s never had a boyfriend or even come out to his family. So, when he runs into his longtime crush, Kingsley, he gets tongue tied and runs away. Kingsley is Ethan’s older brother’s best friend and he’s known him his entire life. He thinks Kingsley dislikes him, and he interprets everything Kingsley says to him as teasing and mean. He hates how Kingsley makes him feel and he blames himself for still harboring a crush on him.
When Kingsley and Ethan end up on the same flight home for Christmas, they have to rely on on one another when their flight is diverted because of a massive snowstorm. They end up sharing a room at a local BnB (only one bed) and finally work through their long-standing, secret mutual crushes.
Kingsley confesses he has always had a crush on Ethan but thought Ethan hated him. He was nervous around Ethan and his teasing came out more mean than he ever intended. He hesitated to confess his feelings since Ethan’s brother was his best friend.
This book was hot but also sort of boring. Ethan is too neurotic and Kingsley is too boring. I skipped past the scenes of them interacting with other plane passengers and the townsfolk from the picturesque Christmassy village where they were stranded.
Knot Your Average Christmas: A FFM Holiday Omegaverse story
by S.R. Griffith
Three stars
This book was silly, cute, and hot. Tania doesn’t know she’s an omega and goes into heat at a party. Zezza, a female beta, “rescues” Tania before she can be captured and held prisoner by an alpha. As part of the rescue, Zezza takes Tania home to the house in the forest Zezza shares with Drul, her partner and introverted, sensitive alpha demon.
Tania decides to trust Zezza and Drul, and lets them pamper her and do all of her human Christmas activities such as baking Christmas cookies and decorating as part of her nesting instincts before her heat peaks.
Although Tania needs an alpha to help her through her heat, she is attracted to and feels safe with Zezza. Zezza and Drul are a couple even though as a beta, Zezza can never satisfy Drul the way an omega can.
The three form a triad that is both sweet and silly. This is a low-stakes romance that is funny and steamy.
Affogato (BrewBiz book 1)
by E.M. Lindsay
One and a half stars
When Caleb’s boyfriend of ten years dumps him in a very public confrontation outside of Caleb’s coffee shop (BrewBiz Deaf Cafe), Caleb is hit by a massive anxiety attack. Bodhi, his awkward and fearful new employee, guides him away from his ex and the customers filming the interaction, and helps him through his attack in private.
Caleb is so ashamed by being dumped and cheated on, that he lashes out at everyone, especially Bodhi. Bodhi and his twin brother Ravi are both hearing-impaired and did learn to sign until they went to college and left the home of their overbearing grandparents. Free to finally be part of the deaf community, Ravi thrives but autistic Bodhi struggles.
This book tells the slow burn romance of Caleb and Bodhi. The main problems I had with it were that Caleb started dating Bodhi even though Bodhi had zero sexual or dating experience. Bodhi has a very difficult time communicating with anyone other than his brother, and the entire romance came across as incredibly imbalanced and, in my opinion, icky. Bodhi is sweet and needs someone who understands him. It felt like Caleb justified dating the much younger, inexperienced man by thinking that Bodhi needed his protection as someone else would not be as kind and patient with him as Caleb was.
In summary, I love this setting and the supporting characters, but Caleb and Bodhi’s relationship was far too imbalanced for me.