Tag Archives: m/m romance

Book Review: Mr. Frosty Pants, by Leta Blake

I picked up a copy of Leta Blake‘s Mr. Frosty Pants last November with every intention of reading it by Christmas. But we had kitchen construction going on last year and just about nothing went to plan. I don’t think I managed any Christmas reading, which means I have it available to read during this year’s Christmas Reading Challenge.

Can true love warm his frozen heart?

When Casey Stevens went away to college four years ago, he ghosted on his straight best friend, Joel Vreeland. He hoped time and distance would lessen the unrequited affection he felt, but all it did was make him miss Joel more. Home for the holidays, Casey hopes they might find a way to be friends again. But Joel’s frosty reception reminds Casey of just how hard he had to fight to be Joel’s friend in the first place. It’s going to take a Christmas miracle to get past that cool façade again.

Joel isn’t as straight as Casey believes, and his years of pining for Casey have left him hurting and alone, caring for his abusive father and struggling to get by. Unable to trust anyone except his rescue dog—and with no reason to believe Casey is interested in him for more than a holiday fling—Joel’s icy heart might shatter before it can thaw.Can Casey and Joel’s love overcome mistrust, parental rejection, class differences, and four long years apart?

Mr. Frosty Pants is a stand-alone, Christmas gay romance by Leta Blake featuring a virgin hero, childhood friends-to-lovers, second chance romance, and steamy mm first times.

I really appreciated having a male main character here who had spent some time in therapy and learned to recognize and ask for what he wants. Seeing Casey openly and honestly pursue Joel and Joel learn to be more open and honest in return was a pleasure to read. Blake faked me out several times, presenting scenarios that might turn into the tedious misunderstanding plot device, but I was relieve with what I found instead. I could have taken or left about half the sex scenes. There was a certain repetitiveness to them that bored me after a bit. But, all in all, I enjoyed this a lot (sunshine and Grumpy Pants being a favorite pairing of mine) and am awful happy to have book two at my fingertips.

Other Reviews:

Mr Frosty Pants

Review of Mr. Frosty Pants by Leta Blake

Come back tomorrow. I’ll be reviewing The Christmas Lights Battle, by Skylar M. Cates and Dreaming Of a White Wolf Christmas, by Terry Spear. Yep, I’ve had to start doubling up on my posts to fit all the reviews in by Christmas.

Book Review: Merry Elf-ing Christmas, by Beth Bolden

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I won an ARC copy of Merry Elf-ing Christmas from the author (Beth Bolden) on Facebook, which was just in time to include it in my Christmas Reading Challenge.

Aidan might be a bad elf, but he’s never been naughty.

Aidan has always landed on Santa’s nice list, thank you very much. But that doesn’t mean he’s cut out to be a North Pole elf; instead of worrying about the dwindling magic of Christmas, he’d much rather be back in Tir na Nog, calculating where the next end of the rainbow is going to land.

Instead he’s freezing his butt off in Santa’s sleigh.

His situation seems grim despite all the decking the halls, until on Christmas Eve, during a milk and cookies run, he meets Dexter, an engineering student.

They couldn’t be more different, and Dexter couldn’t be more forbidden, but Aidan is drawn to the handsome human anyway. Over the next year, their emails start out as a entertaining way to pass the time in all his interminable elf meetings, but soon, hearing from Dex becomes the very best part of his day.

And when they meet up on the next Christmas Eve? Aidan and Dex discover that their infatuation is so much more than just attraction. If they believe in each other and in the love they share, together their magic might be powerful enough to save Christmas.

Often times reading and what someone likes is 100% subjective. That was very apparent to me while reading this book. I’ll say up front that it’s not a bad book. It’s cute and sweet, Christmas focused, and full of likeable characters. But it wasn’t a good book FOR ME for one pretty solid reason.

I am not someone who shies away from cursing or sex. But Christmas books that use Santa and his elves as fodder walk a very fine border with childish. Look at that cute cover. Imagine that elf up and walking around, talking and laughing and eating milk and cookies. Now imagine him cursing, giving head, and getting f*cked. For me those disparate images never fully merged and I felt like F-bombs and sexual tension (and eventual sex) got dropped in a children’s book and it didn’t work FOR ME. But I know it will 100% work for others.