Rating: 4.5š
Lanes Hayes has written a heartwarming holiday story in The Humbug Holiday. One of my favorites this season, itās has a gentle romance between two men whose histories include adolescent pasts with deep emotional pain associated with the Christmas holidays.
One, Cameron Warren, a famous author of mysteries, has escaped his LA home , family, and notoriety for a newly purchased old Victorian in small town Fallbrook, Vermont . Heās there to write and hide from the holidays.
However, his elderly aunts have temporarily accompanied him to make sure heās settled, alive, and decorated in his new home. One that needs a ton of work.
Joe Linton, Handyman, is hired by one aunt to help make the beautiful old house livable for the winter, and start with the crusade to get their nephew to decorate.
Hayesā characters are real in their faults, charming in their own ways of thinking about life and their feelings for the holidays, decorating and the town. Each manās story will slowly come tumbling out , piecemeal, as one writes, the other puts the house in order, and their relationship grows.
Itās warm, like sitting next to a fireplace, chatting, learning about someone. Itās believable and grounded in small town culture and the strengths of that lifestyle.
My heart was easily invested and flowed with the story, right through to the end. So charming and wonderful.
Perfect for the holidays and one Iām absolutely recommending.
Goodreadshttps://www.goodreads.com āŗ showThe Humbug Holiday by Lane Hayes
Description:
Two grumpy bears and a holiday season neither will forgetā¦
Joe
So this sexy silver fox rolls into my small New England town and buys a run-down old house in need of renovation. Thatās where I come in. My job is to do some basic repairs, so he can write in peace. Yep, the hotshot is a bestselling author, but thatās not why I recognize Cameron Warren.
No worries, I wonāt let a one-night stand make things awkward. I could use the work, but is he seriously asking me to help him buy a Christmas tree too?
No way.
Cameron
Iām a good-natured guy all year long, but I have to admitā¦I hate the holidays.
There. I said it.
This season, Iām hiding away on the opposite side of the country in a picturesque village. My family isnāt excited about my decision, and the only way to assure them Iām fine is to deck the darn halls. Or hire someone else to do it.
The handyman might not be the logical choice for an elf, but his grumpy act makes me smile. Which makes me think the holidays might not be so ābah-humbugā this year after all.
The Humbug Holiday is a bisexual, age-gap romance featuring two grumpy bears who find unexpected magic and learn to embrace everyoneās favorite time of year!
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 