Rating: 5 🌈
Con Riley regularly makes me cry at Christmas. Actually at Riley’s Christmas Collection stories. This year’s new edition to the series was a great sodden Kleenex wads worth of heartwarming moments and absolutely stunning moments of love and family.
Riley’s shared universe, between London and Cornwall, never disappoints in bringing us closer together with the characters and investing us deeply into their lives and journey.
Flatmates Sebastian Street (that heartbreaking name) and his best friend, Patrick, are heading into the holidays, a season fraught with emotional minefields. Their flat is freezing, they have one roommate less to help with the bills, and a stressful scene is upon them.
That’s the moment we open up the story. Emotions are high, exams are coming, rent is due. And while we have met Seb and Pat before, the intimacy is new. The hopes and fears is real.
Seb especially is so raw in his prickly voice that I could feel him emerging off the page, all past pain, and anger and rage against those who have hurt him and others. And made him afraid to have hope. And Pat, so gentle and mindful and patient. Pat is as believable as Seb however opposite of him he is emotionally.
Riley has done such a beautiful job with not only the characters but their backgrounds, weaving in the various interpersonal dynamics to the storyline unfolding throughout to become a richer emotional tapestry for all involved. From Seb to Patrick to Patrick’s family to Jack, a young man who has his own journey ahead, and the readers, who have been heavily invested into this story from the beginning.
This is what I think of when I look forward to my Christmas stories. It encapsulates all that good will, warmth, and love that stays with you after the book is over.
And it’s the reason I’m highly recommending not just this but all of Con Riley’s Christmas Collection. Enjoy!
Outstanding cover art .
Con Riley’s Christmas Collection:
✓ His Last Christmas In London #1
✓ We Only Kiss At Christmas #2
◦ His Until Christmas- Nov 12, 2024
Buy Link:
We Only Kiss at Christmas (Con Riley’s Christmas Collection)
Blurb:
Prepare for another snow-dusted, super-romantic and heart-clenching holiday gay romance from Con Riley.
All Sebastian Street wants for Christmas is justice. Oh, and some privacy to kiss his flatmate.
Heat shouldn’t sizzle between best friends like it does between me and Patrick. He’s my flatmate, not my boyfriend, a gym-bro powered by peace, love, and understanding. In comparison, I’m a yappy terrier fuelled by rage and sugary baked goods.
Expect a third flatmate to understand our opposites-attract dynamic?
No.
This could be our last December together. Our first alone in this flat.
I can’t share it. Or Patrick.
Not when we only kiss at Christmas.
Perfect for fans of friends to lovers and found families, visit London and Cornwall in We Only Kiss at Christmas, or double your festive enjoyment with His Last Christmas in London, the first standalone romance in this shared-world series.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 