Fake Dating+ Gay Romance + Christmas = my dream book.

As a librarian, I do my best to try and buy books for my fiction and romance sections that run the gamut so there’s something for everyone. This was a book for me! Finding gay romance isn’t hard, but finding well written, printed/published romance can be, since there’s restrictions on where I can order things from (ah the joys of business deals). I came across this book on a list of Christmas themed romance, which I was buying loads of this past winter, and I couldn’t have been more happy with this purchase.

Rudy is sweet, inexperienced and dedicated to his job. A new hire comes on board and he is insanely handsome; entirely Rudy’s type. Zac is quiet and guarded, polite but rarely choosing to interact with this colleagues outside of the office. After a few tequila shots and a semi-hook up, Zac ends up confessing to Rudy that he is alone in the world. Not that he is simply without a partner; he has no family or friends to speak of. Rudy being part of a large family and also a genuinely good person, invites Zac to his home for the holidays so he can enjoy a Christmas for once. Of course, Rudy tells his mom he’s bringing someone home for Christmas, and everyone assumes Zac is his boyfriend. Rather than disappoint the family, who is so happy for inexperienced and introverted Rudy, Zac agrees to go along with it and the two fake-date through the holidays, hooking up as friends with benefits at the same time.

In true romance novel fashion, Rudy helps to break down the walls Zac has surrounding his heart and Zac teaches Rudy a thing or two sexually, both approaching their friendship/relationship on common ground. This is a sweet story that absolutely gets steamier in the latter half of the book, and a solid read. The characters are both very likeable, as is Rudy’s family and their co-workers. This is a novella and I managed to read the whole thing on the treadmill at the gym, so for a fake dating, slow burn romance it reads quite quickly. I really adored Jay Northcote’s writing style and will be seeking out more books by this author for the library. If someone is fine with several sex scenes in their holiday romance, you can’t go wrong here.

Title: A Family for Christmas
Author: Jay Northcote
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
ISBN: 9781540410160

Three Descriptors: Sweet, Steamy, Adorable