A Guy for Christmas is #7 in my MM Holiday Romance binge and I grabbed it because I read a couple by Wells earlier in the year that I enjoyed (My Fair Brady and The Senator’s Secret) and a couple I was sort of meh on (Under the Covers and Out of the Shadows).
This cover reminds me so much of the Tucker Springs books I read back when I first started the blog. Seriously, go check out a few of the covers. I mean I know the covers don’t really vary that widely across MM romance novels, but it’s kind of eerie how similar this is to those. I think it’s the color of the fade outs.
A Guy for Christmas is the story of Robin, a freshly graduated virgin, living at home and working in his family business, desperate to lose his virginity. When he thinks about who he possibly knows that is gay and could guide him through his sexual awakening, he identifies Dean, the scruffy 32-year-old high school drama/art teacher. And the hijinks start from there with most of them being encouraged by Robin’s twin brother, Ryan.
Then he remembered. Hey, it’s Christmas. Miracles do happen, right? Sure they did—in a Hallmark movie about straight people. (14)
Wells did a great job of balancing Robin’s desperation and desire to lose his virginity with Dean’s caution and hesitancy to help Robin out. Both characters were believable, and their chemistry was undeniable. I thought she did a great job of slowly introducing sex into the work and to Robin. Wells held back a lot and walked a fine line of showing, telling, and letting the page fade to curtains which was perfect.
I’m convinced that 99% of the women writing MM Romance are just giant nerds. There are always so many references to Harry Potter or Star Wars or Star Trek, that I just grin every time! Maybe it’s just because they’re like what’s the most stereotypical thing outside of sports and it’s Sci-Fi or Fantasy movies or TV shows. Whatever it is, I’m here for it.
Robin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. ‘You’d be hard if someone was boldly going where no one had gone before’ When Dean arched his eyebrows, Robin sighed. ‘This is what happens when you grow up with a dad who’s a Star Trek fanatic. Now, can we skip to the part where you take my dick out, because I don’t wanna come in my underwear, and if you keep that up, that is exactly what is gonna happen.’ (92)
The big conflict of the book was always going to be between Robin and Dean and Robin’s parents about the age difference. It came pretty late in the novel and was resolved pretty quickly thanks to Robin’s mom and brother talking his dad down. It was great to see Robin take the high road when the argument happened and when his dad came to Dean’s house to try to make build a bridge it was the right amount of hard-ass and sappiness.
The REAL question that all the readers have, including me, is what is up with Robin’s twin brother Ryan? Ryan kept sending Robin porn to encourage him after he came out and not only admitted to watching it and masturbating, but he even admitted to hooking up with guys as well as girls. Robin tried to call him on it and even asked him point black, but Ryan avoided answering. So, fingers crossed Wells will give us another in this series to tell us Ryan’s story!
Recommendation: I thoroughly enjoyed this May-December MM Romance—not 100% sure it is, but there’s enough of an age difference (14 years!) that I’m calling it one. Robin and Dean felt like authentic characters and their chemistry was off the charts. Add in that their story spans a longer narrative than most of the others and it’s at least a little more realistic, even if still total Hallmark/Lifetime/romance novel ridiculous. I’ve enjoyed everything of Well’s that I’ve read, some more than others, and I will most definitely look into her back-catalogue. I may even grab another of her Christmas romances (she has so many) to help cap off my 12 MM Holiday Romances of 2020!
Opening Line: “The dining table groaned under the weight of all the food Robin’s mom had prepared for Thanksgiving.”
Closing Line: “Thank you Santa. I love my present.” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)
Additional Quotes from A Guy for Christmas
“Robin feigned reluctance. He loved romantic movies, not that he’d ever admit as much to any of his family. I guess Mom and I are more alike than I’d thought.” (14)
“He was a firm believer in fate. If there was someone out there who was perfect for him, then nothing would keep them apart. And in the meantime, the skiing season was getting underway, so while he was waiting for Mr. Perfect, Dean wouldn’t be lonely.” (24)
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