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.
Length: 90,000 word approx.
Cover Design: Wicked Smart Design
Amazon US
Amazon UK
What a great story! Yes, it was, but wow, tough in places.
Mr Frosty Pants was actually a tough story for me to read, personally. The issues that Joel had with his father, post-stroke, I’ve had some experience with from my own father, and it’s tough to deal with. Leta Blake did an amazing job of portraying that well. Essentially anything “held back” pre-stroke is off the table post-stroke, and the patient will say whatever is on their mind, and demand. It was tough to read, but heartening to see how Joel was able to finally stand up for himself, and allow himself to live, and love, as he’d wanted for so many years.
Casey, despite his lack of communication with Joel during his time away, kept his torch for Joel smoldering, and wanted to get that fire burning as soon as he returned. His parents, snobs at best, bigots at worst, tried to make additional waves for Casey, but as often happens only managed to push their son further away.
The strongest aspect though of the story was Joel’s growth as a person. He was able to stand up for himself with his father, as well as be willing to take chances with his businesses, when it was clear that prior to that he’d only ever hoped for quiet on his property, and to be able to eek out the barest of existences. Very heartening to read. Truly showed his spirit!
4.5 pieces of eye candy
Author of the bestselling book Smoky Mountain Dreams and the fan favorite Training Season, Leta Blake’s educational and professional background is in psychology and finance, respectively. However, her passion has always been for writing. She enjoys crafting romance stories and exploring the psyches of made up people. At home in the Southern U.S., Leta works hard at achieving balance between her day job, her writing, and her family.
Patreon | Website | Facebook | Twitter
