Be careful what you wish for…
Nate has been in love with Quinn, his brother’s best friend, for as long as he can remember. But when he finally gets the chance to show Quinn how he feels, his heart gets broken in the most unexpected way.
Second chances come when you least expect them…
Quinn doesn’t believe in miracles, especially not Christmas ones. When he decides to win Nate back he knows it won’t be easy. The last thing he expects is a health scare, a road trip and a vicious snow storm to work in his favor.
In the end, a cabin in the woods turns out to be not only the shelter they desperately need, but also Quinn’s very own Christmas miracle.
Sometimes, to forgive, you need to get snowed in…
*Stand alone novella, not connected to any series
Amazon
This holiday novella follows Nate and Quinn, through their very young adulthood for part one. Then again several years later for part two, as they get to their HEA.
Nate was such a sweet young man in part one, who couldn’t wait to see the man he had been in love with since they met. Quinn left town, and broke his heart, and Nate became an angry, promiscuous man, who hated Quinn upon seeing him again.
I will admit, that after Quinn broke Nate’s heart at the end of part one, I was angry myself. I couldn’t read the novella for a while after that, stewing in my anger, much the way Nate seemed to do. When Quinn came back, to win Nate over, I was hesitant at first too, not knowing why Quinn left in the first place. He tried to convince Nate that he wanted him back, that he wanted to make up for the pain he had caused.
I did have a few issues with the characterizations in this novella, though. There might be a few small spoilers ahead, so you are warned.
The brain tumor of Quinn’s roommate led the pack here. Quinn felt beholden to the roommate as he got sick, and that he needed to care for him. That was the type of person he was, wanting to take care of a man who had taken care of him. However, in all honesty, they had been roommates and friends, so why would Quinn choose to hurt a man so tremondously, that he claimed to love, because someone who was a friend was sick? Could it be because he didn’t want Nate to see him struggling to deal with it? Perhaps. Another reason might have been their ages. Making a decision like that, at that age, could very well be what someone would think was best. However, for me, it didn’t strike me as something someone who loves you would do.
In addition, remembering that Nate’s parents had taken in Quinn, much as the roommate had, why would the roommate win over Quinn’s devotion more than Nate? Was it because Nate had his brother and parents, and the roommate had no one? That is entirely possible, but again, I go back to the fact that the roommate was just a friend, and Nate could have easily been a source of support for Quinn as he helped the man die with dignity.
All that being said, I definitely felt the connection between these two. One of the issues sometimes with novellas is they are so fast, it’s hard to feel the connection that the reader wants in order to get to the HEA satisfactorily. In this case, that wasn’t an issue. Because Nate and Quinn had a connection prior to expressing their love to each other, the reader was able to feel that bond reform as they traveled towards Denver, and found themselves at the place that their previous falling out had taken place.
There was so much to love in this novella, two men who tiptoed around each other for years, then had to find a way to go from enemies to lovers, some hot sex scenes (because Teodora can definitely write some of those!), and an awesome cover, that my other issues could be put to the backburner somewhat.
I definitely enjoyed this one, and was glad I got a chance to read it. I would love to read a little more on these men. How they were able to work through some of the lingering anger and fears to solidify their relationship could be an entirely different novella!
3.75 pieces of Eye Candy for me
Hi, my name is Teodora and I live in London with my husband and my son. I’ve been writing ever since I can remember, but it became my full time job a few years ago when I decided that everything else I’ve tried bores me to death and I have to do what I’ve always wanted to do, but never had the guts to fully embrace. I’ve been a journalist, an editor, a personal assistant and an interior designer among other things, but as soon as the novelty of the new, exciting job wears off, I always go back to writing. Being twitchy, impatient, loud and hasty are not qualities that help a writer, because I have to sit alone, preferably still, and write for most of the day, but I absolutely love it. It’s the only time that I’m truly at peace and the only thing I can do for more than ten minutes at a time – my son has a bigger attention span than me.
When I’m procrastinating, I like to go to the gym, cook Italian meals (and eat them), read, listen to rock music, watch indie movies and True Blood re-runs. Or, in the worst case scenario, get beaten at every Nintendo Wii game by a kid.
Don’t be shy and get in touch – I love connecting with my readers.
Blog: www.teodorakostova.blogspot.com
Twitter: @Teodora_Kostova
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E-mail: t.t.kostova@gmail.com
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