***This story is the prequel to Gray and Scottie’s story, The Lion Tamer.***When a rugby bad boy butts heads with a retired Marine, which alpha male becomes top dog?Scottie Monk came out of the womb angry at the world. He’s selfish and bitter. “Bah humbug!” rolls off his tongue far easier than “Happy Christmas.”Gray Baird has dedicated his life to public service as a Marine Corps officer and … his life to public service as a Marine Corps officer and later as a police chief. The decorated hero finds it impossible to ignore autistic twins in desperate need of holiday spirit. He’ll be the grumpiest Santa in the world if it puts a smile their faces. And he’ll drag a reluctant Scottie along for the ride.
This December, Gray and Scottie collide while unexpectedly playing Santa.
>>> The short story The Unexpected Santa is book five in Dahlia Donovan’s international bestselling gay romance series, The Sin Bin. Each one features hot rugby players and the men who steal their hearts. This is not a stand-alone story. It is recommended that readers have read at least The Royal Marine prior to reading The Unexpected Santa.
more
Short holiday teaser for Sin Bin’s The Lion Tamer
Irrepressible hothead drunk/former rugby player Scottie is a swearing grump, but this short prequel for The Lion Tamer takes care of two issues well:
– It provides a window into Scottie’s troubled childhood and the reason for his wildly inappropriate behavior; and
– It establishes the power play attraction between Scottie and American security expert/former Marine Gray Baird.
The tension between the two men is palpable and the presence of autistic sibs Alice and Alex at their Christmas get together only gives them time for the tension to build.
Yes, it ends before things really take off between them, but it was still a good story.
I didn’t read the description before I read this one, because I love the Sin Bin Series and I love the authors others works as well, so I jumped at the chance to read this book. The one book I haven’t read of hers is The Royal Marine, which is the one it says to read before this, of course that’s my luck! Even without having read that installment, I still enjoyed this short holiday read. I may not have known the entire history, but I knew some of the other characters mentioned from other Sin Bin books. After reading this, now I am going to download the Royal Marine and read it. This is a fun read with some seriously grumpy, yet lovable characters. I look forward to the next book from this author!
3.5 stars
Having read The Royal Marine, I was familiar with Scottie and was looking forward to reading about the one to finally tame this contrary, not so likable man. Enter the silver fox, Gray, who is almost as cranky as Scottie, but is certainly persistent about what he wants – and may be exactly what Scottie needs. I loved Gray’s interactions with the twins and how they grew on him, softening him up a bit for Christmas. The story is very fast paced and did hold my interest, but the biggest drawback for me was the abrupt ending. I would’ve preferred at least some form of a conclusion rather than the cliffhanger, but I am invested enough in these characters to watch for the next part of their story to see where it goes.
The Unexpected Santa is the fifth book in The Sin Bin series, and this story focuses on a particular holiday, which you can guess by the title. Scottie is one of the Sin Bin members that I have always had trouble warming up. He is brash, obnoxious, and is more than happy to throw his own pity party – drink included. With stalker tendencies, and an amazing ability to sulk when things don’t go his way, I wasn’t 100% sure about reading this book. However, after seeing how Gray dealt with him in Akash’s book, I was willing to give him a go.
I’m glad I did!
Now, don’t get me wrong – Scottie is still a big pain in the posterior! He has a lot of learning to do, and I think that Gray is just the one to help him. In the meantime, Gray has promised that he will look out for the twins, and will protect them from everyone and everything – even Scottie. In turn, the twins help tone down some of Scottie’s rough edges, as even he can’t be awful all the time. With the twins and Gray on his case, Scottie doesn’t stand a chance. He just doesn’t realise it yet. He is just what Gray has been looking for, and in return, Gray will give Scottie everything he needs. In turn, I’m hoping that Scottie will become a character I can read about without giving myself eye-strain as they involuntarily roll so much.
With seasonal cheer from two Christmas grumps, this book is an unexpected delight, and a wonderful addition to The Sin Bin series. No editing or grammatical errors disrupted my reading flow, and the pacing was smooth throughout. With enough to satisfy and yet still keep you wanting more, I have no hesitation in recommending this book or the series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books!