Archie’s posh parents want him to meet a nice girl—how can he tell them he’s fallen for a bad boy instead? Closeted, innocent and lonely, Archie Arandale longs for someone special in his life. A Christmas party organised by his wealth management company is the last place he expects to meet the man of his dreams.With his leather jacket, tattoos, and piercings, Cal Turner turns heads the moment he … heads the moment he walks through the door. He definitely isn’t looking for a boyfriend, but Archie’s hesitant charm captures his attention, and sneaking off during the party to have a little fun can only make a dull evening more interesting.
After their reckless and thrilling encounter, Archie is keen for more experience and Cal is happy to oblige. The need for secrecy means this can only be a casual fling, yet as they spend time together in the run up to Christmas, their feelings become more intense than either of them had bargained for. How can Archie find the courage to tell his family about Cal, when Cal’s the exact opposite of the ‘nice girl’ they’ve been hoping for?
Contains: A closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).
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A great romance of opposites really attracting. These two men have seemingly nothing in common yet they fit perfectly together. I was so worried for Archie during the break up period and I was so relieved that Cal reached out to him. The side characters of Cal’s mom and Archie’s sister really add a depth to the characters and their story.
Audiobook Review
Hamish Long, narrator
Overall Narrator Story
At this point, I’ve come to expect each book I pick up (that’s by Jay Northcote) is going to be wonderfully written, with likable, relatable, and well developed characters. This book just proves that.
My heart ached for Archie. I wanted to hug him, and I hate hugs. I loved the connection between Cal and Archie. It felt genuine, even when they didn’t want attachments. It wasn’t surprising that it grew from there. They complemented each other, and made the other better…just by being around them. It was easy to root for them.
Hamish Long did a great job with all the voices he had to do. He did an excellent job at keeping track. I was impressed. Not once did I forget who was talking; they were that distinctly different.
Young posh gay and a virgin, in the closet and staying there Archie was always doing what his parents told him.
At one of their financial business receptions which Archie was expected to attend he spotted Carl who in a leather jacket, motorbike helmet and tattoos was drop dead gorgeous and so not expected at one of these do’s.
This is a wonderful book written by Jay and Narrated beautifully by Hamish.
A HEA but with a small touch of drama.
A Boyfriend for Christmas
By: Jay Northcote
Narrated by: Hamish Long
Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
Overall
Narration
Story
Read at 1.15 speed on Audible
4 1/2 stars
This is the first I’ve read by this author.
A Boyfriend for Christmas is a familiar trope but the author kept it from being tired or stale.
Cal and Archie are interesting and well fleshed out. The secondary characters are supportive of the storyline and lend color to the piece. The environment is easily pictured and I could imagine the characters moving about in it.
I skipped over the local dialect/slang, choosing to read through instead of stopping to look it up after I saw the frequency with which the author used it. It only detracted a tiny bit from my enjoyment.
The romance between these two is believable and left me with confidence in their HEA. The spicy scenes are well done and their intimacy is sexy and sweet.
I look forward to more by this author.
I love the books and characters written by Jay, but especially at Christmas! There is so much romance and such wonderful solutions to everyday problems that you can’t help but hope the feeling lasts all year long. Families are tough and sometimes you have to roll with the punches…while other times you need to stand up for yourself against all the pressure they’re putting on you.
This is the perfect holiday read!
Archie is a closeted virgin who has a family that wants him to marry a “nice girl”. He meets tattooed, sexy, bad boy Cal at a company Christmas party. A night of fun with no strings turns into something more. Will Archie be able to come out to his family and introduce Cal? A good read.
I received a copy of this book and am leaving a review.
This is a sexy opposites at holiday romance with little to no angst. It’s been a while since I read a book with a fake relationship with someone other than MC2.
Opposites attract
Tattooed biker
Virgin MC
Dual POV
I loved Cal and Archie. They are so different but they fit together so well. This was funny and really hot. I loved Danny, Cal’s best friend. Their tradition of giving prank gifts was hilarious. All the secondary characters were well rounded and I really enjoyed this book.
This was such a heartwarming book and it is perfect for Christmas reading.
*ARC provided by the author via Signal Boost Promotions in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Another perfect Christmas story from Jay. Highly recommended.
This book left me feeling giddy and optimistic. It’s a hopeful and fun read, very heartwarming, and surprisingly naughty…
The author brilliantly captures those first nervous moments of falling for someone, wondering if they’ll like you back, the excitement as well as the awkwardness that can come with firsts of any kind, and most especially the passion and delicious rush you get when falling in love.
Archie and Cal are, at first glance, an unlikely, but utterly adorable pair. The posh rich kid and the tattooed, slightly older, biker… how can anyone resist reading this story 😉 I loved that despite the small age gap, Cal and Archie are always on an equal footing and feel incredibly at ease around each other, almost from their first meeting.
Jay Northcote has a knack for writing real-life characters who seem completely genuine and authentic, and he pulls it off here too. He always makes me feel as if I could meet his MC’s just by setting foot in a pub in England, or maybe during a hike in Wales. A Boyfriend For Christmas is a light-hearted holiday romance with a great set of secondary characters, even those that make a rather awful first impression, and a great epilogue. Loved the humor and the inspirational gag gifts!
I enjoyed A Boyfriend for Christmas. This opposites-attract, holiday romance had well-rounded characters and portrayed a believable coming out story I was happy to get lost in. The lower angst level and sweet ending delivered all those warm feelings I associate with holiday stories, though this one could certainly be enjoyed at any time of the year.
The characters in A Boyfriend for Christmas had a good amount of depth and I enjoyed getting to know them. I liked how the two were brought together because it created an interesting but believable intersection of these two very different men. Though the attraction and romance between Archie and Cal takes off quickly, it developed steadily enough to be authentic. While I would have liked to see more development in their relationship, especially after Archie comes out, their partnership was generally easy and enjoyable with a good level of heat, and I wasn’t left disappointed. I especially liked how the tone flitted between fun and seriousness throughout A Boyfriend for Christmas, creating a well-balanced story I’d definitely recommend.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
This is a sweet coming out novel by boat. I adore the quirky British language , makes u feel like you are in the story! Archie and Cal honestly shouldn’t work but they do and it’s cute! Another great read from this author!
Edited 12/18/20 to add my comments on the audiobook.
Audiobook review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Loved the story, loved the performance.
I loved this book so much when I read it a year ago and I loved it even more when I listened to Hamish Long’s fantastic performance of the story.
Archie and Cal are pretty much opposites. Archie is posh, a virgin and in the closet. Cal is tatted up, rides a Harley and is a bit rough looking. But these two connect and what starts out as Cal teaching Archie about gay sex, soon turns in to more for both of them.
The sexy time is hot and I could feel the chemistry between Archie and Cal – it never felt forced. There are interesting secondary characters in the story who supported both Cal and Archie. All-in-all this was just a great story that happened to take place at Christmastime.
Also, I can’t say enough good things about Hamish Long and his audio performances. As soon as I listened to my first book – pretty sure it was one of Jay’s Rainbow Place books – I was hooked. His voice and accents are always easy for me to understand.
A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
Original review below:
A great story!
When I first read the blurb for this book, it created mixed emotions for me. I’m not a huge fan of “bad-boy” books but I’ve always enjoyed Jay Northcote’s writing so I wanted to give it a try – and I’m so glad that I did.
Archie Arandale is a virgin who’s only recently admitted to himself that he likes boys, not girls. He’s from a wealthy family, has a trust fund and his father wants him to come work with him. His political views are vastly different from his father’s and he wants to start a non-profit to support LGBT youth, especially ones who are afraid to come out.
Cal Turner isn’t really what I’d think of as a bad boy. Yes, he’s got tats all over, he rides a Harley and he wears kind of rough looking clothes. Some people, including Archie’s parents, think that’s enough for him to qualify as bad. However, he’s also very compassionate, donates money to charity, loves his mother and has a steady job as a tattoo artist.
I loved how these two characters go from a hot first encounter in a bathroom to something more over time. It’s hard for both of them to admit they want more than just friends with benefits but once they do, the obstacle becomes Archie not being out to his family.
I also enjoyed the humor in the story. The gag gifts that Cal exchanges with his best mate are a hoot. There’s a fair amount of alcohol consumption in this story but I love how Jay made all of the characters be very responsible drinkers.
The on-page sexy time is hot and I could feel the chemistry between Archie and Cal – it never felt forced. There are interesting secondary characters in the story who are there support both Cal and Archie. All-in-all this was just a great story that happened to take place at Christmastime.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***