Christmas is looming and Jack De Lacy needs a solution to one hell of a fix.Dumped by his boyfriend in favour of his best friend, Jack’s been busy bragging about the hot new man in his life.A hot new man who doesn’t exist.With an important function to attend where he’ll come face-to-face with his ex, Jack knows he’ll be a laughing stock when his boasts are exposed as nothing more than wishful … exposed as nothing more than wishful thinking. He’s desperate but time, like his options, is running out.
Rory Kincaid is scared he won’t last another night sleeping rough on London’s frozen, snowbound streets. With all the homeless shelters full, Rory seeks refuge in the first empty doorway he stumbles across.
Finding Rory shivering in the sub-zero temperatures, Jack can no more send him away than kick a puppy out into the cold. A shower, shave and hot drink later, and the grubby street kid is transformed into a beautiful young man.
As the attraction between them grows, so does a plan that will get Jack out of the mess he’s in and give Rory a warm, safe home for Christmas. Sweet and adorable, Rory will make a great fake boyfriend for the festive season – the problem is, neither Jack nor Rory is sure where the make-believe ends and the truth begins.
Warning: this 37k novella contains a camp Christmas tree, a drag queen Christmas fairy called Doris, way too many jugs of eggnog, a closet posh boy, and the sweetest Kiss Before Christmas ever.
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What a delightful story, set before Christmas, Jack broken hearted and determined to drink his sorrows away as he mourns the loss of Sam, his boyfriend who ran off with his best friend. After boasting to his friends/family that he has a new boyfriend, he’s not looking forward to Christmas with his family, and not having a special someone to take with him. He stumbles upon Rory, down on his luck and homeless, will Rory take his mind off Sam for an hour or two. I love the description of the main characters, you can picture them so easily.
The narration by Dan Calley is once again wonderful with his seductive tones, love listening to his books. This book is full of ups and downs but in the end we do get an HEA. A beautiful start, can’t wait to read /listen to book 2 in this series.
Heart-warming Christmas Tale (an audio review)
I listened to this story on Christmas Day, and that felt appropriate. These days homelessness is becoming more and more frequent, and although Rory wasn’t homeless because he was gay, he had faced a set of circumstances that led him to being that way. Things that could happen to any of us. And although he wound up on Jack’s doorstep, it could have gone horribly wrong. In those temperatures, he might have died. That happens to people and it’s beyond tragic. That many of us live in wealthy countries and there are homeless speaks to a distinct lack of empathy and will to do something about it.
But I digress.
Rory does wind up on Jack’s doorstep and Jack is unable to send the young man away into a raging snowstorm. At first, it’s just a sandwich. Then, okay, a shower. Then… Yeah. So Jack essentially has a new roommate for at least the next few days. But Rory might also be the solution to Jack’s problem. Jack was dumped by his boyfriend and then betrayed by his best mate. The two most important men in Jack’s life hooked up under his nose and left him high and dry. That Jack has to be around them for a charity he volunteers for just rubs salt in the wound.
Not wanting to seem like a loser, Jack has made up a boyfriend. Now that Christmas is here, people in his life (including his well-meaning family) are clamouring to meet said boyfriend. Rory offers to help and with a growing attraction between the men, it seems the solution. Except Jack hasn’t been honest with Rory about who he really is and that is bound to make a difference. So the question is…will they still be together in the New Year?
I have to say I enjoyed this audio. It was on the short side but that was okay because the story came together really nicely. And as someone who struggles through Christmas, this was the perfect story of two people coming together and finding love.
Now, of course I have to mention Dan Calley. He’s a great narrator and I always enjoy his performances. So yes, a little holiday cheer is in order and I’ve scoped out there are two more books in the series and I plan to pick them up.
A Kiss Before Christmas is the first book in the Rory and Jack series, a sweet, contemporary romance that made my heart feel warm once I finished it. Jack finds Rory shivering in the cold, homeless and alone. In act of good will, Jack lets Rory stay with him to weather out the worst of the cold. Soon they become friends and feelings start to bloom. The entire story is full of sweetness with just enough angst to introduce even more sweet and cute moments to soothe away the angst. I really enjoyed this book and immediately fell in love with Rory and Jack.
The audiobook was narrated by Dan Calley who did a fantastic job with the narration. I love Dan’s voice and he really brought a lot of emotional tenderness to this audiobook performance. The audiobook production was well done and a really enjoyable listen.
August 20, 2020 edited to add my comments on the audiobook.
Audiobook Review
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
I loved this book so much when I read it and listening to the fantastic voice of Dan Calley brought back all the feels I got when I read it back in November 2018. Dan does great voices and his performance style is easy to listen to. I can’t wait to start listening to the next book in this series!
A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.
Below is a copy of what I wrote when I reviewed the ebook:
A wonderful, sweet, Christmas story and I loved it!
OMG, I loved this book so much! I’m a huge fan of A E Ryecart’s books and this one just might take first place for me now (but I still love the Barista Boys). This book hit me in the feels everywhere; it broke my heart in places and then put it back together again. Please read the blurb, it’s good.
A Kiss Before Christmas has lots of hurt/comfort to it and a fake boyfriend angle. I practically bawled my eyes out in a couple of places (but that means I really loved it) for the things that Rory faced before Jack found him.
Don’t think that it’s all angsty, though, as there were some places that I burst out laughing. When Rory encounters Jack’s former boyfriend, Sam:
“Hello again. It’s Stan, isn’t it?”
Rory beamed what he hoped was his widest, brightest smile as he put out his hand. Sam looked at it as if he were being offered fresh turd on toast. Rory refused to drop his hand, forcing Sam into responding to the greeting with a limp touch of palms.
“No, it’s not. My name’s Sam.”
I know, dickhead.
And just a bit later:
Rory wrapped the fingers of his free hand around Jack’s, bringing their entwined hands to his lips for a small kiss. From under his lashes, he glanced across at Sam. Oh God, it looks like he’s straining for a shit. Sam was red-faced, his features tight and screwed up in a deep frown. Rory’s stomach started to ache as he struggled to hold his laughter in.
I can’t recommend this Christmas novella enough. Ms. Ryecart, your first Christmas story is a winner!
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***