Better Not Pout

Annabeth Albert writes a charming, moving holiday romance in Better Not Pout. Annabeth is particularly great at writing characters with hearts of gold. Teddy is a perfect example: a happy-go-lucky, friendly, generous guy who works at a nonprofit and puts his all into fundraising for the community. But despite his large family and roots in the town, he’s a little lonely as a gay guy without many romantic prospects.

In contrast, Nick is a somewhat isolated military police officer with tenuous family connections. He’s used to relying on himself above all else, and he’s been guarded against love since his last boyfriend left him.

With some fun holiday tropes included the Santa/elf volunteer work and a snowstorm that strands Nick overnight, Annabeth throws these two characters on a collision course with love. Nick won’t stand a chance as Teddy charms him and slowly melts away his reservations. A sweet holiday read!

This was a cute little Christmas read. It had a bit of a slow start for me. I had to warm up to Nick’s character. But as I read on. It started to flow for me. This book is a slow burn. But definitely worth it.

I didn’t like how Nick thought of himself as an old man… with one foot practically in the grave. He just felt he was way past his prime.
I felt Teddy came into his life right at the right time. He made Nick see that he could have a fun carefree life and relationship.

I loved Teddy’s character! He was very in the moment. He looked past all Nick’s grumpiness. He worked on Nick to open up and be with him. Teddy knew how to handle Nick.

They were so good together. I loved all their little moments. How Teddy always seemed to make things better and comfortable for Nick. He pushed little by little. And thawed Nicks heart. Showed him age doesn’t matter.

I loved Teddy’s Family. I loved how open they all were and how they were all up in each other’s business. Nick needed that.

Overall this was a good read!

*ARC provided by HARLEQUIN – Carina Press via Netgalley*

Wow, the best holiday read of the 2018 Holiday Season. This was a truly wonderful story, complete with all the romance, humor, and hot, sweaty sex Annabeth Albert does so well.

I fell hard for gruff and grouchy Sergeant Major Nicholas Nowicki, he was so ready for a bit of loving – and sweet, chipper Teddy is the perfect solution. They’re adorable together and hot damn smokin’ hot chemistry!

I’m happy to say the ending was absolutely perfect.

a copy of this book was provided by NetGalley for the purpose of my review

Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert is Teddy and Nick’s story.

This is a sweet May/December romance. Teddy and Nick’s paths cross when Nick is filling in as Santa as a favor for a friend. The attraction between them was apparent from the start. But Nick is retiring soon and moving to Florida plus he is a lot older than Teddy so this can only be a holiday romance.

I enjoyed Nick and Teddy’s story and characters. Teddy’s character is such a caring person but is lonely. Nick’s character is lonely too but doesn’t think he deserves true happiness. Will Teddy and Nick drop their walls of comfort and take a chance on love?

FYI, contains mature content. This is a M/M gay romance.

I am a HUGE fan of Annabeth Albert’s especially her HOT military romance – Out Of Uniform Series, I felt this story was a mix of that series as well as her sweeter romance, Portland Heat Series.

Nick is enlisted by his Commanding Officer to play Santa for the rec center since her husband isn’t able to do it this year do to medical reasons, and of course Nick cannot say NO even though the thought of it doesn’t sit well with him.

Teddy is the cutest elf going, so full of holiday spirit I need him to come to my house and help get me in the mood this year. Honestly he goes above and beyond what most would do and it warmed my heart to see that everyone loved and respected him because of his giving nature.

Nick and Teddy are about as opposite as you can get when it comes to the holidays, but a little time with Teddy and he can even turn a Scrooge into Santa.

This was a sweet holiday romance with plenty of steamy moments that will surly get you into the spirit of things no matter which holiday you celebrate. Annabeth’s books are always highly recommended by me and this one is no different, in Better Not Pout we have a Sweet and Sexy May-December Romance, Holiday Themed, with two likable Male leads. Happy Reading!!!

**I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book**

An assignment Nick couldn’t refuse put him in the ever-sunny orbit of Teddy, the resident elf that is far too tempting for the grumpy military man. Except pride and a slick road put him even closer to Teddy than he wanted to be…well, only when he was lying to himself. Snowed in together they end up giving in to their attraction and what they find makes both men a bit nervous. One night wasn’t enough, though, so for the month that Nick has left they decide to make the most of their time together. If neither man finds the courage to risk their heart and choose a life not according to their plan they’ll end up letting that month be their only time together and that would be enough to make any Jolly Old St. Nick or Cheery Elf rue a choice that should have brought a forever’s worth of Christmas warmth and love.

Nick rubbed me the wrong way at first. He’s so determined to be a grump that he’s not just gruff, he’s dismissive and insulting in an aloof, crotchety old man way. He eschews good sense in favor of avoidance and pride and ends up in a situation he could have been incredibly injured from. There’s nothing intelligent about that. And his misplaced sense of honor is also a bit frustrating. Although things do work out, it’s only when he softens and begins to yearn for something he believed was far beyond his reach that I warmed up to him. He needed every bit of Teddy’s effervescence and care so he could thaw and become the man that was always inside of him.

Without the experience with Nick, Teddy would have continued to live his life in a happy yet lonely way. He would have continued to shy away from risks and rejection because making the safe choice was the one he was most familiar with. I liked his zest for life and his gigantic heart. Those things made him the ideal partner for the taciturn man who had pretty much given up on himself.

Teddy also discovered things about himself with the distance between the men and I was glad that things didn’t resolve too quickly so both of them could realize what they needed as individuals to be happy and how they could go after who they wanted to share their lives with. I thought the legal decision regarding their future was cute and fitting for who both Nick and Teddy are. An overall sweet feeling bolstered by great characters that felt real and drew me in over the course of the story.

When I first read the blurb, I thought this book sounded like a Hallmark Christmas movie in print. I wasn’t wrong…but I wasn’t right either.

I was right in the sense of the storyline: optimistic and friendly elf meets grumpy sergeant major unwillingly dressed as Santa + small town setting + great cast of secondary characters. Of course, as the story progresses, and we peel back the layers of who Teddy and Nick are, we find out they’re much more than they appear to be, although happy elf and grumpy Santa never really go away. It’s who they are at their core, but it’s not all they are.

I was wrong in the sense that there’s much more sex in this book than there ever is in a Hallmark movie lol! And that’s where the book lost a star for me. Although I loved both Teddy and Nick, I found that for the length of this book, there was a bit too much sex. I would’ve preferred to see more relationship development and more of Teddy and Nick getting to know each other better.

That being said, this was so good! I liked Teddy and Nick separately–even when I wanted to smack Nick for being so stubborn–and I liked them together. They complimented each other well and they each brought something to the relationship, to the other’s life, that was lacking.

Wonderful characters, fun small town setting, great dialogue, humour mixed tenderness. Well-written and a throughly enjoyable holiday read!

4.5 Jolly Stars!
Review by Nancy
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog

Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert was phenomenal. It made me wish I could skip right into December. A slow burn opposites attract romance. This book was heartfelt, sexy, sweet and full of holiday cheer. I, for one, can read holiday novels year round, I know that’s not the case for everyone but this one is worth the read.

Nick has dedicated his entire life to the military but is now being forced into early retirement. He has decided to retire to Florida were he will go into business with other veterans. Before he can fully retire, he is will play Santa for the town’s charity foundation. A little grumpy and a lot sexy, he reluctantly makes his way to the charity foundation where, low and behold, he bumps into a very handsome elf.

Teddy, the director of the charity foundation, is young, good looking, funny and a family man. He is an extremely busy man with very few opportunities to find love. That is, until he meets the volunteer who will be playing Santa. Despite Nicks grumpy personality and their age gap, Teddy is going to take a leap and ask Nick out on a date. He knows he has about a month before Nick leaves for Florida but is willing to give it a go anyways.

The book starts off a little slow but quickly captured my full and utter attention. Nick and Teddy are perfect for each other. It’s very cliche, but they are the definition of opposites attract. Nick thinks he is way too old to be feeling an attraction towards Teddy, but Teddy is resilient and determined to make Nick see the beauty of the holiday season and hopefully along the way find love.

What started as a fling with a deadline, soon becomes an undeniable, full forced, steamy happily ever after. This book had it all! It was bittersweet, tugged at my heart, gave me all the feels, was a little bit angsty and very cheery. It was the perfect holiday novel!

4.5 stars- Better Not Pout is a comfy cozy holiday romance that was the perfect way to start my November. This May-December, opposites attract romance was relatively low angst with surprisingly high heat, and an easy read that was hard to put down. As I expected, the writing was smooth and well developed with a good flow between the narrative and dialogue. The characters had sufficient depth without getting too heavy, and the plot was well-rounded with a solid resolution that left me with a smile on my face.

From the outset I liked how Nick’s gruffness masked a tender, thoughtful soul, and I enjoyed watching his walls steadily come down as he fell in love with Teddy and the town of Mineral Spirits. Likewise, Teddy’s effervescent and giving spirit was contagious and simply made me happy. I loved the men’s exchanges and the romance was oh so sweet. It was lovely sort of different to have those languid moments between them drawn out. I especially loved how their opposite personalities parried back and forth, even in the bedroom, lending a fun, light-hearted vibe to their relationship. If you’re looking for a sweet love story to kick off this holiday season, I’d definitely recommend Better Not Pout.

*Received via Netgalley and reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

I would rate this 4.25 stars.

When I read the blurb that a military policeman and an elf get caught in a snowstorm, I knew I had to read the book. I’d read anything by this author anyway, but that’s just too much fun to pass up, right? The Sergeant Major is doing a favor for his CO by playing Santa for a charity event. Teddy is the director of a charity resource center for low income people and volunteers to be an elf. As Nick and Teddy get thrown together, they’re acting like more than a hookup, but there is a short timeframe on this romance as Nick is about to retire in a month and move away from base.

There’s a bit of an age difference here with Nick the grumpy “old man” in his forties and Teddy as the enthusiastic, sweet guy in his late twenties, but this is not Daddy kink. While you might expect this to be fluff, the characters are people who know life is not all fluffy. The connection Nick fights is real, the sex hot. I found them both cute in their own way. I enjoyed the alternating POV. I wanted these guys to get their happily ever after, and yes I could see all the ducks lining up in a row to make that happen, but it was no less charming. There was some angst to get there, not because anything awful happens, but because sometimes things don’t work out because people decide they won’t, rather than deciding that they will. That’s what made me cry.

The author does a good job of making me feel like I was watching all this, like I was at all the events. There are a few family members or friends highlighted–nothing that stands out a lot, but enough that the story feels three dimensional. People say you can’t fall in love in a month, but I was engaged a week after I met my spouse. This isn’t instalove; Nick and Teddy know everything they need to know about each other and have built a good foundation. The last chapter takes place a year later and shows what building a life together looks like. This was realistic, sweet, romantic, sexy, and I liked the characters.