He’s Mr. Right Now, but for how long? When Russ suffers a Thanksgiving disaster, his gorgeous neighbor Esteban is there to save the day. And after an innocent mix-up leads to the former Hollywood hottie playing the role of Russ’s date, Russ thinks scoring Esteban as his fake boyfriend is a huge win. The newly discharged marine is healing inside and out and could use some holiday cheer.For his … cheer.
For his part, Esteban is intrigued by his big, bad neighbor. He likes how his matchmaking cat brings out an unexpected caring side of Russ. Desire flares as the reasons to continue their ruse pile up for both men.
And pretending feels so good. From chocolaty kisses to late night cuddles, their burgeoning friendship is getting cozier and cozier. But as the end date for their little deception looms, all the real feelings they’ve tried to ignore come tumbling in. Each must decide whether they have what it takes to ring in the New Year as a couple.
Mr. Right Now is a stand-alone holiday novella with sweet, low-angst feels, spicy love scenes, and foodie inspired, quirky Oregon romance with a military flavor. Happy ending guaranteed with no cliffhangers!
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Perfect boys next door Christmas romance from Annabeth Albert
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/2020/10/11/review-mr-right-now-by-annabeth-albert/
zZz: I have given this short story 3 stars because I do not do halves, otherwise it would have been a 2.5 stars. And even that could be considered generous. It is not a bad book per se, but it is overwhelmingly boring. What does it happen during the story? Basically nothing. Some drama about family acceptance and rebound disappointment are presented, but never treated fairly and with any kind of depth. So why bother? The result feels incomplete. Even for a light reading with Holidays in its soul.
So, why have I not failed this book? Well, the character are OK and interesting (waaay too complex for such short story, though) and the meet cute is rather enjoyable. A bit underdeveloped, but enjoyable nonetheless.
I’m a bit disenchanted lately with Annabeth’s books…
Fake to Real
I love the thread of the story of being fake boyfriends until it is finally real. I got a bit frustrated at times with Esteban who let a past experience hold him back from Russ. Russ was strong enough to take a stand. Russ is a strong character whose past required a lot to overcome. It was great to finally see their lives blending together.
This book gave me such warm, fuzzy feels, which makes me perfect for the holiday season. Russ is experiencing a disaster of a Thanksgiving day until he meets his hot older neighbor Esteban, who swoops in and saves the day. This leads to a fake boyfriend situation that quickly evolves into a true friendship, and then much, much more. SO sweet. I highly recommend.
Accidental pretend boyfriend turns into more: steamy, sweet and surprising
Almost 30yo Russ is getting over his very first male/male relationship after getting out of the Marines. He’s also noticing his next-door neighbor who has at least one of his two cats who keeps finding himself at Russ’s door. What’s with that? Matchmaking cat? Russ is a really sweet guy looking for a relationship like he sees his sister and her husband have.
Almost 40yo Esteban ran off to LA after school b/c he came out to his family and it was not good. He became an actor in several minor roles but is noticed by some people because of his commercials. He came home when his “Mami” got sick.
Russ is in a predicament and Esteban comes to his aid, but their relationship is misunderstood when Russ’ family show up for Thanksgiving dinner. What a delightful short book. There is steam too, once they accidentally accept what was simmering between them.
I volunteered to review this book for A Novel Take PR and it comes highly recommended for those who enjoy medium heat M/M romance.
This short and sweet fake boyfriend romance was fun. Russ an ex- military man needed help cooking and received from Esteban. Together they made it through the holidays and found their happily ever after.
It’s that time of the year when I get addicted to holiday romances and this book with fake relationship that turns real, an ex military adorable man and Thanksgiving goodness is just perfect!
This is a fluffy romance with basically no angst. Annabeth Albert is one of my favourite authors and this novella will definitely put you in the holiday spirit! It gave all the warm feelings!! Loved Esteban and Russ, their cooking lessons and shopping trips. This book will definitely make you smile throughout and the epilogue was just beautiful!
And Esteban has two cats named after Klance?!(Keith and Lance from Voltron) Obviously that man has got his shipping priorities right!
*ARC provided by the author via A Novel Take PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Annabeth Albert at her best!
I love books by Annabeth Albert – short or long; the first ones of hers that I read were novella length and I really loved them. Not everyone can write shorter length books and do it well but Annabeth sure does.
The blurb for this book is really good so I won’t rehash it. Annabeth Albert’s writing always gets all of my emotions involved and Mr. Right Now was no exception. Russ’s plans for cooking Thanksgiving dinner for his sister and her family go awry when his boyfriend bails on their relationship.
Enter his hot neighbor, Esteban, who knows way more about cooking than Russ does. Esteban agrees to help and, through a mix-up, ends up agreeing to be his fake boyfriend until after the dinner. One thing leads to another and their fake relationship has to continue for much longer than originally planned.
I love how this book slowly goes from fake boyfriends, to real friends, to short-term lovers to a real relationship. The story has a wonderful HEA and gives us a look at Russ and Esteban a year down the road; this always makes me so happy!
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*** (posting November 29, 2019)
Russ and his sexy neighbor Esteban enter a fake relationship to save Russ’s Thanksgiving dinner but then need to continue for his promotion and then Esteban’s charity and then so on….they can’t seem to be able to end the fake relationship as they planned. But as they continue to fake it they realize that what began as fake they actually want to turn into reality. It’s a really sweet, sexy and full of good feelings story.
This is a short, sweet read. Russ who is struggling after leaving the Marines gets help from his neighbor, Esteban, after a disastrous attempt at cooking. Esteban is unsure about his silent, surly neighbor, but they are soon mistaken for a couple by Russ’s family. But along with the holiday season, this is a festive read with two men getting to know each other and realizing that they are perfect for one another. A great read!!
*happy sigh* I love Annabeth!! This novella/short story was perfect! Sweet and endearing and sexy in all the right places! Such a great story with little to no angst! What more can you ask for?! LOL I think what I loved about the story itself is its believability or better put, the connection I felt to the relationship. I’m not a big fan of short stories that just BAM you with the HEA from one chapter to the other and this story did not do that at all. I connected and believed in Russ and Esteban! It was great!
This novella is brimming with holiday spirit, family, and fun.
Russ is in a mess. His boyfriend just broke up with him and backed out of helping with Thanksgiving dinner and he just burned one of the dishes. He is rescued by his acquaintance and neighbor, Esteban. He steps in and saves the meal and ends up posing as Russ’s boyfriend in front of his family and boss. The situation benefits both of them at work as well for various reasons.
Russ is ex-military and still transitioning into his new life and job. He is a big teddy bear who is sweet, kind, and caring. Esteban is an ex-actor who works for a charity organization. He is confident and vibrant, but still feeling the effects of a betraying ex and the loss of his mother. He is scared to be involved in a relationship and be hurt again…especially a rebound.
But as they complete activities they need to as a fake couple and sneak in some more not-date-dates, they are developing a close friendship. They like the challenge, companionship, fun, and support they bring to each other. But as they slide through the holiday season, the fake becomes more real. And as the attraction builds, the boundaries and reasons they set for self-protection are supposed to keep a lid on it, but sometimes things boil over. They will both have to decide if they are willing to take a risk and trust that they can make it real or go through with their planned fake break up.
I enjoyed all the side characters from their families that were so important to them. These two are surrounded by people that cared about them but are also still afraid of rejection. I loved the personalities of both of these guys and their chemistry. Even though they are different in age, experiences, and even physical type, they really complemented each other. I liked that there is not a lot of angst, but there is plenty of humor and emotion. This is a story about believing in themselves and someone else, going after dreams, and not settling. It is a perfectly engaging, delectable delight for the holiday season.
I was gifted an ARC in exchange for an honest review