Reviewed by Anna Lynn

TITLE:   A Boyfriend for Christmas

AUTHOR: Jay Northcote

PUBLISHER: Jaybird Press Limited

RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2019

LENGTH: 218 pages

BLURB:

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 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?

REVIEW:

Archibald “Archie” Arandale graduated college and is currently working for his father’s investment company. He could afford not to work because of a trust fund that he received on his twenty-first birthday, but as any child would, he wants his parents’ approval thus he took a job under his father.

Callum “Cal” Turner won the lottery a few years back. He invested his lottery money after paying off his mother’s mortgage and buying himself a house and a Harley. He doesn’t like to attend posh gatherings but as a client of an investment company, his best friend dares him to attend one. He is not your usual investor, he is covered in tattoos, rides a motorcycle, and is a tattoo artist himself.

Meeting each other at the fancy party hosted by the investment company is the start of an unlikely friendship between Archie and Cal. Archie is in the closet and still a virgin. After hanging out together and agreeing to keep in touch, Cal messages Archie that he is not looking for a relationship, Archie readily replies that it is the last thing he wanted as well since he is still in the closet, he just wants to have fun and gain some experience. Thus, they continue to see each other.

It is fun to read the interaction between the main characters when they first made love. As it is Archie’s first time, his innocence, awkwardness and eagerness is refreshing. After his initial shyness, he began asking for what he wants. But he still has to come out.

Many LGBTQ+ people keep their true sexual orientation a secret, afraid of being rejected and bullied. Some are lucky as their family accepts them for who they are but there are a lot out there who have been rejected and driven away from their homes. This book tells of one of these people – he is afraid of how his family will react to him coming out among other things. He is dying to come out but is so afraid of the fallout.

I appreciate the author’s sensitivity towards the topic and his in-depth thoughts through Archie’s character. The “coming out” process is different for each LGBTQ+ person and we only hope that most of them will get accepted for who they truly are because we are all people and we should always show acceptance and love!

RATING:

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