Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE:  A Boyfriend for Christmas

AUTHOR:  Jay Northcote

NARRATOR:  Hamish Long

PUBLISHER:  Self

LENGTH:  6 hrs and 2 mins

RELEASE DATE:  12/11/2020

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 organized 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?

Contains: a closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).

REVIEW:

Narrator Hamish Long’s performance in A Boyfriend for Christmas amplifies all of the sweet and charming elements of this opposites attract, coming out romance.  Archie is a posh, sheltered, adorable virgin who is magnetized by the tatted up biker Cal.  The feeling is immediately and evidently reciprocal, much to the reader’s delight.  What starts out as Cal “helping” Archie get sexual experience, not surprisingly morphs into attachment and then love.  Cal is new money, having a blue color background; he came into significant wealth when he won the state lottery.  In contrast, Archie is old money and travels in the upper echelon of society with all the attendant expectations, much to his chagrin.  Ideologically though, they are of the same mind.  They are both down-to-earth and charitable minded.  So really they’re only opposites in appearance, but in Archie’s social circles, appearance is everything.  

The author tells this story with a refreshing amount of realism and portrays tender yet steamy interactions between these two men as they forge their way to each other against the odds.  The holiday aspect of this story is really a red herring.  This is a lovely romance that could take place any time of year.  Christmas only lingers in the background and serves to demarcate a milestone in Archie and Cal’s relationship.  If you are looking for an abundance of holiday cheer with all the trappings, this book will be a disappointment in that regard.  However, it is otherwise an excellent read in all other respects.

The star of the show here is the narrator himself.  Hamish Long (aka Joe Jameson) delivers a superb vocal performance.  I heard his narration for the first time when listening to the (also excellent) audiobook of Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall.  He narrated under Joe Jameson in that one and having never heard him before, I was absolutely blown away.  Upon starting A Boyfriend for Christmas, I was immediately greeted with the dulcet tones I associated with Joe and realized Hamish Long was one and the same.  His narration is that recognizable, mainly due to his uniquely developed style.  I felt like Cal in that moment, unexpectedly having hit the jackpot with this audio rendition.  

Hamish/Joe demonstrates his abundant skills in characterization, richly developing the many aspects of Cal and Archie.  He particularly shined in communicating Archie’s inner turmoil and vulnerability.  He also adeptly illuminated the class conflict in his choice of voices:  deeper and grittier for Cal, light and refined for Archie.  He defines each character as their own person, enabling him to put on a one-man show with a wide variety of characters.  But where he really gives a master class is in his accents;  he has an amazing range, accuracy and delivery.  His narration is rich and textured and captures all the nuances of the author’s terrific storytelling.  Most importantly, his narration is accessible and friendly, making it easy to fall into this thoroughly enjoyable romance.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

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