Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Secret Santa 
AUTHOR: Jay Northcote
NARRATOR: Hamish Long
PUBLISHER: Self published
LENGTH: 3 hrs and 44 mins
RELEASE DATE: December 14, 2020
BLURB:
Keeping secrets is never a good way to start a relationship.
Theo hardly has time to date. Between work and caring for his four-year-old son, there aren’t many hours left over. He’s lonely though, so he joins a hook-up app and starts chatting to a guy called Luke. Luke seems friendly, and they arrange to meet. Theo doesn’t mention that he has a child. It’s early days, and he’s worried about putting Luke off before they get to know each other.
Luke is currently working as Santa at the local shopping mall. He figures Theo never has to know. Christmas will be over soon, and Luke will move on to a new, less embarrassing job. He’s surprised when Theo and a little boy visit Santa one afternoon. Theo doesn’t recognize Luke, and Luke realizes he’s not the only one with a secret.
Despite misgivings on both sides, they start dating, and the chemistry is amazing. But as Christmas approaches, their secrets pile up like colorful packages under the tree. If they’re not careful, they’ll lose the best gift of all – each other.
REVIEW:
Secret Santa delivers a short, sweet holiday read showcasing two likeable men with palpable chemistry. As a holiday story, you might restrict this to December reading. However, Christmas only provides a temporal framework for the story. It doesn’t drive the events, the relationship, the warm and fuzzy feels. Those could easily occur in a different context with virtually the same story, minus Santa. The narrator, Hamish Long, stands out as the defining aspect of this audiobook. I’d listen to him read a dictionary any day of the week, any time of year.
Secret Santa was originally published in November 2017, although the audiobook is new (December 2020). I think of this novella as one bookend in a pair of light, enjoyable Jay Northcote holiday romances, along with the full-length novel A Boyfriend for Christmas (which I reviewed here), also released in audio format in December 2020. They both have a similar tone and Hamish Long skillfully infuses them both with audio dimension. Secret Santa is a quick shot of happy romance at less than 4 hours of listening time. Queuing this up for a quick listen while you drive, cook, work around the house, or just relax creates a perfect afternoon or evening.
With this story, Jay Northcote delivers a sweet, feel-good holiday tale. It showcases the main characters, Theo and Luke, finding love in the face of real world challenges. Theo is learning to navigate love as a single parent. He’s learning how to balance his needs with that of his precocious 4-year old son, Archie, who he always puts first. Luke is tired of hookups and is looking for lasting happiness. Their romance has an authenticity to it that I welcomed. Confusion and struggles abound, but there’s no manufactured or excessive angst. Just two people trying to find their way in uncharted waters.
Secret Santa is at times frustrating due to inexplicable lack of communication between Theo and Luke. Per the title, Theo and Luke harbor secrets that cloud their ability to see the other clearly and truly engage in a relationship. The lies, outright or by omission, are questionable from the outset. But to be fair, it’s not the first (or last) time a M/M romance relies on rationalized secret-keeping as the underlying conflict in the story. Belaboring the secret-keeping to a nonsensical degree here is what engenders the reader’s frustration. The premise devolves into Theo and Luke’s retention of secrets beyond time when revealing them seems obvious and holding them close no longer makes sense. This incites the reader’s need to slap the characters upside the head for their failure to communicate. Hence, frustration.
However, while Theo and Luke may struggle with communication, they don’t struggle at all with attraction. Their chemistry is undeniable. Once they get out of their own way and give up their secrets, their relationship organically develops into something really heartwarming and fulfilling, especially as it embraces Archie.
As enjoyable as this story is on its own, Hamish Long’s narration takes it to another level. Hamish Long (aka Joe Jameson, who you may have heard in Alexis Hall’s Boyfriend Material) delivers a superb vocal performance. His narrative style and vocalization is unique to him. You instantly identify him as the narrator. Yet he still accomplishes the feat of disappearing into the background. We hear characters, not a narrator reading lines. Hamish also demonstrates his abundant skills in characterization, developing the many aspects of Theo, Luke and Archie. His narration is rich and textured and captures all the nuances of Jay Northcote’s storytelling. His performance here amplifies all of the sweet and charming elements of this romance. Most importantly, his narration is accessible and friendly, making it easy to listen.
When Hamish Long is on the byline as narrator, it’s a no-brainer to one-click the audiobook. Secret Santa is no exception. With his narration paired with Joy Northcote’s writing, you can’t go wrong.
RATING: 
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