Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Tic-Tac-Mistletoe
AUTHOR: N.R. Walker
NARRATOR: Glen Lloyd
PUBLISHER: Bluehart Press
LENGTH: 5 hours and 18 minutes
RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2020
BLURB:
Hamish Kenneally is moving from Australia to the US for a fresh start, beginning with Christmas at his sister’s place in Idaho. When a snowstorm diverts his plane to Montana and leaves him stranded two days before Christmas, he hires a car and drives right into a blizzard.
Ren Brooks has always called Hartbridge, Montana, and his family hardware store, home. After a few failed attempts at love, he’s resigned to being single forever—after all, no guy wants to stay in his sleepy little town for long. And after his dad’s passing earlier in the year, Ren’s Christmas is looking bleak. But when a car runs off the road in front of his property, Ren pulls the driver out and takes him home to get out of the cold.
With the storm and the holidays leaving Hamish with nowhere else to go, Ren kindly offers a place to stay. Hamish is certain he’s crashed right into a Hallmark Christmas movie, despite more car delays and road closures and the prospect of not seeing his sister for Christmas. And with help from Hamish, Ren is beginning to feel a little Christmas cheer.
These two unlikely strangers have more in common than they first realise, and after two days of Christmas decorations, cookies, and non-stop conversation, it looks like Christmas might be saved after all.
REVIEW:
Hamish Kenneally is having a very bad day. He’s left his home in Australia for a 2-year stint in America. He’s going to see his sister for the first time in four years as she’s moved to the States and gotten married. Their parents are gone and so Hamish is thrilled to be reunited with her just in time for Christmas. But then a storm hits and he doesn’t late at the original airport and he has to now drive – on the wrong side of the care and the wrong side of the road into a blizzard to reach her. That doesn’t work out so well.
Reynold Brooks has closed up his hardware store and is getting ready to start his first Christmas holiday on his own when he hears a car horn. It’s Hamish having driven off the road, stuck in the snow. He drives out to get him in his truck and brings him home since the car won’t start. Hamish explains his situation and Ren does his best to help. He feels bad for the guy – he’s flown all the way from Australia only to have things go sideways when he’s finally getting close to his destination. But the storm is bad and he won’t be going anywhere. So Ren offers him his spare room for the night. And he does his best to help in any other way also.
Hamish is exhausted by his ordeal, but he thinks he’s picking up a vibe from Ren. And Ren gets all his pop culture references and even has named his dog after a character in Legally Blonde. Is that something a straight guy would do? But he’s too tired to think about it anymore. But the next day he gets some answers. And things get better as the car is at the shop and phone service returns so he can get in touch with his sister. Hamish also finds out that Ren has lost his father in the last year, so this could be a lonely Christmas for him. But Hamish is determined to return the favor that Ren has done him and make it a good Christmas for him – with some new memories and some old traditions. And the more time the spend together, the more it seems they have in common and the more time they wants to spend together 😉 They are so cute! To find out what happens, you’ll just have to listen 😀
This is one of the most delightfully happy holiday stories I’ve read in some time. Hamish and Ren are truly a Hallmark Christmas movie in the making. I adored how Hamish was himself the whole time – his pink coat, his pink hat, his emotional state after a really rough day – just all of it. I also loved how Ren felt so free and comfortable with Hamish almost immediately. He was intrigued by Hamish and found him completely adorable almost from the moment they met. Ren’s dog? Adorable and there a number of awesome shout outs to Legally Blonde and Schitt’s Creek. While there is some pathos around Ren’s first Christmas without his dad and the delay in Hamish seeing his sister after four long years, this is on the whole just a fabulously cute and cuddly rom com. Seriously. Hallmark should option this for next year’s round of holiday movies.
Glen Lloyd is a new to me narrator and his seamless transitions from Australian accent to American accent were so spot on. I could even overlook the pronunciation of The Home Depot (because of course it’s a VERY American way we pronounce it 😉 ) I enjoyed his humor and his sparkle in narrating this lovely little gem of a story with a fabulous HEA. N.R. Walker absolutely nails the ambiance and feeling of a Christmas in Montana. I know I’ll be listening to this for years to come – it’s definitely a comfort read. Well done all! Highly recommended 🙂
RATING:
BUY LINKS:
Audible
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