Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Merry & Sprite

AUTHOR:  Dani Lakely

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  177 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 5, 2021

BLURB: 

Opposites attract in this hilarious and sexy holiday romance with a little bit of magic and a whole lot of heart.

Jonathan’s to-do list:
1. Deck the halls
2. Throw Forrest off the nearest cliff

Jonathan Thomas moved across the country to escape his ex, only to end up planted next to a guy who drives him even further out of his mind. Forrest Wilde has no problem doing every little thing he can to work Jonathan’s last nerve, crashing into his tidy life and well-built walls with obnoxious flirtations and merry mischief.

When Jonathan is mysteriously hit with a spell that forces him to grant the wishes of the local townsfolk, he strikes a deal with Forrest to help him find a cure. As the saying goes, keep your friends close, and the impossibly hot guy who may just be an imp closer.

Toeing the line between naughty and nice, Jonathan and Forrest work together to break the spell. But as the tension between the two nears its breaking point, Jonathan is forced to decide if it’s really hate he feels — or something he’s willing to risk everything on for the greatest wish of all.

Merry & Sprite is a slow-burn contemporary MM Christmas romance set in a small beach town on the Southern California coast. The story features enemies-to-lovers, hijinks and banter, rival Christmas tree farms, and a little black cat. This warm-hearted romantic comedy is sure to cast its spell on you this holiday season!

REVIEW:  

Jonathan Thomas has moved to Sunset Surf, a small seaside town in California to manage his Aunt’s tea shop while she’s away.  He’s also been through a bad breakup with a lying cheating ex and he’s never going to put himself in that position again!  And certainly not with Forrest Wilde, proprietor of Be Hoppy, the bar across the street from TranquiliTea 😉  Forrest stops over every morning for a cup of tea – that he throws away after his morning banter with Jonathan – who he insists on calling Jonny (not his name).  They clash about Forrest’s loud music interfering with events at the Tea shop.  Forrest is the most chill happy-go-lucky guy – the exact opposite of buttoned up, tightly wound Jonathan.  And never mind that Forrest is THE most gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on with his big muscly surfer dude energy.  When Jonathan complains about the awful and loud punk Christmas music coming from the bar, Forrest is nonplussed.  But on his way out Jonathan is bonked on the head – and he begins to see stars – or glowing lights – or something 😉

Somehow through this conk on the head, Jonathan can now see people’s deepest wishes through visions.  And until he grants these wishes, the glowing lights get brighter – and then recede once the mission is accomplished. He has no idea how this is happening, but in this hippy-dippy town, anything is possible.  The conclusion is made that he’s been hit by some sort of spell that will be with him until he accomplishes what he’s supposed.  It’s the holidays and there are plenty of wishes to be granted.  But he suspects that Forrest has a hand in this.  He’s always flirting the the dirtiest, cheesiest way with his punny pickup lines, etc.  So he ends up enlisting Forrest’s help. This leads to them spending a LOT of time together.  Forrest has been trying to get Jonathan’s attention since he moved to town at Labor Day, but Jonathan’s skeptical.  He basically assumes that Forrest just wants in his pants and that’s it – and that’s something Jonathan is NOT interested in.  His hart is still tender.  He assumes a lot about Forrest – mostly untrue.  And when he lashes out at Forrest in order to protect himself, he’s really surprised by how much it hurts him that he’s truly hurt Forrest.  But Forrest really is a good guy – and when Jonathan figures out that he’s wrong – about so many things – Forrest is willing to give it another shot 😀

Well this was an absolutely adorable slow burn story with a lot of unresolved sexual tension and even more puns and cheesy pick-up lines. I really enjoyed this funny sweet story about two extremely different guys who find their way to romance over some very bumpy roads 🙂 Jonathan and Forrest are about as opposite as can be. But there is definitely something there. Both have been hurt before – Jonathan’s is a bit fresher than Forrest’s, but it definitely has left scars. Jonathan is not at all interested in getting involved with anyone. He’s totally in self-protection mode. Despite all of Forrest’s attempt, he just doesn’t want to go there. Never mind that Forrest is about the most gorgeous guy he’s ever seen – he’s also a “player” from what Jonathan has observed, and he’s done with dealing with anybody who isn’t on the same page of an exclusive relationship.  It takes a while for Jonathan to come around and accept that he might be projecting a bit onto Forrest.

There are plenty of feel good moments and wonderful supporting characters who provide a lot of hilarious situations.  I had many laugh out loud moments while Forrest and Jonathan attempt to fulfill the wishes of the villagers they are helping.  Their banter and snark and sarcasm eventually leads to some serious conversations and revelations.  I so wanted Jonathan to get past his reservations and go for it – but all in good time.  I loved the whole vibe of this cute small-town romance story that hits all the right buttons for a sweet and happy holiday romance.  There’s even a potentially magical cat involved 😉  It appears that this is the author’s first book and I think there is a lot of promise here.  I loved the humor and sweetness and the slow burn of the relationship as Jonathan learns to trust again and take a chance.  Highly recommended and I’m excited to see their will be more stories in this setting!  Looking forward to more from this author 😀

RATING:

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