Reviewed by Cheryl
TITLE: Bad To Be Merry
SERIES: Bad To Be Good #4
AUTHOR: Andrew Grey
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 74 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 30, 2021
BLURB:
Former mobster Richard Marsden grew up scrounging on the streets of Detroit. This Christmas, for the first time, he has a family and the means to provide an abundant Christmas, and that’s what he intends to do.
But his husband, Daniel, grew up with everything. For Daniel, Christmas isn’t about receiving gifts, but the opportunity to help others. With his son in the hospital recovering from a tonsillectomy, Daniel knows just who he wants to help this year.
Both Daniel and Richard make plans for their family Christmas assuming the other is on board, leaving their holiday dangling on the precipice of disaster—unless they can remember that family, love, and the holidays mean compromising to give each other what they need.
REVIEW:
Christmas books can very easily fall into the over-sentimental and sickly-sweet categories with forced tropes and even more forced emotion. I was very pleasantly surprised that this one fitted neither category, nor did it come close.
For the first time in their lives, Terrance, Richard and Gerome are surrounded by family and fortune at Christmas, and some of them are not sure what the heck to do with it. For Richard and Daniel, in particular, their well-meaning attempts to give each other what they never had, lead to their paths getting well-and-truly crossed.
For Richard, who had grown up with Christmases full of love but precious little else the perfect Christmas is filled with things – lights, trimmings, presents… For Daniel, who had grown up with privilege but precious little love, Christmas was for sharing more than just presents. Richard arranges an avalanche of gifts and food for a family-filled day of sharing…things. Daniel arranges a Christmas party at a local hospital where the entire family can share with children who have nothing and no one else.
With their Christmases set for a head-on collision, they both make the smart move of asking Terrance to be Santa for and thus reveal their Christmas plans. Thankfully, Santa was able to knock their heads and their plans together to make a seamless day of thankfulness and family. None of it with saccharine or sugar sparkles, and definitely no glitter.
It was short but sweet in all the best ways and perfect for my run up to my own brand of festivities. If you want a little bite of Christmas to get you in the mood for some tinsel and turkey, with a little spice on the side, then give this ne a go. It would very much help if you’ve read the entire Bad To Be Good series, but you’ll love it anyway.
I’ll be sorry to see these guys go.
RATING: 
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