Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: The Holiday Disaster
SERIES: Doves of Destiny #1
AUTHOR: Rye Cox
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 201 Pages
RELEASE DATE: December 27, 2022
BLURB:
What do you call being stranded with your brother’s best friend? A Recipe for disaster? Or a dream come true?
Ethan Wang
College is supposed to be my chance to start over. To leave high school behind and focus on my studies to become a vet. Then, I board a plane on winter break and find myself seated next to my brother’s best friend. The same guy I had a huge crush on even though he always seemed to have it out for me.
It should be a quick flight filled with awkward small talk, but plans change when the plane’s engine fails and we have to land in the middle of nowhere. After a sequence of ill-fated events, we’re forced to share a B&B with only one bed. Trapped in a room with a man I’ve hidden my feelings from for years… What’s the worst that could happen?
Kingsley Sharp
I usually get what I want, thanks to my mastery at charming my way into anyone’s heart. That, however, hasn’t been the case with my best friend’s brother. We got off on the wrong foot, and I want nothing more than to win him over.
Now with us stranded together, my chance has come. Stuck in a small town full of snow drifts and holiday cheer, I’m determined to use this disaster to make this a magical holiday neither of us will forget.
The Holiday Disaster is a standalone MM romance with college-aged characters. It’s a fun blend of sweet and steamy moments featuring brother’s best friend, one bed, first love, slow burn, and opposites attract tropes
REVIEW:
One was a best friend to an older brother, and the other was a younger brother to his best friend. Kingsley and Ethan grew up believing the other hated him. Regardless, Ethan still held a flame for Kingsley. Yet, whenever possible, he avoided the man. Who knows what Christmas miracles may happen when fate and nature put them in the same disaster?
The Holiday Disaster is a quaint, opposites-attract story where a magical winter facilitates the journey to love.
The tale is told in the first person, present tense, from the viewpoints of Ethan and Kingsley. Technically, it was pretty good. The only aspects that stood out were the unqualified autonomous body parts. When a sentence states ‘my hands did x,’ without qualification, such as ‘if they had a mind of their own my hands did x – it should be written ‘I did Xyz with my hands,’. Autonomous body parts are big no no’s for professional editors.
Airplane complications ensure that Ethan and Kingsley end up in Wintertown, which is everything you’d expect of a town with that name. Here, the picture presented is idyllic, including delightful wintry events that are perfect for yuletide.
Kingsley comes over as confident, experienced, and likable, but the man has masks. Ethan is ostensibly shy, and a virgin – but, where necessary, has no problem speaking his mind – usually around Kingsley. The two have known each other most of their lives. However, the majority of their interactions have been a series of misinterpretations. These historic views facilitate premature conclusions, erratic reactions, and occasional unwarranted worry. However, forced proximity and the magic of Wintertown do their thing. Although Ethan is the shy one, he seems to be the one with all the power, and Kingsley seems hell-bent on pleasing him, which at any other time of year, may have come over as a touch saccharine or too eager to apologize/please. After all, some responsibility should go the other way, for Ethan made some cutting remarks for Kingsley to feel like he was hated, too. But, hey, it’s a Christmas story, so it’s allowed.
A Holiday Disaster is a sweet mince pie of a story, typical of its genre for this time of year – it even contains a mug of hot chocolate.
RATING: 
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