Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  The Mission

AUTHOR:  Barbara Elsborg

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  150 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 11, 2023

BLURB:  

Snow! Tick.
Skiing! Tick.
Christmas! Tick.
Stalker! Er…

When Conrad and his ex split up three months before their upcoming work ski trip, Conrad’s unwavering passion for the slopes overshadows his reservations about a holiday anywhere near his ex and his new partner. But as ‘friends’ keep hinting he should cancel, he wishes he’d seen sense earlier. Now it’s too late to get his money back.

A clash of heads at check-in with a handsome stranger sets Conrad’s heart racing. Arlo is bound for the same Austrian resort, sparking Conrad’s daydreams of shared slopes, shared après-ski, shared hot tubs and more…while fully aware that spotting Arlo in the mountains will be almost impossible.
Little does Conrad know Arlo has orchestrated this moment. Now all Arlo has to do is convince Conrad he has the best of intentions. After all, if they don’t click by the end of the flight, Conrad will never know he’d been stalked.

Warning
There is a short description of sexual assault.

Please note that this story was originally released as a short story as part of the Winter Wonderland Prolific Works giveaway. The story has been revised with over 25,000 words of added content.

REVIEW:

Conrad knew he should have left sooner.  His narcissist of a boyfriend really did a number on him though.  Considering he had no family to speak of and had never been wanted, he was quite susceptible to someone like Mark who “love bombed” him into submission really.  But the little things that he kept dong were warning signs of just how deep his personality disorder ran.  Finally Conrad comes home early from a trip and well you know how these things go.  After walking out, he has no where to go – so he ends up at the office late on a Friday night where he assumes he is alone.  He lets out all the pain from this relationship and is crying in his office.  Little does he know that someone IS there witnessing his breakdown.

Despite having left Mark, Conrad had been booked on a work/client ski holiday over Christmas in Austria.  But the time he realized it, he couldn’t get his money back so he decides to go.  He can avoid Mark, right?  At the airport, he accidentally bumps heads with another passenger while reach for the man’s dropped passport.  They chat and the man is gorgeous and nice.  Too bad Conrad is with a group of people who he really doesn’t want to be with and who really doesn’t want to be with him.  But he does love to ski and maybe he can ski with this new guy, Arlo.  Arlo arranges for them to sit together on the flight since he’s a pilot with the airline and they enjoy a really nice time together.  It’s clear there is an attraction there, but Conrad is a bit gun shy.  When Arlo suggest the exchange numbers though, he’s happy to do so.

Conrad and Arlo agree to meet for skiing the next day.  When Arlo is late and the rest of Conrad’s group shows up and finds him alone, he’s a bit embarrassed, but then Arlo does show up and kisses the heck out of him 😉  He wants to get to Mark, but he also really just likes Conrad.  They have a great time skiing and Arlo invites him back to his family’s chalet for dinner.  He’s got 4 older brother and their families and his parents – not all of which he shares with Conrad.  So it’s a bit of a surprise when Conrad meets them all.  Particularly one brother 😉

I’m not going to spoil the rest of the this story – you need to read it yourself.  There is a lot going on with Conrad who get stronger with each passing day that he realizes he is definitely worth more than Mark was giving him.  Arlo has his own secrets and past that factor into this romance as well 😉

This is a really lovely holiday story – with of course the one fly in the ointment – Mark.  But rest assured that the rest of the story is really such a wonderful story of two men who have not had the best luck with love finally finding their missing puzzle piece.  It’s told from both POVs so it’s clear how each man comes to the place that they are and how that factors into their budding romance.  Arlo loves easily and quickly and he’s been burned.  Conrad hasn’t ever had anyone truly love him, so he’s a little thrown by Arlo and his family as they are so full of love for each other.  Being welcomed with open arms is something completely new to Conrad, but he is ready to embrace this new reality.  I loved all the characters – the whole Lehner family with the parents and brothers and their children being so open to Conrad joining them.  I’m a big fan of this author and I loved the way she wove music into this story and the epilogue was brilliant.  Even the little coda made me smile cause I do love when a villain gets their due consequences.  I’m a sucker for holiday stories and this is a really joyous addition to this year’s holiday treats.  Highly recommended.  😀

RATING:

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