Reviewed by Valerie 

TITLE:  Holiday Heart Strings 

SERIES: Hartbridge Christmas #4

AUTHOR: N.R. Walker

PUBLISHER: BlueHeart Press

LENGTH: 319 Pages

RELEASE DATE: November 21, 2023

BLURB:   

Hartbridge Christmas Series – Book Four

Englishman Braithe Branson arrives in Hartbridge, Montana, to take on a brief substitute kindergarten teacher position. His introduction to the sleepy town is being pulled over for speeding. Not an ideal start, but at least the deputy was cute.

Colson Price takes being a deputy very seriously. After all, his job is all he has. Disowned by his family ten years ago, he’s vowed to stay closeted so it won’t cost him everything all over again.

But the holidays are tough for Colson, and the new guy in town is far too tempting. With a promise of some very private no-strings encounters on the downlow, he can’t resist.

Braithe is charmed by the handsome deputy, the gorgeous town, and the great group of friends he meets. But as the countdown to leaving gets closer, the more tangled the ‘no strings’ becomes.

Braithe and Colson have to hope that Hartbridge will find a way for this Christmas wish to come true.

REVIEW:   

Welcome back to charming Hartbridge, Montana, home to the Christmastime “gay love spell” that seems to befall strangers new to town or passing through during the holidays. Follow along on Colton and Braithe’s love story set in one of the best small towns a man could land in, with its picturesque Main Street that comes alive when its quaint shops and eateries are lit up for the holidays.

Colson is a deputy who was disowned by his family ten years ago. He’s lonely and never more so when he observes the love and camaraderie among the queer men in town. He yearns to be one of them, to have a home, a place to belong. But he’s been closeted since the terrible experience of being rejected by his family and is now afraid to come out. His history is too hard to overcome; he can’t lose the job he loves and the respect of the community. He can’t risk everything.

Braithe, a teacher from London, is in the U.S. on a two year work visa and working short-term jobs around the country. (I imagine him as the perfect,  adorable cover model.) He’s in Hartbridge subbing as a kindergarten teacher for a woman on maternity leave. He loves this job and wishes he could stay longer, but all good things must come to an end, right? Well, maybe. Let’s not forget the gay love spell. The men meet when Colson pulls over Braithe for speeding upon his arrival in town.

(True story: My aunt and uncle met when my uncle, a police officer, pulled over my aunt, but not for a traffic violation. He had seen her around town from afar and wanted to ask her on a date. Sixty-five years later, it’s still wedded bliss.)

The inclusion of Ren, Cass, Gunter, Clay, and especially Hamish and Jayden to a significant degree, is what helps make this shared world series so successful. Every book has the same heartwarming feel with just enough quirk – Hamish, I’m looking at you – all the sweet emotions, plenty of humor, and holiday cheer without each story feeling too much alike. As with the first three books of the Hartbridge Christmas series, this one has a well-thought out and executed plot that creates a story unique from the others. The found family – my very favorite thing – is what makes this book sing.

Holiday Heart Strings, with its adorable men, is a perfect holiday read. N.R. Walker has given us all a wonderful holiday treat.

RATING:

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