Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: The Christmas Collection
AUTHOR: Garrett Leigh
PUBLISHER: Fox Love Press
LENGTH: 682 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2023
BLURB:
!! Dive in to the heartwarming world of MM holiday romances with Garrett Leigh’s THREE bestselling novels, complete with EXCLUSIVE bonus content for all THREE books !!
Angels In The City
Jonah & Sacha. A fake relationship with a stranger, an office romance filled with doughnuts and white knights, and an addictive arrangement that fast evolves into a deeper connection neither man can give up. Don’t miss the exclusive bonus epilogue featuring Alexei from the Rebel Kings MC series!
Christmas Mountain
Rami & Fen. The single dad probation officer caring for his dead brother’s baby. The wounded gentle giant with the biggest softest heart. Get ready for a heartwarming holiday story you’ll cherish forever, along with an exclusive bonus epilogue featuring Embry from the Rebel Kings MC series!
Hometown Christmas
Yani and Gavin’s friendship takes a festive turn as they venture from friends to lovers this Christmas. Fleeing a painful breakup in London, Yani finds himself drawn to brooding Army VET Gavin Ritchie. They’re not looking for love. This is a no strings arrangement. But love finds them all the same. Dig into this sweet and steamy holiday romance, plus enjoy an exclusive bonus epilogue featuring Nat, Marc, & Jamie from the Between Ghosts universe.
“Must read books for any MM romance fan. Don’t miss out on the love, laughter, and holiday magic Garrett Leigh has gifted us with these wonderful boys.”
REVIEW:
As a lover of all things Rebel Kings MC, I could not pass up a chance for some bonus content featuring Alexei and Embry. But while that may have been the initial draw to Garrett Leigh’s The Christmas Collection: Three Heartwarming MM Holiday Romance Novels, these stories stand on their own as enjoyable holiday romances in their own right.
Angels in the City has a cosmopolitan, mysterious vibe. Jonah Gray and Sacha Ivanov hastily concoct a fake boyfriend scheme that unexpectedly morphs into a complex building “relationship” between two men who have locked their hearts away. While they are seemingly opposites, inherently they fit and trust comes easily, albeit surprisingly. Neither Jonah nor Sacha are long-term relationship types, but Sacha, in particular, is bewitched by Jonah, and confused about why. These two have crazy chemistry, smoking hot sex scenes, and definite communication issues, but above all, a deep connection that starts from the minute they meet, even though neither recognizes it for what it is until much later. I loved everything about this story. The epilogue is icing on the cake because of the appearance of Alexei and the hysterical, spot-on commentary Sacha, Alexei’s cousin, provides about him.
Christmas Mountain is completely different in feel from Angels. Whereas that story felt dark, even gritty at times, Christmas Mountain has a more traditional holiday feel to it. It’s lighter in tone with a sweet, heartwarming, well-crafted romance written in Leigh’s inimitable style. Here, we get a beautiful second chance, holiday romance between Rami and Fen, friends who have been separated and then thrown back into each other’s paths unexpectedly in a most unusual, coincidental way. Rami and Fen ooze chemistry. You can tell they belong together, which makes their prior separation poignant and their potential upcoming separation poised to devastate. Luckily, we know there’s a HEA, but the hurt/comfort trope dynamic makes the journey hurt so good. This is a definite slow burn with all the holiday trappings, humor, happiness, and brimming with great found family feels. It is my favorite of the three stories.
Finally, rounding out this collection is Hometown Christmas. Again, another shift in tone. This story revolves around mental health issues (OCD, PTSD), so it is weighty and has plenty of angst. But it’s also a delicious, food-filled journey of love. It’s probably the least “holiday” -ish of the three stories, but it’s still a lovely, heartwarming tale.
Overall, Leigh’s The Christmas Collection is a worthy grouping of holiday romances, albeit with a different twist. That uniqueness is what I enjoyed about having these romances bundled together, because the juxtapositioning of such different stories of Christmas and falling in love showcases Leigh’s writing prowess, and gives the reader, interesting, memorable holiday fare. Recommended.
RATING: 
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