Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Festive Friends with Benefits

AUTHOR:  Annabelle Jacobs

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  200 pages

RELEASE DATE:  December 16, 2023

BLURB:

All Vic wants for Christmas is a second chance at love…he just doesn’t know it yet.

When Vic Marlow agrees to spend December helping out his best friend, he doesn’t expect to run into an old flame. He’s there to work and be with family, not take a trip—albeit a tall, built, sexy one—down memory lane.

Sean Richmond left his past behind nineteen years ago. He’s worked hard at putting that life behind him, so it’s a shock when it suddenly shows up in the little Peak District village he calls home.

With the magic of Christmas in the air, the festive spirit sparks a fire that never quite died. Maybe this is their chance to explore what fate stole from them all those years ago.

Festive Friends is an MM second chance holiday romance, with overly supportive friends and family, awesome pets, and all the snuggly holiday feels.

REVIEW:

Vic has headed to his ex-wife’s for the holidays with their teenage son Joe to assist with getting the pub rooms renovated in time for the new year.  His ex, Hailey, is now married to Char, whose family owned the pub and sold it to them.  Hailey is also heavily pregnant and Char has had to go to her ailing Nan’s so there is much to be done.  The first night at the pub, Vic sees “the one who got away” – Sean Richmond.  They were all part of the same friends circle at Uni in London.  Sean and Vic had a fantastic weekend together and then Vic never saw him again. Sean was called home on business and never returned.  They kept in touch initially, but then it just dwindled to nothing.  Fast forward 19 years and here he is in the flesh.  Somehow Hailey “forgot” to mention to either of them that Vic would be there for the holidays helping out 😉

Vic and Sean are both surprised.  Vic is still hurt that Sean just never kept in touch.  Sean had family stuff going on and he was never able to go back to his life in London. He’s ended up being a Park Ranger which he loves.  He’s had relationships, but the last serious one ended in heartbreak and his ex belittled Sean’s job and his life in the country.  Sean makes some assumptions about Vic and what his life much be life which turn out to be totally incorrect.  He’s surprised that Vic and Hailey had a child and that Vic is here at all.

Before too long, Vic and Sean give in to the spark that is still there between them.  Sean is gun shy though, so they agree to keep things “casual” except of course none of this feels casual.  Neither man has had this kind of reaction to anyone in a long while.  Vic hasn’t been in a relationship or heck even dated in a good long time.  What with Hailey trying to put them together and Joe also getting into the act, Vic and Sean work on trying to spend time together despite all of the other obligations and commitments they both have.

Of course there are lots of little obstacles – time, family member visits, an impending birth.  But they clearly want to be together and are determined to find a way.  The year end will bring them together somehow.

This is a lovely, low angst holiday story of second chances.  I love the mature characters here.  Vic and Sean are both really nice men who do not want to get their hearts broken.  They both feel like the other is “the one who got away” and they are gobsmacked to be in the same room again.  I enjoyed that they got over their communication issues pretty quickly.  Maybe it’s getting older, but certainly there is no time to waste in making assumptions and not being clear on what they want.  Their casual was quickly sidelined when they realizes they really cared about each other and wanted to make this work. Loved the bi-representation and also how these folks came together to raise a great kid and form a wonderful family.  All the holiday feels and little of the drama!  Recommended.

RATING:

BUY LINKS:

Amazon