Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Festive Hearts and Kisses
SERIES: Hope Valley Christmas
AUTHOR: Annabelle Jacobs
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 225 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 25, 2024
BLURB:
Can a little Christmas romance heal a bruised and battered heart?
One kiss.
That’s all Reed can offer the hot guy who’s kept him company on what would otherwise have been a lonely New Year’s Eve. What he needs right now is a friend, preferably one not connected to his ex. One long distance friendship later and that’s exactly what he’s got.
Friends.
That’s what they’ve been for the past ten months, so when Reed needs a place to stay, offering him his spare room seems like the perfect solution to Jerry. Or so he thought. But keeping their hands off each other is hard. They’re both adults, though, right? They can fool around a little and not lose the friendship they’ve both come to rely on.
At least that’s the plan, but Jerry’s heart is always a little softer at Christmas. Throw some close proximity and mistletoe into the mix and that soft heart is in danger of breaking, because while Reed still doesn’t want a relationship, it’s all Jerry wants from Santa this year.
Festive Hearts and Kisses is a low-angst MM holiday romance. Expect: forced proximity, a tiny bit of hurt/comfort, awesome pets, and all the snuggly holiday feels. Set in a shared world, each book in the Hope Valley Christmas collection can be read as a stand alone, starting with Festive Friends with Benefits.
REVIEW:
Note: Although part of a series, this can be read as a standalone. Secondary characters in this story were the MCs of last year’s offering and there are minor spoilers for that story.
Reed has gone through a breakup and it’s still got him down. Especially since he still has to see his ex at work. He manages to keep running into him and the new (old) boyfriend and he’s a bit down in the dumps. Jerry, a veterinarian friend of his ex Sean, tries to set Reed and Sean up for New Year’s. But Sean has a new (old) boyfriend as well and besides, Reed and Sean have moved on. Reed goes anyway and ends up having a decent time at the Charnwell Inn and stays at Sean’s place while he’s visiting his boyfriend 😉 In fact, Reed and Jerry share a New Year’s kiss 😀
Reed goes back to London after the new year. He and Jerry end up texting and becoming a bit chummy. Sean encourages this since he knows Reed could really use a friend who isn’t also an ex. Over the summer and fall, they continue to text each other and call regularly. Eventually in the fall, Reed’s boss tells him of some changes that are going to happen and he recommends that Reed transfer to another office. There are personal as well as professional considerations.
Jerry offers his spare room as a temporary solution toe Reed trying out the new location. Reed agrees and puts his house on the market. But when they are in closer proximity, well their attraction is hard to resist 🙂 Eventually they stop trying to resist it 😉 But Reed is still dealing with a lot of change. Can they be more than friends? Reed has been adamant that he’s not looking for another relationship. But with Jerry, he’s found a real friend with considerable benefits 😉
The holidays are coming round again and much as Jerry has tried to keep things to a more casual friends with benefits, he’s fallen for Reed. He wants to make Reed happy and he knows Reed makes him happy. Luckily both Jerry and Reed have friends who help them shed the scales over their eyes and acknowledge that is really happening between them 🙂
This story of finding a new love/second chance for Reed is quite heartfelt. He doesn’t really blame his ex for the breakup, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. He still nursing a broken heart after months and having the salt rubbed in the wound constantly is not helping. His best friend Paul and Jerry’s best friend Sean are the people who realize what is really happening here and do what they can to encourage these two to figure it out 😀 Also there are some amazing cats and dogs who come along to help Reed heal too. There are plenty of holiday feels and fun moments like finding a tree and decorating 🙂 I really enjoyed this second story set in this charming village. A lovely Christmas and Happy New Year to us all. Recommended.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: