Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Holiday Pines
SERIES: Southern Comfort Christmas
AUTHOR: Timothy Warren
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 179 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 26, 2025
BLURB:
Wes Dalton is three weeks away from losing everything.
The family Christmas tree farm is drowning in debt, his father is recovering from a stroke that nearly killed him, and Wes has been running on fumes and stubbornness for so long, he’s forgotten what it feels like to hope.
Then Jake Marley walks through his door.
The banker from Atlanta is supposed to be the enemy—another suit coming to deliver bad news and repossess his legacy. But Jake doesn’t destroy farms. He saves them. And when he looks at Wes, he sees more than just numbers on a spreadsheet.
As December counts down to Christmas, their professional relationship becomes something far more complicated. Late-night conversations. Stolen touches. A kiss that changes everything. But Wes is terrified of coming out to his fragile father, and Jake’s life is three hours away in Atlanta.
When a devastating ice storm threatens to destroy the farm and trap Jake on the road, both men will have to decide what they’re willing to risk for love.
HOLIDAY PINES is the first book in the Southern Comfort Christmas series—heartwarming small-town MM romances celebrating found family, second chances, and the magic of the season. Each book can be read as a standalone with a guaranteed HEA.
REVIEW:
Wes Dalton is so very tired. He’s been trying to keep his family’s Christmas tree farm going pretty much by himself since his father’s stroke earlier in the year. It was his second stroke and he is no longer able to help with anything in the business. Wes has already given up an Art School full ride scholarship to stay on the farm as he was an only child and his mother was dying and his father had his first stroke shortly thereafter. The only thing he has for himself is his studio of chainsaw art that he does when he can fit it in.
Jake Marley is a loan officer from Atlanta who is there to help restructure loans and help with business plans to save family farms. He’s got three customers in the area he’s meeting with, but none as intriguing as Wes. He’s staying at the local B&B run by Barb and her partner Cassie. It’s a small town and everyone knows everyone else’s business, so they are very invested in Jake doing what’s right for Wes.
Jake wants to help Wes, but Wes is stubborn. Getting his trust is what Jake is after and he does a lot to try to understand Wes and his issues with the farm, his father and his life. Also, Jake is definitely attracted to Wes. But he’s a client. He convinces Wes to take advantage of what he’s offering and after they have signed the docs, well all bets are off.
Wes has never come out to his dad – it’s just one more thing that might cause him stress in Wes’s mind. Jake is not trying to pressure him, but he does tell him that he needs to have something for himself and that he is truly an artist. He also enlists the help of others in town to help convince Wes that taking assistance from others is not weak.
Finally Jake takes Wes on a little bit of a journey where he can see what Jake’s offers have done for others in the area. Wes finally understands that maybe he doesn’t have to shoulder everything alone. And Jake is willing to be there for him too – is Wes will let him.
This is a new to me author and I enjoyed this town, setting and characters a lot. Although there are a lot of smallminded people in small towns, there are also a lot of open minded people too 😉 I am definitely interested in the stories of some of the other couples in this book who are apparently the MCs of a previous series. I loved the whole “A Christmas Carol” vibe – so shout out to Mr. Dickens as well 😉 There was only one niggle with the scenes after the ice storm rescue that just didn’t ring true to me, but I really liked everything else about this. It’s a really nice holiday story in a modern setting that left me with a big smile on my face at the end of a perfect epilogue! Well done.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
