MM Christmas Romance Books: Decorated
Holiday greetings to you! It’s the time of year where you’re probably looking for light reading. Hectic hours shopping, baking, cooking and present wrapping is tiring, y’all. So why not read some light, low angst MM Christmas Romance Books to round out your days? That’s what I like to read this time of year and I have a review for your enjoyment for just that sort of book. I recommend it highly!
Decorated: The Art of Love Review
Decorated by Merry Farmer | Amazon | Goodreads | Bookbub | My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Happy Holidays in a Book!
It’s the perfect time to read Decorated: The Art of Love by Merry Farmer. This Christmas-time story is the ideal book to cuddle up next to your Christmas tree with a cup of tea and read this time of year. Set in England with a main character who is in the RAF, or Royal Air Force, for those of us not super up to date with all things British, and another who is a flamboyant interior designer, this opposites attract Christmas story is a super quick, super sweet read perfect for the holiday enjoyment your heart needs this time of year. MM Christmas romance books really hit right in December, so I encourage you to read one today!
Blaine & Alfie
Blaine is a creative, eccentric, and very down on himself interior designer, who runs, er, ran, a successful business with business partner Dave until recently it all came crashing down. Burning down might be a better way to put it. After Blaine leaves a client’s house, a circuit shorts and the whole house burns down, leaving him and his business up in the air.
He’s convinced he’ll be sued into tomorrow, and at the beginning of the story, he’s hiding out from Dave at his familial house, the Hawthorne House. This Yank pictures this place as right out of Downton Abbey with its country charm and old-money polish.
Alife is a soon-to-be-retired cargo plane/logistics expert who flew cargo planes in Afghanistan and carries some emotional trauma back home with him. He’s looking forward to civilian life and has been making sure everything is ready for his retirement. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have solid plans for post-military life. He is, however, looking forward to being out and able to mingle, date, and hook up. Because apparently even in modern times it can be iffy to be out and proud in the military in England. As one of his last acts as a military man, he’s helping to coordinate a toy drive for local children’s houses and partnering with Hawthorne House.
Hawthorne House
Hawthorne House is a community arts center now, but it was once a school, and before that, it was the ancestral home of the old-money Hawthornes, Earls of Felcort (I have no idea what that means). The house is old old. The original building was built pre-1700 in the middle of a British civil war that I also know next to nothing about.
Gaps
There are some definite gaps in my understanding of British history and it’s not the goal of this story to educate. It’s a lighthearted holiday romp at its core, it does that very well. But the Hawthornes’ back story is interesting and, to me, realistic in a contemporary setting. I am sure there are a bunch of houses just like the Hawthorne house in real life peppering the English countryside and a bunch of families who have been prominent in British nobility for centuries who are still around and live modern lives. I trust that it’s solidly in the realm of plausibility. And for a story like this, I didn’t need to look into it too deeply anyway.
Artsy Family
The Hawthornes are all artists these days, except for Blaine’s twin brother who is /gasp/ an accountant. This bit cracked me up and I cannot wait to read about him in his story if he gets one. A lot of them are queer too so I wonder if Farmer has a whole series about the Hawthornes and I’m jumping in mid-series. Just speculation here.
Blaine has Low Self-Esteem
For someone from old money, poor Blaine has a very low regard for himself, and that has shown itself in his choice of lovers, from what he tells Alfie. He’s used to being thoroughly disposed of once a date is done with him, and it’s so sweet when he realizes that Alfie is not like the other men who have used him and spit him out.
Alfie is a GOOD GUY
Ok, y’all I really like how good Alfie is with both Blaine and the kids. It almost seems too good to be true but I do really hope there are men out there like Alfie who are good at managing and boosting the confidence and self-esteem of good guys like Blaine.
Read this MM Christmas Romance Book today!
This story is low angst and totally sweet and I really think it’s perfect for the holiday season. Read it now and you’ll feel the same! Or read another of your favorite MM Christmas romance books, it’s a hard time of year and you deserve it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I write reviews on my blog, Goodreads, Bookbub, Amazon, and more. If you want me to read and review your upcoming novel read my review policy and submit a contact form.
