Sweet Christmas read.

Rudy has had a crush on new coworker Zac since he showed up at the office, but Zac has always been closed off and avoids social gatherings. The ice finally breaks when Zac joins the rest of the office for after-work drinks, and after sharing a kiss, Rudy spontaneously invites Zac home for the holidays after learning his uptight coworker has no family to go home to. To both their surprises, Zac accepts, and what follows is just an adorable three days. Rudy's family assumes they're boyfriends, and when Rudy misses an opportunity to correct them, he and Zac decide to lean into the charade and pretend for a few days. It's a sweet country Christmas filled with family, games, a rescued kitten, and developing feelings. It's fairly low drama, and barriers to the relationship fall easily once they're acknowledged. Still, overall, a read that left me with a smile on my face.

Rudy has been secretly crushing on Zac since he joined the team at Rainbow Futures, but hasn’t been able to drum up the courage to talk to him. Though, in Rudy’s defense, Zac has certainly done nothing to help break the ice—keeping to himself at the office, eating lunch alone at his desk, and ducking out at the end of the day. But, when their boss strongly suggests that Zac make it out with the crew for a pre-holiday get-together, he decides to make an appearance. Once the tequila comes out, though, all bets are off. Zac can no longer ignore Rudy’s cuteness or shy advances, nor, as it turns out, the invitation to spend Christmas with Rudy’s family.

Liquid courage may have nudged open the door at the start of the book, but what happens in the pages that follow is pure Christmas romance magic. As the story progresses, Zac’s walls slowly start to come down; though, we do learn that those walls were there for a reason. Zac has had a rough go of it, and as a result, is terrified to allow himself to get close to anyone. At first he tries to be all standoffish, too scared to tell Rudy about his past, but soon he can’t deny that he badly wants everything Rudy has to offer.

“He felt ashamed, poor in the face of the richness that was Rudy’s life, which had nothing to do with money or material things. It was about being wanted and loved unconditionally. The world had taught Zac he didn’t deserve that.”

Rudy is such a massive sweetheart. I loved him to bits, and adored his family as well. Everything about his family and family home screamed picture-perfect-Christmas. The author did an incredible job of bringing the English country Christmas charm to life. The descriptions of the house, places, and activities were so marvelous. Rudy’s family definitely made it easy to see how Rudy turned out to be such a good egg. The whole lot of them were witty, generous and kind.

But, let’s get away from the wholesome for a moment, and talk about the chemistry between these guys…Wow. They were so great together. Adorable, shy and dorky, sure…But, give them a dark closet to hide in during an innocent game of Sardines? I swear they almost burned the place down. If you don’t pick this one up for the lovely Christmas charm, then pick it up for that scene. Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper sexy and fun.

I need to read more Jay Northcote. I don’t even care that he accidentally did fake boyfriends again for this year’s Christmas story! This one was even better, so roll with it I say! But, seriously, A Family for Christmas has it all. Get your fire going, maybe a kitty in your lap (there are so many sweet cats in the book, it will make you want one with you), and some tea or cocoa, and dig into this one. So, so cute and enjoyable.

Reviewed by Jules for The Novel Approach Reviews

While certainly not Pulitzer-worthy, I felt like giving this book 5 stars because it delivered exactly what I was looking for: festive fun, familial love, idyllic holiday merriment, acceptance, a steamy romance, even a kitten named Holly. I liked that there wasn’t a homophobic grandpa thrown into the family just for the sake of tension, or any hatred/darkness... no falling outs or big misunderstandings to overcome... Just two people, coming together (tee-hee!) over the holidays at a warm cozy family gathering... hearts healing through tenderness and increased confidence and maturity. As sweet as Christmas cookies, candy canes, and kisses under the mistletoe!