Book 127, 2023
24 Dares of Christmas by Lee Blair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Last night I finally finished reading 24 Dares of Christmas by Lee Blair. It's set in the same verse as the author's "Tap That Brewery" series. The characters in this one are Warren, a holiday loving marshmallow, and Reed, who's lost his Christmas cheer. The story is told in alternating povs.
Reed has quit his job in Portland and will be starting a new job in Seattle right after the holidays. In the meantime, he's been drafted to spend December in Dahlia Springs to take care of his aunt's dogs while she's in Europe. Reed figured he'd spend the time holed up at Katherine's, watching cheesy Christmas movies and ordering take out. What he didn't expect was that his aunt's tenant would be young, hot, and...a guy?
Warren is eager to meet Katherine's nephew. From spending time with Katherine, he feels like he already knows Reed. Warren is delighted that Katherine has given Reed an advent calendar with 24 holiday-themed dares to complete. Warren is happy to help, and he finds himself falling for Reed. When Reed is cajoled into helping the chamber of commerce market Dahlia Springs in hopes of winning a grant, Warren is also talked into helping. Reed's career is in marketing, and working with small businesses reminds him why he used to love his job. Warren had to give up on his dream of owning his own photography studio, but with their new project, each rediscovers what they enjoy most about their chosen careers. It also gives them a chance to develop feelings for one another, but Reed will be leaving after Christmas...right?
What a lovely, fun holiday story. I loved the setting and seeing it through Reed's eyes as he got caught up in all the holiday madness. I enjoyed Warren's mad family and how Reed learned to interact with them. All the characters were fully realized, including Katherine's dachshunds. While there was some low level angst regarding Reed's impending move, the author was skillfully laying the groundwork for everything to work out, giving our mc's their HEA.
Favorite lines:
♦ Nothing killed the Christmas spirit faster than entitled customers.
♦ Definitely need to get out of the house if I'm coming up with fictional scenarios involving the dogs arranging my murder.
♦ "It might not be intentional, but that doesn't make it less hurtful. There's a different pain in being invisible."
♦ "You think I'm sexy?" // "Are you kidding? You're looking at me like I'm a Red Lobster biscuit."
This was basically a Hallmark movie in book form. Delightful! Five stars.