This little series follows three gay men in small town Minnesota, Marcus, Arthur and Paul, three "bears" and best friends, as they find their mates. In the first book, Let It Snow, Marcus and Frankie fall in love. The second book, Sleigh Ride we see Arthur and Frankie get their happy ever after, and now in this one we finally get to see Paul, the neediest of the entire group, find his love....but of course we first have to have a little angst and drama. Paul is from a conservative family in Minnesota. Poor guy…. He’s a big bear, and he’s a big mess of anxiety, lack of confidence. He has friends, he’s dated, but he can’t ever seem to connect with the right one. He’s lonely and so tied up in his own head that he can’t see what is right in front of him...namely Kyle Park, resident "twink". Kyle has had a crush on Paul for years...ever since he was a teenager. It doesn't help that he still looks like one even if he is now 25 and works at the local care center. He has an awesome family, which he lives with and a twin sister who has Downs Syndrome. He finally decides he’s waited long enough and he’s going to "get him a man". He starts by trying to connect on Grindr...no luck there, so next he tries his specialty... snow sculptures. He leaves a lovely one on Paul’s front porch. Paul is NOT impressed, and neither is the rest of the town. I won't say what the sculpture was of...just use your imagination. The town's busybody...every town has one...decides to "help" him out and comes up with a plan. To find out what the plan was and how it worked or didn't work, you'll have to read the story...it's a sweet one. The writing was perfect. The plot, the characters, the connection, was all good. If you don't mind same sex romances and are looking for a sweet holiday story, this one could be a good choice. Actually, all three of the stories in this series are great, and so worth the reading time. ( )

4 stars

Synopsis: Paul is feeling lonely, because his friends have paired off and leave him feeling like a fifth wheel. He's also been the only one actively looking for a relationship, and feels as though it's not fair that he doesn't have one. He has also been dealing with someone who is leaving penis sculptures on his doorstep, which his family doesn't approve of. When Paul discovers that it is Kyle, someone who he feels is too young and just not right for him, he wigs out. Then Kyle and Paul are thrown together to help with the Christmas extravaganza that the town is putting on, and Paul realizes that Kyle isn't what he seems.

What I liked: that Kyle went after what he wanted. I liked that he went against stereotype and was so toppy. I also liked the way Kyle was with his family. I liked the friendships that developed between the Paul and Kyle and Paul's friends, and I liked how Arthur's mother was right on the money with everything.

What I didn't like: How Paul rolled over for his family. ( )

This is book 3 of 4 in this series. Since I read 4 first, it was really fun to see all the pieces come together. And yet, this is very much Paul and Kyle's story. It is intensely character-driven as all these are. And I grinned and said "Hah!" out loud at the end. :) The author burns stereotypes down all the way through the series. I love that the best of all the things she manages to do through these characters. It's a great series, one of the very best I've read. ( )

Well worth the wait. LOVED this. Paul is just so...human and screwed up. In fact both the guys spend half their time second guessing their actions and feelings, just like they would IRL.
So glad that Paul's issues weren't solved with the magical power of the peen, that the family situation didn't end up with them being born-again LGBTQ flag wavers and that, in the end, he was the one to be pro-active about making himself a new family.
December 2016 - Dave's story? Or a triple wedding at Winter Wonderland 2016?

Come on Heidi. You know you wanna.


******

OMG a new book in my favourite Christmas series! I know it's only July but, aghh, I need this book now!

Bought and downloaded. Now we wait for December *drums fingers at self imposed hell* ( )

Well worth the wait. LOVED this. Paul is just so...human and screwed up. In fact both the guys spend half their time second guessing their actions and feelings, just like they would IRL.
So glad that Paul's issues weren't solved with the magical power of the peen, that the family situation didn't end up with them being born-again LGBTQ flag wavers and that, in the end, he was the one to be pro-active about making himself a new family.
December 2016 - Dave's story? Or a triple wedding at Winter Wonderland 2016?

Come on Heidi. You know you wanna.


******

OMG a new book in my favourite Christmas series! I know it's only July but, aghh, I need this book now!

Bought and downloaded. Now we wait for December *drums fingers at self imposed hell* ( )