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  • Mr. Jingle Bells

  • A Gay Christmas Romance (Home for the Holidays, Book 3)
  • By: Leta Blake
  • Narrated by: Nick Hudson
  • Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (19 ratings)
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Mr. Jingle Bells cover art

Mr. Jingle Bells

By: Leta Blake
Narrated by: Nick Hudson
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Summary

Opposites attract as frosty business partners become fake boyfriends in this Christmas gay romance!

After an emergency forces Ashton Sellers from his apartment, all he wants for Christmas is new lip-gloss, zero contact from his abusive family, and a place to stay for the holidays. Cue his business partner begrudgingly taking him in.

Walker’s a fuddy-duddy with no sense of fun, but he does have a safe, warm home with four adorable dogs and delicious food on the table.

What if it turns out Walker’s also a secret softy with a tender side and a hot body beneath his endless parade of golf shirts? Great, good, cool. And, what if Walker wants Ashton to pretend to be his boyfriend for his sister’s Christmas-themed wedding? Awesome, amazing.

Could Walker be the safe haven Ashton missed out on as a child? Could they be falling in love for real?

But, when Ashton uncovers a painful mistake in Walker’s past, it hits too close to home. As the jingle bells quiet and the snow settles, will Ashton be able to forgive Walker, or will their relationship be over before it ever truly begins?

Mr. Jingle Bells is a gay Christmas story by Leta Blake featuring forced proximity, opposites attract, fake dating, office romance, steamy scenes, and a taffy-sweet happy ending. It's set in the Home for the Holidays universe, which began with Mr. Frosty Pants, but can be read as a stand-alone.

Note: Content warnings for childhood abuse, past addiction issues, PTSD episodes, and gambling.

©2021 Leta Blake (P)2021 Leta Blake

What listeners say about Mr. Jingle Bells

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  • Overall
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A difficult childhood

PTSD comes in many forms and this story shows how it can affect a person into adulthood, this is a story with highs and lows and relief comes only at the end

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Like a Hallmark Christmas from the dark side

I really liked this Christmas-themed story, although it broke my heart many times before showing that broken faith and trust can be restored. I really liked that not everything turned out rosy. It made the story so much more realistic. There is a dark side to Christmas. It isn't always joyful for everyone, and this story handled the stress and drama very maturely. Poor Ashton touched my heart from the start. It seemed that everyone, EVERYONE, had betrayed him...parents, (step) siblings, other family, the system. The cover of the book really belies the traumatic emotion and angst that runs through much of the story. There are a lot of triggers here - religious abuse, parental abandonment, drug use, PTSD, homophobia. There is an HEA, but the MCs really have to work for it. If you are looking for a sweet, fluffy Christmas story, this isn't it. But, if you want a realistic story that includes challenges and triumphs, highs and lows, joy and sorry, then this is a perfect choice.

The narration by Nick Hudson is good, but I don't really like his voice for this type of story. To me, he is meant to narrate warm, fluffy tales. This is a purely personal thing.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved this for me!

What a great story about love and addiction and that healing and trusting can prevail if u take the time

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Sweet and emotional.

As the previous two books in this series, Mr. Jingle Bells is both Christmas-sy sweet and very deep and emotionally charged, which, in my opinion, is trademark Leta Blake.
Walker and Ashton are great characters and despite their rocky start and their pasts and baggage, I thought they were perfect together!
If you’re looking for a fluffy, low-angst Christmas rom-con, this may not be what you’re looking for; but if you’re in search of a beautifully written story with just enough angst to make the HEA even sweeter and well-rounded characters… don’t hesitate to pick this one up!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A Christmas story with depth

I'm rather partial to a grumpy character with resting bitch face, so Walker was my Kryptonite. Especially when it turned out he actually had a marshmallow centre. It's a character type Leta Blake excels at, and I fall for them every time.
Great fake boyfriends story with enough angst to keep me engaged.

Recommended and a great performance too.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Me. Jingle Bells

Overall, I think this was a decent listen. For me, it dragged a little and could have benefited from more editing. That said, the characters were good, and the plot was perfect for a Christmas-themed read. I go back and forth with Nick Hudson’s narration. I did speed it up, which I usually do with him, and I mostly enjoy it once I adjust to his style.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Christmas with some bite

I love all the soft, marshmallow Christmas romances, but realistically, Christmas can be a hard time for folks for lots of reasons. It was, nice, therefore to get this story with great characters and a lovely HEA that had some struggle and angst to it. Ashton and Walker are carrying around some serious baggage from toxic family members, abuse, addiction and it is harrowing at times as they work through these issues. They eventually start doing it together and it's clear they are building a strong foundation. Come for the fogs, snow, holiday treats and steamy romance and stay for a deeper character study. Nick Hudson perfectly captures the wide range of emotions in this story.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Loved this book from beginning to end and been disappointed when it finished. 🤔 What next I read next wonder! I'll need to look for something kind of festive 🤔 I will need to plough through and see what I have. We are off for to my cousin's in Laurencekirk for the week to help her see out the old year and welcome in a far a God blessed 2022!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Engaging holiday romance

Enjoyed this story. The characters had a lot of depth and developed over the course of the romance and the way the romance unfolded felt believable despite the two characters' initial issues with each other. My only pet peeve was that one of them kept saying "love that for me" about everything and it got to be a little much, but I can overlook that for the fun holiday feels this book captured that warm and fuzzy hallmark holiday movie feeling and the romance was good without being cheesy. The familial relationships on one side could be triggering for some due to homophobia and addiction, but it was handled well imo. I enjoyed the narration.

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Listener received this title free

Long…but worth it

I’ll address the length first of all. Most audios I listen to are between eight and twelve hours. A few shorter, the odd one longer. Ten hours is about my sweet spot. Anything longer than twelve takes a planned commitment. When this one landed in my player, I planned on it taking almost a week. It didn’t. I sped through it because I wanted to know what came next. I had read the previous two books in the series, but it would’ve been okay if I hadn’t.

Ashton pulled me in from the beginning. I’ve never had bed bugs, but after having rented in some dodgy places, it’d always been a worry of mine. I felt complete empathy for him when he was turfed from his place. His creative offer to play fake boyfriend to anyone willing to give him a couch was cute. It fit his personality. He glowed. But that glow is a veneer that covers deep emotional pain – another thing I can empathize and that resonated with me.

Walker is a great guy. Yeah, he had a short fall from grace, but he’s done okay for himself. He’s a partner in an advertising agency along with Ashton and Casey. They make a good team. Ashton being the flamboyant one while Walker is the straight man and Casey’s somewhere in the middle. Walker doesn’t understand Ashton. He worries about the reputation of the firm, and wonders if Ashton’s antics might cost them clients. Never has, but one can never be too careful. So when Ashton puts the outrageous offer on Facebook, Walker feels the need to shut it down. He offers Ashton and place to live.

Now, there were surprises at Walker’s house that I wasn’t anticipating. Especially because he comes across as a bit of a Scrooge in the opening scene.

When Walker’s sister needs a distraction at her wedding, Ashton is all-in. The men devise a plan to pull focus away from the bride and groom. Yes, that’s not the usual plan, but Walker’s sister is desperate. Personally, I think they should have eloped. But what fun would that be? Ashton is at his sparkly best, and Walker’s right there with him. I laughed. A lot.

Then a dark incident from Walker’s past comes to light and Ashton feels the need to walk away. He’s fallen into this trap too often with his own family. A highly dysfunctional family. He’s not getting suckered in again.

I admit feeling a moment of despair. I knew everything would be alright, but I also knew it’d be a high mountain for the men to climb. Climb it they did, and I got my happily ever after.

I can’t end this review without mentioning Nick Hudson. He’s a narrator I trust to deliver a great performance and he did just that. I especially like how he did the kids’ voices.

Worth the time investment? You bet. Glad I listened to it.

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