Review: Hometown Christmas by Garrett Leigh

Can Yani and Gavin go from friends to lovers this Christmas?

Yani Nicolaou is sworn off love for good. After fleeing a bad break-up in London, the only blood, sweat, and tears he has left are for his gyro stall at the Christmas market. Rebound fling? No thanks. He’s sticking to one-night-stands.

Ex-army vet Gavin Richie has even less capacity for romance. Managing a homeless shelter while recovering from injury keeps him far too busy. So what if he’s often alone? He’s content being single, or so he thinks until a chance meeting lights a spark he can’t ignore.

Yani is the warmth and affection Gavin hadn’t known he was missing. As Christmas lights up the city, their lives entwine in more ways than one. Falling for each other is easy. Holding on is harder, unless a hometown Christmas proves their love can last longer than the festive season.

Yani left the hustle and bustle - and the heartbreak - of London behind for his small gyro stand. He’s content with the new life he’s building, though it involves a self-imposed ban on love.

Gavin still occasionally struggles with his life-altering injuries, but he’s determined to put all of his drive into his homeless shelter. It gets lonely sometimes, but he’s too busy for a relationship.

Their paths first cross randomly. And that lock of eyes was everything. So visceral!

The two men are thrown each other’s path again after Yani agrees to cook for the shelter when Gavin’s in a tight spot. What’s supposed to be a one-time favor becomes a pretty regular thing.

Because despite both men insisting that they’re completely fine going solo, the attraction between Gavin and Yani is immediate.

And it only builds as they go from strangers to friends.

I really liked the way Yani and Gavin’s relationship slowly grows. Both men are skittish, but they take things one step at a time.

Gavin, in particular, was a gem. He was so patient with Yani, and willing to work through things at Yani’s pace. Definitely boyfriend material!

There’s an underlying grittiness to the story. Which makes complete sense - this is Garrett Leigh after all.

Both men have their struggles and their histories. They’ve got baggage, and have to put in the effort to bring their lives together.

But while I’m usually all for Leigh’s brand of angst, this time around I found myself disconnecting a few times.

I think it was mainly because I’ve been in full-on holly jolly Christmas mode, and this book is more so a classic Garrett Leigh that just so happens to be set during the holiday season. Just not necessarily what I was in the mood for.

Also, because this is a novella, I thought that the very real issues Yani and Gavin were dealing with weren’t explored the way they needed to be.

That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed ‘Hometown Christmas’. I adored the much-deserved happy ending for Yani and Gavin!

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.