A nice boy gets naughty...
Redheaded freshman Jeremy "Cherry" Rourke is certainly living up to his childhood nickname, although still being inexperienced is the least of his concerns. After coming out, his parents barely talk to him. He hasn't made any friends at university. Worst of all, he's about to spend Christmas completely alone in an empty dorm.
Jeremy clearly needs a fairy godfather, so football captain Max Pimenta takes him under his wing to help him find his dating groove. But Jeremy's wound way too tight. He's too vulnerable. Max can't trust some random guy with him. He needs to take care of Jeremy himself and introduce him to no-pressure exploration. It's not about romance or feelings—he's just doing the kid a favor.
Max is definitely not falling for this lonely, beautiful boy. No way.
And it's not like he can leave Jeremy all alone for the holidays. He'll bring him home to his family's maple syrup farm—strictly as friends since his parents have rules. No more fooling around. No more eager, breathless fun. No more making Jeremy shiver and blush with suggestive whispers in his ear. No more sweeter-than-sugar kisses. All nice. No more naughty.
But Jeremy's sleeping right across the hall, and Max wants him for himself. The twelve days of Christmas will last an eternity if they don't break the rules.
Shhh. No one has to know...
Merry Cherry Christmas is a feel-good holiday MM romance from Keira Andrews featuring a nervous nerd and protective, jealous jock, forced proximity, first times, and of course a happy ending.
Freshman Jeremy, nicknamed “Cherry”, makes quite the impression when he wipes out on an icy night. Lucky for him, his would-be rescuer is football captain Max.
I love me a good meet cute. And this one was stellar. It was the perfect mix of funny and sweet. And what follows is even better - a friendship with some serious underlying sexual tension.
Max decides to take Jeremy under his wing and introduce him to Toronto’s gay scene. To help Cherry pop his cherry, so to speak.
Except Max gets a bit too protective. Also, Jeremy isn’t at all comfortable with strangers. So there’s really only one solution - Jeremy and Max will just have to have some fun together.
And do they ever - Max is a good teacher, and Jeremy’s an eager student. I really liked how gentle Max was, going at Jeremy’s pace and making sure he was always comfortable.
The exploration comes to an abrupt halt as school breaks for the holidays. With Jeremy’s own family being less-than-welcoming, Max invites him to tag along to the family maple syrup farm.
I absolutely loved Max’s kind and welcoming family! And their snowy farm was the perfect backdrop to Jeremy and Max’s budding romance.
Because while the two might have hit pause on shenanigans to respect Max’s parents’ house rules, that doesn’t stop them from slowly falling for each other. With each passing day on the farm, the two get to know one another more and become closer.
I really appreciated how they made space for each other. Jeremy feels comfortable being himself around Max, while Max unburdens some of his worries to Jeremy.
Their romance moves quickly, but it’s entirely believable. You can’t help but root for them!
Needless to say, the no-touching rule eventually goes out the window. And once the two admit to each other that they have feelings, it’s all hot kisses and sweet words.
This is a fairly low-drama read. The big issue is Jeremy’s unaccepting parents. It’s not a major stumbling block, but their treatment of Jeremy was still infuriating. Luckily Max’s family had more than enough love to spare!
My one complaint - I would have liked to see Jeremy acknowledge his anxiety and self-esteem issues. I totally felt for him, but I also wanted to see him work on loving himself more.
Regardless, this was an adorable Christmas MM romance. If you’re looking for a sweet and easy read with lots of holiday feels, give ‘Merry Cherry Christmas’ a try!
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