Review: The Christmas Wager by Jamie Fessenden

2nd Edition

Lord Thomas Pendleton, second son of the Duke of Branmoor, needs to discharge a debt to his friend Andrew Nash. In doing so, he must return to the family estate he fled six years earlier after refusing to marry the woman his father had chosen. To Thomas’s dismay, Branmoor Hall is no longer the joyful home he remembers from his childhood, and his four-year-old niece has no idea what Christmas is.

Determined to bring some seasonal cheer back to the gloomy estate, Thomas must confront his tyrannical father, salvage a brother lost in his own misery, and attempt to fight off his father’s machinations.

As Christmas Day draws near, Thomas and his friend Andrew begin to realize they are more than merely close friends… and those feelings are not only a threat to their social positions, but, in Victorian England, to their lives as well.

First Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2010.

After losing a wager, Lord Thomas Pendleton agrees to take his closest friend, Andrew Nash, to his family’s country house for Christmas. Thomas isn’t looking forward to it, given his estrangement from his father. When they reach Branmoor Hall, they find a household devoid of the Christmas cheer that Thomas remembers from his childhood.

Thomas sets out to bring Christmas festivity back to Branmoor with the help of Andrew. As Christmas draws near, Thomas discovers that Andrew has loved him for years, and slowly Thomas realizes that his own feelings for Andrew run much deeper than friendship.

This is the kind of book you’d want to curl up in a blanket to read while it’s snowing outside.

I really enjoyed the setting of Branmoor Hall. The large rambling house, the surrounding countryside, the village and villagers, and the residents and staff of Branmoor all made for a very cozy country Christmas.

Plus, Susan, Thomas’ four-year-old niece who has never had a joyful Christmas, stole my heart. She’s a cute kid, and plays a part in bringing Thomas and Andrew together.

Andrew and Thomas had me grinning from the first page. Their emotional connection was undeniable. It was pretty obvious that there was more than just friendship there, and not just from Andrew’s end. I’m not sure how many friends, not matter how close, help each other undress and take baths.

Thomas’ slow realization that he was gay and in love with Andrew was believable. Thomas grew up in a society where homosexuality was strictly criminalized and taboo, so it didn’t occur to him that what he felt for Andrew could be anything other than friendship.

But once Thomas realizes the truth, the romance was sweet and funny. His attempts to seduce Andrew were hilarious. I’d say the two were already a couple in many ways, and all that changed was adding a sexual relationship to the mix.

The HEA was incredibly sweet, and tied up everything nicely. I liked that the author acknowledged reality of Thomas and Andrew’s situation as gay men in Victorian England, but without becoming despondent.

If you’re looking for a fluffy friends-to-lovers MM historical read with lots of holiday feels, give ‘The Christmas Wager’ a try!

Find on Dreamspinner Press or Goodreads!

Review: Blind Love by Laura Warby

When Owen and Nate are introduced in a bar one night, neither of them have any idea of the impact the other will have on their lives.

Nate, shy, reticent and blind, finds it difficult to trust Owen with his secrets, but after the two become roommates their relationship blossoms into more than either of them could have ever expected.

This book was a sweet little read. I loved the premise behind it, Owen bringing Nate out of his shell, first time love for the shyer man. Two great characters, a great premise and a story that tried to be too much. For such a short story it felt, to me, that there was just too much trying to fit in here.

I was expecting a slow burn romance between the two MC's as they slowly overcame the obstacles in place between them. What I got, felt more like insta-love, zoom through to serious and try and find a cure for Nate's blindness. I kind of felt a little let down. Not because the writing was bad, but because it was good and the story had the potential to be something really great. Maybe it's just a case of expecting something different from what I got, after all the author has the right to tell the story she wants to tell and it's not up to her to deal with my expectations. I so wanted this to be the story of a slow burn love though.

 Nate was blinded on the day his parents threw him out for being gay, trust and acceptance is really lacking in his life. I wanted Owen to slowly gain his trust, for them to become friends and then move from that into something more. It had so much potential, so many hurdles to overcome. I could then see the second part of the story, where Owen is trying to find a cure for Nate's blindness, to be a whole separate book. An established couple dealing with the problems life chucks at them....but, as I said, it's the author's story, not mine.

I enjoyed the setting of this book - I'm always going to have a fondness for books set in the UK being English myself. The opening scene in the pub was brilliant, it simmered with potential. I really liked the characters too. Owen, known as a bit of a player and Nate shy and reticent. They were great. I certainly didn't hate this book. It was a quick read that was sweet, but, like a mum moaning at her children, I just felt it didn't quite live up to it's full potential. That's just my opinion though, yours might be completely different.

Find out more on Goodreads.
A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review.