I'm not one for Christmas books. I'm no Scrooge, but Christmas is a holiday like any other for me, and I don't actively go seeking out Christmas-themed books - during Christmas or any other time of the year - but because it was an Annabeth Albert book I decided to give Better Not Pout a shot, because Albert has not let me down since I first discovered her books over a year ago.

Better Not Pout is about the developing romance between Nick - a retiring Sergeant Major - and Teddy - an irrepressible young man with a heart of gold. Their paths cross when Nick agrees to fill in as Santa to raise money for the community organisation that Teddy runs (and plays elf to Nick's Santa) during the holiday season. When a snowstorm finds Nick unable to make it back to base, the two men find themselves getting to know one another and deciding to have a casual romance before Nick retires and leaves for Florida. However, things are never quite so simple, and Nick and Teddy find that what they thought could be a no-strings arrangement is more complicated than they first thought.

This was honestly one of the cutest romances I've read in a while. Nick is every bit the rough-around-the-edges older guy who's sad that he has to leave a life he loves, but is trying to make a clean break. He doesn't want to get caught up in any relationships before he goes, but he can't help but get entangled with Teddy (and his wonderful clan of McNally relatives). Meanwhile, Teddy is enthusiastic and gives everything he does his all, but he's not an exuberant risk-taker - he loves his family, his job and the responsibilities that come with both. He also sees how much Nick needs other people around him, and tries to coax him into new situations.

The major plot is really around how these two men develop their relationship, and the complications that come with having a finite deadline on it. How do these characters protect themselves and their hearts from forming attachments that are too strong, or perhaps, is there room to negotiate and compromise where both of them get what the want?

There are a lot of sex scenes, which is not going to be for everyone, but the core of the story - as with all Annabeth Albert's books - lies in the emotional centre of the two characters and that's what I really appreciate.

Along with way too many food references that left me wishing it was Thanksgiving (and I don't even celebrate Thanksgiving here in Australia!).

Also, if I could bundle Teddy up and keep him for myself, I absolutely would, because he was just so relentlessly positive and kindhearted, and I don't often read a lot of characters like him, so he was a breath of fresh air.

Better Not Pout is being released in November by Carina Press.

~ 5 Stars

Part of the reason I don't like reading Christmas books has more to do with the fact that they seem to always be missing something. But Annabeth Albert wrote one hell of a great Christmas book. It may be that the story was very well developed and I was able to feel the connection between Nick & Teddy was real and not just superficial. Maybe it was the fact that it was a May/December, opposites attract trope that I loved so much. Or maybe it was the author's writing style that I love so much. Whatever the reason Better Not Pout was a great story that I gladly read again before and after Christmas.

This holiday romance is cute and uplifting, befitting the holiday spirit, but it also has that typical emotional intensity that I've come to look for in any book by Annabeth Albert. I was expecting something light and maybe a bit mushy, an easy read to get into the right frame of mind for the holidays. This was so much more than that, though.

I adored Teddy from the beginning and his good cheer and positive attitude to life make him a perfect match for Nick, who very much needs what Teddy has to offer. Even if he doesn't realize it.

Nick is also a great character, very steady and competent, though somewhat emotionally closed-off and grumpy at first. He's not really feeling the holiday spirit, santa claus suit notwithstanding.
Nick's at a point in his life where he needs to find a new direction, and is feeling a bit lost.
Enter Teddy... who makes Nick feel again and pushes him to reassess how he wants to live his life. Go Teddy!

Nick and Teddy are very different in age and outlook, but they have both known loss and as a result are similarly playing it safe in some way or other. Nick more obviously so than Teddy. These two characters are just so right together, they complement and inspire each other in the very best of ways and have a great connection, both emotionally and chemistry-wise.
I felt like knocking some sense into Nick though, because he seems hell-bent on throwing away his chance at love and happiness. Stubborn man.

I love May/December stories and this was an exceptional take on that trope. I really enjoyed this story.

I LOVE this author's writing and combined with sexy guys at Christmas... I'm in heaven. Teddy's a giver, that's who he is. He's also smart, funny and insightful and very persistent. Teddy's family is wonderful, but he's lonely. Nick has had too many losses to believe in happily ever after. He doesn't want to put his heart on the line anymore. I was impressed that Nick acted on his realization that his life was better with Teddy instead of allowing his cynical side to win.
This one was a huge win for me.
Adult read

I love holiday romances. I love Annabeth Albert’s novels. The conjugation of the two is just as good as I had hoped. It’s sweet and cute with a dash of sexy and a splash of Christmas spirit.
Community-minded Teddy meet Nick, a guy whose military life and family history lead him to live a solitary life, without attach anywhere, just as he is going to retire.

I love how Teddy who’s younger know what he wants, has his life mostly figured out. He is just what Nick who is living the army against his wishes need. He doesn’t know what he wants, what his life is going to be after he retires, he is a bit bitter. He may have accepted a job in Florida with one of his buddies but it’s just something to do, a way to be useful, not something he really wants.
Nick was very relatable in that. He is searching who he is, after his career ends. We all have moments like that in our lives, that force us to reexamine who we are, what we really want.
Teddy and Nick had awesome chemistry between them but I preferred the moments where they shared board games, hot chocolate, gifts shopping and cuddles.
Did I say that I love Teddy? He knows what he wants but isn’t going to beg or push for it. I love his social work and his love of his community and family. He is one of my favorite characters of hers ever. Maybe because I was madly identifying with him.

I'm not a fan of Christmas. In fact, I dislike the holiday so much I tend to avoid books set at that time of the year.

I'm really glad I didn't skip this book. Everything about Nick pushed just the right buttons for me. From his dedication and loyalty to the gentle and slightly battered heart he hides from the world, I wanted Nick to have the happy ending he deserves right from the beginning.

Teddy Hamilton was exactly the man to give him that. The perfect mix of young and idealistic, but mature and steadfast, Teddy was the perfect remedy to Nick's downward spiral. Being a lot closer to Nick's age than Teddy's, the way Nick looked at his retirement and his place in the world was especially disheartening for me, so the way the two of them came together and compromised to find happiness in the end was perfect.

When Sargeant Major Nicholas Nowicki is sent to a local community center to fill-in as Santa he's about as happy as you might expect someone who is being forced to retire from his job early and into a Santa costume would be. Teddy MacNally, the community center director is full of enough Christmas cheer for the both of them in Better Not Pout.

When a snowstorm forces them into close proximity, Nick's walls start to crumble as he finds it hard to resist the relentlessly optimistic younger man. But he's moving to Florida, and he's too old, too set in his ways to be anyone Teddy would want to settle for.

But the ever-cheerful Teddy has hidden depths and he is head over heels for his grumpy Santa. He just has to convince him that in spite of the age difference, in spite of their personality differences, they are meant to be. I really enjoyed this holiday read, which I found to be the perfect amount of sweet and angsty.

**Better Not Pout will publish on November 12, 2018. I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Netgalley/Carina Press in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this Christmas season novel, just as I love all of Annabeth Albert’s books and stories.
Sergeant Major Nick Nowicki is nearing retirement from the Army, although he’s only 47. His boss asks a favor. Her civilian husband always plays Santa Claus at a community center. Nick hates Christmas but decides to agree to do this before he retires to a quiet life as co-owner of a small tourist fishing company in Florida.
A much younger local man named Teddy, is relentlessly cheerful and makes it his mission to put some Christmas cheer in Nick’s life. Interestingly, Teddy also puts some love in Nick’s life as both men, despite their age difference, become a couple.
This is a slightly corny Christmas romance, but so sweet and lacks meanness and angst. A great Christmas romance, recommended for everyone.

I loved this one. Nick is upset that he is basically being forced to retire from the service, and he’s not happy about it. He is very loyal and doesn’t want to let anyone down. Teddy is the absolute sweetest person there is and has this huge heart of gold and just wants please everyone. They meet when Nick fills in playing Santa, which he so doesn’t want to do and Teddy is the elf. Teddy wants Nick and makes no bones about it. Nick is trying his hardest to give in to his want of Teddy. Circumstances keep throwing them together and they give in to their feelings and the sparks fly. This is a relatively low angst sweet read.

Qu'il est déroutant de lire une romance hivernale en plein été ! Néanmoins, je ne pouvais pas passer à côté de l'occasion de découvrir la prochaine friandise noëlesque d'Annabeth Albert, qui sortira mi-novembre prochain.

Nous sommes plongées dans un vrai paysage de carte postale, avec la petite ville américaine typique comme on voit dans les téléfilms, avec neige à gogo, chocolat chaud et autres douceurs de circonstances. C'est pour rendre service à une collègue que Nick, militaire sur le point de prendre une retraite dont il ne veut pas (à 46 ans, il a déjà 28 ans de service derrière lui, et malgré sa volonté, il ne peut plus continuer sa carrière), accepte d'endosser le costume du Père Noël et de participer à une œuvre de charité à Mineral Spirits. Il va devoir poser aux côtés d'un elfe, dans différents endroits de la ville, et assister à certains évènements qui fédèrent la petite communauté.

Nick, c'est le grincheux dans toute sa splendeur, il ronchonne et râle beaucoup, et comme c'est un mec du genre ours solitaire, forcément Teddy (a.k.a l'elfe) et lui forment un duo explosif. Teddy, lui, c'est l'enfant chéri de la ville. Responsable de l'organisme de charité qui est très actif à Mineral Spirits il est très proche de sa famille (la moitié des gens de Mineral Spirits sont ses cousins, ou presque ! ). Teddy est jovial, serviable et enthousiaste, il adore les Fêtes, et est bien décidé à dérider Nick le grincheux.

Les deux hommes ont une différence d'âge assez importante (Teddy a 25 ans, Nick en a 46), mais leur romance et leur relation ne joue pas sur un quelconque daddy kink. Nick est préoccupé par cette différence d'âge car il estime que Teddy mérite bien mieux qu'un homme comme lui. Teddy, lui, n'en a rien à faire, il veut juste passer du bon temps avec cet homme. Ils savent que leur relation ne durera pas, puisque Nick quittera la base juste avant Noël et a déjà des projets professionnels qui l'entraîneront loin de là. Seulement, les deux hommes se rendent vite compte que leur relation prend un tour plus sérieux et qu'ils tiennent vraiment l'un à l'autre.

La romance est tendre et sexy, c'est une histoire toute mignonne avec peu de rebondissements (enfin mis à part le sort qui s'acharne pour faire rester Nick à Mineral Spirits ^^) et un couple qui fonctionne bien. L'ambiance des Fêtes de fin d'année, la neige qui tombe en abondance, les soirées au coin du feu avec un bon mug de chocolat chaud agrémenté de marshmallows ... tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour nous faire passer un joli moment de lecture !

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was a wonderful little holiday romance, and I LOVED it. It made me smile and laugh out loud a few times, while also making my eyes well up with tears more than once, and HOLY HANNAH, the sex scenes are hot. (Which they have to be - to keep warm, you understand. It's cold when you're snowed in.)

Teddy is adorable and giving and strong, and I love that he's so optimistic and surrounded by family in a small town where half the town is related to him in some way, and yet he feels so lonely. And then Nick doesn't even realize how lonely his life is, or doesn't want to admit it, as he's being forced to retire from the military, which is the family he's made for himself. GAH. Add in that Nick is this big, gruff, tough-on-the-outside guy who is secretly made of melted marshmallow on the inside, and I just could not get enough of Teddy & Nick.

I was a little weirded out by the age difference between Teddy and Nick, but Nick was weirded out by it too, so ... good? I didn't love the way they both spoke in partial sentences, especially in the heat of passion, and it reminded me of another M/M romance I read and really liked except for that one thing and - surprise! - I'd been thinking of <i>Status Update</i>, also by Annabeth Albert. I've officially added Annabeth Albert to my list of contemporary romance authors to read, and you should too.

~4.5~

I never thought I'd read a holiday story in August, but I can't resist Annabeth Albert, even when it's 104° F outside.

And this story is all kinds of warm and cozy, featuring a grumpy Santa who saves the day, a bossy elf with a heart of gold (and a few naughty tricks up his sleeve), family who means well, snow storms that leave you stranded, giving trees and garlands, sex in a recliner (and many other places!), and a truly heartwarming HEA.

I fell in love with Nick and Teddy. They were polar opposites, born almost twenty years apart, and yet fit together like lock and key.

Nick, having dedicated his life to the military, isn't thrilled about a forced early retirement. Nick is stoic and responsible. He's a big guy, a military cop, and doesn't make rash decisions. And he can't stay. He'd only disappoint Teddy in the long run.

Teddy is vibrant, funny, and kind. He runs a resource center for those who need a helping hand, and he needs a Santa STAT. Teddy doesn't take many risks, but he know a good thing when he sees it, and Nick is the best present of all.

Nick is reluctant, but his heart grows two sizes with Teddy at his side.

Who knew getting lost in a blizzard could be so much fun?

This is a happy story, with some mild angst, but mostly JOY and cheer.

I'm rereading come November. Hot chocolate and love never go out of style.

I have to preface with Annabeth Albert is one of my favorite m/m authors so I go into each new book of her's with high expectations--and I was not disappointed with this title! Better Not Pout is as cozy as a pair of warm wool slippers on a chilly winter day and I found myself wanting more of their story at the end.

I absolutely adored this one! It was such a perfect Christmas story, complete with a grumpy Santa reluctantly admitting he does have feelings for a cheerful Elf after all.

Cynical Sergeant Major Nickolas "Nick" Nowicki is about to retire from the army at 47 when his boss asks him for a simple favor: dress up as Santa and help out at a local community center. He's in no way prepared for the twenty-something Elf who greets hi , who is called "Teddy" of all things, and turns his entire world upside down with his innate cheerfulness, tearing all his defenses down bit by bit until he is forced to make a decision: retire to a quiet life at the beach, or fight for the meddling, open, and adorable who snuck his past all his defenses.

I absolutely loved the small town community in which Teddy lives, his openness and irrepressible laughter. He really is the perfect match for calm, slightly cynical Nick who refuses to join all the Christmas merriness.

A perfect Christmas story with very little angst or drama, two adorable main characters, and all the feels cozy, comfy Christmas story can offer!

May/December Romance at it's finest!

Nick is a man on the verge of retirement from the military, counting down the days to leave the snow for the sunny beaches in Florida. Nick is....older, wiser and set in his ways. When he volunteer's to stand in as Santa for his commanding officer's husband, he never bargained on a cute little elf named Teddy. Teddy, who he thinks is too young and wants to stay away from. However, even though they are looking at 20 years between them, these two men are drawn to each other. They get along, in and out of bed.

I enjoyed these two men and their journey to each other. it was sweet, and heart warming, with just the right touch of humor mixed in,

I really enjoyed Teddy is bluntness when it came to wanting Nick. Micah must have really broken his. heart. Sometimes we don't know what we are missing in our lives until someone shows us. This was so true for Nick. Love the entire McNally family. It definitely seems like their holidays are parties to be at for sure.

Loved Nick's “Uh Huh” moment and Teddy's birthday surprise the best.

Get ready to put this on top of your Christmas reading list


I'm not even remotely ashamed that I've read a Christmas book in the midst of the hottest summer we've had in the UK in,like forever....


I absolutely adored this book,there was nothing I didn't like


What do you get if you take one,reluctant grumpy Santa....who's just a bit hot,by the way,


And,


One bossy,organized Elf with a delicious Twink vibe going on......who's just as hot...



Explosive chemistry,

Just a feel good Christmas setting,

Highly likeable supporting characters.....yes,I adored Teddy's family...


You know when you read something and it just kind of wraps you up and makes you feel happy ?


This is that book.


My absolute favourite book by this Author,without a doubt.

Highly Recommended.

I can't get over how cute this one was. 

On paper, the grisled and slightly bitter soon to be ex-MP Nick and the happy and young social worker Teddy shouldn't have much in common. Which is why it was extra fun so watch these two men grow closer over the course of the month Nick is forced to play Santa and be subjected to all the holiday cheer Teddy's hometown is dishing out. 

I love that there is no unnecessary or over the top drama. The characters deal with their problems in a very grown up fashion that doesn't take away from the emotional impact. 

However all in all Better Not Pout is a very happy, fun and light read that's perfect all year round, not just for Christmas.

When his commanding officer asks him to fill in as Santa for a charity event, Nick accepts, despite lacking holiday spirit himself. But when he meets Teddy, Santa's elf and the guy running the charity, that changes. There is undeniable chemistry between the two, and even though Nick is leaving right before Christmas, the two of them decide it can't hurt to have some fun together before that. "Fun" soon turns into something more, but Nick still has to leave... Doesn't he?

I loved this. Not that much of a Christian fan myself, I still was eager to request this - partly because I needed relief from the heat and partly because it sounded like it would be right up my alley, and I was right. Nick and Teddy were lovely together, and this book made my heart ache and my eyes water in all the right places - and the ending was perfect. Highly recommended, not just for Christmas - but I think I'm going to make sure to reread this when the time comes. It's full of warmth and love, and just the right amount of sweet.

3* Pretty typical bah humbug type of Xmas tale, that ends with a change of heart.

This is short and sweet, and isn't the type of tale that I tend to associate with this author, so that's a compliment to how talented and varied she can be. This is an un-taxing and at times sweet read, but it has a typical Xmas feel to it, with well meaning busybodies and a family that seems never-ending.

TBH, there's not a lot of story to this other than the blurb, and I didn't see or read or feel the sparks between these guys, and it kind of felt as if the older guy gave in to the younger one a little, succumbing to his flirting and suggestiveness. It does work, though, as I think we tend to give Xmas/Halloween/Valentine tales a little leeway. It ends with the leads living their HEA and about to cement it, which feels quite twee.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley, for my reading pleasure.