Interesting premise and creative characters. I'd love to see the author develop A Husband for Santa into a full length novel, there are some things that could use a bit more explanation. The story wraps up too quickly - a few more chapters where we get to see what Turk can do.

I got hung up on the style of writing at times, but all in all it was not a bad book. I wish I could have had more insight into the romance, because to me it seemed really sudden. Although since it was less than 100 pages I can understand that the story had to move along quickly.

I was hoping for a quick and fun read and while it was quick it was definitely not fun, at least in my opinion. I felt this was too quick and rushed at times. The romance happened way too fast. The characters were really annoying and not likable. They would say or do things that just rubbed me the wrong way. There was no time to connect to either the characters or the story, this just wasn’t for me.

Turk is Father Christmas' son and heir, a dedicated future-Santa who wants to be the very best Father Christmas ever. He's been studying sled aerodynamics since his teens and knows all the key elves and traditions. He's ready...except his father isn't. Well, his father is willing to turn over the Christmas magic if Turk will marry. See, it's kind of a package situation, with a partner to act as helpmeet, and Mrs. Claus explains to her recalcitrant son.

Turk is miffed and determined to prove himself capable, so he whisks himself off to London on Boxing Day to show how very self-sufficient he is...not. Well, using his part of the Christmas magic enables Turk to rent a luxury suite in a posh hotel, but he's at a loss for how to spend his time, until he meets Symeon Golightly, a doctoral student in Christmasology and moonlighter working the desk at the hotel. Sym loves everything about Christmas, except when it ends! He's cheered up by chatting with Turk, though, and this pair heads upstairs when Sym's shift ends. It's not long before they are cozily kissing the evening away.

A next day appointment turns into a brisk adventure when Turk reveals his true identity. This gets the North Pole up in arms, and we've got a big problem. This little novella is a little choppy with a wandering omniscient point-of-view and seemingly impetuous and rambling decision-making by both Turk and Symeon. While cute and happy, the fussy Turk was both pretentious and sulky, and I struggled to like him for most of the story. Meanwhile, Symeon is too perfect to be believed. The story seemed incredibly rushed, and the resolution was so fast I struggled to keep up. That said, the magic of Christmas does get preserved, and happy Turk learns his parents did have his best interests at heart.

I love the concept if not the execution. The story has the makings of a Hallmark Christmas movie but once we get to know and like the characters, we are fast forwarded to the climax. There wasn't anything to hate, but I felt like the good parts weren't given room to grow.

A very short Christmas story that is what you may call a ‘light’ read certainly nothing to get you excited just a gentle nothing story of Christmas

Book title was achieved before I had a chance to download so can not offer a review at this time.

adding in characters as can not proceed with submission until there are 100 characters.

OK, so this book was a bit of a mess, but the idea was cute. There was something off about the writing style which made me feel like I was reading a car catalogue (insert your own least favourite subject here) rather than a magical Christmas tale. For a romance there wasn't any actual romance. A few emotionless kisses and that's your lot.

On the plus side, it had some nicely thought-out and new ideas in there which have potential, AND it's really short, so no regrets here.

Review excerpted from my blog post over at Pan/Cis LGBT2SQ+ Romance Reviews (https://pancis.wordpress.com/2020/01/04/a-husband-for-santa-by-doreen-heron/)

Overall Rating: 3 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library LGBT2SQ+ ebook collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story. 

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Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Fast burn

Relationship dynamics: Father Christmas in Training (H1) / The Christmas Expert (H2)

Sexual content: Some, "off-screen"; heavy make-out session "on-screen"

Gender Identity: Cis (H1) / Cis (H2)

Sexual Identity: Gay (H1) / Gay (H2)

Triggers: Santa eating reindeer meat; body image issues

Acceptance Rating: 4.5 stars

Acceptance Rating Explanation: While coming out to family is met with immediate support, it is obvious that there was trepidation about how they would react. 

Grammar/Editing: There were a couple of typos and layout issues in my ARC.

Review: This is a fast-paced novella set in both London and the North Pole (referred to as Polynya in the story). The world building for the North Pole is sufficient, and most people will fill in the gaps with their own ideas of what that locale should look like, but descriptions of other places are far more sparse. The result is a story that, while clever and cute, is a bit clunky and vague in places.

Turk has been raised to become Father Christmas, and Symeon is an academic who studies - and loves - Christmas. While a great deal of time is spent on the situational set-up in this novella, very little time is actually spent on the romance. We get glances over the course of 6 months or so, but really just snippets. In some sense, this is better than a "marriage of convenience" or "whirlwind romance" alternative, but the story could have been enriched with just a bit more length, as is the case with most short works. The supporting characters, much like the setting, are developed only as far as they need to be. Because Santa and Mrs. Claus and elves are known entities, readers can fill in physical descriptions themselves. However, this is not the case with Symeon's friends, who we see as supportive, but otherwise are not very three-dimensional. 




Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a hard book to review as I enjoyed the overall plot of the story but didn't really feel anything for the characters or between them.
Turk is next in line to be Santa Claus with his father retiring after this Christmas but he's now told that he needs a Mrs/Mr Claus to help him share the burden. Symeon Golightly is a Christmasologist and unfortunately, spends Christmas alone. He offers to cover a shift at the hotel he works so his coworker can be with their family. It's here that the two men meet and begin a friendship.
It's over halfway in before Turk and Symeon meet and then there's no real chemistry between them. A couple of details in the story didn't follow and we jump between several character POV without any indication which made it slightly confusing at times.
The story itself has a great premise but I just couldn't get into it enough to fall into the romance or Christmas magic that could have been possible.
I received an ARC through NetGalley and am happily giving a review.

A short Christmas romance that feels like fated mates. Turk felt like a child so it was a bit strange.

This book is a cute Christmasy love story between Santa’s Heir Apparent, Turk, and a folklorist specializing in Christmas. Turk is told he needs to be married before he can take over the job of Father Christmas. He doesn’t want a wife, though. He heads to London where he meets an a adorable guy who is perfect for him. I would recommend this book to those who like cute love stories or to anyone who’d love to read a heartwarming Christmas story.

This was a sweet, funny, untraditional take on a classic Christmas idea. Every Santa needs a Mrs. Claus, but what happens when Santa is gay?

Turk is destined to be the next Santa when his father steps down from the post. The only problem is that Turk doesn't have a Mrs. Claus backing him up. He hasn't had time to date because he has been so busy focusing on learning to be Santa and he's gay. So a Mrs. Claus isn't in the cards for him - and he doesn't think he needs one. The only issue is - Santa needs someone who can care deeply for the children. Santa himself has to focus on the mechanics of getting things done - and doesn't have the emotional energy to also care for each and every child. Basically - its a shared job.

Symeon is a Christmas-ologist, who seems pretty lonely. He has friends, but no one he is very close to. I am guessing he's kind of an odd duck.

When he and Turk meet by chance, they immediately hit it off and seem meant for each other. Symeon and Turk have a bit a whirlwind romance and Symeon ends up proving he is the man for Santa.

I would have liked a little more depth to the relationship between Turk and Sym - and a little more growth from Turk. I'm not sure, even at the end, that he really understood why he needed a husband or how that would help. I think he also had a lot to learn about micromanaging things!

Overall - if you want a non-traditional Christmas read - this is a sweet fun one. A hallmark movie that maybe needs to be made!

Researching the mythology of Christmas for his Ph.D., Symeon Golightly never expects to meet the son of Santa. Nor does he expect to fall in love. But when Turk, expecting his father to turn over the role this year and being disappointed, takes off to nurse his wounds and ends up in the hotel where Symeon is working.
I liked that the novella took place over the course of almost a year giving Symeon and Turk time to get to know each other. I didn't love that the story seemed half-told and that parts were very jerky to read.

Three stars
This book came out December 23rd
ARC kindly provided by NineStar Press and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

This was a miss for me, it didn't start out well as I couldn't stand Turk from the get go and it only got worse. Nothing about it worked for me.

Well, that was...short. I knew this would be a quick romance when it was about halfway through the book before they met and because of that, I didn’t care for it at all. We didn’t see their relationship blossom, or really see them connect. We got glimpses of things that could have been developed, like Sym’s insecurities about his weight and his father, and promises of a good plot, but it was like this book was rushed in order to get it out for Christmas. I can’t say I liked this book that much, it didn’t even feel much like a book, but I suppose it was decently written. It’s a shame, with a lot more development, this could have had a very good plot.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Aawww this was so adorable *heart eyes*

Writing style: I really liked the easy going writing style. It's only a 80-something pages so I barely got the chance to enjoy the writing, but what I got, I liked.

Characters: I first thought Turk was an ass. He treated the elves like slaves and insisted on changing things around the North Pole that have been done the same way for centuries... But when he meets Sym he becomes kinda cute, he still not forgiven tho. Everyone else was super flat so I didn't really care about any of them.

Story: It was a super cute Christmas read, but it could have been sooo much better and fun. The romance could have lasted longer. More dates, more kissing, a better buildup to meeting Sym's mom. The overall story could have been fleshed out a bit more. Give a reason why Sym's dad is incarcerated, how he feels about it. Give Turk a better baclstory of why he wants to change everything... Well, the story could have been so much more but wasn't 🤷🏻‍♀️

Cover: I really like the cover, just wanted to mention that. I think it's really tastefully done and shows that Turk is a more modern Father Christmas.

I wanted to read a Christmas book this year and now I have. It was very cute and a quick read. Will definitely recommend it if someone wants a quick and cute Christmas read.

DNF @ 22%

I just didn't care for the writing style on this one, and I REALLY HATED the MC Turk. What a whingy baby - gross, no thank you.

I was also bothered by some inconsistencies... In the first few chapters Turk tries passing off putting away Santa's sack to an elf and then is sulking that he has to do it, but then in the same breath is super reverent of the task and there's some ceremony around it and he's basically honored to be doing it - but also still resentful? Um?

And Sym, the other MC, has rhis weird diatribe against including shamans who used hallucinogenic drugs (in his 120 page power point deck that he only has 45 minute to present... OK...) and says "I can't have Christmas tainted by people using drugs" And when his mentor tries to reason with him that "you really can't judge everyone by your own moral code" he responds with "Please don't start with this moral relativism schtick. I don't believe it, and you can't make it. Some things are just out and out wrong, and that's all there is too it."

I assume there's some growth for both men, but frankly they're both gross and I am not here for it.

Nah. No thanks.

A cute love story about Christmas with all the potential for better development. It bothered me that the author rushed the love between Turk and Sym since they would have been a nice couple, but they ended being just another instalove couple. Entertaining, though.

This had all the makings of a cute, quirky little Christmas read. But (for me anyway) it just didn’t work. I didn’t like the writing style. I found it a bit plodding and repetitive.

And call me picky because I am but...
This is one of the many parts that annoyed me.

“Turk,” he called, his voice booming through the Bay. “Please see to it that the sack is returned to its rightful spot.”
“Of course, Papa,” Turk replied. He turned to an elf, the only elf currently unemployed, and gave the command. “You heard him. Take the sack to the—”
“No, Turk.” His father stopped by the pine doors. “I asked you to please take the sack and put it away.”
“But Papa. This is what the elves are—” “The elves are not your slaves, Turk. They work for the children, not for you. Now, please put the sack away and then meet me in the Lounge.”
“The Debriefing Room,” Turk corrected his father under his breath as he made his way to the sleigh and pulled the large, empty, hessian sack from the back seat. It looked so different with the enchantments faded and the magic gone for another year. Now, it was loose and malleable and normal.
He didn’t like it.
Carefully, he laid it out on the floor, careful to ensure no elf trampled over it and folded it in half, and then half again, and then half again. There was no ceremony to the sack any more, and that made him a little sad. He very much enjoyed being a child and watching his father and Inger fold it carefully and then carry it solemnly to its room to be put away. He looked at Inger, who was observing him carefully, and was certain he saw a tear in her holly-green eye. It was a shame, he thought, that she so disliked him that she refused to even help him with the sack ceremony. “At least there will be new Elders next year,” he mused, picking up the sack and carefully making his way out of the landing bay along the twisting corridors toward the Toy Room. “Maybe the new Matriarch will want to do the ceremony with me.”

Santa gives Turk the job of putting away the magical sack. Turk tries to pass the job off to a random elf. But it turns out it’s a ceremony that’s usually done by Santa and the Chieftain of the elves.
So why isn’t Santa doing it this year?
And why would Turk pass such an important job off to a random elf?

Turk is kind of a big baby a lot of the time. That’s one of the many reasons this didn’t work. And I really wanted it to work.

Any parts of the book I’ve used are from the advanced reader copy and could change.

I voluntarily read a review copy kindly provided by NetGalley.