A Gift-Wrapped Holiday
Author and Publisher: Amy Aislin
Cover Artist: LC Chase
Release Date: November 22, 2022
Genre: Contemporary M/M romance
Tropes: single dad, age gap (10 years), small town, found family
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 69 000 words / 272 pages
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
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Blurb
Mal's first priority is giving his six-year-old son the best Christmas ever, a goal made trickier by a recent move to New England after losing his job. As a single dad, he's not looking for romance—especially not with a blond California boy ten years his junior.
After being ridiculed at the family business, Luca sets out to prove himself by opening an eco-friendly gift-wrapping store in a small town with a hard-on for Christmas that’s about as far from LA as he can get. Out of his comfort zone in snowy Maine, love is the last thing on his mind.
But the magic of the season has other ideas. As Mal and Luca collide on wintery streets, will they let their first Christmas in Lighthouse Bay lead to happily ever after?
Content warning: stillbirth. Although it took place off-page and in the past, it is discussed on-page.
Excerpt
Mal slowed at the bottom of a driveway and nodded at the house. “This is me.”
“I was wondering who lived here,” Luca said, taking in the house’s boxy structure.
“Why? Because it’s hideous?”
That startled a laugh out of Luca. “Well . . . yes. It doesn’t match the rest of the houses.” The area just west of Christmas Lane housed Lighthouse Bay’s historic homes, but this modern construction was decidedly not historic. Luca had passed it a couple of times on his evening gift deliveries and wondered what the owner had been thinking. “Why’d you buy it if you don’t like it?”
“I’m not. I’m leasing.”
Even so, Mal had gone all out with the decorations. Icicle lights hanging from the roof, flashing multicolored lights framed around each window, static white lights around a nine-foot-tall pine tree, and a lit-up reindeer family. He even had some sort of spotlights buried somewhere in the yard that swirled red and green snowflakes on the house in an unidentifiable pattern.
“Which is probably another reason I haven’t unpacked,” Mal continued. “I hate this place.”
“Why lease it, then?”
Mal blew out a breath that ghosted the air in front of him. “The short version is that I was in a rush.”
“And the long version?”
“The long version is something I’ll have to give you another time.”
Luca glanced at Otis. “I think he’s asleep.”
“Bet he gets a second wind as soon as I walk in the door.” Mal’s voice was a disgruntled grumble that Luca shouldn’t have found as charming as he did. “Thanks for walking us home.”
“Thanks for letting me. I like talking to you.”
Mal’s smile went lopsided. “I like talking to you too. Still want to do it again sometime? I promise not to feed you ice cream while it’s below freezing outside. Real food only. Scout’s honor.”
Luca’s armpits went damp despite the winter weather, and butterflies took flight in his belly. He dug his toe into the sidewalk. “You must really want to date me if you’ve asked me out twice in one week.”
“Or I just want an adult to talk to for once,” Mal said, a teasing tilt to his smile.
Luca stuck his tongue in his cheek and backed down the driveway, keeping his gaze on Mal’s. “Or maybe you like me.”
“Damn. And here I thought I wasn’t being obvious at all.”
The butterflies floated into Luca’s throat. “Text me?”
“I will.” The darkness enveloped Mal as he moved away from the sidewalk and into the shadow of the house, but Luca could still see the quirk to his lips. “Good night, Luca.”
“Night, Mal.”
Luca watched Mal and Otis head inside, waved at Mal through the glass-fronted door, then turned toward his own home only a couple blocks away, an extra bounce to his steps.
Carra's Review
This was such a sweet and mostly light-hearted read, with just a dash of heat thrown in. I loved this small town setting, and the story had a full set of well-rounded characters - both main and supporting. It was one of those holiday reads that puts a smile on your face while you’re reading it :-)
There is a theme of starting over, and it applies to both Mal and Luca. Both have started fresh in Lighthouse Bay after moving there from the west coast, and while there is about a ten year age gap between them, that never really gets in the way of their developing relationship. Their family situations are opposites - Mal has his son, plus his ex-wife (with whom he is still friends) and her family as well as his own very large family, all living in the same area. Luca though has left all of his family behind to start again on his own.
I liked the way that most chapters were set up as a Christmas countdown, it was sort of like an advent calendar built into the story. I was thankful that there wasn’t any angst between the characters, and that their relationship built at a slow and natural pace. Mal and Luca were wonderful together, and while I’m not usually a fan of kids in books I thought Mal’s son Otis was present in the story enough without taking over from the main characters.
A Gift-Wrapped Holiday was what I consider a perfect holiday romance, and was a 4.5-star read for me. I also liked that some of the supporting characters - most prominently Luca’s best friend and his brother (and not necessarily together) - left a door open for some possible stories down the road. I’m looking forward to reading more about the Lighthouse Bay couples and hopefully more stories set there in the future. If you love M/M holiday romances, be sure to check this one out, it’s meant for readers 18+ for some adult language a sexual content.
About the Author
Amy’s lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she’s read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she’s been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn’t at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada’s largest environmental non-profit.
An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.
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