The Humbug Holiday

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Michael Dean

Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Two grumpy bears and a holiday season neither will forget…

Joe

So this sexy silver fox rolls into my small New England town and buys a run-down old house in need of renovation. That’s where I come in. My job is to do some basic repairs, so he can write in peace. Yep, the hotshot is a best-selling author, but that’s not why I recognize Cameron Warren.

No worries, I won’t let a one-night stand make things awkward. I could use the work, but is he seriously asking me to help him buy a Christmas tree too?

No way.

Cameron

I’m a good-natured guy all year long, but I have to admit…. I hate the holidays.

There. I said it.

This season, I’m hiding away on the opposite side of the country in a picturesque village. My family isn’t excited about my decision, and the only way to assure them I’m fine is to deck the darn halls. Or hire someone else to do it.

The handyman might not be the logical choice for an elf, but his grumpy act makes me smile. Which makes me think the holidays might not be so “bah-humbug” this year after all.

The Humbug Holiday is a bisexual, age-gap romance featuring two grumpy bears who find unexpected magic and learn to embrace everyone’s favorite time of year!

©2022 Lane Hayes (P)2022 Lane Hayes

good story for the holidays

I’m always up for a Lane Hayes story, and I was excited to listen to this Christmas themed book with the holidays here. It’s not often when two bears are paired together and though there is an age gap in this book, there didn’t seem to be a pronounced difference in the characters maturity level or what they wanted from life at all. What this book mostly was, was a sweet and short holiday story with two characters learning to unbend a little.

Cameron is new to Joe’s Vermont town and he’s there to have some down-time and write his next book. While Joe works on house repairs for Cameron and helps him pull off the appearance of being festive, Cameron picks Joe’s brain for information about his hometown and local legends for his book. At first, it seems to be a matter of scratching each other’s backs, but with a past hookup between them, and a still present attraction, they end up doing more than scratching.

Each of them have past stories that made them dislike the holidays, but honestly they don’t seem to be so affected that they can’t move on and learn to appreciate the circumstances they find themselves in. I didn’t feel a real emotional tug about what happened and maybe it’s because they have mostly moved past the actual trauma and their hard feelings are lingering bitterness only, or because the book isn’t particularly long so it wasn’t dwelt on. Things are pretty smooth, until Cameron’s agent comes with a proposition for more fame and money if Cameron leaves the cozy life he started making for himself and Joe, for an indefinite period of time

Of course it is a holiday romance, so even though things seem bleak for a few moments, there is a happy ending to be had. It was an enjoyable listen that had me smiling at the end of the book. The narration by Michael Dean was really good, and I would definitely recommend this audiobook.

Quick Christmas Story

This is a VERY quick, cute, holiday listen.

I wouldn’t call these guys grumpy…more jaded and hurt on/around Christmas. They’ve both had hurtful experiences on or near the holiday, so they’ve only had bad memories associated with it. They slowly show each other how to make the season bright. And of course, they have a happy ending.

There’s only cursory history of both characters but enough to understand why they hate the holiday. There’s no deep dive into the hurt/comfort theme. The relationship develops quickly but it works for the story. There are a couple of ‘good boys' thrown in which I would have loved to see more about had the book been longer.

Michael Dean does a good job of performing the book.

Overall, this is as good a Christmas read as any I’ve read this season.

Sweet, short and fun

Loved this holiday story! Even being short it is worth a credit. No annoying tropes. Just two grumps who learn to love the holidays with each other.

Super Cute Holiday Short Story

Super cute holiday story story with likable characters and a well deserved HEA. Excellent narration 💕.

Great Christmas Snack

This was the perfect for Christmas Nick to listen to while curled up in front of a cozy fire, sipping hot chocolate laced with a little peppermint schnapps, and eating a Santa shaped sugar cookie. It just gives you all the wonderful warm, fuzzy feels. Of course, Michael things narration puts it off the top. It has passion really shines. I love how the author, Lane Hayes, is able to show both heat and tenderness in her characters. This is a great Christmas story and I look forward to listening to again.

Sweet short

This was a sweet short holiday story. Lane Hayes writes a very entertaining story. Michael Dean did a wonderful job bringing this story and all of the characters to life.

A Holiday Treat

Audio: This upbeat audiobook was wonderfully presented by Mr. Michael Dean. He created the voices perfectly to match the characters. Cameron had a soothing, melodic but strong voice which contrasted Joe’s easy and softer tones. There was never any doubt about who was speaking, which I always appreciate. It was such a treat to see the two men melt, not only for their emotions on this festive holiday but for their guarded feelings toward each other. My favorite chapter was eight because it was so beautifully real, but I won’t give anything away. I highly recommend this tale of two grumpy Grinches that learn to grow their own hearts. Happy listening and Happy Holiday!

Story-line:
Joe is a handyman that has painful memories associated with the holidays. Ironically he is hired by an author who views Christmas as an annoyance. Cameron has purchased an old home in a tiny village to use as a writing hideaway. Cam also has some unhappy connections to the festive season, and the two cynics find they have common ground. There is an age gap, and it was refreshing that both men were on the mature side. This made their aversion to anything with tinsel or holly more believable. The chemistry was certainly scorching, much to their surprise. This is a shorter story, and even though it felt like a fast romance, there was an authenticity to their connection.

enjoyed it

📖 Story comment: easy pace, interesting characters, entertaining plot.
Overall I enjoyed the story (although I would have liked it to be a little longer). It was a nice change to have two characters not particularly fond of Christmas find their Christmas spirit together. Took me a while to warm up to Cam, but I enjoyed Joe's upfront attitude and found him entertaining. By the end of the story, I was fully invested in their outcome.

Fairly uncomplicated plot, so what I'd call an easy listen - a good story to listen to while doing something else without losing track of what's going on.

🎧 .Narrator comment: I enjoyed Michael Dean's performance. He suits the characters, has good timing, inflections and intonations and pulls all the entertainment value out of the story.

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📌 Where does it fall on my personal scale? 7
• 1 not my thing • 2 didn't like the narration • 3 didn't keep my attention • 4 was good, but once was enough • 5 enjoyed it • 6 will listen again if i'm in the mood for the narrator [4⭐] • 7 goes on the "re-listen" list [4⭐] • 8 kept me up past bed-time [4.5⭐] • 9 recommended to family/friends [4.75⭐] • 10 own it in all formats [5⭐] • 11 keep a copy with me at all times [5⭐]
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Perfectly wonderful!

I’m not sure how Lane Hayes managed to pack such a big story into relatively few words. Two grumpy grinches finding love and finally embracing the holiday spirit was a perfect story. Joe and Cameron both have pretty good reasons for not loving the Christmas season and it was so much fun to listen to how they got hot and heavy between the sheets and gradually fell in love. There was a bit of Christmas magic at work, I think. I love reading a story with an author as a main character; they always make me wonder how much of the story is based on the author’s own truth. I’m sure there’s at least a tiny bit of Lane in this story but I’ll never believe that it’s the grumpy part. 😊

As always, Michael Dean gave a perfect performance and truly enhanced my enjoyment of this delightful Christmas novella.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request and my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

Fun holiday romance

Silver fox, age-gap, not one Grumpy Gus but two! And it all takes place in a scenic little town! This book practically had my name written all over it. There's just something about a lovable grouch, and both Cameron and Joe fall into that category. There is a bit of angst, but it's not over the top, and for the most part, the whole thing is just a fun holiday listen - Just what I look for this close to Christmas. Michael Dean narrates The Humbug Holiday, and he does a good job of keeping the fun pace and bringing out the chemistry between these characters. I think the combination of writing style and narration works very well for this one, and the book can easily be finished in an afternoon or evening. We even get a bit of steamy fun as these guys start with the attraction and gradually move to the feels. Once again, Lane Hayes has penned a romance I could listen to again and again, even if it isn't Christmas!