All Wrapped Up

De: C F White

Narrado por: Piers Ryman

Struggling actor Rick Thornton is on a downward spiral. Once a celebrated stage and screen star, scandal and heartbreak caused the roles to dry up. Persuaded by his agent to take a temp job as Santa at the local mall to get himself back in the game, he's hit rock bottom.

Budding actor Jayden Collins is fighting to fund his drama school education. With no family to turn to, he’s left alone in his university digs over the Christmas holidays. But he’s landed the best temp job ever—playing the elf at the local mall’s grotto, spreading joy and gifts to the children. Especially as he’ll be starring opposite the Rick Thornton.

But Rick is a cynical, bitter shell of his former self, drowning his sorrows in alcohol and Jayden soon learns the truth behind the saying: never meet your heroes. As complaints stack up, threatening to close the grotto, Jayden and Rick must join forces to keep it open. Along the way, they uncover more about each other than meets the eye.

Beneath the glittering wonderland of festivities in London, Jayden and Rick are drawn together by more than just necessity. In each other’s company, they find solace, understanding, and an unexpected spark of romance, giving them both a newfound hope for the future.

But when Christmas is all wrapped up, will Santa still need his playful little elf?

All Wrapped Up is an Age Gap, Grumpy/Sunshine, Found Family steamy standalone MM holiday romance featuring a washed-up actor spiralling out of control and a care-experienced happy-go-lucky drama student desperate to change his fate.

©2024 C F White (P)2024 C F White

Jayden and Rick

𝙃𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙅𝙖𝙮𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙.⁣
𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚.⁣
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Jayden and Rick take us on their journey in All Wrapped Up by C F White.⁣
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Rick, an established actor, is struggling with his career, so he takes a job as Santa at a mall on the verge of shutdown, hoping to revive his career. ⁣
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Jayden loves helping and putting smiles on the faces of young boys and girls as the elf at Santa’s Grotto, as he wants to ensure they have a better festive experience than he did growing up.⁣
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Neither Jayden nor Rick expected the other, but they both end up renewing the magic of the holiday season in each other's hearts.⁣
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I was excited to hear Jayden’s journey after hearing about him in Aaron’s series. I enjoyed all of the holiday banter between Jayden and Rick, and loved how they were both able to engage in some deep soul-searching and healing together.⁣
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You’ll vibe with All Wrapped Up if you enjoy…⁣
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✦ MM⁣
✦ Holiday⁣
✦ Age Gap⁣
✦ Grumpy | Sunshine⁣
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🍁🍁🍁🍁

It’s good! *she says, pleasantly surprised*

I’ve listened to a run of mediocre Christmas books recently. This one stands out from the crowd. It was actually a good story. Not too angsty or heavy. Good for the holiday theme. Good writing. Good narration.
I enjoyed it!

Wonderful Christmas Story!

This is a spicy, punny treasure of a story about a washed- up actor that is forced to take a Santa gig to keep his agent. Along the way, he met a tantalizing elf that helped him to relearn the joy of Christmas! CF White is a treasure, and this book is a treat for any time of year!

Great Christmas Story

This is a new to me author and narrator but certainly won't be my last! This was an amazing Christmas story not only centered around the time of year but the real meaning behind it. It's a story about Rick, an actor who has hit rock bottom and takes on a role of Santa at the local mall. It's there he meet a "punny" energetic elf named Jayden, who helps him remember who he really is. It's an amazing story reminding us that while, even in a rough patch in our lives, some have it much worse. A spicy, holiday themed story that I know I will enjoy listening to many more holiday seasons.

This is the first book I’ve read from C.F. White and it surley won’t be the last.

⭐️ 4,5/5
🌶️ 3/5 (moderate steam)

All Wrapped Up is an age-gap festive romance between struggling actor Rick Thornton and drama student Jayden Collins, who land a gig playing Santa and his Elf at a local mall.

The writing in this book is genuinely excellent — such a breath of fresh air after DNFing two books in a row due to bad writing. White has crafted a really well made novel that pulls on your heartstrings!

Jayden and Rick have a grumpy/sunshine dynamic that I really enjoyed. Rick is bitter, drinking his sorrows away, while Jayden is very cheerful and witty. There are so many elf and santa jokes in this book that I found hilarious and even laughed out loud a couple of times!

”I am just a bit Santa-mental”

The spicy scenes were really well written. I enjoyed how important consent was to Rick. It wasn’t just sex, they made love, and it was so nice seeing how cared for Jayden felt.

Rick’s character growth was really satisfying to see and so sweet too see how much he cares for Jayden. Rick’s parents were so sweet as well.

I haven’t really watched any hallmark christmas movies but I feel like this book was really giving me those vibes in the best way possible! It was very cozy and heartwarming and a perfect read during christmas time.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did an amazing job! I really enjoyed him having an authentic (at least to me) yorkshire and english accents. His narration elevated these characters even further and it was just a great audiobook experience!

Thank you GRR for giving me the audiobook to review!

(very minor spoiler but i was kicking my legs when we found out that Jayden had no money but still bought Rick coffee)