A Boyfriend for Christmas

By: Jay Northcote

Narrated by: Hamish Long

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Archie’s posh parents want him to meet a nice girl - how can he tell them he’s fallen for a bad boy instead?

Closeted, innocent, and lonely, Archie Arandale longs for someone special in his life. A Christmas party organized by his wealth management company is the last place he expects to meet the man of his dreams.

With his leather jacket, tattoos, and piercings, Cal Turner turns heads the moment he walks through the door. He definitely isn’t looking for a boyfriend, but Archie’s hesitant charm captures his attention, and sneaking off during the party to have a little fun can only make a dull evening more interesting.

After their reckless and thrilling encounter, Archie is keen for more experience and Cal is happy to oblige. The need for secrecy means this can only be a casual fling, yet as they spend time together in the run up to Christmas, their feelings become more intense than either of them had bargained for. How can Archie find the courage to tell his family about Cal, when Cal’s the exact opposite of the "nice girl" they’ve been hoping for?

Contains: a closeted virgin, a tattooed biker, class differences, a dramatic coming out, a very inappropriate Christmas gift, and a happy ending (of course).

©2019 Jay Northcote (P)2020 Jay Northcote

Sassy and Festive coming out story

The narrator did and AMAZING job with these characters, the acting and emotional value he brought was great! Every character was unique and distinguishable, he has a very nice deep voice that is SO lovely to listen to as well. I really enjoyed this story, for the simplicity and real life feel it had. This author has a writing style that emphasizes the small things, details that are just regular and would seem boring but in a genre full of drama and over the top plots- it's refreshing and fantastic to read. Here in particular, there was a scene between Cal and Archie that I found endearing because it was not the perfect idyllic image a lot of books tend to show. Archie and Cal are a classic opposites attract story, but without huge conflicts and with little touches of reality that are sobering and that much more charming to read. They also had great chemistry, smoking hot together and just, sweet couple- the kind that makes you "awwww" and be sappy about. It was enjoyable to read something that just feels like a someone you know could be the person in it. That was the feeling I got. this is someone real, this is story I can relate to and say "I had moments like this too".

A steamy opposites attract!

This was a steamy opposites attract featuring an adorable Virgin and a tattooed biker badboy. Both Cal and Archie were likeable characters. I loved the setting of the story and the writing was engaging and enjoyable. Hamish Long as always performed a captivating and compelling narration.

Sweet love story!

Archie is a closeted virgin. Cal is a tattoo artist who drives a motorcycle. They are complete opposites. But when they meet at a Christmas party sparks fly which leads to a little bit of fun in the men’s room. Archie admits he’s a virgin. So the 2 decide to see each other again to take care of that problem. They have chemistry that’s for sure. But Cal isn’t looking for a relationship and Archie isn’t ready to come out. As time goes on they realize that things are getting more series. Cal is not on board with being Archies secret. So when Archie goes home for the holidays he decides it’s time to tell his family. I really liked this book! Archie and Cal are absolutely perfect for each other. If you are looking for a sweet opposites attract story without a lot of angst, you should definitely get this. And Hamish Long did an awesome job with the narration. I like how he does most of not all of Jay Northcote’s audio so I knew what to expect!

Swooning for Cal

I loved Archie and Cale story! I mean who doesn’t live a holiday romance but these two were just adorable. I love that this author always writes a true story about the characters. There isn’t a bunch of fluff or lots of schmexy scenes just for the sake of filler. Hamish Long does narration and he has really become a favorite of mine. I know now when I see his name the narration is going to be great

Good story, excellent performance as always!

I don’t know if I’d qualify this as a holiday story…though the holidays do happen through some of it. This screams more of opposites attract, coming out, upsetting the parents and defying the social classes kind of book. I really like that the couple decides honesty is the best policy so we can avoid the whole miscommunication thing in this book! The way Cal and Archie meet is cute and I like their instant attraction. It’s obvious from the beginning neither of them will be able to keep things casual. I hate that Archie pseudo hurts Cal before the holidays but I’m glad he decides to follow through on standing up to his parents while there instead of waiting. I was a bit confused about Archie’s dad’s complete 180 with no explanation. I’m guessing it has something to do with his friend but that sort of came out of nowhere and was a bit unbelievable. Hamish Long is great with ALL the characters and voices in this one!

Sweet and naughty perfection!

This book left me feeling giddy and optimistic. It’s a hopeful and fun story, very heartwarming, and surprisingly naughty … The author brilliantly captures those first nervous moments of falling for someone, wondering if they’ll like you back, the excitement as well as the awkwardness that can come with firsts of any kind, and most especially the passion and delicious rush you get when falling in love. Archie and Cal are, at first glance, an unlikely but utterly adorable pair. The posh rich kid and the tattooed, slightly older, biker… How can anyone resist reading this story ;-) I loved that despite the small age gap, Cal and Archie are always on an equal footing and feel incredibly at ease around each other, almost from their first meeting. Jay Northcote has a knack for writing real-life characters who seem completely genuine and authentic, and he pulls it off here too. He always makes me feel as if I could meet his MC’s just by setting foot in a pub in England or during a hike in Wales. A Boyfriend For Christmas is a light-hearted holiday romance with a great set of secondary characters, even those that make an awful first impression, and a great epilogue. Loved the humor and the inspirational gag gifts! Narration: Hamish Long did an incredible job with his narration of A Boyfriend For Christmas: great pacing, wonderful timbre, perfect amount of acting and emotion … I was completely engrossed by his performance and absolutely smitten with his voices for Archie and Cal. Loved what he brought to this story.

Absolutely loved it!

OMG..I really enjoyed this. There was not a dull moment. Not a time I wanted to fast forward. Archie's innocence and Cal's bad boy persona kept me all in from start to finish. There was so many scenes that I enjoyed but one in particular was Archie's first introduction to weed...CLASSIC entertainment. I did a lot of LOL listening to that. Archie grown so much since he met Cal and Cal was able to see that relationships are possible when you meet that special one...and that was Archie. I was a constant cheerleader for the guys and was ecstatic that everything ended so well for the guys. And oh man...what can I say about that narrator...he was EXCELLENT. Never was I ever lost on who was who when listening. He did such a good job. He kept this a joy to listen. I'm glad I had an opportunity to listen and this is a honest review. I know others will love it just as I have.

Another hit

Just finished all 3 new Christmas books by Jay. Loved them all. Just right the amount of sweetness and hotness. If I had to choose one, a Boyfriend for Christmas was my favorite, I really felt the love and Hamish Long narration was wonderful. Well done! ❤️

Amazingly fun and heartwarming holiday romance

Original Audiobook Review December 2020: It's been a year since I originally discovered A Boyfriend for Christmas and it's as good as I remember. Cal and Archie still tugged at my heart, still made me want to wrap them up in Mama Bear hugs, and still wanted me to smack them a time or two. I've never listened to a book narrated by Hamish Long before but he brought the men to life perfectly, may not have matched the voices I created in my head last year but still a wonderful portrayal. Tie all the words and narration together and you have a book worthy of a great Christmas entertainment experience that will delight story lovers for years to come. I'll admit A Boyfriend for Christmas may not make my yearly re-read/listen list but that's down to the number of waking hours in a year not the loveliness of the story😉😉. Original review December 2019: I've only read a few of Jay Northcote's books but every single one that has come to my attention is on my TBR list(I'm sure they'd all be if I went and perused his backlist😉) so when A Boyfriend for Christmas was set to be released I knew it was going on my Xmas TBR list. I wasn't sure it would "make the cut" for this year just because my list pretty much doubles every day so there's just no way I can get through all of them but I'm so glad I decided to read it for this holiday season. Brilliant. Fun. Sexy. Romantic. Now is it worthy of what I call the Hallmark-y stamp? No. It is so much better! Romantic comedy with heart but not nearly sugary sweet enough to earn the Hallmark-y stamp. Now that's not a bad thing, oh no! Don't get me wrong I like the sugary sweet holiday stuff but I LOVE the heartwarming rom-com with that something extra special too and A Boyfriend for Christmas has that something extra special in spades!!!!👏👏👏 I personally don't think Cal and Archie are opposite enough to be labeled opposites attract, simply because the person Archie is hiding underneath isn't really that different but he's kind of afraid to let him out, and I don't just mean out of the closet, there's more than just his sexuality he's afraid to unleash on his family. "Unleash"? I make it sound menacing with that word and its not, there's no mayhem in Archie's heart I just think unleash is a good word because he's hidden it for so long. I don't think I'm going to say too much more because I don't do spoilers and this is definitely a holiday story you need to experience for yourself to get the full effect of Cal and Archie. I will say that there were a few times I wanted to smack them upside the head as only a loving sibling does(I'm an only child but I've seen many a friend whack their brother or sister in the back of the head when the adults weren't watching😉). There were just as many times I wanted to Mama Bear hug them and tell them "You got this". Definitely a holiday classic in the making.

5 STARS!!

Sooo freakin good!! Total opposites attract. Archie is of the wealthy elite and Cal is the tattooed bad boy, working class. They were perfect for each other. Loved hearing Cal fall for sweet Archie. Hamish Long did a fantastic job with the narration!! Loved all the voices and personality’s, such a fantastic job!

Another lovely Christmas story from Jay Northcote

I adore Jay Northcote's writing. The characters and situations are real without being overly angsty. And his recent collaboration with Hamish Long has brought an extra layer to his stories bringing the characters to joyous life. In this one we find Archie, a posh, moneyed, closeted virgin with a penchant (theoretically) for bad boys. Into his orderedlife walks Cal, bike riding, leathers wearing, working class tattoo artist. The chemistry is instantaneous, Archie turns out to be a kinky bottom, and Cal's bad boy image hides a nice guy underneath, and what starts as a hook up quickly morphs into more. Lovely.

Great story w/Amazing Narration

At this point, I’ve come to expect each book I pick up (that’s by Jay Northcote) is going to be wonderfully written, with likable, relatable, and well developed characters. This book just proves that. 🎄👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 My heart ached for Archie. I wanted to hug him, and I hate hugs. I loved the connection between Cal and Archie. It felt genuine, even when they didn’t want attachments. It wasn’t surprising that it grew from there. They complemented each other, and made the other better...just by being around them. It was easy to root for them. 🎄👨🏼‍🤝‍👨🏻 Hamish Long did a great job with all the voices he had to do. He did an excellent job at keeping track. I was impressed. Not once did I forget who was talking; they were that distinctly different. 🎙

Another great Christmas story from Jay Northcote

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the stories that come out and I always look forward to Jay's. A Boyfriend For Christmas brings all the feels in this opposite attracts, innocence/experienced festive romance. Archie is just the sweetest and you can't help but love him straight away. His attraction to Cal is no surprise to himself but he is shocked that Cal shares returns those feelings. A tattooed biker at wealth management company's Christmas party is so funny with reactions from so many of the upper class rich people turning their noses up to Cal as expected but Archie is clearly different with his polite company and innocence coming through. What follows is something neither expect for themselves or from each other but it's hot, sweet and romantic in places as they grow closer but with caution as Archie isn't out to anyone and Cal needs to protect his heart. Both men's friends offer a great amount of support and light relief, especially during the Christmas party. Archie's family are mostly as expected after we meet his parents at the party but there is at least one surprise in there when it comes to Archie's perfectly timed coming out. Definitely another recommended read from Jay. It's got wonderful characters with a great story line and lot's spirit throughout. Hamish really does an amazing job with this story, he's one of my favourite English narrators. Archie's character comes across perfectly with his polite manners, proper English and innocence and though Cal's not a rough character, there's still a little bit of an edge there to show he's more experienced and a little rougher around the edges. I happily listened to this across a couple of days whilst preparing the house for Christmas :-)

Interesting and hot

Story: A wrong side of the track story with a tattoo artist on one side, and an adorable virgin of a rich boy looking for direction on the other. I liked the chemistry between the guys and the development from casual to more that we got in this story. Nothing here felt forced or not genuine. The overall plot was good to. A very pleasant book! Narration: A heavy accent that was, luckily, understandable for a non-native English speaker. It takes some getting used to, but the performance is good and is really consistent with the book.

A lovely Christmas romance

This is a lovely low-angst, opposites attract, Christmas romance. I adored Cal, the tattooed ‘working class’ biker. Visually, he may have appeared intimidating to Archie’s parents and others at first sight, but he had a heart of gold. There was nothing nasty about him. I sympathised with Archie for having overbearing parents who imposed their social commitments and politics on him and for making the prospect of coming out a frightening one. Jay brought these two ideally-matched characters together and, from the start, the chemistry is smouldering despite their social differences. The two lovebirds enjoyed plenty of sizzling moments. The more time they spent together, the more Archie’s confidence grew. An uplifting and fun Christmas read with a great cast of secondary characters who add to the enjoyment of the story. Another superb narration from Hamish Long. He successfully managed to show the contrasting personalities of Cal and Archie through his voice and produced a range of other distinct female and male voices. Hamish always makes for an enjoyable listen.

Opposites Attract

Archie has recently finished University and is unsure what to do but one thing he does know is that he doesn't want to work in finance as his father would prefer, he'd also like to stop having girls thrust at him as potential wife material! Unfortunately his parents expect him to attend lots of 'social functions' now he's moved back. I like this unusual seasonal story of a young man scared of disappointing his upper crust parents and seeing how he realises that he has to live his own life and love in his own way. Hamish Long did a variety of voices to give life to all the different characters.

Great Christmas book

Young posh gay and a virgin, in the closet and staying there Archie was always doing what his parents told him. At one of their financial business receptions which Archie was expected to attend he spotted Carl who in a leather jacket, motorbike helmet and tattoos was drop dead gorgeous and so not expected at one of these do's. This is a wonderful book written by Jay and Narrated beautifully by Hamish. A HEA but with a small touch of drama. A Boyfriend for Christmas By: Jay Northcote Narrated by: Hamish Long Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins ❤❤❤❤ Overall 🎧🎧🎧🎧 Narration 📚📚📚📚 Story Read at 1.15 speed on Audible

A tattooed biker and a posh, closeted virgin.

I really liked this story. Opposites attract and in-the-closet themes, yet the story is sweet and quite low-angst. A perfect Holiday read, without getting too mushy! Love Hamish Long's narration!

Loved the story, loved the performance.

I loved this book so much when I read it a year ago and I loved it even more when I listened to Hamish Long’s fantastic performance of the story. Archie and Cal are pretty much opposites. Archie is posh, a virgin and in the closet. Cal is tatted up, rides a Harley and is a bit rough looking. But these two connect and what starts out as Cal teaching Archie about gay sex, soon turns in to more for both of them. The sexy time is hot and I could feel the chemistry between Archie and Cal – it never felt forced. There are interesting secondary characters in the story who supported both Cal and Archie. All-in-all this was just a great story that happened to take place at Christmastime. Also, I can’t say enough good things about Hamish Long and his audio performances. As soon as I listened to my first book – pretty sure it was one of Jay’s Rainbow Place books – I was hooked. His voice and accents are always easy for me to understand. A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

Wonderful as ever

Ok, so I knew this was going to be good, because it's a Jay Northcote Christmas book, but boy was it! I can't help picturing Archie as a blonde Eddie Redmayne. I will be listening to this every Christmas for years to come ❤