Mr. Jingle Bells

A Gay Christmas Romance (Home for the Holidays, Book 3)

By: Leta Blake

Narrated by: Nick Hudson

Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Opposites attract as frosty business partners become fake boyfriends in this Christmas gay romance!

After an emergency forces Ashton Sellers from his apartment, all he wants for Christmas is new lip-gloss, zero contact from his abusive family, and a place to stay for the holidays. Cue his business partner begrudgingly taking him in.

Walker’s a fuddy-duddy with no sense of fun, but he does have a safe, warm home with four adorable dogs and delicious food on the table.

What if it turns out Walker’s also a secret softy with a tender side and a hot body beneath his endless parade of golf shirts? Great, good, cool. And, what if Walker wants Ashton to pretend to be his boyfriend for his sister’s Christmas-themed wedding? Awesome, amazing.

Could Walker be the safe haven Ashton missed out on as a child? Could they be falling in love for real?

But, when Ashton uncovers a painful mistake in Walker’s past, it hits too close to home. As the jingle bells quiet and the snow settles, will Ashton be able to forgive Walker, or will their relationship be over before it ever truly begins? 

Mr. Jingle Bells is a gay Christmas story by Leta Blake featuring forced proximity, opposites attract, fake dating, office romance, steamy scenes, and a taffy-sweet happy ending. It's set in the Home for the Holidays universe, which began with Mr. Frosty Pants, but can be read as a stand-alone. 

Note: Content warnings for childhood abuse, past addiction issues, PTSD episodes, and gambling.

©2021 Leta Blake (P)2021 Leta Blake

Okay story, pretty dark tho. Terrible narration.

Leta Blake is a gifted writer, the narrator, however, needs some improvement. What's with the upward inflection on the last word of EVERY sentence? It's. As. If. It. Was. Acted. By. William. Shatner. Even that I could overlook if the narrator was capable of distinguishing between characters voices. Half the time I couldn't tell when he'd switched characters.

The first book in the series, Mr. Frosty Pants, was excellent and a highly enjoyable listen. Mr. Jingle Bells, however, is quite dark for a holiday story so be forewarned.

Great book

The book begins with fun and love and romance
Almost at the end I wanted to send it back, I was pissed. Well i kept it going and 1 1/2 hr more I got back into the book. Love the ending and both guys.

Good story.

I loved it up to the point where Ashton flipped out about Walker's having gambled his trust fund away. It really wasn't up to Ashton to judge him. If he was so willing to throw away Walker's love and relationship over something that happened long before they even met and so easily at that, that says more about Ashton than it does Walker.

So Good!!!

This was such a great story! Really love this one. Hope to hear more like this one.

Always Character Depth in Leta Blake's Work

I gravitate to Leta Blake's books because her characters have depth beyond your typical LGBT romances. There are no perfect Prince Charmings or love solves everything tropes here. Her characters are real, with complicated backstories, complex motivations, and trauma histories that inform their decisions and interactions. And romance, rather than solving all issues, often presents problems and new challenges for her characters. In that sense, the relationships in her work are very like real life. Love, while healing, is also hard. It breaks you open and exposes your deepest vulnerabilities. Because Leta Blake gets this, her books are always a joy. And despite all that, you still get a happy ending. What's not to love?

Past Trama, Present Trouble

I loved this story and the way it weaves in and out and up and down. We follow the building relationship between Ashton and Walker. We see how past trauma and past mistakes have effected these two men and how they see each other. It was nail biting at times to see the reaction of the men especially Ashton who has so much to deal with. You wanted to both give a hug and say I understand or smack him and say don't make a big mistake.
I listened to the audio version and loved it very much.

Fun Christmas story!

I enjoyed this story but I did have a couple of issues. First the narration was hard for me to listen to in the beginning. This narrator has an excited voice that annoyed me, but I did get used to. The 2nd thing was the fact that Ashton and Walker are business partners but don’t even know each other. I found that a little weird. I don’t think you’d go into a business adventure with someone you don’t know. I just found that odd. Other than that the story was really good. It is a longer book but so worth the story that is told.

Beautiful Heartfelt Hurt/Comfort Sorry

At first I was as put off by Ashton's personality as Walker was, but I am glad I pressed on because wow! He grew on me hard!

This one takes its time and it really pays off. Leta Blake has a way with weaving the sexy scenes into the characters development in a beautiful way. Especially the first one of the book.

The narration wasn't bad, but there were some occasions that characters sounded so much alike it was hard to tell who said what, but that is a pretty common issue and it wasn't often enough to trip the story up.

LOVED

Leta Blake never disappoints and Mr. Jingle Bells is no exception.
I am a huge fan of the fake boyfriend trope and this story serves it up so well.
Coworkers who unexpectedly find themselves roommates, Walker and Ashton start seeing each other in a whole new light.
There is some angst here as Ashton has had a very difficult childhood that he still struggles with.
Misunderstandings, hurt feelings and so much more can't keep these two apart.
Under the umbrella of the holiday season this story will steal your heart!
Nick Hudson does a wonderful job of bringing this holiday romance to life.

You are the greatest gift from Santa

A new gay Christmas romance from Leta Blake? I AM IN! Also one of my favorite tropes games boyfriends turn real abs the narrator being Nick Hudson, I am one happy listener!

Ashton puts up a brave front always looking cheerful and happy but not many people know his ugly past and how he was hurt by the very people who are supposed to care bf or him. Walker lives alone with 4 lovely dogs in his grandfather’s house. Unlike Ashton, he does have a supportive family but the great expectations from his father has always made him feel burdened. Now he’s finally doing his own business and Ashton is his new business partner. When Ashton found himself no place to stay during holidays, Casey offered and opened up his home to his business partner who’s the most beautiful man he’s ever met in his life. And thus, the story begins!

It’s fun, funny, heartwarming and super Christmasy! I love the fact that Casey couldn’t help falling in love with Ashton despite him being the opposite of everything he thinks he should look for in a man as a partner. I also loved the fact that they became true friends first while falling in love later. Truly, they are each other’s best Christmas gift from Santa.

4.5 You are the greatest gift from Santa stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫


Audio rating

Story - 4.75 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
Narration - 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Overall - 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Adorable!!

This was a sweet opposites attract, forced proximity fluffy holiday romance

This one gave me all the feels and I absolutely enjoyed this adorable romance.


Nick Hudson performed an amazing audio delivery and narration.

Definitely recommend this gem

Loved this for me!

What a great story about love and addiction and that healing and trusting can prevail if u take the time

Great book

Loved this book from beginning to end and been disappointed when it finished. 🤔 What next I read next wonder! I'll need to look for something kind of festive 🤔 I will need to plough through and see what I have. We are off for to my cousin's in Laurencekirk for the week to help her see out the old year and welcome in a far a God blessed 2022!!

loved it

love the story love the narration well worth the money spent for this audiobook

Like a Hallmark Christmas from the dark side

I really liked this Christmas-themed story, although it broke my heart many times before showing that broken faith and trust can be restored. I really liked that not everything turned out rosy. It made the story so much more realistic. There is a dark side to Christmas. It isn't always joyful for everyone, and this story handled the stress and drama very maturely. Poor Ashton touched my heart from the start. It seemed that everyone, EVERYONE, had betrayed him...parents, (step) siblings, other family, the system. The cover of the book really belies the traumatic emotion and angst that runs through much of the story. There are a lot of triggers here - religious abuse, parental abandonment, drug use, PTSD, homophobia. There is an HEA, but the MCs really have to work for it. If you are looking for a sweet, fluffy Christmas story, this isn't it. But, if you want a realistic story that includes challenges and triumphs, highs and lows, joy and sorry, then this is a perfect choice.

The narration by Nick Hudson is good, but I don't really like his voice for this type of story. To me, he is meant to narrate warm, fluffy tales. This is a purely personal thing.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

Christmas with some bite

I love all the soft, marshmallow Christmas romances, but realistically, Christmas can be a hard time for folks for lots of reasons. It was, nice, therefore to get this story with great characters and a lovely HEA that had some struggle and angst to it. Ashton and Walker are carrying around some serious baggage from toxic family members, abuse, addiction and it is harrowing at times as they work through these issues. They eventually start doing it together and it's clear they are building a strong foundation. Come for the fogs, snow, holiday treats and steamy romance and stay for a deeper character study. Nick Hudson perfectly captures the wide range of emotions in this story.

Long…but worth it

I’ll address the length first of all. Most audios I listen to are between eight and twelve hours. A few shorter, the odd one longer. Ten hours is about my sweet spot. Anything longer than twelve takes a planned commitment. When this one landed in my player, I planned on it taking almost a week. It didn’t. I sped through it because I wanted to know what came next. I had read the previous two books in the series, but it would’ve been okay if I hadn’t.

Ashton pulled me in from the beginning. I’ve never had bed bugs, but after having rented in some dodgy places, it’d always been a worry of mine. I felt complete empathy for him when he was turfed from his place. His creative offer to play fake boyfriend to anyone willing to give him a couch was cute. It fit his personality. He glowed. But that glow is a veneer that covers deep emotional pain – another thing I can empathize and that resonated with me.

Walker is a great guy. Yeah, he had a short fall from grace, but he’s done okay for himself. He’s a partner in an advertising agency along with Ashton and Casey. They make a good team. Ashton being the flamboyant one while Walker is the straight man and Casey’s somewhere in the middle. Walker doesn’t understand Ashton. He worries about the reputation of the firm, and wonders if Ashton’s antics might cost them clients. Never has, but one can never be too careful. So when Ashton puts the outrageous offer on Facebook, Walker feels the need to shut it down. He offers Ashton and place to live.

Now, there were surprises at Walker’s house that I wasn’t anticipating. Especially because he comes across as a bit of a Scrooge in the opening scene.

When Walker’s sister needs a distraction at her wedding, Ashton is all-in. The men devise a plan to pull focus away from the bride and groom. Yes, that’s not the usual plan, but Walker’s sister is desperate. Personally, I think they should have eloped. But what fun would that be? Ashton is at his sparkly best, and Walker’s right there with him. I laughed. A lot.

Then a dark incident from Walker’s past comes to light and Ashton feels the need to walk away. He’s fallen into this trap too often with his own family. A highly dysfunctional family. He’s not getting suckered in again.

I admit feeling a moment of despair. I knew everything would be alright, but I also knew it’d be a high mountain for the men to climb. Climb it they did, and I got my happily ever after.

I can’t end this review without mentioning Nick Hudson. He’s a narrator I trust to deliver a great performance and he did just that. I especially like how he did the kids’ voices.

Worth the time investment? You bet. Glad I listened to it.

Me. Jingle Bells

Overall, I think this was a decent listen. For me, it dragged a little and could have benefited from more editing. That said, the characters were good, and the plot was perfect for a Christmas-themed read. I go back and forth with Nick Hudson’s narration. I did speed it up, which I usually do with him, and I mostly enjoy it once I adjust to his style.

Engaging holiday romance

Enjoyed this story. The characters had a lot of depth and developed over the course of the romance and the way the romance unfolded felt believable despite the two characters' initial issues with each other. My only pet peeve was that one of them kept saying "love that for me" about everything and it got to be a little much, but I can overlook that for the fun holiday feels this book captured that warm and fuzzy hallmark holiday movie feeling and the romance was good without being cheesy. The familial relationships on one side could be triggering for some due to homophobia and addiction, but it was handled well imo. I enjoyed the narration.

Jingle Bell Sass

Mr. Jingle Bells is the third book in the Home for the Holidays series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

I absolutely loved this book. The fake relationship trope can be a bit predictable, but Leta Blake has created a fantastic story with incredibly compelling characters. There's so much depth and complexity to the story. This isn't a book simply about a fake relationship that becomes real, but about two men who have to face their demons and overcome their fears. To keep the book from getting too angsty, there is a lot of humor and sass interwoven throughout the book. I love the banter between the main characters and secondary characters. The romance is beautiful and touching, and I was rooting so hard for their happy ever after.

The audiobook was narrated by Nick Hudson who does a fantastic job. Nick has a wonderfully smooth voice that he distinctively fits to each character. This, along with a great audiobook production, creates a lovely listening experience.