Mr. Jingle Bells

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

By: Leta Blake

Narrated by: Nick Hudson

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

Ashton and Walker

Omg this is sweet and at times emotional but a superb ending. Ashton is in need of a place to stay and his business partner Walker offers his spare room. They decide to be fake boyfriends for Walker's sisters Wedding. Only to go 1 step into reality, until Ashton finds out Walker was a gambler and puts the breaks on the relationship.Most of the book is done in a couple of weeks, just before Christmas and the New Year, with an amazing epilogue 12 months later on their Sexaversary.

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.

Cute Story

I haven't read/listened to any of the other Home for the Holidays books, but I am a Leta Blake fan. So when offered this one I jumped. I didn't think the story was much of a holiday romance, it was more a background tidbit. I did enjoy the story overall - about two opposites. Ashton is a pretty complex character while Walker is somewhat gentle and trying to overcome his past. Nick Hudson is quickly becoming a favorite narrator and as usual thought he did a great job telling this one.

Fantastic!!

Ashton needs a place to stay while his place is being fumigated over Christmas. He ends staying with his business partner, Walker. Walker and Ashton are so total opposites in so many ways but they work. This was a really great holiday story, left me smiling for days! Overall, fantastic! This was a really well written, highly recommend. Nick Hudson did agreat job with the narration!! Loved it!!

So Good!!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

Cute, angsty, and heart-warming

This audiobook covers all the feels! Both of these characters have had some rough times, there is the angst. The storyline makes for a cute Christmas story with real life intruding. This fits with Christmas series and I highly recommend!