Secret Santa

By: Jay Northcote

Narrated by: Hamish Long

Keeping secrets is never a good way to start a relationship.

Theo hardly has time to date. Between work and caring for his four-year-old son, there aren’t many hours left over. He’s lonely though, so he joins a hook-up app and starts chatting to a guy called Luke. Luke seems friendly, and they arrange to meet. Theo doesn’t mention that he has a child. It’s early days, and he’s worried about putting Luke off before they get to know each other.

Luke is currently working as Santa at the local shopping mall. He figures Theo never has to know. Christmas will be over soon, and Luke will move on to a new, less embarrassing job. He’s surprised when Theo and a little boy visit Santa one afternoon. Theo doesn’t recognize Luke, and Luke realizes he’s not the only one with a secret.

Despite misgivings on both sides, they start dating, and the chemistry is amazing. But as Christmas approaches, their secrets pile up like colorful packages under the tree. If they’re not careful, they’ll lose the best gift of all - each other.

©2017 Jay Northcote (P)2020 Jay Northcote

A fluffy, feel good cosy listen!

This was such an adorable listen!
Hamish Long did performed an enjoyable narration and an impeccable audio delivery.

A relationship based on secrets is is never the best step especially in a new relationship. But Christmas is a magical time of year. It's a time for forgiveness and coming home and that's exactly what Luke and Theo deserve.

This was a sweet fluffy, opposites attract, cosy listen sprinkled with goodness and Christmas cheer!

Santa baby!

Sometimes billionaire cowboys offer exactly the escape you need, but sometimes a dose of sweet, sweet reality works just as well. And that’s exactly what Secret Santa offers. Average guys with average jobs who meet online and fumble their way into a relationship, complete with will-he-or-won’t-he text back, awkward Starbucks dates, and “Is this okay?” hand-holding. A dash of angst and just enough heat to warm you up on a cold winter night. Throw in Hamish Long’s always on-point narration, and you’ve got the perfect stocking stuffer!

The season for sweetness

Without giving too much of the story away, I will say that this story was just what I needed for this time of the year. From the beginning of this story I fell in love with Luke and Theo.
Theo’s son is just adorable and I want to hug him so bad. The beginning of their relationship is very relatable and I could understand their frustration and confusion they had at times. The only thing about this book I wish I could change, would be that it was longer lol I did not want to say goodbye to my boys.

Very good

Loved this one from Jay Northcote! There is nothing like one of his lovely Christmas stories and this one was simply perfect! It was like a warm hug on Christmas Day. Hamish Long did a super nice job narrating this quick, short listen!

Lovely, heartwarming holiday romance!

Sweet and cute, giving you all the feels, but never crossing the line and becoming too mushy or overly sentimental. Perfect for finding some holiday cheer!

What truly made this story stand out for me is that it’s about two real, genuine people searching for and finding love in a realistic way while dealing with the hustle and bustle of everyday life and worries. No over the top drama or angst here!

I especially loved Archie, Theo’s little boy. He is an integral part of the story and incredibly adorable! Theo is a wonderful parent, putting his child first, and I found it really easy to relate to him because of that. I like that he has such a great relationship with Caroline and that there is no evil ex in the story.

I thought the references to Top Gear and The Great British Bake Off were a very nice touch in making the characters seem even more real and relatable. Luke, I’m with you, btw!

Narration: Utter bliss. Hamish Long is such a talented narrator! I always enjoy listening to his warm voice and was awestruck, once again, by his knack for capturing the characters’ personalities and emotions. I loved his performance of Secret Santa! He brought Theo and Luke to life in the best way.

Hamish Long is fantastic!

This is a sweet, quick, holiday listen with a wonderful narrator who elevated the experience of the story for me. Theo and Luke are lovely, and I even found Theo's son, Archie adorable, and I'm not a big fan of kids in stories. Some things were a bit repetitive at times, and I wasn't really sure why Luke didn't tell Theo that he was working as a mall Santa, but I was rooting for them the entire time. This ticked most of my boxes for a holiday book and I will definitely add it into my seasonal rotation!

Solid 4 stars!

I hemmed and hawed over buying this one since it's on the short side (for my tastes), but I'm glad I did. The story did have a beginning, middle and an end. That's important for me to like a shorter story like this. I always really liked both MCs and wanted to see them both happy and happy together. So, I rooted for them. If an author can make me feel that way, then I'm all in. I got the feels for this one.

Misunderstanding/miscommunication/omission is a tricky trope for me - ends up being hit or miss. But this one was a total hit for me. It started in a realistic way - as in I bought in to it. And the truth reveal was done in a way I wasn't expecting, and I could appreciate it.

And Hamish's narration? Excellent as always.

sweet and spicy holiday romance

Theo and Luke's story melted my heart and my headphones😍🔥. Hamish Long's narration really brought the story to life.

Secret Santa

My first Christmas story of the year!
I loved Luke and Theo. I really liked the way they meet and put it out there they want more than just a onetime thing. So when the lying stuff came in I was like why, I totally saw that blowing up in their faces.
It wasn’t a bit drama it was what you would expect when someone lies to you. The hurt feelings but they work it out and I enjoyed the ending.
Also little Archie was adorable. Kids in books are so fun and I like that they make the characters more real.
Loved the narration, I really like that Hamish gives each character their own voice without it feeling forced.

Wonderful Christmas story

This was sooo good!! Wonderful and heartwarming. Luke is working as a mall Santa until he starts his new job. He meets a guy on an app and wants to meet him in person. Theo is helping to raise his son. He takes him to meet Santa at the mall. There’s miscommunication between Theo and Nick but love prevails in the end. Sooo good!! Hamish Long, as always does a fantastic job with the narration!! Loved it!