Winter Dreams By Marie Sexton, Performed By Nick J. Russo
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Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM
Tropes: Holiday romance, magic
Released: Audio: Nov. 23, 2022; ePub: Nov. 28, 2022
Publisher: Self-Published
Series: Winter Magic, Book 2
Length: 282 pages
Cover Design: Moorbooks Design
What happens when a player gets played?
Actor Dylan Frasier is known as one of the biggest playboys in Hollywood, infamous for seducing men and women alike. He’s also half in love with his two best friends. Unfortunately, Jason and Ben are madly in love with each other, leaving Dylan the odd man out. When Ben suggests an extended Christmas vacation at a resort modeled after his favorite 80s TV show, Dylan reluctantly agrees. Sure, his heart breaks a bit every time he sees them together, but it’s a vacation in the Bahamas. How bad can it be?
At first, the resort seems like any other. Dylan plans to work on his tan, get laid, and hunt for Hollywood’s most in-demand director – not necessarily in that order. Then he meets Connor, a tennis instructor still hurting from a bad breakup. Connor knows Dylan’s reputation and refuses to be seduced. Dylan sees Connor as just another conquest, but this tropical island isn’t as mundane as it appears. It has its own kind of magic, and it’s about to make things interesting.
Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003
Great story, great audio performance.
It’s been several years since I listened to the first book in the Winter Magic series but I still remember how much I enjoyed listening to that audiobook. While Winter Dreams is a sequel to Winter Oranges, I think you can probably enjoy it as a standalone story. However, I highly encourage you to read Winter Oranges first so that you will have the background on Jason and Ben who are substantial characters in Winter Dreams.
Having been a huge fan of the TV series Fantasy Island (1977-1984 according to Wikipedia) I loved how Marie Sexton incorporated things from that show into Winter Dreams. It gave the story just enough of a magical feel. While Dylan is kind of a jerk at the beginning of the story, he gradually grew on me; I love it when a not-so-nice character finds redemption. Connor is an unbelievably patient man and I liked how he was cautious with developing a relationship with Dylan.
I think this was a perfect follow-up to Winter Oranges and I’m so happy that Marie Sexton wrote it. I’m also grateful that Nick J. Russo performed the audio book since he also performed Winter Oranges. He captures the characters perfectly – especially Ben. His voice conveyed all of the wide-eyed wonder that makes Ben who he is.
Story: ♥♥♥♥♥
Narration: ♥♥♥♥♥
O Factor: Scorcher
Available to borrow with Kindle Unlimited.
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. It must be true. God knows it could only be insanity that made me agree to this vacation. Why else would I spend the next thirty-one days with Jason and Ben knowing it’ll result in nothing but heartache? I love them both so much it hurts. Watching them together is like feeling my heart slowly shatter over and over again, and yet I can’t stand to stay away from them either.
So here I am, on an airplane with them two days after Thanksgiving, bound for a tropical resort, Christmas be damned. We’d debated flying first class, but we were already spending a fair amount on this month-long vacation, so we settled for business class instead. Still not enough leg room for my six-foot-one body, but the drinks are free, so I’m not complaining.
“I’m so excited,” Ben says. “Can you believe we’re actually going to Fantasy Island?” He’s sitting between Jason and I on the airplane, having volunteered for the middle seat. Even now, almost two years after his miraculous appearance in Jason’s life, Ben comes across all innocence and bright-eyed enthusiasm. He’d sent off for a paper brochure from the resort because he said reading it on his phone was “dumb.” Watching him flip through it, I wonder if he’ll ever become as jaded as the rest of us.
I hope not.
To celebrate the release of Winter Dreams, Marie is giving you a chance to win a $50 gift card to Amazon (or book vendor site of winner’s choice).
Marie Sexton’s first novel, Promises, was published in January 2010. Since then, she’s published nearly forty novels, novellas, and short stories, all featuring men who fall in love with other men. Her works include contemporary romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical romance, and a few odd genre mash-ups. Marie is the recipient of multiple Rainbow Awards, as well as the CRW Award of Excellence in 2012. Her books have been translated into six languages.
Marie lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves hockey and football, and enjoys attending games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.
Marie can be found on Twitter, where she mostly talks about football and hockey. She’s also on Instagram, but that’s mostly knitting and her pets. The absolute best way to stay up-to-date on Marie’s books is by joining her Facebook group.
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Nick J. Russo
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