Paperback Review Tour: Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert

28 November of 2018 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 5

5.0Overall score

A lovely age-gap Christmas story!

Better Not Pout By Annabeth Albert

Genre: Contemporary Romance, GLBTQ, MM, Holiday, Christmas

Publisher: Carina Press

Paperback Released: November 27, 2018

Formats: ebook, Mass Market Paperback (MMP)

Price: $4.99 (ebook), $8.99 USD (MMP)

ISBN: 9781488038686 (ebook), 9781335924841 (MMP)

Synopsis

One hard-nosed military police officer.

One overly enthusiastic elf.

One poorly timed snowstorm.

Is it a recipe for disaster? Or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for holiday romance?

Teddy MacNally loves Christmas and everything that goes along with it. When he plays an elf for his charity’s events, he never expects to be paired with a Scrooge masquerading as Santa Claus. His new mission: make the holiday-hating soldier believe he was born to say ho-ho-ho.

Sergeant Major Nicholas Nowicki doesn’t do Santa, but he’s army to his blood. When his CO asks an unusual favor, Nick of course obliges. The elf to his Kris Kringle? Tempting. Too tempting—Nick’s only in town for another month, and Teddy’s too young, too cheerful and too nice for a one-night stand.

The slow, sexy make-out sessions while Teddy and Nick are alone and snowbound, though, feel like anything but a quick hookup. As a stress-free holiday fling turns into Christmas all year round, Teddy can’t imagine his life without Nick. And Nick’s days on the base may be coming to a close, but he doesn’t plan on leaving anything, or anyone, behind.

288 pages

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

A lovely age-gap Christmas story!

Note: This review was first published on this blog on November 13, 2018 when the ebook released.

Annabeth Albert has done it again! She’s written a wonderfully touching story about two very different people managing to find their HEA in spite of their differences.

Better Not Pout is a very sweet, yet sexy, holiday story with a just the right amount of conflict/angst. Nick Nowicki is being retired from the service due to downsizing. He has one month left at his duty station in the wilds of upstate New York where it’s cold and snowy! He’s anxious to join his friend in Florida where it’s warm and there’s no snow.

Teddy MacNally loves Christmas and runs the town resource center that caters to those in need. He’s in charge of fund raising and Nick has agreed to stand-in and play Santa because their regular Santa is recovering from a heart attack.

While Nick is attracted to Teddy, he knows that it can’t go anywhere. For one thing he’s way too old for him and he has plans to head for Florida as soon as he finishes his last day on base. Teddy also wants Nick and convinces him that they should enjoy each other while they can. But Teddy soon realizes that he can’t keep his heart from getting involved but he won’t beg Nick to give up his plans and stay for him.

Teddy has a great family that features heavily in Better Not Pout and in contrast, Nick is somewhat estranged from his family. These dynamics contribute to the story and provide an interesting backdrop for Nick and Teddy’s budding relationship.

This book has all the feels; just what I expect from an Annabeth Albert story. I laughed and I cried and I loved it to pieces. Better Not Pout is one of the best holiday stories I’ve read this year.