Monthly Archives: November 2022

The Primary Pest by ZA Maxfield

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Title: ⟫ The Primary Pest

Author: ⟫ ZA Maxfield

Blurb: ⟫ If infatuated bodyguard Dmytro wants to come clean to his reckless young client Ajax, he’s going to have to get dirty.

Dmytro Kolisnychenko was a soldier and translator for the Ukrainian mob – until he lost his happy home life to an enemy with a home-made bomb. Now he wants only two things: to spend every precious second he can with his daughters and to provide for them by protecting people who can’t protect themselves. Even spoiled rich kids like Ajax Fairchild.

Ajax Fairchild isn’t the monster Dmytro thinks he is. He’s surprisingly intelligent, resourceful, and funny. He’s also gorgeous and enjoys dating mature men. The first time they’re alone together, Ajax makes Dmytro an offer that’s hard to refuse.

Dmytro hasn’t got time for a romantic dalliance, and Ajax is a client. But as one coincidence after another ruins Dmytro’s plans to keep Ajax safe, and they’re driven from one town to another on the central coast, trouble follows hot on their heels.

Can they trust each other enough to stay one step ahead while Dmytro’s partners at Iphicles Security find Ajax’s stalker and neutralize the threat? What if trust leads to love?

This book is a re-release of Three Vlog Night with no major changes to the plot. If you love hot bodyguards, mischievous geeks, age-gap romance, and a happily-ever-after you know will last, buy The Primary Pest today!

Review: ⟫ I have been a fan of ZA Maxfield ever since I read Crossing Borders years ago, so I was delighted to receive the opportunity to read/review her latest story.

It wasn’t what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed, The relationship between Dmytro and Ajax didn’t feel quite fully realised, and although the story was interesting, there was very little in the way of romance. They did connect – over Anton if nothing else – but there was something missing. I can’t explain it very well.

It was very action packed, and the character of Ajax was fascinating – very self aware and yet still destructive in many ways. The whole ‘Daddy’ aspect wasn’t explored the way I thought it might be. However, it was very well written and I did enjoy reading it. I guessed the identity of the ‘bad’ guy almost immediately, but was fascinated with how they were going to get out of the situation.

Strangely enough, the free short novella that is available from ZA’s newsletter gave a clearer picture of the relationship between the two MCs and solidified things in a way that the main story didn’t. I would say that this was a good read but didn’t capture me the way the author normally manages to.

I would give this a solid 3.75 rounded up to 4, and would recommend reading the free short immediately after the story for a more satisfying feel to everything.

I was given an ARC by Gay Romance Reviews in exchange for a honest review.

Pretty for Master by Skylar Sweeney

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Title: ⟫ Pretty for Master

Author: ⟫ Skylar Sweeney

Blurb: ⟫ Can a sociopath learn to love?  Master plans to find out, and his captive agrees to lend a hand.  But will Pretty lend his heart, too?

    
PRETTY

  
They call him the Mad Master. A giant in fancy clothes with a flower on his lapel, he rules his world like a king. He’s as terrifying as he is enthralling and as cruel as he is kind.

  
All I’ve ever known is pain, so the way he loves to hurt me is nothing new. It’s how he holds me that makes me wonder if I could be more than a redneck biker working the street corner. Like his pretty boy?

  
I won’t get the chance to find out if the man trying to kill me catches up first.  Or worse, Master might realize what an unlovable loser I am and not want me at all.  Can a man that no one wants to love really win the heart of someone like him?

   
MASTER

  
I’m obsessed with a love I can’t feel. I’m not sure what romance is, but it’s all I think about—when I’m not thinking of pain.  Because pain and torture are kind of this sociopath’s thing.

  
Everything changes when I kidnap the most beautiful boy in the world to save him from a killer.  I’m determined to give him the love he deserves, with lace and glitter and maybe a little pain on top, but how will that happen when I can’t love?

Warnings: ⟫ This book centers on forced feminization and humiliation with a TWISTEDLY SWEET HEA.

Review: ⟫ This book was all the way bonkers!

Prerequisite I haven’t read this author before so wasn’t sure what to expect – probably an average BDSM romance. This was nothing like that! It was like falling down a rabbit hole! Master is a psychopath who has been asked for a favour by a previous ‘friend’ in the form of kidnapping a young man and keeping him prisoner. This is knowing that Master has a habit of treating his young men badly – think whips, chains, etc. And that was the normal part of the story!

I don’t want to spoil anything so I’m actually not going to say much else about the plot. I will say that in spite of myself, I actually kinda liked Master – he had the money to be able to do whatever the heck he wanted so he did. No compromises, no hiding from himself, nothing. And Pretty? Pretty needed someone like Master to help him see who he really was and figure out what he actually liked. I had a lot of sympathy for Pretty – he had an awful start in life and things just got better. Imagine being kidnapped by a psycho being the best thing that could happen to you!

I laughed – a lot – sometimes at the misunderstandings between Pretty and Master, sometimes at the situations, and I also really enjoyed how bloodthirsty certain parts were, which surprised the heck out of me!

I would wholeheartedly take notice of the warnings that come with the book – this is so not safe, sane and consensual – but I finished this in one go because I really wanted to know what was going to happen! I will happily read something else by the author, especially as I now think I have an idea about how their mind works!

3.75 rounded up to 4/5 from me!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daddy's Boy by Romeo Preminger (Arizona Series Book #2)

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Title: ⟫ Daddy’s Boy: Book Two in the Arizona Series

Author: ⟫ Romeo Preminger

Blurb: ⟫ Arizona started a new life when his birth daddy, Gaston Bondurant, found him living with a foster family and facing criminal charges for assaulting his abusive stepfather. Plucked from the squalor of rural Acadiana, Arizona was thrust into New Orleans high society and an elite New England boarding school.

Home for the summer, Arizona sets out to find his younger brothers and sister, who were scattered to different places when their family was torn apart. Along the way, he reunites with his tenth grade sweetheart, Preston Montclair, who still holds a torch for him.

But Arizona is struggling to figure out the man he’s supposed to be. He’s got an obligation to his daddy, who wants to mold him as his heir, but he’s also got a responsibility to his wayward siblings. It feels like he’s swimming against the rapids, trying to do both while figuring out if he belongs with his boyhood love or an educated man who can help him with his dream of being a famous writer.

Review: ⟫ After reading the first book, I was quite eager to get to the second so I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get into it. We start from where the first book ended and follow Arizona to college, where he struggles to fit in with boys who have lived a privileged existence from the time of their birth – nothing at all like him.

I picked this up and put it down numerous times, before finally determining that I was going to bull through. And I finally realised why I couldn’t get into the book. I don’t like Arizona – like, at all. In the first book, I sympathised with his plight and supported many of his decisions – or at least, understood them. In this book, I found Arizona to be reckless, uncaring and selfish. Even the things that were happening to his ‘siblings’ all seemed to be based on how it made him feel – little about what they were suffering through.

His behaviour at school – the lack of empathy for what his actions could cause – really annoyed me. Admittedly, he’s a young man and there were times when he tried to show maturity and responsibility like when he and his friends went out to clubs, etc, but I just couldn’t find anything about him to like. And that meant that my investment in the story dwindled until I finished it because I felt like I should rather than because I wanted to.

It is a very well written story, evokes the era extremely well, and the writing style is engaging, but my feelings towards the MC, how he treated Preston, some of how he behaved at school meant that I lost any inclination to read further. I completely understand that this is a ‘me’ problem rather than anything to do with the book, and perhaps it was written intentionally to create this feeling. Either way, for me this book was a 3/5 and I’m not sure if I care enough to read the third and final book.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Scapegoat by J.R. Gray (Working Dogs Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ Scapegoat (Working Dogs Book One)

Author: ⟫ J.R. Gray

Blurb: ⟫ Special Agent Nolan Hudson

At seventeen, I ran. I joined the military and planned to never step foot in my home town again. Nothing could make me return to that hellhole and the pain I buried there, or so I thought— until I found myself on a plane to that very place.

Almost two decades later, I’m forced home to help find a missing nine year old. As a member of the most elite K9 special unit in the country, it was my job and you can’t exactly say no to the FBI. It should be easy, and I won’t have to face what I ran from.

However, the case is anything but simple and to make matters worse, I’m faced with the last person I ever wanted to see again: Officer Callum Stone— the sheriff’s son and the town’s golden boy. Only he’s not anymore—he’s a ruin of what he once was.

It’s Callum’s kid who’s missing, and all the feelings I’d spent almost twenty years running from rise to the surface.
As secrets come to light, we realize our small town is hiding a lot more than we thought, and we’ll have to follow the trail of deception to get justice and maybe a second chance at love.

Scapegoat is a second chance MM romantic suspense, featuring a small town, some FBI K9 fun, and hurt/comfort vibes. It is the first book in J.R. Gray’s Working Dogs series, which will be packed with action, suspense, and humor.

Review: ⟫ I read Sitting Ducks as part of the Your Book Boyfriend’s Boyfriend and really enjoyed it, so when the chance came to read Nolan’s story I leapt at it!

I didn’t enjoy this anywhere near as much as I liked Sitting Ducks. Initially, I wasn’t sure why – the parts I really enjoyed included Nolan’s relationship with Maddie, Snoop, the friendship between Hayes and Hudson, Knox and the procedural stuff. These were all top notch in my opinion.

The bits I didn’t like: the relationship between Callum and Nolan. Which, as they were the MCs was obviously a bit of a problem. I didn’t like how easily Nolan forgave Callum for what he had done in the past, and I didn’t feel enough time was given to resolving all of that between them. I didn’t like that Nolan seemed to be doing all of the work between the two of them – initially,yes, I could see why that was but after a while, it just got tiresome! Flying back and forth across the country once a month whilst Callum didn’t reciprocate just bugged the heck out of me! There were times when I mixed up Nolan and Callum because they didn’t come across to me as two separate people – their voices were too similar. There were too many loose ends for me – there felt like there was a huge amount of build up with regard to the Sheriff with no pay-off (for me at least); the relationship between Nolan and his parents – what was up with that? How come after such an intense friendship where they shared everything, Nolan treated Hayes so shabbily?

I really enjoyed getting to know Knox better, and like I said the stuff with the dogs was brilliant – the Snoop thing completely cracked me up! I am working my way through J.R. Gray’s M/M catalogue and really enjoyed Pretty Obsessed, and I will be on the lookout for the next Working Dogs book, but this one just didn’t work for me.

3.5/5 for me, although obviously YMMV.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

Best Belly Buddies by Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory

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Title: ⟫ Best Belly Buddies

Author: ⟫ Ki Brightly & M.D. Gregory

Blurb: ⟫ In Need of TLC

Zayden “Z” Shoemaker has secrets. He’s been in love with Dare, his straight best friend, for longer than he can remember, and on top of that tragedy in progress, he has an odd quirk none of his ex-boyfriends could handle. After every nasty breakup, Dare is there to help him through the heartache—and wipe away tears.

The Port in Every Storm

Fern “Dare” Darrow is tired of seeing men break Zayden’s heart. As far as he’s concerned, no one is good enough for his Z. When Zayden’s current man cheats and sends him into a cocoon of blankets and despair, Dare steps up in his role of best friend. Dare doesn’t expect to walk in on Zayden in a vulnerable position, which causes Dare to seriously question his sexuality for the first time. Dare is shocked into examining his true feelings for his best friend.

Scared But Determined

After confessions from both men, Dare and Zayden must make a decision that could transform every piece of their relationship and life, especially since they already live together. They’ll either grow with the change or destroy the one friendship that has kept them sane. Dare isn’t a coward, and Z is stronger than he thinks, but they will need each other more than ever if they want to overcome a lifetime of expectations.

Review: ⟫ I’ve never heard of this kink outside of perhaps werewolf romance, so that was a new one on me. I was very interested in how it worked and how the writers were going to incorporate it without too much feminisation and I do think they did that very well.

The story was very sweet – friends who to the outside look like they’ve been dating for years, with one pining after the other – sounded right up my street. But this didn’t gel for me – at all. There seemed to be a lot of extraneous characters – some, I believe, who have books of their own – that got too much attention. Their work life also seemed to play a huge role in the story but didn’t actually add anything to it.

I liked how Dare didn’t just dive straight into things as soon as he admitted his feelings – his concerns about what Zayden was looking for based on the porn he had watched seemed valid and I liked the fact that they communicated. I liked Zayden’s character development in as much as he learned to stand up for himself more and accept that what he was looking for from a relationship wasn’t as out there as he might have initially believed.

But it just felt too long – very drawn out and almost laborious. I loved the idea of the Boudoir shoot, but I was completely thrown out of the story by what happened there. It just seemed completely out of character considering how concerned/hesitant Dare had been up until that point. It felt wrong and it bugged me.

Perhaps I just wasn’t in the right mood for this? I think it was overall very well written and it passed the time, but I can’t see me looking into the various other stories written in the verse.

3.5/5 from me.

Chosen by Nicholas Bella (Demon Gate Series Book #1)

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Title: ⟫ Chosen (Demon Gate Series Book 1)

Author: ⟫ Nicholas Bella

Blurb: ⟫ Officer, Brian Cordero, didn’t expect his life to be flipped upside down the day Raphael Ledeo sped past his patrol car in an Aston Martin. It was supposed to be a routine patrol stop, but the moment their fingers touched, his fate was sealed. He’d been chosen as Raphael’s mate unbeknownst to him.

Now human no longer after he and Raphael bond, Brian has to figure out how to navigate life as a powerful demon. And that’s just the beginning of his troubles. He discovers that there are eight gates to hell, and one of them – the worst one – is open, and a secret demon-hunting organization needs his help to close it. If that wasn’t enough on his plate, his attraction to Raphael grows more intense the longer he tries to deny it. Brian considers himself straight, after all, and Raphael has been the only man he’s been with.

But can he deny his desires any longer or will he have to finally admit his feelings for Raphael?

Reader Advisory: This book is filled with sarcastic demons, devilish charm, enough steam to fog up all of the windows in your home or car. And a plot that will keep you engaged until you finish the last page. 18 and older. Content may be sensitive to some readers. Discretion is advised.

Review: ⟫ I went into this story vaguely aware that some people found there were problematic issues with the mating of the two MCs, and the warnings that content might be sensitive to readers. I wasn’t expecting the straight up rape up scene that I read. I must admit, that threw me quite a bit – I’ve read dub-con and non-con, but this was just – nope. I think that the warnings given need to be clearer as they are too euphemistic for what actually happened on page.

The main character, Brian, was horrible – as in, I couldn’t find a single redeeming quality about him. He blundered around, getting himself into all kinds of trouble with secret societies and demon royalty with the subtlety of a dumper truck. He whined, constantly. His attitude towards women was abhorrent, and I was barely 30% of the way through the story before I decided that I really couldn’t give two sh1ts what happened to him. He was a complete dumbass.

Raphael was one-dimensional at best, and you would think considering his age, he might have handled things better. He was barely on page (mainly because Brian was such a dumbass but I digress), but when he was there, it was all about how pretty he was whilst he acted like a complete AH.

I was actually intrigued by the idea of the gates of hell, working to close them as well as secret societies and all sorts of demons, but it just wasn’t there. It was all about how powerful Brian’s demon was (told, not shown), him eating souls and sex. That was it. I know it was episode one, but there was pretty much nothing here that made me want to go back for episode two. I have read other Nicholas Bella books and enjoyed them, so I was a little disappointed in this one. I didn’t even find the story that dark – perhaps all of that will come in further episodes when it gets more into the demon gates? Or maybe I’m just a bit too dark in myself!

2.5/5 from me.

Wrecked But Not Ruined by Nicole Dykes

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Title : ⟫ Wrecked But Not Ruined

Author: ⟫ Nicole Dykes

Blurb: ⟫ Ethan

I had everything.
I was going to college and having a blast. Enjoying myself and not
taking much seriously. But then, two years ago, everything changed.

A car wreck
destroyed my life. It sent me into a total tailspin. I walked away,
even when everyone said I wouldn’t be able to.

But I haven’t
recovered from it.

The only thing I
have left is my best friend, but I’m sure he’ll give up on me
soon. Even so, I can’t fight the truth . . . I’m irrevocably
ruined.

Knox

College is coming
to an end, and I couldn’t be happier to finally start my real
life.

Ethan and I had plans. So many amazing plans. And then,
everything changed. He was in a horrific wreck, but he miraculously
survived. Except it took a piece of him.

I’ve tried to help
him get it back. Tried to get him to go to a trauma support group and
come back to me.

He thinks he’s
broken, but I know the real Ethan is still there. The brave, outgoing
man I’ve known my entire life. And I’m going to help him see the
truth. That he can overcome this.

That he may have
been a little wrecked, but he wasn’t ruined.

Review: ⟫ This may well be one of the sweetest, most hopeful and most caring books I’ve ever read.

Ethan has survived a traumatic car accident but because he escaped with minimal injuries, he truly doesn’t see the trauma. Reading how his life has changed since the incident and his view of himself was really painful, but also very realistic. After all, a lot of people would dismiss his fears and continuing trauma as him being overdramatic – after all, he wasn’t that hurt. 

It was really interesting seeing the group of people he has managed to surround himself with who all care for him dearly, but are also aware that they can’t help him until he is ready to help himself 

Knox was really sweet and a rock-solid friend in a way that so many people need. And it was an interesting twist to realise that he had suffered trauma of his own. I liked the parallels the author made and the overriding message that came through loud and clear – it doesn’t have to be life-threatening to be trauma.

This was a very nicely written story, with a great list of characters and a solid pairing in Knox and Ethan. I found it a quick, satisfying read and am happy to recommend it.

I received an ARC from GRR. 

Double Play by E.M. Lindsey (Hit and Run Book #3)

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Title:
⟫ Double Play (Hit and Run Book #3)

Author:
⟫ E.M. Lindsey

Rating:
⟫ 3.5/5

Blurb:
⟫ If self-destruction is an art-form, then Hervé is a master artist.


After all, he’s perfected self-sabotage since he was young and full of promise.

He’s spent his life
running from his past and pushing away anyone who might break down
his walls, but it wasn’t until his body betrayed him that he
realized just how lonely his present had become. Now he’s in the
countryside, trying to figure out if anything is worth salvaging, and
wondering if he’s the sort of man who will ever be worth a second
chance.

Even when Orion Coulter—one of the star pitchers
on the Denver Vikings—shows up in his little village like some sort
of predestined knight on a white horse, Hervé doesn’t trust him.
How can he when Orion is close to all the men Hervé hurt?

But
Orion’s situation is more complicated than Hervé realized, full of
pain and grief, looking for some kind of escape. And while Hervé
knows that he hasn’t quite earned meeting the man of his dreams,
Orion’s quiet voice, tender hands, and impossible promises has him
wondering if maybe—just maybe—the universe is willing to give him
the chance he doesn’t deserve.

Double Play is the final book of the Hit and Run MM baseball romance series. It features countryside kisses, grief, redemption, long walks, careful handling, and a painfully tender happily ever after. 

Review:
⟫ I
haven’t read any of the previous Hit and Run series and that may
have influenced my experience with this book.

Well
written, and extremely well researched, this book was an interesting
read. I didn’t know about cataplexy although I knew a little about
narcolepsy, and I found it quite educational. It features characters
from the previous Hit and Run books (I assume so anyway), and there
is obviously a lot of history playing a role in things. 

 Unfortunately,I think that may be what I struggled with. I haven’t read the
previous books, knew none of the characters and therefore had no
frame of reference and no ‘side’ in things. There were a lot of
references to something Hervé did in previous books (and I know some
people figured it out just from this book) but I couldn’t quite
grasp what he had done that was so wrong, and I wasn’t sure I
really cared.

That
sounds really callous, but neither Hervé or Orion appealed to me at
all – I felt their relationship moved at light speed when both of
them were going through something completely life-changing and
perhaps should have been more cautious. The struggles Hervé had with
his health were handled sensitively and incorporated into the story –
this wasn’t a case of saying a character is suffering from
something and then never mentioning it again. But, again, I felt like
he should be concentrating on stabilising his life and not on falling
in love with someone based in a completely different country. I also
thought recovering addicts were advised not to get into a
relationship in the first year?

Basically,
for me, this story didn’t connect and I think that is in large part
because I didn’t have the history with the characters. As such, I
personally don’t think that it can be read as a stand-alone novel.
The sports was minimal, so I probably wouldn’t class it as a sports
romance either.

The
last two chapters were absolutely romantic, blistering and everything
I could have hoped for. I just didn’t gel with the rest of the
book. I received an ARC from GRR.

To Whom It May Concern by A.M. Johnson

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Title: ⟫ To Whom It May Concern: A For Him Novella 

Author: ⟫ A.M. Johnson 
Blurb: ⟫ To whom it may concern,

I can’t be sure what you’re into, that being said, if you like sexy and sweet romance with a whole lot of quirk, keep reading… 

Ever since Clay Saxon’s parents passed away a year ago, he’s been stuck in a rut, running their business, and suffering from the worst writer’s block ever. 
But when Syrus Albie, aka yellow sweater guy, (you’ll see) walks into The End Book Store, Clay’s mundane little world turns to sunshine. 
I don’t want to ruin it, but I can definitely say, when an introverted as hell narrator finally meets his favorite author and crush, all of his usual protocols go up in flames. 
Set in the For Him World, this stand-alone is the perfect introduction or addition to this steamy MM collection. 
Sincerely yours, 
A.M. JOHNSON 
Review: ⟫ I’ll preface this by saying that I haven’t read any of the ‘For Him’ verse that is mentioned in the blurb so went into this blind. I don’t think it made any real difference – I may have missed out on cameos that are from the other books, but it didn’t affect my enjoyment. 
This was a very sweet, soft, gentle read, with a socially awkward Syrus moving from a slight case of hero worship to love with a genuinely nice guy in Clay. There was no real angst in this book, just two guys meeting each other when they needed someone in their world and finding that they meshed really well. 
The communication between the two of them was a very strong point for me – perhaps because I recently read a book where I was almost screaming at the two main characters to just talk to each other – and Clay and Syrus made a lovely couple.

I don’t know if I’ll look into the rest of the series, but this was a nice interlude. 

3.5/5 from me.

I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.

His Boy To Cuddle by Morticia Knight (Naughty or Nice Season 2)

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Title: ⟫ His Boy To Cuddle (Naughty or Nice Season 2) 

Author: ⟫ Morticia Knight 
Blurb: ⟫ Dear Santa, 
I just recently moved to Boston and would love to find a sweet, pretty boy to spend the holidays with. I’m a fit, thirty-eight-year-old Daddy who loves to cuddle, pamper and kiss up a storm. Spankings and punishments? Not so much. With that in mind, I’d prefer a nice boy. 
Naughty in bed? That’s a different story! I’m all about heating up the sheets and keeping my boy satisfied. 
All Littles are welcome, any age, but if he likes dolls and frilly things—even better. I love me a femme boy who knows what he wants. 
I need to be up-front, though, Santa. This is a no strings attached arrangement for the week leading up to Christmas only. A long-term relationship isn’t what I’m searching for right now and be sure to let any potential boys know I’m not a wealthy dude. 
I can’t shower him with lots of presents but I can sure shower him with tons of affection! 
Thanks, big guy. I hope you can fulfil my wish. 
DareDaddy 
His Boy to Cuddle is part of the Naughty or Nice Season Two multi-author series. Each book can be read as a stand-alone, but there are so many Daddies looking for some holiday magic to bring them their perfect boys, why not grab them all? 
From this novella, you can expect a super shy boy who prefers nighties over PJs, a spectacular vintage Barbie collection, first times, and a muscular, bearded Daddy who can’t keep his hands off the prettiest boy he’s ever seen. 
Review: ⟫ I’ve never read a femme Little story before and that was what initially attracted me to reading this. An added benefit was that the Daddy in the story wasn’t wealthy – most of the other books I’ve read, money hasn’t been a problem which I think can sometimes skew the dynamic. 
This story was very sweet with excellent communication between Jaxon and Tracy. Although there were a few other characters, the focus was predominantly on the new couple, with Tracy learning about what he needed as a Little and Jaxon realising that he wanted more from the arrangement than he had initially thought. 
Lots of festive romance, playing with dolls and a little bit of sex.

A solid 3.5/5 and I received an ARC from Gay Romance Reviews.