Hello everyone!
And ironically, I kind of did the reviews backwards a little bit, seeing as last week's book was the current - and thus far LAST - book in the series.
BUT that said, we've now become the ultimate Pokemon trainers and caught them all!
Ha.
Of course this is also the spot where I learn it really is the way Miss Andrews writes her twenty-somethings that apparently doesn't sit well with me anymore, but that's beside the point, because I'm also rather sure that I've read some of her books with twenty-somethings and LIKED them.
I digress, and I'm rambling.
So without further ado, let's take a look at how it all started, shall we? In a nifty little book that's only about two hundred pages long, titled The Christmas Deal.
The Christmas Deal is the book that introduces us to Connor, he of The Christmas Veto fame, in which I have no clue what his problem is, but at least in this one, the first, we see his issues clearly enough.
But this isn't HIS book, although he's also in it and a major part of it.
This is Seth and Logan's book.
Logan is a former Marine who worked for the railroad until an accident that nearly killed him, for which he took the fall despite the fact the company was very much aware the equipment he was using was faulty, and he carries the scars of it to this day.
He also did a dumb-dumb and married his nurse after a whirlwind, get better romance, which ultimately turned out to be a VERY poor decision, but because said nurse had a son (Connor), after she passes, Logan's his sole caretaker since the biological dad isn't in the picture.
Dad's a deadbeat idiot, okay, and Logan's doing his best without a clue how to actually be a dad to a sullen teenager, so obviously it goes from bad to worse, to the point where Connor is almost expelled from school if he doesn't wise up and stop acting out.
On top of THAT, Logan also gets evicted from his place since no one will hire him, so really, he's in a pickle.
Enter Seth.
Seth works for a major corporation that was just bought out by another one and merged, and he's up for a promotion, or should be. See, he moved to Albany with his ex, bought a house and is mid-reno, but the ex is no longer in the picture (he dumped Seth for a male gym bunny) and Seth's life has kind of stagnated.
He's also very much single where the CEO, Angela, apparently usually promotes people with families, so in a little twist, his co-worker, who also happens to be Logan's younger sister, makes up the lie that Seth and Logan are engaged, with Connor to be their stepson.
Initially, since Logan pops on scene unknowing right after this and gets sucked into the whole thing, he's resistant, but then he realizes he and Connor could have a roof over their heads for the holidays AND there might be job opportunities if he plays his cards right (this is revealed a little later, though), so he agrees to pretend to be the fiancé until Seth gets the promotion, and to go on the family holiday retreat Angela's organizing.
Seth is then sucked into the power-struggle dynamic of Logan and Connor, but he fits into the picture rather neatly, and of course, since this is a Keira Andrews book, sparks fly, as the men pretend to be madly in love in front of everyone, and especially Seth's stupid ex.
The problem? Or well, hurdle really: Logan identifies as straight, although he does occasionally have sex with men just to take the edge off, which is how things get complicated for our two heroes.
See, Seth's wound tighter than a bomb, because even before the debacle with his ex, his family, who are deeply religious, disowned him and kicked him out over a decade ago for being gay, something both Logan and Connor are appalled by and vehemently criticize. But the point here being, he needs to loosen up a bit.
So Logan suggests casual sex to make that happen.
And of course, this confuses the situation further, especially after a kiss they share, which Logan had explicitly said no to before, but starts to lean more and more into.
The retreat is where things come to a head, where Logan's finally ready to acknowledge that, no matter what he identifies as, he wants Seth with a vengeance, but of course things are never that easy, because Connor's in the middle.
And the poor kid's so wrapped up in grief and anger from his mom dying that he accuses Logan of all things bad under the sun, trying to protect Seth (bless his heart), and eventually runs out onto the frozen lake they're nearby ... and the ice, of course, cracks, swallowing him up.
Seth goes right after him, not knowing how to deal with ice properly, so he goes under, too, and Logan ends up rescuing them both in sheer panic.
It's then that the trio have a little heart-to-heart to wrap up their little performance, because Logan and Seth decide that, no matter the labels, they want this little family they've constructed together, and also they want what the future might hold, which is looking bright indeed with Seth's promotion and Logan getting a job, among other things.
So really, all's well that ends well, including but not limited to Connor going back to school and finally realizing his dad is the deadbeat everyone and their grandma has known about all along.
Which is where we leave them, happy in their little family!
And which is where I sniffle in happiness, because Logan and Seth's story is just as romantic as I remember it to be, and equally it addresses some really powerful messages, from unemployment to America's treatment of veterans, to of course homosexuality and all its implications, and discovering just where, exactly, you fit into the world.
Couple that with processing grief, and you've got a dead ringer for success, because this one's done right.
Seth and Logan are believable protagonists who go through their own personal ups and downs but find solace in each other, and Connor rounds out the picture nicely as a sullen, anger-filled teenage boy who has no idea how to process what's going on inside him.
In fact, he's IMMENSELY more likeable in this one than his own book, unfortunately.
But that said, if you're looking for a really cute, occasionally hot book this holiday season, look no further, because The Christmas Deal is the book for you.
10/10 recommend!
xx
*image not mine
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