REVIEW: 'Desperately Seeking Santa' by Eli Easton
Title: Desperately Seeking Santa
Author: Eli Easton
Published: November 22, 2017
Publisher: Self-Published Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Genre: Contemporary Romance; New Adult
Length: 160 Pages
Tags: Gay; M/M; Holiday: Christmas; College; Coming Out; Novella; HEA
About Desperately Seeking Santa
Journalism student Gabe Martin gets his first professional assignment—to write about a Christmas charity dinner that benefits a children’s home. It sounds like a total snooze-fest until Gabe learns that the event’s Santa is a mystery man. He shows up in costume and no one has a clue who he is. Uncovering Santa’s identity sounds like the perfect angle to turn a fluff piece into serious journalism.
Mack “The Mountain” McDonall, at 6’10”, is University of Wisconsin-Madison’s enormous star wrestler. When Gabe first claps eyes on him at a wrestling match, it’s lust at first sight. Gabe’s friend, Jordan, sets up the pair on a date. But when Gabe chatters on about his plans for outing Santa, Mack goes cold, and their first meeting becomes an epic fail.
As Gabe researches the children’s home, he learns that Mack has secrets a guy famous for being a brute wouldn’t want the world to know. Can Gabe find his holiday spirit, write a killer article, win the heart of a surly giant, and give everyone a very merry Christmas?
4 HEART READ
REVIEW
Author Eli Easton sure knows how to write a holiday read. Her novella Desperately Seeking Santa has all the delicious ingredients of a heartwarming Christmas romance.
I couldn’t have been more excited to learn that Jordan and Owen from one of my favorite Easton novelettes, Superhero, make a cameo appearance in this story...and you don’t have to have read it to enjoy this little gem.
Gabe Martin has big dreams. He’s in his last year of college with a major in journalism and he’s just landed his first big scoop covering a local charity dinner. He wants his piece to really pack a punch but thinks it has the potential to be really boring, until he learns that the identity of the event’s Santa Claus is a complete mystery. Gabe’s editor, Randall, tells Gabe to “‘make something’” out of the story so Gabe sets out to uncover the truth about the mystery Santa.
Mack McDonall is a star on the school’s wrestling team and is currently undefeated. Mack is a little bit of an enigma and I was completely drawn to his quiet and reserved character. He hasn’t had the easiest life but he studies hard and has his eye on his future as a civil engineer. And it sure doesn’t hurt that he’s described as a 6’10”, 285 pound ‘Mountain’!
Gabe and his friend Jordan attend a wrestling match one night and Gabe finds himself catching some school spirit while falling in “lust” after seeing Mack win his match.
Seeing the spark, Jordan invites Gabe over for dinner and to Gabe’s surprise Mack is there. Clearly this is a set up, but Gabe is anything but disappointed as he and Mack hit it off from the start. It seems like a match made in heaven until Gabe mentions his upcoming assignment and from there it seems to go downhill.
I think the reader realizes pretty quickly where this story is headed but that doesn’t take away from the warm feeling of the narrative at all.
Easton writes such great characters and as she slowly reveals bits and pieces of Mack’s life, and shows he’s not just a big wrestler but a smart man with big dreams, over the course of the story we see Gabe and him learning about each other and realizing how much they have in common. You can’t help but fall in love with Mack along with Gabe and I loved spending time with them.
There is very little angst in this holiday novella and although it’s low on steam the few scenes that are here are very steamy. I, along with Gabe, melted at the description of Mack’s build. Who knew I have a size kink as well!
I adore when authors incorporate characters from previous books into new stories, giving us a chance to catch up with favorite’s.
Eli Easton gives us a an epilogue that is all kinds of sweet with the whole cast gathering together for Christmas wishes.
One of my favorite parts of Desperately Seeking Santa, and one that wraps up the spirit of the story - and the season - is at the end with Gabe reflecting, “...for the first time in years, I feel the real magic of Christmas. It was just being with people you loved, people who accepted you and loved you back, and taking that moment in time to side-step everyday routine and acknowledge that.”
If you’re a fan of Eli Easton and holiday stories you’re not going to want to miss the following: Unwrapping Hank; Merry Christmas, Mr.Miggles; Midwinter Night’s Dream; and Blame It on the Mistletoe.
A copy of Desperately Seeking Santa was provided to Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, by Signal Boost Promotions, at no cost and with no expectations in return. We offer our fair and honest opinion on behalf of our readers.
Amazon/KU
Meet the Author
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, an organic farmer and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.
As an avid reader of such, she is tickled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of humor, melting hotness and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
For more from Eli be sure and visit her website!
