Amusing…oh who am I kidding? Sometimes hysterical, often touching, filled with characters you can imagine as friends and a very special love story Winter Wonderland is a holiday romance you don’t want to miss. ~ Slick, Guilty Pleasures
Description:
Finding Mr. Right can be a snow lot of fun.
Paul Jansen was the only one of his friends who wanted a relationship. Naturally, he’s the last single man standing. No gay man within a fifty-mile radius wants more than casual sex.
No one, that is, except too-young, too-twinky Kyle Parks, who sends him suggestive texts and leaves X-rated snow sculptures on his front porch.
Kyle is tired of being the town’s resident Peter Pan. He’s twenty-five, not ten, and despite his effeminate appearance, he’s nothing but the boss in bed. He’s loved Paul since forever, and this Christmas, since they’re both working on the Winter Wonderland festival, he might finally get his chance for a holiday romance.
But Paul comes with baggage. His ultra-conservative family wants him paired up with a woman, not a man with Logan’s rainbow connection. When their anti-LGBT crusade spills beyond managing Paul’s love life and threatens the holiday festival, Kyle and Paul must fight for everyone’s happily ever after, including their own.
Warning: Contains erotic snow art, toppy twinks, and super-sweet holiday moments. Best savored with a mug of hot chocolate with a dash of spice.
Review copy provided for an honest review
Every book in Heidi Cullinan’s Minnesota Christmas series has been special in its own way and I 
find that especially true with Winter Wonderland. From snow penises erected on one man’s lawn to nosey but well meaning neighbors, to a town divided, and to two people who want the same thing even though one isn’t quite sure of it. Holidays are a special time in Logan, Minnesota and this year is even more special because Logan is well on its way to becoming Christmastown, USA. Amusing…oh who am I kidding? Sometimes hysterical, often touching, filled with characters you can imagine as friends and a very special love story Winter Wonderland is a holiday romance you don’t want to miss.
It’s tough when the one man in a group of friends is the only one who has wanted a relationship and a family is the last one without a special someone and no prospects in sight. Now someone is leaving penis shaped snow sculptures on Paul Jansen’s lawn and not only does it bother his elderly neighbor his conservative and unapproving of his lifestyle family lets him know just how much this embarrasses them. When he finds out that the man leaving them is Kyle Parks, a man ten plus years his junior and one that is out, proud and a bit to effeminate for his tastes.
I’m going to admit I have a real soft spot in my heart for both men but especially for Kyle whose boyish looks have put him at a disadvantage most of his life, but Kyle proves over and over not only how mature he is but that he’s a man who knows exactly what he wants in and out of the bedroom. Kyle is one of those men who takes people by surprise; they see a young face and they think kid but he is a nurturer to the core and it shows in the way he takes care of his patients at the nursing home he works at, with his Down syndrome twin sister and with Paul’s elderly neighbor when she needs it the most. I flat out loved this character and it was easy to see he was a wonderful man and he got that way because he had a large and beautiful, loving family who taught him how to love, cherish and help others.
I liked Paul because he puts on such a gruff exterior but underneath is a man who craves a loving family, intimacy and who loves Lifetime movies especially the Christmas ones. He’s got a lot of baggage that stems from the hate spewed from his family; the family that thinks him being gay is a phase, the family that continually tries to set him up with women, and the family who loves to tell him his lifestyle is wrong. He doesn’t really let anyone get close because while he craves a “normal” life he doesn’t think he deserves it and thus he pushes people away. He has great friends and an ex-lover who is his best friend but even they haven’t been able to prove to him that he is worthy of having exactly what he wants.
I loved that Kyle was the dominate force in this relationship and that Paul relished in it (well after an initial freak out). There was an ease to the way these two meshed their lives and how Paul was so very accepting of Kyle’s family especially his twin sister. It wasn’t easy as Paul had some very big hang-ups and Kyle was proud and happy to be a part of Paul’s life and wasn’t afraid to show it. I loved that despite being younger Paul was settled, he was patient and he knew when to push and when to back off and I relished in the fact that he wasn’t afraid to talk to his family about his relationship and his concerns and that they were there for him with good advice.
Working together with their friends on the town’s big Winter Wonderland celebration added a fantastic backdrop to this story and it was fun watching as not only these six men found a way to help out the town but their friendship grew deeper and as they accepted Kyle into their group. I liked that their friends were there for them to offer advice or sometimes a strong nudge, but they also understood their relationship was something they had to figure out on their own.
A wonderfully addicting small town romance filled with lots of crazy and fun characters, a bit of drama and a whole lot of love made Winter Wonderland a perfect holiday story. So grab your favorite cup of hot chocolate, some holiday cookies, stoke the fire and get ready to be transported into this amazing world.
Sounds good…thanks Slick