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Camp Bay Christmas #3
Crazy Together
In the wake of his husband's recent passing, nightclub owner Bryan Nantel feels smothered by sympathy from his well-meaning friends. Tired of being seen only as a grieving widower, Bryan decides to spend the holiday with his father in Houston, even though he fears it will be the end of his hard-fought sobriety. But a chance encounter at the airport changes everything.
Noah Porter is a former baseball player whose career was cut short by a devastating injury. He’s not quite ready to come out of the closet, but he has every intention of losing his virginity ASAP. On a whim, he invites Bryan to spend the weekend with him at Camp Bay Chalet, a secluded B&B tucked away in the panhandle of Northern Idaho.
Bryan knows running away with a man he just met is crazy and reckless. Maybe even dangerous. But it sure beats his other options. He figures what happens at Camp Bay can stay at Camp Bay. And a bit of Christmas craziness may be exactly what he and Noah both need.
Noah Porter is a former baseball player whose career was cut short by a devastating injury. He’s not quite ready to come out of the closet, but he has every intention of losing his virginity ASAP. On a whim, he invites Bryan to spend the weekend with him at Camp Bay Chalet, a secluded B&B tucked away in the panhandle of Northern Idaho.
Bryan knows running away with a man he just met is crazy and reckless. Maybe even dangerous. But it sure beats his other options. He figures what happens at Camp Bay can stay at Camp Bay. And a bit of Christmas craziness may be exactly what he and Noah both need.
165 pages, Paperback
First published October 24, 2023
About the author
Marie Sexton
63 books2,241 followersMarie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.
The absolute best way to stay up-to-date on my books is by joining my FB group. You can view livestreams about Oestend, Coda, and the Heretic Doms Club. I also give away books on a regular basis. NO DRAMA ALLOWED!!
Or, you might want to check out these pages:
Coda: Which book do I read first?
Find a book by trope or heat level.
Visit my website/blog at http://www.MarieSexton.net
The absolute best way to stay up-to-date on my books is by joining my FB group. You can view livestreams about Oestend, Coda, and the Heretic Doms Club. I also give away books on a regular basis. NO DRAMA ALLOWED!!
Or, you might want to check out these pages:
Coda: Which book do I read first?
Find a book by trope or heat level.
Visit my website/blog at http://www.MarieSexton.net
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 25, 2023
Short-ish Christmas story, nothing memorable and nothing original. Cute though..There is a heavy insta-love (due to its shortness I assume) but it wasn’t half bad. I liked that the guys communicated like normal grownups and there wasn’t any unnecessary OTT drama. I disliked immensely Noah’s mother and I didn’t care that she “came around” later on and the whole dead husband deal was kinda ick . Other than that..an ok seasonal read.
December 10, 2023
2.75 stars ...
Marie Sexton can do ... and has done ... better 🥱
Marie Sexton can do ... and has done ... better 🥱
November 1, 2023
Well, talk about doing CRAZY things! I have never been a fan of insta-love (or love at first sight, don't even know if I believe that, even if I am a romance fan through and through) so I had a hard time believing that people would do these crazy things! But at the same time, MAYBE people do, because of the circumstances that both Noah and Bryan faced.
I am glad that Bryan can find the way to "break" free from thr feeling of guilt about moving on. I am glad that Noah can find the courage to come out of the closet.
There were a lot of characters that I probably should know (because I've read their stories) or maybe there were characters from the other books that I hadn't read -- it did make me feel like I was missing something
The rest of the story is okay. Not the best Sexton, IMHO.
I am glad that Bryan can find the way to "break" free from thr feeling of guilt about moving on. I am glad that Noah can find the courage to come out of the closet.
There were a lot of characters that I probably should know (because I've read their stories) or maybe there were characters from the other books that I hadn't read -- it did make me feel like I was missing something
The rest of the story is okay. Not the best Sexton, IMHO.
January 22, 2025
RECENSIONE A CURA DI ELYXYZ
Ritornare al Camp Bay Chalet a distanza di un anno dai precedenti due libri letti è come far visita ad amici lontani, che ricordi con affetto ma di cui hai un po’ perso le tracce, tanto che ricordavo alcuni personaggi e alcune dinamiche lette, mentre altri sono più nebulosi.
Noah e Bryan si conoscono in un aeroporto ma fra loro scocca una scintilla speciale – un legame a prima vista, una sorta di riconoscimento istintuale – tanto che Noah cambia posto sull’aereo condiviso per stare accanto a Bryan e lo invita a seguirlo nella sua vacanza natalizia, anche se è un po’ una pazzia… e Bryan, la cui vita è allo sbando, accetta volentieri con altrettanta impulsiva follia.
Entrambi si portano dietro un grosso peso sulle spalle, segreti e dolore che condizionano le loro vite attuali.
Noah ha orientato tutta la propria vita su una carriera sportiva di successo, ma un incidente drammatico lo ha lasciato menomato e obbligato a dare un nuovo senso alla propria esistenza, compreso il sempiterno segreto sulle proprie preferenze intime che forse non ha più bisogno di restare tale.
Bryan invece è rimasto vedovo da pochissimo, e sta fuggendo da amici oppressivi sebbene benintenzionati, col rischio di ricadere nell’alcolismo. Noah, che ha lottato con l’alcol anche lui, lo salva da un brutto scivolone e lo trascina in un’avventura che cambierà le loro vite per sempre.
Ho trovato molto dolce la sintonia fra i protagonisti, la forza e la leggerezza che l’uno trasmette all’altro.
Continua sul nostro blog!
Ritornare al Camp Bay Chalet a distanza di un anno dai precedenti due libri letti è come far visita ad amici lontani, che ricordi con affetto ma di cui hai un po’ perso le tracce, tanto che ricordavo alcuni personaggi e alcune dinamiche lette, mentre altri sono più nebulosi.
Noah e Bryan si conoscono in un aeroporto ma fra loro scocca una scintilla speciale – un legame a prima vista, una sorta di riconoscimento istintuale – tanto che Noah cambia posto sull’aereo condiviso per stare accanto a Bryan e lo invita a seguirlo nella sua vacanza natalizia, anche se è un po’ una pazzia… e Bryan, la cui vita è allo sbando, accetta volentieri con altrettanta impulsiva follia.
Entrambi si portano dietro un grosso peso sulle spalle, segreti e dolore che condizionano le loro vite attuali.
Noah ha orientato tutta la propria vita su una carriera sportiva di successo, ma un incidente drammatico lo ha lasciato menomato e obbligato a dare un nuovo senso alla propria esistenza, compreso il sempiterno segreto sulle proprie preferenze intime che forse non ha più bisogno di restare tale.
Bryan invece è rimasto vedovo da pochissimo, e sta fuggendo da amici oppressivi sebbene benintenzionati, col rischio di ricadere nell’alcolismo. Noah, che ha lottato con l’alcol anche lui, lo salva da un brutto scivolone e lo trascina in un’avventura che cambierà le loro vite per sempre.
Ho trovato molto dolce la sintonia fra i protagonisti, la forza e la leggerezza che l’uno trasmette all’altro.
Continua sul nostro blog!
December 17, 2024
Al via le recensioni delle novelle natalizie 🎄😍 Faccio subito una premessa doverosa: le novelle natalizie, in quanto novelle, sono sempre piuttosto brevi (max 150/200 pag), dunque non ci si può aspettare un approfondimento della trama, dei personaggi e delle tematiche paragonabile a quella che si pretenderebbe da un romanzo. Inoltre, essendo natalizie, si sviluppano nell’arco di pochi giorni (guarda caso proprio in quelli di Natale 🤣), dunque saranno facilmente caratterizzati da un bell’instant love e fast burn, specialmente se i due protagonisti sono due sconosciuti.
L’invito è quello di leggerle ricordandosi che il loro scopo è quello di offrire una dolce favola natalizia, una coccola senza grosse pretese, e valutarle in quanto tali! 💕
.
“Un pazzo Natale” è proprio un inno all’instant love e al colpo di fulmine, all’amore predestinato, perché altrimenti non si spiegherebbe quello accaduto tra Bryan e Noah 😂 sono stata attratta da questa novella per il fatto che Bryan sia un marito in lutto. Devo dire che ho apprezzato molto come è stato trattato questo personaggio e i suoi sentimenti. Tra i due è quello che mi è piaciuto di più. Noah, invece, mi ha fatto una grande tenerezza. È un trentenne che vive per la prima volta una vera adolescenza. Insieme sono molto dolcini 💕 Mi è solo dispiaciuto un piccolo fatto che secondo me avrebbe dato valore aggiunto alla storia, visto che tutto ruota intorno a quello. Nel complesso una novella romantica che sfiora un po’ lo stucchevole, ma che si legge molto volentieri dall’inizio alla fine. È stato un piacere tornare a leggere Mary Calmes dopo tanti anni… è stata una delle autrici che mi ha fatto scoprire il mondo MM 💕
.
Ringrazio Triskell per la copia ARC 💕
.
L’invito è quello di leggerle ricordandosi che il loro scopo è quello di offrire una dolce favola natalizia, una coccola senza grosse pretese, e valutarle in quanto tali! 💕
.
“Un pazzo Natale” è proprio un inno all’instant love e al colpo di fulmine, all’amore predestinato, perché altrimenti non si spiegherebbe quello accaduto tra Bryan e Noah 😂 sono stata attratta da questa novella per il fatto che Bryan sia un marito in lutto. Devo dire che ho apprezzato molto come è stato trattato questo personaggio e i suoi sentimenti. Tra i due è quello che mi è piaciuto di più. Noah, invece, mi ha fatto una grande tenerezza. È un trentenne che vive per la prima volta una vera adolescenza. Insieme sono molto dolcini 💕 Mi è solo dispiaciuto un piccolo fatto che secondo me avrebbe dato valore aggiunto alla storia, visto che tutto ruota intorno a quello. Nel complesso una novella romantica che sfiora un po’ lo stucchevole, ma che si legge molto volentieri dall’inizio alla fine. È stato un piacere tornare a leggere Mary Calmes dopo tanti anni… è stata una delle autrici che mi ha fatto scoprire il mondo MM 💕
.
Ringrazio Triskell per la copia ARC 💕
.
November 11, 2023
3.5 stars. Perfectly adequate mm holiday romance. I enjoyed the set up a lot but thought the execution was a little weak.
I got annoyed by all of the previous couples and sequel bait characters showing up. There were two couples from other Marie Sexton books, who apparently just showed up at this Idaho B&B to impart wise advice to our heroes. There were other shout outs to other MS books - one of the MCs lives in Tucker Springs (location of a different shared world mm series) and his college boyfriend was Cole, from the Coda books. And there were couples that I’m assuming were from other Camp Bay Christmas books. Sometimes I find references to characters from other books charming but this felt like too many references to unrelated series for such a short book.
I got annoyed by all of the previous couples and sequel bait characters showing up. There were two couples from other Marie Sexton books, who apparently just showed up at this Idaho B&B to impart wise advice to our heroes. There were other shout outs to other MS books - one of the MCs lives in Tucker Springs (location of a different shared world mm series) and his college boyfriend was Cole, from the Coda books. And there were couples that I’m assuming were from other Camp Bay Christmas books. Sometimes I find references to characters from other books charming but this felt like too many references to unrelated series for such a short book.
October 28, 2023
My heart!
This was such a beautiful emotional read. Their backstories were so heartbreaking. The way they got together though was a work of art. I want to know more, to see how they are doing. And Dustin and Chase, I want their stories too.
This was such a beautiful emotional read. Their backstories were so heartbreaking. The way they got together though was a work of art. I want to know more, to see how they are doing. And Dustin and Chase, I want their stories too.
Read
November 3, 20231.5 Stars
November 12, 2025
Crazy Together is the third book in the ‘Camp Bay Christmas’ series. It stars Bryan Nantel, a nightclub owner, and Noah Porter, former major league baseball player. This is told in first person from Bryan and Noah’s pov.
The blurb does a good job of explaining the plot. This is a sort of forced proximity, one bed, trope. It’s not exactly forced proximity because Bryan and Noah want to be at the lodge. It’s more like chosen isolation. There, both men find in each other someone they can talk to and share their past hurts. I enjoyed this book much more than the other story the author wrote in the series. The winter atmosphere and the town scenes were easy to visualize. There are returning characters from the other books in the series.
Both Noah and Bryan have gone through a crisis. Noah lost fingers in a bizarre accident which ended his pitching career. He lost his buddies in the sporting world when he left baseball and took to drinking, but in the end pulled himself out of his downward spiral. The reason Noah wanted to travel to the lodge, was he wanted to finally have sex with a man, and the owner of the lodge, someone Noah had met before, agreed to help him. Bryan had just lost his husband a month ago, and was sick of his friends walking around on eggshells around him. Bryan didn’t love his husband, not like his husband loved him. In the end Bryan stayed around to care for his husband as he died of cancer. Bryan felt guilty for being relieved that he was now free. He was clearly depressed before his husband died and had taken to drinking. Nothing interested him, but he went to AA and was sober…for now. Christmas arrived and he didn’t want to travel to his dad’s home for the holidays because there would be drinking and he knew he’d cave. When Noah invited Bryan at the airport to the lodge for the holidays, Bryan accepted. It was the first time Bryan had felt alive since he’d met his husband. At the lodge, both men found happiness, and Bryan who’d been stuck in a rut, cheerfully went along with whatever adventure Noah wanted to do. I really liked Noah and Bryan and could believe in them as a couple. Both men went through good character growth.
The one part that bothered me was how Dustin, Bryan’s best friend, ended up changing personalities. Dustin is super over-protective. When he confronts Bryan and Noah, he’s accusatory and Bryan has to explain the situation to Dustin about him and his husband. Dustin then is affronted and explains something like, ‘Of course I knew, how could you think I didn’t know?’ He suddenly turned the situation around on Bryan, like somehow Bryan should have known that Dustin knew how Bryan felt about his marriage. So then, it’s like Dustin gives Bryan his permission now to go have fun when it’s not any of Dustin’s business in the first place. I found the writing of the scene between Dustin and Bryan not well written because of Dustin’s attitude switch.
I liked Crazy Together. It fits the holiday season with two characters I could believe in. The one part I didn’t like was Dustin’s odd personality switch which has me deducting a star from my rating. I give this book, 4 Stars.
The blurb does a good job of explaining the plot. This is a sort of forced proximity, one bed, trope. It’s not exactly forced proximity because Bryan and Noah want to be at the lodge. It’s more like chosen isolation. There, both men find in each other someone they can talk to and share their past hurts. I enjoyed this book much more than the other story the author wrote in the series. The winter atmosphere and the town scenes were easy to visualize. There are returning characters from the other books in the series.
Both Noah and Bryan have gone through a crisis. Noah lost fingers in a bizarre accident which ended his pitching career. He lost his buddies in the sporting world when he left baseball and took to drinking, but in the end pulled himself out of his downward spiral. The reason Noah wanted to travel to the lodge, was he wanted to finally have sex with a man, and the owner of the lodge, someone Noah had met before, agreed to help him. Bryan had just lost his husband a month ago, and was sick of his friends walking around on eggshells around him. Bryan didn’t love his husband, not like his husband loved him. In the end Bryan stayed around to care for his husband as he died of cancer. Bryan felt guilty for being relieved that he was now free. He was clearly depressed before his husband died and had taken to drinking. Nothing interested him, but he went to AA and was sober…for now. Christmas arrived and he didn’t want to travel to his dad’s home for the holidays because there would be drinking and he knew he’d cave. When Noah invited Bryan at the airport to the lodge for the holidays, Bryan accepted. It was the first time Bryan had felt alive since he’d met his husband. At the lodge, both men found happiness, and Bryan who’d been stuck in a rut, cheerfully went along with whatever adventure Noah wanted to do. I really liked Noah and Bryan and could believe in them as a couple. Both men went through good character growth.
The one part that bothered me was how Dustin, Bryan’s best friend, ended up changing personalities. Dustin is super over-protective. When he confronts Bryan and Noah, he’s accusatory and Bryan has to explain the situation to Dustin about him and his husband. Dustin then is affronted and explains something like, ‘Of course I knew, how could you think I didn’t know?’ He suddenly turned the situation around on Bryan, like somehow Bryan should have known that Dustin knew how Bryan felt about his marriage. So then, it’s like Dustin gives Bryan his permission now to go have fun when it’s not any of Dustin’s business in the first place. I found the writing of the scene between Dustin and Bryan not well written because of Dustin’s attitude switch.
I liked Crazy Together. It fits the holiday season with two characters I could believe in. The one part I didn’t like was Dustin’s odd personality switch which has me deducting a star from my rating. I give this book, 4 Stars.
October 4, 2023
(reviewed from ARC)
This sweet love at first sight story takes place in Camp Bay Chalet. This is the 3rd book in the Camp Bay Christmas series, however they are all standalones and can be read independently. (but why would you want to do that?? Go get them all!)
This book is everything I want in a holiday book- snow, mistletoe, horse drawn sleighs, low angst, laugh out loud moments, warm and fuzzy holiday vibes.
Because it takes place at a B&B, Ms. Sexton takes advantage of the opportunity to have previous characters show up as fellow guests. We run into River and Phil from Terms of Service, as well as Eric and Max from last year's Camp Bay book, Stolen Christmas, and the boys from both of the Winter Magic books. Sometimes appearances like this feel contrived, though I love seeing old favorites so I hardly mind, but this time each one serves a purpose that helps move the story along.
If you read the Coda series, you'll know that Bryan broke Cole's heart back in college. I did a quick reread of the Coda prequel, Meant to Be, before I dug too deeply into this one. That's just how my brain works, I want a character refresher! But it's not necessary, this book tells you everything you need to know about Bryan's history.
This is Bryan's story. Bryan is closing in on 40 now, mourning the death of his husband, struggling to stay sober, and has never completely recovered from the inability to make things work with Cole so many years ago.
Noah is just getting back his equilibrium after losing his professional baseball career after an accident. He stayed in the closet when he was a professional athlete, but now that he's met someone he instantly clicks with, he's ready to poke his head out of the closet but it's scary.
I loved this book because I'm a sucker for holiday warm fuzzies and damaged heroes overcoming their past, but also I love how they prop each other up. Each is strong for the other when he needs it. When they first met, Noah recognized the signs of someone about to lose hold of their sobriety, jumped in and started a conversation with Bryan. Sparks fly from there. They alternate being there for each other throughout the book, being just what the other needs right when he needs it. Through out it all, two men who didn't have a lot of smile about find reasons to laugh together.
Did I mention the main reason Noah went to Camp Bay Chalet was to lose his virginity? Yeah, Bryan helps with that. ;o)
This sweet love at first sight story takes place in Camp Bay Chalet. This is the 3rd book in the Camp Bay Christmas series, however they are all standalones and can be read independently. (but why would you want to do that?? Go get them all!)
This book is everything I want in a holiday book- snow, mistletoe, horse drawn sleighs, low angst, laugh out loud moments, warm and fuzzy holiday vibes.
Because it takes place at a B&B, Ms. Sexton takes advantage of the opportunity to have previous characters show up as fellow guests. We run into River and Phil from Terms of Service, as well as Eric and Max from last year's Camp Bay book, Stolen Christmas, and the boys from both of the Winter Magic books. Sometimes appearances like this feel contrived, though I love seeing old favorites so I hardly mind, but this time each one serves a purpose that helps move the story along.
If you read the Coda series, you'll know that Bryan broke Cole's heart back in college. I did a quick reread of the Coda prequel, Meant to Be, before I dug too deeply into this one. That's just how my brain works, I want a character refresher! But it's not necessary, this book tells you everything you need to know about Bryan's history.
This is Bryan's story. Bryan is closing in on 40 now, mourning the death of his husband, struggling to stay sober, and has never completely recovered from the inability to make things work with Cole so many years ago.
Noah is just getting back his equilibrium after losing his professional baseball career after an accident. He stayed in the closet when he was a professional athlete, but now that he's met someone he instantly clicks with, he's ready to poke his head out of the closet but it's scary.
I loved this book because I'm a sucker for holiday warm fuzzies and damaged heroes overcoming their past, but also I love how they prop each other up. Each is strong for the other when he needs it. When they first met, Noah recognized the signs of someone about to lose hold of their sobriety, jumped in and started a conversation with Bryan. Sparks fly from there. They alternate being there for each other throughout the book, being just what the other needs right when he needs it. Through out it all, two men who didn't have a lot of smile about find reasons to laugh together.
Did I mention the main reason Noah went to Camp Bay Chalet was to lose his virginity? Yeah, Bryan helps with that. ;o)
November 13, 2024
4+
(Recensione su copia ARC).
Ritornare al Camp Bay Chalet a distanza di un anno dai precedenti due libri letti è come far visita ad amici lontani, che ricordi con affetto ma di cui hai un po’ perso le tracce, tanto che ricordavo alcuni personaggi e alcune dinamiche lette, mentre altri sono più nebulosi.
Noah e Bryan si conoscono in un aeroporto ma fra loro scocca una scintilla speciale – un legame a prima vista, una sorta di riconoscimento istintuale – tanto che Noah cambia posto sull’aereo condiviso per stare accanto a Bryan e lo invita a seguirlo nella sua vacanza natalizia, anche se è un po’ una pazzia… e Bryan, la cui vita è allo sbando, accetta volentieri con altrettanta impulsiva follia.
Entrambi si portano dietro un grosso peso sulle spalle, segreti e dolore che condizionano le loro vite attuali.
Noah ha orientato tutta la propria vita su una carriera sportiva di successo, ma un incidente drammatico lo ha lasciato menomato e obbligato a dare un nuovo senso alla propria esistenza, compreso il sempiterno segreto sulle proprie preferenze intime che forse non ha più bisogno di restare tale.
Bryan invece è rimasto vedovo da pochissimo, e sta fuggendo da amici oppressivi sebbene benintenzionati, col rischio di ricadere nell’alcolismo. Noah, che ha lottato con l’alcol anche lui, lo salva da un brutto scivolone e lo trascina in un’avventura che cambierà le loro vite per sempre.
Ho trovato molto dolce la sintonia fra i protagonisti, la forza e la leggerezza che l’uno trasmette all’altro. All’inizio è come una fuga da tutto e tutti, una parentesi dal mondo:
«Ma la parola che mi viene in mente come la più adatta è “magica”. È come se ci fossimo nascosti in un posto segreto in cui nessuno può toccarci. In cui il mondo reale non ha alcun potere. Tu non sei un atleta famoso. Io non sono un marito in lutto. Siamo solo due persone che non devono più fingere.»
Mi mise le braccia intorno alla vita, sistemandosi più vicino. «Tu e io in questa piccola fiaba è l’unica cosa di cui mi importa. Non voglio preoccuparmi del domani né del dopodomani né del giorno dopo ancora. Voglio concentrarmi solo su questa notte qui con te.»
Ma poi Bryan e Noah capiscono che la realtà va affrontata e si guidano, aiutandosi vicendevolmente, verso nuove consapevolezze e scelte importanti.
Anche se tutto avviene velocemente, mi è parso plausibile.
Ammetto che, pur essendo una novella natalizia, ho temuto per un bel po’ che saltasse fuori qualche grosso problema a minare la loro felicità, perché avevo come l’impressione che un grosso nuvolone dovesse incombere su di loro presto o tardi, e invece i due protagonisti lottano per il loro legame e accettano di essere sinceri reciprocamente e con gli altri, rendendo la trama interessante e ben gestita.
(Recensione su copia ARC).
Ritornare al Camp Bay Chalet a distanza di un anno dai precedenti due libri letti è come far visita ad amici lontani, che ricordi con affetto ma di cui hai un po’ perso le tracce, tanto che ricordavo alcuni personaggi e alcune dinamiche lette, mentre altri sono più nebulosi.
Noah e Bryan si conoscono in un aeroporto ma fra loro scocca una scintilla speciale – un legame a prima vista, una sorta di riconoscimento istintuale – tanto che Noah cambia posto sull’aereo condiviso per stare accanto a Bryan e lo invita a seguirlo nella sua vacanza natalizia, anche se è un po’ una pazzia… e Bryan, la cui vita è allo sbando, accetta volentieri con altrettanta impulsiva follia.
Entrambi si portano dietro un grosso peso sulle spalle, segreti e dolore che condizionano le loro vite attuali.
Noah ha orientato tutta la propria vita su una carriera sportiva di successo, ma un incidente drammatico lo ha lasciato menomato e obbligato a dare un nuovo senso alla propria esistenza, compreso il sempiterno segreto sulle proprie preferenze intime che forse non ha più bisogno di restare tale.
Bryan invece è rimasto vedovo da pochissimo, e sta fuggendo da amici oppressivi sebbene benintenzionati, col rischio di ricadere nell’alcolismo. Noah, che ha lottato con l’alcol anche lui, lo salva da un brutto scivolone e lo trascina in un’avventura che cambierà le loro vite per sempre.
Ho trovato molto dolce la sintonia fra i protagonisti, la forza e la leggerezza che l’uno trasmette all’altro. All’inizio è come una fuga da tutto e tutti, una parentesi dal mondo:
«Ma la parola che mi viene in mente come la più adatta è “magica”. È come se ci fossimo nascosti in un posto segreto in cui nessuno può toccarci. In cui il mondo reale non ha alcun potere. Tu non sei un atleta famoso. Io non sono un marito in lutto. Siamo solo due persone che non devono più fingere.»
Mi mise le braccia intorno alla vita, sistemandosi più vicino. «Tu e io in questa piccola fiaba è l’unica cosa di cui mi importa. Non voglio preoccuparmi del domani né del dopodomani né del giorno dopo ancora. Voglio concentrarmi solo su questa notte qui con te.»
Ma poi Bryan e Noah capiscono che la realtà va affrontata e si guidano, aiutandosi vicendevolmente, verso nuove consapevolezze e scelte importanti.
Anche se tutto avviene velocemente, mi è parso plausibile.
Ammetto che, pur essendo una novella natalizia, ho temuto per un bel po’ che saltasse fuori qualche grosso problema a minare la loro felicità, perché avevo come l’impressione che un grosso nuvolone dovesse incombere su di loro presto o tardi, e invece i due protagonisti lottano per il loro legame e accettano di essere sinceri reciprocamente e con gli altri, rendendo la trama interessante e ben gestita.
October 24, 2023
Bryan and Noah are both looking to start over each in their own way. I love that this an over the age of 40 romance. Bryan and Noah are real men who have already lived through a lot of very different experiences so far in their lives. Bryan wants to get beyond his grief and stop turning to alcohol to get through the days. Noah is more just ready to experience things he has never been able too during his career. Noah and Bryan were meant to meet! They are the definition of best laid plans, changing for the better though. I loved their support of each other and also the lighter side of this story with all the cameos from previous series bringing in humor and even more heart!
November 7, 2023
Everyone needs a little (of the positive) crazy in their life. Others may call it something different, like adventure, whim, or joie de vivre. Brian and Noah might have considered it love at first sight or they simply could have paid attention to the chemistry between them and with an added a dash of daring, took a chance to explore it. Regardless of what you want to call what got them there, they looked pretty perfect together to me.
December 1, 2023
Fast, easy holiday read. It had it's sweet moments but it felt more lust filled than love filled. I needed more between them that wasn't between the sheets.
• Holiday/Christmas
• Meet cute
• Ex baseball player/recent widower
• Dealing with grief
• Instant attraction/lust
• Age gap (10-ish years)ago
• Too much sex
• Loved the MCs... Bryan and Noah more
• Sweet but didn't knock my socks off
• Had the potential to be more
January 14, 2024
Crazy for Love
This is my favorite so far of all the really good Camp Bay books! It is definitely a magical place, and this crazy, instant attraction story fits so well. Two men who have each faced tragedy meet by chance (or perhaps fate) and their lives are instantly turned into a fairy tale that just keeps getting better and I know will give them a forever HEA. This is a great series that you should read even if it’s not Christmas when you find it!
This is my favorite so far of all the really good Camp Bay books! It is definitely a magical place, and this crazy, instant attraction story fits so well. Two men who have each faced tragedy meet by chance (or perhaps fate) and their lives are instantly turned into a fairy tale that just keeps getting better and I know will give them a forever HEA. This is a great series that you should read even if it’s not Christmas when you find it!
December 5, 2023
What a lovely story. Two men who are ready for a life change have an instant connection that neither is willing to ignore. While they both acknowledge that they are acting a little crazy, they decide to just ride the crazy together and see where they end up. I am not normally a big fan of the insta-love, but I found it easy to let it slide with this story.
January 2, 2025
4.5
Primo libro di questa serie che leggo e devo dire che mi è piaciuto davvero molto, moltissimo.
Porta con se tante cose, alcune molto belle altre molto dolorose.
La bellezza, oltre alla storia in se, è come è scritta: sempre in modo che personalmente trovo ‘giusto’, con quel tocco di leggerezza, delicatezza e serietà che mi fa star bene.
Primo libro di questa serie che leggo e devo dire che mi è piaciuto davvero molto, moltissimo.
Porta con se tante cose, alcune molto belle altre molto dolorose.
La bellezza, oltre alla storia in se, è come è scritta: sempre in modo che personalmente trovo ‘giusto’, con quel tocco di leggerezza, delicatezza e serietà che mi fa star bene.
December 6, 2025
I wish I could experience this kind of love. I wanna go crazy with someone too! And these two just gave me the feel of that. So yeah, 5 stars for Crazy Together. No spoilers here! Just read it so you'll be crazy, too! Just a bit of a spoiler, sometimes I can be a bit of a prude, that's why I can relate with one of our characters here.
October 26, 2023
For everyone that believes in love at first sight... a lovely Christmas story 4.5/5
(Was a little lost with some of the other characters so I really need to dig out the other books from my kindle to remind myself, STAT! LOL)
(Was a little lost with some of the other characters so I really need to dig out the other books from my kindle to remind myself, STAT! LOL)
October 30, 2023
This is a mellow, insta-love, low angst kind of story, with a host of "guest appearances" from other Mary Sexton books, notable mention goes to Phil and River, which are probably fan favorites. They are unfortunately not enough to elevate this novel above lukewarm.
November 10, 2023
sweet insta-love
So… first of all, the INSTALOVE! When I say insta, I mean INSTA! But honestly, this was just the level of Christmas cheer, feel-good, sweet, hot, magical, make-believe, goodness that I need right now. So honestly, adorable, loved it.
So… first of all, the INSTALOVE! When I say insta, I mean INSTA! But honestly, this was just the level of Christmas cheer, feel-good, sweet, hot, magical, make-believe, goodness that I need right now. So honestly, adorable, loved it.
December 15, 2024
Ho letto altro di questa autrice e mi piace il suo stile. Questo è un classico romance natalizio, tutto si svolge in pochi giorni sotto Natale. Una storia carina e breve, semplice e consigliata a chi vuole leggere un romanzo senza troppe pretese intriso di buoni sentimenti. Manca un epilogo però. 🫤
November 4, 2023
Pretty good for a short book! Bryan and Noah heal each other and make a great couple. Loved how kind Bryan was to Noah as he explores his sexuality.
November 13, 2023
A rating.
December 11, 2023
a really feel good story
I loved the ups and downs of the two main characters. A very sweet book. I lovely Christmas live story.
I loved the ups and downs of the two main characters. A very sweet book. I lovely Christmas live story.
December 11, 2023
3.75 stars
January 3, 2024
Not my favourite xmas story.
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