Santa for Hire

by Asta Idonea

Dumped by his ex on Christmas Eve two years ago, Oxford Street department store manager Richard Barrett now hates the holidays. Things go from bad to worse when the store's usual Santa is too ill to reprise his role and the firm sends cocky but handsome Blaine Ryder to take his place. The attraction between the two is clear, but Blaine is an incorrigible player who reminds Richard of his ex. His idea of a relationship is a quick roll in the hay, and his advances have Richard running for the hills. It might take some special intervention for both of them to realize they can change enough to have a chance at a holiday romance.

Genres: M M Romance, Holiday, Christmas, Short Stories, Gay, Contemporary

35 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2016

About the author

Asta Idonea is the M/M pen name of author Nicki J. Markus.

Reviews

[Ami]

This is a quick holiday story that revolves around a department store between a manager and a Santa for Hire.

It was nice to have a type of office romance that focused only around the work place during the holidays. The camaraderie between the workers was nicely done. I also liked Jill, one of the workers who seemed really fond of Richard as her boss, and totally gave good advice towards Blaine.

I thought Richard’s ‘bah-humbug’ attitude towards the holiday was well-founded, also his fear to start anything resembling relationship to the flirty handsome Blaine. But I liked that Blaine understood where Richard was coming from and was willing to compromise after all.

The ending was happy-for-now, but I thought due to the length of this story, it was appropriate


A Guest Review for The Blogger Girls




The ARC is provided by the publisher for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

[Sara]

3 Hearts

What better way to get over a Christmas Eve break up that broke your heart than to find a hot Santa to straddle and make out with? Right?

This was sweet. Richard isn’t a fan of Christmas after being left on the day two years ago and meets Blaine when he is a stand in for the store’s Santa. Flirting happens, stolen kisses turn into a bit of drama but in the end, all is well and Richard isn’t so grumpy after all.

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We Unicorn's are reviewing the Dreamspinner 2016 Advent Calendar every Sunday, Jizzmas gang bang style on the blog with the unis who are Santa Jizzians and the Grumpicorns. Check out the rest of the reviews for this story here...

[Lelyana's Reviews]

This actually a very entertaining story.
Nice and naughty. I think I can understand why Richard hates Christmas, and even he likes the sexy Blaine, well, Blaine reminds him of his ex.
Good thing is, there's Jill, who really cares about her boss and did some 'talk' with Blaine (and Richard, as well)
I liked how this one ended, the HFN has a promised to a HEA in the future.

* I received the ARC from Dreamspinner Press in exchange of a fair and unbiased review.*

[Heather York]

Santa for Hire is a lovely holiday read that combines holiday magic with heartache and fear to end up with a heartwarming tale. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Richard and tell him not to give up on romance but I certainly understand his fear of opening up again. As for Blaine, well his cockiness can be a bit too much at the beginning but I love how he isn't too arrogant to realize he screwed up. Its a bit short and probably could have been a little better had it been a little longer but sometimes a story doesn't really need length to be entertaining and warm the heart. All in all, Santa for Hire is definitely a keeper for my holiday shelf and reminds us never to truly close ourselves off because what we never knew we needed could be hiding right around the corner.

[Sarina]

Review written for Love Bytes Reviews.

I love stories that give you a sweet happy ending to kind of float on for a while after you’ve finished reading. Richard was dealt a bad hand two years ago when his ex packed his things and left on Christmas Eve. Ever since then, he’s kept to himself both during the holidays and in regards to any kind of romantic entanglement. Blaine is pretty much Richard’s opposite; he’s outgoing, has no problems finding someone to warm his bed and isn’t looking for Mr. Right, just Mr. Right Now.

In the beginning of the story, Blaine immediately zeroes in on Richard as what he’d like for Christmas and, even after he was warned away, he still couldn’t get the man out of his mind. When he finally makes a move, and things go pear shaped, it was nice to see him immediately move into trying to figure out how to fix things instead of giving up and moving onto someone that would be much easier to seduce. What I liked best about this story, however, was that you could see Blaine’s intentions change, even when he didn’t realize it himself, from just wanting a quick fling to wanting something more meaningful. It was pretty easy to understand why Richard was so determined to keep Blaine at arm’s length, especially since he’d been burned by someone like him before, but that just made Blaine’s determination to take things slow and win him over so much better.

This was a really enjoyable story that left me with a happy ending and a smile and I recommend it to anyone looking for something nice with a little hint of naughty.

http://lovebytesreviews.com/2016/12/1...

[Tam]

I thought it was unfair to presume Blaine was a player because he was good looking and not in a relationship. The kid is 25 (or something) years old, I'd find it weird if he was in a serious relationship. And dating or hooking up with people doesn't equal being unfaithful. If you're not dating anyone, why should he be celibate? And he didn't know anything about Blaine's personal life. He just assumed he only wanted tho hook up because he flirted. Yes, you have a good reason to hate Christmas but to put your baggage on Blaine seemed unfair. So I didn't really feel invested and feltBlaine would always be reassuring Richard that he was serious.

[Serena Yates]

Like a few others in this year’s Advent Calendar stories – appropriately themed “Bah Humbug” - Richard has good reason to dislike Christmas. But it has been two years since he found out his ex cheated on him and the breakup that followed, so it is also time for him to start getting over the painful memories. At least his coworker thinks so, and once she sees potential in Blaine, the actor employed on a temporary basis to play Santa, she lends a helping hand more than once.

Richard has not dared consider another relationship after the bitter disappointment his ex put him through, and even though he finds Blaine attractive from the moment he sets eyes on him, Richard will not take the first step. In fact, even once Blaine makes a move, Richard shies back from any sort of contact.

Blaine is an actor looking for his breakthrough role and has taken the gig to play Santa in a department store to help him pay his bills over the winter. He is immediately interested in Richard, but he usually has flings, not serious relationships. It takes a while for him to figure out what he wants, but once he does, there is no holding him back.

If you like Christmas stories where a wounded character finds his chance at happiness, if a player who reconsiders his attitude and expectations is your thing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with quite some naughtiness in Santa’s grotto, then you might like this short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Barb ~rede-2-read~]

Department manager Richard Barratt is less than happy when his department is selected to house the log cabin in which Santa will reside during the holiday season, starting in mid-November, at the large retailer where he works. His thinking about the holiday runs along the lines of bah humbug ever since his boyfriend/fiancé walked out on him on Christmas Eve two years before. It didn’t matter that the man was a cheat—he simply ruined Richard’s holiday celebration forever.

Even after Blaine Ryder, a really cute actor, is hired to play Santa, Richard still wants nothing to do with that section of his department, and when Santa flirts with him, he’s even more uneasy. When Blaine takes it a step further and lures Richard into the cabin for a little after-hours fun, Richard’s reaction is not what Blaine is hoping for.

This is a cute holiday romance, somewhat predictable in its formula, but sweet nevertheless. For those of you who, like me, can’t get enough of holiday romances, this one will definitely fill your sweet tooth and provide some holiday cheer.

ARC provided by the publisher through Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words in exchange for an impartial review.

[Lillian Francis]

Set around a Santa Grotto in a large department store, I'd have like some more interaction between the MCs to validate their attraction and justify Richard's belief that Blaine was a player. But the story was well written and the characters sympathetic enough that I cared what happened to them.
A few extra scenes would have pushed this into 4 star territory.

[Suze]

Another happy, warming story in this collection - humbug Richard is still reeling after being betrayed 2 years ago (he can certainly wallow!) but is gradually thawed by Blaine, the stand in Santa.
What amused me most was the behind the scenes look at Christmas - from the toll it takes on grotto staff to the hassles of working in retail over the festive period.

[Katy Beth Mckee]

This story is a quick paced holiday hook up that leaves you with the impression that there might be more to come later.

[Monika]

Short and sweet!