Bear Best Friend

by Liam Livings

Dan proves too camp for his boyfriend Tom and is single once more. Burly bear Brian is relieved Dan’s finally rid of Tom-the-bully.

Snowed into a cottage over Christmas, emotions reach boiling point. With the help of no-nonsense best friends, time apart, lots of gin and sadness, and two huge leaps of faith, they begin a bumpy journey from friends to lovers.

Bear Best Friend is a sweet opposites attract, friends to lovers stand-alone gay romance novella about learning to love yourself and finding the special someone who appreciates you for being you.

A Sweet Christmas Gay Romance.

Genres: Holiday, M M Romance

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2019

About the author

Liam Livings is an award-shortlisted gay romance novelist, creative writing tutor, and ghostwriter. His fiction focuses on friendship, British humour, and romance with plenty of sparkle. He’s a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Chartered Institute of Marketing and holds a Masters in Creative Writing from Kingston University.

He shares his house with his boyfriend and cats. When not writing he bakes to indulge his dangerously sweet tooth, admires unaffordable classic cars, and drinks all the pink wine with friends. His favourite sport – of which he’s a gold medal winner – is reading a romantic novel in a long hot bath.

To learn more about his teaching, visit: https://www.realpeoplewritebooks.com/
To learn more about his books, visit: www.liamlivings.com

Reviews

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't sure at first if this author's style was gonna work for me, however by 25% in I was totally hooked! Brian and Dad started out as best friends, but by the end after some bumps in the road they became so very much more! If I could give this boo 10 stars I would. For those of you who like lots of sex you might find less than you wish. For me feels top sex any day and I think the author got just the right amount of sex. What a ride this was!

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was wow.. i havent read this author before so i had no clue what i was getting into. it was so much fun and interesting.. i love how brian has no issues with his femme best friend.. dan is such an amazing and sexy man who loses his confidence because of crappy boyfriends... and brian loves him. these two figuring it out was adorable to see. very good.

[Jamie Lee Zonneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear Best Friend by Liam Livings is a sweet holiday romance about best friends Dan and Brian. Brian is relieved that Dan is single again and Tom-the-bully is gone. When they get snowed in emotions heat up.

I liked the sweet story of Dan and Brian. Can't wait to read more by this author.

[Isabelle Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Bear Best Friend. I found Dan really annoying in the beginning, but when I learned more about his past, I really felt for him. It's a really sweet Christmas romance (although I would only barely call it a Christmas romance, as Christmas is almost skipped over in the book). The characters are well-drawn and the story is sweet and gave me all the happy feelings. The writing could use some tightening up, but that's only a small point.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag for me

I’m conflicted with this one. I thought Brian was a sweetheart and enjoyed how he was portrayed. I didn’t care for Dan. Tom the bully is horrid but Dan’s behaviour didn’t warm me to him. First read for this author. The secondary characters were sweet but I think the word “babe” was used far too much! Will look to try other books by Liam

[Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars



Liam Living's Bear Best Friend is a fantastic Christmas romance. I love and adore best friends falling in love and this one totally satisfies that craving.

Dan's a broken man, struggling to figure out who he is. Having been in an abusive relationship, he's not able to just step into another one. I love his doubts and his desire to figure out who he is. This part is so darn realistic and appropriate, as well as emotional to read.

This is a tender story of healing and love; a tale of not seeing what's right in front of you. If you're a fan a friends to lovers romances, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

I love Dan's femme side and having him fall for his bear of a best friend Brian is downright delicious. Brian's acceptance of Dan for who he is makes for a wonderful story. Hell, he likes to help him pick out heels. Oh hell yes!

I love Bear Best Friend. Not only is it a beautiful friends to lovers tale, it also has a whole lot of Christmas charm. Add in some angst and it makes for a fabulous holiday read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan has a problem. Low self esteem keeps him choosing the wrong boyfriends. The last one, Tom, really did a number on him. The only way to emotional survival is to call his best friend Brian. Dan is "Femme" and Brian loves everything about him, even helping him pick out his high heeled shoes. When Tom leaves him, he takes another piece of Dan's self esteem with him. Brian gently takes him in hand and keeps him moving in the direction of their Christmas vacation plans. Starting to recognize their sexual attraction to each other at the Christmas cottage, they both wonder if their friendship will survive, now they have to wait and see as neither are willing to give the other a call. Will their friendship survive? Read this charming, angst filled Christmas story to find out if their love will deepen or their friendship will fail.

[Georgiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I liked both Brian and Dan, but poor Brian really touched my heart.

Following Dan through his inner turmoil of all the why’s, what if’s, and is this right or not made him feel real. Brian’s struggles with wanting something he couldn’t have was so sad and at times heartbreaking. All Brian wanted was Dan and yet Dan was to wrapped up in someone else who wasn’t good for him. I’m glad both men had someone they could talk to and that neither struggled alone.

For a quick read this story had quite a bit of emotion and even a small amount of drama. Overall, it was a sweet romance about being who you are and finding the one who loves you just that way you are.

[AlitaConejita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Friend finally let out of the friend zone.

This was not a holiday romance, it just happened to occur around Christmas. During most of the book, the MCs were miserable. Lots of angst and very little communication (between MCs, lots of relationship chatter with female besties on each side). Yes, it was about two friends that eventually get together, but I wouldn’t call it a romance since the predominant tone was sadness, insecurity, and frustration.

[Masja · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Christmas story with some angst!

I enjoyed this read! The angsting, misunderstanding and love! Why not talk to one another? A beautiful man in high heels and I guess glitter and a bearded best friend. And I think they both wanted more a long time ago!

This author was new to me but I have to read more from them!

[Hope Bennett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was just so confused. The characters were inconsistent (and not in an interesting, character-arc kind of way) and I hardly knew what was going on. Why either of them would put up with the other one is beyond me.