Mistle-Joe Kisses

Games We Play #3.5

by D.J. Jamison

Tis the season for Mistle-Joe kisses...

What happens when I step under the mistletoe with my co-worker at a holiday party? An idiotic, reckless mistake that could change everything.

Our sweet, chaste kiss quickly turns to fire. And when Joe offers himself up for the taking, I'm no longer strong enough to deny myself. At least, for one night.

It can't go any further. I've been down that road before--and mixing business and pleasure cost me everything. But the craving for him only gets stronger once I know how good we can be together.

Joe is sweet and considerate, and judging by the friendly overtures, he'd like more. But how can I trust my heart when it's led me astray before?

It's going to take a holiday festival, a drunk Santa, and a romantic carriage ride to make me see my grinchy heart has space to grow--a space just for Joe.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Holiday, Christmas, Contemporary, Novella, Queer

89 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2022

About the author

DJ Jamison writes a variety of queer men finding extraordinary love through M/M Romance! She is a lifelong reader and has always loved writing and editing, with a ten-year journalism career before she began publishing romance. She has books in ebook, print, and audio, as well as German, French, and Italian translations.

DJ lives in Kansas with her husband, two sons, and a sadistic cat named Birdie.

Join DJ's mailing list at http://tinyurl.com/DJandCompany

Join her FB group at www.facebook.com/groups/DJandCompany

Follow her on Ko-Fi for bonus content: www.ko-fi.com/ReadingDJ

Reviews

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25 stars.
I admit I had chosen the novella because of the lovely cover, believing it would be YA. Imagine my surprise when I found out the MCs (a mechanic and an accountant) were around 30!

The story hopped a bit quickly from sex to distance to sex to sweetness.

And although the blurb doesn't mention it, I think the novella can be enjoyed more if one has read the other books of the series, because there were many side characters who were obviously couples from other books.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Sweet as sugar.

I think the novella was a bit too short for the family elements which felt unfinished, though I did think they were promising plotlines.

But overall, I really liked Auggie and Joe together, Joe’s dedication to Auggie, the slow wooing and how he respected Auggie’s boundaries. This made me smile, and was a cute Christmas story.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice addition to the series.

I definitely would've liked to read more about Joe, Darren's best mechanic and Auggie, the office manager for the auto-repair shop, who was hired in Darren's book , but this little novella will do.

Short and sweet, this is a story of a teddy bear Joe breaking down Auggie's carefully built walls .
They both have interesting stories to tell and I wanted to know more about them, so sad this was only a short story.

I expected for their story to be a bit more explosive , since it's short, but it was more mildly romantic .

🟣 I liked the fact that Joe and Auggie admitted out loud their dicks weren't that big, but they both knew how to work them. 😂

🔵 I appreciated the idea of RideGuys in Kevin's book 😂, sort of an Uber that works only on weekends in Granville, and in this story it was a group of Auggie's friends that went to trivia night together and they called themselves Ho & Bros . 😄😄😄


It's also somewhat of a prologue to the spin-off series and I'm really hoping the books stay equally hilarious and sexy and if I understood correctly, we'll also be getting a stepbro book, so yay! 😁


❗Even though I've only rated one book in this series with 4⭐, I have to point out a couple of things,

➡️ - 3.5⭐ is a good rating for me
➡️ - 4⭐ and above are books that tick most of my boxes, I have to really like the MCs, the setting and originality, the story has to hit me hard for me to go that far
➡️ - despite my ratings, I absolutely recommend this series if you want to read funny, lighter, sexy stories 👍

I'll definitely be reading this author again.

[Books and Gems · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 🌟

Augustus and Joe

— coworkers
— grumpy x sunshine
— workplace romance
— holiday romance

Aww I really enjoyed Joe and his grumpy Auggie 🖤

This was a very quick paced novella, but I enjoyed watching these two. Auggie was closed off and guarded, but Joe was such a happy puppy he eventually broke down those walls.

I loved all the cameos, and I am intrigued with some of the couples that were hinted at.

.

.

.

.


Potential spoilers

Dynamic: MM — vers

Sharing? No

Cheating? No

Breakup? No

Sex scene with OM or OW No

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3 stars ⭐️

Only one night. That was all it could be.

Cute holiday novella. There wasn’t much to it, but it was still enjoyable.
I liked Augustus and Joe’s dynamic, Auggie’s unexpected bossy side. I was looking for more Christmas-y dates, though. More holiday vibes.

My grinch wasn’t so grinchy, after all.

CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Coworkers
- Grumpy/sunshine
- Found family
- Vers MCs
- Butt plug

[SJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet novella with two opposites attract MCs.

[Ed Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was short and sweet. I love D. J. Jamison and the Granville stories are all great.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistle Joe Kisses is in the Games We Play Universe. We met Augustus in Truth or Darren when Darren hired him to manage the office at Carr Care & Repair. We met Joe in 7 Minutes in Kevin when he was hired to work at the shop as a mechanic. Augustus attends one of Darren's parties and ends up under the mistletoe and kisses Joe. Joe was such a sweet and patient guy, perfect for the stiff, stoic Augustus! I loved the way these two danced around each other. Loved getting a little more of all the guys from the series! Overall, a fantastic novella, well written with addicting pacing that sucked me right into the story.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short. Holiday vibes without being too cliche. I liked it

[Heather Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Yay to Joe and Augustus getting their story in this holiday novella. I think this is one of my favourites in the Games We Play universe.

Joe and Augustus both work for Darren. Joe is sweet, patient, and super thoughtful. A nice balance to Augustus’ more buttoned-up and closed-off nature. And once he gets a glimpse of the love and care Joe can bring to the table, he’s unable to resist.

It was a sweet and playful story that brought two great guys together and gave them each a second chance at love and happiness.

If you want a quick holiday HEA, this is a great one.

[Book Binge: Reviews by Melissa DaSilva · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This was a super cute novella in the Games We Play universe and I enjoyed it. Was fun to be back with these characters again but I did feel it was a little rushed at times. Which happens with such a short story.

I really liked Joe as a character and enjoyed Augustus more as the book went on! All the sweet things Joe did for Auggie were awesome. If you’re looking for a short, sweet, easy read then I recommend. Especially if you’ve enjoyed other books in this series.

[Beagle Lover (Avid Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome back to Granville and Carr's Car shop.

4 stars. **Very mild spoilers!**

This sweet story in "Games We Play" series takes readers back to Granville, with appearances by Darren, Clark Nana and other characters from previous books.

The main focus of this short book is Augustus, the office manager for the auto shop owned by Darren, and Joe, a top mechanic and co-worker.

At a Christmas party, Augustus (Auggie, as Joe nicknames him) and Joe find themselves under a sprig of mistletoe. Urged on their friends and co-workers, the two men follow through with the tradition, starting a spark between them.

But Auggie beats a hasty retreat home after the kiss, his last relationship rearing its ugly memories. Having moved to Granville to put his hurtful past and broken heart behind him, he becomes an isolated and grumpy man who throws himself into his job and blows off social interactions.

Joe also relocated to Granville, arriving just ahead of Augustus. His past is also filled with pain. But he is openly gay, while Augustus keeps his sexual preferences to himself. But Auggie cannot deny the feelings he has when thinking of Joe. Still, he remains decidedly indifferent and off-putting towards Joe, who wants a second kiss (and second chance) from his co-worker.

The author deftly and often hilariously pulls the reader into Augustus and Joe's relationship as in begins to blossom. Through carefully crafted world building, character development and true emotions, I couldn't help but be become invested in their relationship. This book may have been short on pages, but in compensated beautifully with witty dialogue and charming situations. A throughly enjoyable tale that I am glad reintroduced me to many of Granville's interesting characters.

[Zaza]

DNF @18% - NR

[Cheli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute read! Both characters were very likeable and their relationship blossomed so well!!!

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute fast read. I will be reading more books from this series.

[☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ ѕℓιм ☠︎︎༒︎✞︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting book

https://ladiikeiii.wordpress.com/2025...

Good short read it was interesting I liked Joe and Augusta together. How they found love in each other on Christmas (holiday).

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mistle-Joe Kisses by DJ Jamison ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A sugar sweet opposites attract, workplace holiday romance set in the Games we Play universe 🎄

After being hurt in the past, Augustus uses his stern and uptight exterior to guard himself from the world and push away his growing feelings for mechanic, Joe. However, after a scorching hot Christmas kiss under the mistletoe, it becomes increasingly harder for Augustus to fight his feelings and he ends up giving in to the temptation that is Joe and his kind heart.

Despite Joe having his own issues, he has no reservations in his feelings for Augustus. He's patient with Augustus and tries to gradually break down his walls and show him how he feels through sweet words and kind little gestures.

Augustus and Joe are opposites in so many ways but in the end they fit together like perfect pieces in a puzzle.

There are lots of cameos from previous books in the series, including my absolute favourite character: Darren! As always, this story is packed with plenty of funny interfering towns folk and lots of comforting small town feelings.

This book provides plenty of festive cheer and is a great set up to DJ's new spin off series which I cannot wait for. I really loved this story and as always, I am looking forward to the next book by DJ Jamison.

CW: mention of homophobia

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, Christmas time novella with an obvious happy ending and a nice run-up. DJ Jamison continues the development and tales of those who live in Granville, and it's worth it. This seasonal tale continues the story of the series with a crowd inspired kiss under the mistletoe at a party. The development of the relationship of the two main characters is fantastic, and we're given a much deeper understanding of Augustus who had been hired to run the front office of Darren's auto repair shop.

The development of the relationship of the two main characters, and the extension of their reach into the community of Granville is a worthy ride. It's a fun short read that has more 'tied endings' than any disappointments.

[K-Me · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely smile worthy little read! This is the perfect novella for anyone looking for a read with an adorable sweetheart melting the heart of a prickly guy! Augustus is standoffish and a bit grumpy on the outside, but on the inside, he is all about sweet Joe! Just one kiss and Augustus is jumping on his steamy chance with Joe! This is a very quick story but packed with so much fun and happiness!

[E · Rating 1 out of 5]

FELT TOO STILTED FOR ME TO ENJOY

I wanted to give this at least 2 stars (i.e. "it was ok") because I liked Augustus when he was introduced before in Darren & Linc's book—not so much Joe because his reaction to being introduced to Kevin in Kevin & Garret's book was quite unsporting, but just like the prequel (Lyle & Truman's book), this felt very forced and repetitive, and as excited I was to read another instalment in the Games We Play series because I enjoyed the stories overall, I just couldn't get with this one. It just got so boring so quickly. Maybe I should have stopped with 7 Minutes in Kevin to have closed the series with a bang, because this turned out to be a damper of a conclusion.

The main problem was Augustus and the personal conflict foisted upon him for the sake of having some semblance of a plot. Then we have Joe who just happens to have feelings for him out of nowhere because, again, there just has to be a plot. (Is this really a romance if we aren't even shown how they first met and if there was that initial spark?) This is very reminiscent of the flaw in Lyle and Truman's story where so many crucial points in the story were either skipped altogether to zoom in on other less-than-relevant events, fast-forwarded to or over hastily, or thrown into the narrative carelessly without any regard for laying proper foundations to make it more believable to the audience. To compensate for this wishy-washy pacing and execution, we're just hypnotised into accepting that everything makes perfect sense via the characters' very redundant and very tell-and-not-show internal monologues and dialogues. Would it have hurt to start or at least give enough attention to how they fell in love so that readers could have something more solid to anchor onto and therefore make it easier for us to empathise with? No. As far as the story goes, once upon a time Augustus just lusts Joe and Joe just likes Augustus because he's snobby, and they have to resist each other because, well, reasons, and then when we've exhausted that routine enough, okay, time for the HEA. The end. It's like watching puppets on strings practically being smooshed together and we're just supposed to be able to relate to that. Heh. How very romantic.

As it happened in the prequel, instead of showing scenes that really matter, we're instead subjected to being drilled these rickety plot points over and over (among other inconsequential things), just to stretch the story out gossamer-thin: Augustus' ridiculously irrational refusal to get into a relationship due to a single bad experience in his life (which we don't even really dive into at all) and Joe's baseless (and utterly contrived) pining that might as well have been the result of a love potion from how random and out of the blue it is. Both driving forces that supposedly propel the story forward are so flimsy and insubstantial that it had to be overly dramatised and looped in circles just to keep some kind of story running—or crawling—for the duration of 80 pages. 80 pages may be short compared to the other books in the series, but it was crammed full of mostly hot air, which is a real shame. So many other things could have been shown instead that would have made a bigger impact on their story. In fact, the plot feels so unbelievably shallow in relation to the other 3 instalments, that I was convinced at some point that this must have been meant to target much younger, more impressionable audiences (what with the cartoon-illustration cover backing up that notion), but then, the sex scenes clearly contradict that…

I absolutely adored Never Have I Evan(it's one of the most amazing stories I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and that's saying a lot because I've burned through hundreds, maybe over a thousand MM romance stories all my life) and although the other 2 books that followed weren't a disappointment like this and the prequel, they were fluctuating sporadically from extremely good to what the heck is happening to not bad but not great either and so on… so, based on all 5 stories of D.J. Jamison that I've read so far, it seems like it's a hit or miss.

[Alexus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute Christmas novella. We meet Joe and Augustus in the previous books and I was excited to read about them. I picked this one up in preparation for DJ Jamison spin off series of the Games We Play series and the first book is all about Clark which we meet in this book so I just had to pick it so I’m ready to read her new series.

This wasn’t a super long read and I felt like I got everything I wanted out of this story. Joe is such a teddy bear and Augustus can be grumpy. This is definitely a sunshine/grumpy romance, which I love. I loved seeing Joe just be himself and show Augustus that he’s not like his ex and that he does want a chance to be with him. Augustus had a bad break up with his ex boyfriend so it was understanding that he was hesitant to get into another one, especially one that he works with. I’m glad that Joe didn’t give up and eventually Augustus warmed up to Joe and accepted his feelings.

I loved all the holiday warmth and scenes in this one. From kissing under the mistletoe to a Christmas market to even a carriage ride through Main Street. It’s such a good book to read around the holiday and I kind of wished I did but overall it was so cute.

Everything felt right and the pacing was done really well in this. I felt like I got everything I wanted and got to know the characters really well in such a short amount of time.

I loved the little found family and small town that Granville is. That Joe gets to have friends and build a life and family with Augustus that he doesn’t have anymore with his own family and vis verses with Augustus. I’m so glad that they have each other.

“My grinch wasn’t so grinchy, after all.”

It was a cute story and I’m glad I read it. It was nice to see Darren again and some of the other guys too. And we learn and see Clark for the first time and their friend group. It definitely got me interested in reading his story next.

[Julie Underhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mistle-Joe Kisses by DJ Jamison is the final novella in her Games We Play series. Many of the characters from the previous books are in this one so you may want to read their stories first. This story is about Augustus (Auggie) and Joe. Both men have had some bad relationships in the past that led them to Granville and new jobs and really colored how they viewed their relationships. They work together, Joe as an auto mechanic and Auggie as the office manager at the shop. They both have had their eyes on each other but Auggie has a strict rule of no dating in the workplace because of what happened to him. At a party they find themselves under the mistletoe and share a kiss that immediately leads to a more romantic situation. However, Auggie assures Joe that that is the only time this could happen. Joe really likes Auggie and goes about trying to break down his barriers with kindness. Auggie can only stand this so long till he caves and they get together again. Their spark is so strong that they decide to give a relationship a try and eventually fall in love. I really enjoyed this story as I have with the others in the series. Joe and Auggie had been through so much it made my heart happy to see that they could finally be together. It was fun to see the other characters from previous books and how much they added to the story with their advice and friendship. There was a little angst when Auggie kept turning Joe down for dates but it turned to joy when he finally gave in and they were able to find happiness together, knowing that they both felt like they would be together forever. I also liked that they realized that found family can enrich their lives and that this helped them to reach out to those real family members who were left. All in all this was a wonderful story and I highly recommend that you add it to your Christmas reading list.

[Zoë Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holiday Cheer Meter: 2/5
(Where 1 is as Christmassy as 'Die Hard' and 5 is more like 'Elf')

I'm on a bit of a holiday 'mission', trying to get through a bunch of my holiday TBR before the new year so I'm starting with the shortest and working my way up over the next couple of days.

Augustus (Auggie) (30), accountant, been in Granville for about a year and a half after a messy break-up.
Joe Mitchell (27/28-ish), mechanic, been in Granville for less than a year after the betrayal of a friend.

Full disclosure, I haven't read the Games We Play series, so I am not super familiar with all the couples, but I was somewhat familiar with most of the secondary characters from Don't Bang Your Stepbro, which appears to take place in the same small town. Enough detail is given to differentiate between people and have them support the main couple without overshadowing them, but not so much that it would ruin the ability to read their stories. I'm not a huge fan of gratuitous cameos, especially in a novella, given that it can feel like too many people for the story, however, as part of a larger series it's to be expected and wasn't too bad in this case.

I really enjoyed this story, I thought the kiss and set-up was well executed, loved all the 'nice' gestures Joe made was when trying to win Augustus over, and was definitely smirking at Clark's ham-handedness in trying to play matchmaker to his friends. I thought both MCs acted and reacted in a manner consistent with their respective histories.

I do have to say that the author bit off quite a bit in giving them such heavy backstories and issues to deal with. They would have been better suited for a longer format, but I didn't hate what she was able to accomplish within the constraints of the novella.

[Ren || Reading What I Want · Rating 5 out of 5]

STEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥

𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙹𝚘𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚘-𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚔𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚖𝚎, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚑𝚒𝚖 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎? 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎.
———
“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎.”

Absolutely perfect MM holiday novella, y’all. You should know by now DJ is a one-click author for me. I’m obsessed with the Games We Play Series and I was so happy to get Auggie and Joe’s story. They were minor characters in the previous book but they sure did shine in the spotlight. I melted for Joe’s sweetness and swooned at Auggie’s dominance. These two had chemistry galore and once Auggie gave in, 🤌🏻🤌🏻🤌🏻. For such a short story this one packed just as big of a punch as the other I’ve stories in this world.

Auggie is the office manager at Darren’s auto shop and Joe is a mechanic. They’re drawn to each other but Auggie was seriously screwed previously so he’s hesitant to move forward. One night, a Christmas party, and some mistletoe is all it takes for the walls around Auggie’s heart to come crumbling down.

And man, if Joe wasn’t the absolute dreamiest MMCs. He was a big teddy bear with patience and eyes only for his feisty little perfectionist. Their vers relationship was hot af. Seriously LOVE this whole world DJ has created and I hope we get a few more stories from it (cough Clark).

[Megan | The Mood Read Queen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a disappointment. I really like these books and DJ Jamison's storytelling, but this book was over much too fast. That's fine if it's a simple story, but the characters in this book have hard things happen to them, especially in their past, and I felt like they could have actually been dealt with in real ways.

For example, Augustus's ex-boyfriend broke his heart and destroyed his life, but he doesn't take as much time to get over this as I thought would be realistic. Joe is essentially beaten by his ex-best friend when he comes out to him, and then Joe flees to a new city, since his family is also unaccepting. Is that dealt with at all? Not really. Augustus has a step-dad with a hoarding problem who's just randomly thrust in there?

I also just really didn't appreciate a bunch of random characters being introduced like I'm supposed to know who they are. Joe has a friend named Clark, who does have a book after this series, but he was discussed like I was stupid for not knowing him, and it just miffed me. I liked visiting all the previous characters, but those also sometimes just felt like useless cameos.

This had real potential, and it makes me sad that it was just MEH.

[Abigail Beckwith · Rating 4 out of 5]

old post reposted


Up next, we have D.J. Jamison's next installation of the Games We Play series (3.5): "Mistle-Joe Misses."
["Tis the season for Mistle-Joe kisses...

What happens when I step under the mistletoe with my co-worker at a holiday party? An idiotic, reckless mistake that could change everything.

Out sweet, chaste kiss quickly turns to fire. And when Joe offers himself up for the taking, I"m not longer strong enough to deny myself. At least, for one night.

It can't go any further, I've been down that road before--and mixing business with pleasure cost me everything. But the craving for him only get stronger once I know how good we can be together.

Joe is sweet and considerate, and judging by the friendly overtures, he'd like more. But how can I trust my heart when it's led me astray before?"]

A holiday festival? A drunk Santa? A romantic carriage ride? A grinch who's heart grows three sizes? Yes, yes, yes, and YES. Also, who says its too late for a fun holiday treat? ;)

#twotruthsandalyle #neverhaveievan #truthordarren #sevenminutesinkevin #mistlejoekisses #gamesweplay #gamesweplayseries #djjamison #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

[Belinda Zamora]

Sweet holiday romance

Poor Augie is trying so hard to protect his battered heart with self imposed rules and regulations but it only takes some mistletoe and Joe the sexy mechanic he's not so secretly been ogling for everything to go awry.
The humorous banter between them was great and I also enjoyed the inclusion of side characters because they made for a well rounded storyline.
They have an explosive encounter and then Augie runs, desperately putting up his walls again.
Joe is hurt, but doesn't want to push for fear of losing his chance with Augie forever.
Some sage advice has him doing small, kind acts of service for Augie and they're his ultimate undoing because he can't resist his kindness.
I really loved how kind, sweet and patient Joe was with Augie.
When he mentioned how Augie's Grinch like behavior was just a cover for his wistfulness of the season, I knew that Augie was done fighting because he knew Joe truly saw him.
The epilogue was wonderful, seeing them both settled and moving forward in their lives.
Although this was a short story, it fully encompassed a complete story.

[Katriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

We got more meddling grannies and meddling townspeople in this story, about Joe and Augustus. I love the place setting in this story, I fell in love with the town ever since the first story. This series and town has just been amazing. These stories show how having perseverance and having loyal and caring friends can help bring fullness to your life. Even when you're missing your blood family, a found family is just as important and special. That's what Joe learned in this story and August learned how to trust again and how to overcome how past relationship that went badly.

These characters were great, just like the other characters in this series have been. I loved that we got glimpses of those characters in this story, that is my favorite part. Just cause their stories have been written doesn't mean the characters just vanish from the storyline. I love that DJ has kept the characters in each story, it adds humor and lightness and it's so great to read.

I loved this holiday story about Joe and August.

*I received an early copy of this book and this is my honest review.*

[Reading*Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful opposites-attract Christmas romance. An innocent mistletoe kiss between coworkers proves to be only the beginning for prickly office manager Augustus and teddy bear mechanic Joe.

This novella drips with wintery, Christmassy goodness, and is infused with a hot rush of spicy secret crush insta-love. There's a lot of heat packed into this little story too, as Auggie and Joe give in to temptation for one no-strings night, followed by Joe chipping away at Auggie's high walls with some old-fashioned wooing.

This is a Games We Play series novella and recurring characters do appear - and they're a fun bunch - but reading the previous books isn't necessary to fully enjoy this one. As an aside, the illustrated cover art is cute but looks too Y/A to me and doesn't capture the MCs at all (both are in range of 30). I received an advance reading e-copy of this book and have left this honest review voluntarily. (Also read in KU.)

[Toddles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and very short novella that could have been a awesome full length novel. It takes place after 7 MINUTES IN KEVIN but before the spinoff series starts with DONT DATE A DILF. The plot sets up the next trilogy of books while keeping our Ensemble of current guys and towns people present.

Augustus who was introduced on TRUTH OR DARREN makes his reappearance with why he was soooo desperate with wanting the job as office manager and the reason he is anal as hell.
Joe was introduced in 7 MINUTES IN KEVIN as a potential guy for Kevin to be set up with after moving to town and not knowing anyone and being lonely for heartbreaking reasons.

But with their own baggage and trust issues, one good deed leads to a heart that grows 10 sizes. It was a cute story but could have used more plot to mix in to all the character driven content. I'm super excited to read the spinoff THE RULES WE BREAK SERIES!