Winter Wonderland by Heidi Cullinan

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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:

I fully admit that “erotic snow art” is what drew me to this story.  It appealed to my inner 12 year old.  And the promise of humor absolutely delivered.   The story opens to Paul finding a 10 foot tall snow penis on his front steps.  Intricately detailed, it’s a real work of art.   At least it is in my head.  That isn’t the first phallic snow sculpture that Paul has opened his door to during the early snow season.   It’s the third. And when he catches Kyle Parks in the act of sculpting a fourth one, he’s a little turned on and a little embarrassed.  Because Kyle might be cute but Paul is almost 38 and Kyle was born in 1990.  No way would that relationship ever work.  Kyle is definitely not the Christmas romance Paul has been hoping for.

 Paul’s obsession with Kyle’s age is exactly what drives Kyle crazy about everyone in town.  His slight frame (in width not height) and delicate appearance makes everyone assume he is younger than he is.  But Kyle has had a crush on Paul for as long as he can remember and he isn’t going to give up just because Paul is concerned about their age difference and also thinks they might not be compatible in the bedroom.

 With the help of friends and family, Kyle inserts himself into Paul’s life by helping him and his friends plan a winter festival.  As they get to know each other, Kyle begins to realize that his crush was just that.  A crush.  He never actually KNEW Paul.  Kyle has to learn if a relationship between them is something that can be real or just something he wants because of their close proximity. In the meantime, Paul struggles with his desire/need for romance and a family that will love him and coming to terms with the fact those are things that they young Kyle can give him.

 Heidi Cullinan never fails to draw me into her stories.  The humor from the beginning won my immediate attention.  Paul’s secret love of Hallmark Christmas movies and his secret desire for his own Christmas romance kept me riveted.  And Kyle’s persistence and limitless amount of affection and love was icing on the cake.  Paul’s wants and needs and his willingness to admit them to himself (maybe not anyone else) is very sweet. The fact that such a sweet person had to deal with his crazy ass family was disheartening.  But it also drove home the reason WHY he wants/needs the things he does.  Kyle is rich in all the things Paul needs and he wants to share it all.  They really are a match made in Logan, MN.  They just need to figure it out.

 Of course, figuring it out means plenty of magic time.  Some on screen/page and some not.    And let me just say that Heidi really knows how to write the magic time .  Her New Adult titles are super sexy but her adult books could burn a house down.  The scenes in this book are no exception.  Christmas magic, indeed.

 I think you can guess that I loved this one.  Pair a favorite author with the Christmas romances I love to indulge in and it’s almost a guaranteed win in my book.  But confession time.  I haven’t read the first two books – Let it Snow and Sleigh Ride – in this series.     Trust me, I’ll be remedying that over the holidays. 

Nat