Book 124, 2024

Ginger Snapping All the Way by Gabbi Grey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading Ginger Snapping All the Way last night. It's the first in author Gabbi Gray's "Mission City" series of male/male romance. Story is told in the alternating, first-person pov of the main characters, Maddox and Ravi.

After a search and rescue mission went awry, killing his best friend and leaving Maddox with a lingering injury, he has become a recluse. The change in him caused his partner to leave him as well, and now he shares his cabin in the woods with just his dog, Sofia, for company. When a friend calls him up before Christmas to ask Maddox to take in a stranded traveler, he can't tell her no. Now a blizzard has him stuck at home with the most beautiful man he's ever seen.

Ravi is desperate to get home to Calgary to be there for the birth of his godchild. Fate has other plans when his airplane experiences mechanical difficulties, stranding him in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, his sister's girlfriend knows a guy who agrees to take Ravi in for a day or two. He is immediately drawn to the taciturn Maddox.

Two men who couldn't be any more different are forced to co-habitate, if only for a couple days. Each of them is carrying a load of emotional baggage, yet their mutual attraction is undeniable. Trying to build something together will require sacrifices. Are they willing to take a chance on a Christmas miracle?

I enjoy holiday romances, but this one fell a bit flat, in my opinion. The first half of the book only alluded to the issues each character was dealing with, leaving me feeling adrift and floundering. I also had difficulty wrapping my head around the near instant love. They'd only known one another for two or three days! Insta-lust, I get, but not a deep, emotional connection. Plus, once the (inevitable) sex happened, it seemed never ending. I like me some steamy scenes, but that aspect should enhance the plot, not become the plot. Finally, it seemed that whenever the guys weren't gettin' it on, they were angsting over their individual issues. Basically, most of the story was comprised of sex and angst.

Favorite line: All I needed to do was spend ten minutes in civilization to remember why I preferred being on my own.

The story was okay; it just wasn't for me. Three stars.