Book 102, 2022

[chez_jae]

Rebel Without a Claus by Denise Wells

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I finished reading Rebel Without a Claus last night. It was a male/male holiday romance by Denise Wells, told in alternating povs of the main characters, Kris and Nick.

Kris was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Heir to the fortune amassed by the Coleman department stores, he's never lacked for anything. His upbringing, however, has kept him humble, and Kris enjoys giving back during the holidays. When he meets the bartender at the Coleman holiday party, Kris is instantly smitten by him.

Nick is a struggling actor who takes odd jobs to make ends meet. He's never had much in his life, but he's worked hard for what he does have. He wishes he could have explored the instant attraction he felt for the guy at the holiday party, but Nick never even got his name.

When Nick takes a gig working as an elf at Santa's village in Coleman's flagship store, he is reunited with the hottie from the party. Nick is dismayed to learn that his crush is none other than Kris Coleman. He's certain the two of them have nothing in common except lust, but Kris sets out to prove him wrong.

This was a charming holiday romance, humming along with just the right amount of cozy holiday feels, yummy sex, and some angst. And then...it ended. Wha? I mean, it ended as an HEA, but it was so abrupt that I was taken aback.

Favorite line: It's nice knowing that someone is looking out for me. Someone who would notify the police if I went missing long before my cold dead body was eaten by cats or something equally morbid.

I liked the story, I just wish we could have seen the resolution of the conflict, instead of skipping ahead to happily ever after. My disappointment in the ending knocks the score down to three.