Better Not Pout

Annabeth Albert

Nov 2018 · Carina Press

About this ebook

In this gay Christmas romance, a snowstorm traps a gruff military police officer playing Santa gets with an overly enthusiastic do-gooder.

Teddy MacNally loves Christmas and everything that goes along with it. When he plays an elf for his charity’s events, he never expects to be paired with a Scrooge masquerading as Santa Claus. His new mission: make the holiday-hating soldier believe he was born to say ho-ho-ho.

Sergeant Major Nicholas Nowicki doesn’t do Santa, but he’s army to his blood. When his CO asks an unusual favor, Nick of course obliges. The elf to his Kris Kringle? Tempting. Too tempting—Nick’s only in town for another month, and Teddy’s too young, too cheerful and too nice for a one-night stand.

The slow, sexy make-out sessions while Teddy and Nick are alone and snowbound, though, feel like anything but a quick hookup. As a stress-free holiday fling turns into Christmas all year round, Teddy can’t imagine his life without Nick. And Nick’s days on the base may be coming to a close, but he doesn’t plan on leaving anything, or anyone, behind.

Praise for Better Not Pout

“[A] tender and funny contemporary romance. . . . Their sexual chemistry is explosive. . . . Albert’s obvious affection for her characters, particularly Nick, makes this tale a pleasure.” —Publishers Weekly

“A lovely, feel-good story about two people who are perfect for each other but need just a bit of Christmas magic to help them to see it. . . . I teared up a bit near the end, and then closed the book with a happy sigh and a smile on my face, which is never a bad thing.” —All About Romance

Ratings and reviews

Better Not Pout by Annabeth Albert is Teddy and Nick’s story. This is a sweet May/December romance. Teddy and Nick’s paths cross when Nick is filling in as Santa as a favor for a friend. The attraction between them was apparent from the start. But Nick is retiring soon and moving to Florida plus he is a lot older than Teddy so this can only be a holiday romance. I enjoyed Nick and Teddy’s story and characters. Teddy’s character is such a caring person but is lonely. Nick’s character is lonely too but doesn’t think he deserves true happiness. Will Teddy and Nick drop their walls of comfort and take a chance on love? FYI, contains mature content. This is a M/M gay romance.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ 4-STAR ✩ REVIEW ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ > > Judging a Book by its Cover < < Illustration design of two men walking with their backs to the viewer, winter landscape background. Synopsis sounds entertaining. Strong fonts, good composition. > > Looking Deeper < < POV ~> Third Person Grouchy, Grinch-like 46-year-old Army Master Sergeant, Nick, is in his last month of service as an MP when he is wrangled by his CO into posing as Santa for a few events in a nearby small town. Outreach Resource center director, Teddy, is an energetic, charming 28-year-old that loves his town, the people in it, and LOVES the Holidays. Together, they need to fulfill “Santa’s” obligations and raise enough donations for the various holiday programs that Teddy provides through the center. Nick is stoic and stubborn; feeling too old, washed-up, and many other self-doubting things, believing Teddy deserves much more than he’s capable of giving. Teddy is cautious in most things but wants Nick, consequences be damned. He may be young but he’s mature and knows what he wants and refuses to play games or be coy about it. Though the relationship developed at a steady pace, I had a difficult time bonding with these guys. I’m not sure if it was the “Dad/Son” age difference (Annabeth Albert has used the age-gap storyline frequently recently) or if it was all of the dang over-analyzing/exhausting internal monologuing – even during SEX! I just did not feel their connection, at all. The secondary cast was alright but, at times, some of it felt “over the top” or unnecessary. The story in and of itself was okay for a holiday story, I would have liked to have read more antics of Nick fulfilling his Santa duties. Some parts of the story felt like déjà vu, that I’d read that somewhere before. Writing quality was very good and the pages flowed smoothly. The conflicts were all fairly easy to resolve and would not have been an issue to begin with if the men had better communication skills, with each other and others. Predictability was low. The conclusion is solid enough to be satisfying. Overall, I’d have to say that this was not one of my favorite books from this author but it was well-written and still entertaining. . Rating: [R] ~ Score: 3.85 ~ Stars: 4 ========================== ⭐ ⭐ **** Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Author/Publisher with the hope that I would voluntarily leave unbiased and unsolicited feedback. I was not asked, encouraged, or required to leave a review - nor was I compensated in any way. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". ***** ⭐ ⭐

Pointy Elf Shoes & Split Santa Pants This is a Hallmark-esque Christmas story but with more angst. I loved it! The description of Mineral Springs, NY that Ms. Albert tells is nothing less than magical. The people of Mineral Springs are brought to life through Ms. Albert's deft storytelling. It's a great Christmas novella that I heartily recommend!

About the author

Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer. The #OutOfUniform series joins her critically acclaimed and fan-favorite LGBTQ romance #Gaymers, #PortlandHeat and #PerfectHarmony series. To find out more visit annabethalbert.com.