[Novella Review] How I Met Your Father By L.B. Gregg & Island Roast Coffee Butter Rum (Holiday Flavor)

Title: How I Met Your Father
Collection: Home for the Holidays
Author: L.B. Gregg
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Publication date: November 18th 2013
Page Count: 112 pages
Age Rating: Adult (explicit sexual scene)
How I got my hot little hands on it: Received an ARC to review
Publisher’s page: How I Met Your Father

The man of your dreams could be sitting right next to you.

Former boy band member Justin Hayes isn’t looking for a man. He just wants a quiet, scandal-free Christmas at home in Chicago, out of the public eye. But his best friend and bandmate is subjecting everyone to his destination wedding, and Justin can’t dodge the “best man” bullet. All he has to do is get to the island on time, survive the reunion, and get Chuck to the altar with as little drama as possible. What could possibly go wrong?

Jack Basinger’s own plans for a quiet Christmas have been dashed by the summons to his daughter’s hasty wedding with a man Jack has hardly met. On the bumpy flight to the island, he finds himself comforting a nervous—and extremely attractive—young man. One hasty sexual encounter in an airport bathroom later, they both feel much better. No one ever has to know, after all. Now Justin and Jack must find a way to explore their attraction, despite the distractions of disapproving family members, unexpected announcements, an impromptu concert, and an island paradise that proves there’s no place like home.

20% of all proceeds from this title are donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York, whose mission “is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.” To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit http://www.aliforneycenter.org/.

My Review

Former boy band member Justin Hayes decided years ago to play his sexual preference close to the vest in order to protect the livelihood of his bandmates. This Christmas he and his bandmates are having a reunion on the Caribbean island of Nevis, where band member Chuck has decided to use the band’s yearly get-together as a chance to get married. Justin’s been chosen to serve as the best man.

Jack Basinger is the father of the bride. He’s older then Justin by fifteen years, but that doesn’t stop the two from having a sizzling encounter in an airport bathroom after sharing a turbulent plan ride. They’re strangers at the time, but once on the island they find out each other’s true identities. Jack and Justin try to keep their hook-up on the down low, but their attraction is undeniable and it’s not long before the truth comes out.

How I Met Your Father is funny in that witty, sarcastic way that I just kind of love. There are a lot characters here: The Rhythm Method band members (Justin, Chuck, TJ, and Matt), Mandy the bride, Benji the brother of the bride,  Jack, and Harrison (Jack’s brother). This could be character soup, but the writer juggles all these character with skill. They each have distinct personalities and they play off each other to greatly humorous result.

The attraction between Jack and Justin is more lust than love and their interactions are hot to say the least. I’m usually not too big a fan of May-December romances, but it really worked here.

Overall, How I Met Your Father is a sexy island holiday novella and I recommend it to lovers of romances that are more hot then sweet. This book is steamy and entertaining and I loved it.

Island Roast Coffee Butter Rum (Holiday Flavor) – because you can’t have a holiday on a Caribbean island and not indulge in some rum (or overindulge as the boys learn in How I Met Your Father).