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Review: The Heart of St. Nick – A.D. Ellis

The Heart of St. Nick - A.D. Ellis

Genre: Contemporary, Holiday

LGBTQ+ Category: Gay

Reviewer: Linda, Paranormal Romance Guild

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About The Book

Hayden Green is the epitome of a cheery, generous, small-town guy. He keeps himself busy in a tiny railroad town tucked in the hills of the Midwest by helping others. If he also finds himself wishing for a tall, dark, and handsome man to waltz into town and sweep him off his feet, who can blame him?

Gannon Snow closed himself off to emotions and connections a long time ago. He’ll head back to his late grandfather’s beloved holiday town, but only to sell the old man’s house and store. He has his own business to run and no time for feelings. Much to his chagrin, Gannon gets caught up in nostalgia and finds himself mesmerized by a happy little holiday helper.

Hayden and Gannon share an instant connection, but Gannon isn’t staying and Hayden isn’t keen on a broken heart. However, the universe—and maybe some holiday magic, which Gannon most definitely doesn’t believe in—has a different plan, and the men find themselves smack dab in the middle of a small-town Christmas romance.

The Heart of St. Nick is a steamy, forced proximity, small-town M/M holiday romance with a slight age gap between a bowtie and suspender-wearing good guy and an emotionally-stunted man with a cold heart just waiting to be melted.

The Review

Gannon Snow is leaving L.A. for Saint Nicholas Crossing, where the streets are named after reindeer, and where he must settle his grandfather’s estate – a house and a store – and Gannon will have no problem selling them since he is one of the top realtors in Los Angeles.

He’s is a man who has built walls around his heart, thanks to his parents, who taught him that there is no such thing as love since neither of them had never experienced it. He’s leaving nothing behind – his assistant Ellen will take care of everything, and as far as friends or lovers are concerned, there are none.

He has convinced himself that he is incapable of loving or being loved. The only person who ever showed him love was his grandfather, who he loved but never bothered to visit, only sending an occasional letter, and cards for holidays and birthdays. Now that his grandfather is gone, he is filled with guilt for not having done more.

He rents a red sports car, and it’s not long before reality sets in – the sports car can’t make it up the hills in Saint Nicholas Crossing, so he wil have to find someone to drive him. He enteres the store his grandfather left him, a general store larger than he remembered and run by a handsome man that takes his breath away, even if he’s so not Gannon’s type. Bow tie, suspenders, crazy socks and a cheerful attitude somehow make him even more handsome.

Hayden Green only left Saint Nicholas Crossing to attend college. He tried living in the city, but couldn’t wait to return to the town he loved. Finding someone to love in the small town seems almost impossible, and although he has dreamed of the love of his life, such a thing didn’t appear likely in his near future.

Despite everything, Hayden doesn’t want to leave Saint Nicholas Crossing. So he goes about doing what he loves, teaching part-time and working at the store run by his parents – the very store Gannon is there to sell.

Hayden remembers Gannon from the times he used to visit his grandfather. Now the man of his dreams – tall, dark and handsome – is standing right in front of him. Hayden knew that Gannon would probably arrive to take care of his grandfather’s estate, but he’d never guessed that he would want to sell the store that is the heart of Saint Nicholas Crossing, the place where those in need get help, and because of which no child went without a toy to open on Christmas.

Hayden has no problem displaying his feelings for Gannon, while Gannon holds on to the walls he has built around his heart. He’s very attracted to Hayden, but since he plans to leave soon, there’s no point in getting involved. As much as Gannon wants to stay with Hayden, he is afraid of the changes it would bring, and keeps looking for a sign to tell him what to do.

This is the perfect gay Christmas story. Saint Nicholas Crossing is filled with amazing characters, and there’s Christmas magic in the air – maybe enough to help a man incapable of love find it.

Five stars.

The Reviewer

I am an avid reader the mother of 3 sons and grandmother to seven grandchildren. Since retiring I have been doing more reading while volunteering as a CASA worker. CASA is an organization that works with the family court system to ensure that children are in the best living situation. There are way too many children that get overlooked in the foster care system and I visit homes and make visits to the parents. I was born and raised in New York and my husband of 50 years and I live in Upstate New York. 

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