The short, sweet beginning of what may grow into a permanent relationship. Mac and Eli made a fun couple and the sex was hot. This short has the potential to be expanded into a longer story in the future. ( )

Needing a Little Christmas is a short story about Eli, a writer, and Mac, of Mac’s Wood Delivery. The book is told in first person through Eli’s pov.



This story is a cute, quick, fluffy Christmas read. There’s no angst, and the story is meant to be nothing but a fun read for the holidays.

After Eli breaks up with his cheating ex, he escapes to a cabin in the woods at the urging of his mother. The typical tropes of a city boy stranded in a cabin during a snowstorm make an appearance. To the rescue comes, Mac, who’s the tropey big, hot, lumberjack type of bear. Even with these tropes, the book makes fun of itself. Eli the writer admits he has a wild imagination and frets about all the scary stuff that could happen to him. He imagines what Mac is like from merely talking to him on the phone. Eli’s voice is distinctive as is Mac’s personality shown through Eli’s eyes.

The relationship evolves quickly, but that’s expected because this is a short story. I enjoyed Needing a Little Christmas because it didn’t take itself seriously. It’s a purely fun read. I give this book, 4 Stars for the entertainment.

( )

A breakup just before Christmas is tougher than one at almost any other time of the year. With festive cheer all around you while you’re either grieving the loss of a relationship or angry at the bastard who cheated on you, just highlights the fact that you’re suddenly alone. This is exactly the situation Eli faces, and I felt absorbed by his despondence, thoughts, and hopes from the first page.

Eli is a writer and has been told he's boring. Since he isn’t good with people, it is easy for him to withdraw and suffer his loneliness. After his previous lover cheats on him and they separate, that is exactly what Eli does. With the rest of his family otherwise engaged for the holidays, his mother insists he at least get out of the apartment and drive to the mountains for the holidays. He intends to make it a "writer's retreat", and instead faces snow, a wood stove without wood, a power outage, and the sexiest wood deliverer he's ever met.

I laughed out loud at Eli's thoughts about Mac when he first comes to deliver wood. The two men are clearly attracted to each other, but Eli doesn’t trust himself to fall for the man at first. A very hot encounter later this seems much less of a concern. And as much as Eli thinks he is a 'city boy', it looks to me as though he'll fit in perfectly. How does the saying go? "Home is where the heart is". In few cases is this as true as with Eli and Mac.

If you like sweet stories that are fun and easy to read, if you enjoy a bit of heat with your Christmas cheer, and if you're looking for some fun characters that will make you laugh while you likely shake your head at their antics, then you will probably enjoy this short book. I definitely did! ( )