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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rob is burnt out on his medical career back in Seattle and moves to Hartbridge to take a part time job at the clinic. Soren has been in Hartbridge a few years and while he loves the community, he's envious of the happy couples. When Rob moves in next door, it might finally be Soren's chance to be shot by the Hartbridge Christmas Cupid.
Rob is mentally recovering from the stress of being a city trauma doctor and, as they all do, he finds the change of pace he needs in the small but sweet town of Hartbridge. The last thing he expects to find is a perfect partner in his new firefighter neighbor. Soren is immediately taken with the new, older doctor in town, and while he falls hard and fast he doesn't want to pressure Rob. But it's hard to take things slow when their chemistry is off the charts and the only thing they want is to spend time together. I loved how Soren was so respectful of Rob's boundaries. They both really wanted to make sure their relationship was successful and didn't burn out. They are both caretakers with a spicy side that makes for a sweet and sexy relationship.
This whole series was the perfect December read and Rob and Soren's story was a perfect ending! (For now? Will there be more? Who knows). There is definitely something in the air in Hartbridge around Christmas, brining all these lovely couples together. Their group starts as a few kindred spirits but turns into a warm and welcoming family for all and any queer couples. I loved all their shenanigans but also the support and love they have for one another. A fun, low angst read full of endearing characters and happy vibes.
Read if you like:
• found family
• holiday romance
• small town romance
•••••••••••••••••••••
Rob is mentally recovering from the stress of being a city trauma doctor and, as they all do, he finds the change of pace he needs in the small but sweet town of Hartbridge. The last thing he expects to find is a perfect partner in his new firefighter neighbor. Soren is immediately taken with the new, older doctor in town, and while he falls hard and fast he doesn't want to pressure Rob. But it's hard to take things slow when their chemistry is off the charts and the only thing they want is to spend time together. I loved how Soren was so respectful of Rob's boundaries. They both really wanted to make sure their relationship was successful and didn't burn out. They are both caretakers with a spicy side that makes for a sweet and sexy relationship.
This whole series was the perfect December read and Rob and Soren's story was a perfect ending! (For now? Will there be more? Who knows). There is definitely something in the air in Hartbridge around Christmas, brining all these lovely couples together. Their group starts as a few kindred spirits but turns into a warm and welcoming family for all and any queer couples. I loved all their shenanigans but also the support and love they have for one another. A fun, low angst read full of endearing characters and happy vibes.
Read if you like:
• found family
• holiday romance
• small town romance
•••••••••••••••••••••
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
could have used a bit more substance but still Hallmark cuteness.
in retrospect it did feel less like the characters were falling in love and more like they felt obligated to
in retrospect it did feel less like the characters were falling in love and more like they felt obligated to
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
(TL;DR diary entry. The last quarter of the year has not been easy for me. Life has intertwined and I struggled a lot, and I’ve had difficulty reading anything lately. So when I saw that another installment of the Hartbridge Christmas series was out, I didn’t exactly jump to it. Also, that cover—can’t say it’s really working for me. But after some time away from work and trying to complete my reading challenge for the year, I slowly got back into my reading groove. One of the things I’m still trying to tackle is my Currently Reading list, and one of the books on that list was Christmas Wish List. After managing to finish that one, I decided to keep the momentum going and jump straight into Deck the Fire Halls.)
Soren de Silva is the sexy gay firefighter who has been a resident of Hartbridge for two years. He was definitely someone who caught my eye in the previous books, and his story was one I was waiting for. Despite the town's growing gay population, Soren hasn't been as lucky as the characters in the previous books in finding a man for himself. That all changes when Robinson O'Reilly, the new GP, arrives in town.
Rob was an accomplished ER doctor in Seattle, but after burning out, he moved to Hartbridge to help the soon-to-be-retiring town doctor run the general practice. It was supposed to be a chance to get his life back on track. Of course, it would be just Rob's luck that his first-door neighbor happens to be Soren. Soren doesn't hide his immediate attraction and interest when it comes to Rob, but Rob is not as ready to act on it. In honesty, he only manages to hold out for a week before the two get involved.
Soren and Rob's dynamic was strange to me. While Soren was pushy from the very start, Rob, in turn, acted like a blushing Regency spinster with no sexual experience before Soren laid his eyes on him.
One of the reasons I had such a hard time wrapping my head around Soren's attraction to Rob was the way the author chose to portray Rob. Yes, he was suffering from extreme burnout and disillusionment about his chosen career, and he had just relocated to a small town, trying to make a meaningful change in his life. But none of that should have made him borderline socially inept when it came to interacting with other people—and, more importantly, with another gay man he found attractive.
I also didn’t understand why there was constantly such a big deal made about Rob's age and the age difference between them. Soren was 28, and Rob was 36, which hardly made him ancient by any adult’s definition. I’m not sure—since I DNF’d it—if there was also a huge deal made about Gunter and Clay's age difference in Merry Christmas Cupid? To me, an 8-year age gap, especially at the ages these characters were, didn’t seem like something that needed to be pointed out ad nauseam.
Generally speaking, the story premise was pretty weak to start with, but it was further ruined by weird characterization choices and the overemphasis on an insignificant age difference between the characters.
I think—I might be wrong—that this might be the last book in the Hartbridge Christmas series. And for that, I am grateful.
On paper, this series should be the perfect cozy Christmas read. A sugary fix delivered each year, just in time to enjoy over the holidays. Like a perfectly doctored cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows on top. Except for me, the sweetness is too cloying, and the consistency of the chocolate is too thin for my liking.
I'm sure there are people out there who find no fault in this series and who will be coming back to it to enjoy it once again in the years to come. I'm just sad that I'm not one of those people—and in this case, I am on the outside looking in.
Themes: dual POV, neighbors to lovers, firefighter/doctor, Christmas, small town