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eliezrah's review against another edition
4.0
This was a Daddy/ boy holiday story by a new to me author. I took the ARC since I was excited to see a Hanukkah MM book. As Jewish, I was definitely able to connect with Adam’s frustration during December. I loved seeing how Tate & Adam bonded over Hanukkah and discovering how they fit together.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily gave my honest review.
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
“I was just thinking of how you glitter like a star all the time, but you have all of this contained power ready to go supernova, too.”
2.5 stars. A short and steamy holiday novella. Adam, fresh off a break-up, is frustrated that he's been cajoled into taking a vacation during the holidays. He's annoyed by the overwhelming prevalence of Christmas, how his Judaism feels invisible during this season, and he's just feeling a little unmoored to boot. He ends up running into an old acquaintance, Tate, a dom who turns out to be just what he needs. Tate offers to take care of him for the eight nights of Hanukkah, and the more time they spend together, the deeper their bond grows. Tate isn't Jewish, but he does everything and more to learn and celebrate Hanukkah the way Adam wants to. There's a lot that he (and the reader) learns through Adam. I did really like that, and it's always great to see trans characters in romance. But the romance, unfortunately, is what I wasn't really sold on. I guess I wasn't really in love with the type of dynamic they have; brats like Adam aren't really compelling to me. They worked well for each other, because Tate is so kind and understanding and firm, and I adored the lengths he went to to make sure Adam always felt comfortable and that his needs were met, and that his anxiety didn't overwhelm him. But I just wasn't in love with the relationship/dynamic. This moved super fast, and we didn't get to know them enough as individuals.
Also,
Spoiler
this is the second or third holiday romance I've read this December that has a cartoonishly evil family that our queer characters are compelled to visit, and I just... eh. Characters dealing with familial rejection and overcoming that/helping each other through it can be something that's really cathartic to read, but not when the villainous characters read like cardboard cut-outs. The scene just felt unnecessary to me; I don't see why Tate couldn't have just invited his sister's family over to his own place, rather than willingly visiting his parents to be dead-named and belittled, and expose Adam to their antisemitism. The book gave a reason why they went, but it still felt ?_?Overall pretty sweet, and it fits the bill if you're looking for something kinky that involves a lot of genuine care, or a holiday romance that isn't Christmas related. It just wasn't totally for me.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
transphobia, misgendering, homophobia, antisemitism, BDSM, daddy kinkindiekay's review
4.0
I absolutely love Reese Morrison's books. I was waiting all year to read this one at the right time of year.
This novella is about a sub, Adam, getting into a relationship with Tate, a Dom he has been friends with since before Tate had transitioned, but now finds extremely hard to talk to because oh no he's hot. Tate has shown interest in Adam before, but Adam's anxiety keeps him from responding to any flirting Tate has thrown his way. So when Adam has a melt down over Christmas decorations, Tate is there to help him through it, and offers to be his Daddy through all 8 nights of Hanukkah.
That starts the lovely misunderstanding in which Adam thinks their D/s relationship has an expiration date.
I really enjoyed this! Adam's anxiety felt really similar to my own, and I could totally see myself having a breakdown after having to spend even 5 minutes in Christmas shopping crowds. His explanations on the history of Hanukkah and why the holiday isn't super important to him was really interesting, and I thought the dynamic between them was fun and sweet. Also! I love how Morrison writes trans and non-binary characters and absolutely adored both how Morrison wrote Tate's background and sex scenes, and also loved Tate as a character.
A sweet, steamy, quick read by one of my favourite authors!
This novella is about a sub, Adam, getting into a relationship with Tate, a Dom he has been friends with since before Tate had transitioned, but now finds extremely hard to talk to because oh no he's hot. Tate has shown interest in Adam before, but Adam's anxiety keeps him from responding to any flirting Tate has thrown his way. So when Adam has a melt down over Christmas decorations, Tate is there to help him through it, and offers to be his Daddy through all 8 nights of Hanukkah.
That starts the lovely misunderstanding in which Adam thinks their D/s relationship has an expiration date.
I really enjoyed this! Adam's anxiety felt really similar to my own, and I could totally see myself having a breakdown after having to spend even 5 minutes in Christmas shopping crowds. His explanations on the history of Hanukkah and why the holiday isn't super important to him was really interesting, and I thought the dynamic between them was fun and sweet. Also! I love how Morrison writes trans and non-binary characters and absolutely adored both how Morrison wrote Tate's background and sex scenes, and also loved Tate as a character.
A sweet, steamy, quick read by one of my favourite authors!
tuma's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Cute & sweet. Authentic, loveable characters. Learned a lot about Judaism.
endemictoearth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
I didn’t like this quite as much as Dear Daddy, Please Want Me, but it was still a fun time. I think Tate just didn’t have enough pages to develop beyond being the perfect Daddy for Adam. And for two people who were very open about communicating, the main miscommunication just didn’t seem as plausible.
jugglingpup's review
2.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I saw trans and I saw Jewish, that was all I needed to want this book immediately. I am a simple boy, simple needs.
This book has a lot of Jewish, but mostly angry Jewish. There were rants about what was hidden in the religion and what no one talks about. There was hate for even the simple dreidel game. Every time Jewish anything came up, I had to prepare myself for a rant and anger. It was really off putting. The ideas and stories told would have fit better in a different book. This was mostly smut and then angry religious rants.
The smut itself was pretty tame. There was lovely dysphoria and transphobia in the scenes which is a big no for me. I don’t need to be reminded that people hate me for existing when I am trying to read smut. It was also really weird that a trans guy waited until the middle of a scene to check in about what his partner thought of his genitalia. That should have been a discussion before they ever hooked up, no matter how long they had pined for each other.
The romance aspect was completely not there. I tried so hard to ship them, but how could I? There was no building of romance. There was no mention of previous romance. It was all “wow he is hot as a dude”. I got so annoyed. I needed something to care about this couple, but I didn’t get anything. They seemed mostly compatible for kink, but not in a relationship. If I was told one more time that they wanted each other, I would have screamed. There was just so much telling and no showing. It is a huge step down from what I expected of Morrison.
This book is only not a one star, because I am so desperate for trans doms that I would pretty much accept anything to get it.
I got an ARC of this book.
I saw trans and I saw Jewish, that was all I needed to want this book immediately. I am a simple boy, simple needs.
This book has a lot of Jewish, but mostly angry Jewish. There were rants about what was hidden in the religion and what no one talks about. There was hate for even the simple dreidel game. Every time Jewish anything came up, I had to prepare myself for a rant and anger. It was really off putting. The ideas and stories told would have fit better in a different book. This was mostly smut and then angry religious rants.
The smut itself was pretty tame. There was lovely dysphoria and transphobia in the scenes which is a big no for me. I don’t need to be reminded that people hate me for existing when I am trying to read smut. It was also really weird that a trans guy waited until the middle of a scene to check in about what his partner thought of his genitalia. That should have been a discussion before they ever hooked up, no matter how long they had pined for each other.
The romance aspect was completely not there. I tried so hard to ship them, but how could I? There was no building of romance. There was no mention of previous romance. It was all “wow he is hot as a dude”. I got so annoyed. I needed something to care about this couple, but I didn’t get anything. They seemed mostly compatible for kink, but not in a relationship. If I was told one more time that they wanted each other, I would have screamed. There was just so much telling and no showing. It is a huge step down from what I expected of Morrison.
This book is only not a one star, because I am so desperate for trans doms that I would pretty much accept anything to get it.
karentje's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful mix of sweetness, holiday warmth, and smutty heat. The MC’s are both well-drawn and grow throughout the story. I especially liked Tate’s self-assuredness and his steadying influence on Adam. The chemistry between them is sooo hot, and at the same time, they are incredibly endearing together too. As a history buff myself, I totally understood Adam’s enthusiasm regarding all the historical details behind the current Jewish traditions and how those have evolved, the facts behind the faith, and even the impact of the more mainstream Christian customs that are so very present in society. He’s so sincere in his approach to his religion, and I loved how respectful Tate was of that. My heart also ached for Adam because of how his parents treated him. Tate seems mostly very secure in who he, so his few more vulnerable moments really tugged on my heartstrings. Loved this story. Recommend.
scrow1022's review against another edition
4.0
Really sweet! Liked it for anxiety, trans, Jewish and kink rep.
zachzakku's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75