Title: Secret Santa
Author: Jay Northcote
Publisher: Self-Published/Kindle Unlimited
Length: 150 Pages
Category: Contemporary, Holiday Romance
At a Glance: All in all, Secret Santa is a happy and light read. It’s quick, with no angst and perfect for the holidays.
Reviewed By: Ky
Blurb: Keeping secrets is never a good way to start a relationship…
Theo hardly has time to date. Between work and caring for his four-year-old son there aren’t many hours left over. He’s lonely though, so he joins a hook-up app and starts chatting to a guy called Luke. Luke seems friendly and they arrange to meet. Theo doesn’t mention that he has a child. It’s early days and he’s worried about putting Luke off before they get to know each other.
Luke is currently working as Santa at the local shopping mall. He figures Theo never has to know. Christmas will be over soon and Luke will move on to a new, less embarrassing job. He’s surprised when Theo and a little boy visit Santa one afternoon. Theo doesn’t recognise Luke, and Luke realises he’s not the only one with a secret.
Despite misgivings on both sides, they start dating, and the chemistry is amazing. But as Christmas approaches their secrets pile up like colourful packages under the tree. If they’re not careful, they’ll lose the best gift of all—each other.
Review: Normally, I stay away from holiday romance stories because of the fast pace and how quickly the relationship progresses. This time, though, I decided to make an exception and try Secret Santa, and I’m so glad that I did!
The relationship between Luke and Theo was believable, and there was no insta-love, which is one of my biggest niggles, along with insta-relationship, when I’m reading a romance story. In this short Christmas story, the two characters meet online and decide to try a date and see if it will lead to a relationship, or even just a friendship. Through most of the story, neither is sure about what he wants from the other, but their uncertainty is understandable since the story spans just about three weeks, and they have only gone on a few dates. It’s normal for them to feel the situation out and try to make up their minds as they learn more things about the other.
There are a lot of secrets between them in this story, which isn’t an ideal start for a relationship, but their reasons for omitting the truth, or even flat out lying, are clear and justifiable. It’s still early stages in their relationship, so each of them is keeping some cards close to his chest for fear of what the other would think. Of course, both of them know that at some point they are going to have to come clean, and neither of them is trying to deceive the other. They are trying to give a chance to a new connection, and in the process, they hide the things that they feel would make their start more difficult. I don’t agree with Theo’s decision to hide the fact that he has a son, but I can understand why he did it.
Archie, Theo’s four-year-old son, is a big part of the story, and the reason for many of the lies. He is present in the story—as he should be—and not just a name in the periphery. Sometimes I thought he spoke and behaved as if he were older, but I don’t have any experience with kids, so what do I know? In general, I liked him and was glad to read a story with a family trope.
I liked the relationship that Theo had with Archie’s mom, and the way they had managed to co-parent him so smoothly. They had great communication, and both put Archie first in their lives.
The end is a solid HEA, which is delivered to us in a sweet epilogue about a year after Luke and Theo met. It was nice to see them settled and secure in their family. Also, I liked that Mr Purple is mentioned again here; he was Santa’s first present to Archie, and he became his favorite stuffed animal. Surprisingly, he was in quite a few scenes in the story, helping in the development of Archie’s character. It’s details like that that make me like a story even more.
All in all, Secret Santa is a happy and light read. It’s quick, with no angst and perfect for the holidays.
You can buy Secret Santa here:
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