What do you think?
Rate this book
Countdown to Daddies #2
Countdown to Santa
Matteo thinks his partner Gabe is wonderful with their twins - all that's lacking is sleep, romance, a little common sense and maybe his sanity.
Gabe and Matteo have settled into the highs and lows of new fatherhood; exhaustion, dirty diapers, baby bottles and a whole lot of love. But as their first family Christmas looms on the horizon, Matteo is worried about how his partner is handling his new role as Papa Gabe.
There's no doubt Gabe adores the twins, but his libido, his sense of proportion and perhaps his sanity seem to have disappeared under the strain. Matteo is determined to make their new family work, but it may take thinking outside the box to get back the calm, sensible Gabe he planned to share fatherhood and the rest of his life with.
Gabe and Matteo have settled into the highs and lows of new fatherhood; exhaustion, dirty diapers, baby bottles and a whole lot of love. But as their first family Christmas looms on the horizon, Matteo is worried about how his partner is handling his new role as Papa Gabe.
There's no doubt Gabe adores the twins, but his libido, his sense of proportion and perhaps his sanity seem to have disappeared under the strain. Matteo is determined to make their new family work, but it may take thinking outside the box to get back the calm, sensible Gabe he planned to share fatherhood and the rest of his life with.
94 pages, ebook
First published December 16, 2012
1 person is currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
K-lee Klein
59 books307 followersK-lee Klein grew up in the beautiful mountains of British Columbia and now lives only two hours away in Calgary, Alberta. Her life is blessed by three now-grown (but still spoiled) kids and an adorable grandson who calls her Gwaa Gwaa. She has a patient husband of over thirty years and spends her days being bossed around by a kitten named Poe, a senior feline called, Miss Chili, and a canine who thinks she's a princess, Chewie.
K-lee’s writing muse is terribly temperamental so to keep him close by and in-check, she had him inked on her left calf. Yet she still writes on his schedule and inspiration, and quite honestly, he can be a bit of a drama queen. K-lee writes mostly contemporary but has forayed into paranormal and urban fantasy, and her favorite tropes to write and read are hurt-comfort, friends to lovers, opposites attract, and relationships with children. Her biggest accomplishment as an author was overcoming all the hurdles to transition from publisher releases to her first self-published book.
Although K-lee considers herself to be an extroverted introvert and revels in her solitude, she very much enjoys traveling to conferences to meet up with friends old and new. She’s grateful for all the people in her life who accept her as she is and support her through the ups and downs as a mom, wife, friend, and joyfully obsessed writer.
K-lee’s writing muse is terribly temperamental so to keep him close by and in-check, she had him inked on her left calf. Yet she still writes on his schedule and inspiration, and quite honestly, he can be a bit of a drama queen. K-lee writes mostly contemporary but has forayed into paranormal and urban fantasy, and her favorite tropes to write and read are hurt-comfort, friends to lovers, opposites attract, and relationships with children. Her biggest accomplishment as an author was overcoming all the hurdles to transition from publisher releases to her first self-published book.
Although K-lee considers herself to be an extroverted introvert and revels in her solitude, she very much enjoys traveling to conferences to meet up with friends old and new. She’s grateful for all the people in her life who accept her as she is and support her through the ups and downs as a mom, wife, friend, and joyfully obsessed writer.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 31, 2025
Let’s first make a note with this book – if you don’t like babies in your M/M stories, this isn’t the one for you. Second, if you are expecting the sweet, so very loving couple from the original (Countdown to Daddy), they don’t seem to be here. I found myself quite often thinking how often Gabe was a jerk and how much Matteo deserved better.
The twins are here and Gabe is acting like a crazy, rude maniac who doesn’t let Matteo do anything yet gets snarky that he doesn’t. What? There are so many times I wanted to scream at him. Matteo seems to be doing all the giving, all the compromising and keeping all the peace. Unfair.
I have to say as well that the use of “Daddy” by Matteo to Gabe sexually was a little icky in the context of this story, because it is all about Gabe being a rabid dad. Matteo seems to be doing all the trying and Gabe doesn’t. At all.
So sad to see these guys – favorites in the previous book – end up like a completely different couple. I’d like to see something in the future that brings us our guys back.
The twins are here and Gabe is acting like a crazy, rude maniac who doesn’t let Matteo do anything yet gets snarky that he doesn’t. What? There are so many times I wanted to scream at him. Matteo seems to be doing all the giving, all the compromising and keeping all the peace. Unfair.
I have to say as well that the use of “Daddy” by Matteo to Gabe sexually was a little icky in the context of this story, because it is all about Gabe being a rabid dad. Matteo seems to be doing all the trying and Gabe doesn’t. At all.
So sad to see these guys – favorites in the previous book – end up like a completely different couple. I’d like to see something in the future that brings us our guys back.
November 30, 2015
WOW a full packed punch wrapped up in a short.
I adored Gabe but sometimes I wanted to smack him hard. Poor Matteo.
A great catch up on this family. I really hope we can do it again soon. I still want to see first day at school Gabe lol.
I adored Gabe but sometimes I wanted to smack him hard. Poor Matteo.
A great catch up on this family. I really hope we can do it again soon. I still want to see first day at school Gabe lol.
Did Not Finish
December 30, 2012Sorry, can't stand it anymore. Way over the top and not in a fun way.
August 13, 2017
I was not disappointed. Loved it! Wish it was longer.
March 29, 2016
The Armchair Reader site is no more. Here is the review.
I was really looking forward to this story because I enjoyed the Father’s Day story of Gabe and Matteo waiting for their babies to be born. They were so cute and anxious in the first story and I loved Gabe’s sister Mira, the birth mother of the babies. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much for a couple of reasons.
At the time of this story, Dominic (Niki) and Megan (Sweetpea) are a few months old and it’s coming up to their first Christmas. Gabe and Matteo have moved into a bigger place because Gabe keeps buying them more and more stuff and they needed more room. Matteo is being driven a little bit nuts by this and he keeps trying to head off Gabe’s incessant worry and shopping, but to no avail. Gabe has taken a six month paternity leave and he is using that time obsessing over every little thing with the babies. Matteo wonders what has happened to his partner and who this stranger is that has taken over his body. At Gabe’s insistence, Matteo has kept working at the yoga studio since his time is more flexible and with Gabe home for the six month, they agree that it’ll work out fine.
He finally decides to go to Gabe’s sister for some advice/help to get Gabe to stop obsessing and relax for minute. They work up a scheme to get Gabe to take his obsessive focus off the babies for at least night, but it all goes horribly wrong and the guys end up in the worst fight of their relationship. Things have gone from bad to worse and Matteo doesn’t know if he can continue to live like this. They say very hurtful things to one another and it appears that they could be on the road to Splitsville. Their communication has completely broken down and both of them are miserable. While we eventually get to a resolution, I felt like there was a lot of anxiety and unhappiness getting there.
I was really hoping for a happy holiday story with these guys and this definitely was not it. I understand that there can be a lot of stress in a relationship when a couple of kids are thrown into the mix. I also understand that everyone gets a little tired and out of sorts with the sleep deprivation of babies and holidays, but I don’t necessarily want to read it in my holiday stories. I felt like the comedy and the fun of the relationship was too overshadowed by the angst in this tale. I really like these guys and I hope that if we get another story about them, it’ll be back to the lighter, happier side of Matteo and Gabe.
I was really looking forward to this story because I enjoyed the Father’s Day story of Gabe and Matteo waiting for their babies to be born. They were so cute and anxious in the first story and I loved Gabe’s sister Mira, the birth mother of the babies. Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much for a couple of reasons.
At the time of this story, Dominic (Niki) and Megan (Sweetpea) are a few months old and it’s coming up to their first Christmas. Gabe and Matteo have moved into a bigger place because Gabe keeps buying them more and more stuff and they needed more room. Matteo is being driven a little bit nuts by this and he keeps trying to head off Gabe’s incessant worry and shopping, but to no avail. Gabe has taken a six month paternity leave and he is using that time obsessing over every little thing with the babies. Matteo wonders what has happened to his partner and who this stranger is that has taken over his body. At Gabe’s insistence, Matteo has kept working at the yoga studio since his time is more flexible and with Gabe home for the six month, they agree that it’ll work out fine.
He finally decides to go to Gabe’s sister for some advice/help to get Gabe to stop obsessing and relax for minute. They work up a scheme to get Gabe to take his obsessive focus off the babies for at least night, but it all goes horribly wrong and the guys end up in the worst fight of their relationship. Things have gone from bad to worse and Matteo doesn’t know if he can continue to live like this. They say very hurtful things to one another and it appears that they could be on the road to Splitsville. Their communication has completely broken down and both of them are miserable. While we eventually get to a resolution, I felt like there was a lot of anxiety and unhappiness getting there.
I was really hoping for a happy holiday story with these guys and this definitely was not it. I understand that there can be a lot of stress in a relationship when a couple of kids are thrown into the mix. I also understand that everyone gets a little tired and out of sorts with the sleep deprivation of babies and holidays, but I don’t necessarily want to read it in my holiday stories. I felt like the comedy and the fun of the relationship was too overshadowed by the angst in this tale. I really like these guys and I hope that if we get another story about them, it’ll be back to the lighter, happier side of Matteo and Gabe.
December 23, 2012
2.5 stars
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Oh dear me, what a story…I must confess that I did think when starting this book that I was in for a ride. Well, I was in for a ride alright, but not the expected one. I think I’m freaked out from the memories this book awakened and the frustration that had its hold on me for almost the entire read.
Gabe and Matty are new to the fatherhood lifestyle and of course like all parents, they try to find their path. While Matty seems to be dealing with it pretty good, Gabe has gone crazy with his OCD and shopping mania.
And oh my God, the flashbacks, the déjà vu, and the agony all that brought to me. Sweet Jesus, I thought I’d left all that behind.
As is normal when you have a new baby in the house, the nerves and your sanity takes a good hit, having twins just doubles all that. Eventually the pair goes from the happy place of having the babies to the accusations of you do too much and you don’t do nearly as much and pointing fingers and having fights to the point of breaking up.
What really got me the most during this read was their “talks” (not fights because they did not fight, they were having a discussions, right?) and how real they were. The fact that each of them only said their piece, intentionally blinding themselves to their own mistakes, and oh dear, the misunderstanding of each word was so real to me. I’m still cringing inside.
Anyway, of course the story ends well. The new daddies find their peace after an honest talk that to my eyes felt surreal because you do NOT overcome such emotions with a simple talk and a make-up sex. But even if I do acknowledge the well written part of their problems and agony over their new life, this story didn’t make much sense to me. The end was a bit… I don’t know what the point was and add that to the fact that emotionally and sexually I did not feel the pair’s chemistry at all. This story left me baffled. The only reason for the 2.5 stars I’m giving this story is the realistic portrayal of those oh-so-awful-days when hormones hit you and you barely can cope with the changes of your reality. Other than that, I really needed more and didn’t get it. For me, this story was far off the Christmas spirit with nothing to do with the Holidays at all.
http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.co...
Oh dear me, what a story…I must confess that I did think when starting this book that I was in for a ride. Well, I was in for a ride alright, but not the expected one. I think I’m freaked out from the memories this book awakened and the frustration that had its hold on me for almost the entire read.
Gabe and Matty are new to the fatherhood lifestyle and of course like all parents, they try to find their path. While Matty seems to be dealing with it pretty good, Gabe has gone crazy with his OCD and shopping mania.
And oh my God, the flashbacks, the déjà vu, and the agony all that brought to me. Sweet Jesus, I thought I’d left all that behind.
As is normal when you have a new baby in the house, the nerves and your sanity takes a good hit, having twins just doubles all that. Eventually the pair goes from the happy place of having the babies to the accusations of you do too much and you don’t do nearly as much and pointing fingers and having fights to the point of breaking up.
What really got me the most during this read was their “talks” (not fights because they did not fight, they were having a discussions, right?) and how real they were. The fact that each of them only said their piece, intentionally blinding themselves to their own mistakes, and oh dear, the misunderstanding of each word was so real to me. I’m still cringing inside.
Anyway, of course the story ends well. The new daddies find their peace after an honest talk that to my eyes felt surreal because you do NOT overcome such emotions with a simple talk and a make-up sex. But even if I do acknowledge the well written part of their problems and agony over their new life, this story didn’t make much sense to me. The end was a bit… I don’t know what the point was and add that to the fact that emotionally and sexually I did not feel the pair’s chemistry at all. This story left me baffled. The only reason for the 2.5 stars I’m giving this story is the realistic portrayal of those oh-so-awful-days when hormones hit you and you barely can cope with the changes of your reality. Other than that, I really needed more and didn’t get it. For me, this story was far off the Christmas spirit with nothing to do with the Holidays at all.
December 28, 2012
Cute. Matt and Gabe are still adjusting to having had twins via surrogate mother (Gabe's twin sister). But insecurities get in the way and are the cause of the angst in this story.
I'm not a fan of storylines that revolve around children, regardless of their age....that's me.... so I was hesitant to get this story. The angst is due to the children and the mens specific or perceived roles. But Matt and Gabe actually have - unusual! - the ability, maturity, and willingness to communicate with each other even if somewhat delayed.
I'm not a fan of storylines that revolve around children, regardless of their age....that's me.... so I was hesitant to get this story. The angst is due to the children and the mens specific or perceived roles. But Matt and Gabe actually have - unusual! - the ability, maturity, and willingness to communicate with each other even if somewhat delayed.
November 25, 2014
The twins are now couple of months they trying to adjust to the new life with the babies. But with all that comes hard work gabe is just so out there buying everything and want the best for the twins. Matty thinks he worries to much maybe stress. But then comes the problems they face but Gabe and Matteo need to find he problem and work from their and then everything will work out.Nothing is perfect but these guys can make it through anything.
December 21, 2012
That was some serious angst, relationship problems and generally being blinded to what is actually happening in a couples world and then to be fix in a short story. I almost felt like the MC's turned from black to white like a light switch. I loved Matty and Gabe in Count down to Daddies. This honestly could and should have been a full novel.
December 27, 2012
3,5 stars
February 22, 2015
This was adorable and sweet and nerve wracking at times. Really enjoyed it!
January 8, 2013
3.25 stars
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews