Better Not Pout

by Kat Savage

Lacy and Dalton have been locked in a decade-long flirtation—one that’s built…ahem…a lot of tension.

Christmas night ten years ago, Lacy went on about her ten-year plan, how she'll be married, have a kid, the perfect career… and Dalton couldn’t help himself. So he proposed a bet: If Lacy’s plan fails, if she finds she didn’t check off those goals, she’ll spend her holiday vacation secluded with Dalton.

In her drunken state, she agrees, figuring she has ten whole years to meet her goals. Except, now time is up. And she definitely isn’t married, let alone ushering children. She doesn’t have her dream job either. Her brother’s best friend was right.

Lacy has lost the bet. And now it’s time to pay up. When she finds herself at a cabin in the middle of snowy nowhere with Dalton and his bag of kink, she’s eager to pay that debt.

Her crush on him runs deep and she’s hoping this hot little holiday isn’t just for fun. Maybe for Christmas this year, she’ll be a ho ho ho and land the stone cold fox who’s had her heart since she was a teenager.

Genres: Christmas, Holiday, Romance, Novella, Friends To Lovers, Holiday Romance

86 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2024

About the author

Kat Savage’s unique brand of storytelling combines some of her own truths with a little bit of fiction to connect to people in a very real way. She writes about ugly things authentically and shamelessly.

Reviews

[Olga Rudnitska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ці новелки про cabin in the woods + Christmas ніколи не залишать байдужим.

[bookgalbrock 🐝✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was NOTHING to pout about…


star rating: 3.5/5 stars
spice rating: 3.5 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I truly believe all Christmas novellas have to have a certain level of cheesiness. But in the best way. This didn’t disappoint on that front.

Brother’s Best Friend
Christmas Novella

[kesy_books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute but spicy

[K. Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first chapter, I was absolutely wrapped!

This is the perfect bit of spicy hot chocolate! A fun blend of sweetness and spice, with a storyline that totally pulls you in. It centers around a classic (and totally irresistible) “brother’s best friend," where he’s been secretly in love with her, and, surprise—she’s been in love with him too!

Both of the characters are charming, and their chemistry practically makes you want to make a bet you know you'd lose too. It adds a fun twist that brings them closer and lets their feelings come to the surface in the most let's just say unpredictable ways-unless you've seen the cover. ;P

The backstory and their shared history give the romance so much more in a way that makes you feel like although this is a novella, you've known them for so long, and it’s easy to root for them as they finally face their feelings head-on. It’s the perfect balance of romantic tension and sexy moments, with just the right amount of heat to keep things exciting. If you’re a fan of sweet but steamy love stories, Better Not Pout is a holiday must read!







Favorite Quotes:
"I might also let him stuff my chimney."

[Beverly · Rating 1 out of 5]

85p of sleeping with each other? Not what I expected…

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me some Dalton. mmm mmm. haha. Phew, the chemistry! Hot damn! Loved it!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

“He’s going to ruin me for all others. If I’m being totally honest, he already had. I’m officially a ruined woman. I’ll send away for my membership card next week“

✔️holiday novella
✔️brother’s best friend
✔️she lost a bet
✔️forced proximity
✔️no 3rd act breakup

2.75⭐️ rounded up

I went into this book knowing exactly what to expect (I mean, look at the details on the cover…) and I wasn’t disappointed, but it was just very average. Not bad by any means, but not the best I’ve ever read and the characters just felt a little flat, even for a novella where I know it’ll be surface level. It will work for many readers but I don’t need to read it again.

[Cheyayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!! I was sent this Arc from the author Kat Savage (thank you so much! Excuse me while I faint!) This book was so cute! I loved the cozy feel it gave me. Lacy and Dalton were characters that were very easy to love and root for their love. I absolutely loved the idea of placing the bet, it reminded me of me of one of my favorite movies (My Best Friends Wedding) but you add the spice into it that this book had and I was in love! 🔥 I loved the dominance that Dalton showed while also remembering the little things that makes Lacy her. It was just a beautiful story that I would have loved to read sitting by a fire in a cabin in the woods with hot chocolate and no less than 20 marshmallows 😉

[🐉 PrinZessBookDragon 👑🌶️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So basically, he’s a saint. A firefighting-doctor-to-innocent-animals saint of a man."....and I'll take him! Yes! 💃🏽you had me at Firefighter.. *swoon* and he's a freak.... He can leave all the butt stuff alone but yeah the other stuff..... Let's MF go! 🤭Sexy fucking beast....
This was super cute, very romantic, dirty.... Just what I needed after finishing an extreme horror novel! Savage is a new author for me, I'll definitely be checking out more of her books. I highly recommend this one!

🌲❄️🤶🏽🎅🏽/ 5🌟 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/5🌶️🌔🌕/5 🌑

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a sweet short Christmas book but clearly didn’t notice cover! The spice level of this isn’t really my thing and I did skim some of it. The characters are both sweet and I wish I could’ve seen more of them as people and gotten a bit more depth and development. For me it’s probably like a 1 or 2 but I think that’s because not my thing so 3 seems fair.

[Dawna McLear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, spicy Christmas read that’s both sweet and fun. It’s about two longtime friends finally crossing the line and admitting the feelings they’ve both been holding back. The chemistry is great, the friends-to-lovers moment is super satisfying, and it’s the perfect festive read when you want something short with a little heat. 🎄🔥

[malu · Rating 3 out of 5]

eu si divirto kkkkkkkkk

[Nikki Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun and spicy for what it was. A little cringey imo.

[Vika Zvolynska · Rating 4 out of 5]

Як це мило, гаряче і атмосферно🔥🤭
А від такого парі і чоловіка я б не відмовилась в реальному житті😂🔥🤭
Це буду гаряче але мило водночас💘
Прекрасна історія на вечір🤌🏻
4/5

[Anna Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

This was a short, cute, funny and spicy novella. If you have not read this you should definitely give it a read.

[Cigi cini · Rating 4 out of 5]

❄️ Brother’s Best Friend
❄️ Friends to Lovers
❄️ Bet Gone Wrong
❄️ Forced Proximity
❄️ Holiday Romance
❄️ Reformed Bad Boy
❄️ Unrequited Love
❄️ Slow Burn with a Payoff

Star: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Better Not Pout, Kat Savage delivers a steamy, festive novella with a dash of humour and a whole lot of holiday spice. This isn’t your typical Christmas romance; Kat Savage spices it up with clever wordplay, endearing characters, and a plotline that is both light-hearted and swoon-worthy.

The story follows Lacy, who finds herself at the losing end of a decade-old bet with Dalton, her brother’s best friend and long-time crush. As the pages unfold, Lacy heads off to a secluded snowy cabin with Dalton, where Kat Savage explores their chemistry with a mixture of charm and heat. This setup leads to a hilarious and heart-thumping holiday tale filled with Christmas puns, innuendos, and the inevitable “Santa bag” that lends itself to some rather cheeky moments.

Lacy and Dalton’s connection feels both familiar and fresh. Their long-standing flirtation finally gets the chance to blossom, and the playful banter is woven with moments of heartfelt vulnerability. Dalton is more than just a flirtatious best friend—he’s compassionate and refreshingly candid, making readers root for him to break through Lacy’s defences. Kat Savage captures their slow-burn dynamic in a way that is both believable and intensely satisfying.

For fans of holiday romance who enjoy a spicier edge, Better Not Pout is a delightful escape. It’s a fun, no-holds-barred romp that embraces holiday clichés with a cheeky twist and proves that, sometimes, the best holiday traditions are the unexpected ones.

[Tiffany Ihnfeldt · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Nic · Rating 1 out of 5]

porn not plot

[Renae Bush · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one star is only for the giggles. I wanted to like this one so bad but for me there was no plot and average spice for someone that has a whole go bag and classifies himself as kinky I was expecting more then a buttplug and some nipple clamps 🫣

[Cath Glancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tripe

Don't know what this book is supposed to be about,does not seem to have a theme. Love and sex, sex and love quite simply boring!!!!!!!!!!

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Not Pout by Kat Savage (2024)
86-page Kindle Ebook story pages 4-84

Genre: Holiday > Christmas, Contemporary Romance

Featuring: Titled Chapters, Dual POVs, Explicit Language, Strong Sexual Content, Tricenarians, Week-Long Fling, Bibliography for Kat Savage, Author's Links

Rating as a movie: XXX

Songs for the soundtrack: "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town" by Mariah Carey, "Nonsense Christmas" by Sabrina Carpenter

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🏠☃️🪀🎄

My thoughts: I didn't know popcorn erotica was a thing, but after reading this I think it might be.

Recommend to others: Sure, if you are interested or like kinky spice but aren't ready for heavy stuff this is a good compromise.

Memorable Quotes: DOES THIS MAKE ME A MISTLE-HO? LACY I lost a bet. But to be fair, I haven’t been trying too hard to win the bet either. Of course, I wasn’t trying to lose per se. Let me start over. Exactly nine Christmases and three hundred sixty-three days ago, I was drunk on a combination of mimosas, eggnog, and tequila with my older brother and his best friend. Everyone else had gone to bed. Christmas Day had started with mimosas and unwrapping gifts, then eggnog in the afternoon, and as the night wound down, we sat around the dining room table talking bullshit and taking shots of tequila. The specifics of the conversation that ensued were lost to hangover fog and the years between that moment and now don’t help. But my brother’s best friend—Dalton Ford—owns my ass this holiday season. It was only after I sobered up sometime on the twenty-sixth that I was informed of the rules. Basically, I bet this man I’d be married with two kids by now. Because in the arrogance of my youth, I had a ten-year plan I was certain I would achieve. And he said something like, “In ten years, if you haven’t achieved your goals, you spend Christmas to New Years with me so I can remind you how badly you failed.” I’m paraphrasing, of course. And then we shook on it. Actually, we spit in our palms and then shook on it like germy heathens, but the tequila was calling the shots at that point. Pun intended. My brother, Ryan, offered to get me out of it, but I refused. I mean, at the time, I had ten years to win. Ten freaking years. And guess what? I’m not married or even engaged. Hell, I don’t even have a boyfriend. I don’t have kids, unless you count my bearded dragon, Drogo. Personally, I do. But for the sake of the bet, I don’t think his cute little ass counts. I also don’t have my dream job yet. I haven’t purchased my first home. And my savings account is nowhere near where I said it would be. I’m pretty much failing on all points. My life is in shambles compared to where I said I would be right now. I’ve been packing my bags for the past hour, and I have no idea what I’m doing. Aside from staring at this pair of bright red Christmas socks that arrived with a note earlier this morning, I haven’t been able to put much into the suitcase. Of course, I blame my ADHD for that. I’d also be lying if I said I hadn’t read that note like twenty times. Lacy, I hope you’re ready to pay your debts. xo, Dalton

Honestly, I don’t know what he means by “pay your debts,” but what I do know is that if Dalton Ford wants me to get on my knees and suck his candy cane, I definitely will. I might also let him stuff my chimney. Unwrap my presents. You get the picture.

[Victoria Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are getting a little kinky this Christmas!

Ten years ago, Dalton and Lacy made a bet - if she didn’t have her dream life of husband, kids and perfect career in a decade, they'd be spending Christmas together however he chooses. Ten years later, it's time for Dalton to collect his winnings. Ever since they met, there's been undeniable chemistry between Lacy and Dalton, but there's always been something, or someone, in the way of either of them pursuing anything. But now the stars have aligned and they're both single, and both are going into this debt collection with the hopes of finally taking things to the next level. With a secluded cabin surrounded by nothing but snow and a bag full of kinky fun, Santa isn't the only one coming this Christmas…

Another spicy festive read to warm things up this Christmas! Despite its length, this novella crammed in so much sweet and spice, and SO much chemistry between the characters. I've seen so many people raving about Kat's books, and this small taste is enough to show me why so many people love her work!

There's so much to love about the 'right person, wrong time' trope, and when paired with the brother's best friend / best friend's sister, it's the perfect boiling pot for oozing chemistry and sexual tension. Dalton and Lacey had SO much chemistry, and their sweet romantic moments were perfectly balanced with the kink-filled spicy moments. I don't know how she did it, but Kat managed to fill such a short novella with a really well-rounded story and characters that didn't feel rushed or under-developed.

Between their shared history and their chemistry, the story really delivers so much more heart and depth than your average novella, and while Kat does an excellent job at making the story feel complete, getting to explore these two across a full-length novel would be an absolute treat, although not at all necessary.

Add a little spice to your holiday reading and cram an extra book in before the end of the year with this swoony and kinky Christmas romance!

[greenapplemojito · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for 80 pages of spice, this book is for you. But if you are like me, looking for a bit of emotional connect even in the shortest of novellas, this is just a warm-up or a short playful read, but not something that you would really connect with.

It was a good read, although I must say, I always prefer lengthy novels over short reads like this because I crave the emotional connection with the characters, I want to feel what they feel to thoroughly enjoy the book (or sometimes even grieve along). So in this case, while I knew going in that I would not really get a glimpse of how the MCs were platonic or flirty all those years, I wanted a bit more context than what the blurb expected me to believe about their past, which I sadly didn't get.

A fun, spicy read but if the book were longer and had more context, I might have been from the potential audience of the book.

[Kirsty Gudmundsson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better Not Pout by Kat Savage🎄

⭐️⭐️⭐️

There's nothing like Christmas to turn lifelong ‘just friends’ into something a little more spicy.

Tropes:

🎄Holiday/Christmas Novella
💗Friends To Lovers
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Found Family Vibes

A festive friends to lovers holiday romance - 90% spice & 10% plot.

After losing a bet, Lacy finds it's now time to pay up.

When she finds herself at a cabin in the middle of snowy nowhere with Dalton and his bag of kink, she’s eager to pay that debt.

Perfect for readers who want a quick, festive, spicy Christmas novella.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like the perfect example of no plot all sex, but with a little bit of plot??? I had a lot of fun reading this one, it has all my favourite tropes wrapped up in a short and easy read. Brothers best friend, found family, love at first sight, and a 10 year bet. Loved🤭

“Love changes you. Not secret love, not the way we’d been carrying it with us. But confessed, real, out-in-the-open, living-it-daily love? Well, that has a tendency to change you in ways you didn’t even know were possible.”

[Daniele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Santa’s is bring us an early present in the form of Dalton Ford.

Kat Savage has written the perfect holiday read! It’s sassy. It’s sexy. And it’s so much fun! Lacey and Dalton have made a bet and ten years later it’s time to collect.

I love the feels these two bring both carefully guarding themselves while letting all their wilds come out too. You will be all full of holiday cheer when you finish reading!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love most of Kat's books. And this was a fun short holiday read. But it slightly missed the mark for me.
I would have liked it if she had been at least a little resistant to the idea of being in a cabin with him for a week to pay off the bet. Not in a non-consent way, but more in a brother's bestie/little sister banter way. The buildup would have been amazing.
It was great. It was sufficiently spicy. It filled an afternoon perfectly.

[JoJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is how a short story with spice should be done. It wasn’t insta-love, it wasn’t corny, it was a well spaced out story and the spice was spicy!!!
The characters had a very long history (over 10years) both pining for each other but it was never the right time. Then finally they were put together bc of a bet and they finally let their feelings be known.
I love the brothers best friend trope, this was well done

[Kayla Simonson · Rating 3 out of 5]

“God, I’m a lump of mush for her.”

Well that was interesting! Lol they certainly did not waste any time getting right to the point! I also don’t want to admit how long it took me to notice why was actually on the cover… 😂

But it was actually a pretty cute story overall!

“Love changes you. Not secret love, not the way we’d been carrying it with us. But confessed, real, out-in-the-open, living-it-daily love? Well, that has a tendency to change you in ways you didn’t even know were possible.”

[Ruby Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

This only took about an hour to read but it wasn’t for me, it kind of gave stalker vibes rather than long time pining, I think novellas miss the longing and build up of full books so evnthough we knew they had history and existing feelings, him jumping straight into ‘I’m kinky’ felt a bit forced?
There are better holiday romances out there but if you’re looking for pure spice then you’ll enjoy this one