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I'll Be Home...
This signing edition is a hardcover with digital edges, color title page, and designed endpages.
They say you can never go back…
‘Course, I never wanted to return. It took me years to age out. Once I made it, I took off and never turned around.
Trust me, there were only three reasons I managed to survive there as long as I did and they abandoned me as soon as they were able. I’d like to say I didn’t blame them, but that would be a lie.
I had zero desire to return. Yet here I was, on the road to Northland chasing a story cause my editor told me kids were disappearing… again.
It doesn’t matter what I want, I’m taking the fastest route to the darkest part of my past.
And then I’ll be home…
*Please note this is a reverse harem and the authors suggest you always read the forward in their books. Contains some dark elements, mature situations, and is definitely intended for 18+. This is a standalone and if you're very good, the elves might even bring it sooner than Christmas.
They say you can never go back…
‘Course, I never wanted to return. It took me years to age out. Once I made it, I took off and never turned around.
Trust me, there were only three reasons I managed to survive there as long as I did and they abandoned me as soon as they were able. I’d like to say I didn’t blame them, but that would be a lie.
I had zero desire to return. Yet here I was, on the road to Northland chasing a story cause my editor told me kids were disappearing… again.
It doesn’t matter what I want, I’m taking the fastest route to the darkest part of my past.
And then I’ll be home…
*Please note this is a reverse harem and the authors suggest you always read the forward in their books. Contains some dark elements, mature situations, and is definitely intended for 18+. This is a standalone and if you're very good, the elves might even bring it sooner than Christmas.
356 pages, Hardcover
First published December 18, 2023
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dnf-nope
December 18, 2023Dnf- the FMC walks in on one of the MMC’s having sex with another woman
December 20, 2023
I was excited for this one as I tend to be when any stand-alone RHs come out. We get too few! And this one seemed to be filled with stuff that I liked, a mystery gothic-y Christmas read! Sounds so fun, right?!
Nope. It was not. I read most of the book with my lip curled up in disgust or confusion. It reads like a really rough draft. I don’t think the authors knew where they were going or what this book was going to be when they started this writing journey together and so it reads very all over the place. Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? Is it a fun campy Christmas read? Somehow it’s all of those things yet none of those things. At least none of those things well. Reading the afterword in the book that details the authors experience working together it doesn’t surprise me that this is the shock value, unfocused, under directed, under proofed read that they ended up with.
I should have DNFed in the beginning when I was utterly disgusted that the h was having unprotected sex in a laundry mat with the H who she had just seen banging an escort ten-ish hours earlier. Nothing says romance like demanding a STD report after you have sex with someone you’ve wanted since childhood. So gross. Her walking down the cute picturesque Christmas town with his dirty boy potential STD ridden jizz dropping down her thighs was not the Christmas vibe I was looking for. Did they use alpha and beta readers here? Was this such a rush job that they just published this without any actual reader input? I mean, come on, common sense that ROMANCE readers do not want these types of scenes! And not in this type of story. It was disgusting.
I stuck with it because I was honestly interested in the mystery. I was really confused on why the h left town and changed her name but seemingly has no problem coming back without a big fight. I know if I was running from someone or something I wouldn’t come back because of a Christmas bonus check and the possibility of a Pulitzer. The way the hs trauma was handled and all the foreshadowing of the mystery was sooooo freaking bad. I mean laughingly bad. There’s no going on and finding clues or doing any sort of investigating. I thought the h would need to be snooping around the orphanage and trying to figure out what happened to these children but no, she already knows. I am not articulate enough to properly explain how bad this mystery/investigative aspect was handled. Just trust me that is it a nonexistent component and so fucking thrown together.
Her trauma, ugh. This book. Again with the shock value stuff. In a book with this much going on we do not need this much details about the childhood SA of the h and we don’t need to see it on page either. It didn’t fit with the tone of the book. This has nothing to do with trigger warnings and not heeding their warnings. I don’t have triggers. I’m fine with gore. I read horror. My thing was that it felt out of place with the overall feeling and spirit of the story. Just absolutely not needed and did nothing for the story.
The romance was nonexistent. The level of romance to be expected in this one: the h swooned when the STD report was slid under her door jam though. Ooooo what a prince! It just gave me allll the feelings. 🙄
Nope. It was not. I read most of the book with my lip curled up in disgust or confusion. It reads like a really rough draft. I don’t think the authors knew where they were going or what this book was going to be when they started this writing journey together and so it reads very all over the place. Is it a romance? Is it a mystery? Is it a fun campy Christmas read? Somehow it’s all of those things yet none of those things. At least none of those things well. Reading the afterword in the book that details the authors experience working together it doesn’t surprise me that this is the shock value, unfocused, under directed, under proofed read that they ended up with.
I should have DNFed in the beginning when I was utterly disgusted that the h was having unprotected sex in a laundry mat with the H who she had just seen banging an escort ten-ish hours earlier. Nothing says romance like demanding a STD report after you have sex with someone you’ve wanted since childhood. So gross. Her walking down the cute picturesque Christmas town with his dirty boy potential STD ridden jizz dropping down her thighs was not the Christmas vibe I was looking for. Did they use alpha and beta readers here? Was this such a rush job that they just published this without any actual reader input? I mean, come on, common sense that ROMANCE readers do not want these types of scenes! And not in this type of story. It was disgusting.
I stuck with it because I was honestly interested in the mystery. I was really confused on why the h left town and changed her name but seemingly has no problem coming back without a big fight. I know if I was running from someone or something I wouldn’t come back because of a Christmas bonus check and the possibility of a Pulitzer. The way the hs trauma was handled and all the foreshadowing of the mystery was sooooo freaking bad. I mean laughingly bad. There’s no going on and finding clues or doing any sort of investigating. I thought the h would need to be snooping around the orphanage and trying to figure out what happened to these children but no, she already knows. I am not articulate enough to properly explain how bad this mystery/investigative aspect was handled. Just trust me that is it a nonexistent component and so fucking thrown together.
Her trauma, ugh. This book. Again with the shock value stuff. In a book with this much going on we do not need this much details about the childhood SA of the h and we don’t need to see it on page either. It didn’t fit with the tone of the book. This has nothing to do with trigger warnings and not heeding their warnings. I don’t have triggers. I’m fine with gore. I read horror. My thing was that it felt out of place with the overall feeling and spirit of the story. Just absolutely not needed and did nothing for the story.
The romance was nonexistent. The level of romance to be expected in this one: the h swooned when the STD report was slid under her door jam though. Ooooo what a prince! It just gave me allll the feelings. 🙄
January 20, 2024
I’m a ho-ho-ho for this dark & smutty why choose romance with a satirical Xmas flair.
December 31, 2024
Who the fuck needed three wise men when you could have three well-hung ones instead? Merry Christmas to me, indeed.
A holiday story unlike any other I've ever read. With characters named Rayne Dear, Frost Jackson, Alfred Buddie, and Nicholas Klores, you can EXPECT it'll be a whacky, fun time.
Add in the fact that Tate James has a hand in writing it? It's guaranteed to be a SPICY whacky, fun time.
Essentially a XMAS hating journalist is tasked with forgoing her approved PTO (I would stab my boss if he did that to me) in order to pursue a story about missing children. But wait, she'll need to go to Vogue's top Christmas destination? Which happened to be her childhood home? And the children are missing from the orphanage she grew up in? Yikes.
There Rachel/Rayne runs into (literally) some childhood old flames of hers and those flames reignite swiftly and burn hot. After lots of conflict, the four band together and ultimately get to the bottom of things. We get action scenes, murder, and some abuse on page as well.
I wish tension was drawn out a little more, that we got to see present day relationship development, and that two of the three guys would be more impactful, but I thought this was a really fun time! I loved the smut scenes and all the nicknames!
And that ending where Grandma got run over by a Rayne Dear? Superb.
Rating 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
A holiday story unlike any other I've ever read. With characters named Rayne Dear, Frost Jackson, Alfred Buddie, and Nicholas Klores, you can EXPECT it'll be a whacky, fun time.
Add in the fact that Tate James has a hand in writing it? It's guaranteed to be a SPICY whacky, fun time.
Essentially a XMAS hating journalist is tasked with forgoing her approved PTO (I would stab my boss if he did that to me) in order to pursue a story about missing children. But wait, she'll need to go to Vogue's top Christmas destination? Which happened to be her childhood home? And the children are missing from the orphanage she grew up in? Yikes.
There Rachel/Rayne runs into (literally) some childhood old flames of hers and those flames reignite swiftly and burn hot. After lots of conflict, the four band together and ultimately get to the bottom of things. We get action scenes, murder, and some abuse on page as well.
I wish tension was drawn out a little more, that we got to see present day relationship development, and that two of the three guys would be more impactful, but I thought this was a really fun time! I loved the smut scenes and all the nicknames!
And that ending where Grandma got run over by a Rayne Dear? Superb.
Rating 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
December 9, 2024
This was such a fun holiday read, and down right filthy! Tate and Heather had me cracking up while reading this one. I've been in a slump, but I flew through this. The silly Christmas names and all the little naughty Christmas jokes and references were too funny. There were definitely touches of some serious topics, check your content warnings, but it was all so well written and such a good overall story. I loved each of the guys and their wildly different personalities. Rayne was also such a strong and independent FMC. She had really overcome so much and didn't let her past break her.
Each time I read a Tate book I'm reminded why she is the best. Tate and Heather are such a great writing duo. As always, the spice was seriously spicing and the "team sports" were *chef's kiss* amazing. Overall, this was a 10/10 for me. Hands down the best naughty holiday romance book I've ever read.
Each time I read a Tate book I'm reminded why she is the best. Tate and Heather are such a great writing duo. As always, the spice was seriously spicing and the "team sports" were *chef's kiss* amazing. Overall, this was a 10/10 for me. Hands down the best naughty holiday romance book I've ever read.
May 29, 2025
Steamy reverse harem mystery!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚🩷
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 🙃🙁😋🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Rachel Dean (a.k.a. Rayne Dear) - she was a reporter for a magazine that held the edge between gossip and investigative journalism. It was her last day before the new year and a month of personal leave to St. Barts as she hated the Christmas season with a passion. She was on her way out when her editor wanted to see her. He tells her that there is a big story that can’t wait for her to return from vacation. It is an out-of-town assignment, and it dealt with missing kids.
The Heroes: Frost Jackson (the grump), Alfred Buddie (the god), and Nicholas Klores (St. Nick) - they were old boyfriends of Rayne’s from when she was a teenager. Alfie was Frost’s best friend, who was always laid back and gave Rayne a lot of affection, he is now the town doctor in Northland. Nicholas was the third friend and the leader of their group and is now a lawyer. All three guys turned eighteen and left Rayne alone and she has some unresolved feelings about that.
The Story: Rachel wants to someday win a pulitzer and she would need more hard-hitting stories to have any chance of that. He tells her the kids had been disappearing from an orphanage type of place. The person running the home denies the kids ever existed and it was the local townspeople who reported them missing. He wants her to push the local sheriff into taking it more seriously. Rayne was an orphan herself, so she knows that sometimes kids run away, but either way, there is a story there. She is disturbed to find out that the story is in Northland, Minnesota, which just happens to be where she was from and the most charming Christmas town. The orphanage she was investigating was the same one where she grew up and escaped from twelve years ago.
When Rachel finds that the hotel was overbooked, and all the other hotels were overbooked, a stranger gave her the address of the Ginger Bridge Boarding House. She wakes in the middle of the night to hear the three guys in her room, arguing about her. Saying her being in town is the last thing they needed. She has the three guys constantly coming on to her and making her feel good and she finds that much more is going on in town than she originally assumed. That’s some serious drama with a dash of chaos!
I enjoyed this book; it was plenty steamy and had a good mystery to boot. It was an engaging mix of mystery, romance, and holiday tension! The setup with Rachel’s reluctant return to her hometown and the missing children case gives it a strong investigative pull, while the presence of her past boyfriends adds layers of unresolved emotions and intrigue. The setting of Northland as a picturesque Christmas town contrasts perfectly with her dislike of the holiday season—great tension right there.
This audiobook was narrated from multiple perspectives, done in duet narration by Lucas Webley and Michelle Sparks. Michelle has a soft, feminine voice that is very pleasant. She is expressive and you can’t tell she is reading at all. Lucas Webley has a deep voice and is great at doing different sounding voices for different characters. His voice for Nick, especially during intimate scenes was so sexy.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚🩷
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 🙃🙁😋🥰
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Rachel Dean (a.k.a. Rayne Dear) - she was a reporter for a magazine that held the edge between gossip and investigative journalism. It was her last day before the new year and a month of personal leave to St. Barts as she hated the Christmas season with a passion. She was on her way out when her editor wanted to see her. He tells her that there is a big story that can’t wait for her to return from vacation. It is an out-of-town assignment, and it dealt with missing kids.
The Heroes: Frost Jackson (the grump), Alfred Buddie (the god), and Nicholas Klores (St. Nick) - they were old boyfriends of Rayne’s from when she was a teenager. Alfie was Frost’s best friend, who was always laid back and gave Rayne a lot of affection, he is now the town doctor in Northland. Nicholas was the third friend and the leader of their group and is now a lawyer. All three guys turned eighteen and left Rayne alone and she has some unresolved feelings about that.
The Story: Rachel wants to someday win a pulitzer and she would need more hard-hitting stories to have any chance of that. He tells her the kids had been disappearing from an orphanage type of place. The person running the home denies the kids ever existed and it was the local townspeople who reported them missing. He wants her to push the local sheriff into taking it more seriously. Rayne was an orphan herself, so she knows that sometimes kids run away, but either way, there is a story there. She is disturbed to find out that the story is in Northland, Minnesota, which just happens to be where she was from and the most charming Christmas town. The orphanage she was investigating was the same one where she grew up and escaped from twelve years ago.
When Rachel finds that the hotel was overbooked, and all the other hotels were overbooked, a stranger gave her the address of the Ginger Bridge Boarding House. She wakes in the middle of the night to hear the three guys in her room, arguing about her. Saying her being in town is the last thing they needed. She has the three guys constantly coming on to her and making her feel good and she finds that much more is going on in town than she originally assumed. That’s some serious drama with a dash of chaos!
I enjoyed this book; it was plenty steamy and had a good mystery to boot. It was an engaging mix of mystery, romance, and holiday tension! The setup with Rachel’s reluctant return to her hometown and the missing children case gives it a strong investigative pull, while the presence of her past boyfriends adds layers of unresolved emotions and intrigue. The setting of Northland as a picturesque Christmas town contrasts perfectly with her dislike of the holiday season—great tension right there.
This audiobook was narrated from multiple perspectives, done in duet narration by Lucas Webley and Michelle Sparks. Michelle has a soft, feminine voice that is very pleasant. She is expressive and you can’t tell she is reading at all. Lucas Webley has a deep voice and is great at doing different sounding voices for different characters. His voice for Nick, especially during intimate scenes was so sexy.
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January 8, 2024
This book was quite the conundrum, it was most definitely dark romance but it also had the vibes of a Christmas rom com? The storyline itself was about as dark as you could get so definitely heed those trigger warnings but all of the character names, locations, and holiday puns helped to lighten the overall tone, as much as it could anyway. But that made it the perfect Christmas read for me! 😈
First things first, I adored Rayne the second we met her! She was funny without being so over the top it came off as cringey and she had her head on relatively straight which already made her better than 99% of the other FMCs I’ve read in holiday books. The reintroductions of Rayne to her men were so dramatic, I freaking loved it! And while there was lots of angst at first, I would definitely consider this more of a fast to medium burn romance cause once the spice starts it doesn’t stop!
Another aspect I liked about Rayne and her harem is that they had history together! I love a good childhood friends to enemies to lovers even if they were never really enemies in this case. Regardless, it was quite obvious from the get-go that while they had all moved on with their lives they never really moved on from each other so watching them be completely smitten and finally giving into the decade long tension between them was so worth the wait! Oh, and all of their nicknames for her had me SWOONING! Every. Single. Time. And finally, ALL of the bonus points were given for the treasure that was Jolly! 🥰
Unfortunately, I will say that I didn’t enjoy the second half as much as the first, I think overall it just didn’t feel as strong. You could tell that the authors wrote this for fun like they mentioned at the beginning and I think that mindset resulted in the pacing and overall plot progression not getting the attention it needed towards the end. There were also more spelling and grammatical errors than I’m used to from these authors but I think they whipped this one up pretty quickly so it makes sense. Small critiques aside, the vibes were still immaculate! You could tell that Tate and Heather were living their best lives while writing this which I absolutely love for them! It was a great holiday treat for those of us that love dark romance but also want to get into the Christmas spirit! ❤️
First things first, I adored Rayne the second we met her! She was funny without being so over the top it came off as cringey and she had her head on relatively straight which already made her better than 99% of the other FMCs I’ve read in holiday books. The reintroductions of Rayne to her men were so dramatic, I freaking loved it! And while there was lots of angst at first, I would definitely consider this more of a fast to medium burn romance cause once the spice starts it doesn’t stop!
Another aspect I liked about Rayne and her harem is that they had history together! I love a good childhood friends to enemies to lovers even if they were never really enemies in this case. Regardless, it was quite obvious from the get-go that while they had all moved on with their lives they never really moved on from each other so watching them be completely smitten and finally giving into the decade long tension between them was so worth the wait! Oh, and all of their nicknames for her had me SWOONING! Every. Single. Time. And finally, ALL of the bonus points were given for the treasure that was Jolly! 🥰
Unfortunately, I will say that I didn’t enjoy the second half as much as the first, I think overall it just didn’t feel as strong. You could tell that the authors wrote this for fun like they mentioned at the beginning and I think that mindset resulted in the pacing and overall plot progression not getting the attention it needed towards the end. There were also more spelling and grammatical errors than I’m used to from these authors but I think they whipped this one up pretty quickly so it makes sense. Small critiques aside, the vibes were still immaculate! You could tell that Tate and Heather were living their best lives while writing this which I absolutely love for them! It was a great holiday treat for those of us that love dark romance but also want to get into the Christmas spirit! ❤️
December 20, 2023
This is a Christmas themed stand-alone RH that's a weird combination of dark and cutesy.
The heroine grew up in an orphanage with the 3 heroes, but they’re older than her. So, when they turned 18, they left her behind to face horrible stuff alone. 13 years later, she’s got a new life as an investigative journalist. But, now, she's been sent back to her hometown to do a story on kids who are going missing from that orphanage. Of course, she runs into the 3 heroes there.
This is a good premise, I love a “second chance” angsty story, and a "they grew up together, but have been apart for years" story. But, we didn’t get any flashbacks to her time growing up with the heroes, really. So we just had to take her word for it that they were close as teens. The book told me that, but I didn’t really feel it.
Also, their small town is very Christmas-y, and everyone in this book has Christmas-y names: Rayne Dear, Frost, Ginger. The cutesy names were a weird clash with the material in this book, which has to do with child abuse, trafficking, and SA. The tone is all over the place. Sometimes this story felt like a playful small town rom com, with quirky rom com shenanigans, and other times…there was violence, or murder, or a flashback to the heroine getting SA'ed as a teen. I didn’t hate this tone combination, it kind of worked for the story. But it's weird, and jarring.
Since everyone in this story has Christmas-y names, and coincidences keep happening that seem borderline magic (like, the hotel the heroine is supposed to stay in has no room...so she coincidentally ends up at a different place, where the heroes are), for a while, I thought this town was supposed to be magic, and maybe this is a paranormal story. It wasn’t clear that it was supposed to be set in the real world.
I’ve read 1 other series by Tate James – the Madison Kate series. And I had the same problem with this book that I had with that series, so it must be the author’s Thing: the guys kept secrets from the heroine for an annoyingly long time for no reason, too far into the story. And, she had an extreme case of Body Betrayal Syndrome (that trope where a heroine is like, “I’m so mad at you and we have unresolved issues, but I’ll keep falling into bed with you over and over again, before addressing any of that!!!”) If that stuff doesn't bother you as much as me, then you'd probably enjoy this book.
So, I think I won’t be reading anything else by Tate James, because those things annoy me a lot in books. But, if those don’t bug you too much, this is nothing special, but it's a relatively fun seasonal read – if you don’t mind a story with a weird tone combination of cutesy and dark.
The heroine grew up in an orphanage with the 3 heroes, but they’re older than her. So, when they turned 18, they left her behind to face horrible stuff alone. 13 years later, she’s got a new life as an investigative journalist. But, now, she's been sent back to her hometown to do a story on kids who are going missing from that orphanage. Of course, she runs into the 3 heroes there.
This is a good premise, I love a “second chance” angsty story, and a "they grew up together, but have been apart for years" story. But, we didn’t get any flashbacks to her time growing up with the heroes, really. So we just had to take her word for it that they were close as teens. The book told me that, but I didn’t really feel it.
Also, their small town is very Christmas-y, and everyone in this book has Christmas-y names: Rayne Dear, Frost, Ginger. The cutesy names were a weird clash with the material in this book, which has to do with child abuse, trafficking, and SA. The tone is all over the place. Sometimes this story felt like a playful small town rom com, with quirky rom com shenanigans, and other times…there was violence, or murder, or a flashback to the heroine getting SA'ed as a teen. I didn’t hate this tone combination, it kind of worked for the story. But it's weird, and jarring.
Since everyone in this story has Christmas-y names, and coincidences keep happening that seem borderline magic (like, the hotel the heroine is supposed to stay in has no room...so she coincidentally ends up at a different place, where the heroes are), for a while, I thought this town was supposed to be magic, and maybe this is a paranormal story. It wasn’t clear that it was supposed to be set in the real world.
I’ve read 1 other series by Tate James – the Madison Kate series. And I had the same problem with this book that I had with that series, so it must be the author’s Thing: the guys kept secrets from the heroine for an annoyingly long time for no reason, too far into the story. And, she had an extreme case of Body Betrayal Syndrome (that trope where a heroine is like, “I’m so mad at you and we have unresolved issues, but I’ll keep falling into bed with you over and over again, before addressing any of that!!!”) If that stuff doesn't bother you as much as me, then you'd probably enjoy this book.
So, I think I won’t be reading anything else by Tate James, because those things annoy me a lot in books. But, if those don’t bug you too much, this is nothing special, but it's a relatively fun seasonal read – if you don’t mind a story with a weird tone combination of cutesy and dark.
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May 9, 2026
So this was uhm something…the guys were hot so like heh😼 /j
January 4, 2024
*4.5 Stars
Okay this is how you do a fun and spicy, dark holiday romance! You could tell Tate and Heather had a lot of fun writing this one together. The names and the puns in this?!? Perfection. And I'm glad I finally picked up a book by Heather Long!
I appreciated that as a standalone RH, this wasn't too long. Sometimes with RH you need that to develop all the relationships fully, but with this being second chance, it made sense how they fell back together. And their chemistry made it completely believable too! Like dang those boys :) The spice was great!
I loved the plot and how Rachel found each of her boys again. Almost ridiculous at some points but a great time haha. And while there were darker themes that were done well, I thought the overall premise of the book was still easy to read and still had that Christmasy feel I was looking for.
And the boys were pretty evenly matched! I don't know that I could pick a favorite if I tried. Overall this was such a great and different Christmas read so I definitely recommend!
Okay this is how you do a fun and spicy, dark holiday romance! You could tell Tate and Heather had a lot of fun writing this one together. The names and the puns in this?!? Perfection. And I'm glad I finally picked up a book by Heather Long!
I appreciated that as a standalone RH, this wasn't too long. Sometimes with RH you need that to develop all the relationships fully, but with this being second chance, it made sense how they fell back together. And their chemistry made it completely believable too! Like dang those boys :) The spice was great!
I loved the plot and how Rachel found each of her boys again. Almost ridiculous at some points but a great time haha. And while there were darker themes that were done well, I thought the overall premise of the book was still easy to read and still had that Christmasy feel I was looking for.
And the boys were pretty evenly matched! I don't know that I could pick a favorite if I tried. Overall this was such a great and different Christmas read so I definitely recommend!
November 19, 2024
I’m a big fan of Tate James’s books, and I’ve liked a few by Heather Long, though I haven’t finished any of her series because the one I loved went a bit off the rails. That being said, I hated this book. I really should have DNFed it, but I was already at 70% when I realised it wouldn't get better.
The biggest issue with this book was that they tried to fit too much into it. It probably needed to be two books at minimum, but because it was all crammed into 400 pages, it felt really jumpy. So much happened without any time to breathe. I mean, it went - trauma reveal, sex, trauma reveal, sex, murder, sex, bad guys, info dump, sex again. And yet with all of this happening it still somehow managed to be boring at points.
I think this was an interesting story and a good concept. If it had been excuted better I probably would have loved it. Also would have helped if the names were better, I get the Christmas theme but I didnt need to be beaten over the head with it.
The biggest issue with this book was that they tried to fit too much into it. It probably needed to be two books at minimum, but because it was all crammed into 400 pages, it felt really jumpy. So much happened without any time to breathe. I mean, it went - trauma reveal, sex, trauma reveal, sex, murder, sex, bad guys, info dump, sex again. And yet with all of this happening it still somehow managed to be boring at points.
I think this was an interesting story and a good concept. If it had been excuted better I probably would have loved it. Also would have helped if the names were better, I get the Christmas theme but I didnt need to be beaten over the head with it.
December 17, 2023
This is the mystery and x rating that Hallmark Christmas movies are begging for. With Christmas puns on high and liberal tinsel use hiding the dark underbelly of a Christmas town one investigative journalist is going to get to the bottom and occasionally the top of it. Rayne Dear and our other MMCs are embroiled in a lot of action going after some really horrible bad people in this fast-paced dark rom and manage to deliver Christmas miracles to a lot of kids while getting their own HEA just in time for the holidays. You won't want to miss it.
December 21, 2023
I love Tate James but tf was this
August 26, 2024
It was like a 4.25
The plot was really good. My biggest issues were the excessive nickname use. However, the female mcs name was Rayne and one of the male mcs called her “bad weather” and I did find that quite comical, but jfc it’s funny a couple times. Not every single sentence when tok talk to her. I don’t say “baby” every single sentence I say to my husband.
The next was the corny ass Christmas theme. I do think I would have found that enjoyable if it was December but it’s august. I didn’t read the blurb or whatever, so I was unaware I was jumping into Christmas wonderland when I started the book.
Also, sometimes when Tate James is a coauthor on books it dulls her writing, like the book just isn’t as good. This was not the case here. Very Tate James.
The plot was really good. My biggest issues were the excessive nickname use. However, the female mcs name was Rayne and one of the male mcs called her “bad weather” and I did find that quite comical, but jfc it’s funny a couple times. Not every single sentence when tok talk to her. I don’t say “baby” every single sentence I say to my husband.
The next was the corny ass Christmas theme. I do think I would have found that enjoyable if it was December but it’s august. I didn’t read the blurb or whatever, so I was unaware I was jumping into Christmas wonderland when I started the book.
Also, sometimes when Tate James is a coauthor on books it dulls her writing, like the book just isn’t as good. This was not the case here. Very Tate James.
December 25, 2023
4⭐️
Twisted murdery Reverse Harem Christmas story 🤶 🔪 ☠️
The story in the book was very unique and well done.
Twisted murdery Reverse Harem Christmas story 🤶 🔪 ☠️
The story in the book was very unique and well done.
December 15, 2025
This was a kind of cheesy, dark romance Christmas book.
It wasn't really my kind of book, I am not exactly sure why. It had dark themes, I usually love those in books. Maybe I expected less puns. It was a lot and an odd contrast with the topics.
In this book you'll find:
🖤 Dark Romance
🖤 Darker Themes
🖤 MFMM
🖤 Why Choose
🖤 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🖤 Small Town/Christmas town
🖤 Touch her and 💀
🖤 Spicy
It wasn't really my kind of book, I am not exactly sure why. It had dark themes, I usually love those in books. Maybe I expected less puns. It was a lot and an odd contrast with the topics.
In this book you'll find:
🖤 Dark Romance
🖤 Darker Themes
🖤 MFMM
🖤 Why Choose
🖤 Childhood Friends to Lovers
🖤 Small Town/Christmas town
🖤 Touch her and 💀
🖤 Spicy
December 16, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ nice start and characters but I agree with Claire’s review that the cutesy Christmas vibe and high spice juxtaposed with the child trafficking and grape flashbacks was uncomfortable. 😬 skipped to the end at about 70%.
December 19, 2023
I don't know how I feel about this hahaha. I'm all about reading books that have dark themes with some comedic relief thrown in but this was dark and hilarious with each one on complete opposite ends of the spectrum lmao.
One minute we're laughing at the most ridiculous shit and the next we're reliving some heavy, fucked up trauma. It gave me whiplash lmao.
This being Tate James though, the spice was definitely hot and probably my favorite part.
I don't know - it was fun and ridiculous and I'd recommend, but just don't take it too seriously and please read the trigger warnings.
One minute we're laughing at the most ridiculous shit and the next we're reliving some heavy, fucked up trauma. It gave me whiplash lmao.
This being Tate James though, the spice was definitely hot and probably my favorite part.
I don't know - it was fun and ridiculous and I'd recommend, but just don't take it too seriously and please read the trigger warnings.
December 28, 2023
You are in for a treat my friends! This is a Christmas read like no other. It is filled to the brim with steam, trauma, blood, sexual assaults, childhood slavery and sex trafficking. Like I said, this is a wild ride, you need to start reading asap!
Rachel Dean is a journalist ready to break away for the Christmas season. She despises the Holiday and everything it represents. So when her boss calls her for an immediate meeting when she's literally walking out of the door, for an immediate story about orphans disappearing, she realizes she needs to get to the bottom of this asap. Only when she finds out that it happens to be in Northland, the literal hell she grew up in, is she reconsidering her entire outlook.
Northland, one of the country's prettiest Christmas towns in Minnesota, is where Rachel grew up, only she wasn't known as Rachel then. Rayne Dear is what she left the town as, never looking back. Soon she finds herself surrounded by the three men she never thought shed see again and utterly despises. Frost Jackson, Alfred Buddie and Nicholas Klores aka Saint Nick.
With secrets and lust, they have a history that only the four of them can decipher. The sexual tension can be cut with a knife but theirs also and insistent need for them to all push each other away.
When Rayne witnesses a brutal death, all of the puzzle pieces start to put themselves together and she realizes just how wrong she was for leaving when she did. More determined than ever to right her wrongs, she embarks on this journey to uncover the sick and twisted background of one of America's most beloved Christmas towns. Will her history with the guys come forward? Will she be able to leave once again when this is all over? Will she even be able to leave or will the past haunt her until shes left rotting six feet under?
"Love me, love my damage."
"Who the F needed three wise men when you could have three well-hung ones instead? Merry Christmas to me, indeed."
I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down and was submersed into this emotional rollercoaster of chaos. I loved the dialogue between the characters, their names and their back stories. Then I loved how the authors really tied the brutal town background to this romance feel book. It was amazing. I loved the story so much and applaud them for making such an intense read.
*Overall 5/5
*Heat? 5/5
*Fast burn
*First person POV (Rayne/Rachel only)
*MFMM Romance
*Ends on HFN
Rachel Dean is a journalist ready to break away for the Christmas season. She despises the Holiday and everything it represents. So when her boss calls her for an immediate meeting when she's literally walking out of the door, for an immediate story about orphans disappearing, she realizes she needs to get to the bottom of this asap. Only when she finds out that it happens to be in Northland, the literal hell she grew up in, is she reconsidering her entire outlook.
Northland, one of the country's prettiest Christmas towns in Minnesota, is where Rachel grew up, only she wasn't known as Rachel then. Rayne Dear is what she left the town as, never looking back. Soon she finds herself surrounded by the three men she never thought shed see again and utterly despises. Frost Jackson, Alfred Buddie and Nicholas Klores aka Saint Nick.
With secrets and lust, they have a history that only the four of them can decipher. The sexual tension can be cut with a knife but theirs also and insistent need for them to all push each other away.
When Rayne witnesses a brutal death, all of the puzzle pieces start to put themselves together and she realizes just how wrong she was for leaving when she did. More determined than ever to right her wrongs, she embarks on this journey to uncover the sick and twisted background of one of America's most beloved Christmas towns. Will her history with the guys come forward? Will she be able to leave once again when this is all over? Will she even be able to leave or will the past haunt her until shes left rotting six feet under?
"Love me, love my damage."
"Who the F needed three wise men when you could have three well-hung ones instead? Merry Christmas to me, indeed."
I absolutely loved this book! I could not put it down and was submersed into this emotional rollercoaster of chaos. I loved the dialogue between the characters, their names and their back stories. Then I loved how the authors really tied the brutal town background to this romance feel book. It was amazing. I loved the story so much and applaud them for making such an intense read.
*Overall 5/5
*Heat? 5/5
*Fast burn
*First person POV (Rayne/Rachel only)
*MFMM Romance
*Ends on HFN
December 19, 2023
When I heard Tate James was releasing a dark holiday RH, I immediately added it to the holiday TBR. Remember to hydrate and read the TWs.
December 27, 2024
4 Stars!!
December 19, 2023
do read if: you’re looking for a slutty, dark and aggressively Christmas themed romance for the season
don’t read if: you prefer M/F romances, don’t like dark themes or can’t handle full on commitment to the Christmas theme (again, it was aggressive. The names are really something.)
don’t read if: you prefer M/F romances, don’t like dark themes or can’t handle full on commitment to the Christmas theme (again, it was aggressive. The names are really something.)
January 7, 2024
“She could have gotten frost bite.” “I did,” I told him, almost cheerfully. “Frost totally bit me.”
Rachel left the place she grew up never looking back. She swore she’d never return once she made it as a journalist. But here she is. Scouting a story in her version of hell. The three reasons she survived just happen to still be there!
There were kids disappearing and the story was too big to miss it. Even if it meant facing her past and reliving the darkest parts.
This won’t be for everyone, please check the trigger warnings before you dive into this dark Christmas novel, this list is longer than Santa’s list. Recommended for mature readers 18+ If you’re on the naughty list, love Tate James and her signature flare don’t skip this one!
“How do you want me, Saint Nick? Are you going to use me like a good little ho, ho, ho?”
Rachel left the place she grew up never looking back. She swore she’d never return once she made it as a journalist. But here she is. Scouting a story in her version of hell. The three reasons she survived just happen to still be there!
There were kids disappearing and the story was too big to miss it. Even if it meant facing her past and reliving the darkest parts.
This won’t be for everyone, please check the trigger warnings before you dive into this dark Christmas novel, this list is longer than Santa’s list. Recommended for mature readers 18+ If you’re on the naughty list, love Tate James and her signature flare don’t skip this one!
“How do you want me, Saint Nick? Are you going to use me like a good little ho, ho, ho?”
December 20, 2023
I’m so in love with this book and the characters. I mean it’s shitty what happens in this book, but the revenge was so sweet. I absolutely couldn’t get enough of Rayne, Frost, Nick and Alfie. There chemistry could melt snow. This Christmas story will stick with me forever. The ending was absolutely perfect. I’ve always been a fan of Tate and now I will definitely read more of Heather’s books. Truly an amazing read that everyone should one-click.
June 24, 2025
Preface: While I am very familiar and a fan of Tate James, I am not familiar with Heather Long.
Review: there was a lot going on with this book in regard to the MC’s, their backgrounds, the a huge non-descript transition to the present day. Like: “ta da! We’re alive with advanced degrees after abandoning you FMC!” *add jazz hands*
While the whole thing was awkward at first, the authors did an amazing job integrating the super disturbing parts of the FMC’s history into the plot in a way it wasn’t “too much, too soon, too fast”, all things considered given the context… which is HEAVY! And it was A LOT.
For the record: this book is a MASSIVE trigger for loads of reasons, including those who find stupid puns inappropriate during mentions of SA.
I can tolerate a lot. I also have a warped and dark sense of humor. I tend to find some things that people find offensive, funny. This book toed the line for me once or twice.
While I generally enjoyed the book… there is a ‘je ne sais quoi’ that I can’t put my finger on that made it a bit off putting.
I am confused whether or not this book was written as satire/a joke and/or to satisfy the two horny half brains of two writers put together to make this book.
I mean “Rain Deer” as the FMC’s name? Come on! (sp? I listened via audiobook)? Saint Nick? Jolly? … ok.
This book has me more weirded out because I was reading in Phoenix AZ at the end of June (it was 115 degrees F at some point this week) and this is obviously a Christmas book…. The heat where I live IRL, all the sexy times in the book, and weird everything else in the book had me confused.
Review: there was a lot going on with this book in regard to the MC’s, their backgrounds, the a huge non-descript transition to the present day. Like: “ta da! We’re alive with advanced degrees after abandoning you FMC!” *add jazz hands*
While the whole thing was awkward at first, the authors did an amazing job integrating the super disturbing parts of the FMC’s history into the plot in a way it wasn’t “too much, too soon, too fast”, all things considered given the context… which is HEAVY! And it was A LOT.
For the record: this book is a MASSIVE trigger for loads of reasons, including those who find stupid puns inappropriate during mentions of SA.
I can tolerate a lot. I also have a warped and dark sense of humor. I tend to find some things that people find offensive, funny. This book toed the line for me once or twice.
While I generally enjoyed the book… there is a ‘je ne sais quoi’ that I can’t put my finger on that made it a bit off putting.
I am confused whether or not this book was written as satire/a joke and/or to satisfy the two horny half brains of two writers put together to make this book.
I mean “Rain Deer” as the FMC’s name? Come on! (sp? I listened via audiobook)? Saint Nick? Jolly? … ok.
This book has me more weirded out because I was reading in Phoenix AZ at the end of June (it was 115 degrees F at some point this week) and this is obviously a Christmas book…. The heat where I live IRL, all the sexy times in the book, and weird everything else in the book had me confused.
January 3, 2024
Let me start off saying , Tate and Heather are by far my favorite collab. This was the ‘perfect’ holiday or Christmas book 😂 the comedy, the banter, the steaminess, and the story were perfect. Rayne, our FMC, is a reporter hates Christmas. Think female grinch. So she always goes on vacation and gets out of the city for a couple weeks. This year is different. Connie, her boss, who obviously loves Christmas, has a story for her that HAS to be done sooner rather than later. Ironically enough, it’s where Rachel, or Rayne , grew up. Good ol Northland, Minnesota the most picturesque Christmas town.
Whenever someone goes back to their hometown whether it’s on good terms or not so good ones, it always seems like your past comes back to say hello, hers does just that. She has to see the guys who left her. And as hurt as she was, she still has soft spots for them. While they could easily hash out what went wrong, this story is pressing and she needs to get to the bottom of it. This was such a great standalone, pallet cleanser. I was in a slump, and this was perfect, the comedy, steam, and story were seriously the best. I can not say enough good things about this book, and true to the authors MO I could not put this down until I finished it. Also, read the beginning, they lay it out there for your triggers and disclaimer…the dog doesn’t die YAHOO!
Whenever someone goes back to their hometown whether it’s on good terms or not so good ones, it always seems like your past comes back to say hello, hers does just that. She has to see the guys who left her. And as hurt as she was, she still has soft spots for them. While they could easily hash out what went wrong, this story is pressing and she needs to get to the bottom of it. This was such a great standalone, pallet cleanser. I was in a slump, and this was perfect, the comedy, steam, and story were seriously the best. I can not say enough good things about this book, and true to the authors MO I could not put this down until I finished it. Also, read the beginning, they lay it out there for your triggers and disclaimer…the dog doesn’t die YAHOO!
December 7, 2024
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spicy content 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Prepare to deck the halls with darkness and spice because I'll Be Home is the Christmas dark romance you didn’t know you needed. This book is absolutely packed with holiday-themed puns, nicknames, and an amazing little world that makes you feel like you've stepped into a twisted, festive wonderland.
This book combines the cozy familiarity of Christmas with intense darkness and romance romance. The guys in this each bring their own unique flavor to this awesome reverse harem, and Rayne is just frikken amazing and gives as good as good she gets even if she has had a rough start to life.
I frikken loved the Christmas references and nicknames in this book and the wit that brought lightness to the darker tones of this book because there are some themes.
And oh, the spice! It’s just chef’s kiss perfectly balanced to heat up the coldest winter night.
This book also doesn’t shy away from exploring darker themes, so I strongly recommend checking the trigger warnings.
If you’re looking for a holiday read that’s equal parts festive and feral, I'll Be Home is an absolute must. It’s dark, delicious, and dazzlingly Christmassy, a reverse harem romance that hits all the right notes.
Highly recommend for fans of dark romance who aren’t afraid to embrace the naughty list! 🎄
Spicy content 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5/5
Prepare to deck the halls with darkness and spice because I'll Be Home is the Christmas dark romance you didn’t know you needed. This book is absolutely packed with holiday-themed puns, nicknames, and an amazing little world that makes you feel like you've stepped into a twisted, festive wonderland.
This book combines the cozy familiarity of Christmas with intense darkness and romance romance. The guys in this each bring their own unique flavor to this awesome reverse harem, and Rayne is just frikken amazing and gives as good as good she gets even if she has had a rough start to life.
I frikken loved the Christmas references and nicknames in this book and the wit that brought lightness to the darker tones of this book because there are some themes.
And oh, the spice! It’s just chef’s kiss perfectly balanced to heat up the coldest winter night.
This book also doesn’t shy away from exploring darker themes, so I strongly recommend checking the trigger warnings.
If you’re looking for a holiday read that’s equal parts festive and feral, I'll Be Home is an absolute must. It’s dark, delicious, and dazzlingly Christmassy, a reverse harem romance that hits all the right notes.
Highly recommend for fans of dark romance who aren’t afraid to embrace the naughty list! 🎄
December 26, 2024
2 stars ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆
･ ｡ﾟ☆:I'll be Home *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 "I had all and then most of you, Some and now none of you." 🎶
Rayne(h), returning to Northland was never a choice—she had no desire to, yet here she was. After escaping years ago, she left behind a town that nearly destroyed her and the three people who had once kept her going, only for them to abandon her when they had the chance. She had no reason to return, until her editor sends her chasing a story about missing kids in the same cursed town. Reluctantly, she follows the trail back to the darkest parts of her past.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: THOUGHTS*.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
Rayne, girl, stand up!!! She fell back into her past with them so quickly on day one, huh? Like, no hesitation at all. I mean, yeah, she didn’t make the best choices, but I’m not here to shame her for that. If that’s how she wants to handle things, then bet it. She’s been through so much already—literally went through hell and back as a teenager. Now she’s in control of her own body, and if she wants to do what feels right for her, that’s totally her choice. She’s the one living her life, not anyone else, so she deserves that power. But, like, it was kinda crazy how it felt like no time had passed, and they just jumped back into things. There were so many things left unsaid, though! Before getting all physical, they really should've just paused for a second and talked about everything that happened in the past. Instead, they turned it all on her, making her feel like the bad guy just because she came back to town. Like, really? That was messed up. They should've cleared the air first before jumping into anything else, but no, they just skipped over it all.
[Nick]
Okay, so my first impression of Nick was literally him being balls deep in another woman and then acting like he didn’t even recognize Rayne. Like, hello?? But honestly, I’m not super pressed about it now because (1) they weren’t together at the time, and (2) they hadn’t seen each other in like, a decade, so whatever happened before that isn’t really anyone’s business. However, the red flag? The fact that he slept with Rayne with no condom and had no idea if his STD test was clear?? Like dude, seriously? That's a whole disaster waiting to happen. Not cute. 😶 But here's where I got really annoyed: He acted all surprised and like he'd been missing her this whole time, right after seeing her again. Um, hello? You were literally settled in the same town for YEARS and never even tried to reach out to her or check on her. It felt so fake when he acted like he’d never forgotten about her, especially when he had zero effort in actually looking for her. That was just a bad look all around, honestly. I mean, if you really cared, why didn't you do something about it before?
[Alfie]
Alfie was honestly the sweetest. He held no grudges at all, and the way he acted when Rayne came back was everything. He was never disappointed in her for leaving, and when she returned, it was like she never even left. He was so calm, accepting, and just there for her. There was no weird tension or bitterness like you’d expect after everything that happened. He just welcomed her back with open arms. Honestly, Alfie’s ability to let go of the past and just be there for Rayne in such a nonjudgmental way is what made him stand out. He was just so pure. But then, honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder—did Alfie never have any questions about what happened? Like, sure, he was super chill, but there were some serious things that went down when she left, and it felt like there should've been at least some curiosity on his part. How could he not be confused about why she left, especially when it seemed like they were so close before? At least ask her what happened, get some closure, ya know? I get the whole "I'm just happy she's back" vibe, but still—it felt a little off that he didn’t even seem to care about the reasons behind it.
[Frost]
He was definitely an asshole and held a grudge for way too long, especially since he was the one who promised he’d stay but then left her like the others. Sure, he came back for her, but he believed some abusive old lady when she said that Rayne had left, and because of that, he spent years upset that she never looked for him or the others. It was really unfair of him to take that out on her, especially since she had her own stuff to deal with. He only started to forgive her and feel bad when he learned about the trauma she went through after he left, but even though it doesn’t make up for everything, at least he stepped up in the end. He became fiercely protective of her, took care of her abusers, and made sure she had Jolly by her side to protect her. It wasn’t a perfect redemption, but it was something.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: OVERALL*.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
Don’t expect a slow burn out of this. It was also tragic. This girl went through so much, year after year, and the isolation was suffocating. She faced everything on her own, with no one there to help her carry the weight of it all.
･ ｡ﾟ☆:I'll be Home *.☽ .*:☆ﾟ
⁺₊★·.´🎧✩°｡ 0:56 ──♡───── 3:32 ⁺₊🎧★·.·´
🎶 "I had all and then most of you, Some and now none of you." 🎶
Rayne(h), returning to Northland was never a choice—she had no desire to, yet here she was. After escaping years ago, she left behind a town that nearly destroyed her and the three people who had once kept her going, only for them to abandon her when they had the chance. She had no reason to return, until her editor sends her chasing a story about missing kids in the same cursed town. Reluctantly, she follows the trail back to the darkest parts of her past.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: THOUGHTS*.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
Rayne, girl, stand up!!! She fell back into her past with them so quickly on day one, huh? Like, no hesitation at all. I mean, yeah, she didn’t make the best choices, but I’m not here to shame her for that. If that’s how she wants to handle things, then bet it. She’s been through so much already—literally went through hell and back as a teenager. Now she’s in control of her own body, and if she wants to do what feels right for her, that’s totally her choice. She’s the one living her life, not anyone else, so she deserves that power. But, like, it was kinda crazy how it felt like no time had passed, and they just jumped back into things. There were so many things left unsaid, though! Before getting all physical, they really should've just paused for a second and talked about everything that happened in the past. Instead, they turned it all on her, making her feel like the bad guy just because she came back to town. Like, really? That was messed up. They should've cleared the air first before jumping into anything else, but no, they just skipped over it all.
[Nick]
”Nick?” I squeaked in utter disbelief. Now I knew why that firm backside had seemed so familiar.
“I’m sorry, have we met?”
Okay, so my first impression of Nick was literally him being balls deep in another woman and then acting like he didn’t even recognize Rayne. Like, hello?? But honestly, I’m not super pressed about it now because (1) they weren’t together at the time, and (2) they hadn’t seen each other in like, a decade, so whatever happened before that isn’t really anyone’s business. However, the red flag? The fact that he slept with Rayne with no condom and had no idea if his STD test was clear?? Like dude, seriously? That's a whole disaster waiting to happen. Not cute. 😶 But here's where I got really annoyed: He acted all surprised and like he'd been missing her this whole time, right after seeing her again. Um, hello? You were literally settled in the same town for YEARS and never even tried to reach out to her or check on her. It felt so fake when he acted like he’d never forgotten about her, especially when he had zero effort in actually looking for her. That was just a bad look all around, honestly. I mean, if you really cared, why didn't you do something about it before?
[Alfie]
“You mind if we get some privacy here, Alf?” Frost practically vibrated with all the unspoken vitriol blazing out of his eyes.
“It’s really good to see you, Rayne. You—you haven’t changed at all.”
“Right, I’d say the same except none of it is true, and you’re definitely nothing like I remember.”
Alfie was honestly the sweetest. He held no grudges at all, and the way he acted when Rayne came back was everything. He was never disappointed in her for leaving, and when she returned, it was like she never even left. He was so calm, accepting, and just there for her. There was no weird tension or bitterness like you’d expect after everything that happened. He just welcomed her back with open arms. Honestly, Alfie’s ability to let go of the past and just be there for Rayne in such a nonjudgmental way is what made him stand out. He was just so pure. But then, honestly, I couldn’t help but wonder—did Alfie never have any questions about what happened? Like, sure, he was super chill, but there were some serious things that went down when she left, and it felt like there should've been at least some curiosity on his part. How could he not be confused about why she left, especially when it seemed like they were so close before? At least ask her what happened, get some closure, ya know? I get the whole "I'm just happy she's back" vibe, but still—it felt a little off that he didn’t even seem to care about the reasons behind it.
[Frost]
“Frost?” I squeaked, shock making me dizzy.
“Rayne,” he finally muttered, then sighed. “What the fuck are you doing back here?
He was definitely an asshole and held a grudge for way too long, especially since he was the one who promised he’d stay but then left her like the others. Sure, he came back for her, but he believed some abusive old lady when she said that Rayne had left, and because of that, he spent years upset that she never looked for him or the others. It was really unfair of him to take that out on her, especially since she had her own stuff to deal with. He only started to forgive her and feel bad when he learned about the trauma she went through after he left, but even though it doesn’t make up for everything, at least he stepped up in the end. He became fiercely protective of her, took care of her abusers, and made sure she had Jolly by her side to protect her. It wasn’t a perfect redemption, but it was something.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: OVERALL*.☽ .*:☆ﾟ. ───
Don’t expect a slow burn out of this. It was also tragic. This girl went through so much, year after year, and the isolation was suffocating. She faced everything on her own, with no one there to help her carry the weight of it all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2023
I am not typically a fan of holiday reads, but I really enjoyed this twist. Rayne goes back to her home town for the holidays to write a story. This town is like Whoville and Christmas threw up on it, and you FMC is a major holiday grinch. I think I loved the irony and satire that this book had while packing in as much corny holiday themes in every detail of the story. The high stakes action, the hella spice, and the banter between these characters made it a fun read. I would recommend this to those dark romance readers looking for a unique kind of holiday romance that literally is the epidemy of predictable cheesy hallmark Christmas made for humor.
February 18, 2025
best Christmas romance ever
I’m not a big Christmas romance person which is probably why I read this book in February but that didn’t take away from the utterly amazingness that was I’ll Be Home. I was immediately gripped from the first page and read the whole book in a day. Why Choose with the hottest men from a Christmas town full of terrible secrets just left me with the biggest book hangover and I regret nothing!
I’m not a big Christmas romance person which is probably why I read this book in February but that didn’t take away from the utterly amazingness that was I’ll Be Home. I was immediately gripped from the first page and read the whole book in a day. Why Choose with the hottest men from a Christmas town full of terrible secrets just left me with the biggest book hangover and I regret nothing!
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