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The Merriest Misters
The Santa Clause meets Husband Material in this delightful holiday novel!
Fixing Christmas? Easy. Fixing their marriage? Not so much.
Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That's until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up 'I think I've killed a man.'
Quinn realizes the 'burglar' Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.
But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they're in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be cancelled . . . permanently.
With Christmas - and their marriage - on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other's stockings come next Christmas?
Fixing Christmas? Easy. Fixing their marriage? Not so much.
Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That's until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up 'I think I've killed a man.'
Quinn realizes the 'burglar' Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.
But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they're in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be cancelled . . . permanently.
With Christmas - and their marriage - on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other's stockings come next Christmas?
10 pages, Audiobook
First published October 1, 2024
210 people are currently reading
15789 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 609 reviews
October 9, 2024
In a Nutshell: A Christmas MM romance-drama with a married gay couple at the centre of attention. Fabulous inclusivity, a plot with some atypical writing choices (especially considering the genre), shallow main characters, somewhat YA/NA in tone. Might work better for you if you like NA romances.
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Plot Preview:
This is my first proper M/M romance novel. For some reason, I have never found M/M blurbs appealing, though I have read and enjoyed plenty of F/F love stories. This book’s blurb reminded me of Tim Allen’s ‘The Santa Clause’ movies, which I had really enjoyed back in the day. Though the book didn’t entirely satisfy me, it is partly due to my reading preferences, and I hope I have a better experience with the next M/M story I might happen to pick up any time.
Bookish Yays:
🌈 A “romance” where the couple is already married and their relationship is somewhat fragile – quite unusual for this genre. It was refreshing to see a young couple struggling with the requirements of domestic living.
🌈 This might be a negative for some readers, but I truly appreciated how the plot shows one of them being dominant in the relationship without even realising how it affects the other one. Fictional gay relationships are always depicted as 100% positive. This book shows that they are as normal and as problematic as any straight relationship.
🌈 Every time there’s a white character in the book, the writing introduces them as such: “a white man”. I have rarely seen books introduce any white characters by referencing their skin colour, so kudos to the author! Let’s hope this becomes the norm. The default character colour in Western books shouldn’t be assumed to be white.
🌈 The rep is outstanding: a gay couple, a lesbian couple, a trans character, an ace character… At times, it did feel like there was a checklist being ticked off, but on the whole, it was a big positive.
🌈 Some chapters are termed “memories”, and these offer a flashback glimpse at how Patrick and Quinn first met and came together. These were well-written, and quite important in understanding their present difficulties.
🌈 A minor thread focusses on the issues faced by public school teachers (as Quinn is one) due to fund cuts – too short to be a major arc in the plot, but an important topic nonetheless.
🌈 Quinn has a "camp sensibility", a feminine side that he secretly acknowledges but struggles to show openly. I loved this writing choice! This portrayal is usually avoided in fiction as it is considered stereotypical or offensive. But Quinn's character development is very positive, showing him slowly embracing his "feminine side" without fear of rejection.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
⛅ I'm not a big fan of the whole “Christmas is RUINED without Santa and presents” trope. The book focusses only on the commercial aspects of Christmas such as gifts and lavish lunches and decoration. But given the premise of the book, I was kinda prepared for it.
⛅ While the Christmas setting does add some holiday spirit to the plot, the main storyline isn’t about Christmas but about the couple. The holiday vibes hence felt somewhat subdued, even in the location where everything should have felt most Christmassy.
⛅ The steam level is lukewarm – plenty of references to sex, no open-door action. This is good for me as I don’t enjoy steam in any romance books, regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of the couple. But there are some corny references connected to the libido that made me cringe.
Bookish Nays:
🌧️ Patrick and Quinn are just twenty-six, which means they are new adults in their approach towards everything, including each other. This might be fine for readers in that age group, but much-older-moi found their actions tedious and their behaviour juvenile most times. It felt like they had much growing up to do individually and as a couple.
🌧️ Way too much anatomical focus in the writing! Almost every scene involves some mention of lips or eyes or hands or legs or whatever, along with various adjectives to describe them. (The word ‘eye(s)’, for instance, pops up a whopping 142 times in the book, with about a third of those references having descriptive adjectives.) Such writing makes me feel like the relationship is based primarily on physical attraction than on genuine feelings. Not my cup of tea at all. Might not be an issue for other readers.
🌧️ Way too much miscommunication between the lead pair! Also a lot of overreactions and hyperdrama - annoying after a point.
🌧️ Too hazy detailing about what happens back in regular life after the duo take up the Santa "job". Many things are conveniently glided over. I felt especially sorry for Patrick's friend who ended up waiting for his architectural contribution for more than half a year with no information or apology from Patrick.
🌧️ Broad daylight in the North Pole in December? Bruh!
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at a little over ten hours, is narrated by Mark Sanderlin and Zach Barela. The narrator who voices Quinn didn’t have my preferred kind of voice. He was a bit too high-pitched, which ended up making Quinn sound even whinier than he was. Patrick’s narrator was much better for my ears. Regardless, I appreciate that the two have voices so different from each other’s, especially because both narratives were in first person. The distinct timbre of the voices helped me keep track of the two perspectives easily.
All in all, this was a good first experience of a M/M romance, but I do wish the characters had behaved more maturely and the Christmas setting had been put to better use. At the same time, the nays are because of my personal reading preferences. The right reader ought to like this work better.
Recommended to M/M romance readers looking for a story more focussed on repairing love than on new love.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC and St. Martin's Press for providing the DRC of “The Merriest Misters” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Patrick and Quinn have been married for not even a year and the cracks have already begun showing up. Patrick is very work-obsessed, which leaves Quinn feeling neglected and frustrated at having to handle the domestic chores alone.
When Patrick ends up hitting a “burglar” with a frying pan on Christmas Eve, they both are stunned that they’ve knocked Santa Claus unconscious. Santa’s flustered assistant, an elf named Hobart, insists that one of the two men take over Santa duties to save Christmas. Little do they realise that their duties weren’t meant to last only till Christmas morning. Will their struggling marriage be able to handle this added pressure?
The story comes to us in the alternating first-person perspectives of Patrick and Quinn, from two timelines.
This is my first proper M/M romance novel. For some reason, I have never found M/M blurbs appealing, though I have read and enjoyed plenty of F/F love stories. This book’s blurb reminded me of Tim Allen’s ‘The Santa Clause’ movies, which I had really enjoyed back in the day. Though the book didn’t entirely satisfy me, it is partly due to my reading preferences, and I hope I have a better experience with the next M/M story I might happen to pick up any time.
Bookish Yays:
🌈 A “romance” where the couple is already married and their relationship is somewhat fragile – quite unusual for this genre. It was refreshing to see a young couple struggling with the requirements of domestic living.
🌈 This might be a negative for some readers, but I truly appreciated how the plot shows one of them being dominant in the relationship without even realising how it affects the other one. Fictional gay relationships are always depicted as 100% positive. This book shows that they are as normal and as problematic as any straight relationship.
🌈 Every time there’s a white character in the book, the writing introduces them as such: “a white man”. I have rarely seen books introduce any white characters by referencing their skin colour, so kudos to the author! Let’s hope this becomes the norm. The default character colour in Western books shouldn’t be assumed to be white.
🌈 The rep is outstanding: a gay couple, a lesbian couple, a trans character, an ace character… At times, it did feel like there was a checklist being ticked off, but on the whole, it was a big positive.
🌈 Some chapters are termed “memories”, and these offer a flashback glimpse at how Patrick and Quinn first met and came together. These were well-written, and quite important in understanding their present difficulties.
🌈 A minor thread focusses on the issues faced by public school teachers (as Quinn is one) due to fund cuts – too short to be a major arc in the plot, but an important topic nonetheless.
🌈 Quinn has a "camp sensibility", a feminine side that he secretly acknowledges but struggles to show openly. I loved this writing choice! This portrayal is usually avoided in fiction as it is considered stereotypical or offensive. But Quinn's character development is very positive, showing him slowly embracing his "feminine side" without fear of rejection.
Bookish Mixed Bags:
⛅ I'm not a big fan of the whole “Christmas is RUINED without Santa and presents” trope. The book focusses only on the commercial aspects of Christmas such as gifts and lavish lunches and decoration. But given the premise of the book, I was kinda prepared for it.
⛅ While the Christmas setting does add some holiday spirit to the plot, the main storyline isn’t about Christmas but about the couple. The holiday vibes hence felt somewhat subdued, even in the location where everything should have felt most Christmassy.
⛅ The steam level is lukewarm – plenty of references to sex, no open-door action. This is good for me as I don’t enjoy steam in any romance books, regardless of the gender or sexual orientation of the couple. But there are some corny references connected to the libido that made me cringe.
Bookish Nays:
🌧️ Patrick and Quinn are just twenty-six, which means they are new adults in their approach towards everything, including each other. This might be fine for readers in that age group, but much-older-moi found their actions tedious and their behaviour juvenile most times. It felt like they had much growing up to do individually and as a couple.
🌧️ Way too much anatomical focus in the writing! Almost every scene involves some mention of lips or eyes or hands or legs or whatever, along with various adjectives to describe them. (The word ‘eye(s)’, for instance, pops up a whopping 142 times in the book, with about a third of those references having descriptive adjectives.) Such writing makes me feel like the relationship is based primarily on physical attraction than on genuine feelings. Not my cup of tea at all. Might not be an issue for other readers.
🌧️ Way too much miscommunication between the lead pair! Also a lot of overreactions and hyperdrama - annoying after a point.
🌧️ Too hazy detailing about what happens back in regular life after the duo take up the Santa "job". Many things are conveniently glided over. I felt especially sorry for Patrick's friend who ended up waiting for his architectural contribution for more than half a year with no information or apology from Patrick.
🌧️ Broad daylight in the North Pole in December? Bruh!
🎧 The Audiobook Experience:
The audiobook, clocking at a little over ten hours, is narrated by Mark Sanderlin and Zach Barela. The narrator who voices Quinn didn’t have my preferred kind of voice. He was a bit too high-pitched, which ended up making Quinn sound even whinier than he was. Patrick’s narrator was much better for my ears. Regardless, I appreciate that the two have voices so different from each other’s, especially because both narratives were in first person. The distinct timbre of the voices helped me keep track of the two perspectives easily.
All in all, this was a good first experience of a M/M romance, but I do wish the characters had behaved more maturely and the Christmas setting had been put to better use. At the same time, the nays are because of my personal reading preferences. The right reader ought to like this work better.
Recommended to M/M romance readers looking for a story more focussed on repairing love than on new love.
3.25 stars.
My thanks to Macmillan Audio for providing the ALC and St. Martin's Press for providing the DRC of “The Merriest Misters” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
October 3, 2024
The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
Holiday diverse M-M paranormal romance. Dual POV.
Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year and with a cumbersome mortgage and jobs neither are fully happy with, their relationship is suffering. Their lives are Interrupted when Patrick knocks out Santa with a frying pan and has to step into the role to save Christmas. They agree to stay at the North Pole for a year and become busy with making the toys and all the tasks needed for the job. Their relationship doesn’t take thrive which puts the magic in jeopardy. Will Christmas survive? Will they?
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The recording was performed by Mark Sanderlin and Zach Barela who each takes on one of the POV’s. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to better match reading speed and conversational comfort. The audiobook was easy to follow even when it switched to a memory as chapter changes and time changes were announced.
Because of the memories and flashbacks, the print version may be easier to read for some.
The story was sentimental with adult issues. I expected it to be happier simply because of the premise of Christmas and the North Pole and the cartoonish cover. It is not a comedy at all. It is a romance so hea, but I shed some tears as they both recognized their own needs as adults and living life. Romance hea.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.
Holiday diverse M-M paranormal romance. Dual POV.
Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year and with a cumbersome mortgage and jobs neither are fully happy with, their relationship is suffering. Their lives are Interrupted when Patrick knocks out Santa with a frying pan and has to step into the role to save Christmas. They agree to stay at the North Pole for a year and become busy with making the toys and all the tasks needed for the job. Their relationship doesn’t take thrive which puts the magic in jeopardy. Will Christmas survive? Will they?
🎧 I alternated between an ebook and an audiobook. The recording was performed by Mark Sanderlin and Zach Barela who each takes on one of the POV’s. I did speed up the playback to 1.5 to better match reading speed and conversational comfort. The audiobook was easy to follow even when it switched to a memory as chapter changes and time changes were announced.
Because of the memories and flashbacks, the print version may be easier to read for some.
The story was sentimental with adult issues. I expected it to be happier simply because of the premise of Christmas and the North Pole and the cartoonish cover. It is not a comedy at all. It is a romance so hea, but I shed some tears as they both recognized their own needs as adults and living life. Romance hea.
I received a copy of this from NetGalley and publisher Macmillan Audio.
December 8, 2024
The Merriest Misters has me anxiously looking at my holiday decorations in late August. I was gifted this ALC by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley and it truly is a joy to listen to. While the description may come off as “The Santa Clause”, Patrick and Quinn’s stories dive deeper into coping with familial expectations, finding your own identity when you’re now part of a married couple, and the burden and excitement with following your dreams. Along with Patrick and Quinn, Janovsky and the narrators bring you with them in a journey of suspending your disbelief and embracing magic-and finding the magic in an everyday life that had grown stale. This is one book where I really think I would enjoy the audiobook over hard copy as I feel like the narrators really embody their characters. Thanks to Macmillan audio for choosing me for this ALC!
December 17, 2024
This story is told in dual alternating first person by Quinn and Patrick, a couple approaching their first wedding anniversary that are struggling with their connection. For traditional romance readers, this might be a departure from the they got married and lived happily ever after, but I really enjoyed the story and how it acknowledges that real life takes continuing compromise and adjustments. Not only is this couple struggling with their relationship, but they also have individual personal and professional issues.
Patrick previously went against his family’s expectations to pursue an architecture degree and now has a position at a big corporate firm, but his creative needs go unfulfilled despite all the hours he puts into rote designs that have no imagination. Patrick also struggles with feeling he should adhere to the traditional man of the household example that his father set. I was a little annoyed with him at times for not considering that he is half of a partnership.
Quinn is an elementary school teacher and while he loves children and teaching, lately the school seems to be doing everything to tie his hands rather than focus on learning, and to suppress his personality. He used to dress feminine and flamboyant but has felt pressured to tone it down over the years due to perceived family and professional expectations until he seems to be just a shadow of his former self.
Their story has a bit of The Santa Clause movie plot to it in that Patrick injures Santa and must choose to take his place or cancel Christmas. I love that movie, and I thought it was cleverly worked into this story of a struggling relationship with two complicated individuals just trying to figure it all out.
I really enjoyed watching this couple reconnect and work things out both individually and as a couple. Their resolution wasn’t any more traditional than the story and while I’ve seen some mixed reviews about this, I thought it was well done and reflects the real life of a lot of couples with jobs that require something other than a traditional 8-5 workday.
Recommended to holiday romance readers looking for something a little different with heart.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy provided for an honest review.
Patrick previously went against his family’s expectations to pursue an architecture degree and now has a position at a big corporate firm, but his creative needs go unfulfilled despite all the hours he puts into rote designs that have no imagination. Patrick also struggles with feeling he should adhere to the traditional man of the household example that his father set. I was a little annoyed with him at times for not considering that he is half of a partnership.
Quinn is an elementary school teacher and while he loves children and teaching, lately the school seems to be doing everything to tie his hands rather than focus on learning, and to suppress his personality. He used to dress feminine and flamboyant but has felt pressured to tone it down over the years due to perceived family and professional expectations until he seems to be just a shadow of his former self.
Their story has a bit of The Santa Clause movie plot to it in that Patrick injures Santa and must choose to take his place or cancel Christmas. I love that movie, and I thought it was cleverly worked into this story of a struggling relationship with two complicated individuals just trying to figure it all out.
I really enjoyed watching this couple reconnect and work things out both individually and as a couple. Their resolution wasn’t any more traditional than the story and while I’ve seen some mixed reviews about this, I thought it was well done and reflects the real life of a lot of couples with jobs that require something other than a traditional 8-5 workday.
Recommended to holiday romance readers looking for something a little different with heart.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for a copy provided for an honest review.
December 22, 2024
3.5 stars
December 11, 2024
Ooh this was a lot of fun! I love Timothy Janovsky's books that have very silly, fun, unique premisses, and this was no different. This is exactly the kind of book I wanted to read for Christmas, something weird and funny and just a little magical.
I thought the premisse of accidentally knocking out Santa and having to replace him was hilarious and it was the start of so much magical fun. But this book also has a lot of, possibly surprising, emotional growth and depth. At its heart, this is a marriage in crisis book, and I thought it was done so well. Both characters are fully fleshed out, complex, and multifaceted, and it was so believable how their marriage problems had slowly come about. Their love for each other was very clear, and the only unclear thing was how they were overcoming their relationship problems, and I was rooting for them so much.
I thought the premisse of accidentally knocking out Santa and having to replace him was hilarious and it was the start of so much magical fun. But this book also has a lot of, possibly surprising, emotional growth and depth. At its heart, this is a marriage in crisis book, and I thought it was done so well. Both characters are fully fleshed out, complex, and multifaceted, and it was so believable how their marriage problems had slowly come about. Their love for each other was very clear, and the only unclear thing was how they were overcoming their relationship problems, and I was rooting for them so much.
December 19, 2025
An endearing and humorous Christmas adventure!
Just when I thought I was getting tired of romantic comedies. I enjoyed this book so much! Those little moments of humor tickled me all the way through. A cute holiday love story of two husbands trying to preserve their marriage and save Christmas! I enjoyed the alternating chapters between Quinn and Patrick during the main timeline and the flashback chapters enhance the narrative by allowing us to see how these two characters grow together and experience changes. Light spoilers ahead.
Here we have our leads, Patrick (architect) and Quinn (teacher) getting ready for Christmas in a house that needs extensive repairs, they are both overworked and dissatisfied with their jobs, less time for intimacy and now the in-laws are coming for dinner. To make matters worse, Patrick loses his job and now he’s afraid he won’t get to achieve everything he desires. Then the two awaken on Christmas Eve to find a mysterious stranger in their house. Santa gets knocked out with a frying pan and a new adventure begins for them!
The romantic moments between our leads are subdued and mostly inferred “behind closed door” intimacy, which is perfect for me and my preferences when reading sexual content. Others might like their romantic stories with more heat.
The benefits:
I was captivated with the descriptions of the setting and people at the North Pole village. I could easily imagine myself in those beautiful snowy streets with the lights and bells, competitive snowball fights and the renovations on Santa’s famous workshop!
The supporting characters are endearing and they have grown on me, particularly Hobart the head elf! I also liked Veronica and Kacey the best friends everyone needs! Even if other supporting characters are out of focus, they have some nuance to them so they don’t feel like one-note caricatures which fits the spirit of the book. Nobody should be pigeonholed in a particular way and it’s never too late to make changes that improve established traditions. I loved the fact that the North Pole community is mostly free of the prejudices and biases of the real world, an idealized utopia but refreshing to experience.
When Patrick and Quinn are dealing with misunderstandings, they don’t let them all build up until the end. I’m happy with the pacing and even if they don’t get everything right, they try to meet each other halfway and address any issues that come up. Also, the misunderstandings feel plausible and it’s easy to understand why it’s hard for these two fellows to open up at the right time and in the right way. The third act separation doesn’t feel too contrived and feels like a natural progression of the plot and allows that “breakup” period between the characters to achieve some growth that doesn’t get an instant resolution like in other stories.
A few critical thoughts.
When Patrick and Quinn start their first journey on Christmas Eve, I had a question in my head that did not get answered until later in the book; how do they enter houses without a chimney? (I was happy to get the answer, but I needed it earlier because I know there were no chimneys in any of the high rise buildings or RVs they might have visited, maybe they had a universal key to open any lock? Just a personal speculation). The time skip at the end glossed over some aspects of the couple’s reconciliation but I can only infer that most of their issues are being addressed so they can face the future together with a stronger marriage.
Some moments were glossed over like Patrick’s opening speech to the elves and Blizzard’s poem, I needed those words! Instead the author leaves those moments to the reader’s imagination.
All in all, this book left me with all kinds of warm feelings and I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good romantic Christmas adventure! If I had my way, I would give this book 10 stars.
Just when I thought I was getting tired of romantic comedies. I enjoyed this book so much! Those little moments of humor tickled me all the way through. A cute holiday love story of two husbands trying to preserve their marriage and save Christmas! I enjoyed the alternating chapters between Quinn and Patrick during the main timeline and the flashback chapters enhance the narrative by allowing us to see how these two characters grow together and experience changes. Light spoilers ahead.
Here we have our leads, Patrick (architect) and Quinn (teacher) getting ready for Christmas in a house that needs extensive repairs, they are both overworked and dissatisfied with their jobs, less time for intimacy and now the in-laws are coming for dinner. To make matters worse, Patrick loses his job and now he’s afraid he won’t get to achieve everything he desires. Then the two awaken on Christmas Eve to find a mysterious stranger in their house. Santa gets knocked out with a frying pan and a new adventure begins for them!
The romantic moments between our leads are subdued and mostly inferred “behind closed door” intimacy, which is perfect for me and my preferences when reading sexual content. Others might like their romantic stories with more heat.
The benefits:
I was captivated with the descriptions of the setting and people at the North Pole village. I could easily imagine myself in those beautiful snowy streets with the lights and bells, competitive snowball fights and the renovations on Santa’s famous workshop!
The supporting characters are endearing and they have grown on me, particularly Hobart the head elf! I also liked Veronica and Kacey the best friends everyone needs! Even if other supporting characters are out of focus, they have some nuance to them so they don’t feel like one-note caricatures which fits the spirit of the book. Nobody should be pigeonholed in a particular way and it’s never too late to make changes that improve established traditions. I loved the fact that the North Pole community is mostly free of the prejudices and biases of the real world, an idealized utopia but refreshing to experience.
When Patrick and Quinn are dealing with misunderstandings, they don’t let them all build up until the end. I’m happy with the pacing and even if they don’t get everything right, they try to meet each other halfway and address any issues that come up. Also, the misunderstandings feel plausible and it’s easy to understand why it’s hard for these two fellows to open up at the right time and in the right way. The third act separation doesn’t feel too contrived and feels like a natural progression of the plot and allows that “breakup” period between the characters to achieve some growth that doesn’t get an instant resolution like in other stories.
A few critical thoughts.
When Patrick and Quinn start their first journey on Christmas Eve, I had a question in my head that did not get answered until later in the book; how do they enter houses without a chimney? (I was happy to get the answer, but I needed it earlier because I know there were no chimneys in any of the high rise buildings or RVs they might have visited, maybe they had a universal key to open any lock? Just a personal speculation). The time skip at the end glossed over some aspects of the couple’s reconciliation but I can only infer that most of their issues are being addressed so they can face the future together with a stronger marriage.
Some moments were glossed over like Patrick’s opening speech to the elves and Blizzard’s poem, I needed those words! Instead the author leaves those moments to the reader’s imagination.
All in all, this book left me with all kinds of warm feelings and I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good romantic Christmas adventure! If I had my way, I would give this book 10 stars.
December 15, 2024
So cute! A quick and easy romance read with some hard hitting topics!(:
April 12, 2024
4 Stars – Delightfully tender and overflowing with affection!
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC of “The Merriest Misters” by Timothy Janovsky in exchange for an honest review.
With fond memories of Tim Allen in "The Santa Clause," and a desperate need for something cheerful to ease my rattling nerves after a ridiculously stress-ridden couple of weeks, this holiday rom-com jumped to the top of my TBR.
With “The Merriest Misters” being the first Janovsky book I’ve picked up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. So, I was delightfully surprised to find myself being drawn into the light, yet wry, humor of Quinn’s narration from the very first page. Between his and Patrick’s perspectives, it’s obvious that despite the less than ideal state of their relationship, there’s still affection there. It’s just been muted by the pressures and expectations of family and work responsibilities. It’s the classic case of ‘life getting you down.’ Quinn and Patrick are too busy, too tired, and too damn out of sync, and neither of them really understands how they ended up that way.
Janovsky pairs this marriage-on-the-rocks trope with a weaponized frying pan and a healthy dose of Santa shenanigans to set Quinn and Patrick off on a magical holiday adventure that has all the makings of a hallmark movie.
The story progresses at a good pace. The characters are interesting with behaviors and motivations that make sense. The tone is well established and consistent; setting Quinn and Patrick’s early hopes and dreams for their careers and life together against the stagnant dissatisfaction of settling for notions of “happiness” and “success” that don’t necessarily fit them.
The flashback chapters work wonderfully to add context to the feelings the two are dealing with in the present without feeling clunky or overwritten. And despite all the cheesiness and Christmas-induced holiday cheer in the North Pole village, the rekindled romance manages to feel quite authentic.
For once, the third act separation doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It doesn’t come out of some inane misunderstanding or contrived drama. All things considered, it makes perfect sense. More than that, the time apart is used for real self-reflection and growth beyond just the romance, putting what Quinn and Patrick want and need to feel fulfilled by their lives into perspective.
And though the romance was certainly sweet, it’s the moments of reconnecting with family that really got to me.
I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed “The Merriest Misters.”
Sure, there are some things I wasn’t fond of, but I’m really picky when it comes to the technical details of narrative construction and syntactic choices. Given how well the text comes together overall, I’m pretty sure most people won’t be grumbling over the way some descriptions are handled, or how awkward it is to see a line like “you know because” when your brain tells you it really should be “you know why.”
My biggest gripe with the narrative though would have to be Yeah, I’m bitter. It is what it is. This might just be another me thing though…
In any case, “The Merriest Misters” is a delightful read full of Christmas magic and the much needed reminder that happiness for you may not look the same as it does for everyone else, and that’s okay.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for providing me with an ARC of “The Merriest Misters” by Timothy Janovsky in exchange for an honest review.
With fond memories of Tim Allen in "The Santa Clause," and a desperate need for something cheerful to ease my rattling nerves after a ridiculously stress-ridden couple of weeks, this holiday rom-com jumped to the top of my TBR.
With “The Merriest Misters” being the first Janovsky book I’ve picked up, I wasn’t sure what to expect. So, I was delightfully surprised to find myself being drawn into the light, yet wry, humor of Quinn’s narration from the very first page. Between his and Patrick’s perspectives, it’s obvious that despite the less than ideal state of their relationship, there’s still affection there. It’s just been muted by the pressures and expectations of family and work responsibilities. It’s the classic case of ‘life getting you down.’ Quinn and Patrick are too busy, too tired, and too damn out of sync, and neither of them really understands how they ended up that way.
Janovsky pairs this marriage-on-the-rocks trope with a weaponized frying pan and a healthy dose of Santa shenanigans to set Quinn and Patrick off on a magical holiday adventure that has all the makings of a hallmark movie.
The story progresses at a good pace. The characters are interesting with behaviors and motivations that make sense. The tone is well established and consistent; setting Quinn and Patrick’s early hopes and dreams for their careers and life together against the stagnant dissatisfaction of settling for notions of “happiness” and “success” that don’t necessarily fit them.
The flashback chapters work wonderfully to add context to the feelings the two are dealing with in the present without feeling clunky or overwritten. And despite all the cheesiness and Christmas-induced holiday cheer in the North Pole village, the rekindled romance manages to feel quite authentic.
For once, the third act separation doesn’t feel like a gimmick. It doesn’t come out of some inane misunderstanding or contrived drama. All things considered, it makes perfect sense. More than that, the time apart is used for real self-reflection and growth beyond just the romance, putting what Quinn and Patrick want and need to feel fulfilled by their lives into perspective.
And though the romance was certainly sweet, it’s the moments of reconnecting with family that really got to me.
I’m actually surprised by how much I enjoyed “The Merriest Misters.”
Sure, there are some things I wasn’t fond of, but I’m really picky when it comes to the technical details of narrative construction and syntactic choices. Given how well the text comes together overall, I’m pretty sure most people won’t be grumbling over the way some descriptions are handled, or how awkward it is to see a line like “you know because” when your brain tells you it really should be “you know why.”
My biggest gripe with the narrative though would have to be Yeah, I’m bitter. It is what it is. This might just be another me thing though…
In any case, “The Merriest Misters” is a delightful read full of Christmas magic and the much needed reminder that happiness for you may not look the same as it does for everyone else, and that’s okay.
did-not-finish
October 7, 2024DNF at 19%.
This book is full of the tropiest tropes and unhealthy behavior. Patrick is "the man" 🙄 in this narrative with all the unhealthy heteronormative stupidness of "being the provider" and not showing weakness and all that other crap. As soon as he and Quinn got married, he disappears into his job trying to "provide" for them. This is irritating in a m/f book but completely obnoxious in an m/m book.
Quinn is the caretaker in their relationship with the stupid and unhealthy behavior of shoving down his resentment and always being the nice one who takes care of Patrick.
And then... the Santa Clause knockoff plot begins and I could NOT stop rolling my eyes. It's not great. Do not recommend.
The narrators were pretty good tho.
I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy.
This book is full of the tropiest tropes and unhealthy behavior. Patrick is "the man" 🙄 in this narrative with all the unhealthy heteronormative stupidness of "being the provider" and not showing weakness and all that other crap. As soon as he and Quinn got married, he disappears into his job trying to "provide" for them. This is irritating in a m/f book but completely obnoxious in an m/m book.
Quinn is the caretaker in their relationship with the stupid and unhealthy behavior of shoving down his resentment and always being the nice one who takes care of Patrick.
And then... the Santa Clause knockoff plot begins and I could NOT stop rolling my eyes. It's not great. Do not recommend.
The narrators were pretty good tho.
I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy.
October 19, 2024
Thank you NetGalley,
I was not a fan of this book at all. I felt like the queer factor was forced in this book and the characters didn’t ring true. The relationships seemed super forced. I like seeing representation in books but this book didn’t hit home for me. This was a solid 2 for me but hopefully I’ll like their next book better.
I was not a fan of this book at all. I felt like the queer factor was forced in this book and the characters didn’t ring true. The relationships seemed super forced. I like seeing representation in books but this book didn’t hit home for me. This was a solid 2 for me but hopefully I’ll like their next book better.
December 29, 2023
A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! THIS BOOK HEALED DECADES-OLD TRAUMA BORN FROM BEING A CHILD OF DIVORCE AND WATCHING TIM ALLEN GO FROM ABSENT DAD TO ABSENT SANTA DAD!!
December 12, 2024
for everyone who watched the santa clause and thought "i wish there was more about tim allen's divorce"
December 30, 2024
(RESENHA EM PORTUGUÊS LOGO ABAIXO)
4.5 stars.
Patrick and Quinn have been married for less than a year, but are already beginning to feel the difficulties of life getting in the way of the passion they feel for each other.
At the last minute, Patrick announces that his parents are going to celebrate Christmas at their house. Quinn is very stressed, as he wants to impress his parents-in-law, but the house they bought still has a lot of work to do, and they're not ready to receive people.
After a fight about this, Patrick continues to hang the Christmas decorations around the house late at night, while Quinn goes to sleep. However, Patrick hears a noise inside the house and when he goes to check it out, he finds a man dressed in red eating the cookies and drinking the milk that they usually leave for “Santa Claus”.
Patrick hits the mysterious man with a frying pan and he faints. In desperation, he rushes to wake Quinn, who doesn't believe him until he sees the person passed out in the middle of the kitchen. Then they discover that this person dressed as Santa Claus is really Santa Claus. And, after this revelation, something happens that may or may not repair these differences between Patrick and Quinn.
This book took me completely by surprise, as I was expecting just a silly romantic comedy. But I ended up coming across magical elements.
I loved the way the story was told. The author alternates between past and present, as well as presenting each character's point of view.
This made it possible to understand how each of them felt about the direction their relationship was taking, the first impression each of them had the first time they met, what Quinn's relationship was like with Patrick's family.
This couple drama is also very well done, it fits in very well with the whole plot and the difficulties that the characters' choices bring them. Their relationship is very enjoyable to follow, even in the most difficult moments, because it's clear that they don't want it to end, but they need to clarify everything.
The magical element is a little confusing at first, but there's a part where all the explanations are given and it's all very well thought out. I loved getting to know the “civilization” that appears here, even though I wanted to see more of it.
My only problem was with the ending, which I thought was too fast-paced. But it didn't put a damper on my reading experience. The story ended in a magical way, as a Christmas book should.
This was a read that caught me completely off guard and was great to read just at this time of year, I recommend you do the same.
----------------------------------------
4,5 estrelas.
Patrick e Quinn estão casados por menos de um ano, mas já começam a sentir as dificuldades da vida atrapalhando a paixão que eles sentem um pelo outro.
De ultima hora, Patrick avisa que seus pais estão indo comemorar o natal na casa deles. Quinn fica bem estressado, pois quer impressionar os sogros, mas a casa que eles compraram ainda tem muita coisa para arrumar, eles não estão prontos para receber pessoas.
Após uma briga sobre esse assunto, Patrick continua pendurando a decoração de natal pela casa tarde da noite, enquanto Quinn vai dormir. Porém, Patrick escuta um barulho dentro de casa, quando vai verificar o que é, ele encontra um homem vestido de vermelho comendo os biscoitos e tomando o leite, que eles normalmente deixam para o "Papai Noel".
Patrick acerta esse homem misterioso com uma frigideira e ele aca desmaiando. No desespero, ele corre pra acordar Quinn, que não acredita nele até ver a pessoa desmaiada no meio da cozinha. Então que eles descobrem que essa pessoa vestida de Papai Noel é realmente o Papai Noel. E, após essa revelação, algo acontece que pode ou não consertar esses desentendimentos entre Patrick e Quinn.
Esse livro me pegou totalmente de surpresas, pois estava esperando apenas uma comédia romântica bobinha. Mas acabei ne deparando com elementos mágicos sendo abordados.
Eu amei a forma como a história foi contada. O autor intercala entre passado e presente, além de apresentar o ponto de vista de cada um deles.
Assim foi possível entender como cada um se sentia com o rumo que o relacionamento estava tomando, a primeira impressão que cada um teve na primeira vez que se conheceram, como era a relação do Quinn com a família do Patrick.
Esse drama do casal também é muito bem feito, isso se encaixa muito bem com todo o plot da trama e as dificuldades que as escolhas dos personagens trazem para eles. A relação deles é muito gostosa de acompanhar, mesmo nos momentos mais difíceis, pois é perceptível que eles não querem que aquilo acabe, mas precisam esclarecer tudo.
O elemento mágico é um pouco confuso no começo, mas tem uma parte que todas as explicações são dadas e foi tudo muito bem pensado. Adorei conhecer a "civilização" que aparece aqui, apesar de querer ver mais momentos de lá.
Meu único probleminha foi com o final, que achei acelerado demais. Mas nada que acabou atrapalhando minha experiencia de leitura. A história se encerrou de uma forma mágica, como um livro de natal deveria ser.
Essa foi uma leitura que me pegou completamente desprevenido e foi muito bom ler justamente nessa época do ano, recomendo que façam o mesmo.
4.5 stars.
Patrick and Quinn have been married for less than a year, but are already beginning to feel the difficulties of life getting in the way of the passion they feel for each other.
At the last minute, Patrick announces that his parents are going to celebrate Christmas at their house. Quinn is very stressed, as he wants to impress his parents-in-law, but the house they bought still has a lot of work to do, and they're not ready to receive people.
After a fight about this, Patrick continues to hang the Christmas decorations around the house late at night, while Quinn goes to sleep. However, Patrick hears a noise inside the house and when he goes to check it out, he finds a man dressed in red eating the cookies and drinking the milk that they usually leave for “Santa Claus”.
Patrick hits the mysterious man with a frying pan and he faints. In desperation, he rushes to wake Quinn, who doesn't believe him until he sees the person passed out in the middle of the kitchen. Then they discover that this person dressed as Santa Claus is really Santa Claus. And, after this revelation, something happens that may or may not repair these differences between Patrick and Quinn.
This book took me completely by surprise, as I was expecting just a silly romantic comedy. But I ended up coming across magical elements.
I loved the way the story was told. The author alternates between past and present, as well as presenting each character's point of view.
This made it possible to understand how each of them felt about the direction their relationship was taking, the first impression each of them had the first time they met, what Quinn's relationship was like with Patrick's family.
This couple drama is also very well done, it fits in very well with the whole plot and the difficulties that the characters' choices bring them. Their relationship is very enjoyable to follow, even in the most difficult moments, because it's clear that they don't want it to end, but they need to clarify everything.
The magical element is a little confusing at first, but there's a part where all the explanations are given and it's all very well thought out. I loved getting to know the “civilization” that appears here, even though I wanted to see more of it.
My only problem was with the ending, which I thought was too fast-paced. But it didn't put a damper on my reading experience. The story ended in a magical way, as a Christmas book should.
This was a read that caught me completely off guard and was great to read just at this time of year, I recommend you do the same.
----------------------------------------
4,5 estrelas.
Patrick e Quinn estão casados por menos de um ano, mas já começam a sentir as dificuldades da vida atrapalhando a paixão que eles sentem um pelo outro.
De ultima hora, Patrick avisa que seus pais estão indo comemorar o natal na casa deles. Quinn fica bem estressado, pois quer impressionar os sogros, mas a casa que eles compraram ainda tem muita coisa para arrumar, eles não estão prontos para receber pessoas.
Após uma briga sobre esse assunto, Patrick continua pendurando a decoração de natal pela casa tarde da noite, enquanto Quinn vai dormir. Porém, Patrick escuta um barulho dentro de casa, quando vai verificar o que é, ele encontra um homem vestido de vermelho comendo os biscoitos e tomando o leite, que eles normalmente deixam para o "Papai Noel".
Patrick acerta esse homem misterioso com uma frigideira e ele aca desmaiando. No desespero, ele corre pra acordar Quinn, que não acredita nele até ver a pessoa desmaiada no meio da cozinha. Então que eles descobrem que essa pessoa vestida de Papai Noel é realmente o Papai Noel. E, após essa revelação, algo acontece que pode ou não consertar esses desentendimentos entre Patrick e Quinn.
Esse livro me pegou totalmente de surpresas, pois estava esperando apenas uma comédia romântica bobinha. Mas acabei ne deparando com elementos mágicos sendo abordados.
Eu amei a forma como a história foi contada. O autor intercala entre passado e presente, além de apresentar o ponto de vista de cada um deles.
Assim foi possível entender como cada um se sentia com o rumo que o relacionamento estava tomando, a primeira impressão que cada um teve na primeira vez que se conheceram, como era a relação do Quinn com a família do Patrick.
Esse drama do casal também é muito bem feito, isso se encaixa muito bem com todo o plot da trama e as dificuldades que as escolhas dos personagens trazem para eles. A relação deles é muito gostosa de acompanhar, mesmo nos momentos mais difíceis, pois é perceptível que eles não querem que aquilo acabe, mas precisam esclarecer tudo.
O elemento mágico é um pouco confuso no começo, mas tem uma parte que todas as explicações são dadas e foi tudo muito bem pensado. Adorei conhecer a "civilização" que aparece aqui, apesar de querer ver mais momentos de lá.
Meu único probleminha foi com o final, que achei acelerado demais. Mas nada que acabou atrapalhando minha experiencia de leitura. A história se encerrou de uma forma mágica, como um livro de natal deveria ser.
Essa foi uma leitura que me pegou completamente desprevenido e foi muito bom ler justamente nessa época do ano, recomendo que façam o mesmo.
November 25, 2024
I loved Quinn! He was so true to himself and I loved how he cared for others! He was a great teacher 😭❤️
July 18, 2024
I received this book as an advanced reader's copy from the publisher. This book was a treat to read in the midst of summer. Basically Christmas in July. The story was very cute and gave off Hallmark vibes. It was a nice change from all the clichés of Hallmark movies, where this book focused on the LGBTQ married couple of Patrick and Quinn. It was refreshing reading a story where the couple did not have to fight for acceptance and instead focused on building healthy relationships and loving yourself.
October 6, 2024
This one was almost a DNF for me. I thought it would be a good story for me but with the two MMC having almost no personality I just couldn’t get into it. Add in that it felt very much like a LGBTIQ version of the movie The Santa Clause …..just made it a no for me.
I won’t ruin the end of the book for anyone
Who might enjoy it,but I will say that the ending was the final nail in the books coffin for me.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.
I won’t ruin the end of the book for anyone
Who might enjoy it,but I will say that the ending was the final nail in the books coffin for me.
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.
August 18, 2024
Patrick and Quinn are trying to keep their marriage together. When a visitor arrives their holiday season is changed forever. A nice read.
October 18, 2024
I wanted to love this but I basically felt like I was trapped in a couple’s counseling session set in the North Pole and that, my friends, is not what I want out of a holiday read.
November 4, 2024
Thank you St. Martin’s Press and SMP Romance for my copy! All thoughts are my own.
One of my favorite holiday books I’ve read in recent memory is You’re a Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky. It was so delightful and heartwarming so when I saw the author had a new holiday rom com coming out in 2024, I immediately added it to my TBR. And then when I read the synopsis, I was SOLD on it so hard. I was so excited!
And I liked it. But I didn’t love it. I think it was cute and festive, but the elements of the marriage in crisis trope didn’t feel like they had very high stakes. I still think Matthew Prince is his best holiday rom com, but this is definitely a cute, fun read if you’re looking to add it to your holiday reading.
Synopsis:
“Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That’s until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up with: “I think I’ve killed a man.”Quinn realizes the “burglar” Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they’re in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be canceled… permanently.With Christmas–and their marriage–on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other’s stockings come next Christmas?” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Concept—I read the concept and thought it sounded like a modern, queer, rom com version of The Santa Clause, which is one of my favorite movies. It seems so clever to me and the perfect time constraints for the marriage in crisis trope.
The Characters—Quinn and Patrick were a delight to spend time with. I also wish we got to spend more time with Veronica!
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The Execution—Since this takes place over an entire calendar year, I feel like we lost the urgency of the situation.
The Pacing—Which in turn effected the pacing and kept me from wanting to pick it up.
The Conflict—I just didn’t feel it! I was confused as to where it was all coming from, because I didn’t get the perception the characters were growing apart. But I think it’s a me problem.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Content Warnings:
homophobia (in the workplace), abandonment
One of my favorite holiday books I’ve read in recent memory is You’re a Mean One Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky. It was so delightful and heartwarming so when I saw the author had a new holiday rom com coming out in 2024, I immediately added it to my TBR. And then when I read the synopsis, I was SOLD on it so hard. I was so excited!
And I liked it. But I didn’t love it. I think it was cute and festive, but the elements of the marriage in crisis trope didn’t feel like they had very high stakes. I still think Matthew Prince is his best holiday rom com, but this is definitely a cute, fun read if you’re looking to add it to your holiday reading.
Synopsis:
“Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That’s until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up with: “I think I’ve killed a man.”Quinn realizes the “burglar” Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they’re in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be canceled… permanently.With Christmas–and their marriage–on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other’s stockings come next Christmas?” —NetGalley
What I Liked:
The Concept—I read the concept and thought it sounded like a modern, queer, rom com version of The Santa Clause, which is one of my favorite movies. It seems so clever to me and the perfect time constraints for the marriage in crisis trope.
The Characters—Quinn and Patrick were a delight to spend time with. I also wish we got to spend more time with Veronica!
What Didn’t Work for Me:
The Execution—Since this takes place over an entire calendar year, I feel like we lost the urgency of the situation.
The Pacing—Which in turn effected the pacing and kept me from wanting to pick it up.
The Conflict—I just didn’t feel it! I was confused as to where it was all coming from, because I didn’t get the perception the characters were growing apart. But I think it’s a me problem.
Character Authenticity: 3/5 Spice Rating: 1/5 Overall Rating: 3.75/5
Content Warnings:
homophobia (in the workplace), abandonment
October 30, 2024
B- / 3.5 stars
Timothy Janovsky’s The Merriest Misters is a mash up of a marriage-in-trouble story and The Santa Clause – yes, really! - that I mostly enjoyed but which, unfortunately, fails to stick the landing. It’s well-written and the issues the couple are dealing (or not dealing) with are recognisable and realistic, but the ending is dissatisfying and I came away from the book thinking that maybe the leads should call it quits - which isn’t what I want to be thinking when I finish a romance novel.
Quinn Muller and Patrick Hargrave have been together for over five years and married for a little under one. They recently bought a house Quinn doesn’t really like, they have stressful jobs – Quinn is an elementary school teacher and Patrick is a junior architect at a big firm – and of late their jobs, the house and life in general are sucking them dry, leaving them very little time for themselves or each other. When Patrick tells Quinn he’s agreed to host Christmas for his family, it’s just another straw on the camel’s back for Quinn, but good spouses don’t make unnecessary drama, so he bites back his annoyance and says they’ll work it out.
Things quickly go from bad to worse when Patrick is fired the next day. Feeling like he’s failing at being a good husband and not wanting to add to the stress Quinn is already feeling over the Christmas preparations, Patrick decides not to tell him straight away - but he inadvertently lets the cat out of the bag during an argument. Angry and miserable, Quinn goes to bed in the spare room that night, but is rudely awakened by Patrick, who is brandishing a frying pan and saying he thinks he’s killed someone. Quinn accompanies Patrick downstairs to the kitchen where there’s a man dressed in red lying on the floor, out cold. When he eventually comes round, the man – who really does look like Santa Claus – gets up and yells “I quit!” before storming out of the house, leaving his suit behind. Before they can think too much about what just happened, an elf appears – at least, Quinn thinks he’s an elf – who explains there’s no time to lose. It’s Christmas Eve and unless Patrick and Quinn are willing to put on the enchanted cloak and finish delivering all the gifts, Christmas won’t happen. It’s a no-brainer, for Patrick at least. Quinn decides to go along for the (sleigh) ride.
After an exhilarating night delivering gifts, Quinn and Patrick are asked if they’ll consider staying on until the next Christmas, at least. They have until New Year to decide and while Patrick is keener on the idea than Quinn, Quinn lets himself be persuaded. Maybe a change of scene is what they need to repair their marriage and fall in love again.
The story is told in the present – a series of vignettes of Quinn and Patrick’s lives as Santa and the Merriest Mister - and some short flashback chapters that show Patrick and Quinn’s relationship at various stages, from their first meeting through to their wedding and house hunting. From the start, it’s clear that Patrick is trying desperately to make up for not training to be a lawyer like his parents wanted, and having absorbed his father’s very traditional ideas that a husband should be a stoic provider means he views his role as protector rather than equal partner. We see how he and Quinn kind of rushed things after they’d become a couple – mostly because Patrick was trying to conform to his father’s idea of ‘the right’ way to do things (meet someone, get married, buy a house) - and that Quinn’s background (his parents divorced when he was young and he’s determined to never let that happen to him) has a lot to do with why he’s allowed Patrick to bulldoze him into certain decisions, such as buying a house he really doesn’t like, and even moving in together and getting married before he was really ready for either of those things.
The author does a great job creating an atmosphere of warmth and love and contentment in the North Pole scenes, and of explaining the lore and how everything works. Things start well, and Patrick takes to being Santa like a duck to water; he’s completely re-energised and discovers a new drive and sense of purpose, and Quinn hopes he’ll be able to find a job that fulfils him in the same way when they return to to real world. Having time and space to properly think about what he wants has made Quinn realise that teaching isn’t the right fit for him; he still wants to work with children and young people but in a different capacity, and he’s looking forward to finding the right opportunity. But as the days pass and with their year coming to a close, Quinn realises that their relationship is essentially much as it was when they took the gig. Patrick is still making decisions without consulting him and Quinn is still letting him - and when Patrick says he wants to stay, but Quinn doesn’t, there’s only one thing to do if they’re to save Christmas a second time.
I suppose the underlying message is that it’s important to take time for yourself and to spend time finding out who you are and what makes you happy – and that no matter how much you love someone (and I really do believe Patrick and Quinn love each other) if you’re not able to be yourself and communicate effectively with your partner, then things are unlikely to go well. I liked watching Quinn growing into himself and doing what made him happy, and I loved the scene where Patrick takes steps to mend his relationship with his brother, but the ending just didn’t work for me. I get that an HEA looks different for different people and that what works for one couple won’t necessarily work for another, but in the context of a romance novel, the solution Quinn and Patrick arrive at doesn’t feel much like an HEA to me. For one thing, there’s still too much left unresolved between them, and for another, Patrick once again doesn’t involve Quinn in the decision making process. And third
Also – they just disappear for a year and ghost all their family and friends. Why does nobody report them as missing?
I know it must seem as though I didn’t like the book, but that isn’t the case. The marriage-in-trouble aspect of the story is really well done, the problems Patrick and Quinn are experiencing are very relatable, and I absolutely felt their frustration and their unhappiness in the early part of the book. The choice they have to make in order to save Christmas really tugs at the heartstrings, and the letters they write each other while they’re apart are sweet. But Patrick doesn’t appear to undergo any real personal growth and in the end, I just wasn’t convinced these two people, regardless of their love for each other, were meant to be together.
The Merriest Misters might be worth a read if you’re looking for a different take on a Christmas staple and don’t mind the lack of real resolution to the relationship problems. But if you want something a bit cosier for the festive season, this probably isn’t it.
Timothy Janovsky’s The Merriest Misters is a mash up of a marriage-in-trouble story and The Santa Clause – yes, really! - that I mostly enjoyed but which, unfortunately, fails to stick the landing. It’s well-written and the issues the couple are dealing (or not dealing) with are recognisable and realistic, but the ending is dissatisfying and I came away from the book thinking that maybe the leads should call it quits - which isn’t what I want to be thinking when I finish a romance novel.
Quinn Muller and Patrick Hargrave have been together for over five years and married for a little under one. They recently bought a house Quinn doesn’t really like, they have stressful jobs – Quinn is an elementary school teacher and Patrick is a junior architect at a big firm – and of late their jobs, the house and life in general are sucking them dry, leaving them very little time for themselves or each other. When Patrick tells Quinn he’s agreed to host Christmas for his family, it’s just another straw on the camel’s back for Quinn, but good spouses don’t make unnecessary drama, so he bites back his annoyance and says they’ll work it out.
Things quickly go from bad to worse when Patrick is fired the next day. Feeling like he’s failing at being a good husband and not wanting to add to the stress Quinn is already feeling over the Christmas preparations, Patrick decides not to tell him straight away - but he inadvertently lets the cat out of the bag during an argument. Angry and miserable, Quinn goes to bed in the spare room that night, but is rudely awakened by Patrick, who is brandishing a frying pan and saying he thinks he’s killed someone. Quinn accompanies Patrick downstairs to the kitchen where there’s a man dressed in red lying on the floor, out cold. When he eventually comes round, the man – who really does look like Santa Claus – gets up and yells “I quit!” before storming out of the house, leaving his suit behind. Before they can think too much about what just happened, an elf appears – at least, Quinn thinks he’s an elf – who explains there’s no time to lose. It’s Christmas Eve and unless Patrick and Quinn are willing to put on the enchanted cloak and finish delivering all the gifts, Christmas won’t happen. It’s a no-brainer, for Patrick at least. Quinn decides to go along for the (sleigh) ride.
After an exhilarating night delivering gifts, Quinn and Patrick are asked if they’ll consider staying on until the next Christmas, at least. They have until New Year to decide and while Patrick is keener on the idea than Quinn, Quinn lets himself be persuaded. Maybe a change of scene is what they need to repair their marriage and fall in love again.
The story is told in the present – a series of vignettes of Quinn and Patrick’s lives as Santa and the Merriest Mister - and some short flashback chapters that show Patrick and Quinn’s relationship at various stages, from their first meeting through to their wedding and house hunting. From the start, it’s clear that Patrick is trying desperately to make up for not training to be a lawyer like his parents wanted, and having absorbed his father’s very traditional ideas that a husband should be a stoic provider means he views his role as protector rather than equal partner. We see how he and Quinn kind of rushed things after they’d become a couple – mostly because Patrick was trying to conform to his father’s idea of ‘the right’ way to do things (meet someone, get married, buy a house) - and that Quinn’s background (his parents divorced when he was young and he’s determined to never let that happen to him) has a lot to do with why he’s allowed Patrick to bulldoze him into certain decisions, such as buying a house he really doesn’t like, and even moving in together and getting married before he was really ready for either of those things.
The author does a great job creating an atmosphere of warmth and love and contentment in the North Pole scenes, and of explaining the lore and how everything works. Things start well, and Patrick takes to being Santa like a duck to water; he’s completely re-energised and discovers a new drive and sense of purpose, and Quinn hopes he’ll be able to find a job that fulfils him in the same way when they return to to real world. Having time and space to properly think about what he wants has made Quinn realise that teaching isn’t the right fit for him; he still wants to work with children and young people but in a different capacity, and he’s looking forward to finding the right opportunity. But as the days pass and with their year coming to a close, Quinn realises that their relationship is essentially much as it was when they took the gig. Patrick is still making decisions without consulting him and Quinn is still letting him - and when Patrick says he wants to stay, but Quinn doesn’t, there’s only one thing to do if they’re to save Christmas a second time.
I suppose the underlying message is that it’s important to take time for yourself and to spend time finding out who you are and what makes you happy – and that no matter how much you love someone (and I really do believe Patrick and Quinn love each other) if you’re not able to be yourself and communicate effectively with your partner, then things are unlikely to go well. I liked watching Quinn growing into himself and doing what made him happy, and I loved the scene where Patrick takes steps to mend his relationship with his brother, but the ending just didn’t work for me. I get that an HEA looks different for different people and that what works for one couple won’t necessarily work for another, but in the context of a romance novel, the solution Quinn and Patrick arrive at doesn’t feel much like an HEA to me. For one thing, there’s still too much left unresolved between them, and for another, Patrick once again doesn’t involve Quinn in the decision making process. And third
Also – they just disappear for a year and ghost all their family and friends. Why does nobody report them as missing?
I know it must seem as though I didn’t like the book, but that isn’t the case. The marriage-in-trouble aspect of the story is really well done, the problems Patrick and Quinn are experiencing are very relatable, and I absolutely felt their frustration and their unhappiness in the early part of the book. The choice they have to make in order to save Christmas really tugs at the heartstrings, and the letters they write each other while they’re apart are sweet. But Patrick doesn’t appear to undergo any real personal growth and in the end, I just wasn’t convinced these two people, regardless of their love for each other, were meant to be together.
The Merriest Misters might be worth a read if you’re looking for a different take on a Christmas staple and don’t mind the lack of real resolution to the relationship problems. But if you want something a bit cosier for the festive season, this probably isn’t it.
December 14, 2024
Ironically, I'm writing this review while watching The Santa Clause, which probably tells you all you need to know.
THE MERRIEST MISTERS is the fanciful story of Quinn and Patrick, who are struggling after their recent marriage. Quinn is the stressed out teacher pretending to be something he's not, while Patrick, a recently fired architect (something he's keeping from his husband) just wants to make everyone happy (major daddy issues) and to "support" Quinn as the breadwinner.
However, those problems get set aside when they clock Santa with a frying pan on Christmas Eve and one of them must put on his golden cloak and take over Santa duties at the North Pole.
This story is cute and a bit cheesy--it certainly would work well as a Hallmark or Netflix movie. It has heavy queer Santa Clause vibes. On the positive side, it has such a wonderful, diverse cast--yay for holiday inclusivity! It explores being yourself and non-traditional gender roles, as well as the importance of being there for queer youth. It's not quite as Christmas-y as more a look into relationships, with plenty of focus on the issues in Quinn and Patrick's marriage. It's fantastical but an enjoyable holiday romance. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in return for an unbiased review.
THE MERRIEST MISTERS is the fanciful story of Quinn and Patrick, who are struggling after their recent marriage. Quinn is the stressed out teacher pretending to be something he's not, while Patrick, a recently fired architect (something he's keeping from his husband) just wants to make everyone happy (major daddy issues) and to "support" Quinn as the breadwinner.
However, those problems get set aside when they clock Santa with a frying pan on Christmas Eve and one of them must put on his golden cloak and take over Santa duties at the North Pole.
This story is cute and a bit cheesy--it certainly would work well as a Hallmark or Netflix movie. It has heavy queer Santa Clause vibes. On the positive side, it has such a wonderful, diverse cast--yay for holiday inclusivity! It explores being yourself and non-traditional gender roles, as well as the importance of being there for queer youth. It's not quite as Christmas-y as more a look into relationships, with plenty of focus on the issues in Quinn and Patrick's marriage. It's fantastical but an enjoyable holiday romance. 3.5 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and St. Martin's Griffin in return for an unbiased review.
September 2, 2024
I enjoyed the plot of the book and even the "how" of the new direction coming about.
The first bits are all very fun and exciting and I adored how this new adventure gave fresh life to the monotony of a relationship that deserved more.
Quinn & Patrick are superb and I was rooting for them the whole time.
It gets a bit sad in the middle, but don't fret, there is an HEA.
Overall it's a lot of fun to read and to join the characters rediscovery of love.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for my ARC's.
The first bits are all very fun and exciting and I adored how this new adventure gave fresh life to the monotony of a relationship that deserved more.
Quinn & Patrick are superb and I was rooting for them the whole time.
It gets a bit sad in the middle, but don't fret, there is an HEA.
Overall it's a lot of fun to read and to join the characters rediscovery of love.
Much love to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Macmillan Audio for my ARC's.
December 18, 2025
This felt very straight for a book about two married gay men
January 18, 2025
50th book of 2024 we did it folks
Read
October 15, 2024What a magical, queer take on The Santa Clause!
I love Janovsky's writing and this is the book version of a Hallmark movie with abundant holiday cheer, a marriage-in-trouble plot, and the comforting elements of the Christmas season. It's got enough conflict to move the plot forward, while still managing to be hopeful and joyful. It's got lovable characters and nostalgic nods to our favorite holiday movies and traditions.
Elementary school teacher Quinn and overworked architect Patrick are dealing with their ships-in-the-night marriage when they're suddenly whisked via an enchanted cloak to the North Pole to take over Santa and Merriest Mister duties. But living 24/7 in the magical land of eternal merriment isn't all mistletoe and nice lists -- the newlyweds must still figure out how to repair their relationship and save Christmas, all while competing in epic snowball fights and leading the troupe of elves in holiday tasks.
Sweet and festive, THE MERRIEST MISTERS is the literary version of warm cup of cocoa (mini marshmallows included).
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE MERRIEST MISTERS is out now!
I love Janovsky's writing and this is the book version of a Hallmark movie with abundant holiday cheer, a marriage-in-trouble plot, and the comforting elements of the Christmas season. It's got enough conflict to move the plot forward, while still managing to be hopeful and joyful. It's got lovable characters and nostalgic nods to our favorite holiday movies and traditions.
Elementary school teacher Quinn and overworked architect Patrick are dealing with their ships-in-the-night marriage when they're suddenly whisked via an enchanted cloak to the North Pole to take over Santa and Merriest Mister duties. But living 24/7 in the magical land of eternal merriment isn't all mistletoe and nice lists -- the newlyweds must still figure out how to repair their relationship and save Christmas, all while competing in epic snowball fights and leading the troupe of elves in holiday tasks.
Sweet and festive, THE MERRIEST MISTERS is the literary version of warm cup of cocoa (mini marshmallows included).
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE MERRIEST MISTERS is out now!
August 7, 2024
Not many books spotlight a marriage that's hit a rough patch, and out of the few I've read, this has to be my favorite. The dual POV was perfectly executed, and I really appreciated the different narratives of their relationship and experiences. The magical element wasn't overdone but an element in the background that really bought out the best in the visual experience. Coming from a culture where arranged marriages are the norm, I had a very romantic idea of what love marriage felt like, and this vision was only encouraged by rom coms with HEAs. (I'm still unmarried). This book really questioned that perception, showing how any relationship can have hard times, and that work needs to be put in to heal it. The resolution to this story was not what I expected, but I loved it all the same.
October 16, 2025
The Merriest Misters is an absolute delight! My favorite holiday read of the year. I loved how Janovsky imagined the legacy of Santa Claus and The North Pole. Amidst all the whimsy and peppermint sweets, the story is rooted in the real world as Patrick and Quinn navigate newlywed life with demanding jobs. Those issues don't magically resolve at The North Pole and the couple has to work together and separately to find their happiness. This is a perfect balance of fantasy and realism.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this. #TheMerriestMisters #NetGalley #StMartinsPress
Thank you to St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Griffin and NetGalley for the advance reader copy. I am required by law to disclose this. #TheMerriestMisters #NetGalley #StMartinsPress
December 11, 2024
Yeahhhh this one really PMO. I’m so sorry. I thought it was super cute, and the premise has SO much promise… but the ending?! SPOILERS AHEAD: I’m so sorry, but that ending was not realistic at all even a little. And I KNOW this is a fantastical Christmas book. But in what world is LONG DISTANCE the answer to martial problems like the one they had??? And I don’t care if one had a magic sleigh that could visit the other!!! It just did not seem like a lasting solution to their problems, therefore making it the worst kind of second chance to me. I already don’t enjoy marriage in trouble/second chance much, but this one completely missed the mark for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 20, 2024
This was a sweet fun read. It did such a good job balancing the magic of Christmas with the deeper lessons and character growth. If you are looking for a merry good time this holiday season this is the book for you.
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