Deck the Palms

An Annabeth Albert Christmas

by Annabeth Albert

Nolan Bell has a very Merry problem this holiday season…

As a native New Yorker, I’ve always dreamed of my name in lights on Broadway. But when my Army officer brother calls in a favor, I wind up in Hawaii to help his family while he’s deployed.

A winter in paradise doesn’t sound too bad until I become the substitute choir teacher at a middle school near the base. Wrangling a bunch of tweens while planning the annual school holiday lights festival is a far cry from playing Peter Pan.
Enter Merrick “Merry” Winters, the school’s grumpy but hot shop teacher. I can win over any audience, but Merry’s a tough sell. And I need his help to make the festival successful.

The more time I spend with Merry, the less grumpy he seems, and the more I like the guy. He’s the third generation of a legendary North Shore surfing family. He’s committed to raising his twin boys on the island as a single dad. And like me, he doesn’t have time for an inconvenient but undeniable attraction.

As disasters pile up, the only holiday magic Merry and I seem to be making is with each other. What starts as a harmless fling becomes the only present I want under my tree.

If I want this romance to last past New Year’s, I have to decide which dreams are truly worth chasing.

Can Merry and I catch a wave for a future together before the sun sets on this holiday season?

A brand-new holiday romance from the author of the beloved The Geek Who Saved Christmas starring two middle school teachers in over their heads in an opposites-attract, fish-out-of-water romance. Deck the Palms features a slightly grumpy single dad and a sunny city slicker navigating family dynamics amid holiday small-town romance vibes with a side of Hawaiian sunshine. Guaranteed low-angst, feel-good, happy ending with a heaping helping of holiday spice!

Genres: Romance, Christmas, Holiday, M M Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, LGBT

280 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 4, 2024

About the author

Frequent tweeter, professional grammar nerd, and obsessive reader, Annabeth Albert is also a Pacific Northwest romance writer in a variety of subgenres.

Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.

Reviews

[Carol [Goodreads Addict] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deck the Palms by Annabeth Albert is a stand alone, holiday romance. I think I knew by the end of the first page that I was going to love this book. I fell so in love with these guys but mostly, it was Nolan that had my heart soaring. Nolan and all his enthusiasm, his excitement, his endless supply of love and caring. Just typing this is making my heart feel all squeezy.



Nolan Bell has always known he wanted to be a Broadway star. He lives in New York and has had mild success. He’s played roles he is proud of and manages to make a living, using substitute teaching as a way to help when roles are scarce. Nolan’s older brother lives in Hawaii with his pregnant wife and two daughters. When his brother is deployed and his wife goes in to labor early, he asks Nolan to go to Hawaii for a few months to help in his absence. Since he is there for awhile, he takes a job as a substitute teacher as choir director and drama teacher at the local middle school. He’s immediately put in charge of their winter holiday production but Nolan was definitely not prepared for the person he is supposed to work most closely with.



Merrick “Merry” Winters is thirty three years old, is the single dad to twin, sixth grade boys, and is the shop teacher at the middle school. Merry has no problem with his department being in charge of the holiday program set construction. But he does have a problem with the new teacher. A big city guy pretending in their small town. He’s seen this before with his boys’ mother. It won’t be long before the new teacher will abandon them all and run back to the city. Or so he thinks.

Merry and Nolan are forced to work together and Nolan’s cheerfullness and overall positive attitude begin to wear Merry’s grumpiness down. A simple trip to the food trucks or a local flea market are like Christmas morning to Nolan. They agree to enjoy their attraction to each other for the two months that Nolan is contracted to teach but when the New Year arrives, they will part ways as friends. It all sounds so easy. But with each passing day, their feelings grow, and the nearing expiration date to their time together is harder and harder to imagine.



I fell so in love with these two. Every time Nolan got excited about something, I fell further, right along with Merry. I loved Merry’s family too. A family of surfers! This book was everything I needed and more. So swoony, so sweet, so amazing. If you have room for another holiday book in your schedule, you won’t want to miss this one.

For more about this book and so many others, come and visit me at Carol's Crazy Bookish World.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Carol...

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Y'all need to ignore my holiday romance reviews. The Grinch got me good, and I'm broken now.

Because this book? It's cute and sweet, and there's nothing at all wrong with it. I want to make that clear. It's a good book.

BUT

I

didn't

love

it

And I'm not sure why.

Maybe because while Hawaii is a kickass vacation destination, sunshine and surfing don't scream Christmas (sorry, Australian peeps!).

Maybe because I am so damn tired of kids in books and 11-year-old twin boys are all over this story. The twins are pranksters and pranks are funny only if EVERYONE is laughing. Also, one of the twins is named Legend, and I absolutely cannot with that. Plus, there's a baby - another baby! Send help.

Speaking of names, one of the MCs is Merry (short for Merrick, which btw is a perfectly good name) and that's so ridiculously cheesy in a holiday story, I was aggressively rolling my eyes and I think I sprained my eyeballs.

Other questions answered:

Low angst? Yes. It's all fluff, middle-school Christmas pageants (more kids!), and beef-fried rice.

Conflict? None. It was too easy. Merry is annoyed with Nolan for like one day (for no reason other than Merry's preconceived notions about "city slickers"), and then they're kissing under the palm trees.

Steam? Yeah, but the sex is basic and perfunctory. I wasn't feeling the chemistry.

HEA? Of course, so cheers, but even that failed to excite me, because I never connected with Merry and Nolan.

Take this review with a grain of salt and read this book anyway.

[Sarah]

DNF 30% - this was a book club read but shamefully I couldn’t bring myself to continue with it. I’m a terrible book club participant! It wasn’t bad, it just felt superficial and tropey and I couldn’t bring myself to care for either character. I’m all for naming your kids whatever feels right but I couldn’t bring myself to relate to a guy who names his kid Legend 😆

I’ve really enjoyed earlier books by this author but in recent years they just haven’t hit the spot.

[Kati *☆･ﾟ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m just not made for stories like this.
🥱🫩😴

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet holiday romance that doesn't focus hugely on the festive season itself, more uses the time of year on which to hook the narrative.

Merry made me want to shake him at the 70% "sort of break-up" stage. I find it both baffling and mildly annoying when characters use how someone else acted towards them as justification for never getting involved in a new relationship.

I mean, yes, I understand the hurt and the feelings of sorrow, but never taking another risk seems a bit sad.

Anyways, that was my main niggle with this book, otherwise, everything else about it really is delightful. From Nolan to his sister-in-law and her kids, to Merry's twin boys, his family, and the principal at the school.

The spark between the two men is instant, but Merry's cautious, which makes sense within the story, but Nolan's happy outlook on life draws him in.

It's got a fair bit of heat, but the sexy times aren't just lobbed in for the sake of it.

What I felt really gave the whole book a fabulous feeling was the way the island of Oahu and its customs and culture was so present. It definitely made me feel like I was there seeing it through Nolan's eyes.

Overall this works well, not just as a festive time romance but an all year round read.

#ARC kindly received from the author, I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

One thing I liked about this book is that the main character is a substitute teacher.

That’s all I’d like to say about this book.

[Ben Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌴Teacher x teacher romance
🎄Single dad
🌴Grumpy/Sunshine
🎄Low-angst

Nolan moves from New York to Hawaii to help his sister-in-law with the new-born, as his brother is on deployment. Taking a job as a substitute teacher at the local middle school, he also takes responsibility for the holiday lights festival and show.

He has help from Merry, the shop teacher and single dad of troublesome twins. Merry has complicated feelings on outsiders, especially 'city-slickers' like Nolan so their work dynamic doesn't start off too genial.

As they continue to work together, they get to know one another and Merry's preconceived notions about Nolan are proven wrong. But a deadline on their romance and relationship is looming, as Nolan is only subbing and staying in Hawaii until the new year.

__
This was a great Christmas romance. I loved Nolan and Merry's relationship. The multiple family dynamics were complex and great to read. Annabeth Albert also did a great job with the Hawaii setting.

A lot of times romances fall down for me with the third act conflict, but Deck the Palms didn't. The conflict was reasonable and was given the proper time to develop and actually make an impact. And of course the resolution was perfectly done.

[Tess]

Paused at 24%.
Not really feeling the characters right now. May return.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is incredibly boring and just blah all around DNF @39%

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF ~29%

The pacing here felt way off, and Merry was a judgemental dick, and the chemistry was non-existent. Bah humbug.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tropical love story...loved it!

Nolan is in Hawaii helping his sister in law because his brother is deployed. Nolan's sister in law is expecting her third child before New Year's but has some problems. She's expecting twins. Nolan gets a job as a substitute teacher for drama and choir classes at the local magnet school; it's only till the end of the year. Merry is the woodshop teacher and the father of twin boys who attend the same school that Nolan and he teach at. He's paired with Nolan for the winter festival program, but he has misgivings about Nolan, and he doesn't think they can work together. Things between Nolan and Merry become more heated than what Merry and Nolan expected.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars / B-

Annabeth Albert’s holiday gift to us all this year is Deck the Palms, a charming grumpy/sunshine romance set in Hawaii, so instead of snow and reindeer we’ve got surfing santas and light-wrapped palm trees. As is often the case with Christmassy books it skews towards the overly sweet, but the author’s excellent character work shines through, and while nothing gets too heavy in this story, I appreciated the nods to the realities of working in education, to the effects of deployment on military families, and the complexities surrounding the colonial history of Hawaii and the problems presented by modern day tourism.

Jobbing actor Nolan Bell is a New Yorker through and through. He’s worked hard to build a career and has made himself a decent one although he’s yet to see his name in lights or above the title. And like most actors, he has a fall-back option; he’s a qualified teacher, which comes in very handy when his brother, Craig, who is stationed at one of the military bases on Hawaii, asks for his help; he’s being deployed and has to leave his wife, their new baby and their daughters – could Nolan come to the island to help out for a few months? Of course Nolan can’t say no – and as it turns out, he’s able to secure a temporary job as drama teacher and choir director at the local middle school, and he’ll be in charge of mounting the school’s annual holiday production.

Merrick – Merry – Winters is the school shop teacher (I didn’t have a clear idea of what ‘shop’ is, but it sounds like what we on this side of the pond call DT (Design Technology) - woodwork, metalwork, product design, electronics and other stuff I can’t remember now!). He’s a single dad to two boisterous pre-teen twin terrors, Legend and Ryder, who attend the school; their mum left several years earlier because she was “too glam for the island” and her defection has caused Merry to be wary of outsiders. When he’s introduced to the new choir/drama teacher, Merry immediately pegs him as a rich city slicker who is way out of his comfort zone, and wastes no time in making his feelings known. But Nolan Bell proves to be surprisingly down-to-earth and easy to work with, taking Merry’s advice and suggestions in his stride and quickly coming up with a vision for the production that covers all the bases and that Merry can get behind wholeheartedly.

That Nolan is very easy on the eye is not something he should be noticing, but it’s difficult not to notice when they’re spending so much time together, and when Nolan is so effortlessly charming and upbeat and enthusiastic about practically everything. And Merry certainly shouldn’t be thinking about acting on the mutual attraction zinging between them – Nolan isn’t going to be sticking around and he’s been burned once by someone who wasn’t built for small island life. It’s been a long time since Merry has felt so drawn to someone, and between his job and being a dad, he doesn’t have much time for himself. So maybe it’s time to reach out for something he wants, even if it’s only temporary. Maybe a holiday fling with Nolan isn’t out of the question?

Deck the Palms is a fun and fluffy seasonal read with minimal conflict and angst. The initial antagonism between grumpy Merry and sunshiny Nolan isn’t particularly deep-rooted, and it isn’t too long before they’re revising their opinions of each other and admitting to their mutual atrraction. They’re likeable and engaging with realistic problems and insecurities that inform their personalities; Nolan’s parents are snobs who keep on at him about getting a ‘real’ job, so he has to learn to let go of his urge to please them and not to judge things by their standards, while Merry struggles to balance his role as a dad with his job as a teacher and with his fear of having his heart broken again. The only real area of conflict comes from the fact that Merry expects (is even counting on) Nolan to return to New York after the holidays, and Nolan, realising that what they have is worth pursuing, has decided he wants to stay on Hawaii and try to make things work between them. (And here, I have to say that I never really bought Nolan as a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker; he seems pretty happy in Hawaii from the beginning.) But Merry quickly retreates into his prejudices about outsiders and - quite frankly - acts like a dick towards Nolan for months until he finally mans up, and I admit that I found this part of the story somewhat contrived.

But despite that, Deck the Palms is a delightful read featuring two strongly-written protagonists, a nicely rounded secondary cast and a well-realised setting. It’s definitely one to curl up with on a grey winter’s afternoon when you’re craving some warmth, sunshine and festive feels.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciate a holiday book without the typical snowy small town setting. I loved seeing a book in Hawaii, and the way the holiday theme meshes with the plot making it more a device of the plot rather than a main point. It's a fun way to treat a holiday romance. And this kind of creativity is why I go back to Annabeth's holiday books year after year. We always have something new and interesting

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

[I received a digital arc for an honest review]

Deck the Palms is a holiday romance set in Hawaii between a middle school teachers , one being a substitute who doesn't quite fit in. A single parent romance filled with holiday festival planning, troublesome twins, a grumpy sunshine between a city boy & an island boy , sweet , spicey and a only for the holidays arrangement that leads to more.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars for the narration, 3.5 for the story

I reviewed the ebook version of this one when it came out last year - my review is HERE; this review is a trimmed down version of that with information about the audiobook narration added.

Annabeth Albert’s Deck the Palms is a fun and fluffy seasonal read with minimal conflict and angst set in Hawaii, so instead of snow and reindeer we’ve got surfing santas and light-wrapped palm trees.

New Yorker Nolan Bell is a jobbing actor who has worked hard to build a career and has made himself a decent one although he’s yet to see his name in lights or above the title. When his brother, who is stationed at a military base on Hawaii, asks him to come to the island for a few months to help his wife, kids and newborn baby while he’s deployed, Nolan – who is also a qualified teacher - manages to secure a temporary job as drama teacher and choir director at the local middle school. He’ll also be in charge of mounting the school’s annual holiday production.

Shop teacher Merry (Merrick) Winters is a single dad to two boisterous pre-teen twin terrors, Legend and Ryder, who attend the school; their mum left several years earlier because she was “too glam for the island” and her defection has caused Merry to be wary of outsiders. When he’s introduced to the new choir/drama teacher, Merry immediately pegs him as a rich city slicker who is way out of his comfort zone, and wastes no time in making his feelings known. But Nolan Bell proves to be surprisingly down-to-earth and easy to work with, taking Merry’s advice and suggestions in his stride and quickly coming up with a vision for the production that Merry can get behind wholeheartedly.

The initial antagonism between grumpy Merry and sunshiny Nolan isn’t particularly deep-rooted, and it isn’t too long before they’re revising their opinions of each other and admitting to their mutual attraction. The only real area of conflict comes from the fact that Merry expects Nolan to return to New York after the holidays, and Nolan, realising that he really likes teaching and that what he and Merry have is worth pursuing, has decided he wants to stay on Hawaii and try to make things work between them. Merry, though, retreats into his prejudices about outsiders and – quite frankly – acts like a dick towards Nolan for months until he finally mans up, and I admit that I found this part of the story somewhat contrived.

I’ve listened to Lance West a couple of times and have enjoyed his performances so I was pleased to see he’d signed on to narrate this (the author has been using Michael Dean for her last couple of series and I’m not a fan). He delivers a solid performance, with distinct and clearly differentiated characterisations for the two leads and secondary cast, giving Nolan’s dialogue a nicely upbeat feel and adding a bit of gravel to Merry’s lower-pitched tone. He does a good job with the kids in the cast, too - Merry’s boys sound age-appropriate – and the handful of female characters are nicely portrayed.

Despite my issue with the conflict, I enjoyed the story, and Merry and Nolan make a great couple. They’re both likeable with realistic problems and insecurities that inform their personalities, and, although the book skews towards the overly sweet, the author’s excellent character work shines through. Deck the Palms is a delightful seasonal story, and Lance West’s narration makes it worth picking up in audio.

[Marcos “MSMDragon” · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deck the Palms was a great book! Nolan and Merry complimented each other really well and their romance was nice. I was worried that the story wouldn’t be super festive, since it’s set in Hawaii, but it actually was.

[J.E. Benoit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was falling for him, fast and hard, and the rocks below our fling were even more treacherous than this strip of beach, but heck if I could stop it.

Broadway actor, Nolan Bell is spending a few months in Hawaii helping his brother’s family while his brother is deployed. He’s also picked up a gig as the substitute choir teacher at the local middle school where he’s tasked with organizing the school's holiday festival. He’s paired with the grumpy shop teacher, Merrick “Merry” Winters to bring this festival to fruition. Despite first impressions, Merry is quickly charmed by Nolan and the two embark on a holiday fling before Nolan is set to return to NYC in the new year. But as they grow closer, Nolan is faced with a decision - can he envision staying on the island to be with Merry and even if he does stay, is Merry willing to risk his heart again?

This was another charming holiday romance from Annabeth Albert! It started a bit slow for me, I wasn’t sure Merry even liked Nolan the first time he tried kissing him. But all that quickly changed and I thought these two were so sweet together. Thanks to his ex-wife, Merry had a good reason for being unsure of Nolan at first but it didn’t take him long to see that Nolan wasn’t your average city slicker. I appreciated that Merry didn’t hesitate to admit he had been wrong about Nolan and realized that Nolan was someone he wanted to get to know better.

Their little dates as they organized the festival were cute and I liked seeing them work together to bring the festival to life. Nolan was a fun character. He was in an unfamiliar environment and had been dropped into planning this festival, with much resistance from students and faculty alike. Still, he exuded such confidence and stayed the course to create something special. I loved seeing the school and town fall in love with Nolan just as much as I enjoyed seeing Merry fall for him.

I even enjoyed the bit of angst we got and I liked that the story extended well beyond Christmas. While I wanted to shake some sense into Merry, I got where he was coming from and I loved what he did to try and make things right again. The ending was super sweet and the book made me want to visit Hawaii someday!

Nolan had found me, made me defy gravity, and shown me the other side of being loved.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, I don’t know what to feel about this one. The passage of time isn’t very well written in the first half of the book, in my opinion, and it feels like all of this happens in a week when in reality it’s months. Because of that, it feels like one day Merry hates Nolan and the next day they’re friends and the day after that they’re fucking. It just feels really choppy and fragmented.

The name Merry Winter?? I get he’s called Merrick, and I’d probably say ok, that’s festive, merry, but for 40% of the book he’s a grump!

I know Merry had a crappy ending with Alyssa, but they made that sound like it was a decade ago. He’s crying on the dance floor because he doesn’t want Nolan to go back to NY, yet when Nolan tells him he’s staying, he doesn’t want that either and tells him outright 'I don’t want to date you'. Then why are you crying?! Then, when he decided he’d changed his mind, he was a bit shocked when Nolan was curt with him? It just feels a bit OTT to me.

It just feels overall Meh. Sorry!
It all felt like it was finished at 50% and just began repeating itself from there. Nolan’s minor identity crisis and Merry’s abandonment issues just didn’t feel like enough of a plot, especially given Merry had such a lovely family and it had been a decade!

Cute in parts, one or two chuckles, but overall just a tad disappointing. It isn’t even overly festive.

[Cherie • bookshelvesandtealeaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! It made me laugh and it made me tear up and I was genuinely kicking my feet in delight at these two.

Merry and Nolan are so freaking good together. They don’t hit it off right away but they’re fairly quick to get to know each other and enjoy their forced time together planning the school festival. Which obviously leads to them spending LOTS of extra time together.

These two fell hard and fast and I really appreciated the way both of their fears and apprehensions were explored.

Nolan’s connection with the kids he taught made my heart feel so full. Great teachers made my teen years so much better than they otherwise would have been and I love reading about great teachers who love their students.

This was just a really great holiday romance and I can’t recommend it enough.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deck the Palms is a gay holiday romance set in Hawaii. Professional theater actor from NYC Nolan Bell is spending the last two months of the year in Hawaii to help out his deployed brother’s family after his wife gives birth early. While there, he gets a part-time job as a substitute choir teacher in the local middle school. He then gets roped into co-heading the school’s annual holiday lights festival and production alongside the grumpy shop teacher and single dad to twin boys Merry Winters. Preconceived notions give way to mutual attraction and turns into a holiday fling that was only ever supposed to be temporary. But when Nolan gets the chance to stay, is he willing to give up his leading man dreams and can Merry allow himself another chance with a partner with big city dreams?

This was a simple and basic Christmas romance so you know exactly what you are getting, just with a more tropical twist. It also structures the typical story a bit differently while still hitting the expected story beats. It’s got the small town charm and holiday vibe with a healthy dose of funny kids and complicated family dynamics.

“Deck the Palms features a slightly grumpy single dad and a sunny city slicker navigating family dynamics amid holiday small-town romance vibes with a side of Hawaiian sunshine. Guaranteed low-angst, feel-good, happy ending with a heaping helping of holiday spice!”

*I received an eARC as part of a book tour.

[Drew H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aggressively okay. I was incredibly here for the premise of the book, middle school choir teacher transplant from the mainland trying to throw a holiday festival was so good. And then the holiday festival ended up being a B plot at best, it was already over before we even got through 50% of the book smh, and the whole thing ended up being about Nolan's minor identity crisis and Merry's major abandonment issues? Like it's still a solid enough book, Annabeth knows what she's doing, but yeah, it didn't really give what I opened it to get. The kids were cute though, I loved all the teens more than I thought I would.

[Dekaydreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, sweet holiday read; nice short treat! I still like her Geek that saved Christmas the best, but I enjoyed Nolan and Merry's tale as well. (Although, having a character named Merry had me looking for Pippin to show up...)

[Aki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg So sweet und der Schulalltag mit Vorbereitungen auf ein Festival, so nett und true.

[Mercedes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect Holiday Romance!

[Samantha Ortega · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Provided in exchange for an honest review

FR- Alors alors... alors j'ai adoré ce roman!!

Romance de noël + single dad... une fois de plus, c'était couru d'avance. Ajoutez à ça la plume d'Annabeth Albert et forcément que j'allais adorer Deck The Palms.

J'ai adoré que cette romance de noël se déroule à Hawaii.

Pour avoir déjà passé un noël sous les tropiques, j'ai vraiment aimé retrouver cette ambiance particulière. Ca change de la neige et du froid. J'ai passé un excellent moment de lecture avec ce roman. Une fois de plus, la plume d'Annabeth Albert fonctionne. Que ce soit lorsqu'elle décrit les journées à l'école des profs et des élèves ou lorsqu'elle aborde des sujets plus sérieux comme l'oppression subie par les populations locales et l'impacte du tourisme sur l'ile et ses habitants.

Deck the Palms est une romance lumineuse.

Les personnages sont très attachants et j'ai adoré voir leur relation prendre de l'ampleur. Les enfants apportent beaucoup à l'histoire, que ce soient les enfants de Merry ou les nièces de Nolan.

Le coté Grumpy/sunshine, Ennemies to lover est tout doux et suffisamment peu important pour que ça ne me dérange pas. L'âge des personnages et leur vécu fait qu'il n'y a pas de drama inutile ce qui est grandement appréciable.

C'est une romance douce et mignonne, qui m'a fait souvent sourire mais qui a réussi à me tirer quelques larmes. J'ai aimé voir l'évolution de Nolan et la façon dont il va s'adapter à la vie sur l'ile.  Sa relation avec Merry va permettre à ce dernier de s'ouvrir petit à petit aux autres et à l'amour.

En résumé, une romance de noël comme on les aimes, un très bon moment de lecture.
ENG-So well well well...well I loved this novel!!

Christmas romance + single dad... once again, it was a foregone conclusion. Add to that Annabeth Albert's writing and I was bound to love Deck The Palms.

I loved that this Christmas romance takes place in Hawaii.

Having already spent a Christmas in the tropics, I really enjoyed finding this special atmosphere again. It's a change from the snow and the cold. I had a great time reading this novel. Once again, Annabeth Albert's writing works. Whether it's when she describes the days at school of teachers and students or when she addresses more serious subjects like the oppression suffered by local populations and the impact of tourism on the island and its inhabitants.

Deck the Palms is a luminous romance.

The characters are very endearing and I loved seeing their relationship grow. The children bring a lot to the story, whether they are Merry's children or Nolan's nieces.

The Grumpy/sunshine side, Enemies to Lover is very sweet and unimportant enough that it doesn't bother me. The age of the characters and their experiences mean that there is no unnecessary drama, which is greatly appreciated.

It is a sweet and cute romance, which often made me smile but which managed to bring a few tears to my eyes. I liked seeing Nolan's evolution and the way he will adapt to life on the island. His relationship with Merry will allow the latter to gradually open up to others and to love.

In summary, a Christmas romance as we like them, a very good read.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Christmas in Hawaii as Nolan Berry comes to the island from near-ish Broadway to help his brother's family after a new arrival. And while he’s there, he’s taking a substitute teaching job for middle school drama and choir and has been tasked with helping organize the big holiday fundraiser for the school. He has plenty of ideas, but he also has to work with one sort of grumpy realist Merrick Winters who is the hot shop teacher and single dad to precious twin tween school students. He’s got to keep Nolan‘s ideas within the budget and appropriate for the island.

His first impression of Nolan wasn’t so great because he thought he was just another rich, high-maintenance guy like his ex-wife, but the more he sees him, the more he realizes he’s just a sweet and normal guy who likes what he likes, but isn’t afraid of pinching pennies or working hard to get things. But the more time they’ve been together the more he finds himself charmed by Nolan's optimism, joy, and adventurous spirit and attracted to the man himself. But he has also been burned and guards his heart so as not to be hurt again.

They enter an "only for the holidays" sexy time arrangement that they hope will be safe for both of their hearts. Merry's life is in Hawaii and Nolan has always been a showman.

This is sweet and spicy, opposites-attract, fish-out-of-water, grumpy-sunshine, island boy-city boy, co-workers, single dad island holiday romance. I loved the setting of the island and the school events and their families. It really made it a heartfelt, enjoyable read. It's about finding trust, purpose, passion, fulfillment, and the importance of home and family.

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[Theodore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Merry's animosity towards Nolan was inconsistent and waned much too quickly. He was a bit too civil for someone actively trying to dislike a person he thought was shallow and vain, as evidenced by the almost kiss that happened 18% of the way in the story. Lightning quick for stories where the MCs start off liking each other, so here, it just made Merry's supposed dislike feel fake.

The middle part was decent enough, with Nolan and Merry getting to know each other and starting a relationship. It was fluffy, sure, but generally sweet with just enough plot to keep it from being too boring.

Merrt suddenly rejecting Nolan after Nolan told him he was being extended was dumb though. I needed more justification that Merry was scared of being abandoned to even have that weird third act breakup make sense. Everything in the fluffy middle part screamed that Merry just wanted more time with Nolan, so him saying no didn't make any sense at all. If there had been very very clear indications that Nolan's impending departure was taking a toll on Merry, then we have a good break-up.

Same thing with Nolan's supposed insecurity about his acting career. A probelm he really didn't show at all throughout the story until it's magically something that he's apparently super affected by of the conversation with his brother was anything to go by.

If the author had just spent less time making the middle part of the story so fluffy and given actual development to Nolan and Merry's problems, then their weird third acts would've made sense. As it is, the story essentially blanks us on them until they suddenly popup as if they'd been bothering the MCs this entire time.

Merry's grand act was pretty sweet though and I liked how it was him that made it and not Nolan (like some stories have the hurt party be the one to reach out).

The post reconciliation chapters (basically an epilogue) felt too long though. Without an actual event to lead into, the resolution just dragged on showing more fluff, which while sweet, was basically pointless because there was nothing left to wrap up.

TL;DR: 2.5 stars. Super fluffy and the problems in the third act keep this from being higher, but the book doesn't commit any unforgivable sins so it's ok.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I’ve been loving the holiday books I’ve read so far, but given it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a white Christmas, it’s always fun to read about a less-traditional celebration. And what better place than Hawaii?

Nolan has been in love with the theater since he was young, and he’s been lucky to perform both on and off Broadway. He loves NYC, but when his sister-in-law has complications with her pregnancy and his brother is in the middle of his deployment, he drops everything and heads to Oahu to help.

Once his nephew gets out of the NICU, Nolan plans to stay in Oahu for the fall season, and takes a short-term job as the music teacher and choir director at a middle school. His responsibilities include directing the school’s holiday festival, for which he’s teamed with the school’s hunky shop teacher, Merry.

Merry, a single dad to twin boys who happen to be in Nolan’s class, comes across as a giant surfing curmudgeon. It’s not that he doesn’t like Nolan (although it seems that way), it’s just that he’s learned not to get attached to people who are in Hawaii for a short time. And despite their attraction to one another, Merry is determined to keep things professional with Nolan.

Of course, their collaboration and friendship includes lots of flirting and even a little matchmaking on the part of Merry’s kids. But what happens when Nolan’s job ends and he heads back to NYC? Is the possibility of love worth the risk of pain?

Hawaii is one of my favorite places, and so it’s the perfect setting for this rom-com. I really enjoyed both of the main characters and their banter (not to mention the steam) and I found many of the supporting characters to be a lot of fun, too.

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

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[Alexus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really excited to be able to get to and read this book for the month of December. I read one of this authors holiday books last year around this time and I absolutely loved it and ended up being my favorite read of that month so I knew when I saw this coming out that I had to read it. I’m so happy I did cause it ended up being everything I wanted and then some.

Nolan and Merry was so much fun to read about and get to know and I loved the idea of this taking place in Hawaii and not being a traditional Christmas holiday romance with this one taking place somewhere tropical and warm. I especially loved this cause I live in Florida where we don’t get any snow around this time and it’s usually warm so it felt closer to home and how I would spend my holiday.

Nolan is a city boy, born and raise in New York City and a theater actor. His older brother is in service and can’t be home during the holidays so he assisted his younger brother to go help out his family who is currently stationed in Hawaii and his wife just had a baby. He would really appreciate his help while he is away and can’t be there for them himself. Without question he goes to help out for the last two months of the year and ended up getting a substitute teacher job at a school close by to the base to keep him busy but also the school really needs help with their holiday festival and could really use his help. This is where he meets Merry.

Merry is a single father of twin boys and is a teacher at the same school that Nolan is substituting at. He wasn’t happy about having to work with him for the schools holiday festival and was very grumpy towards him in the very beginning. Assuming things about him and judging him off his experiences with his ex girlfriend and the mother of his boys. Throughout having to work on the festival and having to spend time with Nolan we see Merry slowly open up and start to realize that he misjudged Nolan and they was so much more to him then he ever expected.

I really enjoyed seeing them spend time together working on the festival and getting to know each other, thanks to Nolan never giving up on Merry and always going out of his way to be with him and show him that he isn’t like his ex. I really loved that Merry invited him to the north shore to spend thanksgiving break with him and his family and we get to see them have that bonding time and this is where they agree to have a winter fling and only while Nolan is visiting before he has to go back to New York.

The festival happens rather early on in the book and you can see the feelings developing pretty quickly between Merry and Nolan once they started to let their guards down and realize how much they’re liked each other. It’s so cute how much Merry goes out of his way for Nolan. Like at the festival makes sure he’s okay and seeing if he was needed and then bringing him food afterwards to make sure he eats something. It was so cute and sweet! Dancing together under the lights and many more other sweet moments that build up their relationship, chemistry and connection.

I normally don’t like second acts break ups or any conflicts between my main characters too much but I really liked how this one was handled. It was realistic and very much needed on both ends. Nolan needed to come to find his own reasons for wanting to stay on the island and Merry needed to come to realize that no matter what he never wanted to lose Nolan and overcome his fears from his past.

I really loved the scenes and school that was told in this book. Hearing about the island makes me want to go and visit and see it for my self and the school was so nice and sweet and I loved seeing Nolan come into his own as a teacher. His family was also a nice touch, him being a great uncle and brother and the homecoming with his brother literally gave me tears in my eyes.

Lastly, the boys were so cute and funny and Merry was such an amazing father and seeing Nolan slowly getting to know the boys too and being there was also nice and seeing them accept him and bring him into their little family. It was also so sweet how much Merrys family loved Nolan and just embraces him and Nolan together. I loved seeing them help push Merry to overcome his fears and give it try with Nolan.

This was another home run for me in terms of this authors holiday romances. Normally this author is 50/50 rather or not I will enjoy her books but I’ve come to realize that I absolutely love her holiday romance books between last year and this one I really hope she continues to write some over the years cause it honestly becomes one of my favorites every year and this one was no different. The ending was so cute and I loved seeing these two happy and in love. I really liked how they came back together in the end and really talked and work through their struggles and came out stronger for it.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of holiday romances have the main characters basking in wintery goodness--snow, pine trees, and cold weather that may lead to a desire to share body heat. So, Annabeth Albert's newest M/M holiday romance being set in Oahu, Hawaii felt like a breath of fresh air, especially considering I could relate with the tropical, non-snowy setting that the main characters were in. Deck the Palms is a grumpy/sunshine romance between Nolan Bell (33), a stage actor from New York helping out his sister-in-law, nieces, and new nephew in Oahu while his older brother is deployed, and Merrick "Merry" Winters (32/33), a single father to eleven-year-old twin boys, Ryder and Legend, and a shop teacher at Anuenue Middle School--the same middle school where Nolan is now employed as a substitute teacher. The two are paired to work together on the school's annual Lights Festival, with the principal hoping Nolan will breathe new life into it and with Merry assisting once again as the head of the sets and lights. As much as Merry tries to resist the charming Nolan, the draw is too much. For as long as it's clear that anything between them is temporary, what with Nolan returning to New York in a few months, then there shouldn't be any harm in indulging in their mutual attraction. But what if Nolan gets an extension? If Nolan stays, will Merry run?

This was a sweet and steamy read, with two main characters who seemed to not have a whole lot in common, but then that's why they say that opposites attract. Nolan was truly the sunshine to Merry's grumpiness, bringing some much needed light to Merry's world that focused mostly on his responsibilities as a father and a teacher. Merry didn't really want to become involved in any sort of committed relationship again, not when his last one turned him off to delving into something serious again. Suffice it to say that Merry was a wee bit (TOTALLY) hard-headed and stubborn. He had preconceived notions regarding Nolan when they first met simply because Nolan was from New York. Then there was the whole thing about cutting ties just when you thought fate was on their side. I swear, if I could have jumped into my Kindle and knocked some sense into Merry, I would have. Nolan, even with his patience and sunny disposition was also human, and kudos to him for refusing to pine needlessly. Communication is a thing, people! Gah! But all's well that ends well. After all, this is a romance novel, and HEAs are a must, especially during the holiday season. Four stars for Deck the Palms.