It’s been a year since Adam and Penn moved in together, and they’ve settled down into their comfortable new life together.
Only...not everything is as perfect as it seems.
Penn is a bit bored after quitting his job at Queen Victoria, and Adam can’t seem to find inspiration for his latest film script.
Jared and Fenix are about to spend their second Christmas in their new home in the picturesque city of Malmö, Sweden. With a beautiful new house and a successful dance studio to run, Jared and Fenix are happy and content.
Only...not everything is as perfect as it seems.
When Jared invites Adam and Penn to spend the holidays with them in Malmö, Adam reluctantly agrees. But the two weeks filled with Christmas shopping, delicious food, fragrant wine, playing in the snow and, most importantly, spending quality time with their closest friends, proves to be exactly what everyone needs.
Teodora Kostova writes romance where every heartbeat matters. She’s an award-winning, bestselling author, a linguist fluent in four languages, and a Creative Writing graduate with a weakness for broken characters who kiss slow and love loudly. When she’s not writing, she’s probably watching anime, trying to score tickets for a musical, or analysing a friend’s natal chart over strong coffee.
4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 This novella is so sweet and heart warming and getting more of Jared, Fenix, Adam and Penn. Dreaming of Snow covers the four spending two weeks at Christmas together at Jared and Fenix's house in Sweden. I love the way this book advances their lives and shows us so much more of both couple's HEA. The writing is top notch and I was happy to see that even after 2 book and 2 short stories, there is still much for us to learn about the four. The author also continues with really hot, interesting lovemaking as well as the sweet endearing stuff that she does so well. She delivered... She made me laugh many times, caused happy tears many times and just made me FEEL ALL the time. I am sooooo gonna miss these guys. Not sure how much they show up in book 3 Sonnie and Riley's story... but I will enjoy any little bit they do. These are books I will seriously have to reread in a few months or a bit more just to have the pleasure and feels all again! Definitely a wonderful read!
***** Adam and Penn, plus Jared and Fenix. A lovely British/Swedish Christmassy tale. Our men have had their stories featured in MASK and DANCE. Now, they approach the holidays with plans for their lovers. We see Adam with writer's block, and they are getting away, but where they go is settled by an invitation from Jared and Fenix, to go to Sweden for two weeks. * We get lots of hot sex, unleashed and wild, from each couple (seperately), and we watch the men continue bonding.
There's food galore, shopping at the markets, unusual gifts that mean so much. We get snowballs, sleighs, skating and more.
Jared's wish for Fenix is a HUGE surprise, and is just as fun as Adam and Penn's surprise.
Fenix has a dream that gives the whole message!
This story is fun, intense, comforting, angsty and incredibly sexy !
~I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads Review Team~ This book follows Adam and Penn and Jared and Fenix, you should read Dance and Mask before reading this book. I just can’t say enough about this series, I love it so much. There is so much depth and feelings with this characters you feel like you are right there in the story. I loved Jared and Fenix in Dance, but I have a soft spot for Adam and Penn from Mask. I love all of these men. Adam and Penn have been living together almost a year but things aren’t going so well. Penn is bored and Adam can’t get his creative juices flowing. Jared and Fenix are now in Sweden and invite them to spend the holidays with them. Everything isn’t perfect with Jared and Fenix either. The two couples spend the holidays together and it was an amazing story. You found out what was going on and how things were resolved. I honestly loved this book and didn’t want it to end. I hope there is another book soon, I can’t wait to see what happens next with these couples. Characters: The characters were well written and believable. Sex: yes Religious: no Would I recommend to others: yes More than one book in the series: yes Genre: M/M/Romance Would I read more by this author: yes ~Wicked Reads Review Team~
Adam and Penn are almost living the dream – if it wasn’t for Adam’s writers block and the fact that he is a little agoraphobic which leads to him feeling slightly depressed. The perfect solution comes in a skype call from Jared inviting them to Sweden for Christmas. Knowing it would be want Penn wants, and with his aim in life to make Penn happy, Adam agrees and two weeks later they are on their way.
Malmo in Sweden is picture perfect and Fenix and Jared have set up a good life there with a new business and beautiful home. They are still absolutely devoted to each other so Adam doesn’t understand why there seems to be an underlying current of sadness coming from his best friend and his husband.
This book struck me as a kind of epilogue to both Dance and Mask. There are still things to work out between both couples and for two weeks over the Christmas period they have a chance without the stresses of work and everyday life to try and resolve some of these issues.
Some of these issues are small but some are much larger and life changing. We see the four men further cementing their relationships but also planning for the future and with both couples so very much in love they will fight hard for what they want and deserve.
There are some sexy times to be had to and I loved when Adam and Penn got creative with a camera! This is a perfect Christmas treat for anyone that is a fan of Dance and Mask.
"I received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads."
This is the third in a series, and you would do yourself a great disservice if you didn't read them in order. That said, it is a lovely interlude in these couple's lives, so you would still enjoy it on its own - but be missing out on a lot of subtext.
Absolutely delicious story. I love these characters and was so happy that there was a Christmas novella bringing these two couples together. After all the stresses of the previous two books, a book like that this was the icing on the cake, with oodles of Christmas cheer for these incredibly hot, passionate guys. Ms Kostova, you have excelled yourself, thank you!
I read the entire west end series back to back. It started off slow for me but I fell in love with the characters. Really I read it backwards I started with Riley and Sonnie then read Dance then Mask ending with this one. They were all sweet stories of finding true love and I tend to lean towards the hotter/faster/steamier reads but I really enjoyed all these books. They were sweet and real and heartfelt with everyday extraordinary people with hangups and demons trying to find their soul mate just like everyone else in the world. Good series and if you can read them in order, even though you don't have to to enjoy the stories.
I won this fabulous book as an ARC, boy was I excited!!! I loved Teodora's Dance and Mask, this book brings them all together. Adam & Penn visit Fenix & Jared in Sweden. This sweet Christmas holiday story gives us a look at the future. The love and friendship of these couples is a beautiful story to read. I loved the book and I hope we get to read much more of them!!! It's fun, loving, so sexy and awe the surprise, well you must buy it and read it!!!
Adam and Penn have settled into there life together, Adam may have a spot of writers block but at least Penn is there with him. When he gets a skype call from Sweden.....
Fenix and Jared have a lovely home set up and a business that's going well, they're totally head over heels in love with each other.
It is so great to see Jared and Adam repair their relationship and see how the two couples get along. Even though both books (Dance and Mask) had epilogues that carried them last this point it was nice to see a glow ps of how they got there.
“Il suo naso stava già diventando rosso e le mani fredde, ma la scintilla di entusiasmo nei suoi occhi era ancora lì. Si era accesa nel momento in cui Adam gli aveva chiesto di andare in Svezia ed era durata per tutto il tempo della caccia ai regali e del successivo acquisto di “vestiti caldi”, adatti alla circostanza. Una volta all’interno dell’aeroporto, Adam fu in grado di rilassare i muscoli infreddoliti mentre si dirigeva verso il controllo doganale. Ci volle meno di mezz’ora per l’ispezione e per recuperare i loro bagagli. Penn prese una bottiglia di vino e un’enorme confezione di cioccolato Lindt dal negozio duty-free, prima di uscire dalle porte scorrevoli. Jared li stava aspettando. Indossava un parka blu scuro e un berretto di lana blu, e reggeva un cartello con la scritta “Il Grinch + Biancaneve”. Era raggiante mentre si faceva strada attraverso la folla per riuscire a raggiungerli. «Ah-ah,» fece Adam quando Jared gli fu davanti, picchiettando allegramente sul cartello. Il suo amico sembrava così felice di vederli che qualsiasi commento poco carino sul senso dell’umorismo di Jared, o sul fatto che non ne avesse, gli morì sulle labbra. “ I personaggi di questa novella di Natale li abbiamo incontrati e amati nei due libri precedenti, “Ballando” e “ La maschera”, in cui si sono conosciuti e sono cominciate le loro storie d’amore. Questo racconto si colloca prima dei rispettivi epiloghi, infatti “Ballando” finisce con un capitolo in cui ritroviamo Jared e Felix otto anni dopo con una famiglia molto felice, qui invece facciamo un passo indietro.
I due sono andati a vivere a Malmö e hanno inaugurato la loro scuola di danza, sono ancora innamoratissimi, ma c’è un’ombra nel loro amore. Un desiderio di Felix che Jared non è sicuro di riuscire a realizzare, e questo lo rende malinconico. Anche Penn e Adam si sono trasferiti lontano dalla città e hanno cambiato le loro vite. Tutto sembra procedere bene nel loro rapporto, ma Adam è in crisi con la nuova sceneggiatura, le idee che gli passano per la testa non si concretizzano in dialoghi che lo soddisfino, e perciò da tempo si rintana nel suo studio evitando di fare vita sociale, mentre Pen a volte si ritrova annoiato.
Quando Jared e Felix li invitano a passare il Natale in Svezia le cose cambiano. Se in un primo tempo Adam pensa di rifiutare adducendo come scusa il lavoro, il desiderio di riabbracciare Jared unito all’amore di Penn per la neve e i mercatini di Natale lo spingono ad accettare. E così li ritroviamo in partenza alla volta di Malmö. Ritrovarsi, rinnovare la grande amicizia fra lui e Jared e sotterrare davvero l’animosità che un tempo provava per Felix, reo di aver fatto molto soffrire il suo amico, permette ad Adam di ritrovare la sua ispirazione. E mentre Penn si gode l’atmosfera natalizia che adora, Jared finalmente è riuscito a trovare il modo di soddisfare il più grande desiderio di Felix, facendogli un regalo indimenticabile.
Se, come me, avete amato “Ballando” e “ La maschera”, troverete questa novella davvero molto carina. Se non avete letto i libri precedenti questo racconto non vi dirà quasi nulla, poco del carattere dei personaggi viene rivelato e niente del loro passato. Sono solo quattro persone che si ritrovano a vivere una vacanza fra mercatini di Natale, battaglie di palle di neve e notti piene di romanticismo e coccole, dolci e ben descritte. Ci sono decisioni importanti prese per consolidare rapporti che hanno avuto momenti molto difficili. Felix e Jared hanno sofferto molto per poter seguire il loro grande talento e, dopo aver raggiunto il successo che hanno cercato con tutte le loro forze, hanno deciso che non era più la vita che desideravano. Adam e Penn hanno dovuto superare il ricordo di Charlie e la tendenza alla malinconia di Adam. Ora finalmente hanno raggiunto una felicità vera, profonda, basata sull’amore che provano e sull’avere superato tanti ostacoli.
Non accade molto in queste pagine, è solo un ritrovare quattro amici e vedere come procede la loro vita nella magica atmosfera del Natale, ma si legge davvero piacevolmente, la scrittura dell’autrice è come sempre scorrevole e ci offre l’occasione di passare qualche ora in compagnia di personaggi che abbiamo amato.
Recensione: Jared e Fenix vivono la loro vita in Svezia, la scuola di danza assorbe le loro energie, ma era il loro sogno che con dedizione e costanza hanno realizzato. Adam e Penn vivono a Londra, la loro convivenza è iniziata un anno prima. Penn da quando ha lasciato il lavoro è insofferente e annoiato e cerca in ogni modo di tenersi impegnato, Adam è in una fase di blocco, la mancanza di ispirazione lo priva di quel talento che gli serve per creare e costruire le sue sceneggiature. Jared e Fenix li invitano a Malmo, in Svezia, in occasione delle feste natalizie, per poter trascorrere un pò di tempo insieme, Jared ha bisogno del suo migliore amico, della sua spalla, ha bisogno di Adam. Appena Adam e Penn atterrano a Malmo vengono colti da un freddo incredibile, ma nel tragitto per arrivare alla meta vengono trascinati in un vortice di luci e colori, magnifici addobbi natalizi che incantano, tutto intorno a loro splende di magia. Saranno settimane speciali per questi ragazzi, per queste due giovani coppie omosessuali che desiderano vivere il loro amore e la loro felicità. Ho letto questa novella in primis perché dove si parla del Natale ogni libro ha un sapore diverso, dolce, felice, in aggiunta era un MM, un genere che mi incuriosisce molto, non in tutte le salse eh! Tra queste pagine ho trovato molto più del Natale, e del genere MM, ho sentito da vicino quale può essere il rapporto tra due uomini che non si riduce al solo sesso, ma all'amore fatto col cuore mente e corpo, ho sentito come un migliore amico c'è sempre al momento del bisogno anche senza aver bisogno di esprimersi, ho sentito cosa può fare la sofferenza e poter donare un dono fatto col cuore di chi ama veramente, anche a discapito di tutto, ho sentito ciò che precede il Natale di Malmo, ho immaginato la neve, tanta neve, e attraversato i mercatini. Una novella dolce e tenera che fa riflettere tanto sulla situazione degli omosessuali che vivono e attraversano, una scrittura lineare con i pov alternati, che ti trasporta da Adam e Penn, Jered e Felix... Un Natale fatto di amicizie vere, sogni realizzati e amore infinito Complimenti all’autrice.
Avete presente l’emoticon sul cellulare con la faccina e i cuoricini al posto degli occhi? Ecco, quella sono io una volta terminata la lettura di questo racconto di Teodora Kostova. Oltre ai cuori però, aggiungerei il luccichio causato dalla commozione per questa dolce e delicata storia, che, per chi ha già letto la serie West End, si pone dopo “Ballando” e “La maschera”, e, per chi invece non l’avesse ancora fatto… be’, che aspettate?
Jared e Fenix vivono in Svezia, dove hanno deciso di trasferirsi dopo il matrimonio e hanno aperto una scuola di danza; la loro vita scorre serena e felice se non fosse che, per renderla completa, vorrebbero un bambino. Le difficoltà sono molte, in quanto le liste di adozione sono lunghissime e le leggi in Svezia proibiscono il ricorso alle madri surrogate.
Anche Adam e Penn, rimasti in Gran Bretagna, hanno finalmente il loro lieto fine, nonostante il primo viva momenti di sconforto per la mancanza di nuove idee per il suo lavoro. Su invito di Jared e Fenix, decidono, quindi, di trascorrere le festività in Svezia.
Non voglio dilungarmi oltre nel raccontarvi la trama, dico solo che l’autrice ha saputo condensare in poche pagine uno spaccato di vita importantissimo per entrambe le coppie, mettendo in luce ancora una volta l’amore profondo che le caratterizza, ponendo anche l’accento sul rapporto di amicizia che lega Jared e Adam.
Una storia estremamente romantica, complice anche l’atmosfera natalizia con luci, neve e mercatini, ma anche molto hot, con il contributo di una fotocamera, un camino, tante candele e un abito rosso…
Editing recensione a cura di Lilith per Feel The Book
Per chi ha letto I libri precedent e ama i personaggi, le loro storie personali e di coppie, non potrà far altro che apprezzare le novelle che l’autrice ci regala per permetterci si entrare in maggior sintonia con i protagonisti nella loro quotidianeità.
Uno spaccato della routine di coppia, tra alti e bassi, tra sintonia, affinità e attrazione di coppia e routine in famiglia.
Trascorrere il Natale in Svezia è stato meraviglioso, tra tradizioni, canti, calore e colori svedesi.
La novella è stata in grado di mantenere alta l’attenzione del lettore e le due coppie non sono state da meno.
La sensualità è stata debole ma il romanzo è ricco di amore e di dolcezza, in puro spirito natalizio.
Sogni realizzati, sia a livello sentimentale che lavorativo, e quale potrebbe essere il dono più bello a Natale?
✔ Letto! Un bellissimo e romantico libro. Ho adorato rivedere i ragazzi e sapere cosa sia successo durante il loro soggiorno a Malmö. Romanticismo, serenità, conferme e erotismo. Due coppie perfette e complici. Amicizie che va oltre il legame del sangue. La certeza di un futuro brillante per tutti i 4. Bello e mi è venuta la voglia di un bianco natale a Malmö. Per me è ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Favola natalizia che ci permette di ritrovare i quattro protagonisti dei primi due libri della serie e vederli alle prese con alcune decisioni importanti
Adam and Penn have moved in together and settled into a routine, but Penn is missing working, and Adam is lacking any creativity while trying to work on his next script. When his best friend Jared invites Adam and Penn to come spend Christmas with him and his husband, Fenix, in Sweden, Adam is hesitant but agrees. Penn is over the moon excited to be getting away from everything for a few weeks with his love and determined to make sure Adam relaxes and enjoys himself.
From the start when they arrive, Adam can sense something is off with Jared and Fenix. Not so far off to be a problem, or ruin their Christmas together, but off. Separately and together, the two couples set about getting ready for Christmas with visits to local shops, buying presents and making ornaments for each other. They take turns cooking, share meals and watch movies together as they prepare for a memorable Christmas. But both Jared and Adam have surprises for their loves, surprises that will either make or break this special Holiday, depending on how their perspective partners react.
Thank you Teodora for opening up the world of West End and letting us visit with Adam, Penn, Jared and Fenix this Christmas. I thoroughly loved catching up and seeing what these guys have been up to since the wedding and the cohabitation of the last couple books. There are several special surprises in this novella, events that will shape and mold stories in this series to come. As usual excellent character development and well thought out situations come full circle and left me anxious for the next book, so please, write faster!
The perfect little love story for the Holiday Season, a must read for anyone that likes strong characters and perfect partnerships in their couplings.
Oh, this was a really nice follow up on Dance and Mask. For those who missed on these two books, it's about time to pick them up.
So, it's been a year since Adam and Penn moved on to domesticity. It's been two years since Jared and Fenix moved to Sweden and domesticity. All should be right and well this coming Christmas holidays and yet, hmmmm, not all good. There are good things and there are bad things and all four men have to deal on their own as couples or together as friends.
Penn and Adam need a break and not going to a regular job was not the kind of life they thought it would be. In short: they were bored and uninspired. As for Jared and Fenix, their dance studio was doing well but Fenix is sad. Okay, I admit it, he was miserable. But not because of the reasons you think. What to do? The answer's obvious: invite Penn and Adam for a Christmas vacation and find the answers they all needed to find. Maybe, if all four were together, they would not be so blind to the answers in front of them.
Teodora Kostova has given us a Christmas story that continues the stories of these four men as nothing I ever expected. I thought sappy, or maybe quirky? What I got was a darned fantastic read that is the perfect complement to the two main books and gives us some bit of closure on how the men's lives were changed for the better when they decided to hook up and be happy with their lovers.
Note: Copy provided by author for an honest review.
You know when you read the first book in a series and love the characters and then the second book comes out and you love those characters as well. The types of characters that you just want to keep checking in with and reading more of. Well, this holiday novella is that book. This story takes place after the last chapters of each book, but is set before the epilogue. Where the epilogue of each book jumps forward in time, we get a peek at one of the holidays that happens in between.
With alternating POV from Adam and Jared, this book is sweet, sexy, hot, festive, and everything you would want it to be. It’s seeing the guys work out growing pains in their relationships, hang out, relax, and enjoy each other in the bedroom. It’s seeing them evolve in their relationships. It’s especially cool to see the confidence in Penn, and it’s so fun to see all of them just enjoy each other. It’s what a holiday story should be, like catching up with your favorite friends. But, just like all good things, it comes to an end way too soon. Dreaming of Snow is a perfect way to share the holidays with the guys of the West End Series.
Anche se manca ancora un mese abbondante a Natale, cominciare a leggere novelle natalizie non è mai troppo presto e questa è davvero deliziosa. Ritroviamo i personaggi che abbiamo amato nei primi due libri della serie ed entrambe le coppie – anche se per motivi diversi – sono un po’ in crisi e giù di corda. Un viaggio in un paese da cartolina, tra la neve, le bancarelle, strenne e amicizie rinsaldate, fa riavvicinare anche le due coppie, che si riscoprono sempre più unite e innamorate. Teodora ci offre uno scorcio della vita nuova norvegese di Fenix e Jared, di ciò che hanno adesso e della nostalgia che provano, dei loro sogni, delle paure, delle speranze. Anche il rapporto di Adam e Penn è piacevole da leggere, la loro crisi momentanea evapora con l’adrenalina della novità, un’occasione per riscoprirsi, e ne escono rinforzati e più determinati che mai. Questa novella, anche se non è molto lunga, ha la giusta dose di dolcezza, una punta di malinconia e molta sensualità; la resa italiana è piacevole e curata. Lettura consigliata agli amanti di questa serie e a chiunque cerchi una bella novella di Natale.
I love this little little novella with Jared, Fenix, Adam, and Fenn. Written as a multi POV with Jared and Adam. Was excited to see the four characters interacting throughout this book. Love seen Jared and Fenix in their new home and seeing how their new family will progress.
This was a short but sweet read. Cannot wait to read a book four. I hope these four characters will show up in that book even though they no longer live in London but I'm not sure if that's possible. I guess I will just have to read it to find out. Not that I'm upset about that hee hee.
This book cannot be read as a standalone and must be read in order.
Just lovely lovely lovely. More of Penn and Adam but also Fenix and Jared. The four of them truly are wonderful...but Penn stands above the rest. I might have to fight Momo for who gets to squish him more. A beautiful Christmas story. And I love it when the title of a book has such meaning to the story. ❤️❤️
“Dreaming of snow represents a clean start and a fresh new perspective. It means spiritual peace and tranquillity,” Fenix explained. “I think all of us are getting a fresh start in the new year, with us possibly starting a family, and you guys getting married. We all have plans for the future we didn't have a few days ago. So I think that’s the perfect title.”
First off, you should really read Dance and Mask before reading Dreaming of Snow. What can I say...I loved Dance, I loved Mask and I love Dreaming of Snow too! Once again you are following Adam, Penn, Jared and Fenix but this time they are on Christmas vacation in Malmo. (at Jared and Fenix's) For me this short story tied up the series quite nicely. Its stayed true to Teodora's previous two books in the series... Romantic, sexy, loving and HOT, HOT, HOT! I don't think I could ever get enough of these boys. All are sexy as sin and I just love reading their beautiful stories. Quick, sexy, romantic read! If you have read Dance and Mask I recommend reading this one as well, like I said, it ties up their stories nicely!
It was so good to have all the boys together. What was even better is that Fenix and Adam are getting alone better. This such a lovely Christmas story. I was really hoping that Adam Penn would move to Sweden, I would love for the 4 of them to be together again in the same country.