Un Natale segreto (Festive Fakes Vol. 3)

Festive Fakes #3

by Keira Andrews, Alessandra Pannozzo (Translator)

Un finto fidanzamento natalizio, un amore inatteso e un coming out difficile: Connor e Reid scoprono la magia del vero amore.

Mi chiamo Connor Lisowski, e vi dirò solo questo:
- Ho una cotta epica per Reid, il fratello maggiore del mio migliore amico.
- Tutti pensano che io sia etero.
- Ho due padri fantastici, ma non ho ancora trovato il coraggio di fare coming out.
- Ah, e non sono mai stato baciato.
Eppure, eccomi qui: costretto a fingere di essere il fidanzato di Reid durante le vacanze di Natale.
Lui, il tipo perfetto, elegante, affascinante… e completamente fuori dalla mia portata.
O almeno, così credevo.
Tra luci scintillanti, famiglie impiccione, segreti svelati e un re bisessuale con un debole per gli abiti firmati, questo Natale potrebbe riservare una sorpresa che nessuno dei due aveva previsto: l’amore vero.
“Un Natale segreto” è un gay romance tenero, ironico e pieno di magia natalizia, una storia di prime volte, verità nascoste e un finto fidanzamento che diventa molto, molto reale.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Christmas, Holiday, LGBT, Contemporary, Fake Dating

303 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 16, 2023

About the author

Keira aims for the perfect mix of character, plot, and heat in her M/M romances. She writes everything from swashbuckling pirates to heartwarming holiday escapism. Her fave tropes are enemies to lovers, age gaps, forced proximity, and passionate virgins. Although she loves delicious angst along the way, Keira guarantees happy endings!

Reviews

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Connor is all grown up. The previously sulky teen, grieving his mom's recent passing, is now a fairly confident young adult crushing on his best friend's older brother.

I say "fairly" because Connor is still hiding his sexuality and covering for his useless, homophobic sperm donor.

When Reid asks Connor to be his pretend boyfriend over the holidays (or until his wealthy, traditional grandma stops trying to set him up with society girls in whom he has no interest), Connor agrees. Because of course he does.

And that's how fake kisses turn into real ones, and a pretend relationship becomes a forever kind of thing.

The first book is still my favorite (I loved seeing Logan and Seth still going strong), but Connor and Reid make an adorable (and sexy!) couple.

This book is a candy cane you want to savor or a cup of hot cocoa with all the marshmallows.

I wish the last chapter before the epilogue had been slightly more romantic, but I liked seeing the MCs still going strong five years later in the epilogue.

Now we just need some wedding bells!

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Keira Andrews and I really love holiday romances, so it pains me to only give The Christmas Veto 3-stars.

I've read each book in the Festive Fakes series, and this one was my least favorite. Maybe because it felt a little forced-themey, as the other books in the series follow a similar fake boyfriend format, or maybe because I had a hard time grasping why Connor was so reluctant to come out. I mean, everyone should come out when they personally feel ready, but with two dads and a super accepting circle of friends, it seemed a little odd. I understood his reasons more as the book went on, but it still took me out of the story a bit.

The romance was cute and the "never been kissed" aspect is always a weakness of mine, but I kept finding my mind wandering while I was reading this story. Maybe it's because I've been consumed with monster/alien romances recently, but I kept looking for a wow-factor with this one and missing it a tad.

While The Christmas Veto is a sweet holiday romance, especially for those who have been reading the Festive Fakes series for years, it didn't quite scratch my holiday romance itch.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

goodreads|instagram

[Keira Andrews]

NOW AVAILABLE!

In The Christmas Leap, I teased the possibility of a romance between Logan and Seth’s son Connor and his best friend’s older brother.

It’s here in ebook and paperback:
👉👉👉 https://readerlinks.com/l/3600649

And audio narrated by the amazing Kirt Graves!
👉👉👉 https://readerlinks.com/l/3591467

You first met Connor in The Christmas Deal when he was an angsty preteen clashing with Logan, his widowed stepfather. Life turned around when Logan pretended to be Seth’s boyfriend, and of course Logan and Seth are living happily ever after.

Well, Connor’s all grown up! He’s going to med school and still dealing with some angst. Even though he knows he’s gay, he’s a nervous virgin and hasn’t told a soul yet. But that’s all about to change when he’s roped into pretending to be his best friend’s big brother’s boyfriend. (Say that five times fast!)

Connor’s carrying on the family tradition of fake relationships at the holidays, and I can’t wait for you to meet bisexual king Reid and discover their romance. I absolutely loved writing it.

Thanks so much to the wonderful Dar Albert for the cover.

[~Nicole~]

Dnf . Not grabbing me. Totally unrealistic scenario and the characters are not very likable.

[Agla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great and unexpected. A complete win! 4.5 rounded down.

Reid has just come out as bisexual but his grandmother is in "denial" and keeps trying to match him with eligible women. Reid is set to take over his family's empire that his grandmother currently heads and he is not fully happy about that. So he decides to get a fake boyfriend to confront his grandmother's bigotry and show that his bisexuality is not and act of "rebellion".

Connor is Reid's brother's best friend and agrees to be the fake boyfriend because he has had a crush on Reid for a very long time. Reid was unaware of that and hadn't really paid attention/seen Connor before. Connor is a med student and is in the closet despite having 2 dads. This plot point was AMAZING because, bear with me, it really rang true. One of the main stereotypes against LGBTQ+ parenthood is the idea that LGBTQ+ parents are grooming kids and "turning" them gay. It's obviously bullshit since most LGBTQ+ people have been raised in straight households but don't let facts get in the way of your bigotry... He has internalized this narrative for realistic reasons and is afraid to not be believed if he comes out or worse that his dads are gonna be blamed or blame themselves. Again this logic may sound weird but I loved it because it is accurate. As some people know I study LGBTQ+ families and have interviews members of said families, including people raised in them and this narrative did come. I've even had LGBTQ+ parents saying they wished their children would be straight for several reasons (no need to bore you with the details). This storyline was great to me.

Now I'm not a fan of the fake dating trope but I didn't mind here because the transition from fake to real felt genuine and we didn't get "oh too bad it's fake" unending internal monologues! It as low angst, we really did see them bond and support each other in different and meaningful ways. The Christmas vibe was very good and the New York setting shone.

I also liked that they both had families and lives, those families included great women as well not so great ones (looking at you Reid's grandma). They had to make time for each other. This made me realize how often the MCs are shown to be in this couple bubble, to be very isolated and having endless amount of time to do stuff together. Not the case here, they had other stuff to do which made them miss each other, it was very cute. I liked Connor and Reid's brother relationship: they really felt like genuine friends and I also liked the brother's reaction to the MCs being a couple.

Now the niggles: Reid's characterization wasn't as strong as Connor's, there were a few inconsistencies (professionals have always cooked for him then we are told he likes cooking and then he has never peeled a potato? that was strange). The storyline with Connor's dad lacked a little something. I wish we had seen more interactions between Connor and Olivia (his roommate) and Raid with Addison (his friend). Very small niggles honestly. Highly recommend

[Ben Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to The Christmas Veto as I loved the previous two in the series. Sadly this one just didn't hit like the others.

My main issue with this was how quickly the couple got into the fake dating. I would have preferred more of an introduction to the characters and build up. It also felt like there was no stakes to the fake dating. I think if there wasn't the fake dating trope I would have enjoyed it more. Which is not something I thought I'd ever say, because I usually love a fake dating trope!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 stars ⭐️

“Good thing I have experience in this arena.” I laughed. “Carrying on a family tradition.”

I loved the hurt teenage boy we met in so I knew I was going to enjoy Connor’s story.
Another lovely Christmas romance, with a fake dating scenario, a rich boy who’s actually a cute dork, an even cuter closeted med student.

My first kiss was in the books, and the only way it could have been more perfect was if it’d been for real.

My fave part of these fake dating romances is the first kiss, the ‘oh shit, I’m into him’ moment. Reid and Connor were super sweet together, there was a touch of drama to keep it interesting, some romantic New York themed dates, holiday activities.
I don’t know that I loved this as much as book one, but it is a very close second.

I wanted to tell him I was falling in love—that I’d fallen already, and I was still falling and falling. Would he catch me?

CW and tropes (spoilers):
- Fake dating
- Best friend’s brother
- Never been kissed
- Virgin MC
- Homophobia
- Mentions of parental abandonment/death
- Frotting
- Phone sex
- Rimming
- Vers MCs

[Lily Loves 📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am sad to say that lately Keira Andrews, one of my favorite authors, just isn’t doing it for me. This book was forced with the fake boyfriend trope. I don’t like that trope normally but I enjoy it more in a Christmas book. I think it was not needed for reasons in this book. The bitchy old grandmother was ridiculous, just because she’s homophobic didn’t mean Reid had to fake having a boyfriend. This trope for this Christmas series has really run its course for Keira Andrews in my opinion. The first two books were good but this one would’ve been better without forcing them to fake date. Thankfully we didn’t have to deal with too much Angela Barker in this.

Luckily the fake dating didn’t last that long and Reid and Connor together were swoon worthy. They had a lot of chemistry and Reid taking Connor out to experience New York was the best part of the book. That could’ve been the entire premise and this book would’ve been so much better!

I think that Connor not wanting to come out showed how insecure he was. I understood his reasoning but it was also a ploy to have the virgin character. It would be nice to have a virgin who actually chose that for themselves because they weren’t ready, not because they were hiding their sexuality.

This would’ve been a 4 star read but all of a sudden the writing seemed to become lazy and then there was the epilogue 5 years later! Did I miss their “I love yous?” Why did the book just skip 5 years? That was extremely disappointing. It seemed like maybe the timing was up, Andrews had to finish the book and it was cut short. That is something I never felt happened in her older stories. That makes me worry because my favorite book by her is having its final coming next year and I’m afraid it will be disappointing.

This is the 2nd Christmas book I’ve read so far this season and I’m underwhelmed.

[Kaje Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amused to read this story not long after I posted my own holiday novella on my blog, with two men meeting in a fake date holiday meal situation. :) But then, it's a fun and well-used trope. I enjoyed this story of Connor, roped into fake-dating his longtime crush - his best friend's brother - with the bonus of Reid taking some crushing debt off his back. Both men were good-hearted. Connor's lack of experience makes him shy, but not reluctant as their relationship progresses.

Both men have been battling with asserting themselves where it counts - Reid with the family corporation where he isn't doing the work he really wants to, Connor with a blended family and a coming out he's postponed until it feels much harder than it should be. How you feel about this story will, I think, depend on how much you like these tropes, and how well you believe the underlying character motivation. (eg. to some, it may seem silly that Connor didn't feel ready to come out as gay to his gay dads, but in real life, knowing you'll be accepted doesn't mean you won't be seen differently forever, and that can be a hurdle to cross.)

I enjoyed this one as a sweet, light holiday story. You don't need to have read the connected books IMO to enjoy this one.

[⋆｡°✮ Lucy InTheSky ✮°｡⋆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I never hear the word "veto" again I'll be as happy as can be.

🟡 Best friend's older brother
🟢 Virgin
🔵 Gay/bisexual
🟣 Coming out
🟠 Fake boyfriend
🌶️ Good spice; both vers

First of all - that cover. It doesn't do Reid justice. Reid is a tall, dark and handsome 29-year old hotel heir and I just couldn't look at this cover much, it's mismatched, it's not working.

This is Reid.



That's more like it.

Reid is Connor's best friend's Asher's older brother. Connor has had a total crush on Reid since he was in high school and when he gets to be Reid's fake boyfriend for the holidays, he feels like his dream came true. Connor's a complete virgin and he's not out yet as a gay man, but comes out when fake pretending with Reid and gets all of his firsts with him too.

It was sweet and romantic, yes, but this was my least liked installment so far. Not because I didn't like the MMCs, no, they were pretty amazing, but the story wasn't your easy going sappy Christmassy romance, but dealt with so many additional subplots that I felt the focus was sometimes lost and the MMCs could get a lot more on-page time instead of all the rest that was present.

Connor's father that was never explained in detail and now all of a sudden has a connection to Connor and is exploiting him, then it's Reid's project of affordable housing, then it's the high end dinners and events, I mean it was a bit too much, they should've just gotten their love story and nothing more.

The word veto was constantly used and was getting on my nerves. I get it if it's here and there, but I doubt anyone really talks like that.

The Christmas dinner at Connor's wasn't as festive and sweet as I thought it was going to be. Their first Christmas together and not not a good vibe at Connor's place. I would've liked more to be said about their relationship now being official when they went back home.

The epilogue was fine, the extra bonus story was better. In general, medium good, but nothing remarkable.

[Melanie THEE Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had the subplot with Connor's sperm donor stayed in the drafts, this would've been a solid 4 star read. I did enjoy seeing Seth/Logan and Will/Michael still going strong.....and Angela still being Angela 😂



Connor/Reid's song: New York-Snow Patrol

[Maha AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Round up 3⭐️ This was a cute holiday book. Reid & Conner's story was sweet.
Tropes:
1-best friend, older brother.
2-first time.
3-fake dating.
4-age gap.

As someone who is happily reading out of order 😂this was my first book in the series, so I didn't quite know the story of Conner but fear not, you can still read it as a stand-alone cuz we will get a bit of history about Conner so all is good I didn't feel like I missed anything😂.

I enjoyed the two getting to know each other and planning a list of what to do in NY and for the holiday. The fake dating trope and age gap can be either a hit or a miss for me, but it was fine here.

Overall, Reid & Conner are lovely and patient with each other, and that was sweet to witness.

What made me take off some stars was their first time being intimate together. There was awkwardness, and part of it was actually sweet. What threw me off was the dirty talk...I guess that's just me...I'm not the biggest fan of dirty talk. There were a few sex scenes, and those, too, had dirty talk, and it just didn't work out for me. There was a tiny bit of role-play, and.....that sadly didn't work for me.

The ending was rather abrupt, and then we get an epilogue with five years later. I felt it missing something.

We also get a sexy bonus chapter of the couple.

*I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book through GRR.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is super cute. I love the fake boyfriends trope for holiday books, and having a third installment in this series (this time featuring Connor from book 1) is honestly really cool. I really did enjoy it a lot, and found Connor and Reid to be such a sweet couple!

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this!!!
I love the fake boyfriend trope, and this is a whole series of them. I think I like this 3rd book the best.
I fell in love with Connor and Reid almost instantly. Both are so sweet.
I loved getting to catch up with familiar faces of Connors family and friends.

[Grace]

DNF ~48%

Not rating, because this would probably be a 2-star read for me if I finished, and I probably *would* have finished in a different mood, but I was too exhausted to keep reading mediocrity. I was excited about this one as I really liked what I'd seen of Connor in previous books. And I still liked him, but his reasons for not coming out felt forced and inauthentic to me, like the author wanted a closeted character but couldn't figure out how to have one in his particular situation... Reid was bland and uninspiring as a love interest, and I found his self-aware rich boy schitck exhausting. I know I'm supposed to suspend belief with a fake dating read, but this one felt so unbelievable, and particularly given this is the third book in the series with "related" characters going through a fake dating thing that it honestly was distracting and felt really shoe-horned in.

[Noona [ON theStoryGraph] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It!

This whole series is FANTASTIC!

The chemistry between Connor and Reid just jumps off the page. I've liked Connor since book 1 and it's great he got his own happily ever after!

I want to read all the books again!

[Caz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all 3 books in this series - loved book 1, book 2 was 'meh' and sadly, so was this. I was really pleased when I learned Connor (who we first met as a surly teen in The Christmas Deal) was getting his own book, but this was completely insubstantial with lots of sex and not enough character/relationship development.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the series! I especially loved seeing Seth and Logan again from The Christmas Deal, as Connor is their stepson. Connor is all grown up now and in med school. He finds himself being roped into being the fake boyfriend of his best friend's older brother, Reid. The same Reid that he had a major crush on as a teenager. Oh and by the way, Connor is not out. I don't always love a fake boyfriend trope because the why behind it is often contrived or silly. But here, it makes perfect sense why Reid wants a fake boyfriend - his stuffy grandmother feels his recent coming out as bisexual is "a phase." Reid really wants to show it's a part of who he is and not just some passing fancy.

This is a sweet and romantic story - Connor is timid and a bit shy about his sexuality and Reid is caring and comforting, never making Connor feel self-conscious or insecure. I loved their relationship and how they got to know one another doing Reid's list of NYC staples at holiday time. Their chemistry is also hot, yet so emotional as most of the experiences are a first for Connor. It's lovely to watch how Reid cares for him and grows to love him.

My only con is that Connor is very insecure and at times, it was a little much. But he does have moments of frustration with himself at being so afraid, so that does make it more genuine and not just carried on for the story's sake.

The ending is nice, but could have been sweeter and more romantic. It felt like just a tiny bit of emotional conversation was missing. All in all a great read for the holidays though and I'd recommend to keep going with this series - they have all been great!

4.5/5 stars.

I received an ARC of this book from Gay Romance Reviews and this is my honest review.

[Mina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only read this book because I was curious about Conor’s story, since I liked his character in Seth and Logan’s book(book 1 in this series). I am glad I read it so I could sort of catch up with him but the story is very meh. It’s a fake relationship trope which is usually already an extremely unrealistic scenario, and in addition the author added some more details to the story that involves a lot of mental gymnastics. 😂Unless you are invested in the characters I would not recommend.

[raccoon reader]

It’s not you, it’s me- strikes again.

I ended up skimming the last 1/3 of this book bc life is short and I have 4000 books on my TBR. So I’m not giving it any stars but I feel like if I had read every single word it would’ve er been “fine” but just not as engrossing as some of my other currently reading list. So yeah 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Camila T 🍉]

DNF@15% this is so boring. Book 1 was so good. Maybe I should just reread that one.

[Shawna (endemictoearth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars - I love this series and was slightly feral for this installment. I will likely round this up on subsequent rereads, but even as a first outing, this just hit the spot. It fits beautifully in the trilogy and I think the book balanced the previous couples with this new one. This author has a wheelhouse, but always stretches a bit and does some surprising or thoughtful character work that makes a trope-y holiday romance shine a bit brighter and stand out from the pack. I will absolutely be re-reading this along with the first two books for years to come to get me into a festive mood.

[KaylaMarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

✰3.25 stars✰

Did I hit my head? There was no way Reid Cabot was looking at my mouth like he wanted to kiss it. No. Way.

I kept waiting for something more with this one and I wasn’t getting it. I love this author, I really do... and holiday stories are like a sweet tooth addiction for me, but this just didn’t satisfy that to the level I was hoping.

I really enjoyed the first two books in this series, and I was looking forward to Connor’s a lot. So maybe I set my self up with high expectations.
One of my favorite parts of this was actually that we got to see Connor grown up and the love he has for his dads. I adored that full circle moment from the first book in this series.

Aside from that though, the story was just fine.

It’s still a sweet holiday romance to add to your TBR and to continue on with this series if you’ve started it. It just didn’t fully scratch the part of my holiday romance brain.

[Evelyn220 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ I love Keira Andrews but this one wasn’t my favorite. The beginning was quite dry and I found myself skimming the first 40% until things started to pick up. The second half was better and the spice was good.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww I really enjoyed The Christmas Veto. This can be totally read as a stand alone since I haven't read the previous too and was just fine ! This was Sweet and steamy with a dash of heavy to add depth and emotion to the story. It's definitely not as fluffy as the other Christmas romances I've been reading but still full of sweet holiday moments and delicious steam . Fake relationship, younger brothers best friend , coming out, first kisses + everything that follows, and a HEA.

[Andreas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake it till you make it!

It's the advice medical student Connor got from a professor, but it's also the motto of this book and it's predecessors. Little Connor from the first book is all grown up and roped into "fake boyfriend" duties for his best friend's big brother Reid. Who he secretly had a crush on his whole life.

Fake boyfriends to real boyfriends, Christmas in New York and a lot of familiar characters from previous books. Everything you could wish for in a Christmas romance. Keira Andrews did not disappoint with this third and last (?) installment in the "Festive Fakes" series.

It was a fast read, with a fast moving plot without any "stalling" and "dragging on". Also very low drama. Very cozy, like a warm blanket on a cold winter's day. I loved it.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! 🥰 I just finished reading The Christmas Deal and discovered that the new book for this season was Connor's story. I was beyond excited to read it, so I made the executive decision to skip book two and read book three directly after book one. I'm very happy with my decision! Having just read Seth and Logan's story, everything felt like a natural progression for the family and seeing Connor grown up. Sure, Will and Michael were brought up a few times, but not so much it felt like I missed out on anything by skipping over their book. I'm still going to go back and read it, so nothing will be lost in the end, but I got to have the dose of grown-up Connor right when I wanted it. 😌

Connor and Reid were absolutely precious together, beyond adorable. Everything about them hit just right for me. I love the best friend's brother trope so that was an instant win. The age gap could have been bigger, but I was still here for it. 😎 The plot was mostly fluffy and things were glossed over a little too easily with the family drama, but I was fine with that. Connor finally told off his pos bio-dad and took Logan's last name, and Reid got things set straight with Asher and his grandma, which was enough for me. It's a Christmas book, so I'm not looking for lots of angst and pain. There were lots of sweet and spicy moments, but everything was spread out nicely. This was definitely a softer/sweeter book than book one. Overall, a perfect Christmas book for me! 🎄

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Cute but missing some of the classic Keira Andrews charm.

I liked the characters, I liked the plot, I liked Connor’s anxiety, I liked seeing previous characters! I just was a bit bored, didn’t feel much chemistry between Connor and Reid, and their relationship felt unfinished to me.

I also felt like there wasn’t enough prep for the penetrative sex scenes, especially for the virgin, and that stressed me out and pulled me out of the story.

[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one :(

About the only thing I liked was how quickly Reid became smitten with Connor which lead to him wanting to see him all the time. Even though Connor is the one with the longtime crush, Reid seemed to become obsessed with Connor and I liked that ☺️

I didnt feel like they had any chemistry.

I didnt really enjoy being in Connor's POV and unfortunately there's more of his than it being equal 🙈

So, nothing awful - I just didn't enjoy reading it.

[꧁•Zakiyya•꧂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one definitely restored my love for the Best-friend’s-brother trope.

Was like a breath of fresh air after reading one that ended in disappointment some time ago – strange how those bad ones stick to you... 🙈

I really liked Connor and Reid.

I enjoyed how their relationship developed and how smoothly the story flowed.

A low angst, sweet read – perfect for when that festive bug bites.

Definitely catch this one, you won’t be disappointed…💙🥰💙