Mistletoe in the Maritimes

by Reneé McLean

A socially anxious writer hiding out in a tiny Nova Scotia town.
A sunshiney handyman spreading Christmas cheer to his town-sized found family.
One snowstorm, a cozy B&B, a harbour full of lights, and a love that finally feels like home.

A low-angst, grumpy/sunshine MM Christmas romance with snowed-in forced proximity, quirky small-town charm, and a heart-warming found family.

Sometimes the best love stories come from sheltering in unexpected harbours.

Evander Winslow isn’t here for Christmas cheer. He’s here to escape. A socially anxious, big-city writer from Toronto, he books a quiet room at Whispering Pines, a seaside bed-and-breakfast in the small town of Mintlaw, Nova Scotia. His only plan? Disappear into his notebooks and finish his historical novel. Romance? Not a chance.

Ryan MacNeil, the B&B’s sunshiney cook/handyman, is still lonely under the life he’s built surrounded by the found family he holds dear. He’s got a schedule full of holiday events, a kitchen that smells like Fat Archies cookies, and a knack for nudging even the shyest guest into joining the fun. When Ryan feels drawn to the handsome new guest, he tells himself that he’s just trying to spread holiday cheer to someone who needs it. That’s all, right? It’d be foolish to develop feelings for a visitor with baggage.

A warm community welcome and Ryan’s charm start to thaw Evander’s guarded heart. Mintlaw has a way of pulling people in. When a nor’easter hits, they are snowed-in together for movie marathons, game nights, and a shared obsession with maritime history. After the storm lifts, Mintlaw’s twinkling boardwalks and a harbour glowing with Christmas lights quietly suggest how good forever could be.

Evander must decide whether he’s ready to let go of the past and embrace a love he never saw coming. Will Evander have the courage to choose the home he’s found here, anchored in Mintlaw and in Ryan?

A cozy, clean, low-angst MM Christmas romance featuring grumpy/sunshine, social-anxiety rep, snowed-in forced proximity, found family, a quirky Canadian small town, no third-act breakup, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary Romance, Christmas, Romance, Forced Proximity

334 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2025

About the author

Renée McLean writes contemporary romance with a hint of history sneaking in when she isn’t looking. Renée was born in a small town, speaks French, and illustrates her own book covers. She has yet to find an off switch for her imagination. Her characters won’t stop talking, her plot bunnies multiply like actual bunnies, and her to-write list grows longer every year despite her best efforts. It’s gotten crowded in there. Her solution? Write cozy-adjacent romances which balance comfort with depth. Her happy endings are guaranteed (even if the path there occasionally gets slightly stormy). Renée believes in crafting love stories that brighten the world.

Reviews

[Jessica]

I sped through this read! Although I found it a tad repetitive, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. Evander is a socially anxious writer from Toronto, visiting Mintlaw, Nova Scotia, the setting of his work in progress novel. Ryan is a golden retriever handyman who works at the B&B Evander is staying at. The relationship that blossoms between them is wholesome and adorable. Ryan helps Evander find inspiration for his Historical Fiction novel through a Christmas town scavenger hunt he had set up, where Evander learns all about the town dating back to the 1800s. With his new love and new friends, Evander becomes more confident in himself as a writer and his decisions regarding his family.

[T.M. Kirk]

Holiday cheer level? Drinking a cup of tea at a quaint BnB while the winter wind whips around outside. This book is a Canadian love letter to the holidays. It’s part Christmas story, part exploration of Nova Scotia with coastal culture and maritime history. It’s a polished and well written MM love story with no spice and two of the cutest MMCs you could imagine. It’s a shy writer on vacation who meets an outgoing local. It’s sweet dates and exploring the small coastal town. And it’s finding where you belong and chasing your happiness.

[Izzy]

A surprisingly sweet blend of romance and historical research. The writing seemed a bit heavy-handed at times, but all-in-all a solid first novel and I’m glad I read it.

Thanks to LibraryThing for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Sarah☀️ Somerville]

DNF @ 37% - This book is really nice and other readers may enjoy it. However, it’s not keeping my interest despite the social anxiety rep.