Can two broken men find love in the chill of Winter? Leo is having a bad day. Finding his boyfriend in bed with another man was one thing, being the subject of office gossip another, but falling on his ass in the snow in front of a gorgeous man was the final straw. Jack has existed in a solitary life of ice and bitterness after betrayal. He swore no one would ever break his heart again, gave up on love, and became something else; Jack Frost. As Jack and Leo get closer, Jack is left torn and confused. Jack yearns for anything that reminds him of his humanity, but the truth is, he feels nothing, not warmth, not love, and he knows he might never be able to love Leo the way he deserves to be loved. When the line between fairy tales and magic, and the real world become blurred, can love conquer everything? Word 52,100
Meredith Russell lives in the heart of England. An avid fan of many story genres, she enjoys nothing less than a happy ending. She believes in heroes and romance and strives to reflect this in her writing. Sharing her imagination and passion for stories and characters is a dream Meredith is excited to turn into reality.
A thoroughly enjoyable twist to Jack Frost. Books that blur the lines between fantasy and reality are a favourite of mine. Reading is my number one for of escapism and I like the fact that worlds created are not restricted by what we know about this world but only by an author's imagination.
In Just Jack, Meredith Russell creates just such a world. Jack - a real life Jack Frost - had his heart broken years ago and he vowed to never love again.The supernatural took that vow and turned him into one of many Jack Frosts, cold hearted mischief makers. For Leo Frost the day he wants to vow to never love again is the day that he meets Jack and for both of these men life is about to change.
Though this book is on the light-hearted side of writing it explores the love we share with fellow humans, as friends, as lovers and how it is an integral part of being human. A heart is easily broken but is it really better to close ones self of from all hope of love? In a world where Jack has wondrous abilities with ice but a cold heart we share his venture into trusting again.
Is it possible for him to trust again? And how much of a hand does fate have in Jack and Leo's interactions? I enjoyed this story, it was just different enough to catch my interest with the age old debate of love and love lost at its heart.
Jack has given up on love. He's been in a miserable state for over 50 years and just lives as a miserable, cold wielding, meanie. When he is having a blast making people slip on the ice one day, he sees Leo. There is something about him that Jack can't ignore.
Poor Leo has just walked into seeing his cheating boyfriend with another guy. They break up and as he is leaving, he slips on Jack's ice. Somehow Jack feels a bit of remorse, and Jack helps him.
A second chance meeting leads to the two guys getting to know each other better, and Leo is the spark to melt Jack's frozen heart. I do wish we had a little more at the end to see what really happened after Jack and Leo got together, but it was a sweet story over all. Great Jack Frost concept story.
...and I am OK with drinking, but I am afraid that the insane amount of alcohol consumed in this book might leave me with a real non-book hangover tomorrow morning @.@ cause too much.
Seriously, tho, for the most part the characters talk and drink and talk and drink. I was hoping for more angst, a decent confrontation or two, problems at work, you know, the Whole Shabang, but it all turned rather too sweet and mellow for my taste.
I'm enjoying this so much, I haven't even thought to take notes. It's so sweet.
I wouldn't think that one night of giving up on love when plastered would be enough to turn someone into a Frost.
Really interesting learning how they make ice sculptures. I never thought about how hard it would be to make a solid block of flawless ice.
What a cool idea for a bar. Although you couldn't make glasses out of ice to be used in a 20 degree room because they would be too dangerous to drink out of. (If the outside were melting, sure, but then they'd be dropped too often.) I wonder if such a thing as this bar exists.
Those ice sculptures as described are too delicate. They would melt too quickly.
There were a couple of instances of British word usage but not too bad (flannel for washcloth, floor for outside ground).
Reviewed for The Novel Approach. My basic reaction in case you don't want to read the review:
First off let me just say I love the cover of this novel. It’s stunning and fits the story so perfectly. The color is so eye-catching and really makes me think of Jack’s eyes, which are described often throughout the story and captivate Leo. And the cover model? Gorgeous.
With that out of the way, I have a confession to make. I adore the character Jack Frost and have had a mild obsession with him since watching Rise of the Guardians when it came out. I’m not ashamed to admit it. However, it was nice to see in a recent interview with the author that she, too, enjoyed the character, and this book is a result from that.
I loved it. Jack Frost might be a popular winter character in folk tales, but Russell gives him a new story. This Jack is not the only Frost out there, but one of many. He is a man who finds himself with a heart of ice after he gives up on love and is then doomed to exist forever without love.
The story broke my heart and had me tearing up often. I also laughed a lot, because while heartbreaking, Jack has a mischievous spirit which follows along with the tales many of us are familiar with.
And then there’s Leo. The book opens with him catching his boyfriend of several years cheating. Despite what should be a clear way out, Leo is torn because this isn’t the first time Mac has cheated. It’s the first time he’s caught him, but it has happened before, and he still loves him. After leaving, he runs into Jack—Just Jack—who helps him when he slips on the ice and hits his head.
Totally Jack’s fault, by the way.
While the two of them are attracted to each other and Leo wants more, there’s just one problem: how can a man with a frozen heart love someone? A man who cannot even feel the warmth of a human body? Oh yeah, and there’s one other teensy tiny problem with the whole magic ice thing: Leo doesn’t know who Jack really is.
This book really was fantastic. I loved the reimagining of the Jack Frost story, and what made it special was the idea that many Jacks exist, not just one. In fact, I would love to see more stories about Jack Frost from this author. Some people might think that would be repetitive considering the characters would have the same name, but really, the possibilities are endless! Russell has taken a well-known story and made it her own with wonderfully written characters and a beautiful world where magic exists.
Jack Frost is out to make mischief. One day he makes Leo fall over on the ice. Instead of just walking off he goes to him. A few days later they meet again at a party. Could Jack be falling in love? A nice fantasy story with a feel good factor.
I have never been a fan of winter, snow, and ice, but after reading this story, I am inclined to change my mind. I didn’t know cold could feel so warm. Meredith Russell has written a lovely retelling of the tale of Jack Frost. It is heartwarming and gets the blood flowing. Lots of laughter and full of emotions. Jack Frost has closed his heart off from love after being cheated on so many years ago. He got through life cold and icy with no feelings at all. He is a mischievous man who likes to see people slip on the ice. He doesn’t really hurt people, except for some broken bones. But as he has no feelings, I couldn’t blame him. And then he meets Leo. Leo is the first one to crack the ice around his heart. Leo who has been cheated on as well, and now finally breaks up with his boyfriend, Mac. It was lovely to see how Jack and Leo grow into their relationship. Every time Jack sees Leo, he becomes lighter and warmer somehow. He slowly dares to believe in love again. And Leo won’t give up on Jack, even as he is drifting away. This story has all the vibes and feels of a magical fairy tale, but at the same time, it is a contemporary story about opening your heart and finding Mr. Right.
This is a wonderful remake of the classic story about Jack Frost. Jack has been done with love for a very long time, like decades long. After his heart was broken the last time, Mother Nature granted his wish and frozen his heart. And frozen it has stayed, until Leo.
Leo has always been accused of giving his heart away at the drop of a hat. But this time, his heart is broken after walking in on his boyfriend cheating on him. Maybe he should be done with love too. Rushing away from his now ex-boyfriend, he has an accidental meeting with Jack. Jack has caused his usual mayhem and Leo has slipped on the ice he created and cracked his head. Jack is concerned by what has happened to Leo. That never happens. And for the first time, Jack’s heart might be starting to thaw.
This story is so well written. It’s a gentle, easy read. Loved both Jack and Leo as characters. And the way the author built the relationship between them. Love the cast of secondary characters as well, Ruby was a hoot. Truly enjoyed this story.
I'm not sure which character I fell for harder, Jack Frost who feels his heart is cold or Leo who has his heart finally broken when he finds his boyfriend in bed with someone else. It's pretty obvious that Jack's heart is not as frosty as he believes just from his friendship with Abe and his family but when he meets Leo there is whole other level of not-cold he is about to discover if he only lets himself. Leo has not been completely blinded by his boyfriend's wandering but its this first-hand discovery that opens his eyes and lets him finally break free. Just Jack is so much more than a Christmas story, actually its really not a holiday tale at all and yet Christmastime seems the perfect opportunity to give it a go. Sometimes the coldest hearts have the most room for love. Just Jack is fun, loving, and full of heart.
What a sweet and unusual take on the Jack Frost myth.
Jack has lived alone and mostly unnoticed by people for a long time, delighting in mischief and tricks while telling himself he doesn't need anything or anyone - his heart was broken before and he has no time or need for love.
Leo is unlucky in love and has almost given up on finding Mr Right. Then he falls on his ass following one of Jack's tricks and against all his principles Jack starts to care for and about Leo.
The two develop feeling for each other that neither really understands or is ready for and things get a whole lot confusing before they get better again.
I liked this one, it was funny and cute and very entertaining. A fun little holiday read, and really interesting take on the old fairy tale.
There were parts of this book I really enjoyed and others that had me rolling my eyes a bit. The characters drink a lot and talk a lot but not a whole lot actually happens. I did like the concept (although if one night of getting drunk and vowing not to love again turns you into a Jack Frost then there would be millions of them). I did like seeing Jack go from being kind of a bit of a jerk to someone who actually turned out to be a nice guy.
An unusual Christmas story, with a hint of magic. Not Christmas magic though, actual magic. It's not all sweetness and light. There's cheating, (not the MCs), broken hearts and despair.
Something a bit different, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's a lot grittier than your usual story, but with an edge of sweetness. I really liked Leo and Jack together. I especially enjoyed the character of Jack, his reawakening was a pleasure to read. The only reason I gave it a 4 rather than a 5, was due to the fact that occasionally I wanted to strangle both MCs. I'm not going to give away any spoilers, just read it, if you fancy something imaginative and creative.
One of my favorite supernatural characters is Jack Frost, especially as he personifies the naughtiness in all of us. I love him because he is such a sad character despite all his antics and tricks that can make those of us who understand, laugh. His is a cold heart, not because of his own choice, but because of his circumstance. In the film Rise of the Guardians, he is portrayed as a young boy, maybe because the plot centered on children. Jack is Jack. He is neither young nor old. He is Just Jack.
Leo is a toy maker and he loves games and animation. Walking into his boss and lover with another man brought his warm heart into the cold of betrayal and it hurt him deeply. As he walks out on the relationship with a finality, he falls victim to a trickster making him fall, hit his head, and wake up to the beautiful face of a man called Jack. When Jack and Leo hook up, they have fun, they have love and the cold heart that has Jack in grips begins to thaw while that of Leo, the one that felt betrayal, began to open once more.
Meredith Russell unexpectedly gave me who Jack could be and because of the way she wrote him, I fell in love with his character even more. In her twist to the character, there are multiple Jack Frosts around the world and each have their own territory so to speak and they all hold control over the winter there, even if nature does at times twist things around them. In this story, Jack's cold heart, the unfeeling heart that spurs him on to play tricks on others, begins to thaw. This thawing is because he falls in love with a mortal.
This was such a sweet sweet story and I found myself really wanting more. The thawing of Jack's frost is, for me, the only way to go. The manner of which it thawed, now that was the sweet romance I so needed to read today.
I love winter—the cold, the snow, the crispness of the season. It’s why I wanted to read this book. Very glad I did. Just Jack is an adorable story of a man so heartbroken he gave his heart to the cold and the man who thawed it. I liked it a lot. The funny and sweet mixed with just enough internal and external struggle to keep it from being completely fluffy.
I really liked what this author did with the story of Jack Frost by bringing him to life and giving him choices. Choices that made both who he is and who he will be. The myth this author created for Frost—freezing his heart and taking away all feeling other than cold. Brilliant. I found it absolutely delightful and fun. Then to make Jack human in the eyes of readers by giving him family, friends, an everyday job, and a new love, it’s an inspired idea. Leo’s role in Jack’s life is only part of his story. He’s the driving force behind Jack’s conflict, but he’s also stuck in the middle of his own storm. Leo is the guy that falls in love way too fast—trust me, it’s said more than once in this story. But along with falling in love so fast, he tends to get his heart broken that much harder. I like Leo and his persistence with Jack, but I wish he could have had a cleaner break with Mac. My problem there is that he kept waffling over whether he should or shouldn’t go back to Mac. One moment he’d say he didn’t want Mac and the next he was contemplating going back. I’m okay with that in the beginning of a break up, but this lasted almost all of the way through the book, making Jack seem like a rebound instead of something solid in Leo’s life.
I will agree with other reviewers, this is a wonderful cover. It is beautiful and captures Jack. I enjoyed the take on the Jack Frost mythology. Jack is not a very likeable trickster in the beginning, but after he manages to hurt a man and actually feels compelled to help this person, something changes. He sees some of who he was before.
The characters are not perfect and they made mistakes and there were moments I wanted to shout at them, but overall, they managed fine without my help and I enjoyed experiencing their journey with them.
It is a sweet, romantic tale, with a bit of magic.
I really wanted to stick with this and give it a chance, but we open with a guy who thinks it's fucking hilarious to constantly fuck with a dude's car so he'll have to walk back across the ice and hopefully fall? A guy who is 50-some years at that.
And then he sees a 40-some year old woman dress entirely in pink and with matching accessories and decides she's 'too old to be playing at Barbie'
If Jack doesn't wear a trilby, I'll die of shock. Not interested in reading about the woes and struggles of a Grade A jerk. DNF.
Great fairy tale story! I loved the storyline, the characters were full of life. Lots of laughter and emotion throughout! Jack and Leo are so cute and deserve their happy ending! Lighthearted and fun read!