A Very Armitage Christmas

Mismatched Mates #2.5

by Eliot Grayson

’Tis the season…for zombies?

It’s two days before Christmas, and the Armitage pack’s getting ready for the holiday. Nate’s decorating the driveway with dozens of light-up candy canes (well, bullying Ian into doing it for him, but details). Matthew’s sitting through yet another endless pack council meeting.

And Arik’s raising revenants in the herb garden.

When a plague of zombies and an infestation of in-laws hits on Christmas Eve, Nate, Ian, Arik and Matthew will need to pick up their machetes, put some Bing Crosby on the record player, and overcome their relationship issues if they want to make it to Christmas morning.

This book follows the same characters and refers to the events of The Alpha’s Warlock and Captive Mate, and really should be read in series. Warning: Contains a modified inflatable Santa, a snowblower put to a really unusual purpose…and knotting. Because of course it does!

Genres: M M Romance, Paranormal, Romance, Shapeshifters, Fantasy, Magic, Novella

70 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2020

About the author

Eliot's a lifelong Southern California girl, right down to the flip-flops and backyard garden. When she's not writing her next book, you can find her reading, drinking tea, or (more likely) catering to the demands of her kids and ancient, cranky cat.

Steamy books with delicious tension, heart-wrenching pining, and a hefty dose of action and adventure have always been her jam as a reader. Guess what she writes?

You can catch up with her on Facebook in her reader group, Eliot Grayson's Escape from Reality, or sign up for her newsletter at eliotgrayson.com.

Reviews

[Jilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those little short in-between books for Christmas where you get to revisit each couple and see how in love they are again. But as an added bonus, we get to see them all "knot".


Snoop and Martha -favorite celeb couple.

The bonus is that Christmas also brings a shit-ton of zombies too. What could be more festive than getting together as a family and pack to behead decaying walking corpses? Tis the season.

[juli✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

❝What are you going to do, Ian? Bite me? Throw me over your shoulder and drag me off somewhere to do unspeakable things to me?❞
❝Been there, done that, got the magical socks,❞ I grunted.

Gosh I sure do love the Armitage pack. Here's hoping we'll get to revisit them in the new year!!


𝗠𝗜𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦
🐺 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮'𝘀 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 ~ 𝟯.𝟱
🐱 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲 ~ 𝟰.𝟳𝟱
🎄 𝗔 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗔𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 ~ 𝟰
🦇 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 ~ 𝟯.𝟱
🧬 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ~ 𝟯
🧭 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 ~ 𝟰.𝟱

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 stars ⭐️

A family who snowblows zombies together, stays together? Or something.

A fun & ridiculous Christmas novella. Some zombie killing, lots of cute couple moments, a meeting with the parents.
I loved seeing these guys all in love and (somewhat) getting along, and I loved getting Ian and Matthew’s POV.
Overall, a quick and cute read perfect if you loved the first two books and miss these shifter boys.

CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Mild violence
- Zombie gore
- Panic attack
- Brief spanking
- Face-fucking
- Coming untouched
- Knotting

[Cadiva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ridiculously funny festive fun and I loved it

Candy canes, blow up santas and horses if revenants are just what you want for Christmas right?!

So much fun, I loved this wee trip back with the Armitage pack.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

petition for all authors to give their characters a christmas special bc this slapped

[☆Kylie☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okayish book. Okayish series, review to come (if I don't forget)

[Verdelite · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading from the LI's POV, so it was a real treat to open the short story to immediately be greeted with Ian's viewpoint. I've wondered what he's always brooding about and I got my answer as Ian immediately proceeds to be distracted... by Nate's ass.

I'm not sure what I was expecting and it doesn't matter because that was so Ian 😂👌

[Leslie]

Christmas in August here. This was pretty cute. It was only 66 pages so that’s all I’ve got. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Kazza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so freaking hilarious. It absolutely cracked me up. I enjoy Eliot Grayson's humour, she really gets into these guy's spirit and snark and the whole mismatched vibe. I've been reading and listening to a lot of dark books this festive season, so this took me away from that for a while and delivered action and sniping and shifters and a feel good Christmas with zombie/revenants... and in-laws.

It was perfect that we got Ian and Matthew Armitage's POV in this novella. It was totally worth it. The first two books are from Nate's POV, The Alpha's Warlock, and then Arik's POV, Captive Mate. Seeing the Alpha's feelings for their mates was... lovely, again, funny.

Getting in on the necromancy action was something I enjoyed a heck of a lot. This is a paranormal/shifter/magical world that's set on Armitage Pack lands. Arik is a shaman and necromancer. Nate is a warlock. Their mates are weres. It delivered action amongst the humour and a little bit of organic sexy time, including knotting.
*Sighs. I'm such a happy, happy reader right now.
Blog review at-

[Preeti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, cute, sexy short novella(66 pages) in the Mismatched Mates.

[Jane aka Coughy019 (Safety info included) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tropes: established relationship, holiday novella
Feels: 3/5
Steam*: 1.5/5
Kinks: knotting, sex in risky places, brat, spanking, bondage
Angst: low
HEA: yes
Pairing: MM
Triggers/potential icks/content warnings: zombies, gore

This is a brief continuation of the stories of Ian and Nate and Matthew and Arik. We check in with both couples at Christmas time. A mishap with magic leads to a heck of a lot of zombies coming out of the ground and as they're getting ready for Christmas dinner they are in a Gore fest of rekilling the corpses and disposing of the bodies. And then the parents in law show up!

This was a funny short little romp. I really do like the humor. You'll only really appreciate this if you read their original stories.

Some notable moments:

"“Arik, what the fuck did you do?” “Why are you assuming this is my fault?” I snarled, as self-righteously as I could manage under the circumstances. Ian waved a hand at me, encompassing everything about me, it looked like. I sighed. Yeah, okay. That was probably fair."

"And now here we were, standing in a scattered pile of zombie bits, rakes in our hands, sweaty and dirty and literally cleaning up the scene of the crime. And our mother-in-law and father-in-law, Janet and John Armitage, were merrily zipping down the driveway, expecting a wholesome holiday reunion."

"And knowing Ian and Matthew were dealing with the body-part snowblowing while we sat warm and cozy in the kitchen dealing with nice clean edible food added a little delicious je ne sais quoi to the whole affair. Maybe I was kind of a petty bitch. But they all loved me anyway."

*FYI about steam: I rate steam based on a combination of quality & quantity. I note kink separate from steam because I don't want to underrate steamy reads that don't have much kink.

**Note about spoilers: I like to comment on the plot of a book in reviews, so I almost always mark my reviews as containing spoilers. But I try to avoid spoiling the big dramatic moments! As a reader, I personally like to know what I'm getting into before I read a book so I know more about the content and if it's to my taste/mood, so I try to give that information in my reviews for myself when I'm considering rereading and also for other readers.

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Review:
This was a nice little series extra. You get to see how the relationships between the two couples are going. You get to see how the individual characters are feeling and growing (since you get all four POVs). There was sex, zombie killing, and some Christmas fun. This was an enjoyable little snippet of the characters' lives.

*Rating: 4 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Ebook via TTS*

Recommended For:
Fans for Books 1 and 2 in Eliot Grayson's Mismatched Mates series who want a bit more time with the characters.

More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[the kevin (vaguely alive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable, sweet, fun Christmas short with revenants. What's not to love?

Seeing poor insecure Ian, bristly Nate, and adorably insecure bristly Arik (and responsible Matthew I suppose) was so cute together. Their mate bond connections were so sweet. I also loved seeing Arik and Nate bond a little.

I loved the surprise in-law visit, and how casually chill they were with snowblowing revenant parts. Great touch.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute.

Still love Nate and Arik. Especially Arik, he’s such an asshole hahaha.

All of it was great, but the bonding scene between Nate and Arik over their in laws was really special.

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family who snowblows zombies together, stays together?

So fucking fun!! An easy smutty Christmas (plus zombies?!) novella featuring the two couples from books 1 & 2!

Arik tries to bring some life into the garden so his and Nate’s herbs don’t die… it works a little too well and suddenly there’s zombies - I mean revenants - all over the place.

I loved how silly and funny this was as well as getting lots of Ian’s pov which I had felt was missing in book 1. I love both couples a lot so it was really nice getting a little slice of life holiday story about them all. ❤️❤️❤️

[Jennifer☠Pher☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I went ahead and did Christmas in April.

Cute addition to the series. I'm glad we got Matthew and Ian's POV.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

A cute little Christmas story. Nate and Arik’s first Christmas with the Armitage pack. It comes with some surprises.

[Megan [At The Cottage] · Rating 5 out of 5]

MM Romance
Established Couples-Christmas Zombie Invasion
Book 3 of 7 (read in order)
5 star Novella

This 60 page novella was better than the first two books and it finally had everyone’s POV! I was so excited to get into Ian and Matthew’s heads especially Ian’s since he’s all snarly and alpha. I loved catching up with Nate & Arik. This book was so much fun!

Nate has his mate, Ian, decorating everything for their first Christmas together much to Ian’s dismay. Putting up thousands of lighted candy canes was not what he wanted to do but he’d do anything for Nate. Swoon. But alas! Arik’s magic has gone wrong once again and instead of reviving his vegetable garden, he revives everything underground. Everything. 😂😂

This book was laugh out loud funny. I loved the zombies and just reading about these couples as I loved both of them. I’m excited to continue this series.

[Elena Rodríguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

AVISO: Las reseñas de esta saga serán demasiado breves porque no hay mucho que decir de ellas salvo que sirven para evadirte y basta, bueno y que le coges un poco de cariño a los personajes. (No estoy segura de recomendarlas, la verdad).

“I’m the guy who gets eaten. I mean, have you seen a zombie movie? No one in skinny jeans survives past the first twenty min….

¿Cómo es posible que una historia de ellos me guste más que sus propias novelas? Ahí lo dejo.
No saben lo que me he reído.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

"God, here we were, hiding behind a tree after getting off in the woods by the back yard like teenagers, and my mom and dad were laughing at the Santa. Like...sort of what passed for a normal family. A family who snow blows zombies together, stays together? Or something."

This was fun and cute! Actually made me have a better appreciation for the characters. I couldn't connect with Nate and Ian in the first book, but this really helped me to get a better feel for them.

The only thing I would say about this series that's weird is the side characters. This is the 2nd and a half book in the series and it's the first time some of the pack has been named. In the other books it was always yeah, that big beefy guy that watches the door.....Erm. Okay. Now his name is Luke. I thought that was strange. Maybe this shows improvement in the writing?
I don't know. I'll be continuing the series but I'm keeping my fingers crossed the side characters and side stories improve a bit in detail.

[deadrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heya, did you want Ian's POV in regards to Nate?
Wanted Matt's unguarded thoughts on Arik?
Wanted Nate's thoughts on Arik and Arik's thoughts on Nate?
Merry fucking Christmas, also zombies!
I hardcore friendship Nate and Arik and I loved their time together Arik really wants to just hate Nate and is willing to settle for a civil rivalry but in the end yeah they're bros. I loved this novella, and aside from a moment in chapter 2 with Arik's own struggles with self worth, a really effective scene and I hurt for him, the entire novella was packed with humor and I was laughing through most of it. We also get some nummy steamy scenes cause Eliot was in a giving mood lol.
This very much feels like a gift for readers, fitting that members of her facebook group got a first look at it. If you love this series this novella is a must read.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuh-reeking hilarious! There are so many spots in this short gem that made me absolutely wail with laughter, face buried in the pillow, bed-shaking laughter. Who knew that zombies revenants for Christmas could be so funny? Well, besides this author, of course. And on top of that, all four of these guys are completely gone for their mates. More please!!!

[Danielle Gypsy Soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

So funny! I absolutely adored this book and will add it to my read again at Christmas list! Who knew zombies (okay not zombies - revenants) would be so funny around the holidays. I enjoyed touching base with the 2 couples from the first two books! Can't wait for more in this series.

[Nix Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny side story about their first christmas together, not-zombies and in-laws included.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Sailor Neptuno · Rating 4 out of 5]

“What, no socks?”
Nate scoffed. “Of course I enchanted more of your socks. Who do you think you’re mated to? Now you have a pair that repels fleas. Since, you know, you’re furry a lot of the —”

I realized that this is the only christmassy book I read this December. Which it’s not a surprise since this type of stories are usually way too fluffy for my liking. Then I remembered that this short story was on my TBR and dived in immediately. Reading Ian and Matt’s POV for the first time was so good. I realized that I missed these couples so much, now I need more. This pack never disappoints to make me laugh.

[Caipi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombies, sorry Arik, I meant revenants of course, for Christmas! 😂

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

A Very Armitage Christmas is a fun novella set in Eliot Grayson’s Mismatched Mates world. It features the couples we have met in the first two books, Ian and Nate, and Arik and Matthew, and is definitely best appreciated by those familiar with the characters and the series.

The focus of the action is on the revenants (Arik will remind you to please not call them zombies) that Arik accidentally raises while trying to tend the winter garden. While the revenants are threatening the pack, this story isn’t as intense as the main books in terms of suspense or action. The tone here is lighter and more fun, as befitting a holiday novella.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

[Devoted❤️Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long live the magical socks

It’s not Christmas without zombies—I mean revenants—and a rude but hilarious Santa. “A family who snowblows zombies together, stays together?” Thankfully for us, at least in Armitage, they do. This was just the mishaps-mayhem-and-I-can’t-believe-what’s-happening-but-it’s-so-freaking-funny holiday novella I needed. We get to hear from Nate, Ian, Arik and Matthew, which I absolutely loved, and meet some new faces, who I’ve been curious to know more about. Add in the ever amazing magical socks, some scorching knotting, and clever snarky banter, and it’s everything I’ve loved and missed in this fantastic world.

[Iz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the biggest grin. This was adorable and cute and also surprisingly adventurous for a Christmas-time short story: the two couples are, as usual, lovely and hilarious, the banter is amazing and the found family vibes are top notch. We also finally get Ian and Matthew's POVs so bonus points.