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Dearest Milton James #1.5

Dearest Malachi Keogh

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Julian Pollard never believed in love at first sight. That was until he met Malachi Keogh. Well, maybe it wasn’t love at first sight, but it sure was something.

Julian had forgotten how to live, how to be happy, and Malachi changed all that. Now together for four years, Julian wants to give Malachi a Christmas he’ll never forget.

The only problem is, Christmas at a mail distribution centre is the busiest time of the year. It just might take the whole team to make it happen.

Dearest Malachi Keogh is a 13,000-word short story.

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2021

76 people are currently reading
575 people want to read

About the author

N.R. Walker

133 books5,270 followers
Author also writes as A. Voyeur

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn't have it any other way.

She is many things; a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things...but likes it even more when they fall in love. She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since...

https://www.facebook.com/N.R.WalkerAu...

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Community Reviews

5 stars
1,378 (52%)
4 stars
872 (33%)
3 stars
311 (11%)
2 stars
47 (1%)
1 star
5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews
Profile Image for * A Reader Obsessed *.
2,691 reviews577 followers
December 31, 2021
4 Stars

A really swoony touching epilogue for Julian and Malachi four years later.

Julian has everything planned to a T, bridging what he and Malachi bonded over when they first met and tying it together with a very apt love declaration!

Holiday cheer, good vibes, and all the feels!
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,994 reviews435 followers
November 13, 2021
Just as cute as the first book and filled with all the joys of a hot and spicy Christmas Down Under.

I loved the attention to detail Julian took to make sure that Malachi knew exactly how much he was loved.

A fab festive short story from Nic.

#ARC kindly received from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Profile Image for Meags.
2,479 reviews694 followers
December 6, 2021
4 Stars

Such a joyous little sequel to one of my most loved contemporary M/M romances of the year, Dearest Milton James.

In this Christmas themed novella, we revisit Malachi and Julian, as Julian enlists help from their quirky co-workers and friends at the dead letter office, to help execute the most romantic and thoughtful Christmas proposal EVER… Seriously, if this doesn’t make you sappy then you may actually be a bit dead inside.🤷🏼‍♀️ 😂

I loved being back with this wonderful cast of characters and I loved that we got to have Julian’s perspective this time around. Tender, charming, romantic, and oh so well-endowed, he may just be the perfect man, amirite?! Well, at a bare minimum, he’s the perfect man for firecracker Malachi, and I loved witnessing more special (and sometimes downright HOT) moments these two shared.

This story felt like the perfect extended epilogue to send Malachi and Julian off into an even more spectacular happily ever after. It’s definitely a holiday novella not to be missed by Walker fans.
Profile Image for Sheri.
1,418 reviews196 followers
November 24, 2021
Adorable! Absolutely positively ADORABLE!
I loved the first and couldn't wait to get my hands on this lovely treat.
And it was just a gooey as I thought it would be!
*happy sigh*
So. Good.
Profile Image for Vanna.
801 reviews96 followers
November 20, 2021
4 lovey-dovey 🥰 stars!! ❤️Fitting holiday themed sequel to the original. This was full of cheer, sentiment, love and passion. 💞 Recommended to all the readers who loved the first book 👍🏻👍🏻
Profile Image for BWT.
2,250 reviews244 followers
June 17, 2024
❤️

I love these two characters and just how well they fit together. This is such a lovely gift to get to see this moment in their relationship. I wouldn't recommend reading this before you read 'Dearest Milton James' though, because you definitely want to get to see them fall in love from the beginning.
Profile Image for Lau ♡.
577 reviews605 followers
December 16, 2021
"Your eyes give me butterflies, your laughter fills me with hope. These little gifts you give without a word. I am, everyday, thankful for you."

I'm as thankful for 64 more pages of this piece of art as I'm sorry we don't have a full book -or two- more. WHY are they so beautiful together? I just want to live in these pages forever.

Profile Image for Layla .
1,468 reviews76 followers
November 8, 2021
Oh this teeny tiny novella just made my heart so happy.

If you've read Dearest Milton James you'll know how cute Malachi and Julian are.

This Christmas novella is no exception.
In it, Julian want to propose to Malachi and executes an elaborate plan to do so on Christmas.

All I can say is that this book was too cute for words. The tiny letters, the proposal, and Malachi’s reactions were all precious.

The novella also has a super hot love scene, in addition to Malachi’s lack of filter and trademark antics.

To quote a very wise animated character...

IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!

Profile Image for BookSafety Reviews.
687 reviews1,044 followers
February 23, 2024
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.

Then a high-pitched scream cut the air. We all spun to the sound. There was only one person who could scream that high. “Malachi.” I ran down the aisle, […]

An adorable follow-up to Dearest Milton James. Just a cute little novella from Julian’s POV where we get to see more of the found family at the Dead Letter Office, and more of Malachai’s fantastic personality, but this time from Julian’s POV. Super cute.

“Merry Christmas, my love. I wish I could give you the world, for it feels like that’s what you’ve gifted me. A love so pure, so complete. I wish for nothing when I’m with you.
May this Christmas bring you all you could ask for, may all your wishes come true.

Forever yours.”

⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Bonus novella
Christmas themed
‘4 years later’
Established couple
Bratty MC

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Explicit sexual content

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 1st person, single POV (Julian)
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Strict roles
Main characters’ age: 31 and 38
Pages: 64

“He’s like a little ferret, you know that, right? Cute as hell, but sneaky too, and if he gets a sniff of something suspicious, he won’t stop until he finds it.”

He was such a brat. And yes, even at thirty-one years of age, Malachi could still be a brat, and I would hope he’d still be one in his eighties. Nothing would make me happier if he was old and grey, still wearing funky-coloured boots and a matching Hello Kitty or Miss Sunshine shirt, with his quick wit, sassy mouth and wicked sense of humour. He was a brat in the bedroom too. Always mouthing off until he got what he wanted. And what he wanted was to be face down on the bed, sprawled out and spread wide, and drilled into the mattress.


You can find most of my reviews on Instagram as well: https://www.instagram.com/booksafety?...
Profile Image for Agla.
833 reviews63 followers
November 16, 2021
3.5. A nice follow-up four years after the first book (so it can't be read a standalone). It was short but we didn't need more. The sense of community at work was less strong in this one. If you liked the first book go for it!
Profile Image for Bookreader87(Amanda).
1,168 reviews44 followers
March 7, 2023
3.5 stars for narrator.

I love you, Malachi Keogh

This is a cute follow up to the previous book. It's a short that centers around Julian's proposal to Malachi. It was sweet.
Profile Image for Joyfully Jay.
9,069 reviews517 followers
November 19, 2021
A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars


Dearest Malachi Keogh is a short story follow up to N.R. Walker’s Dearest Milton James. I found it sweet and fun and just what I want in a holiday coda. First, we get a chance to reconnect with Malachi and Julian and the whole group from the mail center. I really enjoy these guys as a couple and they have such a great dynamic between them. I can see the joy and fun that Malachi has brought to Julian’s life and the way Julian has opened himself up since the start of the first book. And of course, Julian helps to rein Malachi’s craziness in a bit. They are such a good match and this story combines both their sweet and sexy sides. The rest of the mail center staff makes an appearance here as helpers in various stages of Julian’s proposal plan. This is a quirky group and we get to see their camaraderie has only grown since the first book.

Read Jay’s review in its entirety here.

Profile Image for Deborah.
3,839 reviews496 followers
December 5, 2021
You really have to read Dearest Milton James first. This is a short Christmas novel featuring Julian, Malachi and the whole gang at the Dead Letter Office. It takes place four years on from Milton James and it’s simply fabulous.
Profile Image for Rachel.
941 reviews72 followers
November 17, 2021
big swoony sigh
Nothing much else to say really LOL, I loved it.
Profile Image for Mir.
1,114 reviews63 followers
July 23, 2023
Romantic and adorable
Profile Image for Anali.
594 reviews112 followers
November 19, 2021
Fue una sorpresa ver la publicación de Dearest Malachi Keogh, pero es justo la historia que necesitaba.

Me encanta que este ambientada en Navidad y fue lindo leer sobre Julian y Malachi de nuevo. Definitivamente son demasiado tiernos y dulces. Además, los personajes secundarios son muy divertidos y complementan bien a los protagonistas.

Quisiera que la historia hubiera sido más larga, pero igual la disfruté mucho.
Profile Image for Grace.
3,316 reviews218 followers
November 16, 2021
LOL, no idea why I decided to read this given I was so unimpressed with the initial book, but it was short, and I didn't have the spoons to read something longer, so here we are. If you enjoyed the first book, you'll probably love this one. If you, like me, found the main book disappointing, this isn't gonna blow your socks off.
Profile Image for Athira.
531 reviews30 followers
November 13, 2021
I woke up to this arc in my mail and it just made my day!! This novella is a sequel to Dearest Milton James and cannot be read as a standalone.

This Christmas story was so perfect and it entirely from Julian's POV!!! Julian just wants to plan an elaborate proposal for Christmas and I simply loved every second. Malachi and Julian are just adorable!

Malachi's antics are so much fun and I really want to re read their book again! So much fluff and hotness and I absolutely recommend it to all fans!

*ARC provided by the autthor in exchange for an honest and unbiased review
Profile Image for George.
626 reviews69 followers
November 19, 2021
2.75 - Stars

N.R. Walker almost always delivers a terrific read. Almost always, but, sadly, not this time.

Dearest Malachi Keogh has a promising story line. Unfortunately much of this short story turns out to be just plain silly. And way too much of the story it is devoted to descriptions of sex. Removing those scenes, or even condensing them, would leave something approximating 35 pages to be read.
Profile Image for JD Crittendon.
1,170 reviews11 followers
November 25, 2021
There’s a Ho-Ho-Ho to be Had!

We get another sweet peek at Malachi’s and Julian's loved-up relationship at Christmastime, and there is a mystery to be solved, too. This cute short is funny, over-the-top romantic, and sexy. If you need a break from angst-filled reads, this is for you. I loved this fun, quick read.
Profile Image for haletostilinski.
1,520 reviews650 followers
November 27, 2021
Perfectly sweet, adorable and romantic.

It's almost Christmas, and Julian plans to propose to Malachi, in a very elaborate and romantic way that Malachi will love, having the others at the post office in on it and pretending to get letters from an unknown person with the post mark not legible because of water damage.

Malachi, like with the Milton James letters, wants to find who they're meant for so they can have them for Christmas, but isn't having any luck (because they were, of course, actually written by Julian to him)

This happens for 4 days before Christmas and on Christmas Julian finally proposes to him and it is so darn cute and romantic and swoon worthy.

I loved getting to come back to these two and getting to see how they come to be engaged to be married.

Definitely recommend if you read the first one. Just absolutely loved this short <3
Profile Image for patrícia.
703 reviews126 followers
June 12, 2025
Dearest Malachi Keogh

“I’m going to ask him to marry me.”

🥰🥹🌈🫶🤩❤️
Profile Image for NicoleR.M.M..
674 reviews168 followers
November 18, 2021
This is a novella, actually a short story that follows after the first book Dearest Milton James, so you can't read it as a standalone. It's a sweet follow up about Maclachi's and Julian's relationship, 4 years after they met.
Like I said, it was sweet and enjoyable, and it felt like another epilogue.
If you've read the first book, you'd definitely want to read this one.

I kindly received an ARC from the author and this is my honest review
Displaying 1 - 30 of 355 reviews

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