Deck the Hulls by Kat Cassidy
Series: Silver Shoals, Book 1
Genre: Transgender | M M Romance | LGBT | Holiday Novella
Release Date: November 19, 2024
“This Christmas, he’s hiding more than his identity…
⚓️Grumpy/Sunshine
🎄Forced Proximity
⚓️Small Town
🎄Holiday Romance.
Fresh from a life tangled with the Greek mob in LA, Adam Sgouros is starting over in witness protection—but he feels unmoored in his new small-town existence. When a sudden need to dispose of a body without drawing attention arises (Not his fault! He can explain!), Adam realizes his first Christmas in the sleepy, wintery little town of Silver Shoals is shaping up to be anything but merry.
Elijah Jensen has always been an optimist, but this year, even he’s struggling to keep his head above water. A head-cold from hell and a boat that’s falling apart at the seams seem determined to sink his holiday spirit, and all he wants is to get through the season without any more complications. Complications like a musclebound ex-gangster hijacking his boat (Accidentally! He can explain!)—and taking him along for the ride.
Stranded on the water by a snowstorm, this unlikely pair must navigate through a holiday filled with danger, unexpected warmth, and enough secrets to sink them both. Can Adam’s tough exterior thaw under the force of Eli’s unyielding optimism, or will the storm—and Adam’s past—prove too much to weather?
Set course for a low heat, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity MM novella with a comedic noir twist. Featuring a relationship between a cisgender male and transgender male main character, Deck the Hulls promises a small-town holiday romance full of festive mayhem, surprising sparks, and a love that just might break through even the iciest of hearts.
Content: Brief mentions of unsupportive family, past relationships, addiction and enabling, light gore.
Heat: 🔥🔥
Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218563030-deck-the-hulls
AVAILABLE NOW: https://getbook.at/deckthehulls
EXCERPT:
“What’s on your mind?” U.S. Marshal Gillian Reynolds, his WITSEC handler, asks with her signature blunt style of concern that always makes Adam squirm. These check-ins aren’t just about ensuring he’s keeping his nose clean and being a productive member of society; they also want to make sure he hasn’t wandered off the deep end. The shrinks say he’s ‘emotionally volatile,’ and he knows if he said half of what he was thinking, they’d haul him back to the proverbial couch faster than he could say ‘antisocial tendencies.’
Amidst the clatter of plates, the rattle of coffee cups, and the shouts of “order up,” Adam seizes the opportunity for a deflection. “Just wondering if Santa will have any trouble finding my new chimney.”
Reynolds carves into her egg-white omelet with surgical precision, her brow furrowing just a touch. “As I tell the kids, Santa has special dispensation from WITSEC. So he can find you, just as long as nobody else does this time,” she shoots back, a reminder of his less-than-stellar record in witness protection. She’s got him there. He hasn’t exactly been the poster child for low-profile living.
Of course, it wasn’t his fault they stashed him in the same Idaho backwater as some washed-up enforcer from the Iwamoto crime family. A week in, and they’d both reached for the last gallon of milk at the only supermarket in town. The guy was jumpy and assumed anyone he recognized had to be here to kill him. One thing led to another, which, naturally, led to a fistfight in the frozen foods section, and the next day their faces were splashed all over the local paper. Adam finished the fight, but he hadn’t even started it.
Deck the Hulls by Kat Cassidy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Adam is in witness protection and he’s not good at it. Trying to stay out of trouble only seems to get him into more. An accidental death adds to his trouble and his solution is to hijack a boat to dump the body. Eli happens to be on the boat, suffering from a killer cold and too much medication. Neither man is prepared for the storm they are drifting into.
I liked how strangers slotted together to save themselves from a vicious storm. Eli had every reason to doubt Adam but instead went with his gut and trusted the man that hijacked his boat. Adam knew he couldn’t trust anyone but instinctively trusted Eli with his life. Their secrets, Adam’s past, Eli’s trans journey, both taking second place to staying alive.
This was a sweet story that involved fighting for their lives, some redemption for Adam, finding peace, and finally the person you’ve needed. Christmas was peripheral and there was just a few kisses between the men.
Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads.
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Kat Cassidy is a queer romance author. She’s a dreamer, a schemer and, above all else, a believer in true love. She lives in Canada with her family and her lovable mutt, and she likes loud guitars and strong IPAs.
Website: https://www.katcassidyauthor.com/
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