Candy Hearts

Candy Hearts (2020) Erin McLellan (So Over the Holidays)

Benji Holiday is over Valentine’s day, and so has accepted his sister’s invitation to join her friends for a Valentine’s weekend, but when he shows up, he discovers that the party was delayed due to a power outage.

William O’Dare is hosting the annual Valentine’s day party with his friends and is hoping to make things up to then, for having been completely involved with his job for the past several years, to the detriment of everything else in his life. He doesn’t know what to expect when Sasha’s mechanic brother shows up at his door. But Benji is cute, and disconcertingly honest, and the two are alone in the dark for the evening, so why not pretend to be Valentines?

First, Benji is adorable.

Nice pajamas. I like you in pajamas. You’re not so—” He bit his lip shyly.

“So what?”

“Intimidating, I guess. You’re a bit of a frowny guy. The pajamas make you look comfy frowny. Like an angry dog in a cozy sweater.”

He also is learning to be honest about and to himself–about his wants and needs and who he should be rather than what his various boyfriends have wanted him to be.

William dropped the duffle bag, and it thumped loudly when it hit the ground, making them both jump. “What’s in that thing?”

Benji swallowed hard. “Sex toys and lingerie, mostly.”

He is not kidding.

This is another cute little romp, and has way more sex than I care for, but I really liked seeing Benji deciding to own who he was and what he enjoyed–and if a guy couldn’t accept him for liking sily lingerie then he didn’t need that guy in his life.

There are small misunderstandings here and there in the story, and there is the problem that Benji doesn’t think he’s the kind of guy William would want to date (and not without reason he thinks this) but they do talk about what they are thinking and feeling, and use words to clear up their misunderstandings, which I always appreciate.

This wasn’t particularly my jam, but it was a cute change-up and I really love watching Benji come to accept himself.

Publisher: Erin McLellan
Rating: 7/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• The Wolf at the Door » »
• « « The Alpha and His Ace