Never Hollowed By The Stare

Blame It on the Mistletoe – Eli Easton

When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.

It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn’t understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.

Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.

I’m happy to say my first Eli Easton book was a surprise hit. I didn’t read the blurb beforehand so I was totally blank when I started listening but the narrator, Jason Frazier, was so good at it and boy did it turn out to be utterly adorkable!

Mick Colman was looking for a housemate and eventually landed on Physics geek extraordinaire Fielding Monroe. The two hit if off really well, became BFFs until Fielding ask Mick to teach him how to kiss. This would have been all sorts of awkward between two friends but Fielding, not keen on social cues, was relentless. This lead Mick, who has always considered himself straight, to ask questions about himself.

This novella packs a lot of goodies: jock-and-nerd + gay-for- you + roommates-to-lovers + best-friends-to-lovers. There’s snappy dialogue and dry humor. The writing is that type you can breeze through in one sitting. Despite the lightness of the writing, the whole thing was so sweet and emotional, you should avoid reading it in public lest you end up with a silly grin all over your face. I know I was smiling like crazy when I was listening to it.

Fielding is a joy to listen to. He revels in simple everyday things he missed growing up, like snow-ball fights and DVDs. His child-like glee, good nature and exuberance were contagious. Frazier’s voice for him perfectly captured his geeky but lovable personality. Mick couldn’t help but like him the first time they met. It would have been easy to hate Mick being a man-whore and a jock but he endeared himself for being kind-hearted, loyal and always looking out for Fielding. His confusion and anxiety, though understandable, were really funny. Frazier’s voice for him was on point as well, capturing everything from seductive player, all around nice guy, to “but I’m straight?!” self-debate and the momentous

“It was so… fuck. And it was… damn.

“

Definitely a highly recommended Christmas treat!

Rating:
4 Stars – minor quibbles but I loved it to bits

Soundtrack: Kiss Kiss Kiss
Artist: John Lennon & Yoko Ono
Album: Double Fantasy

(source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18776908-blame-it-on-the-mistletoe)