Bayou Book Junkie: Release Day Book Blast: My Secret Santa Billionaire by Meg Bawden ~ (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Release Day Book Blast: My Secret Santa Billionaire by Meg Bawden ~ (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Release Day Book Blast: My Secret Santa Billionaire by Meg Bawden ~ (Review, Excerpt + Giveaway)

Author Name: Meg Bawden

Book Name: My Secret Santa Billionaire

Release Date: December 3, 2015

Goodreads Link

Blurb:

Beckett Henry doesn’t believe in giving or receiving Christmas presents. Growing up in a poor family, he’s had to see the guilt on his parents faces every year when they couldn't provide him and his brother the fancy toys the other kids received. Not to mention the teasing from the other kids every January. The only bright spot of the holidays was when Asher Holden visited them and they all played together without any toys.

Asher is his brother's best friend and they'd all grown up in the same neighborhood. He's had a crush on the other man since puberty, but he's never had the guts to say or do anything about it. Now, Asher is the owner and CEO of Holden Marketing, the company Beckett works for, and a relationship between them will never happen. Not only have they been friends for too many years, but there is a strict company policy against inter-office dating. He couldn’t imagine what they’d say if their CEO dated the creative manager’s P.A.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, Beckett is getting ready to get the following weeks over and done with when he gets a surprise—a Secret Santa present arrives on his doorstep! As more presents start to arrive, Beckett struggles to figure out who could be sending them, or what to do with them.

Will Beckett be ready when his Secret Santa is unveiled?

Pages or Words: 21,259 words

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, Romance

Excerpt:

Asher stood at over six feet tall and had broad shoulders. His Armani suit strained across his wide chest and his white dress shirt stretched over bulging muscles. His legs seemed to go on forever, his feet large, like the rest of him, were encased in expensive black dress shoes. A short, neat beard covered his sharp jaw, his dark hair long enough to curl over his collar. But like the rest of his appearance, it was tidy. His eyes gave me butterflies though. They were green and deep, and right at this moment, they were searching my own eyes.

Shock coursed through me and, moving on instinct, I slouched back down, feeling my cheeks heat at being caught checking him out.

“No, you can’t help me,” Asher said to Louise, his tone suggesting amusement.

I heard footsteps and then felt a breath on the top of my head. Willing away my blush, I tilted my head backward and stared into those profound jade eyes.

"Hi, Beck.” Asher smiled at me, and I’m pretty sure I began melting.

I swallowed, trying to find words. “Hi, Ash.”

Mari's Review:

*** ARC provided to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review. ***

After having a traumatic childhood, Beckett Henry doesn't like to give or receive presents on Christmas, and when suddenly he starts receiving expensive gifts from a Secret Santa he doesn't know how to take it. Add to that that his longtime crush/his brother's bestfriend/his new boss, Asher, is back in town and Beckett's all out of sorts.

I have to admit I didn't particularly like Beckett at first, he was a bit whiny, but as the plot unraveled he started to grow on me and I ended up rooting for both him and Asher to find their HEA. Asher was a bit brash and used to getting his way, as a self-made billionaire, but he was sweet and had a vulnerability to him where Beckett was concerned that just endeared him to me.

I really liked the premise of this short holiday story. It was sweet and nicely done, if a bit predictable, but it was lovely to see both Beckett and Asher find each other again and become a better version of themselves as the story moved along. I loved that Beckett's coworker realized so soon who the Secret Santa was when it took Beckett so long to figure it out. I would've liked a bit more of a resolution regarding Louise, Beckett's immediate boss, but aside from that it was a lovely, entertaining book, ideal for this coming season.

Rating: 4 Stars!

Buy the book:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017A25820/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B017A25820/

http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B017A25820/

http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B017A25820/

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-mysecretsantabillionaire-1929247-149.html

Meet the author:

Meg Bawden was born and raised in North Queensland, Australia. She’s loved stories since before she can remember and has always enjoyed creating characters of her own, even if it did begin with drawing faces on toilet rolls and giving them names. Writing has always been a passion of hers and she’s loved the M/M genre since 2004, the first book she read being Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez.

Writing M/M since 2007, Meg has never had the confidence to attempt publishing her own stories, but in 2015, she decided that it was all about to change thanks to the amazing friends she’s made in the M/M genre and their support and encouragement. So watch out, world, Meg Bawden is coming out to have some fun!