Tinsel & Tools: A Small-Town MM Holiday Romance

RATING 4.5 STARS Tinsel & Tools is a MM, holiday romance by the wonderful co-author team, Kimberly Knight and Rachel Lyn Adams. Cole Maddox thought he had it all in Boston, a wife he loved, a fancy job as an electrician working on large commercial buildings, and a nice home. Until it all crumbled around him. Boston no longer felt like home so he went back to his small, hometown, Brookhaven, New Hampshire, where his family still lived. He joined his dad in his business, Maddox’s Repair & Restore. Gavin Price lives in New York with his roommate and best friend, Allie. He is an author of gay romance books. But after losing his parents several months ago, the words have left him. He stares at a blank computer day after day. When he receives a call from a lawyer in Brookhaven, letting him know that he has inherited a Bed and Breakfast, Cedar Falls Inn, he thinks this might be what he needs to get his creative side flowing again, a change of scenery. So he and Allie make the trip not knowing what they are in store for. What they find is what was once a beautiful Inn but has not been kept up. Now he has to decide, do I sell, or do I restore it in hopes that this could be a future income. When Cole and his father are recommended for the job, and they all meet, Gavin decides he wants to keep the Inn. As he and Cole get to know each other, they find a comfort between them, someone easy to talk to. Cole is straight, Gavin is not. But when chemistry is involved, none of that…

The cover and title make it look like a Christmas story, but it’s not! While there is a tree and a Christmas festival, this is really a sweet small town romance with plenty of heat. The small town vibe is spot on, complete with nosy old ladies trying to marry off their granddaughters and that cozy, close knit feeling you only get in small towns. Cole and Gavin are complete opposites, yet somehow, they fit together perfectly. After a divorce, Cole moves back to his hometown to work at his father’s construction company. Gavin, a writer struggling with writer’s block, inherits a B&B from his estranged grandfather and comes to town to check it out. When Gavin hires Cole’s company for the remodel, a plumbing issue leaves him with nowhere to stay and Cole offers to let him stay with him. That’s when things start to heat up. Gavin knows he wants Cole, but Cole is straight and not looking for a relationship, especially not with a man. But there’s something about Gavin that pulls him in, and soon Cole can’t deny that maybe he's not as straight as he thought. This story has everything I love about small town romances. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, there’s just the right touch of drama, and the chemistry is off the charts. I loved the moment when Cole realizes he doesn’t hate that Gavin kissed him and wants more. Bi-awakening stories are my favorite, and this one was perfect.