A Home for the Holidays

By: Joe Cosentino

Narrated by: Joel Leslie

Length: 1 hr and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Bobby McGrath's Christmas trip to the beautiful Italian island of Capri to meet his eccentric extended family offers stunning views - none more stunning than his third cousin, Paolo Mascobello, a real stocking stuffer. As the two young men embark on a relationship, Bobby, a driven law student, learns to relax and bask under the Italian moon, and Paolo realizes there's more to life than a frolic on the beach. For the two to find everlasting amore, Paulo must overcome his fear of commitment and learn to follow his dreams, and Bobby must get his wish for happily ever after.

©2015 Joe Cosentino (P)2016 Dreamspinner Press

If you like Josh Lanyon, you'll love this book.

What other book might you compare A Home for the Holidays to and why?

Jefferson Blythe, Esquire

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Sexy male characters, quirky families, a bit of mystery, a bit of love, all spun together with a talented pen.

A Home for the Holiday's is a fantastically crafted story that I will read, and listen to time and time again!

Short and sweet

3.5 rounded up for great narration.

This is a very short and sweet listen. There is a little angst and due to its length, a little insta love, but I enjoyed the audiobook version. Joel Leslie's accents and characterizations really kept me engaged in Bobbi and Paolo's courtship. Even the HFN ending felt satisfying and I would look forward to hearing whether their potential relationship works out.

Short, funny, sweet - great for a snowy day!

If you are in the mood for a very sweet, sometimes very silly and highly “stereotypical” Italian vacation romance – over Christmas! – this is for you!

Bobby is a very dutiful law student and a good son. He goes to visit the distant family where he finds and eventually falls for Paolo a third cousin (or something like that) who acts as his guide around the island of Capri.

Paolo’s family is hysterical – the grandmother perpetually on her death bed, the mobster, the doting mother, the gregarious father, the self-centered cousins, and on and on.

Besides letting his family down for not marrying a good Italian girl, Paolo designs clothes. With the help from Bobby, he may be able to turn his life around and stay with the love of his life in America!

**

The romance here is pretty unbelievable. It’s pretty much a case of insta-love with not much relationship building. (It’s slightly disconcerting that Paolo calls Bobby “cousin” all the time, as well.) However – the narration that Joel Leslie provides makes this rather tepid romance really shine. He’s funny and gives each character so much pizzazz that it’s quite entertaining. Bobby’s mother (“I only labored intensively for 18 hours for you”), Nona (“I hope I’m still alive when you come back”), and the Mafioso (“I have a package for you to deliver”) are all hysterical and Joel’s delivery absolutely makes this.

If I’d been reading this I think I’d have been rolling my eyes a lot and wouldn’t have found it nearly as charming as I did listening to it.

It’s a short, funny, sweet story that is just a hoot!

Recommended for a couple of hours of sweet laughter on a snowy day.

Home For The Holidays

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I honestly don't think this story will go into my favorites. It wasn't horrible but I just didn't care for it. I don't know if it was the audiobook, the instalove or if it was just the story overall. Whatever it was, it just didn't do it for me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I listened to the audiobook so it may have clouded my judgment a tad. I really did not like the narrator's voice for Bobby and especially Paolo. Bobby just didn't sound right, almost too old. Paolo, however, sounded old and sleazy. I just about cringed every time he spoke. The mom's though, wow, they were spot on. I loved it.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

not sure

A sexy trip to Italy

If you love gay romance and want something short and sweet, this will satisfy that sweet tooth craving. Once again Joe has written a lovely story of two young men exploring love and a beautiful island. I felt like I was on tour with Paolo and Bobby. I could see the lovely sites as Joe described them with such beauty and prose. I could feel the growing desire between the two young men and the heat building as well.
Another thing I like about Joe Cosentino's stories is that they are sexy though most of the sex is off the page. It leaves a beautiful dynamic to the romance.

Add in Joel Leslie's narrating skills and it takes this great story to a whole new level of awesomeness. Joel brings each character to life and makes the off-page sex hot and sexy.

if you are looking for a short, listen to fill an hour or so grab this and take a beautiful trip to Italy and never leave your home, or car or wherever you listen from!

A Home for the Holidays

Any additional comments?

Short, quick and entertaining with a bit of humor. You never know when or where you will meet that special someone.

While this is a cute, entertaining and enjoyable story if your looking for a holiday romance that is full of hot & steamy action this is not it. While the story is about the building relationship/romance between Bobby and Paolo it's more sweet than steamy.

Bobby spends his Christmas vacation visiting extended family in Italy. They are the "typical" over the top Italian family stereotypes that many Americans envision when they think of the Italian side/branch of their family. They are a fun, quirky, interesting and unusual bunch. They each have an opinion everything including Paolo which makes him doubt himself, his lifestyle and his potential. Bobby is not afraid of who he is and lives his life freely in the open. Bobby's arrival gives Paolo some insight and confidence to face some of his insecurities and take a chance.

Being a very short book the attraction is instant on both sides although not acted on right away. Even though their attraction is building, the chemistry for me was missing. It just doesn't come across in the story. I do have to say Bobby and Paolo do eventually "get together" although I would not describe their amorous scenes as steamy. It was just them consummating their relationship. I don't mean for it to sound cold but there wasn't any real passion or steam in their union.

It was a fun twist to realize that Bobby's parents sent him to visit with the hopes he and Paolo would be a match.

A follow up book on their relationship building and moving forward would be a nice addition. Their adventures and experiences with Paolo's visit to America could be interesting.

I do have to say the repeated reference to them being cousins, even though they are distant cousins, was a little awkward. Saying it once would have been fine.

Joel Leslie does a really good job with the narration as usual. I have listened to him narrate several other books. Nice voice. Clearly spoken with a nice pace. Great character voices. Love his range of voices. You always knew what character was speaking. He was able to bring the characters to life. Very enjoyable.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author.