Moody's Grumpy Holiday

MM Grumpy-Sunshine Romance

By: Lane Hayes

Narrated by: Kirt Graves

The geek, the cowboy, and a not-so-grumpy holiday…

Moody

Living in Christmas Town doesn’t make me a fan of the holidays. Quite the opposite. In fact, eleven months out of the year, I’m perfectly happy running my bookstore in peace and quiet. Of course, that changes in December when it’s mistletoe madness and mayhem. Ugh.

But this year, there’s a new cowboy in town and it’s not as easy to grumble about…anything. I admit, Hudson is handsome and hunky, but everyone knows I’m not myself till January, so he’ll have to buzz off and charm someone else.

Bah humbug.

Hudson

Moving to California wasn’t in my plans. I could use the change of scenery, though, and the ranch is a good investment. That’s not a sneaky way of saying I’m hiding from my past…no siree. I’m following a new path to a new town, that’s all.

And so far, so good. Except…my attraction to the nerdy bookstore owner is throwing me off my game.

Look, I’m not interested in anything other than a casual hookup. But Moody is a mystery and I want to know more about the adorable geek with a sunny disposition who turns into a holiday grump every year.

For some reason, he feels like home away from home. December may be the last month of the year, but something tells me this is our beginning.

Moody’s Grumpy Holiday is an MM grumpy-sunshine, romantic comedy featuring an adorkable geek, a hunky cowboy, and a little seasonal humbug.

©2024 Lane Hayes (P)2024 Lane Hayes

A sweet story for the holidays or any time

This review is for the audiobook edition.
I've been a fan of Lane Hayes for many years now; she's one of the first half dozen or so m/m authors I've ever read/listened to. But as my TBR has grown, it's gotten harder to keep up with releases, especially standalones.
Holidays are the perfect way for me to chip away at my standalone TBR. And while Christmas had passed before I was able to listen to this, it wasn't so far past that it didn't feel perfectly timely. (It actually starts around Halloween - I didn't realize that going in, but most of it is the lead-up until Christmas.) It's sweet, funny, (not exactly high comedy, but I laughed out loud a LOT), sexy, and full of very likeable characters. Yeah, Moody IS a bit grumpy, but he's not really a full blown jerk about it, so he remains likeable. It's fluffy enough to be good for when you need something light - any time of year, but also not so fluffy that the stakes feel nonexistent, nor does it feel totally like insta-love, even if takes place over a pretty short period of time.
The narration was really good. I have zero caveats about that too. The audiobook edition only took me a long time to finish, (considering how relatively short it is), because my time to listen was unusually limited - otherwise, this is a good quick pick-me-up of a listen.
So, long rambling story short, I really do recommend this book.

Cute Christmas story!

This is the story of Moody and Hudson. Moody lives in Christmastown and is a true grump as soon as December rolls around. Moody has had a lot of loss in his life and they all happened in the month of December. Hudson also has some baggage, he’s also experienced loss and was a bit of a grump also.
This story tells how they met and subsequently fell in love. I love how Moody’s dad left such a wonderful legacy in the town. This is a very wholesome, hopeful story. Narration was great!

Good, low angst holiday story

I love how this author can make me love a short story like no one else. Her shorts feel so complete that I'm not left wanting. There is really no angst, just two guys getting to know each other and fall in love. Moody is quirky and we've probably seen a little bit of him in other Hayes characters but it just works. I like that they both say what's on their minds and there is no miscommunication, just a good old fashioned love story.

Kirt Graves is awesome as always.

Lots of feels

I loved this when I read with my eyes but Kirt Graves performance elevated it to a whole new level and made my eyes leak. It’s a wonderful Christmas story.

Sweet holiday story

I enjoyed watching Hudson draw Moody out of his grumpy shell. The man has thick walls that guard a soft heart and Hudson won’t take no for an answer. It was sweet. They develop a strong friendship and develop equally strong feelings along the way. Kirt Graves is also a fabulous narrator.