I am unsure how this was supposed to be a holiday book. I think there may have been 2 mentions of Christmas in the whole book?
The characters were there, they had backstories, but what they did not have was attraction. While they spent the entire story saying they liked the other there was literally no evidence. Unless the snark and animosity was the attraction?
Either way I wasn't moved and didn't enjoy the complete story.

I feel like a cracked record with my reviews of this series.

Again, the book has little to do with Christmas. Actually, there’s probably the least mention of it out of all the books. Dahlia has author notes that she included the Sydney Mardi Gras as it’s just like Christmas for the LGBT community. Mmm… I’ll just whisper ‘false advertising’ and move on.

Again, there is no chemistry between the leads. They are physically attracted to each other. They tell this to each other all the time. They think it all the time. As for evidence? Not so much. There is a lot of evidence, however, of both characters being rude and annoying on occasion and I’m mystified as to what either saw in each other. (Oh, that powerful physical attraction though! *rolls eyes*)

Again, like the other authors of this series, Dahlia had good intentions by featuring modern themes and issues but, again, she didn’t execute her ideas well at all. I have heard before the shocking statistics of gay men being victims of domestic abuse but Dahlia didn’t manage to move me with her leading man’s, Mick, story.

Again, things felt forced. The plot doesn’t move along organically. Instead it’s idea after idea that Dahlia uses but never fully fleshes out before jumping onto the next. For example, Mick meets the other lead, Sam, while gaming online. They had even met previously [in book #4 which featured Sam and Sam’s brother’s romance] without realising. The fact that they are both living in the same town (and maybe even that they are both gay) should have been dragged out for a lot longer. If Dahlia had used this idea to better effect, it would have been a cute romcom feeling. Instead, it was all just boring mentions of online gaming and Dahlia’s insistence that online friends are as real as IRL friends and just get off the soapbox and write a romance plot…

*sigh*

Again, I’m probably being generous with my rating – 2 1/2 out of 5

They can’t believe they’re living both in Marandowie, what are the odds?
Sam and Mick know each other only from behind the keyboard, chatting and playing games.
Again what are the odds that Mick is the paramedic who helped Sam’s brother that day?

Very tentatively and even awkwardly, they start to build something together but gosh there are things from the past that gets heavily in the way of a future together.
With all the extended conversations we get to know them, even between the lines we’ll understand there is a mountain of hurt and scars from the past. Running away isn’t the solution.

‘You can keep pushing me away but I’m your rock. I’ll stand strong for you.’

Nicely and captivatingly written narrative. I love the scenery Like the Oyster farm and the paramedics, it’s all, certainly the characters, well developed.
I felt connected with these two, kind, considerate guys who deserve their hea!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

His Christmas Pride is book six in the multi-author Rainbow Cove series. And as such, while there are some recurring characters, it works perfectly fine as a stand-alone, which was a relief for me, as I wanted to read it to read more from this author, Renée Dahlia, having also previously reviewed one of her other Escape Publishing titles.

While it is category/novella length, I like how it was able to delve into some tough topics. Mick, in spite of his tough exterior, has a past of domestic abuse, and I felt the issue was handled with sensitivity. Sam is just a generally good hearted person who gains more awareness from his romance with Mick. And generally, I really liked the couple’s interactions with each other.

Additionally, having learned a bit about Australia from Dahlia’s last book, I loved getting the general holiday vibe of Christmas Down Under, especially as theirs occurs during summer due to being in the Southern Hemisphere. While it’s not overly detailed, given Christmas actually doesn’t play a massive role in the story, I liked this new perspective, especially as most holiday-set stories tend to center the snowy weather, something that is completely alien to me, living in Hawaii and not having traveled much.

This is a really sweet m/m romance, and while it is a bit on the shorter side, it does have an emotional depth to it that makes it a compelling read. If you’re looking for a sweet queer romance that involves some light holiday cheer, I recommend this one.

2.5 stars — Well, that was disappointing on a few levels…bummer.

First, this is not really a Christmas book, so if you’re looking for a *Christmas* book, this might not fit the bill for you. Essentially the first chapter happens on Christmas day, and that’s the end of anything Christmas.

Second, this is the second book I’ve read in this little series, by different authors, and AGAIN I’ve encountered a couple who has *genuinely* cringey awkward exchanges. Not adorable awkward (although to be fair, there was some adorable awkward too), but the kind of awkward where I don’t understand why they ever talked to each other afterwards. I’m not sure if I was missing something, but other than physical attraction, I didn’t *feel* a whole lot of chemistry between them. They talked about their past chatting on the game, but *I* as a reader didn’t get to see much of that, so it didn’t really help me get excited about them.

I enjoyed the hints of Thai tradition for Sam (though it didn’t take up much space). And there were a few interesting conversations about being bisexual, but everything felt a bit forced.

And on one last side note, I’m not sure if I’m missing a cultural humour or something, but there were occasions where they were talking about domestic violence and emotional abuse where some comments felt borderline insensitive. It might have just been me. It’s not my trigger, but I’m trying to be more sensitive to things, and so I just can’t tell.

I could talk more, but it was just…underwhelming for me. Lots of potential, but the execution just didn’t work for me. Womp womp.

His Christmas Pride is an Aussie set holiday read by Renee Dahlia.
I was excited to read this, as I love Aussie books, but this one just didn't keep my attention.

This is a short, sweet MM romance with two heroes trying to move past painful previous relationships. Sam is a sweet hearted good who is easy to love, and Mick is a sexy paramedic who is working through is issues. The characters have great chemistry, and I loved that we got to see them click both in chat online and in real life.

The book deals with overcoming past emotional domestic abuse, which would be triggering for some readers. But I think the author handled it well.

I have not read the other stories in the series yet, but this book included an interesting set of characters and a town that makes me want to read more.The story is set in Australia, which was fun. I had to remember that Christmas is in summer there. There is some lovely time in the scenery. It made me want to spend more time in the story.

The one problem I had is there was basically no Christmas in this novella. It is referenced in the first chapter, but then it is gone. I wish it had a different title that better represented the story.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley in return for a fair review.

Sam and Mick made the most adorable couple. After bonding over an online game and then connecting in real life, these two both had plenty to work through to get to their happy ever after.

Both had self esteem issues left over from past relationships, and Mick was also dealing with being emotionally abused by his previous partner. Their internal dialogue was entirely believable, I do exactly the same as both of them, continually over-thinking and making everything my problem, even creating problems where there aren't any.

I really enjoyed the journey these two took to get to their happy ending. With both humour and serious moments, Renee Dahlia has done a great job of depicting real characters and creating two people I really cared about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Escape Publishing for a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this Christmas themed Holiday novella.
It was fun and engaging and also addresses some deeper issues like domestic violence and real life issues faced by couples. The characters were real, relatable and well fleshed out. The author's writing style appealed to me and I quite liked this.
The chemistry between Mick and Sam was intense.

If you are looking for an opposites attract, holiday romance with relatable characters, this is for you

3.5 stars.
A story about finding love when you’re not expecting it and how two wary, guarded people learn to trust again, “His Cristmas Pride”, by Renée Dahlia (Escape Publishing, takes place in a wonderful, different setting in small-town Australia.
In a M/M romance addressing the difficult issue of domestic abuse, Sam, the geek, naïve hero turns into the stronger and most sensible one, and tough Mick turns to be the most broken of the couple, in a sort of role reverse.
I loved Rainbow Cove Oyster Farm – such a new, different concept and reality for me – and Sam’s expertise and dedication to the family business. It’s a hard-working life and he loves it.
Both characters are relatable and down-to-earth, their affection growing fast from friendship to love. With his awkwardness and precautions, Sam becomes the steadier of the couple. He’s just adorable.
Mick is gorgeous, gruff and hides much more than the physical scars; I found he’s more a mess than Sam, his insecurities and fears running deeper. I also thought the way his issues were handled in the second half of the book was a bit rushed.