This is truly a delightful holiday romance. It’s a combination of a marriage in trouble combined with the Santa Claus. Patrick and Quinn, after having been married for a year find themselves in a difficult place, but then end up due to an accident to Santa Claus having to live in the north pole for a year. I really liked that. It’s a different location and whimsical while they are also dealing with their marital issues. It has fun with motion, but the placement of being in the north pole ads entertainment value as well. This is a holiday romanceI would recommend.

I’m a big Timothy Janovsky fan… but this is his second Christmas book that I haven’t enjoyed. Maybe it’s the time of year, the seasonal stories of his that don’t mesh for me? His other books (I’ve read all but Never Been Kissed now, so I have basically the whole catalogue to draw experience from) are some of my very favorite ones out there! I just haven’t clicked with his two Christmas books, Matthew Prince and Merriest Misters.

I was looking very much forward to this specific storyline, hoping for a redemption to recover from his last Christmas novel that I just did not get on with (Prince was extremely juvenile); however, it is a marriage in crisis plot and my hopes of Christmas redemption from an author I wanted to give me a book with that disliked trope I could finally enjoy - but it didn’t happen. I generally can’t get into this trope, and even with the Christmas and Santa magic, and what should have been a lovely male couple remembering why they fell in love, and all the other seasonal trimmings? Nah, sorry. I had such a hard time getting through.

This one will probably have a huge following and many fans out there, since the idea of the storyline is interesting. Many romance readers will love the gay marriage in crisis plot as well, since it’s always straight couples who are written about with this trope. I couldn’t get into it, but I know many others are going to love it and eat it up this Christmas season! Don’t pass it by because this wasn’t for me - give it a try! Janovsky is a great author, and I’ve loved nearly all his other books!! It does have some great parts, but just wasn’t for me.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press (St. Martin's Griffin), and this is my honest feedback.

If you’re looking for some magical, cutesy, queer, Christmas fun for the holiday season, The Merriest Misters will hit the spot.

Real life problems, relationship troubles and a big magical twist keep you on your toes, gasping or laughing the whole way through. Nothing like marriage counseling at the North Pole! It was an adorable read and perfect for a cold winter day. Thanks to St. Martins Press for my eARC. The Merriest Misters is available today!

The Merriest Misters
Timothy Janovsky
Pub 10/1 (available now)
3.5-4☆

The Santa Clause meets Husband Material.

Overall I enjoyed this queer, marriage-in-trouble, holiday romance. It was a nice mix of cute banter, sweet romance and a splash of magic. Patrick and Quinn were both likeable and although the communication struggles frustrated me, I ultimately couldn't help but root for their HEA.

This was my first read by Janovsky and I look forward to more.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press my gifted copy.

It’s Christmas in October!

Timothy Janovsky delivers a fun and magical holiday romance with today’s release of The Merriest Misters!

Patrick and Quinn are coming up on their one year anniversary and finding that the magic that brought them together is starting to wane- that is until Patrick knocks out a mysterious burglar on Christmas Eve…

They discover that it’s not a burglar, but the current rendition of Santa Claus doing his yearly rounds! With Santa incapacitated, Patrick and Quinn need to step up to ensure Christmas isn’t ruined!

After successful round of present deliveries, they find out is not a one time gig! Patrick is asked to come to the North Pole and Santa Claus. Quinn is expected to follow along and be the Mrs. Claus to his Santa, The Merriest Mister!

Can their relationship handle having their lives be put on hold? Can Patrick balance his Santa Claus expectations and his relationship? Can Quinn find happiness in Santa’s shadow in the North Pole?

I really enjoyed Patrick and Quinn’s journey in this story. Not only is this a fun holiday romance, both characters put in the work to fix their marriage and become closer and more actualized in the end. Sometimes marriage and trouble is a hard one for me to enjoy, but with such loving and good hearted characters it was easy to root for both Patrick and Quinn to find a way back to each other’s hearts.

I haven’t watched the movie the Santa Claus with Tim Allen, but I guess this is a bit of a parody on that story. I found the Christmas magic and the Santa Claus story depicted to be a lot of fun! This is an extremely enjoyable romp! The perfect start to my holiday reading this year!

Thanks to SMP romance for the review copy .

Timothy Janovsky never disappoints, and this seasonal tale follows that trend! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and fans of this author will devour this one

For lovers of The Santa Clause and Hallmark movies, The Merriest Misters is the perfect holiday read for you. It's light hearted, festively fun second chance romance that will smack you right in the feels!

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky is the best Christmas rom-com ever!
Timothy Janovsky is great at writing complex, snarky and complicated characters.
This is a delightful queer rom-com we all need.
Patrick and Quinn were just the best. I adored them and their personalities.
There's personal growth, finding your way, humor and heart.

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I was definitely unsure of this one at the beginning, but the story and characters definitely grew on me as the book progressed. This one has the vibes of "The Santa Clause" but with much more character development and depth (although tbh it has been several years since I've watched the movie so I could be wrong on that one). I loved how the relationship developed and changed so much between Patrick and Quinn, and I love how Janovsky explored so many different dysfunctional family dynamics. After reading, I am totally in the mood for all things holiday - movies, books, music, shopping, baking, crafting!

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky is exactly the book I needed to get excited about the holiday season. It’s filled me with Christmas cheer and made my heart incredibly happy. What else could you want from a book?

The story focuses on married couple Patrick and Quinn who are struggling in their first year of marriage. Although they love each other very much, they’ve forgotten how to show it. Add in that Patrick is a bit of a workaholic and Quinn is working through some struggles of his own and Christmas is looking a little bleak for them.

But after an unfortunate encounter on Christmas Eve leaves a sleigh without a Santa, Patrick doesn’t think anything of it. He dons the suit and Quinn tags along, helping to deliver the presents and save Christmas.

It can’t be that hard, right?

I loved this book for a variety of reasons, so let’s go back to the beginning and discuss the characters. Although Patrick and Quinn are going through a rough patch, I could tell that they really loved each other. This was displayed through flashbacks as we learn about their beginning, their proposal, their wedding, and more.

So I was already rooting for the main couple and then the Christmas magic begins. One of the most important parts of a Christmas story is the magic and the world building. Because a lot of the book is spend at The North Pole we get a lot of scenes with Santa using his Christmas magic and I thought that was really nice.

The world that Timothy Janovsky created at The North Pole just felt so cozy. I loved how Quinn and Patrick were welcomed so openly. I thought the Counsel of Priors was a really creative idea. There are so many different Christmas movies and books out there and I was really impressed how creative this story felt.

There were so many fun elements to the story and Christmas events. I loved how both Patrick and Quinn got to use their areas of expertise from back home and incorporate them into their new lives.

I highly recommend this book if you like sweet Christmas romance stories. While of course Patrick and Quinn’s relationship is a big part of this story, it also features storylines about being yourself and following your passions and not letting fear hold you back. PLus there are fun wintery scenes of skiing, snowball fights, and hot cocoa.

If you’re a true Christmas fan, you’re bound to love this book just like I did.

This is a new to me author and so I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of Timothy Janovsky’s backlist as well. Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Full Review at: https://mariankrick.com/the-merriest-misters-book-review/

If you are looking for an adorable Christmas rom-com this is your book. This story is about Quinn and Patrick and their marriage. I enjoyed seeing a romance that is about finding ways to make your marriage stronger and keeping the spark alive.

I loved the take on The Santa Clause. That is one of my favorite Christmas movies and this is a fresh take on it. This book explores how sometimes things need to look different than what has always been the norm. As the first same sex marriage the counsel has to reimagine the role of Santa's spouse.

In this story my heart goes out to Quinn who has always had to fit the mold. He has been told how he should act as a husband. He has always given into everyone's wishes to try and keep them happy. In this he loses part of what makes him special. At times I was upset with Patrick because he almost seemed to ignore this and also made decisions without Quinn.

As both of these MMCs navigate this new chapter in their life, they both grow so much. Both of these characters are well crafted and you can't help falling in love with them as well.

I love a good Christmas movie so I was excited to read this clever take on The Santa Clause. Patrick and Quinn are newly married and heading into their first holiday as a married couple. The author sets the stage well, things are not going smoothly, Patrick and Quinn haven’t figured out how to make their worlds fit together, and definitely haven’t discovered how to communicate yet. I loved the idea and the author has a wonderful sense of fun in the writing, I genuinely enjoyed the silly jokes. I liked a lot about this, but I’d say there’s quite a lot of strife in this marriage, which personally isn’t what I’m looking forward in a fun holiday read. The ending, I’m sure some will love, but it felt decidedly unromantic to me, a little bit of a sad place to leave Patrick and Quinn. Fun idea, I just would have loved a bit more romance from a holiday read.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

OMG this book is an LGBTQIA+ Santa Clause and I loved every bit of it!! I dare you to read this book and not feel the warm fuzzies, about any bit of it. It was just super cute and fun to read.

Patrick and Quinn have bought a white elephant fixer-upper, neither of whom seems to have the time to do much fixing. Quinn feels they bought the house for all the wrong reasons and Patrick is absent trying to make a name for himself at his architectural firm that does not seem to appreciate him. Suddenly they are tricked into hosting a fancy Christmas dinner for Patrick's very upper crust family with a barely functional kitchen. Pending disaster turns worse when Patrick thinks an intruder broke in, whacks him with a frying pan and causes the intruder, AKA Santa, to quit in the middle of his run. Now Quinn and Patrick have to decide if they want to save Christmas and become Mr and Mr Claus or let everyone go without this year.

I think part of the reason I liked this book is because of the character growth over the pages. You have the magic of Christmas (literally in this case) with two husbands who realize that being a couple doesn't mean being together 24/7 and always kowtowing to the other person. I especially enjoyed Quinn coming into his own (finally!). Love conquers all and Christmas is saved.

This is a book I would definitely consider reading again to get into the holiday spirit. The author does a wonderful job painting a fanciful North Pole and interesting Council of Priors. A delightful read for sure.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

Newlyweds Patrick and Quinn face the strains of domestic life until a Christmas Eve mishap thrusts them into a magical adventure after accidentally knocking out Santa Claus. Now tasked with saving Christmas and their marriage, the couple must navigate the challenges of running a toy shop in the North Pole for a year, all while rediscovering their love.

This book was so cute and sweet! It was full of beautiful, sad, intense, heart-squeezing, and lovely moments. I loved the dual POV and thought the challenges of being young newlyweds were handled really well. Patrick and Quinn had so much going on individually that it affected their relationship in a bad way.

The magical realism was used well in this book and I loved the explanations of how magic was used for Christmas. Very cool and fun!

I really loved that ending - a lot. Patrick and Quinn were able to be themselves in a relationship that they worked on and built up stronger over time. I had tears in my eyes by the end.

*I received a digital copy of this book for review, all thoughts are my own.*

❤️💚 The Merriest Misters ARC Review 💚❤️

Thank you so much to Timothy Janovsky and St Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Merriest Misters is a standalone MM holiday romance. Quinn and Patrick are married - they still love each other but the spark in their marriage is gone. When they unexpectedly offer to host the family Christmas dinner, can they find the magic they’ve been missing?

I thought this was a cute book and I enjoyed Quinn and Patrick a lot. This book jumped from the present timeline back to when these characters started dating, but it was done well and the jumps weren’t confusing at all. I feel like this story was all about communication and compromise, even if some of the plot was surprising

Overall this was a three star read for me. I liked the characters and thought this was a cute holiday read. This book does address some potential triggers, so please check if you’re sensitive. This book did have a romantic plot, but scenes were closed door and there was no on page spice, so one flame for smut

If you’re a fan of holiday romances with cute banter, a sweet romance and a splash of magic, then absolutely pick this one up!

Took a break away from some of the spooky reads to dip into Christmas. Married couple, Patrick and Quinn, are having a rough Christmas. Marriage is on the rocks, they’re hosting Christmas dinner, and now they have to save Christmas. Definite The Santa Clause vibes, but queer.

I loved the flashback chapters where we get to see Patrick and Quinn meet and the earlier parts of the relationship. Since we start off with their marriage already in trouble, it was nice to get to see the backstory and love there.

The romance was very sweet and I loved the side characters. This was funny, emotional and everything you want from a romance book.

I found this book very enjoyable to read, and if you are a fan of feel-good holiday movies, you will too. While this book is a fun take on "The Santa Clause" (a well-loved childhood movie for me), it delves deeper into self-identity, family relationships, expectations, and finding yourself and purpose while embracing things you thought were unbelievable. Normally marriage in trouble tropes make me nervous, but I never had any doubt that Patrick and Quinn would end up together at the end.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the E-Arc of this book!

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky
Narrator: Mark Sanderlin; Zach Barela
Rating: 3.5 stars
Pub date: 10/1

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced copy and Macmillan Audio for my complimentary audiobook. #macaudio2024

When Patrick accidentally knocks out Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, he and his husband, Quinn, end up having to take over Santa’s duties. What starts as a wild night of trying to save Christmas turns into a bigger challenge: fixing their marriage.

This turned out to be a cute read. I’m still not sure how I feel about the ‘marriage in trouble’ trope, and this didn’t make me feel better about it. These two have a difficult time communicating and their relationship continued to suffer for it. There were some very frustrating moments and it didn’t feel like their issues were ever resolved.

There is a good balance of humor and heart, with Quinn’s snarky narration making me laugh while rooting for him and Patrick to figure things out. Their marriage, less than a year in, is already feeling the pressure from work, bills, and just life in general. It’s easy to relate to how they’ve drifted apart, even though they clearly still care about each other.

The flashbacks show how Patrick and Quinn’s relationship got to where it is, and while it was helpful, it also disrupted the flow of the story.
The narrators did an amazing job with Patrick and Quinn’s personalities, and I enjoyed listening to this one.

Overall, this is a good pick if you’re looking for a feel-good holiday read with lots of laughs.

Patrick and Quinn’s marriage is strained until a Christmas Eve incident lands them in charge of Santa’s sleigh and the toy shop at the North Pole. To save Christmas, they must work together, leading to a year-long trial run as Santa and his spouse. Can their relationship can survive?

If you like modern Christmas fairytales, this book is for you. From a romance perspective, I found it unsatisfying. Patrick’s toxic ideas about masculinity are challenged, but he never really proves that he can be the kind of supportive spouse Quinn needs. I did, however, enjoy the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was very cute and very fun, and it hit me right in the Christmas sweet spot with its homage to my all-time favorite Christmas movie (The Santa Clause) with a queer twist. There were some things I wish were teased out more (Quinn's gender identity, for instance), but there were a lot of feels to be had here.

I appreciated but didn't ultimately like how this ended though; not enough to keep me from recommending it or to ruin the reading experience for me, but enough to leave me kind of let down.