netgalley arc that I'm sorry i couldn't get to sooner :( BUT it was adorable? Like genuinely watching felix grow in a novella no less? Insane character development. Also yea find love but we're skipping over that because i feel unlovable. Anyway i love holiday stories, was missing the peppermint coffee while reading <3

This is part of an established series, but it’s fine to read on its own.

One thing that I think makes this stand out is that it’s a story about queer elders and queer community, just as much as the romance.

Felix is a nurse practitioner and starts caring for a queer elder who is incredibly connected to the queer community. We get to bask in stories and connections and love through this.

In the romance storyline, Felix is heading for Hawaii for Christmas, right after the wedding of two friends (who clearly got together in an earlier book). Snow messes up their travel plans so he gives Kevin a ride to Toronto. Unsurprisingly, they get stranded/snowed in. Unsurprisingly, there is Only One Bed.

But here’s where the book starts to get interesting, and what made me really glad I read it: Kevin DOESN’T share the bed with Felix, and it turns out that K’s Restless Leg Syndrome makes it too uncomfortable to share a bed. So they…just don’t! It’s a great example about how accommodations can be simply accepted.

Even in the epilogue a year later, they have separate beds. There’s a very sweet statement from Felix about how he likes climbing into K’s bed in the morning and vice versa.

After so many romances with tropes like these, it’s a delight to see them changed up.

I had an ARC thanks to Bold Strokes Books via #NetGalley ; thoughts are my own.

This is my first Nathan Burgoine book, I had no idea it was the Bittersweets Club or the Village but now I need to read everything about it
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Everything seemed so beautiful and warm to me, Felix, Danya, Kevin and the cabin. I enjoyed every part of the story even though I had a hard time focusing on the flashback part because I was dying to continue reading on the present part

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Felix is ​​a nurse dedicated to his patients whom he considers part of his life. With his friends' wedding near, he realizes that he is the only one in his group who is going alone
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But when the day of the wedding arrives, he cannot stop thinking about another of the guests who seems to be alone. Kevin, the ex-boyfriend of one of her friends and groom. A canceled flight and impossible weather and the memory of a friend who is no longer there makes them both spend time together and feel a connection impossible to let go of
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It is the perfect love story that I would like to see in movies and that I would choose to see every year at this time on holidays
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Thanks to Nathan Burgoine and Bold Strokes books for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

So I was completely unaware that this was part of a series! While I generally enjoyed the story, I felt like there were A LOT of blanks I couldn’t fill in due to not having read the other books. I thought Felix and Kevin were sweet, and I LOVED the focus of Felix’s relationship with Danya, but I desperately wanted more. I found it super strange that the MCs relationship went from nothing to everything just because of a suggestion. As I said, I found the story cute, but it just felt lacking overall..

I was given an ARC by NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books. All opinions are my own.

A cute festive nivella that I read in one sitting. It is well written with a compelling story and well developed characters. There are some hard topics within the novella but all necessary and all handled well. I loved it.

Thank you to Bold Strokes Books/ NetGalley for a copy of Felix Navidad in exchange for an honest review. 
Hallmark with a slice of history

'Nathan Burgoine'sFelix Navidad is part of the author's holiday novella series. I've also read Faux Ho Ho, which was equally Hallmark-esque. What I really like about this series is that there is still a little gravity to these works. Felix Navidad, in particular, deals with intergenerational queer friendships. 

Burgoine points out in his author's note that being queer is different from other marginalized identities in that we're not usually born of other queers. Therefore, keeping our history alive is hard, especially when others would have it buried. That this novella handles that by having a younger person care for and become friends with an older person is lovely. 

That might sound a bit dark for a Christmas romp, but for all its heavier themes, this novella is a hopeful, cute story. With a few classic tropes along the way.

Horrible holiday nicknames

I feel for Felix; I really do: We share a joint pain. While his patient/friend lovingly bestows the moniker "Felix Navidad" upon him, I was given the nickname "Melis Navidad" as a form of bullying. Thankfully, I can listen to the holiday classic. 

Should you read it?

Yes! This is a sweet read for a cozy winter afternoon. Trust me; read Felix Navidad in the two hours it would take you to watch a heteronormative Christmas movie. 

Felix Navidad is out on ebook on December 13. 📚🛻🎁

4.5 stars

I will start by saying I have not read the other books in this series, so I came into this one reading it as a stand alone. I think reading the other books would help, because there are a lot of friends and past events mentioned here that could use some context, BUT the overall plot is not at all hampered by not having read the rest of the books.

And Content Warnings: (available on Goodreads and hidden by a spoiler alert)

Okay, all that out of the way: the plot. Felix is a at-home nurse, and the book splits half the chapters between the current time - where Felix is attending his friends' wedding - and the year previously, where we meet one of Felix's patients. Danya is an elderly man recovering from pneumonia. He has lived a fantastic queer live as a drag queen and an owner of a book shop, and now does a lot of community work and is always busy and knows everyone.

Felix never takes the holidays off from work, because he doesn't have family to spend the holidays with anyway, so he might as well give his coworkers that time off instead. But, after encouragement from Danya, Felix decides this year he's going to attend his friends' wedding (which has been delayed two years because of COVID - I do love the rare time I read a book that's actually set in our current time line instead of just pretending the last 2 years never happened!), and then he's got going to get on a plane and go spend a week in Hawai'i.

While at the wedding Felix meets a really hot guy, Kyle, that's one of the groom's ex-boyfriend, but they only talk to each other for one dance before parting ways. But when Felix goes to the airport to catch his flight to Toronto, both his and Kyle's flights are cancelled and Felix offers Kyle a lift to Toronto. And then, of course, there's a snow story and they get trapped in a cute cabin together for a couple of days.

That's the plot stuff done. My actual review: This book is really sweet and delivers on a lot of the things I want most in a holiday romance. Sometimes the fact that every second chapter is a flashback kind of hinders the story a bit, because every time it feels like Felix and Kyle are getting to know each other, the chapter ends, and then just as I settle into Danya and Felix's time together, THEIR chapter ends and I have to get used to Felix and Kyle again. So that did slow down my reading a little bit, but also: this book is quite short, and maybe slowing it down a bit was a good thing.

Anyway, I REALYL liked how the past and the present came together in the end, and the big reveal was not something I'd been expecting, and made me cry buckets. The ending is very sweet happy ending as well.

I really enjoyed this little book! A friend had mentioned ‘Nathan Burgoine a while ago and I hadn’t gotten around to reading anything from him, so when I saw this on NG I knew I had to request it! Even though it’s the fourth book in the series… 😅

Writing reviews for novellas is always tricky, because they are short and I hate spoilering things. I will say that I really liked both the main characters, I loved the forced proximity trope, as it’s one of my faves, and I liked the ending.

This book jumped back and forth in time, which I don’t always enjoy, but it worked well to tell this story.

I will definitely be picking up the rest of this series ASAP.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for the ARC of this!

Super cute and perfect to get into the holiday spirit! I loved the characters and the pacing, even though it was quite short it didn’t feel rushed. I really enjoyed the rest of the series too, definitely recommend picking them up if you need Christmas Queer Romance in your December (or anytime, who am I to judge?)

Felix Navidad is the latest entry in a series of connected novellas set in Ottawa where each entry focuses on different people in a friend group finding their someone and an HEA. Felix is the last member of this group to find his person. A homecare nurse who has sort of given up and focusing hard on work until one of his patients, turned friend, Danya starts to feed him words of wisdom about being a bit selfish once in a while and the importance of being happy. Oh. And he gives him his nickname of Navidad (because the Christmas song, you see..).

The story is told in two timelines: present day in the days before and during Christmas, and various months in the year leading up to this point. The timelines alternate each chapter throughout and are labeled to avoid confusion. The past timelines are visits with Danya and present day is Felix's friend Ru's wedding and the days after, which Felix is planning to spend in Hawai'i on vacation.

At Ru's wedding he spots the handsome Kevin, an ex-boyfriend of Ru with whom he has a bit of a moment which is cut short by the tenacity of another single guy. The next day, surprise surprise, all the flights out are cancelled so Felix can't get to his Hawai'i trip....and conveniently Kevin can't get home for Christmas to Oneida. Felix, being the generous man he is, offers to take Kevin with him as he rushes to Toronto to catch the last flight out to get him to Hawai'i....unfortunately they are both stranded in an ice storm....luckily they find a cozy cabin rental. With one bed (and a couch) an cozy fires and intimate chats.

Gosh this book was really cute. Normally holiday romance isn't my THING but this one certainly was. Maybe I'm a bit less of a Grinch than I thought. I'm eagerly seeking out the rest of the books in this novella line. I don't mind that I've been "spoiled" on the relationships that formed in the former entries to the series. Its never much of a shock in a romance book anyway. I think some people reading this one first might be bummed by some of the references from prior entries but it didn't really bother me when they weren't fully explained. All-in-all I definitely would recommend this to anyone who wants a really sweet quick holiday romance reasd.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books Inc for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a sweet, sweet Christmas novella! This is well-written, with snappy dialogue, and wonderful characters, particularly the "fairy godmother," Danya! I had not read the earlier books in the series and some of the interactions with the members of the Bittersweets Club were lost on me but none of that impacted the joy of the st0ry.

Felix is a home health care nurse who works largely with older LGBTQA+ clients in Ottawa. The story is told from his point of view with flashbacks from the present to his time caring for Danya, an elderly former drag queen, who has become a huge benefactor to the community in Ottawa. Felix thinks, in part because his friends have cautioned him about it, that he is too impulsive. Danya actually teaches him to go for it so at a wedding he asks Kevin, a farmer and one of the groom's exes, to dance. They meet again at the Ottawa airport where weather causes Felix's first flight and later his whole vacation to Hawai'i to be cancelled. They end up on a drive to Toronto. and they have to stop over due to the weather . . . and the rest is history

The book is relatively low-angst and very low steam which was perfect for me--and also nice for a holiday read. The focus is on the romance and on Felix's friendship with Danya, who gives Felix the nickname that is the book's title.

MY RATING 4,25/5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

“I was right about you. It’s tedious being right all the time, but there you are.”

I read the first book in this companion series last year and I really adored it, so I was super excited when I saw this one.

This is a Christmas short story that has two timelines. The first one focuses on the present day where we have the cute Christmas romance blossoming between Felix and Kevin. The second one instead focuses on Felix taking care of one of his patients, Danya, the previous year. The alternating timelines worked really well for the story, and made everything seem very fleshed out, especially considering how the romance part of the book only takes place over a few days.

Handemade Holidays, the first book in the series, focused a lot on Christmas ornaments, and I really adored how we got to see the same theme of the ornaments being present in this book as well.

The romance plot was really great, and I had a great time seeing Felix and Kevin bond and getting to know each other more throughout the story. What made this story even better was Danya, and how he amazing he was in general, but I also loved his relationship with Felix and everyone in the village.

This is one of those lovely short Christmas reads that can easily be read in one sitting, so if you think this sounds like something you’d enjoy I’d definitely recommend checking it out!

FELIX NAVIDAD is part of a series of connected novellas and short stories set in a fictionalized Ottawa queer setting “The Village”. Technically, that means the cast is made up of characters who’ve already had their story, but the blurb is pretty clear that this one can be read as a standalone. I’ve not read the other Little Village stories (although I’ll keep an eye out for them now) and I think that’s true, although the beginning did feel a little obviously like catching up with people I was supposed to know. It didn’t impact my enjoyment of Felix’s instalment.

FELIX NAVIDAD is told in a dual timeline, the current Christmas and the previous year. Only one has a romance, the other is actually pretty emotional and sad, dealing with Felix, working as a nurse practitioner, and a touching relationship with a client. COVID is mentioned, but not really involved in the story. The backstory was incredibly heartfelt and, ultimately, made the romance and ‘current’ POV even more touching. The romance is uncomplicated and fun, sweetly balancing out the more serious plotline with a missed flight and a ‘snowed-in together’ cabin stay.

Considering this is a novella, easily readable in a single sitting, and half of that is non-romance Burgoine builds the characters and their relationship really well. I wouldn’t have minded having Felix and Kevin spend a little longer together, getting to know each other over a little more time, but I didn’t feel it was lacking either.

Sweet and cosy, FELIX NAVIDAD is a truly charming holiday romance with just a hint of an edge. I was really won over by all three of the most prominent characters–Felix, Kevin and Danya—and saw enough of Felix’s friends to think I’d probably enjoy digging into their stories too.

I enjoyed this so much! I found both MCs so likeable and was really enchanted by the setting and the sense of community in the book. I loved that while it includes some favorite tropes, the story still had surprises in store. This whole series is delightfully low on drama, every book I've read is super chill while also feeling very grounded in real life. I've been having a terrible time reading lately, my brain just won't cooperate, but I fell into this story very easily and finished it in two days. It hit just the right notes for a quick holiday novella. I really appreciate books like this one that are full of sweetness and feels but don't have on page sex scenes. I like spice, but I am also so thankful for well written romance with a variety of levels of on page sex.

My one qualm with the book was that it had a lot of characters from past books and a lot of references to things that happened in past books. I've read all but one of the books in this series, but I felt a little confused trying to place everyone and was lost on a couple of the references, one of which was mentioned a bunch of times, so I wish it had been explained in more detail. But even if you haven't read the other books in the series (though you should, they're a treat), I think you'll find a lot to enjoy here!

This is a sweet and poignant holiday novella. Felix is one of the last single members of his group of friends. He's a visiting nurse who specializes in elderly patients - particularly queer ones. Over the course of the last year he has spent a lot of time with Danya, a former drag queen, who knows everyone in their community. Danya is a truly special person and he and Felix form a close friendship. The majority of book switches between scenes from the last year and the wedding of Felix's close friends. At the wedding, Felix meets the ex-boyfriend of one of the grooms - Kevin. He and Kevin definitely have a spark - but its not until they are both stranded in an ice storm on Christmas eve that they have a chance to really get to know each other.

This book was definitely perfect to get you in the holiday spirit. The characters are memorable and the whole story is extremely sweet. Very low steam - like maybe PG level - and lots of heart.

I received this via NetGalley as an ARC, but these opinions are all my own.

Actual rating: 4,5

I loved every single book in this series so far and I’m glad we got another one for this holiday season!
It was the perfect first read of December and I absolutely loved it.
Felix is a nurse practitioner, working with mostly elder queer patients. I loved how this switched from the past to the future, with his old drag queen client Danya giving Felix life advice and Felix taking it into action.
Felix is an absolute sweetheart and I loved the „road trip, snowed in, only one bed“ situation with a little twist in this a lot!!!
For me the ending was a little too rushed, I would have loved to know how Felixes friends reacted to them being together and how they handled their long distance relationship.
But altogether I really loved this, they were super cute together and the ice scene made me laugh out loud.

A couple weeks ago, I was checking to see if Twitter was dead yet and saw a post from the author saying his new novella was available on NetGalley. And... how had I never heard of these novellas before? Because there are several, and they're male/male, found family, big friend group, (relatively) low angst, and most are set at Christmas. And there's a whole series. And ALL of this is my jam.

Felix is a home-care nurse with a tendency to leap before he looks and to play pranks. He's also lonely and working too much. He never takes holidays off because the people with families need it more than he does. And he never takes vacations.

There's the present, when he's at his friends's wedding, feeling awkward at a Single People Table with no one he knows because all his close friends are partnered up.

And there's the past, when he's caring for an aging drag queen who's having trouble recovering from pneumonia. Danya has nicknames for everyone and calls him Felix Navidad, or just Navidad - hence the title of the book. He gives Felix life advice and is trying to set him up with the perfect date for this upcoming wedding.

In the present at the wedding, Felix recognizes Kevin, the ex-boyfriend of one of the grooms, sitting at another Single People Table and he's attracted. He cuts in to dance with Kevin, but the guy who's been trying to monopolize Kevin's evening cuts in soon after and Felix pretty much gives up.

The next day, both he and Kevin are stranded in the Ottawa airport by the weather and figure they can drive to Toronto ahead of the storm so Kevin can get home for Christmas and Felix can catch his flight to Hawai'i. Because he's taking a vacation at Christmas, so obviously something has changed in the past year!

But the weather gets worse!
There's snow and ice everywhere!
And there's a convenient hotel/camp with a spare cabin!
And there's Only One Bed! (and a couch)

This whole series is fairly low heat. I'd say PG-13, except they swear more than the rating board allows, and there are adult issues.

I felt there were a few plot threads that weren't entirely pulled through and secondary characters who could've shown up more, which might've rounded it out. Bouncing from last year to this year is a little confusing at times, but it keeps the story bouncing along and vital plot secrets hidden a bit longer. Also, it helps to have read the earlier books, because Felix's friends are all over this one, so the cast is large and though he explains who they are, it's sort of overwhelming.

However, because it is a novella, I forgive a lot more in plot holes and underdeveloped secondary characters. And because I like the whole series, it's nice to see all those friends again.

I'm giving it 4.5 stars and rounding up to five for that new book boost.

NetGalley let me have this latest installment yesterday, so I finished it this evening. (I had to sleep! And work!)

Perfect Quick Read!! I absolutely loved this book! This book is heartwarming, laugh out loud funny, a little emotional and just all around perfect. Felix and Kevin are the perfect duo in this book and I loved the unexpected twist. I don't want to have any spoilers. If you want a good holiday read that you will fly through this book is for you. I started this in the morning and finished it by the afternoon. I could have read it faster but I had to go to work. Thank you for allowing me to read this in advanced,

Chefs Kiss

This is my very first read by this author and I loved it! This is exactly what I needed to get back into the spirit of reading. I thought I would have to take a break from books because nothing was keeping my attention but this little book pulled me in and tugged at my heartstrings.

I followed along completely, even with characters from past books. That rarely happens for me but it worked really well here.

I adored Felix and I even loved the skipping between present and past. Danya was a special character and I loved how everything came together.

This is a beautiful story and I wish it was even longer. So many feelings are packed into this shorter story. Felix and Kevin were adorable.

Over the past few years, I've made it a little tradition to read as many holiday romances as I can in the lead-up to Christmas. Every year so far, I've had one of the books in this series to read, and I've really enjoyed them all. I wanted to kick off this year's holiday reading with a book I would be sure to enjoy, which is why I picked this one.

And I'm so glad I did, because this was a beautiful novella. It's actually my favourite in the series so far, I loved it so much. The dual timelines worked so incredibly well here, making the story very emotionally hardhitting. At some moments I felt myself tearing up because I was so moved. While I loved the romance, I actually think Danya stole the show in the story, he was just the absolute best. And because of him, I also ended up loving the romance even more.