Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I thought Felix Navidad was a cute novella, although I felt the book didn't give off major Christmas vibes. I really liked the how everything connected towards the end and that Felix and Kevin got a HEA.

a short and sweet Christmas themed read. Definitely enjoyed the intertwining storylines and flashbacks - a definite emphasis in this book on how 'whats meant to be will be', Would recommend you give this a read if your looking for a quick cosy Christmas read

Felix Navidad by 'Nathan Burgoine is a charming holiday romance novella. A part of the Little Village series, it features the couples for the previous books, but can 100 percent be read as a stand alone. This is my first read by the author and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Since Felix doesn't have any family and all his friends are coupled off, he spends his holidays working. He's an in home nurse practitioner and his last client turned into a friend who before he passed tried to find a love match for him and tried to get him to be more spontaneous. First thing he decides is to take his first vacation to Hawaii for the Christmas holiday and second is to ask his friend's ex Kevin to dance at said friend's wedding. A severe ice storm cancels his travel plans and finds himself sharing a cozy cabin with Kevin. Spending the holiday together turns out to be ment to be and results in a sweet happily ever after.

Felix Navidad is Hallmark sweet but make it Queer. The story alternates between the present day and the year prior. The past shows the friendship Felix formed with his client, who was darling and fun. I genuinely looked forward to both, which kept the story moving for me. Felix and Kevin have a forced proximity situation which stays completely PG with nothing more than kisses. There's even the only one bed situation that unfortunately isn't taken advantage of. What's keeping me from giving this a higher rating is the single POV and the ending, which I just wanted a bit more of.

Overall, Felix Navidad by 'Nathan Burgoine is a holiday story with a low steam romance for two men in their late 30s, friendship, family, a cozy cabin, ice storm, a community garden, nicknames, dimples, snowflake wishes, and a happy ending.

At first I was really disappointed when I realized it had flashbacks and usually they just don't work for me but in this case, they did and I think I might have liked that story line a tad bit more. I was so moved to tears when Felix's mom passed, so touching how the nurse story line was woven in.

I saw this on NetGalley a couple of days after I raved about ‘Nathan Burgoine’s Handmade Holidays in the HEAforTransKids’ Winter Wonderland bundle. I requested it immediately. Burgoine is one of my new favorite, will read everything they’ve written authors. Felix Navidad lived up to the hype I gave it, while also being more than I anticipated.

Felix is a nurse who works with clients in their homes. He became a nurse after experiencing the positive impact a nurse could have on patients and families while his own mother was dying. In the present, he’s attending Nate and Haruto’s much delayed wedding. In the past he’s spending time with a client who was an integral part of The Village, Ottawa’s LGBTQ+ community. His client, Danya, has a vast network of friends and acquaintances, all of whom he has given nicknames. Felix’s nickname is Felix Navidad.

In the past, Felix takes care of Danya as he slowly recovers. In the present, Felix is attending the wedding and then trying to get to Hawaii for a very rare winter vacation. Increasingly bad weather thwarts his attempt to fly to Toronto from Ottawa, and as he heads for his Jeep to drive there instead, he runs into a fellow wedding guest, Kevin, also trying to get to Toronto. The weather forces them to stop at an Inn.

Of course the past and present come together very sweetly. The underlying ache of grief makes the hope for future joy sharper. Though Danya isn’t the central character, and we really only see his relationship with Felix, it’s clear that he has been building the future of The Village as well as preserving the past. His network weaves people together and lights the way forward.

In a time when there are substantial efforts to erase and obfuscate history, I loved this soft and sweet holiday romance that celebrates the people we lose as much as the people we find. Felix Navidad will make you cry in the best way.

CW: grief, death of parent, death of friend, major life changes.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

Christmas romances can be hit or miss for me, but when I saw that this m/m Christmas romance novella was actually written by a gay man I immediately put it on my TBR. Also I'm an absolute sucker for forced proximity in romance books and the fact that the main character is the "works on Christmas so his coworkers with families don't have to" made it even better.

I won't say much more about the plot except that I liked the dual timeline and the way Danya storyline highlighted the work and struggles of that generation of the LGBTQ community. I also really liked the way the two timelines ended up tying together.

Overall, I thought this was a really sweet novella that was a great way to start of this holiday season.

I love short, sweet Christmas themed books, they're like Hallmark movies without the evangelicalism. This is one of the best, and cutest, that I've read in a long time. It's got a lot of timeworn tropes so don't go in expecting the wheel to be reinvented...but that's sort of the thing about Christmas stories, isn't it? You want the happiness, the fluff, the snow, the kisses, the fire, the looming specter of Mariah Carey. It's what you sign up for when you want a Christmas romance, and you get it.

It's a short read, I read it in one sitting and the framing device for the story made it even more interesting.

In short: It's cute, it's Christmas, and it's gay so read and enjoy.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

I love and enjoy Christmas theme love stories. I didn’t know that this was part of a series. I think it would be best to read the previous books since I felt like I missed important information with the side characters and the running jokes among the friends. Regardless I enjoyed reading Felix and Kevin and their sweet relationship.

Definitely recommend to those that enjoy a sweet, short, Christmas romance

This book is short and sweet. I loved the way it is framed and how we bounce back and forth between the present and the past. It allowed for a little more depth for such a short book.

The characters are sweet and while I prefer novels because I love me some serious character and relationship development, I didn't find this story overly lacking. Felix and Kevin are written well and the way they come together didn't feel forced.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and look forward to more by the author.

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Felix usually works over the holidays so that his coworkers can spend time with their own families, but upon taking the advice of a client/friend he decides to be 'selfish' and book a Christmas vacation to Hawaii. But first he needs to go to his closest friends' wedding solo. Unfortunately the universe has other plans and instead he's stuck with Kevin, his friend's ex and the man he shared one slightly awkward dance with at the wedding. Nothing is going to plan for either of them but it all ends up better because of it. There's some classic tropes of unexpected road trip, found family, and there's only one bed and it all works together perfectly.

I swear my heart grew three sizes after finishing this, which was at 3 in the morning because I didn't want to put it down, it was such a sweet and lovely read. It made me very happy. I wasn't sure of the intertwining timelines at first but I really enjoyed how everything came together in the end, I didn't even see the twist coming. I loved this world and Felix, Kevin, Danya, and their friends.

This was such a joy to read! It took a few things that cam be hit or miss for me (forced proximity, only one bed) and really excelled in them.

I really loved how the timelines intertwined, with Felix and Kevin getting to know each other while Felix also gets to know and gets involved in the community life of his elderly patient Danya. There was so much to love in the emphasis on qeer community and joy that the characters have worked on, and one of my particular favourite aspects of thus was in how we got to see so many different intertwining communities- this was not just one man's work, but a reminder of the depth and breadth of community and love existing in the various queer societies. Meanwhile Felix and Kevin find themselves stranded by snow, and their gentle closeness was a real pleasure to read, and I especially loved their kindness to each other.

I've read a couple of the other novellas in this collection, but not all, and so I can say that it definitely works fine as a standalone, but if you know some of the characters from the other books, then it also adds a certain something to see them again. And I personally am going to go back and read the ones I've missed because I want to stay in this great world!

An absolute delight of a book, the literary equivalent of a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream, and a reminder to me that love and hope are both verbs.

Tropes:
- small town romance
- forced proximity

With no family and no partner, Felix is dedicated to his job as a nurse practitioner, but thanks to an elderly client turned friend, Felix decides to find some adventure and books a week long stay in Hawaii over the Christmas holiday. The only thing in his way? Attending his friend's wedding, alone.

At the reception a handsome bearded stranger catches his eye, and when he finally gets up the courage to ask him to dance someone beats him to it and monopolizes his time. Cutting his losses, Felix hopes to find an equally handsome distraction in Hawaii, but the universe appears to be against him because incoming winter weather has cancelled all flights for the next few days.

Holiday plans foiled, he runs into the similarly stranded stranger from the wedding. The pair attempt to drive to another airport to catch flights, but get caught in the storm which strands them at a cozy set of cabins. Forced to spend time together, Felix and Kevin spend the next few days getting to know each other, and in Felix's case avoiding temptation.

Ahhh, Felix Navidad was such a sweet and cozy holiday romance, and I loved watching Felix and Kevin grow closer and learning about their unexpected connection. This was just so adorable

Gosh, I adore this book and this series! ‘Nathan’s books are the perfect blend of sweet and funny that always brings such light to my joy. There’s elements of grief within Felix Navidad but the way everything turned out just makes my heart feel like a helium balloon. If you’re in the mood for something sweet full of found family and the important of community and queer elders, this novella is sure to be a bright spot in your day!