Reviewed by Ami

Title: Crashing the Party
Author: Ginger Streusel
Series: 2016 Advent Calendar – Bah Humbug
Heroes: Kale Green/Wes Armstrong
Genre: MM Holiday
Length: 24 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Release Date: December 1, 2016
Available at:  Amazon
Add it to your shelf: Goodreads

Blurb:  Retail workers and evil never get a day off, and traveling printer salesman Kale Green is no exception. He might look like a Jolly Green Giant, but he can be a real Grinch. Working on the holidays can dampen anyone’s spirits, and on top of that, a sleepy Georgia town has it out for Kale and his car. From fender-benders to flat tires, Kale and his trusty company car Bessie suffer through it all.

While everyone else enjoys holiday parties, Kale drives down south to demo printers. Business is good, but on Christmas Eve, the weather turns bad. A few patches of ice put an end to Kale’s Christmas plans—a night alone with his video games. While Kale waits for the police, his only consolation is the company of fellow driver Wes Armstrong. As festive as a Christmas tree and as jolly as Kris Kringle, Wes proves unexpectedly charming. Kale never thought he’d crash right into a crush.

Review: Okay, first of all KALE Green?!? Seriously, I need to question his parents’ idea of a name *laugh*. Poor Kale. His childhood was probably not fun. Anyway, this was a cute established relationship story – but the structure of it threw me off in the beginning.

See, the story opens with Kale calling his boyfriend’s house, and telling Wes that he will be there soon. But then then the scene changes to the previous year when Kale first met Wes. I was really confused because there wasn’t any ‘sign’ that it would switch into the past. In fact, I had to re-read the story from the beginning to make sure that it wasn’t a glitch somehow.

However, after I was familiarized with the structure, I was able to enjoy it. Kale has the worst luck when it comes to his car whenever he goes to South Georgia. But it also gives him the chance to meet Wes, who co-owns an automotive shop.

I thought they were cute together. Wes has a sunny disposition so it is easy to believe how Kale was charmed by him. Wes also teaches Kale a lot about cars! That part where Kale is so proud of being able to change the tire by himself amused me so much. Now that is a good relationship. *laugh*

In conclusion, I enjoyed this – and since Ginger Streusel is a new-to-me author, I might check out her other (or future) stories.

Overall Impression: I liked it

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.*