Keaton was only temporary, but with each moment I spent with him, I was increasingly worried that his impact on my life would be anything but. I wasn’t sure I could handle getting left behind again.
Rather than wallowing in the fact that they were laid off right before the holidays, Keaton and his best friend decide to plan a vacation for the other – complete with a dare they have to complete while there. Keaton hates the cold and snow so he’s thrilled when he finds out he’ll be heading to Arizona for a week. His dreams of lounging around in shorts all week are dashed when he arrives and discovers the town he’s been sent to is covered in snow.
He decides to stick it out, especially when he learns the sexy guy he tried to pick up in the coffee shop is none other than his Airbnb host. Riggs is quiet and a little standoffish but Keaton soon sees glimpses of the sweet guy hidden behind the grumpy exterior. He spends the week breaking down Riggs’s walls and falling in love with this wonderful man and this snowy little town. As the end of his vacation draws near, will Keaton be able to leave all that behind to return to his old life or will his vacation serve as the beginning of the future he’s always wished for?
I’d let the part of me that craved affection and partnership wither away. Then Keaton had come along like a monsoon, nourishing me into new life.
This book was a perfect complement to Mistletoe Kisses. After reading that one I was very excited to see how Keaton’s vacation turned out. I loved seeing him try and make the best of the situation when he realized his dreams of soaking up the sun wouldn’t happen. He had insecurities that plagued him, particularly when it came to his family and his dreams of being a beauty influencer, but for the most part, he was very confident and easygoing so it wasn’t super hard for him to go with the flow. I think that’s why he worked so well with Riggs, who had closed himself off after losing someone very important to him. Keaton never wanted to change Riggs but he still found ways to insert himself into Riggs’s routines and slowly bring him out of his funk. It was so sweet seeing Riggs’s reactions to Keaton’s thoughtfulness. I loved seeing Riggs emerge from the haze of grief he’d been stuck in for the past year. He was a great guy and so supportive of Keaton and his dreams. They were just perfect for one another.
Riggs stared at me like he cared about me. Me. Not what I could do for him, how much pleasure I could give him, or that I was a fun person to spend a finite amount of time with. Riggs looked like there was nowhere else he wanted to be.
Much like the first book, there was the bittersweet longing that comes along with falling for someone on vacation – knowing there’s an end date looming. It’ll tug at your heartstrings as that all plays out. Another thing I loved about both books was seeing Keaton and Arlo find a place where they felt they truly belonged. It was heartwarming how they were each other’s biggest supporters no matter what. I loved their friendship as much as I loved seeing them fall in love with the men they were meant to be with.
I’d never had an issue with leaving a place behind after a vacation before, but I’d never had a vacation like this one. I dreaded leaving Juniper Ridge, and it wasn’t only because of Riggs. I was falling in love with this snowy little town too
The Book Boyfriend Addict 