The Santa Clause meets Husband Material in this delightful holiday novel!

Fixing Christmas? Easy. Fixing their marriage? Not so much.

Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller have been married for less than a year, but their passionate romance is cracking under the pressures of domestic life and a cumbersome mortgage. That’s until Christmas Eve when Patrick wakes Quinn up ‘I think I’ve killed a man.’

Quinn realizes the ‘burglar’ Patrick knocked out is none other than Mr. Claus himself. Instructed by a harried elf to don the red suit and take the reins of the reindeer-guided sleigh up on the roof, Quinn and Patrick work together to save Christmas.

But as the sun rises on Christmas morning, the sleigh brings them back to the North Pole instead of New Jersey, and they’re in for a massive shock. The couple must assume the roles of Santa Claus and the first ever Merriest Mister or Christmas will be cancelled . . . permanently.

With Christmas – and their marriage – on the line, Patrick and Quinn agree to stay together for one year. But can running a toy shop together save their relationship, or will Patrick and Quinn be stuffing coal in each other’s stockings come next Christmas?

I was gifted a copy of this book by the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

“The Santa Clause” is one of my favorite Christmas movies, so when I read the synopsis of this one I knew I had to read it. The fact that it was LGBTQIA+ focused made me want to read it even more, and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed!

The novel focuses on Patrick and Quinn, a couple who have been going through a bit of a rough patch in their marriage. Patrick is an architect and has been spending way too much time on work projects, and not spending enough time with his teacher husband, Quinn. To make matters worse, Patrick convinced Quinn that buying a fixer upper was the way to go and that they could flip it into the house of their dreams. Problem is, because of his work schedule, and because the couple don’t have a ton of money, the house has yet to be remodeled, adding extra strain between them.

When Patrick loses his job, he has no idea how to break the news to Quinn, and this problem takes a backseat after Patrick knocks out a guy dressed as Santa Clause on Christmas Eve. Patrick was convinced it was an intruder, but nope – it was actually Santa – and when Santa quits, Patrick has to take over for him or Christmas will be canceled. With the fate of Christmas in their hands, Patrick and Quinn must step up to save the day and take on the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Claus. They have one year to live on the North Pole, run the toy shop and reignite the magic that fuels Christmas, or risk Christmas being canceled for good.

What I loved most about this book was that it is filled with Christmas magic – one of my favorite things about this time of year. Many Christmas books only take place during the holiday season, but this one is filled with everything that made all of my childhood Christmases so memorable. Santa, his elves, the toys, the North Pole, the reindeer – all of them are here – and I loved every bit of it.

Janovsky’s writing is witty, engaging, and humorous, leaving me chuckling and smiling throughout the book. Every page is filled with sweet surprises and funny moments, from quirky elf characters to misadventures in Santa’s workshop. What I really appreciated was that Janovsky didn’t simply take the plot of “The Santa Clause” and put two gay characters as the leads and call it good – he made the idea his own. The book was full of surprises and sweet and fun moments. It’s the perfect read for the holiday season – especially if you really love the magic and lore around Santa and his elves. I would love to see this made into a movie.

If you’re looking for a book filled with memorable characters, sweet moments and all the magic of Christmas, then look no further than this heartwarming and uplifting read. Timothy Janovsky has crafted a delightful story of love, reconnections and the magic of Christmas. This is definitely a new holiday favorite for me.