The Merriest Misters Book Review: A Christmas Rom Com

I’ve been a longtime fan of Christmas fiction, so today I’m really excited to share my The Merriest Misters book review with you. When I read the description of the book, I was immediately intrigued. It’s about married couple Patrick Hargrave and Quinn Muller who are going through a bit of a rough patch in their marriage. So when a run in with the real Santa on Christmas Eve forces Patrick to drop everything and take the job, Quinn jumps in the sleigh to tag along.

There’s no way he’s going to let his husband experience this one on his own!

I was expecting a Christmas rom com but what I got was so much more. The Merriest Misters is a holiday read filled with love and heartwarming moments. And ok… I did laugh a bit too. Especially during the gigantic snowball fight at the North Pole (But you’ll have to read the book for more information on that).

If you enjoyed today’s post and are looking for more Christmas reads, click here.

What is The Merriest Misters About?

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

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 with: “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 canceled… 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? (from Amazon.com)

My Initial Thoughts

The Merriest Misters by Timothy Janovsky is exactly the book I needed to get excited about the holiday season. It’s filled me with Christmas cheer and made my heart incredibly happy. What else could you want from a book?

This Holiday Story is Very Unique

The story focuses on married couple Patrick and Quinn who are struggling in their first year of marriage. Although they love each other very much, they’ve forgotten how to show it. Add in that Patrick is a bit of a workaholic and Quinn is working through some struggles of his own and Christmas is looking a little bleak for them.

But after an unfortunate encounter on Christmas Eve leaves a sleigh without a Santa, Patrick doesn’t think anything of it. He dons the suit and Quinn tags along, helping to deliver the presents and save Christmas.

It can’t be that hard, right?

What did I Love About This Book?

I loved this book for a variety of reasons, so let’s go back to the beginning and discuss the characters. Although Patrick and Quinn are going through a rough patch, I could tell that they really loved each other. This was displayed through flashbacks as we learn about their beginning, their proposal, their wedding, and more.

So I was already rooting for the main couple and then the Christmas magic begins. 

One of the most important parts of a Christmas story is the magic and the world building. Because a lot of the book is spend at The North Pole we get a lot of scenes with Santa using his Christmas magic and I thought that was really nice.

The delight-filled world that Timothy Janovsky created at The North Pole just felt so cozy. I loved how Quinn and Patrick were welcomed so openly. I thought the Counsel of Priors was a really creative idea. There are so many different Christmas movies and books out there and I was really impressed how creative this story felt.

There were so many fun elements to the story and Christmas events. I loved how both Patrick and Quinn got to use their areas of expertise from back home and incorporate them into their new lives.

This Book is Very Inclusive

If I’m being completely honest, I never thought about Santa being gay before. But now that I’ve read The Merriest Misters I’m like, why wouldn’t he be? The fact that the Counsel of Priors and the elves were so welcoming and inclusive was really nice. You might be wondering what The Merriest Mister is, and that’s Quinn’s title is when he’s at The North Pole.

Patrick is Santa, and while Quinn could technically be Mr Claus, I like The Merriest Mister even better. Quinn is such a joyful person and for the word merry to be in his title seems completely fitting. I think sometimes we get so wrapped up in Christmas stories that we think everything has to be the same. And that’s not true.

Whether Santa has a Mr Claus or a Mrs Claus, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that Santa delivers the presents on Christmas Eve and keeps the kids happy.

Is The Merriest Misters a Rom Com?

Yes, I would say so. It has the perfect combination of humor and heart. There were so many quotable moments by Nana Hargrave (Patrick’s grandmother) and I loved all of the scenes at The North Pole. It was so funny when the snowball match didn’t end how Patrick expected it too. It’s just a reminder not to count your chickens before they hatch. Pat and Quinn can be opposites at times so they run into many rom-com situations.

They also have to learn how to make their marriage work better, which is something that a lot of Christmas stories have. Being in a relationship can be difficult and the holidays can help to remind people of what’s important and bring them back together.

Would I Recommend this Book?

I highly recommend this book if you like sweet Christmas romance stories. Patrick and Quinn’s relationship is a big part of this story. It also features storylines about being yourself and following your passions and not letting fear hold you back. Plus there are fun wintery scenes of skiing, snowball fights, and hot cocoa.

In Conclusion

If you’re a true Christmas fan, I hope you enjoyed my The Merriest Misters book review and want to check it out. We’re still a few months out from Christmas and yet my holiday spirit is at an all time high. The Merriest Misters was such an enjoyable read. I know I’m going to want to check this romance novel out again before Christmastime.

This is a new to me author and so I’m looking forward to checking out the rest of Timothy Janovsky’s backlist as well. Thank you to Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

If you enjoyed today’s post and are looking for more Christmas reads, click here.