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Magari fuori farà freddo, ma dentro la temperatura sta salendo.

Quando lo studente universitario Kevin Taggert ritorna a casa con il suo migliore amico per il Ringraziamento, l’ultima cosa che si aspetta è di sbavare sul padre del ragazzo.
Il quarantottenne Drew Freeman vorrebbe avere una relazione, ma non si sarebbe mai aspettato di trovarla con il migliore amico del proprio figlio.
Quando un cambiamento di piani dell’ultimo minuto lascia Drew e Kevin da soli in una baita, una settimana prima di Natale, la passione tra di loro è troppa per poterla negare.
Anche se si ripromettono di far durare tutto quello solo per quell’unica settimana, ogni giorno che passa li avvicina di più. Con l’arrivo del Natale, e del figlio di Drew, possono salvare sia la loro relazione che la vacanza?

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2020

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About the author

Brigham Vaughn

65 books516 followers
Brigham Vaughn is on the adventure of a lifetime as a full-time writer. She devours books at an alarming rate and hasn’t let her short arms and long torso stop her from doing yoga. She makes a killer key lime pie, hates green peppers, and loves wine tasting tours. A collector of vintage Nancy Drew books and green glassware, she enjoys poking around in antique shops and refinishing thrift store furniture. An avid photographer, she dreams of traveling the world and she can’t wait to discover everything else life has to offer her.

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5 stars
310 (32%)
4 stars
365 (38%)
3 stars
208 (22%)
2 stars
49 (5%)
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10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews
Profile Image for Richard Derus.
3,152 reviews2,079 followers
January 1, 2022
An age-gap romance about a divorced dad falling for his son's best friend is an automatic "yes" from me. We all like seeing our lives on the page, don't we. And goodness knows the existence of romantic stories with older men as objects of desire are most agreeable to my over-60 self.

What makes this story a success is its refusal to play into the hot-young-stud seducing the older guy; the connection the men feel is more like what I experience with my own Young Gentleman Caller. Talking and laughing and enjoying time spent together is so much more important than sex because there's just so much more of it.

Given the sex scenes aren't extended, and they are pretty clearly signaled therefore easy to skip, I'd give a guarded mmmaaaybe to straight people. The men are fond of each other and quite willing to kiss but if THAT bothers you what on Earth are you doing around me anyway?!
Profile Image for Martin.
764 reviews475 followers
December 26, 2021
Oh man, just when I thought that a book was incredibly amazing, it suddenly jumps the shark. I hate that.

Engineering student Kevin joining his best friend Jason to spend Thanksgiving with Jason's divorced dad leads to Kevin and dad Drew to hit it off immediately.

When Jason CONSTANTLY ditches his dad and Kevin to spend time with his girlfriend, the two men come closer and find out that a 24 year age difference isn't a reason not to have amazing sex.

However, Drew not wanting to start anything with his son's best friend was largely frustrating. They clearly had the hots for each other but ALWAYS shot down their feelings by telling each other how they shouldn't, how this was a bad idea and how they can't act on them.

I mean, I get it. It's a reason not to jump into anything. But repeating it over countless of pages? Incredibly. Frustrating.

They didn't stick to their rule anyway and when things get forcefully revealed, son Jason acts like a child and Drew puts his son's wishes above Kevin's - just to change his mind a few pages later and bam, HEA.

Wow.

I mean, I like the setting in general. 24 years is quite a difference in age. But two stars need to go in my rating because the age difference was barely there. What makes Drew 48 years old? Other than the fact that he seems to be loaded. He's not exactly mature or has health issues. He's muscled and hot and simply 'Jason's bisexual dad'.

And the constant back-pedaling is something I really can't just overlook. That was a totally unsatisfying scenario.

And finally Jason's reaction would have been suitable for a 5 years old who doesn't want to share daddy with a new person, but a 24 year old grown man? Come on...

3 stars!
January 1, 2021
I think I read a different book than most everybody else. Cabin Fever is my first read of the new year, as well as my first book by this author, and I can't say it's an auspicious beginning.

This book isn't particularly long, but it *feels* long. The writing is amateurish, with stilted, unnatural dialogue that's at once too formal and too basic.

Both Jason and Kevin acted like they were 19, not 25. Jason was immature and rude, never mind that the whole thing with him ditching his dad to spend time with his girlfriend was just a setup to throw Drew and Kevin together.

Kevin was kind of a whiney, and his family was horrid. Why would they push their adult son to move back home when they'd never made any effort to spend time with him? (To be fair, Kevin didn't much try either; I mean flying from Indiana to Washington state for a long weekend is totally doable. There are nonstop flights and everything.)

I liked Drew, but that's about it.

I found myself skimming constantly because I just wanted this book to end. The entire time I was reading, I felt like I'd read this story, or a much better version of it, before. Then it hit me that I was thinking of Nash Summers' brilliant, nuanced Arrows Through Archer.

If you want to read a well-written story with a falling-for-my-best-friend's-dad trope, check that one out:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Profile Image for Ariana  (mostly offline).
1,453 reviews60 followers
December 11, 2020
4,5 stars

This is the best Christmas themed book I’ve read this year so far, and one of the best age gap romances.

Let’s face it – With Kevin at 25 and Drew at 48 this age gap is more like an age ravine. It’s certainly not something to be scoffed at. And Drew being the father of Kevin’s best friend doesn’t make things easier. But what the heck do you do if you’re madly attracted to this hot silver fox who you hit it off with in pretty all departments right from day one?

New to me author Brigham Vaughn does a fabulous job of describing Kevin’s (and Drew’s) dilemma. Both men feel the attraction, but they’re totally genuine and mature about it. They do the responsible thing until, well, fate throws them in a cabin all alone for a week. Tbh, you’d have to be a saint not to act upon your feelings!

I could totally relate to everything here – why the two men stay apart to start with, how they slowly fall for each other more and more, and why they put Jason (Drew’s son and Kevin’s best friend) before their own agenda, that being the main stumbling block for their budding relationship.

The situation is resolved by a classic twist, which was ok for me, but maybe a tad obvious. However, I really liked how the author acknowledged the awkwardness of the situation when Jason finds out, and how they resolve it. I also appreciated how Kevin’s issues with his family are dealt with.

All that and some delicious heat, some snow and hot tubs made this a lovely Christmas read I can easily recommend!
Profile Image for Debra.
2,104 reviews253 followers
December 20, 2020
I've been on a roll with the Holiday reads this year and this was another enjoyable, sweet and hot read.

There's a more than 20 year age gap between Kevin and his roommate's father, Drew, but the two men are perfectly suited for each other. There is minimal angst, and a realistic feel to how they both try to keep things platonic for the sake of Jason, Drew's son and Kevin's best friend, both realizing just how disastrous it could be. Luckily for us, Jason is a bit self-absorbed and a week alone in a cabin together is more temptation than either can resist.

There are no big surprises here, I kept on waiting for the moment things would all come out in the open and I was not disappointed. There is a resolution as eventually cooler heads prevail - it is a romance of course.

Brigham Vaughn writes age gap stories very well and this one was another winner.

There's also a follow-up short available on Prolific Works https://claims.prolificworks.com/free...
Profile Image for Susan.
2,247 reviews426 followers
November 26, 2020
I really liked this.

I thought the chemistry and connection between Kevin and Drew felt real and I loved seeing them getting closer and closer.

I was a bit worried about the looming threat of Drew's son Jason finding out, but it wasn't so bad. I guess I even thought that part went a little too smoothly.

This was still a very sweet story. I mean, we have an age-gap, being together in a cabin, with Christmas decorations and hot cocoa. And let's not forget sex in front of the fireplace. What more could I want from a Christmas story?
Profile Image for True Loveislovereview.
2,482 reviews1 follower
November 22, 2020
Jason’s dad is hot! Kevin can’t believe his eyes so hot! He’s spending the Thanksgiving weekend with his best friend and his father in a cabin.

Jason ditched them most of the time to be with his girlfriend.
So Drew and Kevin spend it together, there is flirting and a lot of sexual tension but never more.
I loved their conversations and the things that stayed unsaid.

They couldn’t be together, they wanted it so strongly, both.
What blew me away was the longing, the yearning, I could feel it in my bones.

Unexpectedly they spent the holidays together and that’s where it all happened. Gosh, it was awesome!
But... there is always a damn ‘but’ it can’t last, it only for the holidays, there is still Jason who would never agree. How in heaven can they live without this, without each other. The pain was real and palpable.

Their lovemaking was so incredibly intense at some point almost unbearable.
I love how this author prolonged it with the focus on every part of them, how they moved and felt. Delicious to watch, very intense.

This narrative made me flow a little bit, there was so much love, the twenty-three year age gap didn’t matter, Kevin twenty-five and Drew forty-eight, they fit so perfectly together.
The story had just enough amount of hurt and confusion, nicely in balance with the whole story.
All together a beautifully written story, steamy, emotional, and moving. *happy sigh*
Profile Image for Gustaf.
1,439 reviews155 followers
October 25, 2021
"and we - we go our separate ways after, and we date other people, and someday at Jason's wedding, we introduce those new people in our lives to each other, and someday, we'll stop wondering about the what-ifs."

I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet and lighthearted. Kevin and Drew had so much chemistry, my kindle almost burned up and the ust was delicious. The best friends father/brother trope is kind of a guilty pressure for me and this is for sure going to be right up there amongst my favorites.
Profile Image for Elisa Glendenning.
522 reviews48 followers
December 2, 2020
3.5 Stars

✅ Age gap
✅ Forbidden romance
✅ Forced proximity
✅ Steamy
✅ Low angst

Enjoyed this light and fluffy Christmas romance. When Kevin comes home with his friend Jason for Thanksgiving, little does he realise that he’ll fall madly in lust with Jason’s dad Drew. Kevin’s one track mind was quite amusing but the chemistry was undeniable and the relationship that developed endearing. Lots of fun to be had when these two end up alone at the cabin, even though I was apprehensive for the inevitable fall-out. My only negative was how swiftly everything was resolved when the proverbial 💩 did hit the fan. May be I’m a masochist but I would have liked this dragged out a little bit more. However, it’s a Christmas romance so not entirely unexpected and all ends well.
Profile Image for ✵Damjana✵.
428 reviews68 followers
December 13, 2021
3.75 STARS

It was great MM age-gap story, happening between Thanksgiving and Christmas time in remote cabin in the woods. I loved Drew and Kevin, they were perfect together.
Profile Image for Papie.
750 reviews158 followers
November 27, 2020
3.5 stars

This was so absolutely adorable. It felt like a Christmas movie, where the strange combination of events (the whole stuck alone in the cabin thing made no sense) leads to the perfect opportunity for hot chocolate, hiking, falling in love and hot sex in front of a fire. So, a slightly pornographic Christmas movie, not the kind you watch with your kids.

And everything gets tied up perfectly with a neat little bow in the end.

Sweet romance.
Low angst.
Hot sex.
Best friend’s father.

Yes, please!
More, please!
Profile Image for Jennifer☠Pher☠.
2,856 reviews252 followers
December 29, 2020
2★'s = it was ok.

Oh man, this one, well, I think there were a few times I was going to throw in the towel and at the end, I wish I had.

This did not work for me at all.

I'm the same age as the Dad and well, just no. I just don't think this sort of setup works for me. Take out the son and the age difference might have worked better for me, maybe. Put the son in there and it just kind of felt all kinds of wrong to me.

I didn't really jive with the writing either. I feel like every trope was thrown in there but instead of reading it it was all tell, tell, tell. Nothing just happened. If it happened I had to be told by one of them it happened. It was awkward dialogue.

The whole deal with Kevin's family really, really bothered me. I can't believe they didn't even call him on Christmas! They aren't estranged! When he called them they seemed so surprised! It was so odd and uncomfortable.

It just really didn't work for me and I mostly skimmed until the end.

Sorry.

That's it for Christmas stories this year gang. I feel like I was very unsuccessful with my reads this year. Go figure.
Profile Image for Ed Davis.
2,465 reviews85 followers
December 30, 2020
I’m becoming a real fan of Brigham Vaughn’s writing. Her books are sweet and full of good feelings. This is not a new story line where the main character falls for his best friend’s dad, but this was so well done. I really enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Rin  Pet.
572 reviews28 followers
January 2, 2024
1/24 re-read

As I have read this many times, I wanted something comforting and easy for the new year. I’m a little sad that my picky nature has made this book’s ranking lower yet again. I’ll probably keep it in my holiday re-read roster, but there are definitely some glaring writing issues I previously overlooked. I still love Kevin and Drew though.
————————————

12/22 Re-read

This is definitely a comfort holiday read for me. After a few years and a lot more reading under my belt, I still enjoy this age gap, but took off a star for the inconvenient moment interruptions which is one of my biggest writing pet peeves, and for Jason (the son/best friend) for being a bit of a prig for no good reason.

I’ve read a lot of age gaps since this one. And while it’s plot is similar to a lot of those in the best friend’s dad trope, I still enjoy it.

———————————————-

A real love story

Age gap is one of my guilty pleasures, and I went into this one expecting it to be similar to the ones I read before. What I didn’t expect was the actual development of a mature relationship. It was absolutely sweet and sexy and believable. It was the perfect ride from attraction, to friendship, to sex, to love. I adore Kevin and Drew and just wanted more of them. This is my first book of Brigham’s, but this book has convinced me to devour more.
Profile Image for Maria.
677 reviews38 followers
Read
December 15, 2020
DNF at 55% Kevin's inner dialogue (he's the younger) irritated me. Boring. We get nothing from Drew (he's the older). That's a shame. It would have made for a far more interesting Christmas story.

With Kevin (why this name, of all names, btw? Like no one has seen Home Alone?) it's all, I know we shouldn't but I'm going to do it anyway to see how far I can push this man to get what I want from him, which is sex. Forget that my best friend Jason, whom I live with, is this man's son.

Perhaps in taking weeks to think about then finally doing the deed, in every room of the cabin, including a rimming in the kitchen, turned a could have been pleasant story into something fairly skeevy. Like a bad fantasy come to life. Bleh.

In skimming to it's predictable conclusion, we find Jason finally being told about dad and his best friend. Sucks to be you Jason. Oh, but alas, he'll come around and quickly I might add.

This could have been a better story without the bullshit lies.

No rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Manfred.
780 reviews48 followers
February 6, 2021
This was an average read for me.
I absolutely love age gap stories, but this one felt wrong and strange for me.
Kevin falls in lust and very soon in love with his best friends and roommate's father Drew,
spending a lot of time with him, while conveniently his friend leaves them alone most of the time.
The whole setting was somewhat shady and felt wrong, both main characters feeling guilty but horny at the same time.
I understood the attraction, the love not so much.
With such a big age gap, it is definitely not easy to write the story convincing and make me believe in the love of two guys that might easily be father and son.
N.R. Walker did a great job in her Thomas Elkin series, the story here was lacking for me, in the middle it even started to drag and I found myself skipping pages. The end was a little better, but still overall this was rather meh and for me 2.5 stars maximum.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,189 reviews336 followers
January 19, 2021
This book was just delightful! I loved both MCs, loved the chemistry between them, and loved the ending to this. If you're looking for age gap and best friend's dad pairing, then I would highly recommend this one!

Kevin and Drew had such great chemistry together. I love that they became friends and just meshed so well together, despite there being about 23 years age difference between the two. I love that they communicated so well together, and them falling in love was just so effortless for them.

Jason, Drew's son, on the other hand, came off as rude and selfish and only concerned about himself and his on-and-off-again girlfriend. I hated how upset he got - but understood it, since there needed to be some conflict from somewhere. I'm glad it didn't drag out and things were resolved.

Excellent story, I really enjoyed this one!
Profile Image for Trift.
385 reviews13 followers
November 19, 2021
I’m starting a new thing where I don’t finish books that I’m not enjoying. The dialogue here was formulaic, the characters flat, and this was just overall painful to read. I ended this on a scene where the LI was shooting down the MC’s advances for being a friend of his son, which I feel like is an appropriate ending to this story.
Profile Image for Alicia.
844 reviews123 followers
December 26, 2020
Very cute. I enjoyed this and it had all of the tropes that I love - age gap, MM, best friend’s dad. Yessss please.

Drew is 48 and Jason’s dad. Kevin is 25 and Jason’s roommate and best friend. Drew and Kevin have a sort of connection when they meet for the first time and Jason keeps leaving them both alone to go spend time with his girlfriend, which just makes them both realize how much they really like each other’s company. They decide to finally act on their attraction while Jason is gone for the week and have it end there, but it’s harder than they thought because both of them have started to have some pretty strong feelings for the other. But it’ll never work because Drew can’t lose the relationship with his son and Jason would never approve of it.

At first I thought it was some kind of gay-for-you type of story but it turns out that Drew is actually bisexual. His son knows this already, so I guess it’s just the fact that it would be his Dad with his best friend that’s the problem...

Although it turns out that Jason is a pretty damn good friend and son because he freaks out at first but only takes a few hours to get on board and give them his blessing. Awwww. And they’ll end up living happily ever after. 😍 So cute.
Profile Image for Leelah🍁♋️ Orion.
1,174 reviews24 followers
December 5, 2020
3.5

Another sweet Christmas read. This one is my best friend’s father and can we say chemistry! These two had it from the beginning. The son’s excuse for being away sucked. Like really bad. I was like who does that? But it left time for the MC to get to know, want and be with each other. The writing was good and I enjoyed the book. My only complaint is the quick wrap up of things I wished I saw on page at the end. Just one of pet peeves. Some things we would have liked to have seen instead of read about it. And I wish it was dual POV. I would have loved to know Drew’s side of things.
Profile Image for David.
716 reviews133 followers
January 1, 2022
Great escape/romance between 25 yr old grad student and the 48 year old dad of his best friend. The ending was a little too happy. But, is that a problem in these COVID times? Easy 4+
Profile Image for Nathan Bartos.
982 reviews55 followers
November 20, 2021
*4.5 stars
This is a really great holiday romance about a grad school senior falling in love with his best friend/roommate's dad. There's a great forbidden element to it (not in a gross way; just they think it'll be awkward for the friend/son), and there's also a lot of "forced" proximity going on. It's fun and full of tropes while also being sweet and sexy. I liked this much more than I thought I would.
Profile Image for Amy Dufera - Amy's MM Romance Reviews.
2,698 reviews133 followers
November 23, 2020
Certain books just consume me throughout. Brigham Vaughn's Cabin Fever is one such book. This best friend's father romance is absolutely wonderful.

I love everything about this story. The forbidden romance aspect is well done, with the angst we would expect. But the forced proximity aspect is the leading factor at play. Drew and Kevin have a lot of time alone, all because Drew's son keeps spending time with his girlfriend. One could easily ask why the hell he'd do that. Seriously, why would you invite someone to spend the holidays with you but keep sneaking away? That is weird, but who cares. The way it's written makes sense, but it's also necessary to let Drew and Kevin develop their relationship.

The result is a beautiful tale. I love the way they immediately feel comfortable together and bond over their time spent together, as well as their common interests.

Everything about this May to December romance is heartfelt and passionate. Their attraction is instant and their chemistry is sizzling.

The writing is fabulous, with both men well developed and their connection extremely well illustrated. The author spends a lot of time of the build up of their connection and I love it. The reader can't miss how deeply they connect. There's fantastic dialogue and some amazing sex scenes. And the passion just oozes off the pages, with every feeling, every move, every word fully felt by the reader.

Cabin Fever is one of those addictive books I could read a hundred times. Brigham Vaughn has left me in love with this age gap romance. I can't wait to read this again.
Profile Image for Jessica.
240 reviews
September 27, 2022
Well… I kind of liked it and I kind of didn’t. The premise is cute because I’m a sucker for the falling in love with my best friend’s dad trope, but the execution fell flat for me in a few ways. There were zero surprises, nothing super exciting happened (including the steamy bits), the writing could have been better (it felt choppy to me), and Jason (the best friend/son) was annoying as hell. The pacing also felt wonky because it went slowly in the first half and then hit the gas at the end. Way too much happened in the last few chapters. It felt oddly rushed for no reason. I have to admit that Kevin and Drew were cute enough to keep me from DNFing, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend this even though it was a quick read.
Profile Image for Xanthe.
2,108 reviews36 followers
November 16, 2020
Cabin Fever is a really great best friend's father romance and I enjoyed the relationship that developed between the two MC's and how things progressed in the story.
There is immediately a strong attraction between Drew and Kevin as the young man goes home with his best friend, Jason, for Thanksgiving. However, it's decided that Jason is most important as is his relationship with his father and his best friend. A really good friendship blossoms though as they spend time together and when Kevin's family go travelling for Christmas and he's left alone, he jumps at Drew's offer to join the two for Christmas. Neither expect for Jason to leave them alone for a week and it becomes too much for the men to ignore. Though plans for it to just be a fling start to get harder to ensure as emotions get involved and their bond strengthens.
Things are definitely hot between them and I could really feel how involved the two men become with each other. There is more there than just attraction. They have a lot in common, constantly talking and building on the friendship that first started the month before. Jason's reaction is as expected but I loved the way everything unfolds for all involved.
Loved the story and the characters, it's a very well written romance from Brigham Vaughn. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC and am happily giving a review.
Profile Image for Kristine .
1,729 reviews12 followers
November 22, 2020
This is a great story that quickly drew me in and had me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I enjoyed getting to know these characters and follow along on their journey. This is the first book by this author I have read, it won't my last.
Profile Image for peach.
482 reviews34 followers
November 17, 2021
This book was sweet and cosy and exactly what I wanted to read right now, so I enjoyed it a lot. Cute age-gap romance with the typical conflict that you can expect from an "in love with my best friend's dad" story. Some great mutual pining, which I always love.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 207 reviews

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