Stuck with You by Jay Northcote

Narrated by Hamish Long

A snowed-in, forced proximity, enemies-to-lovers romance with snarky flirting, a small dollop of angst and Only One Bed? *rubs hands with glee* Count me in! Jay Northcote’s Stuck With You is a sexy, heart-warming tale about finding love and connection when – and with whom – you least expect it.

Patrick and Kyle work at the same medical supplies firm in the north of England, and Patrick, as a senior member of staff, has been Kyle’s mentor while he learns the ropes. The two men are polar opposites; Patrick is quiet and serious (Kyle thinks he’s boring) while Kyle is more outgoing and flamboyant (Patrick thinks he’s an immature party boy) , and they’ve rubbed each other the wrong way since day one. Both of them are thankful that Kyle’s time as Patrick’s mentee is coming to an end; in January, he’ll be flying solo.

But there’s one last meeting to be attended before they head off for the Christmas break, and as it’s a few hours’ drive away, they have to stay overnight at a hotel before heading home to Manchester the day before Christmas Eve. Meeting over and job done, they’re on the way back when Kyle’s car starts misbehaving and eventually breaks down; they’re on a small country road, the snow that was forecast for that night has arrived early and there’s fat chance of getting the AA out to repair or tow the car given the weather and how close it is to Christmas. They walk to the nearest village and enter the shop, where the owner tells them that the only guest house in the village is fully booked (so there’s no room at the inn!) but that he thinks maybe Mrs. Wilcox might be able to help them out; her son is renovating the outbuilding on her property to use as a holiday let and she might be able to offer them a bed for the night.

Patrick and Kyle follow the directions they’re given to Orchard Cottage and find that Mrs. Wilcox is indeed having some property renovated; the outbuilding actually used to be a pigsty and is very compact. It’s not quite finished and there’s only one bed (!), but the two men are so cold and tired that they agree to make do, hoping they’ll be able to make arrangements to leave in the morning.

Patrick and Kyle might not like each other, but there’s no denying the attraction that sizzles between them – no matter how unwanted it is. Kyle might be lovely to look at, but he teases and flirts and irritates the hell out of Patrick, and spends most of the time he’s not working on dating apps. He’s absolutely not Patrick’s type… and yet, Patrick can’t help stealing glances at him whenever he thinks Kyle isn’t looking. And Kyle is well aware that Patrick obviously likes what he sees when he looks at him and can even admit that Patrick is good-looking, in a sort of austere, repressed way – but he still can’t stand him. And anyway, Patrick has ‘serious’ written all over him and Kyle isn’t interested in anything beyond sex.

When Kyle suggests to Patrick that they find a way to ‘entertain’ themselves while they’re stuck with each other, Patrick is horrified and shuts him down right away. Later, though, he starts to wonder if maybe he’d been too hasty; Kyle is gorgeous, he’s obviously interested and Patrick hasn’t been with anyone in quite a while. The awkward atmosphere hanging between them starts to abate a little when they share a meal – and later, when Patrick makes a comment about Kyle needing to be spanked… things take an interesting (and slightly kinky) turn.

The sex is hot and amazing, but Patrick and Kyle aren’t really sure what to make of each other or the situation. However, close proximity has a way of paving the way for honesty and connection, and once the two men actually start to talk to each other and hang out together, their relationship begins to shift as they get to know the real person behind the irritating colleague. I’m not normally a fan of stories in which the characters jump into bed this quickly, but it works here because the author skilfully combines their developing sexual relationship (and their mutual exploration of an unexpected interest in kink) with their developing emotional one.

The Lake District setting makes a nice but subtle backdrop to the story, and while it takes place over Christmas – and the scenes in which they share Christmas Day with Mrs. Wilcox are lovely – there’s just enough festive spirit around without it being syrupy-sweet or overdone. The small secondary cast is well-drawn, and the relatively low-key conflict in the story makes sense when taken in the context of who these people are and what they’ve experienced. I appreciated that when Patrick and Kyle finally talk about the issue, they approach it like grown-ups and take the time to look at the situation from the other person’s perspective. And even though the story takes place over just a few days, Mr. Northcote creates a believable and satisfying connection between the two men and allows it time to grow. My main reservation overall is that Kyle is difficult to warm to because he’s such a brat; at the beginning of the story my sympathy was all with Patrick for having to put up with his immature behaviour, and it was a few chapters before I started to like him for his unapologetic honesty.

I’ve listened to a few of Hamish Long’s narrations in the past and have enjoyed them, but this is my first time listening to him in a Jay Northcote book. Mr. Long is an extremely experienced, highly accomplished narrator (he has well over two hundred titles to his credit under this name and his alter egos) and he delivers an excellent performance on all counts, using a variety of tone, accent and timbre to delineate each character in the story. He adopts a standard RP (Received Pronunciation) accent for Patrick, and a convincingly Mancunian one for Kyle; Patrick’s voice is lower pitched than Kyle’s and there’s a sternness to it that works well to describe the stuffiness Kyle sees in him – as well as during the sex scenes when they’re exploring Patrick’s desire to be in charge. Mr. Long’s female voices are really good, and I especially enjoyed his portrayal of the elderly Mrs. Wilcox, whose no-nonsense kindness comes through strongly. He really delivers when it comes to the emotional side of the story, too – the sex scenes are performed with confidence and conviction and the connection between the two leads is conveyed really well.

Stuck With You is a fun and sexy festive romance, brought vividly to life through Hamish Long’s excellent performance. Recommended.

Caz

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