Pumpkin Patch Cutie #1
Summary:Scott wants it all; an alpha and a family of his own. But for now he's content to be the cool uncle.
It's hard to be patient sometimes, but Scott knows that his perfect alpha is out there somewhere. In the meantime he's taking care of his niece, and decides to take her to the nearest pumpkin patch for a day of fall fun. But when she gets lost in the corn maze he panics.
Dom's ready for a new start, he just needs to get his business off the ground.
Dom just moved back to Valle Granja in order to start his own business as a large animal vet. Unfortunately there's not much for him to do while waiting for his license and other important paperwork to be processed. So in the meanwhile he's helping out his uncle on the family's pumpkin patch. But he doesn't expect to help a gorgeous omega in crisis mode.
Neither man expected to find the other that way, but when it's right, it's right.
Pumpkin Patch Cutie is a 14.5K word , non-shifter, M/M, Mpreg romance
Summary:
Pumpkin Patch Cutie #1
Sean's not looking forward to another year of playing the Ice Palace Prince.
When Sean came up with the idea for Valle Granja's Ice Palace and Winter Village market for the holidays, he never imagined that he'd be named the honorary prince of the event. Now, several years in, he can't seem to ditch the title. But at least there's one perk. He gets to admire one of the business partners for the event, a man he knew in hich school: Lowell. It's just too bad the handsome alpha is probably already taken.
Lowell's been attracted to Sean since high school, but never dared to say anything.
Between being a nerdy alpha during high school, and not wanting to face off against Sean's alpha girlfriend, Lowell's always admired the other man from afar. But as he interacts with the gorgeous omega he starts to wonder if everything he knew about the him was true.
But even if Sean's available and likes men, would he be interested in Lowell?
Ice Palace Prince is a 14K word , non-shifter, M/M, Mpreg romance
Costume Party Crush #7
Summary:
Kaleb's life is almost perfect, all he needs is to find his mate.
Kaleb loves his life. He has the greatest job in the world: painting decorative displays on windows. It lets him be outside and creative. His best friend is that ideal blend of supportive and teasing that keeps him happy. In fact, there's only one—well two—things missing: his alpha and their eventual family. But he knows his fated mate is out there, and he's going to live his best life so that his alpha finds a man who has made happiness for himself—including by attending a costume party to benefit the Valle Granja Art Museum.
Frankie's ready to settle down, but no omega wants to mate the class clown.
Frankie has watched his friends find their partners and start their families, but all his attempts at dating fall flat, and the loneliness is starting to get to him. However their efforts to include him more and keep him from feeling left out verge on the absurd when he's invited to be the third in a throuple costume at a Halloween party for the museum. But will it be the place where he can find himself a man to love?
More importantly, can they find each other in a crowd of costumes and masks?
Costume Party Crusg is an 17K word , non-shifter, M/M, mpreg, omegaverse romance
Original Review October 2024:
I get it, Mpreg is not for everyone, it's probably one of the "out therest" of "out there" but if we can't look outside the box in our own readings once in a while then what's the point of being a reader? My experience in the genre is still limited to only a few authors but when I discovered Lacey Daize's books I definitely found a winner. The characters, the settings, and omegaverse world building is quite detailed and that's not something you often find in mostly novella-length stories. I'll admit I chose this author first primarily because they often fit the holiday themes for my blog but I really loved them, so no matter what brought them to my shelf, they earned their spot in storytelling stay-ability.
As for Pumpkin Patch Cutie, well frankly the title says it all. Omega Scott is ready for the whole family shebang but until he finds his alpha he is more than satisfied with his uncle role. What better way to fill that role than taking his niece to the local pumpkin patch and maze. There is a bit of location issues and his uncle mode kicks in trying to find her. Not sure which is the real pumpkin patch cutie: Scott the panicked uncle, Madison the lost niece, or out-of-nowhere hero alpha Dom who himself is helping his own uncle by working the season at his patch? All three could hold the title and they all help turn the cutest of cute meets into full on forever romance.
Pumpkin Patch Cutie is short, sweet, and all kinds of yummy. Is it too short? Perhaps, I certainly hated to say goodbye to Scott & Dom but some times short is perfect, especially when it involves some heartwarming holiday yummilicous vibes. I won't say more just know that if you have been enjoying Lacey Daize's Holiday Surprise series then this will strengthen that love and if you're new to the series be ready to blown over by a marvelous blend of sweet, sassy, and sexy in the entry that jumpstarted the series.
Ice Palace Prince #2
Original Review December 2024:
Again, another book read out of order but in this series, Holiday Surprise, each book is a standalone with a different couple at the forefront. Some friendships carryover but it's not a necessity to know their journeys before reading a new book.
Ice Palace Prince is another lovely, entertaining, and fun read that is perfect for holiday fare. Second chance romance just screams Xmassy to me, or perhaps in this case "youthful miscommunications" mixed with "bossy perceived high school girlfriend" is more accurate than "second chance" as Sean and Lowell never really had a first chance waybackwhen.
Again, Lacey Daize nails everything in this entertaining holiday gem.
Costume Party Crush #7
Original Review October 2024:
Another series I've been reading as the coinciding holidays approach and I'll admit some characters make appearances from previous entries as friends and co-workers which helps to set the scene of a found family kind of community. Having said that and having not read all the entries in order myself I can honestly add these are standalones.
I don't want to spoil anything so this will short and to the point. Costume Party Crush is so fun, so uplifting, so real that it's almost hard not to believe in the reality of mpreg. Kaleb and Frankie are so perfect together, talk about timing being on their side. Such a sweet, romantic, fun, friendly, and humorous tale that really grabs your heart, you can't help but cheer for these two. A winning gem that you wished could be longer and yet you know sometimes length can interfere with the greatness making the novella the perfect format. That's not to say I wouldn't mind seeing Kaleb and Frankie make appearances in other stories or get a Xmassy short to let the fun shine again😉.
Pumpkin Patch Cutie #1
Chapter 1 - Scott
“Come on!” squealed my niece, Madison. “Hurry up!”
“The pumpkin patch isn’t going anywhere Maddie,” I laughed. “No need to rush.”
“But it’s right there!” she protested, rushing back and grabbing my hand. She tried to tug me faster, little puffs of dust flying up behind her feet in the dirt parking lot while the sunlight glinted off her golden hair.
“It’s not a race,” I replied. “We’re going to go through the corn maze. Then we’re gonna get some photos, play games, and pick out your pumpkin.”
She let go, moved in front of me, put her little fists on her hips, and gave me a sassy glare. “I know that! Papa and dad brought me last year!”
“So you’ve done it before,” I teased. “I guess we don’t need to do everything today. Let’s just go grab a pumpkin and leave.”
“Scott!”
“That’s uncle Scott to you, young lady.”
She stuck her tongue out and grabbed my hand again. “Come on!”
I grinned as she pulled me towards the line of people waiting to pay. She already had a huge personality, and she was only seven. I couldn’t wait to see what kind of woman she grew into.
She was also going to make an excellent big sister, but she didn’t know that yet. I had her for the weekend so that my brother Tyler and his omega Lee could try for another while Lee was in heat.
Part of me was jealous. Tyler was two years younger than me, had found his fated mate in college, and already had his family started. Meanwhile I was knocking at thirty’s door, never had a relationship last longer than six months, and hadn’t been on a date at all in almost a year.
I shook my head, trying to clear the errant thoughts. I wanted it all: a family, and an alpha. It was just taking me a bit more time to find it was all. I had to trust that the wait would be worth it.
Madison bounced on the balls of her feet as we stood in line to pay.
“Do you want a princess makeover?” I asked, glancing at the add-ons.
She shook her head. “No. I’m not a princess.” Then she gave me a fierce look. “I’m a dragon-slayer!”
I laughed. “Fair enough. We’ll get you the dragon slayer package.”
“Yay!” she declared, dancing a bit in place.
A few minutes later we reached the front of the line, and I was face-to-face with an absolutely delicious-looking alpha. He had the rugged charm of a farmer—complete with cowboy hat—and an easy smile that made my insides squishy and my omega bits threaten to start slicking me up.
Somehow it was a reminder of just how long it had been since I’d last been with a man, and… oh… if ever I needed a knot, it was then. I wanted to grab handfuls of his brown hair and gaze into his blue eyes as he plowed into me.
His smile widened, and I realized that I’d been daydreaming about him fucking me senseless instead of paying attention.
“Say again?” I asked.
He chuckled. “How many?”
I forced an awkward smile. “Oh. One adult, one child. We’ll also add a dragon-slayer package and a five-pose photo shoot.” I paused. “Do I pay for pumpkins here?”
He gave me a lopsided grin. “You’ll pay for pumpkins over where you pick them out so they can weigh them.”
“Oh, ok.”
“So I’ve got one adult, one child, dragon-slayer and five photo poses. Right?”
I nodded, trying to control my reaction as I felt a bit of slick escape. I just had to hope that my cock stayed soft. It wouldn’t look good for me to be wandering a corn maze filled with kids while sporting a stiffy.
“That’ll be sixty dollars.”
I pulled out my wallet and handed over the money.
The alpha turned to Madison. “Hold out your hand so I can put your wristband on swetheart.”
“Ok!” she replied, placing her hand on the table.
He deftly put the band on her, then wrapped one around my wrist as well. “A few attractions might have additional fees, but you’ll pay for those there.” He then pointed. “Head to that booth and they’ll get her dragon-slayer gear on, plus give her the mission.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled, tongue-tied around the handsome alpha.
He gave me another easy grin. “Ya’ll have fun.”
“Yay!” Madison declared, rushing off.
I laughed, nodded and followed her to the booth. There she was given a foam sword and had a burlap costume draped over her clothes. Then a very solemn actor told her that a blue dragon had stolen all the kingdom’s gold and taken refuge in the maze. She was to follow the tracks, find the dragon, and bring back one of the lumps of gold to help restore the kingdom.
Madison put on a serious expression and vowed to bring back some gold, then gleefully ran to the maze entrance.
“Come on!” she called, hopping from one foot to the other as she waited for me.
I shared a glance with the booth attendant, who was trying not to laugh, then headed after her.
“Now stay close Maddie,” I said as she ducked through the entrance. “The corn is tall and I don’t want you to get lost.”
“I thought we were supposed to get lost, because it’s a maze,” she replied, looking around for dragon tracks.
“We’re supposed to get lost together.”
“Oh.”
We reached the first intersection, and debated on which way to go, until I saw a splash of blue at the top of some stalks.
“Aren’t the dragon tracks supposed to be blue?” I asked, pointing to the paint.
“Thanks uncle Scott!” she squealed, sprinting towards the painted corn.
I followed as she reached the end of the aisle and waited for me. “Keep close Maddie,” I reminded her. “If you keep rushing off I’ll make you hold my hand.”
She pouted. “But you’re slow.”
I laughed. “We have plenty of time.”
She huffed and crossed her arms until I reached her.
“Did you find any other dragon tracks?” I asked.
“That way,” she replied, pointing to a blue footprint.
“Let’s go find that dragon then,” I said, smiling as she stayed beside me.
We made our way through the maze, following the clues until we found the prop ‘dragon’ sleeping near a hoard of gold spray-painted rocks.
“Grab your piece of gold Maddie,” I said. “Then we’ll find the way out so you can claim your prize for completing your mission.”
She crept up on the dragon and grabbed a piece of gold, then bolted back to my side. She beamed up at me and showed off her prize.
“Good job!” I praised. “Very brave.”
She did a little dance, then sprinted off in the direction of the aisle opposite the one that had led us there.
“What did I say about running ahead?” I asked.
“But we’re almost done!” she protested.
“We’re not out of the maze yet though.”
“I’m gonna find the way out!” she declared, then ran down the next aisle out of sight.
“Madison Evers,” I scolded. “Get back here.”
“Come on!” she shouted back.
I sighed and made my way to the intersection, but when I looked in the direction she’d run she was nowhere to be seen.
“Madison!”
“Over here Scott.”
I jogged in the direction of her voice. “Stay where you are Maddie, and keep talking to me.”
A giggle and the sound of running feet.
“You can consider this afternoon’s ice cream date cancelled if you take one more step,” I announced.
The sound of running stopped.
“Where are you?”
“I’m here Scott.”
I followed the sound of her voice, but soon found myself at a dead end. I backtracked, but with each turn her voice seemed farther away, until I couldn’t hear her at all.
“Madison?” I yelled.
Children and adults laughed all around, but Madison’s voice wasn’t among them.
“Madison!”
Ice Palace Prince #2
Chapter 1 - Sean
~July~
“Knock-knock!” sing-songed a cheery voice.
I looked up from my computer to see my supervisor, Elaine, standing in my office door, a huge grin on her face.
I sat back in my chair. “Either the wicked witch was fired, or you’re here to tell me that I’ve got more work.”
She laughed, strode over and dropped into the guest chair on the opposite side of my desk. “The second.”
“Damn,” I sighed. “A man can hope.”
She shook her head—salt-and-pepper curls bouncing—with a chuckle. “I don’t know if any of us will live long enough to see her fired or forced into retirement. She’s been here longer than anybody else and seems to think her sole purpose is to make everybody miserable.”
I blew out a long breath. “Benefits of a government job, can’t be fired without cause.”
Elaine nodded. “And as HR manager, she knows exactly where the line is that keeps her on the safe side.”
“I’m just glad I only have to interact with her a couple times a year.”
“You and me both. Now… onto the reason I’m here.”
“Wait!” I said, holding up a hand. I glanced at the calendar. “Lemme guess…”
I scrubbed a hand down my face when I put two-and-two together. There was only one option: it was time to start the promos for the Valle Granja Ice Palace and Winter Village.
It also meant that she likely had other reasons for being there too. “No…”
Elaine laughed again. “Yep. It’s time.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Please tell me I’m just one of the coordinators this year.”
Please don’t ask me to play the prince. Please don’t ask me to play the prince.
“And why would we take away your key role?” she joked.
“Maybe because it’s time for somebody else to do it?”
“Oh no, this event was your idea, and everybody loves it. I think it’s only fair that you get to play the part of the prince for another few years.” She paused. “Besides, it’s not as if you’re not used to being in the public eye, not with all those debate and cheer competitions your teams won when you were in high school and college.”
“It really should go to somebody younger. I’m almost thirty!”
“So what?” she asked with a shrug. “You’re still single. Maybe this will land you a good alpha.”
“How would playing the prince get me an alpha? There’s no time to flirt when I’m that busy! Besides, there’s nothing special about me.”
“Oh hun, there’s always time to flirt. And you’re far more desirable than you give yourself credit for.”
I decided to ignore her second point. “You try flirting with anybody during the opening ceremonies. I can barely get in a few sentences before I’m pulled away to talk to somebody else.”
“Long enough! Give them a nice smile, bat your eyelashes a few times, and you’ll get the alphas falling all over you. That’s a promise.”
“You do know that most bosses would discourage flirting while on the job.”
“When have I ever been like most bosses?”
I groaned. “Point.”
She leaned forward. “Anyway, we’ve got to schedule a photo shoot for you so that the graphics department has time to get everything together. It’ll be time to start getting vendors soon, then the posters need to be out by the beginning of October.”
“You’re really going to make me do this?”
“What would the Ice Palace be without its prince?”
“Then get a new prince! Tie it to one of those scholarships we just got the funding for.”
She laughed and stood. “Too late! You’re it.”
I sighed and she headed towards the door.
I thought I was free when she poked her head back in. “Oh, by the way…”
“What now?”
“Jefferson Construction has offered to donate their time to building again this year.”
I swallowed. Hard. That meant…
She laughed. “I knew it!”
“Get out!” I yelled, throwing a pen at the door for emphasis.
She kept chuckling as she headed down the hall.
Of course Elaine noticed my crush. She wouldn’t say anything to anybody else, but she loved making people face their own truths, and mine was that I was majorly attracted to Lowell Jefferson.
Just thinking about his green eyes, dark hair, scruffy beard, and broad shoulders made my cock perk up. Unfortunately, I’d missed my chance when I didn’t chase him when he was the nerdy alpha in high school. There was no way a man that fine was still available.
Costume Party Crush #7
Chapter 1 - Kaleb
A curlicue of bright green appeared on the glass, and I finished off the pumpkin stem with a flourish.
I took a step back to examine my work, trying to decide the best place to paint a leaf. Just past the loop appeared to be the most logical location, and I moved in again to add it. Satisfied with my pumpkin’s shape, I switched to a black paint to create the face of the Jack-o-lantern.
I hummed along to my music and swayed slightly as I worked. Fall was the best time of year. For a couple glorious months I could let my creativity really shine, and not just paint ‘Grand Opening’ or ‘Sale!’ as colorful as the business would let me. No, I got to paint pumpkins, skeletons, Santas and snowflakes.
Businesses who rarely called lined up to have decorative displays painted on their windows, and I loved it. I could drive past strip-malls and my work would be right there for the world to see. Shoppers would stroll past in the Valle Granja mall, and I could never hide my grin when somebody stopped to admire my creations.
I grabbed my bat-shaped sponge and dabbed it in the black paint, then used it to place several bats flying above my scene. Once there was a nice balance I set my tools aside and took several steps back so that I could look at the big picture.
I grinned as I admired my work. The secretary inside had asked for a pumpkin under a spooky tree, with ‘Happy Halloween!’ in bold letters, and I thought my painting fit the bill. I decided to add a spider dangling from the tree, but it was the finishing touch.
Satisfied, I started putting away my paints and tools.
“Oh my God, it’s perfect!” squealed the secretary as she stepped outside.
I turned and grinned. “Thank you!”
She held out a check. “This was the price, right?”
I looked, nodded, and accepted the payment. “That’s correct.”
She clapped her hands together and looked at the painting again. “Do you have a card so we can have you do our Christmas windows too?”
“Absolutely! Let me grab one.”
I rummaged through my case until I found the card with the fewest paint smudges on it, then passed it over.
She took another minute to praise the windows as I took some photos for my portfolio, then she thanked me and disappeared back inside.
I looked down the strip mall, trying to decide if I had enough time for another storefront, or if the better plan was to stop in and attempt to schedule a couple places for the next day. Eventually I ended up doing a single pane for an insurance agent, and managed to set up two small stores for the morning.
I was just packing my gear into my trunk when my phone rang.
“Kaleb,” I answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.
“Mr. Anderson?” a pleasant male voice asked.
“Yes?”
“This is Sean Jefferson from the City of Valle Granja.”
A stone started to form in the pit of my stomach. Had I missed some sort of license renewal? Why would the city be calling?
“How can I help you?” I asked, forcing a polite tone.
Sean cleared his throat. “You do window painting, right?”
“Yeah?”
“Great!” he chirped. “I saw some of your work last week, and I got the ok to ask if you’d be willing to do a mural for City Hall.”
I blinked and found myself unable to breathe. Being able to paint the city hall windows would be a major gig, even if it was only a single pane.
“I… um… when would you like to meet to discuss?” I asked.
“I’m around until five today,” he answered. “Or I can make time over the next few days, except Friday morning.”
“I can come by right now, if that works.”
“That would be fantastic. Just ask for me at reception.”
“Sean… Jefferson, right?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll be right over.”
“Great. I look forward to meeting you.”
I got into my car, then did a happy dance. A piece that was done for the city would be an excellent addition to my portfolio, plus it was an extra level of exposure.
I did fine with my regular customers, plus picking up randoms by walking malls and shopping centers during holidays. But if I could gain more repeat customers due to them seeing my work at City Hall? That would be fantastic.
I gave myself another minute to get the giddiness out of my system. It wasn’t a done deal yet, but to be called at all was a major boost to my ego. Then I started the car and headed that way.
Fifteen minutes later I’d parked in the underground lot and ran a hand across my buzz-cut brown hair to ensure that there were no paint flecks caught in it. Finally an elevator let me out in the lobby of the city offices.
The receptionist looked up and smiled as I approached. “Good afternoon. How can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Sean Jefferson. Kaleb Anderson, I think he’s expecting me.”
She nodded. “I’ll call him down.”
“Thank you.”
I stepped to one side to wait, watching as people came and went.
“Mr. Anderson?”
I turned and blinked slightly at the man extending his hand. I’d expected to see an alpha wearing the uniform of the building maintenance department, but instead he was an omega in a cozy-looking sweater. “That’s me,” I replied when I got over my shock.
“Nice to meet you,” he said as we shook hands. “And thanks for coming down on such short notice.”
“No problem,” I replied, then decided to get right to the point. “So you wanted me to paint some windows?”
He grinned and clapped his hands together. “Yes! I’ve always thought we should do something better than taped-up cardboard cutouts in the windows facing Civic Plaza. It took some doing, and it’s coming out of my discretionary budget, but I finally got building maintenance to agree to it.”
“You’re not in building maintenance?” I asked.
He laughed and shook his head. “No. I’m in the events department.”
Events, which meant that not only was he impressed enough to reach out, but he’d had to go through extra effort to get me there. I almost pinched myself to determine if I was dreaming or not.
“Wanna see the windows?” Sean asked.
I nodded, and he motioned for me to follow. We walked past a set of windows that opened onto First Street, and I wondered why. Then he paused and opened another door for me.
I did pinch myself when I realized that he really meant it when he’d said Civic Plaza.
The windows were large, letting abundant light into the lobby. But more importantly was that they were probably the biggest available stage for my work. It wasn’t just shoppers passing by, or cars. No, anything I put on those windows would be the backdrop for any Halloween events on the plaza—of which there were plenty.
My art, behind the concerts, pumpkin run, children’s costume showcase, and more.
It was the kind of break every artist hoped for, and I found myself hyperventilating slightly from the realization that it was happening to me.
“You ok?”
It took me a moment before I grasped that Sean was talking to me. I nodded. “Yeah, just shocked.”
He chuckled. “I guess I should have warned you over the phone.”
I shook my head. “No, I might not have believed you if you did.”
His chuckles turned to full laughter. “Fair enough.”
“So what were you looking for?” I asked, trying to put my shock aside in order to be a proper businessman.
Sean smiled. “That’s kind of up to you. I want to see what you can do. We’ve got some scaffolding or ladders if you need them, or you can do shorter so that it’s all work you can do from the ground. We’d like at least half the windows done, centered from the doors out. Only real requirement is that the words ‘Happy Halloween’ are prominent.”
I took a deep breath and looked at the windows, my imagination already running wild. What could I paint on such a canvas?
“Is this something you think you can do?” Sean asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Great! When do you think you can get started?”
I briefly considered my already scheduled clients. “Next week? Should I send some sketches to you first?”
“That’s perfect. And I’d like that if possible, but only if you think there’s enough time for that. I’ve seen your work, and since this project isn’t being bid on, I think as long as it’s family-friendly it’ll be ok.”
“When do you need it done?”
“As soon as possible. Ideally I’d have had you on it several weeks ago, but this all came together last-minute.”
“Got it.”
“Great! Let’s go inside and discuss your rate.”
I pinched myself again for good measure as I followed Sean back inside and up to his office.
This was really happening, and I couldn’t be more excited.
Lacey DaizeLacey lives in New Mexico with her four critters. She’s a Jill-of-all-trades by day, but loves writing in her spare time. She dabbles in a variety of pairings, but jumped feet-first into the deep end of omegaverse the first time she read it. She loves the play on social expectations and the different ways to express romance.
Costume Party Crush #7
