Thursday, December 31, 2020

December Book of the Month: The Christmas Pundit by VL Locey


Summary:
Laurel Holidays #2
Will two complete opposites learn to cross party lines to benefit their beloved hometown and save Christmas?

Evan Griffiths is enjoying his tenure as the mayor of Cedarburg, Pennsylvania. While it may barely be a blip on the state map, it’s where he grew up, and he’s thrilled to be at the helm of the tiny rural community. With the recent election in the past, Evan can focus on his agenda to bring Cedarburg out of the fifties. Being the first gay mayor in the town’s history is a good start but there’s plenty more to do. His first big job is expanding the yearly Christmas Carnival to lure tourists to his fiscally challenged birthplace. Things seem to be moving along at a good pace then a ghost from Christmases past arrives on the morning bus.

As soon as Gideon Pierce returns to Cedarburg he picks up right where he left off back in elementary school—tormenting Evan at every turn. Only this time instead of shoving Evan down on the playground, Gideon is bedeviling him with snippy editorials in the local paper. Gideon is no longer the gangly, bucktoothed kid he used to be. When his gaze keeps touching on Gideon’s mouth and the appreciative fire in his brilliant holly green eyes, Evan finds it harder and harder to keep his mind on witty replies to Gideon’s cutting viewpoints.


I don't do spoilers here and when it comes to Christmas stories I want to give away even less so this review is going to be short-ish and to the point.

Right off the bat I want to say as much as I loved Laurel Holidays #1(The Christmas Oaks) I think I loved The Christmas Pundit even more.  That isn't something I say often so when I say book 2 is better than the original, I truly mean it.  I hate to use the tag enemies to lovers to describe Evan and Gideon but it's not exactly friends to lovers either, perhaps childhood adversaries to lovers is closer.  The guys have what I like to lovingly call "that snark and cuddle connection".  Even at their worst the attraction is palpable, the push-and-pull almost fuels the heart.

Having lived in small towns ranging from so small it was a village to a large-ish small, I can honestly say the VL Locey has captured the feel to a tee.  Having done so only heightens the appeal for me, making it easier to connect to both Evan and Gideon and hoping they'll find their HEA.  Now, does the author let them find happiness?  I think we all know the answer to that question but finding out the road the men have to navigate to get it is where all the magic happens and you have to read that for yourself.  Trust me, you won't regret it.  The Christmas Pundit is a delightful holiday reading experience that warmed this reader's heart and left a smile lingering afterwards.

RATING:


Chapter One
“…said to him that there was no way he clumb all the way up to my property just to track no deer! You know what he said to me then, Mayor?” 

“I’m assuming that he explained in a polite manner that he had indeed climbed up to your property to track the doe?” I replied, looking from one old farmer to the other, both men nearly indistinguishable from the other save for the wear and tear of their Carhartt work coats. Looked like Berger Mason had bought a new one in the past year whereas Carson Oats had worn his for years. Into the cow barn if the smell of manure wafting off him was any indication. Of course, the poop could be on their mucky boots as well. Seemed neither of the dairy farmers deemed a trip to city hall was worth changing out of their chore clothes. Mara, my executive assistant, was sitting beside me taking notes of the impromptu meeting with a hankie over her nose. I had said during my first speech on the night the results had come in that my office door would always be open to the good citizens of Cedarburg. I’d just assumed they’d scrape the cow shit off their boots before coming to the courthouse… 

“That’s right, Mr. Mayor, I said exactly that,” Berger replied, his big nose red with frustration. It tended to glow like a certain famous reindeer whenever he was upset. “I told him that my arrow nicked a branch and the shot was low. Then the doe bounded over the fence, and I asked real politely like if I could track her. He got all belligerent and told me to haul my fat ass back down the ridge where it belonged. Then he called me an encroacher and a defiler of his scarecrow! Which is pure horseshit! I didn’t never touch that stupid scarecrow!” 

“Yes, you did. I know you dressed it up to look like my wife. Even give it a big squash nose!” Carson shouted. 

“Okay, let’s settle down.” I lifted my hands while speaking up over the din. I was a politician, so I was good at speaking loudly. “Now is this the scarecrow incident of ’92 that you’re referring to, Carson?” 

“Yes, sir, it is,” both men replied at once before slipping back to silent glowering. 

I had assumed so. I tossed Mara a pleading look. She deftly shook her head and hid behind her lilac-scented hanky. I suspected the older woman was sniggering into the folds of silk over her nose and mouth. 

“Right, okay, well, I remember that incident well. I was ten. Didn’t Officer Blakeman deduct that it was local kids who dressed up your scarecrow like Dolores?” I pointedly asked Carson, who had the good grace to at least look a little contrite. He bobbed his head but continued to mutter to himself. This feud between the Mason and Oats clans had been raging since the fifties when old Booger Oats had taken up with Marlene Mason. It had been a torrid affair, at least by fifties standards. Booger had run off to Canada leaving Marlene in a delicate condition. The child of that scandalous liaison had been breastfed on the stories of how dastardly the whole Oats clan was and he then carried the nonsense on, passing the hatred along to the next generation like an heirloom pocket watch. 

“I did stop and ask, Mayor, truly I did. Then he got all up on his face and—” 

“In your face. He got in your face, Berger.” That made me smile just a little. Bless the older generations. They were trying. Well, some of them were. Others not so much. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll call WCO Carlota over in Silverwood and ask him to come over to escort Berger onto your land to fetch his deer. If they can track the doe and find her, then you two will split the venison fifty-fifty. How does that sound?” 

Both old codgers grumbled and hemmed but in the end they nodded briskly. 

“I’ll go call the game commission now,” Mara said into her square of silk then rose and hurried out of my cramped office. If it weren’t a blustery October day I’d open the window to let some of the manure smell out. But it was too dank and chilly in the hills of Pennsylvania on this early October day to crack the window let alone open it. This old courthouse was damp enough as it was even on a sunny day.

“There, see how nicely things work out when we compromise?” I asked, pushing to my feet to offer my hand to Berger. He eyed it warily but finally gave in, slapping his palm to mine. We shook in a most manly fashion, which I suspected he was shocked about. I’d run into lots of that kind of crap while I’d been campaigning against the incumbent mayor, Ralph Kitterman. Everyone in my hometown knew I was gay. I’d been one of the first of “them vocal gays” in the county to come out and wave my rainbow goodness proudly way back in high school. “So, if there’s not anything else, I’ll let you two go meet WCO Carlota and tend to that doe, and I’ll get back to work on the Christmas Carnival fundraising committee work.” 

Oats got to his feet, offered me his hand, shook, and then crammed his red ballcap back onto his bald head. 

“Told you he was a smart one,” I heard Berger mumble as they left my office. 

“Kitterman was smarter,” Carson replied with his usual obstinance. 

“Kitterman was a horse’s ass,” Berger fired back. 

I chuckled, shook my head, and then let Mara handle them in the outer office. Shutting the door behind my warring constituents, I sighed, stretched, and gave my sanctum a pleased perusal. There wasn’t much to peruse. A desk littered with papers and a desktop that took forever to load up due to the dreadful internet we had up here in Northcentral Pennsylvania. One window but you had to stand on a chair to see Main Street, a chair in front of my desk that was here when Eisenhower was in the Oval Office and two flags. One the American and one the state, shoved into one corner while a filing cabinet lurked in another corner and a rickety coat rack hid in yet another. The fourth corner had a stand with brochures about Cedarburg and a picture of my parents who lived five minutes away. I flopped down into my one new extravagance, an office chair from the mall up in Corning, New York. I no longer felt like fiddling with the dismal numbers on the fundraising reports. Maybe my aide would be calling in from home with better news. Like more money news. If he could get his damn cell to work out in the boonies, which was never a given. God but we needed new infrastructure out here. 

That had been one of my top five running points when I’d gone up against Kitterman. Infrastructure, updating wastewater practices, working on creating the right kind of rural roads, pushing for new ways to lure businesses into our community thereby creating jobs that will keep the young people in Cedarburg, and adding more housing choices for our rapidly growing elderly population. Oh, and a new fence around the elementary school. All those problems, plus hundreds more, were mine now. 

Those five platforms had appealed to the four thousand people in my town, and they’d been able to overlook the fact that I was a little light in the loafers. I’d been rabidly pushing our nearest cell provider to build two new towers for us as well as begging Harrisburg for some road and bridge work next summer. The capital wasn’t keen on hearing about my little issues all the way up by the New York State border. They were more concerned with what Philadelphia and Pittsburgh needed, which was total bullshit.

There were farms in the outlying areas of my town that still had no internet accessibility, or it was so poor students couldn’t run videos for homeschooling or homework assignments. I ran a hand over my face. I bet they all had highspeed access in Harrisburg and the two big Ps. I scrubbed at my face even harder. 

There was so much to do. Kitterman had been a stick in the mud. A hard-as-nails stickler for law and order, apple pie, and the good old days. He also was an obnoxious ass who’d been stunned to learn that a queer had beaten him by over three hundred votes back in May. Guess the people of Cedarburg were tired of living in nineteen forty-nine. Or at least the majority were. It had been a stunning upset win given the county was as red as a Honeycrisp apple and I was as blue as a Smurf. Imagine that! My blue democratic gay ass beat the good old boys republican red incumbent. 

Reaching over my head I padded around my desk to stretch my legs. My knees tended to crack and creak whenever it rained. Thirty-eight was a rough age. Not quite forty yet according to the calendar but feeling about sixty whenever rain was on the air. Old baseball injuries I liked to say when my knees locked up, but those who knew me knew I’d never actually played baseball for the Cedarburg Cardinals. Not that I’d not tried, but my membership in the LGBTQ club made Coach Knight’s lips flatten whenever he looked at me during tryouts. I ended up warming the bench for every game. He kept a sharp eye on me during showers that first year after I’d come out. I took it all in stride, even the few knockdown fights I’d had with a few of the school jerks.

“Gideon Pierce,” I muttered as I dropped into my ergonomic seat and picked up my now cold cup of coffee. Whenever I thought of those who had made my childhood harder than it had to be, his damn face popped up in my mind’s eye. Taller than me, bigger, dark-haired, and brilliant green eyes to counter my strawberry-blond and blue-eyed self, and certifiably meaner, Gideon had always been a festering sliver under my skin. Way before anyone knew I was gay, hell before I was even fully aware of why Shawn Hunter appealed to me way more than Topanga on Boy Meets World, Gideon was being a jerk. 

Then suddenly one day he just wasn’t there on the playground anymore. He wasn’t even in school, or the state. Rumor had it that his parents had divorced after a pinnacle domestic squabble that the town cops still talked about. The Pierce’s always fought. It was a standard thing every weekend. Mr. Pierce would end his work week at the tannery over in Silverwood and hit the nearest bar where he’d leave most of his paycheck. 

Gideon was taken to Seattle to live with his mother, so the story went. Mr. Pierce disappeared and was found dead in an alley in Buffalo one week after his wife and son had left the state. Cause of death was suicide. What he had been doing in Buffalo no one seemed to know. Gossip ran rampant for about two weeks and then the town moved on. I, for one, was thankful to see Gideon gone but the circumstances surrounding his leaving were chilling to say the least.

“The big bully.” I took a swig of coffee, grimaced, and put the mug down beside my cellphone lying on the blotter. Mara came hustling into my office in a cloud of lilac perfume and big round eyes. 

“The bus from Elmira just arrived,” she panted, one hand on her rather substantial bosom, the other still holding her cellphone. 

“That’s good.” I smiled, wondering why she hadn’t knocked before barging in. Not that I’d been doing anything. At all. But still it was odd. Her blue eyes were huge behind her glasses. I sat back into the firm cushion of my chair, folded my arms over my blue dress shirt and dark blue tie, and raised an eyebrow. “What? Did they bus in zombies?” She shook her head strongly, sending her recently dyed red-orange hair swaying. “Vampires? Werewolves? More Democrats?!” 

“It’s Gideon Pierce,” she whispered as if saying his name would make him appear before us like some evil wizard. My mouth dropped open. “It is. Mollie from the beauty parlor just called Sue-Ann at the fabric shop who called me. You know Sue-Ann worked in the cafeteria at the W. B. Kitterman Elementary school for forty years before she retired and opened the fabric shop which was always her dream but what with Pearly getting sick and all she always stayed in the school because it was full-time and—” 

“Mara, focus.” She tended to get off-track when riled. She bobbed her head, ran her hand over the front of her dark brown dress, and pulled in a deep breath. I gave her my most appealing smile, the one that all the girls had liked so much back in college. Pity they never could get more than a smile from me but alas. “Good. Okay, so are we sure it’s Gideon? I mean, why on earth would he come back to Cedarburg on a Greyhound from Elmira?” 

“Well, the bus from Elmira is the only one that runs from the airport,” she calmly explained. 

“Yes, I know, Mara. I wasn’t asking that literally I was just…” I waved it off and stood. My left knee cracked like tinder wood. Damn knees. “Are you sure Sue-Ann had the right glasses on. You know she has one pair for reading the tape measure and another for long distance.” 

“Go look!” She flapped a hand at the chair in front of my desk. Feeling rather sure of myself and my rational approach to the supposed return of Gideon Pierce, I walked around my desk, grabbed the chair, and hauled it over to the window. Up I climbed, smirking at the silliness of it all. 

Rising up to my toes, fingers biting into the cold cement casing that held the rectangular window, I cranked it open. A blast of wet air that reeked of fallen leaves hit me in the face, making my nose run instantly. Balancing precariously, I pushed my nose closer to the weathered screen and turned my head to the left. Yes, the Greyhound from Elmira was indeed setting beside the curb by the village green, and yes, a few people were milling around. Well, actually two. One looked like the bus driver in a gray-blue sort of uniform and one was a tall lanky man in a stylish coat that was rippling around him like a superhero’s cape. 

It was hard to say who the dark-haired man was from this distance. Nose chilled, I was about to climb down and suggest to Mara that she tell Sue-Ann to check which glasses she had on when the new arrival turned and looked right at our tiny white courthouse. I drew back, stunned. There was no mistaking him. Gideon Pierce had grown up to look just like his father. It was like seeing a ghost. I took a step back, my mind whirling, setting the chair off balance. Down I went to my ass. Mara squealed and fluttered around like a manic goose. I groaned at the impact as well as the fact that as soon as Gideon Pierce showed up in Cedarburg, I was down on my ass again. 


Hating to look like a coward, I walked out of the courthouse with my chin high at exactly four p.m. sharp. Just like every day. The bus from Elmira was long gone and praise be to the gods who looked over little bullied gay boys, so was Gideon Pierce. Jamming my hands into my coat pockets, I pounded down the white marble stairs. The clouds overhead were riotous, thickening over the past few hours to blot out the sun without compunction. Rain had fallen on and off, making the colorful leaves on the elms and maples that lined Main Street droop. 

I moved at a good clip, the thunderous rainclouds welling up adding speed to my step. Usually, I ambled home, stopping to talk to constituents who would approach me on the sidewalk or call from front porches. That was one of the blessings of being a small-town mayor. I got to talk with the people in my town on a daily basis. I’d grown up here, and so knew most of them or their kids, and the newcomers who had filed in were vocal in politics. My aide, Benton Aubrey, was one of those new arrivals. A young man coming into Cedarburg was a rarity, most kids hightailed after graduating as there was little work here aside from a tannery in Silverwood and a community college in Fisher Lake, a close adjoining county that sat below us. I’d stolen Aubrey from the community college where we’d been working after meeting the bright, energetic black man at a monthly town hall last spring. I’d terribly needed someone to help coordinate my campaign. Most candidates had wives or a small staff. All I’d had was a dream to make my hometown a better, more inclusive, more modern town, and a winning smile. Aubrey had leaped on the chance, him being a political science degree holder like myself, and soon we were thick as thieves. The only black man and the only out gay man in the whole town of Cedarburg were on a mission. 

Within a month, I’d announced my candidacy, and we never looked back. Well, a few times we did when we’d been out stumping and knocking on doors. Who knew domestic turkeys could be so mean? Thinking of looking back, I tossed a quick glance over my shoulder, saw nothing, and then returned to my speed walk home. How silly I was being. Gideon was not going to run up behind me and push me to my face. We weren’t in third grade anymore. Plus, the harder I thought about it the more I felt that the man I’d seen earlier wasn’t Gideon at all. Just some passing stranger stopping in our small town, probably rented a room at the Big Buck Motel across from the Shopper Mart and was now about to meet with a local realtor to buy a hunting camp. Perhaps he resembled Mr. Pierce, strongly, but that was all it was. Yep, that was it. A case of mistaken identity. 

I turned off Main Street onto Alberton Avenue. My parents’ home was the first house off Main on Alberton, and I hustled up the slick stone path to the front door and let myself in, turning to shuck off my coat and wet shoes before stepping onto the new rose carpeting. The smell of roasting meat tickled my nose. My stomach rumbled. Guess the apple that I’d forced down during a meeting with Pastor Nichols from the Presbyterian Church had worn off.




Author Bio:

USA Today Bestselling Author V.L. Locey – Penning LGBT hockey romance that skates into sinful pleasures.

V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, Torchwood and Dr. Who, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee. (Not necessarily in that order.) She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a pair of geese, far too many chickens, and two steers.

When not writing spicy romances, she enjoys spending her day with her menagerie in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania with a cup of fresh java in one hand and a steamy romance novel in the other.





The Christmas Pundit #2

The Christmas Oaks #1

6th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight: K Evan Coles



K Evan Coles
K. Evan Coles writes diverse stories from the heart. She is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee, coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.

K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse, tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.

K.’s books explore LGBTQ+ romance in contemporary settings.



FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  WEBSITE
FB FRIEND  /  INSTAGRAM  /  iTUNES
GOOGLE PLAY  /  BOOKBUB  /  B&N
TUMBLR  /  PINTEREST  /  AMAZON
EMAIL: coles.k.evan@gmail.com



Third Times the Charm
Summary:

Boston Seasons #1
Luke Ryan’s life is too chaotic for romance, what with running his business and being the legal guardian to his ten-year-old niece, but he’s hopeful he’ll find the right man.

Trauma surgeon Finn Thomason recently relocated from Chicago to Boston, where his focus on medicine leaves him little space for a personal life. Making a commitment to find a better work-life balance, Finn hopes he’ll also find a relationship.

Caught in an evening rainstorm, Luke shelters under a sidewalk awning…and encounters a handsome stranger. The two strike up a conversation and Finn offers to walk Luke under his oversized umbrella. Charmed, Luke accepts and asks Finn out for coffee in thanks.

Luke and Finn quickly grow close, but, as the summer draws to an end, Luke struggles to keep his connection with Finn while Finn tries to come to terms with caring for a man whose attention is pulled in many directions. Both men are scrambling to get it right, but only time will tell if they’ll learn there is more than enough room in their hearts to go around.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(June 2019 Book of the Month).


Moonlight
Summary:
Ryen Justice lives a quiet existence in Sequim, Washington, running a successful horse farm with his twin brother and sister-in-law. Still, something nameless in him yearns for more. 

An old barn on the farm becomes Ryen’s haven where he spends evenings watching the moon and stars. With Halloween approaching, he volunteers to decorate the barn for a party, knowing the job will guarantee him more time alone. 

One night as Ryen labors, a man walks out of the woods. Ryen knows he should feel apprehensive, but he is intrigued by the dark-haired stranger who calls himself called Kamer. What Ryen doesn’t know is that lurking beneath Kamer's handsome face lies something that could prove dangerous to both Ryen’s body and soul.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(Random Paranormal Tales 2019 Part 10).


A Hometown Holiday
Summary:
Josh has stepped back into the closet for a guy, but how long can he stay there?

Life in a college town suits Josh Cassidy. He has good friends and neighbors, and the bookshop cafรฉ he runs with his family is thriving. As the winter holidays begin, Josh finds himself enamored with police officer Alex Curiel, an old friend who has recently moved back to town. The trouble is, Alex isn’t ready for the world to know he’s attracted to men.

At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, though the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, his ability to hide his feelings from the world begins to slip, and he’s forced to decide if love is enough to keep him hiding behind closed doors.

A Hometown Holiday is a 21.5K sex-buddies-to-lovers MM novella. It features a bookshop owner with a fondness for jazz music, a closeted cop who could be Mr. Right if only he’d give himself a chance, and the warm, fuzzy HEA that both guys deserve.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(Best Reads of 2018 Part 5).


Thief of Hearts
Summary:
Stealing Hearts #1
Some hearts are made to be stolen.

Mark Mannix doesn’t believe in love or romance, which is ironic given his birthday falls on Valentine’s Day. As he approaches forty, Mark is perfectly content with his life and nursing career in Boston, and—outside of his long-time friend-with-benefits, Alistair—prefers his hookups to be one-night stands.

When Mark’s plans for New Year’s Eve fall through, he attends his sister’s party and meets Owen Todd, a graphic designer of Caribbean descent. Owen is more than a decade younger than Mark and, at first glance the two men appear to have little in common. The chemistry between them is potent, however, and Mark breaks his no-strings pattern, seeing Owen week after week.

A connection forms between the two men, leaving Mark in uncharted territory and drawn to Owen in ways he’s never known before. Even so, Mark continues his hookups with Alistair but is startled when Owen withdraws out of a desire to protect himself. His foundations shaken, Mark must decide if he can watch Owen walk away or … if the time has come to follow his heart in a new direction.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(Saturday's Series Spotlight).


Open Hearts
Summary:

Stealing Hearts #3
Some hearts are made to be opened.

Jae-seong Bak has never been in love. He prefers to let his personal life take a backseat to his career as a nurse, especially since no-strings hookups with men he's glad to call friends have always felt like more than enough.

After years of moving around the United States, Jae takes a job in his home city of Boston, arriving just in time to celebrate his brother Ty's engagement. In reconnecting with friends and family, Jae befriends Emmett McNeil, a young chef and Ty's future brother-in-law, whose own bad luck with love hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for life.

As the summer passes and Jae and Emmett help their families plan the wedding, the spark between the two men ignites, though each agrees to keep their hookups under wraps in order to prevent potential drama. Taken off guard by the depth of his feelings, Jae backs away, only to find that going back to being just friends with Emmett is much harder than he ever could have predicted.

Now, standing with Emmett as their siblings make their vows, Jae must decide if he's really content to hold the man he loves at arm's-length or if taking a chance on more is in the cards.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(Monday Morning's Menu).



Third Times the Charm
AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK  /  B&N

Moonlight
AMAZON US  /  AMAZON UK  /  B&N
KOBO  /  iTUNES  /  SMASHWORDS

A Hometown Holiday

Thief of Hearts

Open Hearts

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

5th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight: Jamie Fessenden



Jamie Fessenden

Jamie Fessenden set out to be a writer in junior high school. He published a couple short pieces in his high school's literary magazine and had another story place in the top 100 in a national contest, but it wasn't until he met his partner, Erich, almost twenty years later, that he began writing again in earnest. With Erich alternately inspiring and goading him, Jamie wrote several screenplays and directed a few of them as micro-budget independent films. He then began writing novels and published his first novella in 2010.

After nine years together, Jamie and Erich married and purchased a house together in the wilds of Raymond, New Hampshire, where there are no street lights, turkeys and deer wander through their yard, and coyotes serenade them on a nightly basis. Jamie recently left his "day job" as a tech support analyst to be a full-time writer.



FACEBOOK  /  TWITTER  /  BLOG
GOOGLE PLAY  /  AUDIBLE  /  KOBO
B&N  /  AMAZON  /  GOODREADS




Murder on the Mountain
Summary:
When Jesse Morales, a recent college grad who aspires to be a mystery writer, volunteers to work on the summit of Mt. Washington for a week, he expects to work hard. What he doesn’t expect is to find a corpse in the fog, lying among the rocks, his head crushed. The dead man turns out to be a young tourist named Stuart Warren, who strayed from his friends while visiting the mountain.

Kyle Dubois, a widowed state police detective, is called to the scene in the middle of the night, along with his partner, Wesley Roberts. Kyle and Jesse are instantly drawn to one another, except Jesse’s fascination with murder mysteries makes it difficult for Kyle to take the young man seriously. But Jesse finds a way to make himself invaluable to the detective by checking into the hotel where the victim's friends and family are staying and infiltrating their circle. Soon, he is learning things that could very well solve the case—or get him killed.


A Cop for Christmas
Summary:
Mason Collier isn’t big on authority figures. When Office Steve Coleman pulls him over and gives him a speeding ticket, he doesn’t react well. He’s even less happy when he discovers the cop lives next door to his parents’ house.

No matter where they turn this holiday season, Steve and Mason keep running into each other, and whenever they talk for more than a minute, they piss each other off. But from wayward dogs to Christmas tree hunts to maple syrup festivals, it proves impossible to avoid each other in the small town.

If Mason can see the good man behind the badge, he might just get a cop for Christmas.


Bigfoot Hunters in Love
Summary:
When Stuart bought a house in the country, he thought he’d have some quiet time to write. The last thing he expected was to be chased through the forest in the middle of the night by something massive and hairy that can run on two legs. When he literally runs into a ranger named Jake, he learns the bizarre truth: he’s just had a Bigfoot sighting.

Jake rescues him, but Stuart soon discovers he hasn’t seen the last of Bigfoot. There’s a family of the creatures out there, and Jake has been tracking them for years through the state parks of New Hampshire. Soon Stuart finds himself caught up in Jake’s quest… and in very close quarters with the handsome ranger himself.


The Rules
Summary:
WHEN HANS BAUER, a college student in New Hampshire, accepts a job as a housekeeper for an older gay couple, he soon learns the reason they've hired someone with no experience is that professional agencies won't work there. Thomas is a successful businessman whose biggest goal in life appears to be giving his husband anything he wants. Boris is a writer who immigrated to this country from Russia, and suffers from depression and PTSD because of the things he endured in his native country.

He also refuses to wear clothes—ever.

While Hans is working alone in the house with Naked Boris all day, things start getting a little weird. Boris gets flirtatious and Hans backs away, not wanting to come between him and his husband. So Boris calls Thomas at work and asks permission.

At that moment, The Rules are born—rules about touching and kissing and pet names that the three men use to keep jealousies at bay, as they explore the possibilities in a new type of relationship....

WARNING: This story deals with themes of sexual assault and past abuse.


Billy's Bones
Summary:
Kevin Derocher was thirty-two when he walked into Tom’s office, newly married, a baby on the way, and the collar of his red flannel shirt pulled up to hide the bruises around his throat from when he hanged himself in his garage. After his initial consult, therapist Tom Langois believes he’ll never see Kevin again—but Kevin turns up three years later to make repairs on Tom’s new house.

Kevin and Tom become fast friends, and Tom begins to suspect Kevin may be interested in more than friendship. However, Kevin remains haunted by something from his childhood—something so terrible he blocked it from his mind. These suppressed memories make it impossible for Kevin to get close to anyone without panicking and lashing out, sometimes violently. But as his past begins to surface, it becomes apparent that Kevin may hold the key to a twenty-five-year-old mystery: what happened to Billy?



Murder on the Mountain

A Cop for Christmas

Bigfoot Hunters in Love

The Rules

Billy's Bones

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

4th Day of Christmas Author Spotlight: Alice Winters



Alice Winters
Alice Winters started writing stories as soon as she was old enough to turn her ideas into written words. She loves writing a variety of things from romance and comedy to action. She also enjoys reading, horseback riding, and spending time with her pets.





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Hidden in Darkness
Summary:
In Darkness #1
When Felix is hired to take care of a recently blinded man, he thinks his life might finally be turning around. It has to be better than where he came from, but he has no idea what he’s signed up for. Lane is depressed, rude, and difficult to be around. It doesn’t help that Felix is clearly not qualified for the job, especially since he can’t even make oatmeal right. But Felix is trying to make his life better, so he’ll put up with the man even if it requires some unconventional methods. Felix’s humor soon pulls Lane out of his depression, and Felix feels like things are finally going right in his life.

That is, until he’s attacked by someone who wants to keep Lane quiet. It’s clear that Lane isn’t who he’s pretending to be, and Felix should probably walk away. But Felix has finally found a place where he belongs and he’s willing to go to great lengths to stay by Lane’s side. Even if it involves kidnapping, stealing, and Felix’s overwhelmingly bad ideas, Felix will do just about anything because Lane is there for him unlike anyone else has ever been. Felix might be out of his element, but one thing he is sure about is that he doesn’t want to leave Lane… even if it costs him his life.

Hidden in Darkness is 90k words of snark, car chases, and morally questionable choices.

Click to read my review and an excerpt(Monday's Mysterious Mayhem-National Family Caregiver Month Edition).


Happy Endings
Summary:
Demon Magic #1
Smart men never dabble with demons. I never claimed to be smart, but at least I’m powerful enough to control them. When I bound Havoc to me nearly three hundred years ago, I never realized how difficult he’d make my life, although “accidentally” lighting him on fire every now and then does bring a smile to my face.

Havoc is handsome, mysterious, and somehow my closest companion, even if we don’t always get along. He’s more interested in bedding attractive women than protecting my life, which defeats the main reason a mage like me would have a demon. I even had to fight off swordsmen alone once because he was too busy betting on who’d survive.

When fifteen people are found dead with messages from a long-extinct cult, Havoc and I are forced to face our past and sort through our differences. We start to realize that there’s something more to this relationship, something that has kept us by each other’s sides for so long. Maybe it took three hundred years to finally understand my feelings for Havoc and realize that I can’t imagine being with anyone but him. Havoc and I will do everything we can to stop the evil that is threatening the lives of the people I care about. Or destroy everything—we haven’t quite figured that out yet.

Happy Endings is a 73k word novel that has an immensely powerful mage, a shapeshifting demon with a strong libido, a dark mage that just won’t stay dead, a spray bottle put to unusual uses, armor that is most definitely not made of dragon skin, blackmail involving an unfortunate slow-mo video, a detective being pursued by a determined minotaur, unprofessional use of illusions, and an epic walk into battle.

*Revised and edited.


How to Vex a Vampire
Summary:
VRC: Vampire Related Crimes #1
Finn
Getting into the vampire-only detective unit was the easy part; what’s going to be more difficult is dealing with my new partner, an ancient vampire who keeps threatening to eat me. The unit has never had a human in it, and Marcus—or as I like to call him, Fangy McFangface—would really prefer to keep it that way. He’s grumpy, short-tempered, and broody, but I have a way with words and I know he’s starting to like me, even if he swears he’s not. But what he doesn’t know is that I didn’t join the unit because I was tired of being a homicide detective, I joined because there is someone after me. They’ve already taken enough from me and I’m afraid they’re going to take all of me if I don’t find someone to help. That’s all Marcus was supposed to be, but now, he’s so much more and I can’t imagine my life without him.

Marcus
The moment the pesky human walked through that door, I knew I had to get rid of him. He’s charming and almost everyone else instantly loves him, but he doesn’t understand how risky it is being part of this unit as a human. But as I get to know the stubborn man, I learn that perhaps he’s not as naive as I once thought. And maybe he’s what I needed to realize there is more to life than just work and my dog. A group arises who is threatening to disrupt the alliance between the humans and the vampires, but Finn is the one who shows me how strong that alliance can be and reminds me why it’s worth protecting. When threats hit closer to home, I realize I would do anything for Finn because he’s brought so much joy to my life—and because he’s mine.

This 105k word book contains: A creative use for undergarments, unintentional splits, a wolfhound who just wants to be a part of things, a vertically challenged human who still manages to wrap every vampire he meets around his little finger, the best date ever, possessiveness, really awkward dancing, some workplace revenge, and just a bite or two. Or three.


The Hitman's Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love
Summary:
The Hitman's Guide #1
What happens when a snarky hitman and a by-the-book PI cross paths?

Leland
Being a hitman has its perks, but I never thought getting an accidental mooning by an attractive PI while he’s caught on a fence would be one of them. While it’s not exactly love at first sight, he’s captured my interest and won’t let go.

Suddenly, I find myself caught in a game of cat and mouse, determined to attract the attention of Jackson, the PI who should be my enemy. He pretends like he’s not flattered by my flowers and the mentions of my totally-not-fictitious blow-up doll Randy (or was it Dandy?), but I know better. Why else would he be teaming up with me to bring down Hardek, one of the city’s most ruthless criminals?

Jackson
Even though the cops are telling me that the hitman is a notorious contract killer, I can’t help but admit that I’m drawn to him. He’s funny, charismatic, and attractive. There’s no way this ridiculous man can be the person the cops are after.

But when Leland ends up at my doorstep injured, I’m faced with a tough choice. It’s my duty to hand him over to law enforcement, but my heart has other plans. I want to keep him. To protect him. To be with him.

Though one question remains: why in the world does the man have so many d*mn guns?

Contains: shenanigans on a swing that you would NOT find at a playground, a car chase that sadly doesn't have flips or explosions, a horsey ride sans horse, cuddles, an exuberant mutt, a suspicious chief of police, and lots and lots of laughs.


A Villain for Christmas

Summary:
A Snow Globe Christmas #4
Despite growing up in a family of villains, I’d rather curl up and read than commit crimes. When I get coerced by my brother into helping him rob a bank, I run into August, my childhood crush—also known as Chrono, the city’s greatest superhero. He’s sexy, sweet, and suddenly he’s asking me to Thanksgiving with his parents. It’s probably because he doesn’t realize that I’m Leviathan, a villain with the power of telekinesis. And I can’t tell him because he’d never forgive me and would stop doing things like cooking for me—wait, maybe that would be a good thing, since he’s a terrible cook. It doesn’t help that my parents think they’re the ultimate villains and won’t stop getting in my way, although they can’t even steal toilet paper without getting caught.

But when real supervillains (not the wannabe kind that I grew up with) start targeting August, I might be forced to show everyone who I truly am: a slightly warped and snarky man who’d really rather read a book than save anything… besides August. I’ll tear this world apart just to get another glimpse of him in those glasses and spandex suit. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe, even though it means exposing my true identity. Luckily, August still cares about me, proving that even a villain and a hero can fall in love. Hopefully, we’ll be able to save the world in time for Christmas.

This ridiculous and snarky holiday novel is 92,000 words and contains a villain turned unlikely hero (even if he’s a manager's worst nightmare), a superhero with a fondness for suckers who absolutely does NOT use his powers to cheat on board games, a hairless cat with an unfortunate name, bumbling family members that try to be evil but are mostly just embarrassing, a snow globe with mysterious powers, betrayal, true love, a risquรฉ Santa suit, and the saltiest chicken ever.

Although this book is part of A Snow Globe Christmas series, it is a complete standalone, and it isn’t a requirement that you read the previous books to follow along. We wish everyone a happy holiday season.

Click to read my review an excerpt(Random Tales of Christmas 2020 Part 7).



Hidden in Darkness

Happy Endings

How to Vex a Vampire

The Hitman's Guide to Making Friends and Finding Love

A Villain for Christmas