🎅💕🎅🎆🎄🎇🎄🎆🎅💕🎅
I've wanted to do a Christmas in July series for a few years now but time just didn't seem to agree. I wanted to feature stories that I have recently re-read but once again, time had other plans so for my Christmas in July 2023 series, I'm featuring another 20 of my favorite Christmas set LGBT reads. I say "Christmas set" because some are not really holiday-centric but set, at least in part, during the holiday season and for me that is all it takes to be a Christmas read(and yes, I'm in the "Die Hard is a Christmas Movie" camp😉). Some I've had opportunity in the past to re-read or re-listen and I've included the most recent review. As always, the purchase links are current as of posting but if they no longer work for a dozen different reasons, be sure to check out the author's website/social media sites for the latest links. There are genres of all kinds here, whether you are a holiday lover or perhaps you just want to read something set in cooler weather on a long hot summer night, either way there is something for everyone here.
🎅💕🎅🎆🎄🎇🎄🎆🎅💕🎅
Summary:
Snowed Inn
One drunken phone call with a desperate plea for help and an admission of love, and Patrick races to stop his best friend from marrying the wrong man.
Patrick never stopped loving Declan, even if he did shove him away at graduation when they kissed. His alpha-type brothers and father, with all their firefighter history, would never accept him being bi, or understand his need to step outside of the family firm and be a cop. So, he hides how he feels, and ends up losing the only man he’s ever really loved. The only reconciliation they tried was on the night he found out Declan was engaged, and he never imagined he’d have a chance to make things right. That is, until he receives a desperate phone call from Declan asking to be rescued. Through travel chaos and storms, Patrick finally reaches the venue in the Colorado mountains, but with an empty wedding room and no sign of Declan or the fiancé, he knows he’s too late.
All too familiar with rejection, jilted by his fiancé on his wedding day, and lost, Declan has no idea what comes next. He never imagined he’d be entirely alone after his former fiancé and the wedding party leave, or that an avalanche would trap him in the hotel over Christmas. And worse? Patrick is in the hotel with him and won’t leave him alone. Sharing a room with his former best friend is the last thing Declan wants, but maybe nature has given him a sign that he needs to confront the past and find a way to move on with his life. If only it was easy to fall out of love with the man who holds your heart.
All the books In the Snowed Inn collection are standalone stories and can be read In any order.
Original Review December 2022:
In my experience, forced proximity tropes are either absolutely brilliant or complete full-on checklist of cliches, Stop the Wedding falls into the former: BRILLIANT!
What makes it tip the scales to brilliant? I don't want to give too many details away but I loved the whole friends to lovers journey. Declan and Patrick have a long history and lack of communication leads to most of their problems but I am a firm believer in fate and timing. Did I want to smack their heads together a few times? Yes. Were there a few instances where had I been there with access to an iron skillet they would have been in for a headache or two? Probably. Some might find a story invoking those kind of feelings a turn-off but not me. For me, that "need to smack" characters means I'm getting into the story so deeply, the author has sucked me in until I feel a part of the story, like I'm right there next to all the action. Definitely a win win feeling.
If you are even remotely familiar with RJ Scott's work then you know she's all about the HEA so the end result is not really a mystery but watching Declan and Patrick get there is pure holiday gold. One of my favorite moments was when Patrick encounters a fellow strandee who seems slightly confused and Patrick goes into cop mode to protect. It is a small scene but it's a scene that says so much and I think it helps to provide a moment of clarity for Patrick. By this time the men have talked and admitted things and their journey has started a new course so that moment of clarity might not effect the couple's road map but you just know that everything that was still "iffy" becomes clear. This scene probably spoke to me more as a caregiver than it would to most so I just had to shine a little spotlight on it.
So long review short: Stop the Wedding is a lovely holiday romance that warms the heart. Some might say it's angtsy, more so than they normally want at the holiday but I think holiday stories are the perfect time for drama. Emotional and holiday go hand in hand in my mind and when written well there is nothing better and Stop the Wedding is definitely written well.
One last series note: Snowed Inn is a multi-author series of standalones with the only real follow thru being the avalanche that traps the main characters at The Retreat. The entries can be read in any order although if I'm completely honest I'm glad I read RJ Scott's Stop the Wedding first simply because there are the occasional wedding(or non-wedding) comments, none of which really effect or play a role in any of the other entries but I was glad I knew what they meant having read Wedding first. But that's more a personal preference of mine than an actually need to know scenario. I still have a couple of entries to read but so far they are all topnotch.
From these Ashes by Davidson King
Summary:
Haven Hart Universe #4
A product of his past, Black spends half his time saving lives and the other half taking them. Every day, a hard choice must be made and he’s the man to make it. Long ago, he vowed to never love again; one-night stands with a willing body was all he ever needed. But along came Quill, and Black’s life is irrevocably changed. He never expects something as simple as Quill’s persistence to alter the way he not only sees the world, but how he lives it.
Quill has bad taste in men and equally horrible luck. Growing up wasn’t easy, surviving is even harder. When his past and present collide, he’s convinced he’ll finally witness his own destruction. But when an unlikely antihero steps in to protect him, his life is turned on its head. He’s spent months flirting with the man of his dreams and hoping he’d take notice. But it turns out, being on Black’s radar isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his idea of protection varies greatly from Quill’s.
Unknowingly sharing the same goal—burying their own pasts deeper than the fires of hell can reach—they’re both unaware that jumping into that fire will do more than ignite their feelings, it could lead to their own demise. Will Black and Quill be consumed by the flames, or from these ashes, will they find their own happily ever after?
Audiobook Review December 2019:
I've been listening to this series from the beginning recently but with the holidays fast approaching I have not yet got around to writing my reviews for books 1-3 so don't be surprised if some of what I say in this review shows up in those as well, particularly anything pertaining to the narration.
There is really nothing I can add to my original review from last year in regards to the story and the characters. I still don't want to give anything away, the book might have been around for over a year now but I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there that have not yet visited Haven Hart. Black and Quill still seem like a complete trainwreck waiting to happen on the surface but once you get to know them you realize how perfectly suited they really are.
Now on to the narration. I've never listened to audiobooks with two narrators before so I wasn't sure how I would like it. Well, I love it! Both Joel Leslie and Philip Alces capture their main character(and others) expertly. They are easy to listen to and they both make everything come alive visually. I often say when an audiobook is read wonderfully they remind me of the old radio shows of the 30s & 40s that I collect well not only is From These Ashes read wonderfully but having the dual narration makes it even more reminiscent of those old radio shows. Add in the brilliant storytelling of Davidson King and I swear I'm listening to Suspense and expected at any minute for Harlow Wilcox to break in with the Autolite Spark Plug sponsor ad. Now I realize most people have no idea who Harlow Wilcox was(he's one of the more well known pitchmen of the era) but I included that tidbit in my review to properly express how the dual narration came across as more than just another audiobook reading. Joel Leslie & Philip Alces bring to life Davidson King's incredible words that will entertain for decades to come, I'm sure in 80-90 years people will be collecting audiobooks as I do radio shows and they will be enthralling a whole new generation.
Original Review December 2018:
Black closed his heart off to more than one night stands years ago but a chance meeting could change that. Quill has spent his life surviving but never quite living than a moment of timing changes that. When Black and Quill's worlds collide will they be able to resist the changes they face? Will they even be able to survive before they have the opportunity to rise again?
Davidson King has done it again! I really find myself at a loss as to what to say and not give anything away. Haven Hart Universe just keeps getting more and more interesting. I'm not sure which intrigued me more: Black's gruffness hiding his heart underneath or Quill's fears hiding behind his peppiness. On the surface, not only are these two polar opposites but they really shouldn't even exist in the same universe let alone interact but then you get to meet them and I mean really meet them and you realize they are perfect together. Looks don't determine the man and both Black and Quill have weaknesses and strengths that have made them into who they let the world see which is why they balance each other out, that is if they let the other one in to see the real person and for that you have to read From these Ashes yourself. I'm not even going to attempt to touch on the action/mystery/thriller side of the story because . . . well just . . . WOW! . . . and I'll leave it at that: WOW! and DOUBLE WOW! and a HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! for good measure😉. Oh, and it is set at Christmas so what more can you ask for?
I must be honest, Black and Quill are probably my least favorite of the pairings so far in Haven Hart. Now, having said that, if I was to actually rate the couples the difference between all four would be only about .93. It's kind of like me admitting that The Phantom Menace is my least favorite of the Star Wars films and yet of the 8 main saga films so far, all 8 are in my Top 15 Films of All Time so TPM still ranks pretty darn high and that is exactly what Black, Quill, and their journey in From These Ashes do: rank pretty damn high on my "Fiction Fantastical" list. As the Haven Hart Universe continues to grow and more of the characters are revealed so does the talent of storyteller Davidson King. Since I mentioned it you are probably asking why Black and Quill are #4? I could be superficial and say its Black's hair(I'm not much for long hair in men, just doesn't tick my boxes) but I'm not that superficial. Truthfully it really comes down to just the timing. Had they been the center of book 1 then they would most likely be my favorite. It happens almost 99% of the time when a series focuses on different pairings in each installment, the first is always my favorite.
One of the things I love most about the Haven Hart Universe is, yes these situations and people are not the kind of thing every town or city faces but at the same time the characters are so genuine and real you actually feel like you could meet them pumping gas, dropping off Christmas packages at the post office, or waiting in line to get your morning hot chocolate(sorry I'm just not a coffee person😉). So no matter who is your favorite in this series you will never be disappointed, the author's talent for storytelling will never leave you wanting. A true gem and classic in the making.
If you are asking can you start with From these Ashes, I suppose technically you could since each entry features a new couple but I highly recommend starting from the beginning. Characters, situations, plot points can pop up and carry over though Davidson King does a pretty good job of "recapping" so you aren't lost but it just flows better in order. Personally, I can't imagine visiting Haven Hart in any order other than it was published. And yes, I said "visiting" not "reading" because you find yourself getting so sucked in that you reach for a tissue or drink(trust me you will need both for happy and sad times) you expect to find the characters sitting next to you. So sit down, buckle up, and hold on because you are definitely heading for a bumpy but exciting journey.
RATING:
Summary:
Haven Hart Universe #4
A product of his past, Black spends half his time saving lives and the other half taking them. Every day, a hard choice must be made and he’s the man to make it. Long ago, he vowed to never love again; one-night stands with a willing body was all he ever needed. But along came Quill, and Black’s life is irrevocably changed. He never expects something as simple as Quill’s persistence to alter the way he not only sees the world, but how he lives it.
Quill has bad taste in men and equally horrible luck. Growing up wasn’t easy, surviving is even harder. When his past and present collide, he’s convinced he’ll finally witness his own destruction. But when an unlikely antihero steps in to protect him, his life is turned on its head. He’s spent months flirting with the man of his dreams and hoping he’d take notice. But it turns out, being on Black’s radar isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and his idea of protection varies greatly from Quill’s.
Unknowingly sharing the same goal—burying their own pasts deeper than the fires of hell can reach—they’re both unaware that jumping into that fire will do more than ignite their feelings, it could lead to their own demise. Will Black and Quill be consumed by the flames, or from these ashes, will they find their own happily ever after?
I've been listening to this series from the beginning recently but with the holidays fast approaching I have not yet got around to writing my reviews for books 1-3 so don't be surprised if some of what I say in this review shows up in those as well, particularly anything pertaining to the narration.
There is really nothing I can add to my original review from last year in regards to the story and the characters. I still don't want to give anything away, the book might have been around for over a year now but I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there that have not yet visited Haven Hart. Black and Quill still seem like a complete trainwreck waiting to happen on the surface but once you get to know them you realize how perfectly suited they really are.
Now on to the narration. I've never listened to audiobooks with two narrators before so I wasn't sure how I would like it. Well, I love it! Both Joel Leslie and Philip Alces capture their main character(and others) expertly. They are easy to listen to and they both make everything come alive visually. I often say when an audiobook is read wonderfully they remind me of the old radio shows of the 30s & 40s that I collect well not only is From These Ashes read wonderfully but having the dual narration makes it even more reminiscent of those old radio shows. Add in the brilliant storytelling of Davidson King and I swear I'm listening to Suspense and expected at any minute for Harlow Wilcox to break in with the Autolite Spark Plug sponsor ad. Now I realize most people have no idea who Harlow Wilcox was(he's one of the more well known pitchmen of the era) but I included that tidbit in my review to properly express how the dual narration came across as more than just another audiobook reading. Joel Leslie & Philip Alces bring to life Davidson King's incredible words that will entertain for decades to come, I'm sure in 80-90 years people will be collecting audiobooks as I do radio shows and they will be enthralling a whole new generation.
Original Review December 2018:
Black closed his heart off to more than one night stands years ago but a chance meeting could change that. Quill has spent his life surviving but never quite living than a moment of timing changes that. When Black and Quill's worlds collide will they be able to resist the changes they face? Will they even be able to survive before they have the opportunity to rise again?
Davidson King has done it again! I really find myself at a loss as to what to say and not give anything away. Haven Hart Universe just keeps getting more and more interesting. I'm not sure which intrigued me more: Black's gruffness hiding his heart underneath or Quill's fears hiding behind his peppiness. On the surface, not only are these two polar opposites but they really shouldn't even exist in the same universe let alone interact but then you get to meet them and I mean really meet them and you realize they are perfect together. Looks don't determine the man and both Black and Quill have weaknesses and strengths that have made them into who they let the world see which is why they balance each other out, that is if they let the other one in to see the real person and for that you have to read From these Ashes yourself. I'm not even going to attempt to touch on the action/mystery/thriller side of the story because . . . well just . . . WOW! . . . and I'll leave it at that: WOW! and DOUBLE WOW! and a HOLY HANNAH BATMAN! for good measure😉. Oh, and it is set at Christmas so what more can you ask for?
I must be honest, Black and Quill are probably my least favorite of the pairings so far in Haven Hart. Now, having said that, if I was to actually rate the couples the difference between all four would be only about .93. It's kind of like me admitting that The Phantom Menace is my least favorite of the Star Wars films and yet of the 8 main saga films so far, all 8 are in my Top 15 Films of All Time so TPM still ranks pretty darn high and that is exactly what Black, Quill, and their journey in From These Ashes do: rank pretty damn high on my "Fiction Fantastical" list. As the Haven Hart Universe continues to grow and more of the characters are revealed so does the talent of storyteller Davidson King. Since I mentioned it you are probably asking why Black and Quill are #4? I could be superficial and say its Black's hair(I'm not much for long hair in men, just doesn't tick my boxes) but I'm not that superficial. Truthfully it really comes down to just the timing. Had they been the center of book 1 then they would most likely be my favorite. It happens almost 99% of the time when a series focuses on different pairings in each installment, the first is always my favorite.
One of the things I love most about the Haven Hart Universe is, yes these situations and people are not the kind of thing every town or city faces but at the same time the characters are so genuine and real you actually feel like you could meet them pumping gas, dropping off Christmas packages at the post office, or waiting in line to get your morning hot chocolate(sorry I'm just not a coffee person😉). So no matter who is your favorite in this series you will never be disappointed, the author's talent for storytelling will never leave you wanting. A true gem and classic in the making.
If you are asking can you start with From these Ashes, I suppose technically you could since each entry features a new couple but I highly recommend starting from the beginning. Characters, situations, plot points can pop up and carry over though Davidson King does a pretty good job of "recapping" so you aren't lost but it just flows better in order. Personally, I can't imagine visiting Haven Hart in any order other than it was published. And yes, I said "visiting" not "reading" because you find yourself getting so sucked in that you reach for a tissue or drink(trust me you will need both for happy and sad times) you expect to find the characters sitting next to you. So sit down, buckle up, and hold on because you are definitely heading for a bumpy but exciting journey.
RATING:
Summary:
Clyde's Corner #1
Ben Rivers always was a showman. He won awards in 4-H and rodeo competitions from the time he could walk, and he’s happiest in the spotlight. So when he got the chance to be a star—in porn—he took it. He still loves Montana and everything about being a cowboy, but when news of his alternate identity leaks out, he figures he’s lost the town’s goodwill forever. Clyde’s Corner would never accept an openly gay cowboy, even a hometown boy born and bred.
Joshua Braintree always had the notion that he and his best friend’s kid brother, Ben, would end up together. Ben’s always been a diehard cowboy, just like him: they need the land and its freedom as much as they need air. So when Joshua learns Ben moved away from their small Montana town to be a porn star in Vegas, he can hardly believe it. He’s determined to finally declare himself and bring Ben home.
Despite his longtime crush on Joshua, Ben won’t be as easy to tame as Joshua’s “lost cause” horses. It will take a lot of heart and holiday spirit for Joshua to convince Ben that even old prairie dogs can learn new tricks in the name of love.
Sometimes novellas can be better if they were longer and sometimes they wouldn't benefit at all with extra. This is one of those that would not be better if it was longer. That might be a bit of an over guesstimation on my part but I seriously can't see this being better with more words. How can one not fall in love with Joshua and Ben? And what about Henry? So easy to hate him and he's only actually in a couple of scenes and mentioned in passing in a couple of others. This is an absolutely perfect Christmas tale to add to my growing collection.
RATING:
Summary:
Two men. One Christmas Eve that changes the courses of both their lives.
Henry’s homeless and only wants a warm place to sleep on the coldest night of the year. A forgotten open window in a darkened house entices him inside with the promise of warmth and comfort. He knows it’s wrong, but he promises himself he’ll be out before the owner wakes on Christmas morning.
Except he oversleeps and the homeowner, Jim, discovers a bearded stranger sawing logs under his dining room table. When the shock and the drama that ensues dies down, Henry and Jim discover they might have found, quite unexpectedly, the Christmas miracle they’d both been longing for -- love and home.
Original Review December 2017:
After reading the synopsis for this holiday short I wondered how the author was going to pull off a happy ending and still make it satisfying in so few pages. I needn't have worried(not that I really was). My grandfather always taught me to lend a helping hand, be it a cup of coffee, a kind word, holding a door open, or a thousand other ways but unfortunately its been my experience not everyone feels the same so when Henry found a warm place even though he intended to leave before daybreak I knew Jim could deal with him one of two ways: turn him in or give him breakfast. Of course this is a Christmas short so I pretty much knew what Jim would do but I still was intrigued to see how the author would get from point A to point Z within the limited number of pages that a short story holds. I was not disappointed. An Open Window is a beautiful holiday tale that reminds us just what the season is about and having read it and featuring it here afterwards may help to remind people that the spirit of Christmas should not be limited to only one day a year in December.
Summary:
Original Review December 2019:
Williamsville Inn #1
A hotel room with a faulty heater.
A holiday grump who's sure he's straight.
A single guy full of Christmas cheer.
Erik Josef is a recently divorced businessman with one goal: wrap up his last project of the year so he can spend the holidays in the tropics. While waiting at an airport bar, he encounters Seth Cobb, a chatty young travel writer.
After a huge snowstorm grounds all flights, a mix-up at the Williamsville Inn leads to them sharing a room.
Will a mugful of Seth’s hot cocoa and the Christmas magic swirling amidst all the snow in upstate New York be enough to melt Erik’s icy exterior?
Seth is adorable and Erik . . . well I warred between strangling him and smothering him a big Mama Bear hug. All kinds of holiday feels to get you in the spirit of the season.
Okay so that's a short review but honestly, it says everything that made me love Brigham Vaughn's Snowstorms and Second Chances. When I first met Erik, I kept thinking how am I suppose to cheer for this guy? Then fate intervenes and he actually got snippier and I wanted to smack him one but when fate raises elements to a new level and Erik finally takes a minute to breathe, you begin to see a softer side, a nicer side, and you realizes he is actually human underneath that holiday bah-humbugging gruff. I don't know that I could give him the chances that Seth does but I'm glad he did.
As a lifelong, born and raised Wisconsinite, I can tell you that snowstorms are unpredictable, they pop up with very little to no warning sometimes. Heck I remember more than once when the TV weather morons hype up wicked snow for a week and then the day of infamy arrives they claim weather patterns shift and went more North or stayed South only to find yourself buried in 20+" 24 hours later. Brigham Vaughn creates the setting as someone who knows snow. The weather may mostly be just a setup for getting the main characters in the same close proximity but when it can alter plans so drastically as it does in Snowstorms, Mother Nature becomes a character in itself. One of the things I loved(and yes I laughed and maybe even pointed and said "You had it coming, Erik") about Seth was his preparedness versus Erik's complete lack of readiness and nothing showed that more than in his choice(or lack thereof) of footwear. Again, a great element spoken most likely from experience.
Whether you believe in fate, the magic of the season, or right place right time the end result is the same: the snowstorm is the best thing to happen to Erik and Seth but will they let what they discover continue once Mother Nature lets up? I think you know what's coming: You'll have to read for yourself to find out. Trust me, you will love every minute spent at the Williamsville Inn.
RATING:
Okay so that's a short review but honestly, it says everything that made me love Brigham Vaughn's Snowstorms and Second Chances. When I first met Erik, I kept thinking how am I suppose to cheer for this guy? Then fate intervenes and he actually got snippier and I wanted to smack him one but when fate raises elements to a new level and Erik finally takes a minute to breathe, you begin to see a softer side, a nicer side, and you realizes he is actually human underneath that holiday bah-humbugging gruff. I don't know that I could give him the chances that Seth does but I'm glad he did.
As a lifelong, born and raised Wisconsinite, I can tell you that snowstorms are unpredictable, they pop up with very little to no warning sometimes. Heck I remember more than once when the TV weather morons hype up wicked snow for a week and then the day of infamy arrives they claim weather patterns shift and went more North or stayed South only to find yourself buried in 20+" 24 hours later. Brigham Vaughn creates the setting as someone who knows snow. The weather may mostly be just a setup for getting the main characters in the same close proximity but when it can alter plans so drastically as it does in Snowstorms, Mother Nature becomes a character in itself. One of the things I loved(and yes I laughed and maybe even pointed and said "You had it coming, Erik") about Seth was his preparedness versus Erik's complete lack of readiness and nothing showed that more than in his choice(or lack thereof) of footwear. Again, a great element spoken most likely from experience.
Whether you believe in fate, the magic of the season, or right place right time the end result is the same: the snowstorm is the best thing to happen to Erik and Seth but will they let what they discover continue once Mother Nature lets up? I think you know what's coming: You'll have to read for yourself to find out. Trust me, you will love every minute spent at the Williamsville Inn.
RATING:
Stop the Wedding by RJ Scott
Chapter One
PATRICK
The day of the wedding
Declan wasn’t answering his phone or reading any of the hundreds of messages I’d sent him in the last two days since he’d called me. We hadn’t seen each other since the summer; not talked since he’d ghosted me, deleted me, decided enough was enough.
I couldn’t blame him.
I played his last message again, and again, until I knew it by heart, picked apart every detail, and heard every desperately sad hitch in his breath. I knew him; I should be there for him.
He needed me.
The message was long, rambling, and ended with a succession of beeps as he’d attempted to delete it.
Thank god he hadn’t managed to delete it at all. It was still here for me to listen to, and it shattered my heart every god damn time, because I had ignored him, too lost in my own misery that he was getting married to want to even listen to his voice.
His sexy, beautiful, voice.
“Hi, it’s uhm… it’s me… Declan, obviously… or not… uhm… I get you won’t answer this call, and that makes me so damn sad. I miss you. Look… I know things were said at the gallery opening, but I know you were trying to do the right thing with Lennox. It’s all you’ve ever done, looked out for me, wanted to find the best man for me.
I just hoped that, maybe, you’d see that it was you that I… no, that’s not what I wanted to say. I guess you’ve moved on, but I want to try for us to be friends again. I invited you to the wedding, but you never responded.
I miss you, Pads, I miss us, and when I sent you the invitation, I hoped that you’d call me, and you’d be my best man. I want to move on, but I can’t… shit… this is stupid, right? Because I could just as easily have called you. Fuck. Jesus, why is this so hard? I just wanted to let you know I’m okay. I don’t know why Lennox wants to marry me—apparently, he wants his brother at a wedding, and this was the only day, and it made sense for me to say yes.
Right?
I mean he said he wanted his brother at a wedding, not at our wedding, but I didn’t understand. I didn’t ask him what he meant by that.
Stupid.
Ignore that.
What I have with him might not be perfect, but I’ll try my hardest to be happy, so don’t worry… but… god… I wish you’d accepted the invitation. I wish you were here to be my best man, my best friend, even if you can’t love me the way I used to love you.
I wish you could rescue me from this… No… Shit, ignore I said that, too.
My head is all over the place.
I don’t need rescuing. I’m doing the right thing, and you’re in my past now. Look… just… please stay safe eh? No taking down criminal gangs and ending up shot… I needed you to know—it’s important you know— that you’re my best friend, and I will always love you, Pads, and, fuck, I hope you’re okay.
I just wish you were here to help me make sense of things.
I think I’ve done the wrong thing.
I don’t know.
Shit. Ignore that as well. I’m okay.
Just yeah… I wish you were here Pads.
Shit. Shit.
How do I delete this? I’m gonna delete this.
“Can you please drive faster?"
Bob-the-cab-driver didn’t answer, mostly because he was concentrating on not ending up in a snowdrift, and also it would’ve been the same answer he’d given me on the four occasions I'd already asked—that he was driving as fast as he could, and he assumed I wanted to make it to the inn alive.
I'd visualized the journey from the small local airport to the hotel because that was all I could look at on the many flights it had taken from Charleston, diverted to New York because of a snowstorm, stranded there, then through to Denver by train, car, and bus, then getting local flights. Leave the local airport, find a cab, head north, and on a good day the journey from door-to-door would be twenty-one minutes. Bob raised an eyebrow at me then concentrated on his driving. I sat back in my seat with an exasperated huff because if I was at the wheel right now, snow on the ground or not, I'd be pushing the speed limit. Of course, knowing my luck, I'd be pulled over by the cops before I even left the town, let alone made it up the mountain to the inn, but I had my ID, and I was still in the same suit I’d left Charlotte in, so I hoped they’d give a cop in service a pass when I told them the mad dash was a matter of life and death.
I wouldn’t tell them it was mostly a matter of love, because who would even rush madly cross-country this close to Christmas, through the snow, for love?
Bob navigated around yet another drift, and I hung onto the door as we swerved before the tire chains caught, and we were once again heading down the only road leading to the hotel. There were banks of snow on either side, but I should count my lucky stars I’d finally outrun the storm that had crippled the East coast and made my journey to this small mountain outside Denver near impossible.
“What’s waiting for you at the other end?” he asked conversationally, as if it were okay to take his eyes off his driving.
“Sorry?”
“Why do you need to be at The Rainbow Inn so quickly?”
“No, wait. What? I need to get to The Retreat.”
“Yeah, same place, just we call it The Rainbow Inn because…” He flapped his hand, and I wasn’t sure what he meant, although I thought he might be feigning a limp wrist, and that got my back up immediately. Still, I didn't have the energy to answer his questions about why the need for speed, fixated on the idea of getting to The Retreat before the worst of all things happened and I lost Declan forever. “Yeah, so why you going there?”
I used to love you.
“It's complicated," I offered in the well-worn tradition of offering nothing and hoping the person asking the question backed off.
“Aah.” Bob laughed. “Girlfriend trouble, huh?”
“No.” Please, just look at the road, then you can drive faster.
“Wife trouble?" He frowned into the mirror.
I needed him to stop the questions right now—not getting to the hotel in time was messing with my head, but I didn’t want to die before I’d had a chance to talk to Declan—not when I’d gotten this far. “Best-friend-who-is-a-guy trouble.”
“Ahh, so the best friend is the one with the girl trouble?"
Jesus. “Please, can you drive any faster?" I checked my watch again, and there was only ten minutes to go until the wedding started.
Six hundred seconds to let him know I’d been wrong, that I did love him, and he needed to know that before he married Lennox.
I was selfish, fucked-up, and grieving; and I’d been so stupid, hiding parts of myself so my family wouldn’t disown me, when in doing that I’d lost everything.
I held my breath as Bob rounded a tight bend, swerving to avoid a truck heading our way, and skimming so close to the snowbank I could’ve reached out and grabbed a handful of the white stuff.
Bob didn’t seem fazed, humming along to Mariah, bopping his head to the Christmas beat, yet still managing to keep the car on the road. How the man could sing, chair-dance, and drive was beyond me, but it was all too fucking scary, so I closed my eyes and focused on what I was going to say to Declan when I got there.
"We're nearly there," Bob announced.
I leaned to the side to stare through the front window past the banks of snow and got my first glimpses of The Retreat.
It was an old building—rustic and with a lot of wood—set back into and sheltered by a rocky overhang, and there was so much stone it was as if it had been built right into the side of the mountain. A circular driveway had us up to the front door. I thrust a pile of bills at the driver, not caring if I'd given him way too much.
“Good luck, son! Go get her!”
Clearly, he hadn’t heard a word I said, and I didn’t bother to correct him again.
“Thank you.” I grabbed my duffle, exited the car, and ran, jumping the steps to the front door three at a time and barging my way through so fast a man standing just inside tumbled backward into the wall in surprise.
“Sorry, I'm looking for the wedding hall."
He shook his head and shrugged, probably still in shock at the sight of the idiot in a worn, crumpled suit who pushed past him. There was a small line at the reception desk, but I bypassed everyone, slamming my hand down on the counter and frightening the women behind it. "The hall with the wedding, where is it?”
“Sir, there's a line." She was so startled her eyebrows vanished under her bangs, and she gave me a thorough once-over, and her eyes widened. I knew I was disheveled, exhausted, and travel-rough. Come on, just tell me where Declan is.
“Sorry, please, I don’t mean to be rude, I just need the hall with the wedding.”
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, a woman in a ski cap. "I think it's that way." She pointed toward an area behind reception. I nodded my thanks and sprinted so fast past a few small boutiques that, I swear, I left scorch marks on the wooden floor. I went through the double doors with more care, not wanting to flatten anyone standing on the other side, and found myself in a corridor, with doors to the left and right. Where now? I glanced at my watch, seventeen minutes past eleven, and in my heart I felt that maybe I was just too late. “The wedding!" I shouted, not thinking through what I was doing, and rounded on someone who’d followed me through double doors.
“The wedding?” I repeated as the same woman who’d tapped me on the shoulder, sans ski cap, gestured to the middle door and the discreet sign to the side that said Essex Hall in small letters. I schooled my features into what I assumed was a pleasant smile of thanks, but the woman took a hurried step back, and I guessed my smile needed some practice. I didn't have time to apologize, and steeling myself for what I needed to do, I thrust open the doors and stepped into a vast high-ceilinged room. All I could see was white from flowers and ribbons, and I shouted as loud as I could.
"Stop the wedding!”
The room was empty. Beautifully decorated with pale roses and fairy lights draped everywhere, there was no one there. I slumped to the nearest chair, every breath I’d been holding sweeping out of me, and emotion knotting in my chest.
I couldn’t rescue him.
I couldn’t tell him I loved him.
I was too late.
From these Ashes by Davidson King
Black
I parked my car as close to Joker’s Sin as I could. I took my leather jacket off the seat and quickly put it on, hit the alarm, and made my way toward the club. There was still a line after midnight. The place closed in two hours, why would people wait that long? Well, I wasn’t.
“Can I help you?” the large bouncer asked.
“No.” I barreled through him and made my way into the club. It was like dubstep nation in there and so much fucking leather.
“Hey.” I felt someone tap my shoulder. I whipped around and grabbed whomever it was by the neck. It was the bouncer from the door.
“Not today, Junior. You tell Atlas, Black is here. Now fuck off.” I pushed him away and made my way to the bar. I hadn’t been inside Joker’s Sin before, I only knew how it looked based on Mace and Bill’s description.
I liked the concept and would’ve taken more time to appreciate it if I wasn’t hell-bent on finding Quill.
“Can I help you, handsome?” I turned and looked down. A small guy with pink hair and barely-there black leather shorts had spoken.
“No. Where’s Quill?”
The small man slid his fingers down my arm. “Mmm. Quill didn’t tell me he had a God for a boyfriend. You’re better than most I see him with.” He jerked his head to the right. I followed the direction and there before me, was Quill.
He was dressed in red leather. I couldn’t see below the waist, but the vest he wore was tight against his pale skin. I knew he loved his bracelets, and he had them all on tonight. His arms were covered in red and silver glitter, making him stick out like a gorgeous disco ball. It looked like he had put all of his piercings back in, and I could see when the light shown on his face, he also had glitter on his cheeks.
“I’ll just leave you to it,” the small man said with a chuckle, and I took the few steps to where Quill stood mixing drinks.
He hadn’t noticed me yet, and I got a chance to see he had red eyes and black liner on his lids. He looked like pure sin. I was surprised when I felt my cock stiffen. Until now, I was never sexually interested in Quill. Okay, to be fair, I admired him. He was stunning, but there was a line cut somewhere between admiration and want. Why was I feeling something now?
“Are you following me?” Quill’s voice snapped me back to attention.
“I thought you wanted me to follow you.”
Quill narrowed his eyes, but I saw how he swallowed as he took me in. He was a flirt by nature and no matter how peeved he was at me, he could never sustain that anger.
I parked my car as close to Joker’s Sin as I could. I took my leather jacket off the seat and quickly put it on, hit the alarm, and made my way toward the club. There was still a line after midnight. The place closed in two hours, why would people wait that long? Well, I wasn’t.
“Can I help you?” the large bouncer asked.
“No.” I barreled through him and made my way into the club. It was like dubstep nation in there and so much fucking leather.
“Hey.” I felt someone tap my shoulder. I whipped around and grabbed whomever it was by the neck. It was the bouncer from the door.
“Not today, Junior. You tell Atlas, Black is here. Now fuck off.” I pushed him away and made my way to the bar. I hadn’t been inside Joker’s Sin before, I only knew how it looked based on Mace and Bill’s description.
I liked the concept and would’ve taken more time to appreciate it if I wasn’t hell-bent on finding Quill.
“Can I help you, handsome?” I turned and looked down. A small guy with pink hair and barely-there black leather shorts had spoken.
“No. Where’s Quill?”
The small man slid his fingers down my arm. “Mmm. Quill didn’t tell me he had a God for a boyfriend. You’re better than most I see him with.” He jerked his head to the right. I followed the direction and there before me, was Quill.
He was dressed in red leather. I couldn’t see below the waist, but the vest he wore was tight against his pale skin. I knew he loved his bracelets, and he had them all on tonight. His arms were covered in red and silver glitter, making him stick out like a gorgeous disco ball. It looked like he had put all of his piercings back in, and I could see when the light shown on his face, he also had glitter on his cheeks.
“I’ll just leave you to it,” the small man said with a chuckle, and I took the few steps to where Quill stood mixing drinks.
He hadn’t noticed me yet, and I got a chance to see he had red eyes and black liner on his lids. He looked like pure sin. I was surprised when I felt my cock stiffen. Until now, I was never sexually interested in Quill. Okay, to be fair, I admired him. He was stunning, but there was a line cut somewhere between admiration and want. Why was I feeling something now?
“Are you following me?” Quill’s voice snapped me back to attention.
“I thought you wanted me to follow you.”
Quill narrowed his eyes, but I saw how he swallowed as he took me in. He was a flirt by nature and no matter how peeved he was at me, he could never sustain that anger.
A Prairie Dog's Love Song by Eli Easton
CHAPTER 1
Joshua Braintree stared at the laptop screen with a mix of shock, arousal, and stone-cold pissed. It was an emotional brew that might have been at home on, say, a badger that’d been lured by female badger scent only to find himself locked in a trap.
Joshua shut the lid of his laptop. Opened it. Shut it. Opened it. He punched the drawer of his desk, which did nothing for his hand, and not a hell of a lot for the drawer neither.
Opened it.
There, on the screen, was a video trailer featuring Ben For-God’s-Sake Rivers, his best friend’s little brother, naked, and doing things with a blond god who was hung to put some of Joshua’s bulls to shame. Damn if Joshua’s eyeballs didn’t wanna just plop right out onto the keyboard and maybe crawl around screaming for a bit, though what exactly they’d be screaming he couldn’t rightly say. It was a toss-up between Gimme more! and I need to kill somethin’! and Joshua Ellen Braintree, you goddamn blasted idiot of a fool!
He closed it.
His walkie-talkie buzzed, causing Joshua to jump off the seat of his chair a good inch, scramble to close the already closed laptop, and check in a panic for audio sound coming from the video, even though he’d turned the audio off ten minutes ago and the video wasn’t running anyhow.
Smoothing down his hair in an effort to calm himself, Joshua picked up the walkie-talkie.
“Yup,” he answered, sounding two octaves lower than usual.
“Boss, ’s that you?” It was Charlie.
“Yup.”
“Oh, okay. Listen, the kids have started showin’ up, so… ya comin’?”
“Ain’t Nora here?” Joshua grumbled, shirking his job for probably the first time in ten years.
“Well, yessir, she’s here, all right. Ya want I should tell her ya ain’t comin’? ’Cause that Samuels girl is pitchin’ a fit again, ’n’ the Reston boys are tryin’ to climb the fence ’n’—”
The fever that had taken over Joshua’s brain thanks to that damn video now faded to a dull, warmish ache. Charlie’s words pulled him back down to the real and the now and life as it was known on Muddy River Ranch. Joshua pushed a shaky hand through his long, straight-as-sin mess of hair. He grunted into the walkie-talkie, in an assenting sort of way, went to the door of his office to leave, came back, unplugged the damn laptop, and headed out to the stables.
It was mid-October, and the aspens around the stables were covered in leaves that twinkled and shone like gold coins in the sun. The sky was the deep blue that was just about Joshua’s favorite color in the whole wide world. But even the perfect fall day didn’t make him feel any better, ’specially not when the Reston twins were seeing who could bust a leg first by jumping off the corral fence. Nora was busy comforting Lily Samuels, who stood by the corral gently wailing. And Charlie was leading a couple of saddled horses out of the stables, probably in a bid to give Billy and Bobby something to do other than risk their dang fool necks.
Joshua stopped for a second, taking it in—the day, the ranch, the Montana mountains rising in the distance, and the downright miserable start to his Saturday riding class. The thought that hit him hard was Ben should be here. He’d have the Reston boys gigglin’ and followin’ him around like puppies in two seconds flat.
Which was a strange thought to have, because Ben had worked the riding class with Joshua for only a few months before he got “too busy,” and that was over two years ago. But Joshua felt Ben’s absence real hard all the same.
And then he realized that Ben never would be here like that, not ever again.
So he wasn’t in the best frame of mind as he strode up to Billy and Bobby, leaped over the corral fence, and grabbed each one of them with an arm around the waist. Joshua marched toward Charlie and the horses, his arms full of wriggling ten-year-old boys.
“Hey, Joshua!” Billy said cheerfully, going as pliant as an old hound under a belly rub.
“I’m gonna tell!” Bobby screamed, though what he’d tell wasn’t real clear. He struggled against Joshua’s iron-hard arm.
Joshua grunted and, reaching the horses, shoved Billy at Charlie and swung Bobby up onto the saddle himself. Bobby looked down, his mouth opened to complain some. Then he blinked at the expression on Joshua’s face.
“Okay,” Bobby said, suddenly meek as a lamb. “But can I please ride by myself? I ain’t no baby.”
Joshua’s gaze flickered down to the horse, Trisket. She was old and gentle and the look in her eyes told Joshua she wasn’t feeling anything but supremely lazy today. It was Bobby’s second lesson, and they’d already done the leading-him-around-the-arena thing.
Joshua took Bobby’s hand and placed it on the pommel, gripping it hard. “Hang on,” Joshua instructed. “And keep them reins slack. Just let ’er walk.”
“Yessir,” Bobby said politely.
Joshua let them go. Trisket placidly walked the perimeter of the arena, and Bobby didn’t pull on the reins. Joshua’s gaze fell back to Charlie, who was holding on to Dusty. Billy was seated in Dusty’s saddle.
“What’s the matter, Boss? Ya sick?” Charlie asked.
“Nope.”
“’Cause ya look a bit peaked. Yer mouth is all set in a line so ya cain’t hardly see yer lips a’tall. And yer sort of flushed like, on yer throat, and ya have these lines—”
“Charlie, I ain’t no heifer, and you ain’t doin’ no health check.” Joshua growled. “Take Billy round once, then let ’im go alone if he wants.”
Charlie grumbled in his cantankerous way. “Sure thing, Boss. Take care ya don’t get stung, what with that bee in yer bonnet.” He started leading Billy around the ring.
Joshua took a deep breath and turned to Nora and Lily. Nora had her hands on Lily’s shoulders now, Lily had stopped crying, and they were both looking at Joshua a bit warily, like they didn’t think he’d bite, but they weren’t entirely sure.
Joshua forced a smile and went over to them. He vaulted back over the corral fence.
“Mornin’, Sunshine,” Nora said sarcastically, looking at him with one eyebrow lifted in a question.
Joshua grunted a nonreply and squatted down on his haunches next to Lily.
“Ready?” Joshua asked the little girl.
She shook her blonde head, her big brown eyes dead serious. She reached out and snagged a fistful of Joshua’s shoulder-length brown hair. Joshua sighed inwardly. She was seven but looked a year younger. She was a fragile thing, and her folks had hoped the riding would be a confidence builder. But last week, at her first session, they hadn’t managed to actually get her on a horse.
“Let’s go find a friend,” Joshua said, carefully tugging Lily’s hand free from his hair—ouch—and then holding those harsh little digits to lead her inside the stables.
Nora followed. “Can we find a friend for you too?” she quipped enthusiastically. “’Cause you sure look like you could use one.” Joshua ignored her.
Joshua had known Nora since they were kids. She’d been a few years ahead of him and Chet in school, and then she’d gone off for four years to college. She came back and bought the town diner with some windfall or another. It kept her busy, but she still came to help with the kids every Saturday morning. When the days were long, she’d sometimes stop by for a trail ride after the diner closed. She said horses were one of the reasons she’d moved back to Clyde’s Corner, and she wasn’t gonna let her business keep her from enjoying them. She was large, blunt, and gregarious, and Joshua loved her to pieces. But sometimes she was a mite too smart and a load too honest.
“How ’bout this horse, honey?” Nora said, going over to the first stall. “This is Jasmine. She’s a real sweetie, just like you.”
Jasmine was an old Shetland. Her owner had wanted to get rid of her, and Joshua took her for just this reason, as the gentlest possible creature for timid new riders, but also because he had a hard time turning down any horse that was about to be put down.
Letting go of Joshua’s hand, Lily passed Nora and Jasmine without a second glance. She went directly to the third stall where a large white horse poked out his nose.
Nora gave Joshua a rueful look. “Women. They always like ’em big.”
Joshua snorted a laugh despite himself.
He went over to Lily. Valmont was one of his rehabilitation horses. Not only was he big, but he could be violent, and Joshua hadn’t worked it out of him yet.
“This is Valmont,” he told Lily. “He’s too big for you. Horses and riders need to sorta fit one other, like clothes. Jasmine’d fit you just right.”
Lily dug into Joshua’s leg with both hands. Her little fingers were surprisingly painful, like cat’s claws. She looked up at Valmont with big eyes.
“He don’ like me,” she said shakily, clearly meaning the horse.
Joshua blinked and frowned. “Uh—”
“I can’t ride him ’cause he don’ want me to.”
Valmont leaned his head down and sniffed at the strange little blonde thing curiously.
“Let’s go pet Jasmine,” Joshua tried, feeling a bit desperate. But Lily just clung to him and to that spot, like she was rooted deep in the ground somewhere, like maybe she was part oak tree.
“No! I wanna ride Valfront, but he don’ like me.”
Joshua looked at Nora helplessly. Outside, there was the slam of car doors as more parents dropped off their kids.
Good Lord, he just couldn’t handle this today, not today, when he barely had a grip on himself as it was.
It was kind of like that badger—the further he got from that video he’d just seen, the less the aroused part of his brain was fired up, and the more room he could devote to being just plain mad as hell. Despite the distractions of the horses and the kids, he felt it creeping up inside him like rising floodwater.
He was mad at the company that made those videos, for luring in gorgeous young boys. He was a mad at Ben for putting all his bits out there without, apparently, giving it a whole lotta thought. He was sure as hell mad at Henry Atkins, who’d leaked the news about the porn all over town like the low-belly snake in the grass that he was. But mostly, Joshua Braintree was spitting mad at himself.
He was mad at himself for waiting too damn long, for getting caught up in the ranch and not tending to a certain business that he should have been attending to. He was mad at himself for letting time slip by like a wolf in the night and steal a prize right out from under his nose while he was no way, no how paying attention. Instead, he’d been off doing numbers and working like a dog to get his horse business running after he took over his daddy’s ranch. He’d thought he had time. He’d thought Ben was still a boy.
Well, the video had cleared up that notion good and proper.
And Joshua was mad, too, for letting down Chet, his best friend, who was in Afghanistan doing a man’s work, and who should have been able to count on Joshua to keep his father and his little brother taken care of in the ways that mattered. And Joshua had fallen down big-time on that one.
Nora must have seen some of that in his face, because she gently pried Lily off his leg and gave him a worried smile.
“I swear, whatever’s eatin’ you sure has one hell of an appetite. I’ll take the little Missy Miss here. You go on and get the Carter kids goin’. They should be easy.”
Joshua grunted. He took a deep breath and turned to lead out two more horses that Charlie, bless him, had already saddled.
By some miracle, Joshua survived the morning class without either killing anyone or sticking a label marked “bona fide asshole” on his forehead. He spent the afternoon with the horses. He had three horses he was rehabilitating at the moment. They needed daily interaction to get used to him and used to the way things were gonna be. And they needed him to be calm and confident. Knowing that helped Joshua push down his own frustrations, for a few hours at least. And it always eased his mind to work with animals. They were so much simpler than people. They sure as heck didn’t do things like run off to Vegas to make porn.
But by the time the day was done and the sun was fading over the horizon, it dragged Joshua’s hard-won calm down with it like it was a daytime critter that hibernated in the dark.
So when Joshua was finally all alone in his house, and it was dark, he closed up the curtains in his office real tight, locked his office door, even though he lived alone, and dug up some earplugs he hadn’t used in two years. He went back to that Web site, Boys 2 Boys, and this time, instead of watching a preview, he gave them his credit card number, selecting a “one month only” plan. Then he watched every single video that Ben Rivers, aka “Caleb,” had ever made, starting with the first one two years ago.
Every one of them broke his heart a little more as he saw the changes in Ben, witnessed Ben’s first time with a guy caught on camera, his first kiss, first blowjob, first top, even his first bottom. He watched Ben’s expression as he took a man inside him for the first time (being Ben, he looked determined and sort of fascinated by a new challenge). He watched Ben grow in confidence, get fitter and tanner, become a star. And all of it was caught forever in Technicolor.
Those moments, those intimate moments, those firsts, were supposed to be Joshua’s, and they’d been stolen as surely as if cattle thieves had raided his pastures. That made him so angry and upset his teeth ached.
The videos also made him hard enough to drive fence posts.
He cried a little that night, a few old painful, rusty tears. And he came. Three times.
An Open Window by Rick R Reed
Jim shivered -- which reminded him that he’d left the window open downstairs. Oh Lord, his gas bill would be sky-high for sure! He went into the bathroom and grabbed his flannel robe off a hook on the back of the door, and then slid into fleece-lined slippers, remembering sadly there was an identical pair gift wrapped for Barry under the tree.
He hurried downstairs to close the window.
As soon as he got to the bottom step, he stopped in his tracks. His hand flew to his mouth to stifle a gasp or maybe even a scream. What on earth?
He stared for the longest time, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him, as they had when he’d seen the vision of Barry lying next to him in bed.
But that vision was a kind of wishful thinking. This was ... What should he call it? Horror? Terror?
A man lay under his dining room table, the throw his grandmother had crocheted years ago covering him. Breath suspended for the moment, Jim took in the guy. He had a heavy beard covering the lower half of his face. His hair, dirty, long, and stringy, was still, in a sort of freakish way -- lovely. Strands of gold mixed with sandy brown and an even darker color, almost black. He looked to be tall. His feet, clad in a pair of black Chuck Taylor’s worn almost beyond recognition, stuck out from beneath the covering.
He snorted once, and Jim let out a gasp -- a good thing because it jolted him back to breathing normally. He backed away from the figure under the table, blinking, hoping the man lying there in his dining room was some sort of Yuletide vision -- like Santa and eight tiny reindeer -- and that if he blinked enough times, he’d see only the braid rug under the table and not an out-of-place man, who might just be a robber, serial killer, or rapist.
But if he’s any of those things, would he really take the time out of his mayhem and evil plans to take a nap like a dog under the table?
Jim sat down for a moment on the bottom step of his staircase. He tried to quell the trembling in his hands, the fear causing his heart to race. A bead of sweat, crawly, slid from the nape of his neck, down along his spine. He told himself that whomever the guy was, he most likely meant no harm. He also told himself that the nearest phone was on his nightstand upstairs, and he probably had time to get up there and dial 911. He knew that’s what he should do, along with creeping outside while he waited for the police to show up. But something he couldn’t quite explain kept him rooted to that bottom stair.
He leaned forward again to glance over at the man.
Of course! Why didn’t it come to me before? He’s homeless. Jim felt something well up, a lump in his throat, at odds with the very real terror he was experiencing. The poor soul had nowhere to sleep last night, and he crawled in my stupid open window!
Jim had thought his Christmas Eve was terrible, with its dashed dreams of romance, its betrayal, and then there was this guy, who had more important things on his mind -- like trying to stay alive in close-to-zero temperatures, like where his next meal was coming from. Jim felt a little ashamed at his angst the night before over something that really didn’t count -- not when faced with something like what was right in front of him. The poor guy! Jim couldn’t imagine being out in that cold with nowhere to call home.
It broke his heart.
Snowstorms and Second Chances by Brigham Vaughn
“All joking aside, I guess we’ll have to hope that Christmas romance pans out for you after all,” Seth said a few minutes later.
“Guess so,” Erik said absently as he stared at the TV screen. He glanced at Seth. “For you too.”
“Thanks. Maybe that should have been my birthday wish last week.”
“You had a birthday last week?”
Seth nodded. “On the nineteenth. I spent it in Dresden. I was there to write a piece about the Striezelmarkt—the Christmas market—that’s been going on for over 600 years.”
“I’ve heard of those,” Erik said. “They’re all over Germany, right?”
“Yes. This is supposed to be one of the best though. There’s a carousel and the world’s biggest nutcracker. Plus, hundreds of booths filled with handmade crafts, pottery, candles, toys, wooden ornaments, and food. It’s incredible. Twinkling lights everywhere and the whole atmosphere feels festive.” By the end, Seth’s serious expression had melted away and was replaced by his now-familiar happy smile. He glowed when he talked about travel.
“It does sound incredible,” Erik agreed. “I can think of worse places to spend my birthday.”
“Oh, me too,” Seth agreed. “And I met a nice strapping German man by the name of Hans to celebrate it with. My German isn’t great, and his English was a bit broken, but we managed.” Seth gave him a little wink.
“I can’t say spending my birthday with Hans would be my choice,” Erik said drily. “But good for you.”
Seth shivered. “Is it just me or is it getting colder in here again?”
“It does seem like it.” Erik stood, then walked over to fiddle with the heater controls. “I’ll try cranking it up a little more.”
“I wonder if there are any extra blankets in the room?” Seth said as he walked past. He opened the closet doors. “Hmm. Nothing in here. Maybe in the dresser?”
“I didn’t notice anything when I put my clothes in there but check the bottom two drawers—I didn’t look in them. If you don’t find any blankets, I’ll have a talk with someone at the desk in the morning,” Erik said. He doubted a maintenance person was on hand twenty-four hours, especially in this weather.
“Or we could share body heat,” Seth said with a grin as he returned to his spot on the bed.
“Are you sure you didn’t get me liquored up so you could take advantage of me?” Erik asked, but he kept his voice light and teasing.
Seth shot him a dirty look. “No. Of course not. But the offer stands if you need it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Erik grabbed his toiletry kit and a pair of pajamas out of the dresser. “I’m going to shower. Alone. And get ready for bed unless you need the bathroom before I head in there.”
“Nah, I’m good.”
Erik fled to the bathroom as if Seth’s offer to help him out was hot on his heels.
Writing love stories with a happy ever after – cowboys, heroes, family, hockey, single dads, bodyguards
USA Today bestselling author RJ Scott has written over one hundred romance books. Emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, single dads, hockey players, millionaires, princes, bodyguards, Navy SEALs, soldiers, doctors, paramedics, firefighters, cops, and the men who get mixed up in their lives, always with a happy ever after.
She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn’t with family either reading or writing. The last time she had a week’s break from writing, she didn’t like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a box of chocolates she couldn’t defeat.
Davidson King, always had a hope that someday her daydreams would become real-life stories. As a child, you would often find her in her own world, thinking up the most insane situations. It may have taken her awhile, but she made her dream come true with her first published work, Snow Falling.
When she's not writing you can find her blogging away on Diverse Reader, her review and promotional site. She managed to wrangle herself a husband who matched her crazy and they hatched three wonderful children.
If you were to ask her what gave her the courage to finally publish, she'd tell you it was her amazing family and friends. Support is vital in all things and when you're afraid of your dreams, it will be your cheering section that will lift you up.
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, a game designer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a fan fiction writer, and organic farmer, Eli has been a m/m romance author since 2013. She has over 30 books published.
Eli has loved romance since her teens and she particular admires writers who can combine literary merit, genuine humor, melting hotness, and eye-dabbing sweetness into one story. She promises to strive to achieve most of that most of the time. She currently lives on a farm in Pennsylvania with her husband, bulldogs, cows, a cat, and lots of groundhogs.
In romance, Eli is best known for her Christmas stories because she’s a total Christmas sap. These include “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, “Unwrapping Hank” and “Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles”. Her “Howl at the Moon” series of paranormal romances featuring the town of Mad Creek and its dog shifters has been popular with readers. And her series of Amish-themed romances, Men of Lancaster County, has won genre awards.
Rick R. Reed is an award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction. He is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Entertainment Weekly has described his work as “heartrending and sensitive.” Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA, with his husband, Bruce, and their two rescue dogs, Kodi and Joaquin.
Brigham Vaughn
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.
Her books range from short stories to novellas. They explore gay, lesbian, and polyamorous romance in contemporary settings.
To stay up to date on her latest releases, sign up for the Coles & Vaughn Newsletter.
RJ Scott
Davidson King
EMAIL: davidsonkingauthor@yahoo.com
Eli Easton
Rick R Reed
BLOG / KOBO / GOOGLE PLAY
EMAIL: rickrreedbooks@gmail.com
Brigham Vaughn
SMASHWORDS / PINTEREST / B&N
EMAIL: brighamvaughn@gmail.com
From these Ashes by Davidson King
A Prairie Dog's Love Song by Eli Easton
An Open Window by Rick R Reed
B&N / KOBO / GOOGLE PLAY
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