The holidays may be over but since posting my random Christmas novellas parts 1-5 in December, I have read some of them and more, so here are my reviews.
Christmas Throwaway by RJ Scott
Summary:
Christmas is a time for giving - what do you do when no one gives a damn?
For Zachary Weston Christmas means sleeping on a churchyard bench in the freezing snow with nothing better in his future. Thrown out of his home for being gay, he is left without money or, it seems, anywhere to go.
Until a stranger shows him that some people do give a lot more than a damn.
Ben Hamilton is a rookie cop in his small home town. He finds a young throwaway, fresh from the city, sleeping on a bench in the churchyard on a snowy Christmas Eve. Can he be the one to give Zachary his own Christmas miracle?
You can't ask for a better Christmas story than this. Strangers doing the right thing for a change. Letting yourself open your home to the stranger and your heart long enough to learn the true nature of said stranger. I can't imagine a better story to add to your holiday collection. Truth be told, I know that this one I'll be rereading next Christmas, if not before.
RATING: 
Turkey in the Snow by Amy Lane
Summary:
Since Hank Calder’s four-year-old niece, Josie, came to live with him, his life has been plenty dramatic, thank you, and the last thing he needs is a swishy, flaming twinkie to complicate things. But when Justin, the daycare worker at his gym, offers to do something incredibly nice for Hank—and for Josie—Hank is forced to reconsider. Justin may be flamboyant in his speech and gestures, but his heart and kindness are as rock steady and dependable as anyone, even Hank, could ask for. Can Hank trust in his dramatic “turkey in the snow” to offer his heart the joy he and Josie have never known?
I've always had a thing for guys who take care of kids and Hank is no exception. Thanks to his niece, Josie, Hank has to face his preconceived notions of Justin, the flamboyantly gay daycare employee that Josie loves. I love how the author writes Hank dealing with Justin and Josie, it may not be where he saw his life headed but accepts his new path with such determination and love. Setting this tale around the holiday only made it even better.
RATING:
Feathers from the Sky by Posy Roberts
Summary:
Cal Thompson is going a little mad over the Christmas holiday, stuck in a tiny house with fourteen members of his immediate family. There's no privacy and no boyfriend to help him cope—because Philip is still a secret, though not for long. Cal's family knows he's bisexual, but they've always assumed Cal would marry a woman and be fruitful and multiply. Just as he's ready to set the record straight, his parents tell the family they're selling the family house and tip this introvert's world on edge.
Philip Sherman arrives at Cal's family home to find his lover mourning the loss of his home, paralyzed by the abrupt and unexpected announcement that trumped his own. Though Philip takes the setback in stride, they won't be able to avoid the calling of their hearts for long: Cal needs to reveal the truth of his relationship with Philip to his family, and Philip has a question he's desperate to have answered.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package "Heartwarming".
Talk about a family gathering for Christmas and all under one roof. Cal is prepared to let his family know about the love of his life, Phillip over the holiday season but after being dealt a blow to his memories with the upcoming sale of his childhood home, will he still go through with the grand reveal? A tale of family, fun, love, truth, memories, and holiday merriment. Beautifully written by an author new to me but I will definitely be checking out some of her other work.
RATING: 
Jesse's Christmas by RJ Scott
Summary:
For Jesse Connor, Christmas is nothing but a series of bad memories. It takes a man imbued with the spirit of Christmas to help him realize that the Christmas spirit lies in everyone--if they only know where to look.
For photographer Jesse Connor, Christmas lost it's shine when last Christmas, Jesse's lover, the man he thought had been the one, absconded with millions of dollars from the company he traded for. The FBI landed on Jesse's doorstep on Christmas Eve, and that was the nail in the proverbial Christmas coffin.
Now, alone in the city, facing another Christmas with nothing more than apathy, he's offered a chance to see Christmas in a different light.
Can the residents of Eden Vale, and in particular a man called Gabriel, show him that he can start again and that Christmas and love can live inside everyone, despite hurtful pasts?
Talk about understanding why someone would hate Christmas! Jesse has the one of the worst Christmas Eve's anyone can imagine and yet he's still trying to survive. Watching him get "revived" with the Christmas spirit as well as the possibility of his heart thawing out, is heartwarming and beautifully written by one of my favorite authors.
RATING:
New York Christmas by RJ Scott
Summary:
Christmas, and the man of his fantasies is back in Chris's life.
It's been far too long since Christian Matthews has seen Daniel Bailey. In fact the last time they met Chris was a senior in college and he was the TA tasked with helping Daniel who was a way too confident freshman.
Some years down the road, Chris is licking his wounds after being asked to leave the private school where he was teaching. He has no job, no money, and has to rely on his friend Amelia for the job and a room to live in. He needs a freaking Christmas miracle to make this Season anything other than a total loss.
Then Daniel comes back into his life and suddenly everything seems possible. Not only is Daniel still the man Christian wants more than anything, but this time Chris may well actually tell Daniel how he feels.
* * * * *
This story was originally a short story created for a blog in 2010... it has been extensively re-written and only the ideas in it remain!...the original story was 15997 words, this new and re-written version is over 35,000 words.
We all have that one person we wonder about, "the one who got away" or more precisely "the one who never was but always wanted and wondered about." Well this story is exactly that. And perfectly done, in my opinion. You can't help but love both Chris and Daniel and cheer them on from page one.
RATING:
Holiday Hoax by Skylar M. Cates
Summary:
I’m Evan Goodman, budding actor, future star, college freshman. Oh, and let's not forget—recently dumped. If only my family wasn't expecting to meet my new boyfriend over the holiday break. Enter JD Laurens—a sweet and quiet science major who mostly keeps to himself. When he gathers the courage to come out, poor JD gets abandoned by his only family right in front of me, and now he has nowhere to go for Christmas. But I have a proposition for him: pretend to be my boyfriend for the holidays so I can take him home. It’s a win-win. What could go wrong?
A perfect blend of comedy of errors and heartwarming emotions all wrapped in a nice big red bow for the holidays. The whole time you are begging Evan to come clean to his family but then it wouldn't be much a story.
RATING:
What You Will by Charlie Cochrane
Summary:
They say there's no fool like an old fool. Antonio didn't count himself as old but he was more fool than any man ought to be who'd flown around the world and back again so often he might as well have just been going from Deptford to Dartford. There was a lad involved. There's always a lad in the tale, for men like him.
And was there a happy ending? Now that depends on whether you believe what a certain playwright wrote, or whether you want the real story.
A very interesting and intriguing holiday tale to add to any collection. As Obi-Wan Kenobi says in
Star Wars, "Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows him." It's a perfect quote that sums the story up in my opinion and sometimes by short-changing the nature of those around us we make ourselves even more foolish.
RATING:
Southern Winterland by Taylor V. Donavon (By Degrees .5)
Summary:
Christian Murphy is out, proud and very often loud.
Remy Benoit is an equal opportunity flirt, but he swears guys are not his thing.
Different lifestyles had never interfered with their close friendship, but after too much alcohol and almost kissing under the mistletoe a year ago they've started to drift apart.
A special holiday event brings the men together, and this time around they might have to acknowledge that mutual admiration and respect are not the only things making them seek each other out.
A very pleasurable holiday read and look at Christian and Remy from Taylor's Six Degrees of Separation. A beautifully written little tale of Remy coming to the realization of now or never, and if choosing never it may very well be the end of their friendship and quite literally be truly never.
RATING: 
Holly Jolly by Silvia Violet
Summary:
I’m not gay. I just notice men sometimes. Everybody does, right? I notice Dane a lot, like every time I’m near him, but just because I think he’s an attractive man that doesn’t mean I like him, does it?
I’m also not a fan of Christmas. Too many years “celebrating” with my Bible-thumping family ruined the holiday for me. So what if I envy all these cheerful souls dashing about with smiles on their faces? I don’t have to like Christmas, do I? If anyone could get me in the Christmas spirit, it would be Dane with his easy, relaxed manner and his gorgeous smile. If that were going to happen, though, I’d have to find the courage to talk to him and to admit that maybe I don’t know myself all that well after all.
Poor Tom has had a lot of hurdles to overcome because of his parents but he has and quite successfully too. I enjoy the way the author has showed us just how far Tom has come without overloading us on his parents' religious extremes. This is the first time I've read this author and I look forward to reading more.
RATING:
I Don't, A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
Summary:
At least he isn’t pregnant.
Seth Murphy campaigned for Maryland’s Question Six, wildly celebrating the Election Day victory for marriage equality. Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.
Owen won’t marry Seth.
Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.
Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”
What can one say about Owen and Seth? I love seeing Seth trying to understand Owen's view on marriage, it's beautiful, heartwarming, and even a bit heartbreaking at the same time. I certainly love Seth's family, maybe not his sister Lisa but the rest are incredibly fun to read. A great addition to anyone's holiday library.
RATING:
Blame it on the Mistletoe by Eli Easton
Summary:
When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.
It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn't understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.
Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.
Fielding is the epitome of geekdom and he's an absolute perfect fit for Mick. Even though this is really a pretty cliche geek/jock, or in Mick's case ex-jock, this story had me from the beginning. Cliche or not, I couldn't put it down once I started and even though it is only the second story I read by Eli Easton, it has me wanting to check out the author's other works. I say "cliche" and for some that might immediately be a turnoff and sometimes that can be true, but in this case I mean it as a compliment. Being able to turn an often used plot and make it a must read, especially in novella form, takes real talent.
RATING: 
A Praire Dog's Love Song by Eli Easton
Summary:
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.
A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar package "Heartwarming".
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: 
Author Bios:
Skylar M Cates
Skylar M. Cates loves a good romance. She is quite happy to drink some coffee, curl up with a good book, and not move all day. Most days, however, Skylar is chasing after her husband, her kids, and her giant dog, Wasabi. Besides wishing that Mary Poppins could fly down with her umbrella and solve all of Skylar’s household problems with the snap of her fingers, Skylar dreams about spending her days writing, walking along the beach, and making more time for her good friends. On a shoestring budget, Skylar has been lucky enough to have traveled all over in her early years, and she loves meeting all different sorts of folks and hearing about their stories. Although, lately, the laundry room is the farthest place she has visited, Skylar still loves to chat with people from all around the globe.
Eli Easton
Having been, at various times and under different names, a minister’s daughter, a computer programmer, the author of paranormal mysteries, a game designer, an organic farmer, an avid hiker, and a profound sleeper, Eli is happily embarking on yet another incarnation as a m/m romance author.
As an addicted reader of such, she is tinkled pink when an author manages to combine literary merit, vast stores of 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, three bulldogs, three cows and six chickens. All of them (except for the husband) are female, hence explaining the naked men that have taken up residence in her latest fiction writing.
RJ Scott
RJ Scott has been writing since age six, when she was made to stay in at lunchtime for an infraction involving cookies. She was told to write a story and two sides of paper about a trapped princess later, a lover of writing was born.
As an avid reader herself, she can be found reading anything from thrillers to sci-fi to horror. However, her first real true love will always be the world of romance where she takes cowboys, bodyguards, firemen and billionaires (to name a few) and writes dramatic and romantic stories of love and passion between these men.
With over sixty titles to her name and counting, she is the author of the award winning book, The Christmas Throwaway. She is also known for the Texas series charting the lives of Riley and Jack, and the Sanctuary series following the work of the Sanctuary Foundation and the people it protects.
Her goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.
Kari Gregg
Kari Gregg lives in the mountains of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia with her Wonderful husband and three very Wild children. When Kari’s not writing, she enjoys reading, coffee, zombie flicks, coffee, naked mud-wrestling (not really), and . . . coffee!
Silvia Violet
Silvia Violet writes erotic romance and erotica in a variety of genres including sci fi, paranormal, and historical.
Silvia Violet can often be found haunting coffee shops looking for the darkest, strongest cup of coffee she can find. Once equipped with the needed fuel, she can happily sit for hours pounding away at her laptop. Silvia typically leaves home disguised as a suburban stay-at-home-mom, and other coffee shop patrons tend to ask her hilarious questions like "Do you write children's books?" She loves watching the looks on their faces when they learn what she's actually up to. When not writing, Silvia enjoys baking sinful chocolate treats, exploring new styles of cooking, and reading children's books to her wickedly smart offspring.
Taylor V Donavon
Taylor V. Donovan is a compulsive reader and author of m/m romantic suspense. She is optimistically cynical about the world; lover of history, museums and all things 80s. She is crazy about fashion and shamelessly indulges in mind-numbing reality television; passionate about civil rights and equality for all.
When she is not making a living in the busiest city in the world or telling the stories of gorgeous men hot for one another, Taylor can be found raising her two daughters and two terribly misbehaved fur babies in the mountains she calls home.
Posy Roberts
Posy Roberts writes about men facing real life challenges. Families are often at the heart of her stories, she loves writing about drag queens finding greater freedom and power wearing makeup and wigs, and she's not afraid of digging into deep psychological issues where characters are challenged with difficult choices.
Posy lives in the land of 10,000 lakes and loves how the healing nature of water is just outside her door. She's married to a wonderful man who makes sure she eats while she documents these character's lives. She also has a remarkable daughter who helps her come up with character names. When she's not writing, she enjoys crafting, hiking, and singing spontaneously about the mundane, just to make normal seem more interesting.
Amy Lane
Amy Lane dodges an EDJ, mothers four children, and writes the occasional book. She, her brood, and her beloved mate, Mack, live in a crumbling mortgage in Citrus Heights, California, which is riddled with spiders, cats, and more than its share of fancy and weirdness. Feel free to visit her at
www.greenshill.com or
www.writerslane.blogspot.com, where she will ride the buzz of receiving your e-mail until her head swells and she can no longer leave the house.
Charlie Cochrane
As Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice - like managing a rugby team - she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries, but she's making an increasing number of forays into the modern day. She's even been known to write about gay werewolves - albeit highly respectable ones.
Her Cambridge Fellows series of Edwardian romantic mysteries were instrumental in seeing her named Speak Its Name Author of the Year 2009. She’s a member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and International Thriller Writers Inc.
Happily married, with a house full of daughters, Charlie tries to juggle writing with the rest of a busy life. She loves reading, theatre, good food and watching sport. Her ideal day would be a morning walking along a beach, an afternoon spent watching rugby and a church service in the evening.
Skylar M Cates
EMAIL(LIVE JOURNAL): skylarmcates@livejournal.com
EMAIL: skylarmcates@yahoo.com
Eli Easton
RJ Scott
EMAIL: rj@rjscott.co.uk
Silvia Violet
EMAIL: silviaviolet@gmail.com
Posy Roberts
EMAIL: posywrites@gmail.com
Amy Lane
Charlie Cochrane
EMAIL: cochrane.charlie2@googlemail.com
Taylor V Donavon
EMAIL: taylor@taylorvdonovan.com
Kari Gregg
EMAIL: kari@karigregg.com
Feathers from the Sky
Turkey in the Snow
Holly Jolly
New York Christmas
I Don't, A Christmas Wish
What You Will
Southern Winterland
Blame it on the Mistletoe
The Christmas Throwaway
Jesse's Christmas
Holiday Hoax
A Praire Dog's Love Song
_01.jpg)
.jpg)
