Blurb
An infection leaves Braylon unable to make his annual trip to Toronto, but a stranger’s gift might be the miracle he needs.
After a one night whirlwind romance, Braylon returns to Toronto on the first of December every year in the hopes of seeing the man of his dreams again. Instead Braylon meets a strange man who tells him Christmas is a magical time, and one never knows what unexpected gifts he’ll receive. Braylon takes a chance and makes a Christmas wish, but instead of getting what he wants, he contracts an infection, leaving him dependent on dialysis and unable to make the journey the following year. But the stranger just might be right; an unexpected gift may be the miracle Braylon needs most of all.
Review
This was a delightful story about tenacity, hope, love and karma. Two boys meet and then years later an absolutely unbelievable connection is formed between the two that leads them to a very happy future – together, forever.
Though short (as all these Advent Calendar stories are) it was gripping and had me on the edge of my seat for a moment! I really got involved in this – more than some of the other Advent stories – and thought it was a great short story. It was complete and full and though I would have loved more – I didn’t go away feeling short-changed. SJD Peterson is an excellent writer and this was an excellent story.
I highly recommend this and give it 5 of 5 hearts
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?
Review
Evan is “dating” this self-centered, cheating, popular guy from his major who drops him right before Christmas. He goes to the Donut Shop to fuel up for his trip home for the holidays and sees JD “out” himself to his very mean, hateful brother, who tells JD never to come home – ever. (And it turns out JD’s brother is his ONLY family- big jerk!)
Evan hatches a plan to save both JD and himself from a horrible holiday. JD can play Evan’s boyfriend, Tyler, (who the family was expecting to meet) and JD can have a place to go over Christmas.
Needless to say – the tricking doesn’t fool anyone, and mom is suspicious of Tyler/JD. But – as you can imagine – JD is a far better boyfriend to Evan than Tyler ever was and what started as a hoax ends up as a HEA.
**
Your heart will bleed for JD and the way he just shines in the face of Evan’s family is so touching. Neither Evan nor JD have much “experience” so the smexy times are pretty tame, but very sweet. This reads almost like a young adult title, but that doesn’t stop it from being a really sweet and fun book full of goofy holiday games and sappy moments.
I really enjoyed this and didn’t miss the smexy times.
In Budapest, Brian might find himself in the arms of Krampusz, who punishes bad boys.
Freshly out of college, shy and introverted Brian Preston travels from LA to Budapest to teach English, ready to embrace life and spread his wings. It’s early December, and the air is heavy with the scent of roasting chestnuts. Getting involved with his new roommate, native Hungarian Zoli Park, promises to be the adventure Brian always wanted. But all is not as it seems, and Brian might find himself in the arms of Krampusz, demonic companion to St. Nick, who punishes bad boys.
Review
This holiday story shows us a bit of Hungarian tradition and we meet two “new adults” ready to tackle the world. Brian and his Hungarian/American roommate, Zoli flirt a bit and when it looks like they might just be ready to take things to the next level, Zoli remembers something from the past that might keep them apart.
I enjoyed learning about another holiday custom and really enjoyed Lou Harper’s character building but I was a bit confused by the direction the story went at the end.
Donnie’s crush on his sister’s roommate Alejandro has gone beyond childhood dreams – and it’s driving Donnie insane! So when Donnie gets a chance to house-sit for his sister and Yandro, Donnie doesn’t feel alone. He’s got all his vivid fantasies to keep him company! Can a little dumb luck – and a little help from a magical homemade gift – help Donnie’s fantasies come true?
Review
This is like a prequel to the Johnnie’s series. Donnie is Chase’s friend who sort of “introduces” Chase to the joys of gay sex even though Chase still won’t admit he’s gay. (Good Reads lists this as part of the Granby knitting series, but I think it’s only because knitting is involved.)
Donnie, meanwhile, is falling in love with his sister’s roommate Alejandro. Over the course of 3 years Donnie’s crush grows and grows and Alejandro isn’t immune.
Eventually Donnie and Alejandro come together and it’s amazing!
**
This is a short story, so we move quickly from crush to lover, but its very well developed and has a surprising amount of hot sex for the small number of pages.
I really like both Donnie and Alejandro and though I wish we’d been able to see them as a couple (for more than the sex), I still think they’ve got what it takes to last. I appreciated the back-story of Chase and how it added depth to his character for us, but I wished we could have spent that time learning more about Donnie and Alejandro.
Sean Crisden has narrated many of Amy’s books and he always does a great job. I really liked his Alejandro – mmmm Spanish accent…. Sexy! However, I thought his “Donnie” voice was a little weird. It wasn’t enough to detract from my enjoyment of the story, but it wasn’t my favorite of his narrations.
Overall, I’d give both the story and the narration a 4 of 5 hearts
Will Barter’s been in love with his best mate Jack for as long as he can remember. They’ve shared everything: love, life, laughs, even Will’s first kiss. But Jack’s straight, and Will’s long-buried infatuation means nothing until their last summer together draws to a close.
Then one night, everything changes, but with Will bound for university in Leeds, and Jack for his dream DJ job in Ibiza, there’s no time to explore their blurred lines. Before long all that’s left are secrets, lies, and misunderstandings.
In the months that follow, anger and hurt overshadow fifteen years of friendship, and Will must dig deep to remember Jack is his mate… his best mate, and nothing matters more than that, right?
Review
As the blurb lays it out – Will’s been gay since he can remember and Jack’s been okay with it all along. Jack has always been “straight” though, and Will has had to be content to crush on him from afar… or not so far. Turns out that Jack’s willing to “help” Will now and then in his route to sexual maturity. Surely a kiss is a kiss is a kiss – right? And – well – everyone needs some sort of sexual experience before they head off to be an “adult” – right?
Needless to say, these helpful sessions do nothing but blur the edges between friend and lover, between gay and straight, between experimentation and reality.
We follow the friends over a 6 year period of time. Some of that time is spent together as teen-agers – some is long distance via texts and emails as young adults. Will is going to university near home and Jack is living his dream as a DJ in Ibiza.
Whenever the boys meet up in person, things shift and change. Sometimes it feels like they are growing more and more apart – then at times it feels like no one will ever be as close as the two of them together.
Finally, things between them hit a rough patch. Jack’s career isn’t as stellar as he’d hoped and his life in Ibiza isn’t all he’d wanted it to be. Will’s love life has never been as satisfying as the times he’s spent “experimenting” with Jack.
Both Will and Jack have to face facts and be honest with themselves, or they might just lose the best thing that ever happened to both of them.
**
First, let me just gush over all the “British”. I love it!
Second, let me gush about the way the story is developed. Intermingled with “real time” experiences when the boys are together, we see the passage of time via emails and texts. Needless to say neither boy is a poet or prone to wordy letters and a lot of emotion and angst is transmitted in a few words – or specifically in what doesn’t get said. Very elegant way to show time passing.
Third, let me gush about the love story. Just the right amount of angst. I kept feeling like the breakthrough was just around the corner and had to keep reading. When would Jack figure it out?! When would Will call Jack on his B.S.?! How could either of them be so blind? It. Was. Delicious! I adore GFY and when it’s friends to lovers like this…. Cream of the crop! I loved that even at the end we are left to wonder… is Jack gay or bi?!?! (And the sex… super hot!)
Fourth, Drum and Bass – say no more!
This was my first ever Garrett Leigh book but it won’t be my last. I really, really loved this book and give it a 5 of 5 hearts.
Best friends snowed in together. When the heat rises, will they get cold feet?
Getting snowed in at a remote cottage in Wales with someone he’d fancied for ages isn’t exactly how Sam expected to spend Christmas. His feelings for Ryan are pointless. Ryan’s straight—or so he thought.
Until now, Ryan’s kept his feelings for Sam buried. Why ruin a friendship over what might only be gay experimentation? Playing it cool seems safer, until a cold snap makes sharing body heat vital. In their Welsh safe haven, anything seems possible.
As Ryan’s reserve melts away, Sam wants more than stolen kisses under the mistletoe. But a sudden thaw means making decisions. They could face the New Year together—unless one of them gets cold feet.
Review:
Sam and Ryan are best “mates” (I love the British!) from university planning a short holiday with their other roommates in the country. A sudden storm hits, preventing two of them from making it out to the cabin. Now, instead of a casual party with the four roommates, it’s an intimate stay between just two.
Sam is openly gay and has known he’s had feelings for Ryan forever. Sam knows those are pointless as Ryan is straight. (We’ve heard that before, right?!)
Ryan has had feelings for Sam pretty much since Sam came out but hasn’t been able to deal with his own sexual identity. Being snowbound forces those feelings to the surface and he and Sam begin to explore their feelings (and each other!).
In addition – they meet a wonderful woman named Mari who has a bazillion cats and shows the boys what the holiday spirit is all about.
**
This is a lovely short-story perfect for the season. The set-up for forcing Ryan to confront his feelings felt natural and their easy, slow start into making things physical also fit their age and the setting. There is a bit of steam and smolder, but most of this is about the boys’ changing feelings and emotions.
This isn’t as angsty as some of Jay’s other novels, certainly not as steamy, but it is every bit as sweet and sentimental – full of all the wonderful “feels” that she excels at delivering.
I’m a sucker for the GFY theme, coupled with the British and the friends to lovers… it hit all my buttons in a big way!
I highly recommend this holiday treat and give it 4.5 of 5 hearts!
Author Bio
Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.
She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t stopped writing since. http://www.jaynorthcote.com
Porker, Fatty, Tons-of-Fun: Crowley Fredericks has heard it all. He’s dropped a lot of weight since his high school days, but he’s still a big guy, and the painful words and bullying follow him. Rejected—again—because of his size, Crowley is starting to think that maybe love just isn’t meant for huskier men.
Averell Lang and his twin are so different they might as well not even be related. So when Rell’s brother brings his roommate home to snowy Susset for the holidays, Rell expects the worst—another uptight, pretentious hipster. What he discovers instead is Crowley. Nerdy, fascinating, attractive, Crowley. Rell never expected to look at a man this way, and what he sees in Crowley Fredericks is something he didn’t even know he was looking for. If both men can overcome their hang-ups, they might unwrap more than presents this holiday season.
Review
Crowley just wants to have a nice Christmas with his family. But, after recently coming out to them, he’s told not to come home – no one will be there to pick him up from the airport.
He’s crushed, but he’s got a great friend in the form of his roommate, Tyler Lang. Tyler invites him to share Christmas with his big family upstate and even buys him the train ticket. The problem is the only available seat will actually put Crowley there one entire day before Tyler. No worries, Tyler tells him, just hang with his dumb twin Avrell and try not to be too bored.
Though he’s a little shell-shocked, he makes it to the train station and to Tyler’s hometown of Sutten. He’s a bit dismayed when someone vaguely resembling Tyler comes crashing over the curb – late – ready to pick him up, and sparking his romantic interest.
Crowley “knows” that there’s no way someone as good looking as Averell could be interested in a “fatty” like him, and Tyler never said he was gay so… he just quietly crushes on him… but is amazed by how easy they get along. Crowley’s pretty shy, especially in the face of someone he’s attracted to, but the conversation flows and the two end up having a ball!
Averell (Rell) is “in between jobs”. More or less permanently. He’s never found that “perfect” job and stumbles aimlessly looking for it. He’s currently living at home again and doing chores for room and board. He can’t believe his hipster-snob of a brother actually has a cool friend and he’s psyched to be actually “forced” to room with him while he’s here.
As the story progresses we see Crowley (nicknamed Owl by Rell) falling for Rell and surpisingly, Rell (who identifies as straight) falling too. Tyler tries to keep them separated – knowing how Crowley has been deeply hurt in the past and unwilling to see his “loser” brother “use” Crowley for either experimentation or worse.
But — the attraction can’t be denied and on Christmas, Owl and Rell exchange a mind-blowing kiss that shakes them both up a bit. When it looks like they might want to do more than kiss, Owl freaks out at being naked and we begin to learn just how deep his body issues go. (Both boys are “virgins” in this case – making things doubly difficult.)
Fortunately, Sondra, the boys’ cousin, is there and she has an absolutely amazing idea for helping Owl to love his body – and it works!
Now the only obstacle left to overcome is Rell and his feeling of unworthiness due to his lack of direction. Again – the best ideas come from loving family members and we leave Owl and Rell with a decidedly HFN that will completely have you sobbing tears of joy.
**
There are those of us who will so closely identify with this story, it’s not even funny. The horrible, horrible things society can do to young people – making them hate themselves – is not just for girls anymore.
This story handles the issue with loving care. It’s realistic, touching, sentimental, heart-breaking, tender, sweet… just amazing.
Even if you never had body “issues” you can clearly identify with childhood trauma and the feelings of isolation caused at the hands of a bully. When Crowley shares his experience and how it not only happened to him but was then broadcast on Facebook – I couldn’t help but think – Thank God I was a kid before Facebook! What an evil tool that little social program can be in the wrong hands!
My heart absolutely broke when Owl confessed that his guidance counselor was of no help and he didn’t dare tell his family about the incident because it would “out” him as well as show him as a weakling. So there he was, 15, feeling all alone, and having to face his bullies every day with no sense of power or any ability to feel good about himself. (It makes me tear up just thinking about it!)
I wanted to hug Rell and Sondra. God – what amazing healers these two people were. They were able to reach in a see what needed to be done and were brave enough to do it. (Sure the time frame was a little quick, but I don’t think it was out of the realm of possibility. Let’s face it – the chance for sex is a great motivating factor!)
The other thing that I appreciated from this story was that Owl went through a probably fairly normal “slimming” down as he went through puberty and grew up some. Sure, he did have some crazy diet ideas (and those were handled so very well in the story) but at no point did anyone suggest they’d help him “look better” or be his “work out buddy” in order for him to feel good about himself. The message was – you are beautiful As. You. Are.
Isn’t that a freeing thought?! (I fear corporate America will never let us (as a society) truly accept this as a concept – but one can hope!)
There are not enough hearts available to me to tell you how wonderful this book is.
Everyone who has ever thought “I am worthy not enough unless I …” should read this. The message is universal.
My applause to Raine O’Tierney and my appreication for tackling this issue so well.
Adopted at an early age by a wealthy family, Jake Davis has always seemed to have an easy life. Even in college he was blessed with good grades and an apparently clear path to a pro football career. Good thing his best friend keeps hanging around to keep his head from getting too swollen.
Zakiya Incekara has always been…odd. Being fluent in six languages and having a flair for international cooking should open the world to him, but those skills leave him isolated.
When Jake sees Zak for the first time, with water beading down his slender form, something inside him shifts, and it hungers for Zak. To have him. To claim him. And Jake knows that whatever it is, it won’t be denied.
When they are approached by a man who claims knowledge of a secret past they share, Jake and Zak are thrust into a world they would never have believed existed. The forests of Alaska might seem an odd place to find your destiny, but these men will meet the challenges head on, as they learn that sometimes you have to make sacrifices to be Protector of the Alpha.
Jake turned from the bar, and Zak watched as the bright smile turn into a sneer. He dropped the tray, the catfish crashing to the floor, before he stalked to where Zak sat. Jake grabbed a man, probably about forty, by his throat and pushed him against the wall.
“You don’t so much as breathe near him,” Jake snarled.
The man looked cool as he smiled and croaked out. “You are everything I had heard you would be, and more, my lord.”
Kimi’s Thoughts:
This is the first instalment of a brand new shifter series by Parker Williams, and as a fan of shifter stories I was really looking forward to seeing what he brought to the table. It’s got some familiar tropes (instant mate attraction via delicious scent for example) but it also offers up some that are not so familiar and mixes in some new, so that what we get is a shifter story that is both familiar and that little bit different. I quite liked how he wove active magic in with the mythos of his world.
Featuring young men at university, the main characters are brash, often insecure, filled with bravado and uncertainties, and of course, not immune to being horny. Williams manages to capture the essence of what it is to be a barely minted adult without homogenising any of the group or reverting to stereotypes. Zak in particular was an interesting character, with his upbringing handing him multilingual ability and a broad knowledge of international customs and cookery, but lacking in interpersonal social skills and a penchant for overly correct speech.
The hows and whys of how Zak, Jake, and jake’s best friend Casey came to cross paths and attend the same university turns out to have been years in the making. They discover they are important chess pieces in an epic struggle to reclaim the pack they never knew they had back from a power crazed alpha. And I do mean crazed- this is one seriously twisted power sociopath they find themselves up against. How twisted? Twisted every bit as bad as some of the worst in Game of Thrones.
Expand Me
Child murder with their heads then placed on pikes
My only personal niggle was how the final boss fight played out. With the big lead in to the death match, the fight scene itself seemed to be over far too quickly. The ending is in itself satisfying with just enough of a lead in to the next book in the series that I was left hungry for the next volume without feeling left on too huge a cliffhanger without resolution to this volume’s main plot line.
Laurie Stallon isn’t like other high schoolers. After suffering years of abuse at his father’s hands, he now lives in a foster care facility and finds solace volunteering at the local animal shelter. Laurie’s had to grow up fast, and even though his eighteenth birthday is still weeks away, he’s more adult than most adults he knows. When he meets Dr. Sam Davies, the new shelter veterinarian, the attraction is instant. They become friends at work, but Laurie knows Sam will never go for someone like him. No matter how Laurie tries to prove his maturity to Sam, Sam continues to reject him as too young.
Needing a distraction, Laurie goes out dancing for his birthday and finds his life in danger yet again. When Sam is called to the hospital, he realizes Laurie needs someone to care for him. Sam takes him home, and they slowly build a relationship. But more than their age difference works against them. Facing the disapproval of friends and the scars from Laurie’s past, they’ll need to put all their trust in love for a chance at a future together.
Kimi’s thoughts:
This book was one of those that you had to look deeper into the thoughts and actions of the characters or miss a lot of the subtext. On the surface, Laurie is at turns annoying, whiny, and a bit of brat. Sam is 27 to Laurie’s 18, and boy, does he feel it when this idea of Laurie surfaces. he gets annoyed, angry, and confuses his role as lover and protector with that of…ooops…an almost parental figure. These are just that though, surface impressions quickly absorbed if you simply read the text and move on. Taking the time to mull over the scenes, I actually got a different picture.
Laurie is living in a shelter of sorts. He’s not had great personal experience with parental figures and once free of his own, has more or less stood on his own two feet. He works, pays his bills, buys his own clothes, does all the things that he thinks marks a responsible adult. He’s also caring, loving his friends and the animal he helps care for with an open sincerity. What he doesn’t have is a true understanding of how life actually works. He thinks he does, and his overprotective personal cheerleader friends aren’t much help in that regard as they are also young and wearing somewhat rose tinted glasses.
Laurie is unprepared for what he finds when he does take those first steps out into the real world of adults. The dangers one can face clubbing, the give and take of a healthy adult relationship, and even facing the truth of how one’s friends unintentionally obstruct your life are all lessons he ends up learning in short order. Up until meeting Sam and becoming involved with him, he’d managed to cover his insecurities and naivety with his quick wits and a show of snark. That is a shield that can only cover so much though, and Sam can see right through it. Sadly, Laurie’s own ego and his friends’ sense of overprotectiveness can’t either and they feed into each other.
I really felt for Sam when Laurie’s friends do their mental dance of vindication and sweep Laurie back to themselves and feed Laurie’s anger with their whispers. Sam and Laurie deserved better than that; Sam is no predator and Laurie deserves better than to be coddled as a victim and hoarded as the friend they don’t want to share. Ultimately, Sam has to face the precise nature of the mental trigger he tripped in Laurie to cause the reaction that started their big fight. Laurie has to face the fact that only he himself knows what he wants and needs and that his friends are not in his and Sam’s relationship and in fact are making well intentioned paving stones for his personal road to relationship hell. He has to face the fact that being an adult is not just about reaching a magic number of years or going through the motions of paying bills and what not, but about width and breadth of life experience in the wider world. It’s about not hiding and owning up to personal mistakes and seeing things from the other side. It’s about truly understanding trust and giving it.
It makes for a sweet romance filled with snark that’s also a tell of two men coming of age. Laurie, who takes his unsheltered first steps out into the real world and Sam who steps into the world of long term romantic relationships. It’s not a perfect read, but this is the author’s debut novel and it is quite an enjoyable one, even if I did at times want to give Laurie and his friends a good shake. The fact that it got me that engaged in the story is a win as is the HEA.
Parker Williams believes that true love exists, but it always comes with a price. No happily ever after can ever be had without work, sweat, and tears that comes with melding lives together.
Living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Parker held his job for nearly 28 years before he decided to retire and try new things. He enjoys his new life as a stay-at-home author and also working on Pride-Promotions, an LGBT author promotion service.
Author Contact:
Connect with Parker on:
Twitter: @ParkerWAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parker.williams.75641
Or you can visit his website: ParkerWilliamsAuthor.com
Publisher: Self-published
Cover Artist: Laura Harner
Blurb:
Adopted at an early age by a wealthy family, Jake Davis’s life appears easy. Even in college, he is blessed with good grades and an apparently clear path to a pro football career. Good thing his best friend keeps hanging around to keep his head from getting too swollen.
Zakiya Incekara has always been…odd. Being fluent in six languages and having a flair for international cooking should open the world to him, but those skills leave him isolated.
When Jake sees Zak for the first time, with water beading down his slender form, something inside him shifts, and it hungers for Zak. To have him. To claim him. And Jake knows that whatever it is, it won’t be denied.
Excerpt:
Jake’s hand was rough, his skin dry. Zak loved how his fingers gripped tightly, but not so much that it hurt. Jake said nothing as they walked along the streets of the campus. There were few people around, but Zak did not care if everyone was watching them. He was confused as to his attraction to Jake, but it was something he could not deny.
The soft jazz music poured from the door of the pub when Jake pulled it open. Jake’s hand on his lower back urged him inside. Zak sniffed appreciatively at the scent of Cajun spices, no doubt from the blackened catfish special. His stomach protested, and he heard Jake snicker, but he could not seem to raise the ire he should. Jake escorted him to a booth and allowed Zak to sit back against the brushed leather.
“Two dinner specials coming up,” Jake said brightly.
Zak gazed at Jake’s hulking form as it moved away, marveling at the sinewy grace as he dodged patrons and servers. It was odd. He had never met anyone like Jake. He doubted there was anyone like Jake. He felt comfortable in his presence. Jake’s size did not intimidate him. In fact, that made him all the sexier. But his eyes were what made Zak melt into a puddle of goo. The way they twinkled in the dimmest of light. When Jake so much as glanced at him, Zak felt he was the sole thing Jake saw.
Jake turned from the bar, and Zak watched as the bright smile turn into a sneer. He dropped the tray, the catfish crashing to the floor, before he stalked to where Zak sat. Jake grabbed a man, probably about forty, by his throat and pushed him against the wall.
“You don’t so much as breathe near him,” Jake snarled.
The man looked cool as he smiled and croaked out. “You are everything I had heard you would be, and more, my lord.”
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Blurb
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