Category: LGBTQIA Holiday Story

Review:  Ice Around the Edges by Mary Calmes

Rating: 3🌈

Ice Around the Edges by Mary Calmes is a perfect example of how a story written years ago (December 2010) and re-released just doesn’t hold up in present times.  At least not without making some major changes and narrative length. 

I’m a fan of Calmes and her characters but this storyline is full of elements that demonstrate how certain aspects of a relationship has changed over time.  Things now that raise flags and are considered warning signs for a person weren’t really well known fourteen years ago. Or elements that would have factored into contemporary romances.

The basic story is that this couple broke up because one of them, the one who had the most money and wealthiest family heard his father and grandfather arguing over his “friend” saying he wasn’t good enough.  So without further information or arguments on their behalf, the rich son , Dixon Bain, immediately broke up with the other man Evan Kano, and never saw him again. Years pass. 

Evan goes on to live a full and eventful life. Gets shot, ends up hospitalized. He’s handling it well and responsibly. But out of nowhere comes Dixon, steamrolling Evan with plans for Evan to immediately leave Chicago, his apartment, go to NYC, etc. After no contact with Dixon in years. What follows is a prime example of what’s now termed “love bombing “.

Doesn’t leave when asked. Hides in a room. Brings his mother with him to make excuses while the person is fragile in a hospital bed.  Honestly, more flags. 

There’s some honesty here but very little. The story itself is only 62 pages.

Had Calmes rewritten it, extended the narrative to include time for these men to explore who they had become  after all this time? Give the men and readers a chance to see and relate with the story and men as they reconnect as adults with new experiences and maturity.  That would have given this the missing depth and relevance that it’s lacking. 

Instead the story we or they got here is the one from 2010.  There was a lot of potential to update this but it didn’t happen. 

Read it because it’s by Calmes and you just read everything of hers. 

Buy Link

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › …Ice Around the Edges – Kindle edition by Calmes, Mary. Romance …

Blurb 

Evan Kano’s life is on an even keel until the night he’s shot at the homeless shelter where he works. The resulting turmoil is not caused by a bullet but by a blast from the past: Evan’s first lover has returned to visit him in the hospital and deliver some big news.

Ten years ago, Dixon Bain walked out of Evan’s life because he thought his family didn’t approve of him having a male lover. But Dixon has discovered that what he thought he knew could not be further from the truth, and now he’s returned to claim the only man he’s ever loved… if he can melt the ice around the edges of Evan’s still-wounded heart.

2nd edition, previously published December 2010.

  • Publication date: October 25, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 62 pages

Review:  Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6) by Vawn Cassidy

Rating:  4.75 🌈

Vawn Cassidy’s Dead Serious Halloween Special delivers that wonderful blend of serious elements and delicious zany otherworldly storytelling that makes this series and the characters such a joy. 

It’s Halloween or Samhain. Obviously. And all our group of fabulous characters, that found family of humans, ghosts, witches, and otherworldly beings will be gathering together for a party. 

But we get an intimate glimpse first into a scene between Tristan and Danny that not only shows the aftermath of the traumatic events from Viv’s death but also how the revelations of the paranormal world has changed Danny’s life.  It’s a highly emotional and impactful scene. Beautifully written and while not a huge part of the story, it reverberates throughout this book.

That’s in keeping with the spirit of the series and how this author weaves all the emotional layers into the narrative and lives .  Especially as what comes next is wildly unexpected and vividly imagined. That’s speaking as someone who never thought that those childhood fairytales were very fun but scary. As they were often meant to be. 

There’s some potentially frightening moments, new characters, old friends reappearing, and happily a resolution that sees everyone safe.  

But not without a dark mention of a “something “  in everyone’s lives that is to be discovered in a new series coming soon.  So a mini- cliffhanger. 

This was a terrific story, I rushed through it because I couldn’t stop reading, from scene to scene. Then again, to get all the small details I missed the first time.  And there’s lots of great stuff in there that moves characters forward in growth and development in their own ways. 

So don’t miss out.  Grab Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6) by Vawn Cassidy and get ready for the next series to arrive.

Cover design by Natasha Snow @NatashaSnowDesigns

Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed :

🔹Dead Serious Case# 1 Miz Dusty Le Frey 

🔹Dead Serious Case# 2 Mrs Delores Abanathy 

🔹Dead Serious Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes 

🔹Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume 

🔹Dead Serious Case #5 Madame Vivienne 

🔹Dead Serious-Just the Extras 

🔹Dead Serious-Halloween 

Special Crawshanks Guide to the Occult :

🔹The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object #1 – coming soon 

Crawshanks Universe Novellas/ Spin offs (only available from the Vawn Cassidy website ) 

The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 1

The Grim Adventures of Death & Chan Vol 2 

Blue Thunder 

Dead Serious The True Fan 

Dead Serious Official Companion

Buy link

        Dead Serious Halloween Special (Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed Book 6)

    

Blurb 

It’s Halloween and Chan’s hosting a party at Harrison’s newly inherited occult bookshop. Tristan is looking forward to a night of music, food and fun costumes with his husband and their friends.

What they actually get is chaos on the streets of Whitechapel when they accidentally open the Gospodar, the master copy of all fairy tales and let all of the creatures loose.

It’s not the first time they’ve escaped but this time, they’re determined not to go back.

They’ve only got until midnight. Tick tock goes the clock…

This Halloween special picks up after the events of book five and leads into the spin off series, The Little Shop of Curiosities.

  • Publication date: October 30, 2024
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 141 pages

Review:  Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner by A. M. Rose

Rating:  4.75🌈

When you are wheezing at a book so hard that your dog is looking at you with concern you know you have a fabulous story in your hands!  

So it is with A. M. Rose’s amazing holiday science fiction novel “Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner.”  If I hadn’t already found it by the great recommendations, that bright, goofy, and absolutely glorious cover would have done its job and pulled me immediately in. Which it also did.

The authors delivered on every single detail and element they put together for the story, and then topped it off with tons more glitter,  then backed a semi full of glowy holiday hearts and bows , dumping it too into this fabulous, hilariously heartwarming novel.

Vix, a large eyed, white haired alien Observer from Lumia, has been fixated on Earth since adolescence. Vix has learned much about Earth’s culture , languages, educational institutions from such shows as the revered “Saved By the Bell” as Vix had done by ancient historical texts.

You can imagine , snorts and ugly crying incoming, exactly what this might mean for the dialogue and you’d be right.  Combine that with Vix’s own culture that uses its hair braids to communicate and boom, narrative heartwarming romantic alien madcap comedy ensues. 

We get to hear/watch Travis, newly made partner, navigate the wildly different, always wonderful quirky relationship he starts to develop with Vix when Travis needs a plus one to a company holiday retreat. 

Travis is the fantastic Earth yin to Vix’s Lumia Yang and everything is magical. That includes character Henry and a vacuum cleaner as Vix’s bestie.

That’s PH-1L , Travis’s vacuum cleaner, whose most important job to clean vacuums make it the best vacuum cleaner friend any alien could ever have. Still laughing about this, the authors absolutely sell it. 

Then there’s the Observation Logs, carefully constructed with both printed and hand drawn illustrations from Vix about some important things from his trip.  Just as perfectly crafted and as much a part of Vix’s personality as anything else in the story.  Also equally giggle producing. 

Could I have done with less Lex, the ex? And more Henry? You bet.  And I’m hoping that maybe Henry will get his own HEA this coming holiday season.  

Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum Cleaner. by A. M. Rose will be on holiday repeat reading or just reading because it’s a heartwarming, hilarious , must have experience. 

I’m always so excited to recommend those. And this.

Really, look at this cover!

Cover designed by BCJ Art & Design © “This work by BCJ Art & Design is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

Buy link 

Amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com › Galaxy…Why Did The Alien Cross The Galaxy? To Find a Fake Boyfriend and Befriend a Vacuum …

Blurb

Observer log 1: what I learned on my first day on Earth

1. A coffee shop is a hub of human social interaction.

2. Cookies and hot chocolate can end interplanetary disputes.

3. High fives solidify relations between humans.

4. Vacuum cleaners make incredible companions.

5. You can help humans keep their former mates away by agreeing to pretend to be their fake new mate.

6. If there is only one bed at a hotel, it is customary to share it with your human fake mate.

  • Publisher: (December 20, 2023)
  • Publication date: December 20, 2023
  • Language: English
  • Print length: 280 pages

Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Demonic Possessions: A Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures Novella by Shannon Mae

Rating: 4.75🌈

I’m so hooked on this universe and town of Paradise Falls where all sorts of paranormal shenanigans are happening, unusual soulmates are coming together, and author Shannon Mae gets to display her amazing talents for writing a heartfelt paranormal relationship, in all its weirdly beautiful moments.

As a reader can glean from its title and description, A Beginner’s Guide to Demonic Possessions has as its center, a human whose body is possessed by a demon just before Valentine’s Day. And at the human’s request.

That’s the barest bones.

It begins with human Trent, out on a miserable date, dreading the upcoming Valentine’s Day’s holiday weekend, and all it encompasses. A few drunken mumbling words in a bar bathroom later, and an astonishing thing happens.

Paz, a fabulous demon in every way, appears to change Trent life and his own.

Mae doesn’t just have Paz appear in the normal way, no, Paz, possesses Trent’s body and, in an extraordinary manner, the author gives us a two way, inner body, dynamic.

It’s an amazing storyline. One body that holds two distinct personalities, happily I add, that get to know one another, develop a deep, intimate relationship and bond that pulls the reader emotionally into their love story. And the issues it presents.

Shannon Mae naturally brings in important characters from other books to support this pair and impart needed information. It’s great to see them as well.

However, it’s Paz and Trent we care deeply about and whose future we’re invested in, due to the great characterizations and strong storytelling talents of Mae.

It ends an absolute treat and we have hints as to the next book and main characters.

I can’t wait for this book to arrive. There’s mysteries and soulmates out there that are waiting for their turn. We need them all.

I’m highly recommending this and the entire series. It’s fantastic. Read them in the order they were written and released.

Another great cover

Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures: (Paranormal Romance) :

✓ A Beginner’s Guide to Death, Demons, and Other Afterlife Disasters

✓ A Beginner’s Guide to Mistakenly Summoned Demons and Other Misadventures

✓ A Beginner’s Guide to Revenge, Chaos, and Other Absurd Escapades

✓ A Beginner’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Demons (A Novella)

✓ A Beginner’s Guide to Demonic Possessions (A Novella)

◦ A Beginner’s Guide to Ghosts, Fallen Angels, and Other Afterlifers (Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures Book 6)-June 19, 2024

Buy Link:

A Beginner’s Guide to Demonic Possessions: A Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures Novella

Blurb:

The dreaded Valentine’s Day is coming next week, and Trent can’t stomach the thought of another holiday alone. Hiding in the restaurant bathroom from his terrible date, he wishes for a way to skip V-Day all together. Alien abduction? Demonic possession? Coma? Anything else sounds good right about now. When he looks in the bathroom mirror, Trent suddenly realizes he isn’t in charge anymore. Demonic possession it is then.

Paz certainly didn’t expect such a welcome (apparently most hosts spend all their time screaming internally), and he also has quite a bit to say about Trent’s life (who lives in an apartment for six years and doesn’t decorate it?). Trent had no idea his demonic possession was going to look more like a home improvement show than a spring break gone wild special, but Paz manages to break Trent out of his comfort zone and show him what he’s been missing in life (and it isn’t just random hook ups).

Tags: Trent is not a morning person; Paz is way too bright and cheery for a demon; sharing a body is a surefire way to get rid of loneliness; who knew shopping for flatware (whatever that is) could be fun; Paz takes Trent toy shopping (yes, those kinds of toys); demonic friends keep popping up (and sometimes even helping); maybe Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a horrific holiday filled with loneliness and despair; Trent and Paz might just be a match made in heaven… or hell.

• publisher: (April 3, 2024)

• Publication date: April 3, 2024

• Language: English

• Print length: 147 pages

Review: Present Tense (The ABC’s of Spellcraft Book 8) by Jordan Castillo Price

Rating:5🌈

Yuri and Dixon and the rest of their family are back in this absolutely adorable, perfect short story by Jordan Castillo Price.

The ABC’s of Spellcraft is a series that just gets better with each new chapter in Yuri and Dixon’s lives. Here they are scrambling to get each other’s gifts at Christmas, with all the glorious events you might imagine, including drama and the magic!

It ends appropriately with another move forward in their relationship and a HFN. And the realization for me that this is a series for every season for the excellent writing and fabulous characters.

I’m recommending this and the series. It’s magical ride! Binge read for your pleasure!

The ABC’s of Spellcraft series:

✓ Quill Me Now #1

✓ Trouble in Taco Town #2

✓ Something Stinks at the Spa #3

✓ Dead Man’s Quill #4

✓ Last But Not Lease #5

✓ Don’t Rock The Boardwalk #6

✓ What The Frack? #7

✓ Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas short #8

◦ Brownie Points #9

◦ Forging Ahead #10

◦ Mayor May Not #11

◦ Bucket List #12

◦ Comic Sans #13

◦ It’s All Relative #14

Buy Link:

Present Tense: A Spellcraft Christmas Short (The ABCs of Spellcraft Book 8)

Blurb

Christmas is a festive time of year, one filled with food, family and tradition—Dixon Penn’s ideal holiday. Too bad Spellcrafters don’t celebrate Christmas.

Dixon’s parents have always been strict about their no-present rule, reluctant to entrap anyone in an “endless cycle of reciprocal obligation.”

Yuri Volnikov was not raised in the Craft, but Dixon has made sure he understands that for Spellcrafters, Christmas presents are verboten.

No gifts. None. Nada. And everyone is on the same page in regards to presents….

Or are they?

The ABCs of Spellcraft is a series filled with bad jokes and good magic, where MM Romance meets Paranormal Cozy. A perky hero, a brooding love interest, and delightfully twisty-turny stories that never end up quite where you’d expect. The books are best read in order, so be sure to start at the beginning with Quill Me Now.

This holiday short is set after What the Frack? and contains series spoilers.

Review: Heart2Heart: A Paranormal Charity Anthology by Macy Blake, Grae Bryan, et al : Vol 7 (2 books)

Rating: 4.5🌈

It’s Valentine’s Day and Heart2Heart is at it helping lonely hearts get their perfect match. Here, Cupid has agreed to partner with them to ensure a magical experience for the Heart2Heart database is had by all on their journey to a HEA, whatever that means.

A Devilish cover for the paranormal volume of stories, with a fabulous group of authors for Volume 7-part 2 (volume 1 is all contemporary romance and different authors).

The stories are listed in the order found within the Anthology.My favorites and must reads of this anthology are Alice Winters story which begins the anthology. It’s pure Winters in style and characters. Love it. Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake is my next, such a heartwarming tale. And my other absolute best is The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark, which, imo, should have been the story to end this collaboration as its theme and storytelling is amazing. And it’s my thought that all anthologies should begin and end with strong storytelling.

Stories:

💘Thank You , You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters

💘Hot Date by Eliot Grayson

💘Sweet Treats by Grae Bryan

💘Looking 4 Furever by Kiki Clark

💘Locked in Love by Lark Taylor 💘💘Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake

💘Not So Cupid by Mika Nix

💘Starry Night by Pandora Pine

💘The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark

💘Love Under the Sea by Taylor Rylan

A Letter From the H2H Team

1. Thank You , You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters 💘💘💘💘💘

Axton , witch with miniature horse, Hades as a familiar , Sylvan, the cute white-haired necromancer with an undead found family find love and happiness on a murderous mystery.

2. Hot Date by Eliot Grayson

David’s migraines are cured by demonic sex and lotsa love by summoning Ren. Cute, sexy story.

3. Sweet Treats by Grae Bryan such a lovely story about a half pixie Perri and an introverted wonderful gentleman, Tobias, who’s been secretly watching each other but finally connects thru H2H. Adorable 💕

4. Looking 4 Furever by Kiki Clark

Rance, coffee shop Magic Bean,

Dean, Lynx shifter, English prof. Age gap, 23/40, mate bonding, cute, but not a lot of character or relationship depth.

5. Locked in Love by Lark Taylor

Ash, vampire, looking for love after a bad ex, Lochlan, a Scottish water mage, an escape room afternoon adventure , and a tale with a surprising twist. Really enjoyed it.

6. Love Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake 💘💘💘💘💘

Wolf shifter George Duko, with his French Bulldog, Gaston, runs Duko’s Den animal sanctuary. Braxton, nonbinary, dragon, and George’s match on H2H . A gentle, warm-hearted, laugh filled love story that I absolutely adore.💘💘💘💘💘

7. Not So Cupid by Mika Nix

Ruairi, Cupid’s little brother and

Weston, human, on a Cupid arranged Valentine’s Day date find out they’re perfect for each other. The authors do a terrific job of developing the romance.

8. Starry Night by Pandora Pine

Immortal demigod Orion Starborn, 5031 yrs old , cursed, and looking for love, is matched with Kaden Devereaux, head librarian in the folklore division of the Boston public library, also a werewolf. With an allergy problem. Not as easy as Cupid might think. I wish it had been longer because it’s got so many fascinating elements. Terrific story.

9. The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark💘💘💘💘💘

Rune, an imprisoned demon

Raider, ritual contractor, owner of Artifacts, Alchemy etc

I’ll say nothing except it’s perfectly amazing, quietly heartbreaking if you think about the layers, and beautifully crafted.

10. Love Under the Sea by Taylor Rylan

Silver, gorilla shifter and Charlie, koala shifter , find their mates at a zoo Valentine lunch. Cute story.

Overall, a great anthology with wonderful stories by some of my favorite authors. There’s three 5-star tales that could easily be extended into larger books, but stand as fabulous paranormal short stories here. The rest have so much to recommend that this is a must read.

Buy Link:

Heart2Heart: A Paranormal Charity Anthology (Collection), Volume 7 (Heart2Heart Volume 7)

Blurb:

Once upon a time, a bunch of authors wondered… what would happen if Heart2Heart, the mystical matchmaking app adored across the supernatural world, brought in an absolute legend to help them find true love?

This Valentine’s Day, the sunshiny necromancer, the lonely vampire, and the nonbinary dragon will put their trust in H2H and a certain cheeky cherub of romance. Will Cupid’s arrows strike true?

As always, all proceeds from this anthology will benefit LGBTQ+ charities to ensure that love in all its incarnations will be celebrated and protected every single day of the year!

Stories included in this collection are:

You Can’t Spell Necromancer Without Romance, by Alice Winters
Hot Date, by Eliot Grayson
Sweet Treats, by Grae Bryan
Looking 4 Furever, by Kiki Clark
Locked in Love, by Lark Taylor
Love Me Love My Dogs, by Macy Blake
Not So Cupid, by Mika Nix
Starry Night, by Pandora Pine
The Hidden God of Open Doors, by Tavia Lark
Love Under the Sea, by Taylor Rylan

• Publisher: (February 2, 2024)

• Publication date: February 2, 2024

• Print length: 500 pages

Review: It’s a Tenta-ful Life : A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Amanda Muewissen

Rating: 4🌈

My holiday reading has slowed somewhat but I’m still enjoying the Tentacle holiday series novels from last year.

Amanda Muewissen’s stories have always been so interesting to read. It’s the author’s approach to various popular themes , a Christmas story that carries a strong fondness for a darker fictional component rather than the sleigh bells and holly one normally is used to. In this case, it’s a bloody body found in the snow by a bartender on Christmas Eve. The second one he’s found on this date.

But the person isn’t dead, just wounded. And maybe not even a person. But an Eldritch Horror in mourning. But Brady, a bartender on his way home, knows the person he found and calls Goldy, needs his help. Together they start a relationship that’s oddly sweet, honest, and otherworldly.

It’s elements like these that take It’s a Tenta-ful Life : A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Amanda Muewissen and elevate it into something darkly special, a Christmas tale about love, no matter what form or circumstances it may take .

It also has murder, loss, a creature from a void that pines for a different kind of love and life, and an ending that comes about far too quickly.

There were some aspects of the story that weren’t as well developed as they deserved, given how interesting the characters and backgrounds provided.

But as written, there’s still so many sweet, otherworldly moments and, yes, tentacles, that Muewissen delivers a story to satisfy those wanting Christmas cheer with a touch of horror.

This is a definite recommend!

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

✓ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

✓ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison

Buy Link

It’s a Tenta-ful Life: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb

If angels get wings, what do monsters get?

Brody Hawkins was living the good life. Unattached, young, attractive, with a great job at the Shangri-La La Land gay bar and bringing men and women back to his bed most nights without ever being tied down.

Until the night he stumbles upon an injured man in the snow.

Wary of the circumstances that might have left someone for dead so near to Christmas, instead of taking the man to a hospital, Brody brings him home. He dubs the man Goldie, having no other name offered to him when Goldie wakes, but his golden hair and eyes are like tinsel on a tree.

Goldie couldn’t have anything to do with the murders or missing person from a few blocks down. He couldn’t. He’s too sweet and soft-spoken and even a little sad. He’s no monster.

But he also might not be human.

It’s a Tenta-ful Life is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find a lifelong bachelor who never planned to fall in love, an eldritch horror in disguise who longs for love, mutual pining, strangers to friends to lovers, dark and deadly secrets, tentacles with hidden talents, and more in this slightly darker take on a holiday MM romance. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: Amanda Meuwissen Books (December 22, 2023)

• Publication date: December 22, 2023

• Print length: 122 pages

Review: Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by K.L. Hiers

Rating: 4🌈

There’s so many great things to like about K.L. Hiers’ Twelve Days of Squidmas, one of the Winter Tentacle Holiday collection. It’s got a truly poignant storyline about loss and the damage that years of family abuse does to a person. It talks about someone who’s watched and been a caregiver for someone dying of cancer. Then the reader is there, as the funeral is over, the grandmother’s death so deeply devastating that her grandson is having trouble moving forward, and his family is descending like vultures.

Bright and happy a start this is not.

But Hiers brings into this realistically portrayed scenario of a grief stricken young man alone with his loss and house, a new wild card that upsets everything Jack Marsh thought he knew about his grandmother. Jack summons Xorvash, an interdimensional tentacle creature who was his grandmother’s best friend.

Hiers has such fun and does a fantastic job capturing both the essence and power of the demon Xorvash, especially his impact on “Cuddles “. While there’s an amazing effervescent energy and joy that comes from this character and his scenes, Hiers still manages to bring in the smallest detail of Jack’s painful background and the emotional damage he’s suffered in ways that are fleeting but powerful. Then it’s onto a scene that’s familiarly funny and satisfying for the season.

I enjoyed the many side characters and storylines, especially the next door neighbors. I wish that aspect could have been more developed as a few details were left unexplored.

Same went for the ending. It wasn’t exactly satisfying. Jack and Horvash go to all that trouble to boot the family out of the house and then what? They leave and what happens to the house? That was an important narrative loose end that was left flapping around. And it should have been a simple one to explain or tie up.

Things like this make me wonder why, when the rest of the piece is so well written and emotionally balanced.

I’m recommending Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by K.L. Hiers because even with these quibbles it’s a pleasure to read.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

✓ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers ❤️

✓ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison

Buy Link:

Twelve Days of Squidmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

Jack Marsh has twelve days to pull off the perfect Christmas.

Even though his beloved grandmother has just passed, his rotten family is expecting him to host in her place. He already hated this time of year, and now he has to decorate, bake cookies, wrap presents, and create a delicious holiday feast.

Enter Xorvash, an interdimensional tentacle creature from another plane of existence. Thanks to a minor kitchen mishap, Xorvash comes crashing into Jack’s life and promises to do the impossible. Jack suspects Xorvash’s interest in him goes far beyond merely wanting to help him deck the halls, and he’s having trouble resisting Xorvash’s unique charms. With some luck and a sprinkle of holiday magic, Jack might get some sweet tentacle romance for Christmas—plus a little miracle or two.

Twelve Days of Squidmas is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find a grumpy human and a sunshine tentacle creature, lots of silly snark, smexy tentacle times, and a magical happily ever after. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: (December 15, 2023)

• Publication date: December 15, 2023

• Print length: 167 pages

Review: Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Charlotte Brice

Rating: 3🌈

A crossover with Charlotte Brice’s ShiftARS series, Kraken Klaus has some interesting ideas and mythology woven into the romance storyline of a young mershifter in his first job aboard a ocean liner and the kraken, God of the Sea, he awakens.

The character of Moshe is very appealing. Young, impressionable, and good hearted, the author gives Moshe an equally interesting history and background to accompany his endearing personality.

Brice skimps on the information about his immediate family life, his mother and imposing, often absent , famous Captain of a father. Those details are needed to understand why Moshe is so underrated and ignorant of Mer history.

Also a good plot line but not fully explored was the toxic dumping. There was more structure that needed to be laid down for this story line. It’s a major part of the book but at the end, the reader is still left with a number of questions about why no one notices on board ship that this is going on at sea , what ever happens to Moshe’s father, the toxic investigation results, etc. That’s all discarded in favor of the romance.

The romance is the main plot, of course. Lots of tentacles and tentacles sex, with a bit of kink. FYI. The newly awakened Kraken is detailed in his looks and lack of current knowledge of the status quo between humans , shifters and such. That made total sense. But oddly not as powerful as one might expect for a God of the Sea. Seemed more Kraken Lite.

Ryuu does a narrative service here by revealing much of the backstory behind the Mermaid/Mer shifters and why they have been so land removed, rarely being able to shift into their original forms. It’s a mixture of myths, sort of paying the price for wanting legs.

The siren aspect is unclear as it’s brought in very late in the story.

However, how Brice describes and handles it, makes me want so much more. And have it brought in earlier on so it felt more like an overall part of the story than an add on. It was one of my favorite things about the story and Moshe’s character. Over way too soon.

Spoilers.The ending, nicely dramatic, had too many loose ends and odd moments. Moshe just forgot about his family and ran off to live in an underwater palace with Ryuu the Kraken, complete with a kitchen and tea kettle of sorts. And lots of edible moss . Forever.

All in all, Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Charlotte Brice has some interesting elements and some really sexy moments. A grab bag of fun and tentacles under the sea. But it didn’t quite gel for me. It might for you.

You read the description and decide for yourself.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

Kraken Klaus: A winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

This is not your typical Christmas story. Sure, it’s set on a Christmas holiday cruise liner. Of course there is a roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Yes, there are presents, chocolate and tinsel…

…but there are also tentacles. And we all know that is what you came for.

When Moshe realises his fellow mer crew are dumping toxic chemicals into the sea, under the guise of holiday cruises, he is horrified.

When the only song he can ever remember lures up a giant sea octopus, he can finally stop his own people from polluting the sea.

But Ryuu has other things on his mind. He responded to the song of his mate. Sure, he’ll destroy the boat for his love, but Moshe demands the passengers be unharmed.

Thank goodness the ShiftARS are there to do the actual work, these two are very easily distracted by all the wonderful Christmas things Moshe will leave behind when he joins Ryuu out at sea.

Ryuu couldn’t deny his boy a final experience of Christmas, even if he doesn’t understand stuff like the forest of chocolate trees, or the Christmas Daddy.

Kraken Klaus is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone.

Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

Review: A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by J P Sayle

Rating: 3.5🌈

J P Sayle’s A Sucker for Christmas is a fun, sweet addition to the Winter Holiday Tentacle collection.

A best friends to lovers story with an added twist of one of them being an octopus shifter, there’s not a lot a universe building or exploration of the octopus shifter culture here. It’s a soulmate relationship, where the shifter recognizes his mate early on in life, in this case, at the age 4, but again no real background is known other than Fitch’s parents revealing their own human/octopus courtship.

However, even without a shifter framework, this does cutely work on the misunderstandings/doubts that occur between two established best friends who are afraid to take the next step into a romance.

There’s the sister Mandy to assist with this, and the madcap events that follow.

There are many questions about the relationship, the culture, that never really get answered. But the characters are adorable and the Australian location perfect for the romance.

Christmas down under style with octopus tentacles . Very cute.

Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)

◦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly

✓ All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain

◦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine

✓ A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle

✓ Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice

◦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers

◦ It’s a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen

✓ Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland

✓ Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ❤️🫶

◦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024

Buy Link:

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

An annual Christmas vacation to Australia gives two long-term friends more than they bargained for—love. But one of them has a secret that could suck in more ways than one.

Fitch found his soulmate, Shaun, when they were both four years old, but they were separated by two things, a couple of oceans and their age. Not to mention the secret Fitch has been keeping. The fact you can turn into an octopus at will isn’t the kind of thing to be sprung on anyone, especially a soul mate.

Every winter, Shaun heads down under to spend Christmas with his family. For the last twenty years, he’s spent his favorite holiday surfing and lazing around on golden beaches with his best friend, Fitch. Shaun wants more than friendship, however, but has no clue how to get the man of his dreams to see him as more than a friend. Enter Mandy, Shaun’s sister, and Christmas is all set to become an adventure with hilarious consequences.

Fitch and Shaun are about to find out how to deal with the discovery that true love comes with suckers.

A Sucker for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone. Expect to find steam worthy of an Olympian swimmer and laugh out loud moments that will make your ribs ache. Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!

• Publisher: (December 4, 2023)

• Publication date: December 4, 2023

• Print length: 222 pages