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!
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.
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.
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
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
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!
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
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!
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
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!
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
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!
Rebel without a Claus takes place within a favorite universe of mine, that of L Eveland’s Culinary Creatures. It’s a rare world where all species exist together, with humans being on the lower level just because of their lesser physical abilities. Moth people? Shifters and vampires? Tentacles? It hasn’t mattered because whatever the individual character’s physiology, it’s just the norm here. The author’s writing is just so outstanding at making it believable.
The four books that make up the main series excel on multiple levels, plots, characters, locations, and surrounding those incredible beings with a culture to match them.
I enjoyed the rocky romance of the winter athletes , human Rebel Rhail and tentacled being Vic Amares, as they work their way through misunderstandings and resentments in a snowed in cabin near a Canadian airport. As always Eveland makes the seemingly impossible seem real and commonplace, their stories and frustrations become relatable as does their pentup sexual feelings towards each other.
But what I am missing here is how the author would have given the reader an idea of what the community and culture that Vic Amares comes from. We get bits and pieces but nothing like the rich depiction that I have seen before. I would have been delighted if more of that, and any type of cultural connection to have been pulled in the relationship.
It leaves this story with some of the best examples of that universe (like the characters) but missing the richness of the whole.
L Eveland is an auto read and this is a good read. Add it to your list this season.
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
I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere with my rival on Christmas eve. There may only be one bed, but he’s got six frustratingly attractive tentacles…
Rebel
Getting snowed in with Vic Amares is a nightmare come true. He’s been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since he appeared in the league with his ridiculously talented tentacles, that handsome smile, and those dimples…
I hate everything about him. It’d take a Christmas miracle for us to find common ground. Unfortunately for me, all we’ve got is this cabin we’ve been forced to share out in the middle of nowhere.
Yet there’s something about him I find undeniably sexy, despite his obsession with a holiday I detest. I can’t let him find out I’m attracted to him. If I can survive his constant attempts to cheer me up, his singing, and his cooking, I might just be able to live this down.
Vic
Snowed in with the Rebel Rhail? I can’t believe my luck! He’s been my inspiration, my hero, and my crush for years. I’ve even been working on a new snowboarding move just to impress him.
No matter how many times I’ve tried to strike up a conversation with Rebel, he’s remained distant, but I’ll do anything to win.
This holiday snowstorm is my chance to win his heart once and for all. I have a plan to show him how much he means to me.
If he thought my tentacles were hard to beat on a snowboard, just wait until I show him what I can do with them in the bedroom…
Rebel without a Claus: A Holiday MM Tentacle Romance is part of the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author collaboration and a complete standalone but set in the same universe as L Eveland’s Culinary Creatures series. You should expect a tale of sports rivals forced to share a cabin with only one bed, an unexpected holiday snowstorm, and more talented tentacles than you can shake a snowboard at!
Want more tantalizingly tentacular winter holiday romances? Grab the whole series!
an MM sports rivals to lovers romance between a sweet, Christmas loving tentacle monster and a human grinch. While the story is relatively low angst, Rebel is somewhat mean to Vic at the beginning. I promise, he comes around.”
— Rebel without a Claus: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by L Eveland
I’m such a sucker immediately for anything that Maslow writes, especially when she’s putting the story smack dab near me. Maryland, specifically, around the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore close by. Places I know and love.
Plus the added factor of a Christmas collection! I’ve been reading a lot of those lately, many set up in Vermont (I get it, gorgeous and Hallmark) or the pacific northwest coast. Seattle, or quirky Portland. That too is perfect for a story location.
But when it came to tentacles and tinsel? Meghan Maslow went Chesapeake Bay! And I love it. Maslow creates an imaginary island in the Bay, called (perfection) Old Bay Island. Old Bay, which, for those who might not know, is a traditional spice here that’s used on practically everything.
There’s even a map of the island included with the story.
Zen King, a police officer with the OBI police department, is ready to leave for a future the island keeps denying him. One of the foster children that finds themselves a home there, nevertheless, he never gets a promotion, and his crush on his best friend , one of the island’s first families, seems unlikely to change. His best friend, Grey Criswel, has secrets, and is a superb personality too.
I love the characters here. From the town grump to mysterious librarian, each is an intriguing, layered portrait of a person or animal. Can’t forget the beaver or reindeer. And the town itself, from one building to the next, is as memorable as can be. Maslow builds a small universe within the island , populating it with people and adding to the history and mythology as the story grows.
There’s murder, mystery, romance, and , tentacles, very sexy tentacles!
Oh my!
Honestly, I could dwell a bit more here and think Maslow (who’s probably overwhelmed with more books and requests as it is) needs to add this universe to her list of ones that need a sequel. I can think of several characters who also need their own stories and HEA, or HFN.
Anyway Cthulhu for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance by Megan Maslow was a fantastic way to start the collection. She crushed it. I need more!
I’m onto more stories, more tentacles, giddy with anticipation!
And happy to recommend this book to everyone who loves the author and the elements described.
Great cover.
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
Six accidental tentacles, five naked neighbors, four evil mages, three ugly sweaters, two dead bodies, and one crush on my straight best friend . . .
Some things are simple fact: Santa Claus isn’t real and magic doesn’t exist. As a former foster kid turned cop, I know this for a fact. My life is anything but magical and Santa sure as hell never visited me as a kid.
Another fact in my life: I’ve been in love with Grey Criswel, my gorgeous—and straight—best friend, since we met. Unfortunately, he’s not going to make my secret Christmas wish come true this year—or ever.
But before I know it, fact and fantasy are starting to get all mixed up. I thought I knew Old Bay Isle and its residents like the back of my hand. Now I’m dealing with a bunch of naked carolers refusing to put on their damn clothes and mysterious happenings at the lighthouse. Oh, and murder. Because what says happy holidays like a corpse at a Christmas tree farm?
Worse yet, I’m suddenly afflicted with an aquatic ailment of sorts. Namely—tentacles. Six of them to be exact. Attached. To. My. Back. They even have their own opinions. And they all agree they want Grey. Could he maybe want them—and me—back? Things are so topsy-turvy I’m starting to believe the impossible just might be possible because it turns out magic is real after all . . .
Cthulhu for Christmas is a standalone novel in the Tinsel and Tentacles multi-author winter holiday MM tentacle romance series. It features Zen King—a cop with a tentacular dilemma, a best friend with a closet full (heh) of secrets, a sharp-tongued former foster mom, a beaver for a roommate, found family, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.
Rebel Without a Claus is the finale to Charlie Cochet’s The Kings: A Treemendous Christmas series. It’s a sweet short read that quickly recaps the preceding stories, telling the reader what happened to the other couples from the perspective of Leo, who has got secret plans of his own for his love and beloved fiancé, Ward Kingston.
What those plans are were revealed at the end of book three, so it’s no big secret here that it’s a wedding. But much of the story is Leo running around, getting Christopher, aka Winterhaven’s town’s Mayor and Santa, to help him organize this and make it happen. All while keeping King in the dark about the wedding.
I wish Cochet’s story had more details about Christopher and his wife, as they are both very “Mr and Mrs. Claus” but that’s not carried out fully.
It’s sweet, romantic and very much in the holiday spirit. I enjoyed it .
Life for Leopold de Loughrey is anything but ordinary. His meticulous and logical mind is both a gift and a curse, especially when it comes to finding a heartfelt present for his beloved fiancé, Ward Kingston. As Christmas and their first milestone anniversary draw near, Leo is eager to find the ideal gift that will perfectly capture their deep love and devotion.
When Colton surprises their family with an unforgettable Christmas vacation to Winterhaven, the possibilities that await in this enchanting holiday town stir Leo’s imagination, and with a few keystrokes, he discovers the town’s mayor—a man who remarkably resembles Santa Claus himself.
Join Leo, King, and their Four Kings Security family as they embark on a shenanigan-fueled adventure filled with unyielding determination and boundless love to rescue the holiday season for Winterhaven, where Santa Claus may just hold the key to delivering the perfect Christmas.
• Publication date: December 20, 2023
• Print length: 91 pages
Welcome to the Four Kings Security Universe! The current reading order for the universe is as follows:
FOUR KINGS SECURITY UNIVERSE
“STANDALONES
◦ Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts-Standalone (Spencer and Quinn. Quinn is Ace and Lucky’s cousin.) Can be read any time before In the Cards.
FOUR KINGS SECURITY
✓ Love in Spades-Book 1 (Ace and Colton)
✓ Ante Up-Book 1.5 (Seth and Kit) Free short story
◦ Be Still My Heart-Book 2 (Red and Laz)
✓ Join the Club-Book 3 (Lucky and Mason)
✓ Diamond in the Rough-Book 4 (King and Leo)
◦ In the Cards-Book 4.5 (Spencer and Quinn’s wedding.)
◦ FOUR KINGS SECURITY Boxed Set includes all 4 main Four Kings Security novels: Love in Spades, Be Still My Heart, Join the Club, and Diamond in the Rough.
BLACK OPS: OPERATION ORION’S BELT
◦ Kept in the Dark-Book 1 (Standalone series can be read anytime)
THE KINGS: WILD CARDS
◦ Stacking the Deck-Book 1 (Jack and Fitz).
◦ Raising the Ante-Book 2 (Frank and Joshua)
◦ Sleight of Hand-Book 3 (Joker and Gio)
◦ THE KINGS: WILD CARDS BOXED SET Boxed Set includes all 3: The Kings: Wild Cards books: Stacking the Deck, Raising the Ante, Sleight of Hand, and bonus story In the Cards.
Family First feels like the final chapter in the Harrisburg Railers series, at least for the original characters and teammates. The teammates have found their own journeys to HEA, with partners and families, some no longer playing.
One of the series favorites has been Russian goalie Stanislav “Stan” Lyamin. Stan of the Elvis obsession, his cat, speaking to his pipes, and eventual love of and marriage to teammate, Erik Gunnarsson (Poke Check). We watch them grow, stumble, laugh, form a family that includes Erik’s son, kids from Russia, Stan’s Mama, his sister and more. It’s been a fabulous and heartwarming experience and a joyful journey.
Now, both men are older, their children growing up. Their bodies are now more prone to the effects of age and the stress that their profession brings on them. Stan suffers a debilitating hit on the ice, the ramifications of which go beyond the physical impact of major injuries and a year off the ice.
Scott and Locey have always been able to get the mindset of a hockey player, no matter where they are in their career, newly acquired, a journeyman, or a star player with unbelievable skills or the ability to pull a team together. To be the head or the heart of the team.
Stan is one of those.
So when he’s sidelined by injuries, surgery, and age, the author’s skillfully show the readers just how much a sea change in his mental and emotional state this is.
For the reader who has followed the series, this isn’t the character we come to love and care for, and that’s makes it even more realistic.
As Erik and Stan are having their issues, their son, Noah, is suddenly diagnosed with a lifelong illness. This changes everything.
Scott and Locey take this serious element of a child and parents, who overnight, have their lives forever altered, and they handle this in a very responsible and sensitive manner. It feels medically well researched yet any details and medical care flows smoothly through the narrative.
Erik too has his own personal decisions to make and follow through with, and those are important for the family and his relationship with Stan. It’s just different and harder for the authors to give Erik’s story as much time as the other threads. There’s not enough page time, and Stan and Noah have the more dramatic moments.
If I have a small quibble, it’s with the Epilogue. I understand why the authors chose to do the timeline they did. However, for me, by moving it ahead so many years, you have effectively eliminated that challenges, growth and change that Stan and Erik (and Noah) had to deal with. It’s a narrative Cliffs Notes. And I don’t find those completely satisfying as they shortchange the characters and readers on so many levels. What does it do? Sets Noah up for his book which is up next.
So I found the ending expedient and sort of satisfying.
I think I could have used more of how the household, all the family members, not just Stan, Erik, and Noah, moved forward with all the changes in their lives after that last scene when Stan retires. And before the epilogue.
Oh well. Family First: A Railers Christmas Novella (Harrisburg Railers Series Book 13) by R. J. Scott and V. L. Locey is one I’m recommending to all fans of the series and their authors. It’s a lovely book and way to bid goodbye to two of the original team of the Railers.
An injury threatens to end Stan’s career. Will he choose to fight for his beloved hockey, or put his family first?
Few goalies are as dedicated as Stan Lyamin, known for his resilience on the ice, talking to his pipes, and his love of Elvis. Add in his adoration of his family and his life has been filled with all the things that bring him joy. However, after a heart-wrenching game ends with a disastrous hip injury, Stan faces the most challenging obstacle of his career: surgery, an extensive recovery, and the looming threat of retirement. It’s now that he has to decide which path to take: the one that will lead him back to the game he adores or the one that will see his jersey lifted to the rafters.
Erik and Stan, once invincible with the Railers, have always skated through life’s challenges hand in hand. Their love story, cemented by a shared passion for hockey and the joy of raising their children, has been their shield against the world. But when their son Noah’s life is changed forever by a medical diagnosis, this forever love is put to the test. Erik turns to his husband for support, but Stan is consumed with guilt, overwhelmed by decisions, and retreats into himself when his family needs him the most.
• Publisher: Love Lane Books Ltd; 1st edition (December 8, 2023)
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 