Rating: 4.75🌈

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

Buy Link:

Cthulhu for Christmas: A Winter Holiday MM Tentacle Romance

Blurb:

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.

• Publisher: Pun City Pantser (December 29, 2023)

• Publication date: December 29, 2023

• Print length: 239 pages