Tag: m/m holiday romance

A MelanieM Release Day Review:Holly & Hockey Boots by V.L. Locey

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

holly-hockey-bootsMinor league goalie Adam Seiger is a nice guy. He’s kind, cute, and a little quirky (but show me a goalie who isn’t) and he loves to interact with fans. During a meet and greet after a game Adam meets Cason Reyes, a hard-working young man with stunning amber eyes and a smile as sweet as a candy cane. Desperate to see Cason again, Adam does something more than a little naughty.

To add insult to the egg nog, it appears that one little white lie may end Adam’s chance of having a merry Christmas with a new boyfriend. Will he end up with nothing but a lump of coal in his stocking, instead of the man who owns his heart?

Adorable, totally adorable.  That describes both the story and the main character of Adam Seiger.  Gay, black, Canadian, minor league hockey player, adopted by his Aunt and Uncle when young, this man could have been a Mountie, he’s so sweet, nice, and yes, adorable…even in his faults.  That would be the lag time in between what comes out his mouth and the time it takes his brain to think it might be a bad idea to say that.    His brain goes awandering while the mouth just motors on.  Not always a great thing as Adam finds out when he spies the man of his dreams during a game.

I’ve enjoyed V.L. Locey’s stories before.  The author always manages to put in enough interesting quirks to their characters and storylines that it makes me take notice.  Extra spice, a V.L. Locey punch as it were.  Its the same here.  The other character?  Cason Reyes, is biracial with a fascinating background and a nephew to raise.  Both men have background that actually made me growl in frustation that I didn’t get enough time with each man’s family or get to delve deep enough into their stories.  They are that interesting and the people in their families we get to know are believable enough that we want more time with them too.

Other special touches?  The interaction with the team members.  Ray, Adam’s roomate with his own special kink?  Hilarious!  Plus I liked their acceptance of a gay teammate without any special acknowledgement or fanfare while mentioning that might not be realistic in the major leagues.  Nice reality check.  And then there was the holly branches.  I’ll leave the significance of that to the story.

I’d love to see Locey continue this into a series or at least give us a followup  story.  These two certainly deserve it.  We need to see what happens next.  I want more!  After reading this, you will too.

Cover art doesn’t really pull me to the book,  Doesn’t say holidays, and doesn’t really speak to the story.

Sales Links

7104e-waxcreative-amazon-kindleBook Details:

ebook, 78 pages
Published December 5th 2016 by V.L. Locey
Original TitleHolly & Hockey Boots
ISBN 9780985092
Edition LanguageEnglish

Riptide Tour: Angel Voices by Rowan Speedwell (giveaway)

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Angel Voices by Rowan Speedwell
Riptide Publishing
Cover  art by L.C. Chase

Read an Excerpt/Buy It Here

 

 

About Angel Voices

One frigid winter night a week before Christmas, college student Will stumbles into a church during choir practice, bruised by his own father’s hands. He’s out of the closet now—there’s no going back since his fundamentalist father learned the truth—but he’s also out of a home, a family, and a future. Will has nowhere to turn. No one to care.

Except . . . Will’s roommate, Quinn, cares. Maybe too much. He’s been attracted to Will since they moved in together, but never dreamed his crush was gay. With Will’s life in pieces, Quinn doesn’t want to push. He also knows he has more experience than Will, who’s never even been kissed.

Then Will’s father makes a reappearance, and Will has to learn to trust his heart more than the voices of his past. But it’s the season of miracles, faith, and hope, and Quinn is determined to teach Will how to love and be loved.

Available from Riptide Publishing. 

About Rowan Speedwell

An unrepentant biblioholic, Rowan Speedwell spends half her time pretending to be a law librarian, half her time pretending to be a database manager, half her time pretending to be a fifteenth-century Aragonese noblewoman, half her time . . . wait a minute . . .  Hmm.  Well, one thing she doesn’t pretend to be is good at math.  She is good at pretending, though.

In her copious spare time (hah) she does needlework, calligraphy and illumination, and makes jewelry.  She has a master’s degree in history from the University of Chicago, is a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and lives in a Chicago suburb with the obligatory Writer’s Cat and way too many books.

Connect with Rowan:

angelvoices_tourbanner

Giveaway

To celebrate the release of Angel Voices, one lucky winner will receive $15 in Riptide Publishing credit! Leave a comment with a thoughtful question and your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on December 3, 2016. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Stella Review: Reindeer Games by Kenzie Cade

RATING 4 out of 5 stars

Reindeer GamesDashing von Stride has one thing on his mind: winning the window display contest for the Miracle on Main Christmas Contest. His plans are set and ready—and then he walks into his toy store, Reindeer Games, to find a sleigh that shouldn’t be there. The mystery sleigh sparks a new plan, however, and now all Dash needs is the perfect Santa to model his display after.

This year, the pranks with his reindeer have gotten out of hand. Instead of preparing for the Big Day, Niklaus Kringle is hunting for his missing sleigh. Locating it should have been easy, but games easily won are seldom worth playing…

I discovered Kenzie Cade with the Portland Pack Chronicles series and when I saw this new holiday short, I was soon curious about it, especially cause… have you seen the cover? Impossible to resist.

Reindeer Games is the story of the toymaker and toy store owner Dash, who lives in a fabolous town, Wassail, where Christmas is highly celebrated and the annual competion of the best window display is coming. Dash is tired of his usual second place. This year he gets a surprise, a sleigh materialized out of nowhere in the middle of his store.

Niklaus is the Prince of the Kingdom of North pole, he comes to Wassail looking for his lost sleigh and  finds his mate. But is Dash ready for a future that it’s waiting for him to learn who he really is?

Reindeer Games (perfect title not just cause it’s the toy store name but for the role a naughty reindeer will have) is a great holiday short. It’s well written and engaging from the start. The dialogues are good and even if it is short, the author gave us some important background on the MCs and amazing second characters, like Tinsel and Pumpkin, the guard team, or Wendy, Dash’s best friend.  It is a sweet and cute reading, I’d have loved to have a couple of chapters more of course, but I felt pretty satisfied at the end, because Reindeer Games is traditional and original at the same time. It filled my heart with its good vibes.

If you’re looking for a magical story on your holidays, quick and dreamy, give this one a chance. Highly recommended!

The cover art by London Burden is what caught my attention first, it is super cute and well done.

Sales Links:  Less Than Three Press | All Romance (ARe) | Amazon | Buy It Here

Book Details:

ebook, 81 pages
Published December 9th 2015 by Less Than Three Press
ISBN139781620046845
Edition LanguageEnglish
settingColorado (United States)

A Mika Review: Him for The Holidays by Jaxx Steele

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

Him for the Holidays coverDon meets Trevor when he goes home for the holidays. Could a long distance romance be his holiday wish come true?

Donald Bradley is home for the holidays. While running an errand for his mother, he meets Trevor Oxford, who is everything Don could ask for in a man. However, Don does not intend to have any type of relationship with him. Trevor lives and works in the small town and Don lives two hundred miles away in the city. Trevor is confident and aggressive in his pursuit of Don, who is confused by Trevor’s attentiveness. Don wants to run away from Trevor and run to him at the same time.
Could a long distance romance be just what Don needs to start the New Year? Will Don accept what Trevor has to offer, giving him what he really wants this holiday season?

This was a first for me by the author. It was cute while not all the way smart. By smart I mean taking unnecessary precautions during sexual intercourse. I’m a big safe sex person during my reads unless they’re discussed between the two characters. Obviously here wasn’t. I don’t know if I liked Donald or not, I feel like I didn’t get enough of back history for him to make any kind of judgment about his personality. I knew next to nothing of Trevor as well. Apart of me feels like I started reading this in the middle, there wasn’t a beginning for any buildup to happen between the two guys. It went from one meeting, to instant gratification. Some people might appreciate that, but I just wasn’t feeling it.

I wanted to know more of Trevor, he was this guy who came back to town to help run his uncle’s store, and he was also an R.N. Like I said previously I didn’t connect with either character. I wouldn’t recommend this based as it felt incomplete. It ended… that’s it. No grand gestures, no empty promises. I don’t even know if Donald knows Trevor last name.

Cover Art by Posh Gosh. Since we never discussed the guys ages, I’m guessing these two could be seen as Donald & Trevor. They both seem kind of older than the two in the book, though and it really doesn’t invite me in.

Sales Links:    Totally Bound        Others to come:     All Romance (ARe)      amazon            buy it here

Book Details:

eBook, 42 pages.
December 2014 by Totally Bound
ISBN:
Edition Language: English

A Mika Review:  Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton

Rating:  4 stars out of 5

Unwrapping Hank coverSloane loves a good mystery. He grew up as the son of two psychiatrists, so he finds most people tediously easy to figure out. He finds his way to Pennsylvania State University, longing for a rural experience, and ends up being lured into joining a frat by Micah Springfield, the hippest guy on campus.

 Nothing in Sloane’s classes is as intriguing as Hank Springfield, Micah’s brother and fellow frat house member. Hank looks like a tough guy—big muscles, tattoos, and a beard—but his eyes are soft and sweet. He acts dumb, but he’s a philosophy major. He’s presumably straight, but then why does Sloane feel such crazy chemistry whenever Hank is around? And why does Hank hate Sloane so much?

When Sloane ends up stuck on campus over Christmas, Micah invites him to spend the holidays at their family farm in Amish country. It’s a chance to experience a true Americana Christmas–and further investigate the mystery that is Hank Springfield.

Can Sloane unlock the secrets of this family and unwrap the heart hidden inside the beefcake?

I really enjoyed this novella length book. I liked Sloane from the beginning, he was hilarious. Sloane is a freshman new pledge living in the Delta Sigma Phi at Pennsylvania State University; he is extremely cynical for such a young age. We can attribute these to his not so attentive parents, who are world class psychologist and jet setters. Sloane immediately attacked to the big buff guy with tattoos washing dishes in the frat house. Hank is that guy, I liked him, sure he seemed a little OCD-ish with the working out, but to each it’s own. I honestly didn’t see him as the frat type based on the other guys but that’s what I liked about the story.

Instantly Sloane is taken with Hank, because how could he not? This guy is a walking contradiction. I liked the little ways that Sloane tried to figure Hank out. It was down right funny at times. Micah is definitely a character that steals certain scenes. He’s Hank’s older brother and president of the frat, he also a sweet, down to earth guy. I liked Micah because he was super supportive to both guys.

Sloane’s parents end up ditching him for Christmas, thus leaving Sloane all alone in the States. Who comes to the rescue, Micah of course? I don’t want to give away the rest but there are definitely sweet moments, electricity moments, and tears to me.  An Amish sighting and all types of pie. There are instances where Sloane doesn’t know what to do, but between Micah being extremely helpful and Hank playing coy, I felt we all were winning. I hope Eli decides to give us Micah’s story because I need to know his decisions.

I definitely recommend Unwrapping Hank by Eli Easton.  It has terrific characters and enjoyable plot.

Cover Art by Reese Dante. Actually I think the guy on the cover looked way older then “20 years” old. He looks like a 30 yr old gym rat; I did like the gift and the dog aspect.

Sales Links:   All Romance eBooks       amazon            buy it here

Book Details:

eBook, 135 pages
Published November 14, 2014 by Eli Easton
ISBN: B00OWIQH5I
Edition Language: English