Wintering with George , the second book in the With George series by Mary Calmes, is hard to be defined as a standalone series as its main characters are supported by and has its foundation knowledge based in two of this authorās most popular series (see list below).
However, Wintering with George is set two years after the events of the first novel and Calmes is able to give George and Kurtās relationship a depth only time makes realistic. Thereās still plenty of struggles and doubts, especially when George is still being unexpectedly called to duty for missions he canāt talk about.
That strain feels raw and the fear real. This is when the one person POV becomes intuitive because Calmes narrative has to include Kurtās complex feelings, but from Georgeās perspective. Thatās a difficult thing as Kurt has a tendency to want to psychoanalyze events and knows the boundaries where they should stop. Itās a great dynamic that we need to see more of.
Itās time to meet Kurtās small family. Another great background story here and that turns into the main narrative going forward.
Thereās plenty of action. Dogs and Georgeās cat, Bub. Kids to break up the adult action and add to the heartwarming atmosphere. Calmes has the best elements down pat here.
Except one.
We really need one more book to complete the trilogy and series. I hope we get it. This is too good to leave at two stories.
George Hunt is certain that spending time with his boyfriendās family over the holidays will be a disaster. How can it not? For starters, he knows nothing about families, never having had one, as for the restā¦talk about pressure. What if he messes up, says the wrong thing, and ends up losing the most important person in his life? Dr. Kurt Butler is his miracle; George canāt afford any missteps. But if heās careful and does everything right, perhaps theyāll see his good qualities instead of the lethal ones.
Sometimes, though, fate lets you put your best foot forward, and George gets to show off how handy he is to have around when bullets start flying. If he can keep everyone alive long enough to do some wintering, maybe heāll discover that a family is something worth having after all.
Itās hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character thatās an important part of two popular series from Calmes.
If youāre a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story wonāt have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.
For us, weāve been there as heās been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , Georgeās boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, itās made use of by the author in the various plot lines.
Scary competence is attractive. So itās not surprising that everyone was clamoring for Georgeās story.
Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now itās flipped over to Georgeās point of view.
We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with
Kurt, Hannahās therapist from a recent attempt on her life. Itās a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmesā story reveals more of Georgeās past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.
Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.
As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All itās proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.
George Hunt can think of nothing heād like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but thereās no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasnāt there to stop it, heād never forgive himself. So even though sheās grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, heās going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.
What he doesnāt count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expectedā¦ someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.
Itās hard to put a rating to this book and mini-series about a beloved character thatās an important part of two popular series from Calmes.
If youāre a reader unfamiliar with this author and her series, this story wonāt have the same appeal as it does for most of the readers who are bringing a wealth of background information , series history, and built in affection with George Hunt, military sniper, blk ops, and now security bodyguard.
For us, weāve been there as heās been assigned to Hannah, daughter of US Marshal Sam Kage and Jory Harcourt, niece of billionaire Aaron Sutter , Georgeās boss, and witnessed all their personal travails and relationship growth in true friendship. George is a strong personality and, even narratively, when his physical absence is noted, itās made use of by the author in the various plot lines.
Scary competence is attractive. So itās not surprising that everyone was clamoring for Georgeās story.
Parts of the beginning of the story have been mentioned or a part of other stories, but from other main characters perspectives. Now itās flipped over to Georgeās point of view.
We get to see the moment George, through Hannah, really connects with
Kurt, Hannahās therapist from a recent attempt on her life. Itās a little rocky at the beginning but as Calmesā story reveals more of Georgeās past experiences and adolescence, how he relates to people becomes realistic.
Kurt, feeling one dimensional, adds depth and detail to his character as the events and story progresses. I go from not immediately connecting with Kurt, to liking him more and more by the end.
As always, Just George comes to a finish way too soon. All itās proven is that George and now his relationship with Kurt need much more than one book to satisfy our need to know what happens next.
George Hunt can think of nothing heād like more than to skip the high-society fundraiser where he has to guard a precocious seventeen-year-old girl and her judgmental therapist, but thereās no way out of it. If anything bad were to happen and he wasnāt there to stop it, heād never forgive himself. So even though sheās grilling him about his dating life and the good doctor is psychoanalyzing him, heās going to soldier on, because protecting his charges is what a knight does.
What he doesnāt count on is having to use both his training and his gun to make it through the night, or finding the last thing he ever expectedā¦ someone who actually sees him, not for the man he is, but for the man he could be with just a little bit of love.
Itās Valentineās 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. Itās 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 itās my thought that all anthologies should begin and end with strong storytelling.
Stories:
šThank You , You Canāt Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters
šHot Date by Eliot Grayson
šSweet Treats by Grae Bryan
šLooking 4 Furever by Kiki Clark
šLocked in Love by Lark Taylor ššLove Me Love My Dogs by Macy Blake
šNot So Cupid by Mika Nix
šStarry Night by Pandora Pine
šThe Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Lark
šLove Under the Sea by Taylor Rylan
A Letter From the H2H Team
1. Thank You , You Canāt Spell Necromancer Without Romance by Alice Winters ššššš
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
Davidās 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, whoās been secretly watching each other but finally connects thru H2H. Adorable š
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 ššššš
Wolf shifter George Duko, with his French Bulldog, Gaston, runs Dukoās Den animal sanctuary. Braxton, nonbinary, dragon, and Georgeās match on H2H . A gentle, warm-hearted, laugh filled love story that I absolutely adore.ššššš
7. Not So Cupid by Mika Nix
Ruairi, Cupidās little brother and
Weston, human, on a Cupid arranged Valentineās Day date find out theyāre 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 itās got so many fascinating elements. Terrific story.
9. The Hidden God of Open Doors by Tavia Larkššššš
Rune, an imprisoned demon
Raider, ritual contractor, owner of Artifacts, Alchemy etc
Iāll say nothing except itās 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. Thereās 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 wonderedā¦ 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 Valentineās 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 Cupidās 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 Canāt 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
With Zachary, the wonderful Demons-In-Law trilogy comes to a heartwarming conclusion and for me, itās way too early for this series to end.
I feel like we are just getting to know the extraordinary mountain enclosed village of Hortplatz, the most demon inhabitants, and run by an imperious demon grandmother whoās a remarkable figure. Plus we barely explored the mysterious dragon hoard , hidden behind a 12,000 ish year old puzzle door, that had been built into the mountain above the village by a long ago dragon, and it now the scientific find of the world. Oh, Hortplatz, we hardly knew you!
Masters finishes with the heartbreak couple. Ronan Draco, Steffenās twin brother, who is burdened by their horrific past, and his self inflicted āprisonā of guilt, doubts, and inability to connect with others. Ronan is selected by Brandt to catalog the items and help identify them as them come out of the vault. Itās terrifying to him.
On the other side, thereās Zachary, grandson to the formidable grandmother ,Damaris Bailey , who rules the family, town Council and everyone else with a steely voice and gaze to match. Zachary is the townās forester, well, go to demon, depending on the job, despite having his own hopes and dreams. Heās continually sacrificed for the sake of the family and the community, letting family obligations and responsibilities become an invisible prison for himself. Until the bitterness is threatening to swallow him.
This is the setup that Masters introduces the reader to the situation and these haunted beings to each other. It is not a meet cute.
But the journey to redemption and love for both is a fabulous and heartwarming story to read. Ronanās as he realizes his need to connect with the Hortplatz community and learn how to make friends. Thatās a truly remarkable, funny, and joyful stumbling path he had to take, one that included pastries, group text sessions, and a box from the World of Wangs makes an important appearance. Ronan finds he can become part of a community, have a home, with a loving partner, leaving the past behind.
And Zachary? In Ronan, he finds someone to stand with him, support his passions, explore new experiences, even if it means staying in Hortplatz. For now.
Masters doesnāt forget Damaris, the stern, unyielding grandmother, whose actions and character become fully revealed in a wonderful, memorable scene.
So many great characters are brought in to help Ronan and Zachary achieve their dreams and HEA, from Steffen to all the many demon cousins and their families.
As I said, three books is barely breaking the surface of this villageās stories and what the future now holds for them.
Itās my wish that Masters might come up with another series that will find its way back into this world and town , so we can get an update on everyone there and the new couples to arrive.
In the meantime, Iām highly recommending this series and book. Itās fantastic and a grand bit of fantasy!
A dragon with endless secrets meets a demon with nothing to hideā¦
Iām the easygoing one. The fun one. The rare member of my family who gets along with anyone. Except thereās a chance I may have got off on the wrong foot with our new dragon liaison, Ronan. In my defense, he rubs everyone the wrong way. The only thing heās got going for him is his looksā¦ if the miserable frown werenāt there to mar them. But he seems to be trying harder to connect, and I guess I should do the same. Even if his arrival here was the beginning of all my problems.
When I cross the line and guilt compels me to apologize, I get my first glimpse of a different Ronan. Someone who enjoys baking, thinks glitter is amazing, and wants people to like him. Someone I could be friends with. And when that frown disappears? I want more than just friendship.
But thereās something going on with him, something heās been carrying for a long time. Heās been hurt before, and the secrets heās keeping are the kind that eat you inside. How can we take things to the next step if he canāt be open with me?
Itās only when he steps up to make all my dreams come true that I realize some secrets need to stay that wayā¦ and that loving Ronan means accepting him for who he really is.
The time has come, the wizard says, for all great adventures to come to an end and all the fabulous adventurers to tend to their wounds, gather their treasures, and head back home.
Necromancer Lawton, Half Orc Berklak, and the rest of the Beefcake Brigade are still on their quest to find the reason for the dreaded miasma thatās spreading over the lands, causing the females of various species to turn on the males in a murderous frenzy.
Now they are headed into the frozen southern landscape of Gwafellaw. There awaits such wondrous things as dragons, a crazy wood elf, and the solution to the murderous rage thatās seeping over the continent.
Codyās final chapter in this fabulous adventure is a doozy. She gives us a bit of fatherly acceptance for Lawton, forest love for Berklak and new magical powers, some wildly inspired battles, and an ancient, devastating origin tale that is the beginnings of all the woe here.
Yes, that does contain mention in an ancient poem of multiple SA to a woman long dead. Be warned.
Cody pulls together all the pieces of the journey, the events of carnage, and magical scenarios to create one monumental experience as a cap to the adventure and a final chapter in this epic tale. Loved it.
What a strange and glorious romp this has been! I shall miss this motley, powerful, magical crew. And hopefully, one day, Cody will decide to send them forth to adventure once more.
Until then, Iām highly recommending all five chapters of this excellent adventure. Make sure to read them in order.
I honestly thought passing through the ward to the freezing land of Gwafellaw would be more miserable than it turns out to be. Who has time to be miserable when everything in the land wants to kill you? No one, thatās who.
Between fighting dragons, finding a new species, and saving a crazy druid, Berklak and I are learning exactly what it means to be anchored, tied together, bonded, and in love. Weāre going to defeat the aelysou hurting Fasgard no matter what it takes, because Iām the high sorcerer of Fasgard and the most powerful necromancer alive. I wonāt let anything separate me from the love of my lifeānot my father, not a goddess, not even death.
Berklak:
Iāve been adventuring for over fifty years, and Iāve adventured in Gwafellaw before, but Iāve never seen so much hostility. The only good thing walking this land is Lawton, and Iād follow him to the portals of death herself if thatās where he wanted to go.
I might not be sure exactly what weāre going to find in this frozen wasteland, but if itās not my happily ever after, I wonāt have done my job right. Iām proficient in weapons, and Iām confident weāll prevail, but itās a good thing we have Lawton to keep us from permanently making the ultimate sacrifice. Iād hate for him to lose me before we even figure out where weāre going to live after this.
I Went on an Adventure and All I Got Was This Barbarian Orc is a five chapter serial fantasy adventure with a light-hearted, fun TTRPG vibe. Expect big magic, lots of cuddles, plenty of steam, and a team of characters that might not get a natural 20 on every roll, but they make up for it with creative solutions to both magical and mundane problems.
āThis book contains on-page violence, torture, attempted rape, and abuse.ā
That out of the way, and yes, I think most readers appreciate that the warnings are put at the beginning of the book so any reader can make a quick judgement as to whether they should read the story or not, rather then search it out at a website or wait until the end of the book for them when itās too late, War of the Wicked is an exciting, violent mob romance.
King has created a city in New York, Luciferās Landing, thatās completely owned, and operated, however illegally, by various mob families. Thereās the Italians, the Japanese, the Irish, the Haitians, and the Greeks, all fighting against each other to ensure their territories and weaken their opponents.
These are the main characters, primarily, so the violence and warnings make sense.
It starts with the Italians. Dante Scavo, whoās just buried his father, the now former head of their mafia family. Itās Dante, in this time of mourning for his father, who must gather the family together, keep their businesses and territories intact against the other families, and find out if his fatherās death was murder.
King builds a strong sense of who Dante is in this moment of crisis and grief, as well as the people closest to him. That includes his family and the men who worked under his father, like his consigliere, Edward.
That these people are violent predators, criminals who are also capable of being loving family members is inherently important to the plot and their characters. Kingās creations get that across beautifully.
If there is an āinnocentā person here, itās the high end prostitute/escort, Rainn Blessings, who works at one of the Scavo businesses, The Magic Mirror. The sex workers here arenāt forced to work here. Theyāre paid highly and treated extremely well and with respect. Itās a matter of perspective or level.
And while their initial meeting and discussion of future plans is that of a business plan, which I found interesting and pretty relevant to the situation, King still builds on a chemistry happening between them.
This is a book I gobbled up. The action and events just start speeding up as the Scavo family comes under attack, Dante has to fight back against forces inside and out, while his relationship with Rainn builds.
The warnings at the beginning are there for a reason. It gets intense when the families go to war and start slaughtering each other. If this is a trigger, this might not be the book for you.
Iām recommending it for lovers of this trope and fans of this author. I absolutely enjoyed it. And moved onto the sequel.
Luciferās Landing is full of unscrupulous people: five families desperate to own every inch. For years, under the watchful and most powerful eye, there has been peace. With the murder of the most powerful man, itās as if the gates of Hell have opened.
Dante Scavo is trying to fill his fatherās shoes, find the person responsible for killing him, and stop Luciferās Landing from becoming a war zone. He has to focus, find out who the traitor among his ranks is, and end them. The last thing he needs is a distraction, but when he meets Rainn, one look, one touch, takes his breath away.
Rainn Blessings is no stranger to strong and powerful men. His life is about survival and getting to a place where he finds his peace, though sometimes that means being the fantasy of others. Working as a high-class escort heās seen a lotā¦done a lotā¦and not much surprises him. Then Dante walks into The Magic Mirror and turns his world upside down.
With an unlikely ally, Rainn and Dante try to survive the storm, but no one is bulletproof or untouchable in the game of violent delights. Getting out unscathed is impossible; the question is: will they get out alive?
***Please see start of book for trigger warning
(This was previously released through Maple House Publishing. War of the Wicked has been reedited and minor changes have been made from the original content)
The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan: Vol. 1 (a Dead Serious Companion novella) by Vawn Cassidy is a story available at the authorās website. There was a mention of it at the end of Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume, a book I just loved that was a recent release. So of course when the author drops this side story into the series list at the end of that novel, Iām on it like itās a hunk of chocolate. Donāt judge.
Chan has been such a special, strong character throughout the series, evolving as relationships and the shattering events have altered this characterās perceptions about himself and the life around him. I say him now but as Chan explains here, the journey to understanding himself has been a long process, one that included Dusty, their past, and, surprisingly, the Grim Reaper too.
The Reaperās presence has been a constant source of fascination and continued curiosity for me in the series, especially recently with the Reaperās interactions with Chan.
This is Cassidyās answer, Iām sure, to the overwhelming number of people asking for more Reaper/Chan relationship content. Itās fabulous.
These are thoughtful, well developed characters, and Chanās journey to a new awareness of himself and the next chapter in his life is a great read. The reader is able to see certain events from a new perspective, watch as Grim woos Chan (a wonder in itself), and a new found paranormal family gets formed.
Plus the author has promised more adventures to come. Be still my narrative yearning heart.
Yes, The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan: Vol. 1 (a Dead Serious Companion novella) by Vawn Cassidy is a must read. However, itās not a standalone, but a novella that is a significant part of a fabulous series. Iām highly recommending them all.
Crawshanks Guide to the Recently Departed:
ā Dead Serious Case #1 Miz Dusty Le Frey #1
ā Dead Serious Case #2 Mrs Delores Abernathy #2
ā Dead Serious Case #3 Mr Bruce Reyes #3
ā Dead Serious Case #4 Professor Prometheus Plume #4
ā The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan: Vol. 1 (a Dead Serious Companion novella) – Side story
ā¦ Dead Serious Case #5 Madame Vivienne: Schedule 2024
The Grim Adventures of Death and Chan is set in the Dead Serious Universe. It is a compilation of bonus shorts told in chronological order and documenting the hilarious and sweet beginnings of the relationship between the drag queen known as Chan and the supernatural entity known as Death.
This volume includes Death goes on a Date, Death goes Shopping, Death goes on Holiday and Death gets a Puppy!
Donāt miss out! Itās a must have for all Dead Serious fans!
Iām an Alice Winters fan and this latest book is a prime example why. Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes is the first in Winters new Fanged Mistakes series and contains all the best of a Winters novel experience.
Her characters are intelligent with at least one having a history thatās incredibly tragic or traumatic. The dialogue is witty, fast paced, sarcastic , and filled with humor. Same often applies to the scenes of tension, where the interaction between the characters is interspersed with moments of humor and quiet understanding is used as a basis for the solidification of the relationship, as it so often does here with werewolf Julian and vampire Casimir.
It helps that Winters has created a strong group of characters, including a poodle Gustov, that supports the couple in a number of ways, comedic, action wise, and emotionally compelling.
I spent so much of this book cackling over the dialogue, finding total enjoyment in the dynamic between Julian and Casimir that Winters is developing that the story just flew by.
Thereās a faint mystery thatās surrounds Julianās character but thatās left for future stories to unravel. Plus we have a fabulous grumbling romance in progress between a human detective and Casimirās second in command sorta , these two alone had me howling! All kinds of shenanigans galore and a nasty villain to boot!
Really, this is golden Alice Winters. A fabulously scripted and gloriously entertaining narrative that had me laughing out loud and ready to read it once again when I was done.
Iām highly recommending this and ready for the next in the series.
Fanged Mistakes:
ā Faked Dates and Fanged Mistakes #1
ā¦ Dire Straits and Entwined Fates # 2 – March 12, 2024
This week hasnāt gone the best for me unless you count Casimir, the sexy ancient vampire, bringing me back from the brink of death (and tying my fate to his in the process). Not that it matters if the werewolves and vampires donāt stop their ridiculous feud, because someone is targeting them and widening the divide between our communities with each body they leave in their wake.
But as the alphaās son, I have a plan to fix everything. Iām going to convince Casimir to fake date me to show the others that we can work together.
I meanā¦ what could go wrong?
Casimir Everything.
Literally everything could go wrong. Who is actually going to believe that I want this joke-cracking, cute werewolf tagging alongside me?
Honestly, do I even care if people get along? I really think I have much more important things to do than going on hardware store dates, learning the torturous art of holding hands, and attending awkward family dinners, likeā¦ staring at my dogā¦ andā¦ Iām sure thereās something else.
Okay, fine, maybe this whole fake dating scheme isnāt the worst idea that Iāve come across in the past five hundred years, but itās definitely in the running. The two of us are just going to have a bit of fun while I stop whoeverās hunting down the vampires and werewolvesā¦ right?
Fake Dates and Fanged Mistakes has a sunshiny yet stubborn werewolf who just wants everyone to get along, dang it; a bored vampire who isn’t nearly as aloof as he wants to appear; paper napkins trying (and failing) to stand in for clothes; some awesome swordsmanship; and the last thing youād expect to find in a secret cupboard.
Chloe Archer had me at every single aspect of this story, from the disillusioned Grinch of a human whoās lost his job as an āelfā to the small ship full of found family tentacled aliens, complete with a runaway groom, arriving at Earth with visions of Hallmark Christmases and rom-com movies abounding in their heads!
I laughed, smiled, and just delighted in all the many imaginative elements and great scenarios that Archer incorporates into this imaginative sci fy holiday romance. Itās got adorable aliens escaping a totalitarian world where only warriors are celebrated and those with other personalities and other types of skills and abilities are deemed lesser or weaker in nature.
One is, in fact, a wealthy IT alien, Khephren, whoās a definite fan of the Earth rom-coms and Hallmark movies. Yep , these will survive into the future , was there ever any doubt? This is such a hilarious and perfect idea and itās used beautifully throughout this storyline.
Holodeck anyone?
Anyway, Khep goes all runaway groom, as one does, after seeing those movies and heads for Earth with his small found family of friends with similar problems. Which I love. Archer has a great way with characters, alien and human.
There Kheph kidnaps/encounters a depressed human , Sasha. Recently fired, and with a very sad past. Cue the restoration of Christmas spirit to the Scrooge human by aliens!
Honestly, this is such a joyful, hilarious, and heartwarming story. The characters have been given such depth that, human or alien, the reader connects with them easily and comes to care about them greatly.
Even that āChristmas treeā that arrives on board. More pls.
I would love to see where this merry crew is next Christmas. Whatās happening with the show and what worlds theyāve visited.
Iām hooked. My favorite of the series and one Iām highly recommending any time of the year.
Tinsel and Tentacles (11 books)
ā¦ Jingle Bells and Elder Gods by Kiernan Kelly
ā All I Want for Christmas is Tentacles by Chloe Archer ā¤ļøš«¶
ā¦ Tentacles and Other Stocking Stuffers by Delaney Rain
ā¦ Tentacles Rock by K.C. Carmine
ā A Sucker for Christmas by J.P. Sayle
ā Kraken Klaus by Charlotte Brice
ā¦ Twelve Days of Squidmas by H.L. Hiers
ā¦ Itās a Tenta-ful Life by Amanda Muewissen
ā Rebel without a Claus by L Eveland
ā Cthulhu for Christmas by Meghan Maslow ā¤ļøš«¶
ā¦ Tentacle Wonderland by Reese Morrison – Jan 1,2024
Seasons greetings and alien abductions! Can two misfits find love together? It might just take a Christmas miracle! Let’s hope Santa doesn’t mind that tentacles can be both naughty and nice…
Khephren
Thereās no way in Helgar’s Nebula Iām marrying the candidate my parents have chosen for me. I donāt want to be the house-husband of some stoic warrior who only cares about training all day. Boring! Thankfully, Iāve learned a thing or two from all those rom-com human movies Iāve illegally downloaded off the intergalactic web. No one will see it coming when I pull a runaway groom maneuver on them!
Once I make my escape, I can go on the solo honeymoon of my dreamsāto planet Earth. Itās almost that wondrous time of year when they celebrate their holiday known as āChristmas.ā Human Hallmark movies make it seem so magical. I want to experience it for myself! Now, I just need to find a human who can make my wish come true and help me have an authentic holly jolly timeā¦
Sasha
Scrooge was right when he said ābah humbugā to Christmas. This time of year sucks balls, and not the fun kind. Iāve just lost my crappy part-time job and Iām slowly sinking under a sea of student loan debt and crushed dreams.
Just when I think my life couldnāt possibly get any worse, my cat and I are abducted by an alien who wants me to help him experience a “real human Christmas” on his ship. WTF? Clearly heās chosen the worst possible candidate for the job.
As we spend more time together, I start to realize I might not want to go home and that maybe, just maybe, Iāve found what Iāve always been looking for. Could Khephren feel the same? If so, it would be a Christmas miracle and I donāt believe in thoseā¦right?
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 