Books Tagged With what - holiday - christmas

Word Count: Click here to reveal68000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Love & Limitations is Scott's fourth short story collection and first one featuring contemporary MM and LGBTQ+ stories: I Only Want to Be With You: Derrek likes Ryan. Ryan likes Alex. Alex treats Ryan like trash. So why can't he see who really loves him? The Boy in the Band: It's hard for a trans kid in high school, just like it was for a gay kid two decades before. Can Ryan and Justin find common ground in time? Translation: Dominic has a thing for Italian guys, especially his boss, Dante. His roommate Enrico has a thing for him. No matter how this ends, someone is going to get hurt. Slow Thaw: As the Antarctic warms, so does the chilly relationship between scientist Javier Fernandez and new arrival-and trans man-Col Steele as they contend with a disaster on the ice. Ten: After the death of his husband, Chris faces a gay mid-life crisis-at thirty-five-as he jumps back into the dating scene for ten dates in ten days. This is the first time all of these stories have all been collected in one place, and the first publication of the The Boy in the Band in any form.

Word Count: Click here to reveal40395 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A fiercely protective firefighter. A lonely, shy drifter. Ejected from foster care on his eighteenth birthday, Lane Freeman has spent the past five years hitchhiking from place to place. But a steady six months bussing tables at the same bar, an apartment to call his own, and a three-legged cat have him contemplating setting down roots. Until the bar owner’s brother returns home for the holidays. Trey Jenkins has seen countless drifters steal from his brother or leave a trail of damage in their wake. He figures Lane is just another in a long line of disasters. But the more he gets to know Lane, the more he realizes Lane isn’t like the others. Catching a glimpse of Lane’s gentle heart, Trey finds himself captivated, but Trey’s life is back in Dallas. When a blizzard snows them in together, Trey’s resolve to keep his distance crumbles. Will the fragile heat between them ignite or will Lane find himself back on the open road once more? Tropes: Hurt/Comfort, enemies to lovers, snowed in/forced proximity, learning to love again **Please note: This is a re-release of a reclaimed story from previous publisher. No content has been changed.**

Word Count: Click here to reveal105K (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealAce, Gay, Non Binary, Questioning, Polyamorous, Transgender (Click here to hide)

Summary: Longtime friends Jackson Riley and Juliette (aka Jules) Baxter are committed to fulfilling their first year of business at their breakfast café, but trouble is brewing again in their personal lives. Jack and Reese Baxter are in a committed relationship -- or are they? Jack's not so certain given Reese's continued reluctance to come out of the closet. Jules has ended her polyamorous relationships, but she's juggling her romantic attraction to two café staff members - a man and a woman. Jules's parents split in their support of the cafe, and Reese's mother is making a big stink as well. When more details of Jack's secret past rise from the ashes, everything is thrown in turmoil. Will they all survive to celebrate?

Word Count: Click here to reveal41303 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Sleigh bells ring—are you listening? It’s that time of year again, and we have the perfect way to get you in the mood: A free anthology! Five holiday stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart, heat up your cold nights, and most importantly: Make your yuletide gay. FREE Anthology Contributors: A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer Let's Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada ~ ~ ~ Keywords: free, short story, short stories, holiday, christmas, new year, new year's, new years, anthology

Word Count: Click here to reveal15298 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Blacksmith Butch has secretly loved his best friend, science nerd Jimmy, since grade school. Now their shops in Old Town Seven Winds, California, are only doors from each other. They’re about to turn thirty, and Butch refuses to wait another day to make a decision: propose to Jimmy and start the family he’s always wanted or forget his dream to avoid risking their friendship. Why can’t the choice be as easy as creating decorative ironwork in his forge?

Word Count: Click here to reveal85586 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: MacKenzie Wright needed a vacation, but a three-month work trip to Auckland over the holiday season wasn’t what he had in mind. Three years ago, MacKenzie said goodbye to Eric Parata, not envisioning he’d ever return to the sun-kissed beaches of Coromandel. Fate, in the guise of his best friend Alicia, intervened, and now MacKenzie find himself face to face with the man he’d left behind. Over the holidays, his feelings run deep, but in the back of his mind, he knows the clock is ticking on his time in New Zealand. His life in Seattle beckons, but will he listen to the call of his heart instead?

Word Count: Click here to reveal75,000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: *2024 WINNER - New England Romance Writers Reader's Choice Award - Short contemporary romance novel* A between-jobs vacation was all Angelo expected from Buenos Aires; when it turned into a holiday fling, he wasn’t about to say No. Ramon’s impulsive trip to Argentina started off as a disaster. The cute dance teacher offering a room share? An early Christmas present. The night dancing tango? A revelation. The next week turned into a series of great dates, the kind that would take months to set up in real life. By day two, they were both wishing they’d met long ago, in California, where they both grew up. Ramon’s heading back there; Angie’s bound for North Carolina. How could they possibly make it work? Could they try? Angie leaves Argentina with a head full of plans and wishes, but no regrets. Ramon goes home with a plan of his own, determined to turn some wishes into reality. A New Year’s Eve party was always going to be a challenging introduction to his new job. Left on their own by two key staffers, Angie and his junior instructors manage to pull it off. The next morning, he’s expecting a hard day of damage control. Instead he finds Ramon on his doorstep. One way or another, they’ll dance into the future together.

Word Count: Click here to reveal78000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Beauty and the Bear: Can these opposites fake their way into something real? Sheldon Soleskin should be having a horrible day. Even though he’s been unexpectedly transferred to a new school right before the holidays, has only one day to set up his new classroom, and just discovered his twin sister's been hiding an invitation to his ex-boyfriend’s Christmas Eve wedding, he’s still ready to take on the world with a smile on his face and a skip in his step. Theo Berenson just wants to be left alone to his custodial duties. But when the chipper new first-grade teacher needs help moving furniture the Sunday after Thanksgiving, he's forced to do something he detests. Help. To make matters worse, Theo's overbearing parents are coming for Hanukah in a few weeks, and he's told them he has a boyfriend. Except he doesn't. Because who would want to date an oaf like Theo? Working together, these opposites discover they might be able to help each other out. Agreeing to be each other’s dates, they become friends as they practice for their upcoming events. But when all the rehearsing starts feeling a little too real, and both men's pasts come roaring back to haunt them, will they be able to pull off the ultimate holiday masquerade?

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Colorado's majestic scenery and creative community may be perfect for finding love, but life can change anywhere. Graham and Patrick raised a beautiful daughter together, then watched her take flight. But somehow in the aftermath, they lost their way. Now Patrick lives in Denver where he has his art studio, and Graham has been living his own solitary life in the home they built together. If one didn't count the constant ache of loss, the loneliness, and broken hearts, it was the perfect arrangement. But this year, Christmas holds the promise of a happy event that will bring Patrick and Graham a new kind of bliss...together. Can the magic of Loveland, the joy of the holiday season, and a special delivery mend the hurting hearts of two men and set them on the path to renewed love?

Word Count: Click here to reveal33883 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: The holidays have rolled around again, and Mitch Brownlie finds himself without a date for his cousin’s annual bash. Not that he doesn’t have options in both Clark and Wes. He just doesn’t want his family to know these former clients come as a package deal. Complicating matters, another former client is demanding his attention in a way Mitch can’t ignore. Increasingly menacing threats are made, and he’s forced to face the fact that this former-client-turned-stalker can and will follow through on them. With love and his life on the line, Mitch must make a choice between his old jet-setting ways as an escort and taking a chance on love – if he can outwit his stalker. Mitch’s Men is a contemporary gay male romance between three men. Though a stand-alone story, it is Book 4 ½ of the Rain City Tales, taking place between the last chapter and the epilogue of Book 4: The Wedding Weekend.

Word Count: Click here to reveal27,169 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: The New Year of 2002 starts off with a literal bang, when Mark Vincent is called to WBIS headquarters and learns the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security has been disbanded. He's not happy with the situation, but he's ready to make his own way in the intelligence waters of DC. However, when Trevor Wallace, known as The Boss, requests he accept the CIA's offer of a job, Mark reluctantly agrees. He isn't surprised to find working for the CIA is exactly what he expected, with the Company not allowing him to do his job. Mark lets his resentment be known as he's partnered with one officer after another, with no success. As a result, he's determined to leave the CIA, in spite of his promise to the man whose opinion he valued so highly. Quinton Mann is viewed as royalty in the intelligence community. He had a run-in with Mark Vincent a few years before, while Vincent was still senior special agent for the WBIS, and Quinn had developed a healthy respect for him. Now, however, it's his turn to partner with the man considered by the alphabet agencies to be a sociopath. Quinn can see what the problem is, and he's aware Vincent might not remain CIA for long. Now, the year is drawing to a close. Will a drink on Christmas Eve change things for both men?

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: For years, Mal has given Aidan a little piece of the world for special occasions in the form of unique rocks and fossils—until the year he gives Aidan a piece of the moon instead. Aidan has treasured every gift: in a world of impersonal relationships, they’re the one reminder he has that somebody out there cares about him for who he really is. Then through a twist of fate, their relationship goes beyond personal and into intimate, leaving Aidan shocked and set to run the other way. Despite his feelings for Mal, past experiences have convinced Aidan that he's a failure at relationships, and he's afraid to trust his heart. It just might take a Christmas miracle for Aidan to find the courage to love.

Word Count: Click here to reveal38352 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: A chance meeting they never forgot. Six years after meeting British soldier Aiden Foster during the Christmas Truce of 1914, Jochen Weber still finds himself thinking about Aiden, their shared conversation about literature, and Aiden’s beautiful singing voice. A visit to London gives Jochen the opportunity to search for Aiden, but he’s shocked at what he finds. The uniform button Jochen gave him is the only thing Aiden has left of the past he’s lost. The war and its aftermath ripped everything away from him, including his family and his music. When Jochen reappears in his life, Aiden enjoys their growing friendship but knows he has nothing to offer. Not anymore. Author’s note: This story was originally published in 2014 by another publisher. This edition has some added content, and uses UK spelling to reflect its setting.  

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Ivyrson is the quintessential Scrooge when it comes to anything having to do with the holidays. However, the chance to win a hefty chunk of money and free repairs on his old home is enough to entice the man to take part in a holiday-themed reality game. Emory has had a crush on his older brother’s best friend for years. When the chance to help Ivy possibly win a reality game comes along, Emory doesn’t hesitate. After all, that’s what friends are for. The two men have known each other forever, but living together and pretending to be a couple means getting to know each other on a whole new level. Can they convince the viewing audience their fake relationship deserves to win the grand prize? Or will Ivy and Emory get swept up in the holiday magic and find themselves falling in love for real? Once Upon a Christmas House is a steamy, forced-proximity, fake relationship, M/M Christmas romance between a grumpy Scrooge and his best friend’s cheery little brother.

Word Count: Click here to reveal28400 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: All Trey Braddock wants is to celebrate his best friend's wedding. His Christmas list does not include wait staff dressed as reindeer, nor a tipsy bride with tinsel on her train. Certainly he never asked for Sandy Hackford, the high school jock who, ten years ago, walked off with Trey's heart. But it is, after all, the holidays: a time for friends, family, and giving thanks. Sure, there will be horrible toasts, an awkward dance or two, his first crush in a three-piece suit... Trey has it handled. He's made a career out of ignoring Sandy. It'll be a piece of precariously balanced wedding cake. Except Sandy is no longer ignoring him. No matter the holiday, though, this is no time for forgiveness, and Trey isn't ready to pardon the thief of his first kiss... even if it means there will be another.

Word Count: Information not available

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay, Straight (Click here to hide)

Summary: All his working life, Kurt lived in a world of secrets. Those secrets killed his best friend, Nick. One secret, though, will tear his world apart – the one he’s keeping from himself. December, 1988: For Kurt Nash, CIA operative, a trip to Pemberton in Australia’s south-west to scatter Nick’s ashes should have been routine, except for the guilt plaguing him, and the trauma of the events that nearly killed him as well. When he encounters Lucy, Nick’s fiancée, returned to celebrate Christmas with her brother, Don, Kurt realises the time has come to tell Nick’s story. But Kurt will discover that opening up can be like lighting a fire in a forest. After all, when a forest fire burns, it is hard to predict what will catch and which direction it will turn. But as Kurt begins to find himself hidden under all the layers of secrets, will his growing friendship with Don and Lucy be enough to enable him to deal with those secrets? Will he be strong enough to come to terms with what he has been hiding from himself?

Word Count: Click here to reveal45645 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: Animal Control Officer Derek Williams is a wolf shifter and not one inclined to long-lasting relationships. Not only does he take animal abuse personally, he has a temper and isn’t afraid to show it. However, he changes his tune when the newest veterinarian starts working for the Animal Services Center. Recovering from an abusive relationship and hiding supernatural abilities of his own, Brian O’Donogue wants a fresh start and a new place to call home. Quickly dubbed the “animal shrink” by co-workers, Brian doesn’t know what to make of Derek at first. Then he manages to confront Derek during one of his rages, and they both see each other in a new light. Eventually they take a chance on their feelings and the ensuing relationship is better than either of them could have hoped—until a rogue wolf shifter attacks Brian. The abrupt attack forces Derek and Brian to confront their secrets and whether their relationship can weather the storm heading their way. The rogue shifter is out there, and he’s hunting them. BONUS STORY: Celtic Warrior and Wolf Spirit Derek and Brian are celebrating their first Christmas together, and Brian is determined to show Derek a Christmas like those he shared with his family back east. A wolf shifter, Derek has never celebrated a traditional Christmas before—his pack would usually shift on Yule and hunt down prey. But the unexpected appearance of Brian’s abusive ex-boyfriend on Christmas Eve threatens not only Brian’s holiday plans but his future with Derek. Second Edition with updated and revised text.

Word Count: Click here to reveal30000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay (Click here to hide)

Summary: When two small-town country dudes win the lottery, they finally find the courage to speak their truth. An unexpected adventure follows. Linwood "Woody" Robinson has a routine. He works for his baby brother in construction, buys three lottery tickets every week, and lusts after his best friend from high school. He's done the same thing for twenty years. Eddison "Eddie" Howard owns the only gas station in their small South Carolina town, sells lottery tickets, and lusts after his best friend from afar. They joke around but never speak their truth. He knows they're cowards but can't seem to find the courage to bridge the gulf between them. And then they win eighty million dollars. Life changes. They go from never talking about their feelings to facing the world together. Can anything pull them apart?

Word Count: Click here to reveal34000 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealBisexual, Gay (Click here to hide)

Summary: "Rejoice, dammit!" — I could hear my husband Thom's voice as clearly as when he was alive, telling me that four years were enough. That this year, I needed to stop avoiding the joys of the season, and get my solitary, colorless life out of its rut. But it took seeing Colin standing in an ice storm, waiting for a bus that wasn't coming, to convince me to take a chance on opening my life, and maybe my heart, a second time around. 34.000 words

Word Count: Click here to reveal3600 (Click here to hide)

Character Identities: Click here to revealGay, Pansexual (Click here to hide)

Summary: Daniel and Aron are both 17 and go to the same school in Canberra. There the similarities end. But when their families meet at the Yadboro campsite, the two young men are expected to hang out together. They still don’t have much in common, but their differences might be more interesting than either had anticipated…