Book picks similar to
The Chrismukkah Crisis by Ryan Taylor
holiday
romance
mm
m-m
The Problem with Mistletoe
Kyle Baxter - 2019
And then he has to ask Alex Capili, an old friend who just returned from the big city, to help run it. Spending weeks working closely together old feelings come up and David wonders if fairy tales really do come true.Alex came home to help sell off his family’s restaurant, he was not looking for love. And happy endings only happen in movies. But nothing about this return trip home town is quite what he expected and David is still the best man he's ever known. A good father, with a heart as big as all outdoors, and disarmingly handsome.
The Christmas Lights Battle
Skylar M. Cates - 2018
For a single dad and his neighbor, the Christmas competition is on! Julian Moss wants to give his children a happy Christmas. Since his divorce, Julian has no time for a social life; he’s been doing the tiring work of two parents while his cheating ex-husband dodges his responsibilities. If that isn’t stressful enough, he has to deal with his new—and ridiculously good-looking—neighbor and his noisy dogs. Christmas used to be Julian’s favorite holiday, but lately all he sees is the cost. Then Julian’s young son tells him about a Christmas lights competition with a much-needed prize. Leo Adams is going to be alone for Christmas…again. All he’s ever wanted is to be accepted by his family, but he knows that will never happen. Deciding to focus on his career as a personal trainer, Leo develops a boot camp program on the beach, but he needs publicity. The lights competition offers Leo a way to get some free press, and if it annoys his snooty neighbor Julian—all the better. The battle is on, and both Julian and Leo want to win. The stakes are high, the reward is great, and the neighbors are in it to win it. There’s nothing like a little competition to make Christmas at Shelby Beach extra merry and bright.
Wrapped
Rachel Kane - 2018
I didn't mean to lose my virginity to a sexy mall Christmas elf...but hey, 'tis the season.
Val: A month ago, I was a powerful CEO at the head of my family's fortune. All I cared about was money. Now that my company is destroyed, I've got millions of dollars in the bank and nothing but free time ahead of me. There's a whole world outside the boardroom that I've never experienced, but I don't know what to do with myself, other than spend money on things I don't need. I'm not looking for love, I'm definitely not looking for sex, I'm just want something meaningful back in my life...and then I meet Charlie, an elf at Santa's Village at the mall. He's so laid back, more relaxed than I've ever been, and there's something about him--his body, his self-assurance, his heart--that keeps me coming back for more. Charlie: When everybody's got high expectations for you, sometimes you have to escape. That's why I'm a pool boy during the summer, a Christmas elf during the winter, and not interested in anything more complicated than that. But this Christmas, I need something to care about. That something might just be Val. He's the first person I've ever met who doesn't demand anything from me, who lets me be in control. But when he finds out why I need that control, why I'm so afraid to let him give me anything, will my secrets push him away? Will he truly accept me? Can this be more than just a Christmas fling? WRAPPED is a 70,000-word emotional snowstorm of first-time gay romantic comedy, with big feels, steamy angst, letters to Santa, a stolen bicycle, and a holiday HEA!
Ben's Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle
Penelope Peters - 2018
Former ice hockey star Adam Bernard has spent the last ten years caring for his ailing father and coaching his pee-wee hockey team. He doesn’t have time to brood over what could-have-been since leaving the NHL draft - and he sure doesn’t have time for a love-life. When his team is invited to a prestigious tourney in Boston - and it’s during the week of Hanukkah - he can’t find it in his heart to tell them no. Adam hates the idea of leaving his dad alone during the holidays - but a promise is a promise. Ben Daniels wasn’t running from his almost-Olympic past when he started up a kosher-style bakery three years ago. Deciding to stick to Hanukkah-themed treats, though, was probably running from the truth, which is that he’s one bad month away from bankruptcy. An infusion of donut-hungry preteens is exactly what his register needs - but their adorable and mysterious coach might be exactly what Ben’s heart has been yearning for. Adam’s life is back in Montreal - but the more time Adam spends with Ben, the less he wants to leave Boston. Ben might have spent the last three years avoiding the ice - but Adam could be the key to melting his resolve. When Adam gets an offer from the NHL, it’s a chance for them both to rewrite their histories. But Ben hasn’t been entirely truthful with Adam - and Adam’s got some prejudices that might just extinguish what’s burning between them. With Adam’s future at a crossroads, and Ben’s past out in the open, will they find a way to prove that miracles aren’t only found on the ice? Ben's Bakery and the Hanukkah Miracle is a m/m romance with a HEA ending. It features two sexy and sincere Jewish guys, match-making 12-year-old hockey players, and lots of yummy kosher donuts.
Hot Mall Santa
A.J. Truman - 2017
You better not cry. Hot Mall Santa is coming to town! Instead of round and jolly, this year’s mall Santa is chiseled and smoldering. The second he strolls into Oakville Mall wearing sunglasses, stubble, and his Santa hat cocked to the side, Santa gets all the tongues wagging—especially Tom Webster’s. A lowly retail associate at The Décor Store, Tom spends his time chasing a promotion and boss that are both out of reach. His fantasies about being a ho-ho-ho for Santa soon cross into reality after an unexpected night together. While the rest of the town obsesses over Hot Mall Santa, Tom gets to know the sweet, nerdy history buff under the suit and six-pack abs. But to win Santa’s heart, he must fight off the lusty moms, adoring fans, and his own fear of rejection. Hot Mall Santa is a fun and sexy novella at 32,000 words filled with nutty Christmas shoppers, a grown man wearing reindeer antlers, and too many holiday puns.
Lost and Found
Z.A. Maxfield - 2013
Found: love.RV resort security chief Ringo never believed in love at first sight . . . until he saw Gavin playing his sax on the beach for the tourists. But their on-again, off-again affair—even counting all the great makeup sex—doesn’t come close to the relationship he wants. All he really wants for Christmas is a commitment from Gavin.Instead he discovers that Gavin has had surgery without telling him, so he lays down a relationship ultimatum while Gavin recuperates. Complicating matters even more, Gavin’s beloved dog Bird runs away, and Gavin blames Ringo for the disappearance.While Ringo throws every resource he has into finding Bird, he learns deeper truths about Gavin—how hard it is for him to trust and how little faith he has in love. Maybe if Ringo can find Bird, he can salvage Gavin’s faith. Maybe this Christmas, they can all find each other.20% of all proceeds from this title are donated to the Ali Forney Center in New York, whose mission “is to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning (LGBTQ) youth from the harm of homelessness, and to support them in becoming safe and independent as they move from adolescence to adulthood.” To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit http://www.aliforneycenter.org/.
Teddy Bears
Brandon Witt - 2016
At the best of times, his social life consists of work, role-playing games at a local toyshop, and making YouTube videos with his Teddy Bear hamsters. The arrival of the holidays—with the annoying music, Christmas shopping, and all the reminders of how he disappointed his father—just reinforces his reclusive nature.When James Olsen, a gorgeous daddy bear who frequents the bathhouse, notices him, Brian is at a loss. He’s not proud of his own bear status or his struggle with weight. The idea that James has interest in him beyond an easy hookup is more than Brian can fathom. But with a little bit of holiday magic, James might help Brian learn to accept Christmas again—and himself.
Cool Story, Bro
Lisa Henry - 2021
It’s December in Perth, Australia and it’s stinking hot. He's lonely, he’s homesick, and it really doesn’t feel like Christmas. The one bright point is his cute disaster of a co-worker, Travis, except Levi can’t figure out why Travis keeps running away whenever Levi talks to him. Working at Booze Barn over the Christmas period is hell, but at least Travis has maple-syrup flavored eye candy Levi to brighten his days—except Levi’s miserable. To cure Levi’s homesickness, Travis comes up with a brilliant plan. After all, how hard can it be to recreate a Canadian Christmas in the cool room? One thing’s for sure—between cranky customers, fake snow, and a deflating reindeer, this Christmas Eve is going to make for a cool story one day.
Home for Christmas
Ann Grech - 2015
Or maybe it was the magic of Christmas. Maybe it was just going home.T’was the night before Christmas—three actually—and nothing was quiet about the club Declan was at. He'd been looking forward to the masquerade party since he’d been summoned home. He usually kept a safe distance between himself and his family; it was easier to safeguard his secret. Being gay wasn’t all he was hiding. The truth was far worse—he’d fallen for his stepbrother, Ollie. Crossing paths with an enticing stranger at the masquerade party flipped his world upside down, leaving him a changed man. They came together when they needed it most and what followed was one seriously sexy pre-Christmas set of fireworks exploding. But he was soon alone again, only surrounded by vapid socialites. Declan’s love of the holidays was waning, and he was regretting his trip home. Then Ollie walked in, and everything got a whole lot more complicated. Declan was torn—unable to get the sexy, nameless stranger out of his head and Ollie out of his heart.Going home for Christmas would either break him or… well, Declan didn’t have that quite figured out.Home For Christmas is a stand-alone, Christmas gay love story by Ann Grech, featuring a steamy one-night stand, a closeted hero, wrestling stepbrothers, numerous references to Woody and Buzz, singing in the shower, and a feel-good second chance romance.
Sicken of the Calm
Marina Vivancos - 2017
Would never forget his bright eyes and clenched fists, in defiance of the rest of the world. Ezra. His unapologetic bravery was something that would haunt Joaquin who, despite being the captain of his high school football team, was too reserved to come out before college, let alone approach the boy he admired from afar.Joaquin is in his third year at Fox Lake University when he sees Ezra again. Joaquin expects the distance between them to remain unbreeched, but Ezra, as brash and impetuous as he was in high school, crashes into his life. At first, it’s just a shared class project, but it doesn’t take long for things between them to heat up. Before Joaquin knows what’s happening, he’s squirming on a chair as Ezra watches him jerk off, those clear, intent eyes pinning him in place. This starts a friends-with-benefits relationship with the aim of exploring a submissive and Dominant dynamic in bed, dipping a toe in the BDSM world together. However, nothing is ever so simple. As their sexual relationship amps up, so does their friendship deepen, fed by those gentle moments after sex, underbelly-soft and vulnerable. As Joaquin gets to know Ezra better he realizes that his assumptions about who Ezra is, and even the assumptions he has made about himself, have to be challenged in order to break the cycles that may lead to their relationship breaking apart. [This story contains plenty of banter, a fuckbuddies-to-more romance, and light, exploratory BDSM themes revolving around Dom/sub dynamics and kinks such as orgasm delay, praise kink and mild bondage. Although part of a series, this story can be read as a standalone with its own HEA.] Preview“Do you want to hear what I was thinking about?” He asks, his voice going a little darker over the phone. I shift on the bed.“Yeah,” I say, trying to keep my voice flat and even.“I was thinking about sucking your dick,” he says, and I can’t help it – I laugh. “Well, if you’re gonna be like that…” he grumbles. “No, no, sorry,” I say, but I can’t stop chuckling. “It’s just…that was so cheesy,” I tease.“Dude, don’t you know me? I’m a connoisseur of cheese. Blue cheese. Gouda. Babybel.”“Ok, that last one-”“Sex cheese.”“Ew,” I laugh. “I thought we were talking about my dick,” I say, surprising myself a little. Usually, I’m only this bold with Iva. “Yeah, and then you laughed.”“I’m wearing my serious expression now, I swear,” I lie, biting down to keep my smile from growing. “You know, I used to think that “serious expression” was like your default expression but you have like…a whole dozen expressions, probably,” Ezra teases. “It’s almost like I’m not a cold, dead, robot.”“I know you’re joking but, damn, that’s hot,” Ezra says. I laugh, shaking my head.“There’s something wrong with you.”“We’ll be here all day if we start on that list,” he says. I want to protest, but he goes on. “So, your dick. How’s it doing?”“It was still there, the last time I checked.”“Maybe you should check again. Just to make sure.”“Pretty sure that’s unnecessary.”“This is going terribly, you know.”“What is this, exactly?”“Phone sex. This is phone sex.”“Sorry,” I laugh.“Don’t be – I don’t think the talk about cheese helped.”“You never know. Some people are probably into that.”“Well, if that’s what you like I can start calling you cheesecake in bed.”“Please don’t,” I laugh, even though thinking about a bed being involved in anything we do makes a rush go through me. Silence falls, comfortable and amused, but the more it goes on, the more it charges. “I really was thinking about you last night,” Ezra says, softer now, the mood shifting.“Yeah?” I say quietly.
Every Breath You Take
Robert Winter - 2017
When Zachary Hall leaves Utah for a job in Washington, it’s finally his chance to live as a gay man and maybe find someone special. In a bar he meets Thomas Scarborough, a man who seems perfect in and out of the bedroom. But Thomas never dates. He never even sleeps with the same man twice. Despite their instant connection, he can offer Zachary only his friendship, and Zachary is looking for more. Thomas is tempted to break his own rules, but years before, he became the victim of a stalker who nearly destroyed his life. Even though his stalker died, Thomas obsessively keeps others at a distance. Despite his fascination with Zachary, he is unable to lower his barriers. Frustrated, Zachary accepts he will never have what he wants with Thomas and soon finds it with another man. But the dead gay men all have a connection to Thomas. Once again someone is watching Thomas’s every move. Can it be a coincidence? When the depraved killer turns his attention toward Zachary, Thomas must face the demons of his past—or lose his chance to open his heart to Zachary forever. Every Breath You Take is a gay romantic suspense novel with no cliffhanger and a happy ending. Trigger warning for references to child abuse. It is part of the Nights at Mata Hari series but can be read as a standalone. Another publisher previously released this novel with a different cover. The current publisher has made only editorial changes to this edition.
Date in a Pinch
Brigham Vaughn - 2021
Curious but inexperienced, Neil has no idea how to live out his fantasies until the hot lit teacher offers a helping hand.Alexander Ford likes to be in charge in the bedroom and he’s happy to tutor Neil in all things naughty. But when Neil asks him to pretend to be his date for the Sweetheart’s Game at Pendleton Bay’s Love Fest, Neil may be the one teaching Alexander about love.Note: Date in a Pinch was re-released in April 2021 with a brand new cover and an additional 11k of steamy new content.
Old Acquaintance
Annabelle Jacobs - 2018
When Sam spots the hot guy moving in next door, he’s all for going round to introduce himself. That soon changes when it turns out his new neighbour is Charles Whitmore, an old school acquaintance. Sam didn’t like him back then, for good reason, and fifteen years haven’t altered that. Splitting up from his long-term boyfriend means a move across the city for Charlie. As luck would have it, his immediate neighbour is a guy he went to school with, Sam Gellar. While Sam is less than welcoming, his best mate is more than happy to invite Charlie into their social circle. Whatever problem Sam has with him, Charlie resolves to get to the bottom of it because, frosty beginnings aside, Charlie likes him. With Christmas just around the corner, fate pushes them together, and they get on much better than they ever did at school. Despite his efforts not to, Sam develops feelings for Charlie, and they appear to be reciprocated. If Sam wants to take things further, he needs to either confront Charlie about their past—a past Charlie seems to have forgotten entirely—or let it go and move on. Sam knows deep down that he can’t let it go, but can’t find the right time to bring it up either.
The Mistletoe Effect
Cate Ashwood - 2016
After being laid off and facing eviction, he’s eager to make a fresh start. When a friend mentions an opportunity in Sin City, he packs up and heads west. Unfortunately, plans run awry when his truck breaks down a little more than halfway there and he’s stranded in the cold with no money, nowhere to stay, and no way to get to Vegas. ‘Tis the season, but not for Merrick Holland, who loves being a part of the community in the small town of Rowley Bridge. Christmas has been a little tainted since his father died three years ago, and when people start to deck the halls, he withdraws. When Merrick finds a man asleep inside his bakery one morning, rather than call the police, Merrick makes him a cup of coffee, and after hearing his story offers him a job and a place to stay. The two men strike up an unlikely friendship, but with Christmas only three weeks away, could a little holiday magic bring them together?
Midnight Mistletoe
Kathleen Lee - 2014
Until he runs across an old friend who seems more than happy to see him, and the attraction is instantaneous. But can the magic of Christmas and a love he'd never known be enough to make him think about giving up his wandering ways? Through the years, Kevin found himself wondering about Peter and where he wound up when he was pulled from their community into yet another "home." But when they reconnect again, he discovers that in all his travels, Peter never had a real home. As Kevin's feelings deepen, he knows the one thing he needs to do to keep Peter is show him that true happiness boils down to opening yourself to love. And a little mistletoe doesn't hurt either.