With his dog by his side, Travis raises his three children, manages his business, and works as a ranch hand. But every day, every minute, is an aching emptiness. Wesley Ryan has fond memories of the small Ozark town of El Dorado. Seeing it as a safe place to put his failed relationships behind him, Wesley moves into his grandparents’ old home and takes over the local veterinary clinic. An early morning visit from Travis and his dog stirs feelings that Wesley seeks to push away—the last thing he needs is to fall for a man with baggage and three kids as part of the package. Life, it seems, has other plans.

    Until he meets Tork. Tork is clever and funny. He makes origami models and reads Dickens. Tork has green hair and makes Adam's heart race with longing. But Tork is homeless and not at all impressed with Adam's attitude.Can Adam see past his fear and arrogance? Can Tork give Adam a chance? Can two such different men turn the world upside down and find out what really matters? Read to find out their story.Content Warning: the story includes reference to and description of self-harming.* * * * *A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology

    I know better than to crush over the older, untouchable man. I’m here to do a job and prove I can do it well. What I don’t expect is for the bossy Mr. Frosty to thaw in my presence. His chilly demeanor grows hot the moment we’re alone and all I can do is melt for him. He’s supposed to be straight, yet with me, he bends his own rigid rules. I want to follow my heart, but my dreams might be at stake. Do I choose a budding, forbidden romance or go back to my safe, bland reality? One look at his rare, beautiful smile, though, and I realize I never had a choice. ***This is a short, steamy, instalove office romance with a happy for now.***

    You can’t hide the cracks under the spotlight .---Dusk. Leader of The Underdogs. Destined for greatness. Lives in the now.Abe. AKA Lolly. Iridescent. Unicorn.All Dusk wants out of life is for his band to become world famous. He also wants to have a lot of fun along the way. And to get his rocks off. When he wants something, he goes for it, consequences be damned.So when he sees a gorgeous pink-haired guy who is the human equivalent of tattooed cotton candy, he can’t help but have a taste. But it’s when Lolly ends up on their tour bus that Dusk knows their meeting was destiny. Abe is the kind of guy who goes with the flow. He was hitchhiking anyway, so why not spend the week with a hot piece of rocker beefcake, getting smothered by his sexy long hair? And why not play the part of the supportive cutie while he’s at it? It’s not like he’d be sticking around for long anyway.All plans hit a wall when photos of Abe and Dusk emerge online, suddenly pushing the band into the spotlight. To take advantage of the sudden popularity, the band offers Abe money for staying. Which means money for being in a fake relationship with Dusk.Which isn’t even fake.Or is it?POSSIBLE SPOILERS:Themes: rock band, alternative lifestyles, tattoos, bisexuality, commitment, instalove, abandonment issues, fame, outing, coming out, life on tourGenre: Contemporary M/M Rocker RomanceHeat level: Scorching hot, explicit scenesLength: ~52,000 words (Can be read as standalone, HEA)

     Falling in love with Santa is the last thing Charlie Johnson expects when he takes a holiday job as an elf in Santa’s Grotto. Nick is the shyest and clumsiest man Charlie has ever met, but that’s just part of his charm. Charlie falls for Santa, whilst Santa falls head over heels onto the floor. At least they can laugh together about it! But after several weeks, Charlie starts to despair he will ever be more than Santa’s helper. His holiday job is nearly over, yet Nick hasn’t declared anything more than friendship. Will Charlie ever get his real Christmas wish?

    The bold, brash charmer was everything Cole wasn't: confident, popular, and straight. Unfortunately Cole's secret blew up in his face, and he walked away. Years later, when Brad needs help, he calls Cole. Now a respected trauma surgeon, Cole has learned not to risk his heart and is ready to be Brad's friend again. Things go well until Brad asks Cole to be his best man. With both his parents dead, Brad never would have survived college or his brother's rounds of drug rehab without Cole. The five-year gap in their friendship was painful. Now Brad's got his best friend back, a kick-ass job, and is engaged to the CEO's daughter. Life is great…until a hot encounter at his bachelor party leaves both men reeling. The sexual tension between the two is off the charts. Brad has commitments he needs to keep, but how can he go through with the wedding when he can't stop thinking about Cole? And how can Cole stand beside his friend and watch him get married, especially now that he realizes he still loves Brad?

    At least, it should. Unfortunately, Dixon Penn failed his Spellcraft initiation. Instead of working in his family’s shop, he’s stuck delivering takeout orders in his uncle’s beat-up Buick.Winning a Valentine’s Day contest at the largest greeting card company in the tri-state area would be just the thing to get his life back on track—but something at Precious Greetings just doesn’t add up. And despite numerous warnings to quit pestering them about his contest entry, he just can’t stop himself from coming back again and again.It doesn’t hurt that the head of security is such a hottie. If Dixon had any common sense, he’d be scared of the big, mysterious, tattooed Russian.To be fair, no one ever accused him of being too smart….Quill Me Now originally debuted in the Bad Valentine collection, with Love Magic by Jesi Lea Ryan, Hidden Hearts by Clare London, and Temporary Dad by Dev Bentham.

    After my last disastrous relationship with a close friend, you'd think I'd learn my lesson and choose someone else for a rebound. Someone I don't have a solid friendship with. I should definitely stay away from Wyatt. But when have I ever listened to logic?WYATTI’d long forgotten my college crush on Aron. He was never a possibility, having friend-zoned me from the beginning. But now he’s drunk and looking for a rebound. It’d totally ruin our almost decade-long friendship. I have to say no and be the bigger person … right?**Rebound is a 17,000 word short story that belongs to the Fake Boyfriend series but does not contain a fake boyfriend trope. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s recommended to be read in companion with the series.**

    Locey - Dressed In Holiday StyleCan the spirit of Christmas save this budding love affair?Clare London - Five Gold BlingsWhere Christmas sparkle leads two lonely hearts.Posy Roberts - Sojourn with YouThis year, a place to stay is the best Christmas gift Sawyer could ask for.Felice Stevens - The Gift of ForeverWhat do you get the man who has everything?AE Via - An Unworthy GiftWhat do the lonely do at Christmas?Word Count: 157,000

    Jordan Mackenzie has been alone, focused on his career and raising his son, for many years. He's fine with that until one prickly young man's intriguing quirks trigger a sudden need to take care of someone in an entirely different manner.Calvin Sherbrook has issues. He knows it, and he can live with it. He's just decided it's better for everyone involved if he keeps to himself. And he might have succeeded too, if it wasn't for one particularly hot veterinarian, a crazy old lady and her meddling dog.Original Prompt: Dear Author,This is Dr. Mac. The dog, Sir Winston is one of his best patients. Dr. Mac has two ladies working for him who have made it their mission in life to match him with a man who doesn't mind the long hours and a stray or two, or three. I'd like him to meet a gruff, surly type…maybe with a lap dog (like a Shih-tzu) and after a huge misunderstanding have a HEA.This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is Always Write" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.Download the story, read it online, or find it in Love Is Always Write: Volume 1.__________Genre: contemporaryTags: mild BDSM, D/s and bondage

    If word gets out that he has to make a handcrafted gift for flamboyant and openly gay Jamie, Ryan will be the laughing stock of the school. It's a good thing no self-respecting boy would be caught dead in a craft store, because otherwise he'd be at risk of being spotted when his mom drags him to her weekly craft workshops. He hopes Jamie will appreciate all the trouble he's going to for this assignment. Finding the perfect gift is gonna be tricky. Jamie deserves something good, though, after all the crap he has to put up with at school. At least, Ryan tells himself that's the reason he's putting so much thought into the gift. It couldn't be that he has feelings for Jamie, could it?

    His only solace is that Philip will soon arrive. He’s worried introducing Philip as his boyfriend rather than his roommate could put a damper on the holiday season, but his dad drops a bigger bomb: the family home will be sold. Derailed from coming out, Cal makes it his mission to squeeze every ounce out of his last holiday in his childhood home. But there’s no way to disguise his love for Philip. This holiday season is one of endings, but can it be the start of something even better?

    Alexander.** Ever been on a bad date? Hold my beer… My dry spell isn’t voluntary. It just happened. Or didn’t happen. And then... it didn’t happen some more. I’m not saying I’m looking for perfection, but is hot, sweaty sex with a genuinely decent guy too much to ask? When I meet the much older and newly retired Master Sergeant Carter Willis, he definitely fits my criteria. But after he rescues me from the worst of my dating mistakes, I can’t tell if he’s watching my back to protect it, or because he likes what he sees. Giving romance tips to strangers is easy. This feeling I get when Carter is around is making life complicated. It feels like a thing. A forever type thing. And if there’s one thing that scares me more than my accidental abstinence becoming a permanent condition… It’s trusting in forever. A previously published alternate cover version of ASIN B075ZHQ8Z3 can be found here.

     A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer Last Christmas, Cory and Wes made a connection that left them both thanking Santa. But when Cory doesn’t show up for their first date, Wes swears he won’t make that mistake again. This year, can Santa’s magic find a way to bring them back together? Let’s Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa The holidays are stressful enough without Ethan’s boyfriend Nate trying to kill him with Christmas cheer. But Nate’s found a whole new way to torture Ethan when he reveals that he wants kids. Will their conflicting desires tear their relationship apart, or will they find a way to ring in the new year stronger than ever? Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright Two men determined to win the same treasure at a charity silent auction, a wayward kitten, grumbling tummies, and a dilemma: what’s the correct gift-giving etiquette for a first date that’s mere days before Christmas, and what could possibly go awry with this merry combination? The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris One rainbow Christmas tree in harm’s way and an afternoon spent eating far too many cookies, equals two men with changed holiday plans. But how does that translate into a date? The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada The last thing Aoi wants to do for New Year’s is spend it with his boyfriend’s parents. They were far from thrilled when their son came out. Can Aoi warm their hearts making traditional mochi or will they end up in an even stickier situation?Authors Note: This anthology is FREE! Do not buy it for $0.99 at Amazon - we are working on fixing that! Currently available for free at Smashwords and soon at all other retailers.

    But his sister coerces him into standing in line overnight for this year's must-have toy. Supplies prove smaller than expected, and Reece gets trampled in the resulting stampede. Toy store manager Angel tends to Reece's wounds. When Angel discovers Reece's cynical attitude, he invites Reece to spend Christmas Eve with him. Over the course of the day, Angel shows Reece what Christmas means to him. With Angel's guidance, maybe Reece can finally understand the joy of the holiday—and maybe even find love as well.