But even if Eli's family could accept his love for Geoff, he doesn't want them shunned by the community for his choices. So he's reconciled himself to a Christmas without them, until Geoff gives him a gift that changes the way Eli defines family.Linked to Love Means No Shame.

    A struggling jock. A snowstorm that steers them together.Charlie’s got five days working in the library to earn enough for Christmas. Being stuck in the frat house with his secret crush? Torture.Rich, hot jocks don’t look twice at nerds like him . . .Evan’s got five days to finish this stupid paper he can’t wrap his head around. Should he let the cute straight-A Charlie help him? Shit.He’s gonna see how stupid he is . . .

    Now, existing in a new life as Jacob Somerville, he’s again running from fear and memories, only to end up where he started. As Jacob struggles to reconnect with his father and brothers, he realizes that his lover, Craig Zhao, was the only thing filling his empty heart and standing between him and ghosts of the past. It will take the power of love—from his family, from Craig, and from himself—for Jacob to see that his life truly is filled with the promise of what can be.

    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

    They both work as paramedics for the NHS, and just before Christmas, their plans for the future are in jeopardy. Rob knows he’s on thin ice with the man he loves more than anyone else in the world, and he’s at a loss to fix it. The job is getting tougher, and Karan, who’s of Sikh descent, is facing violence on the streets in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the EU. Financial problems, hostile families on both sides... Their troubles seem insoluble. An emergency callout stops them on the brink of a final and heartbreaking row. In a forest on the bleak northern hills, Rob loses control of the van in the snow. The only gleam of light comes from a strange, lonely house among the trees. Lost, cut off from the world they know, can they find their way back to one another? It’s the longest night of the year, and spirits are abroad among the pines...

    The only time he broke that rule, things went south fast. Now he’s on the road again, with barely enough cash in his pocket to hop a bus south after his (sort-of-stolen) car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Midwest, USA.He’s fine. He’ll manage. Until he watches that girl get hit by a car and left to die.Local shop owner Grayson Croft isn’t in the habit of doing people any favors. But even a recluse can’t avoid everyone in a town as small as Clear Lake. And when the cop who played Juliet to your Romeo in the high school play asks you to put up her key witness for the night, you say yes.Now Gray’s got a grouchy glass artist stomping around his big, empty house, and it turns out that he . . . maybe . . . kind of . . . likes the company.But Eddie Rodrigues never sticks around.Unless a Christmas shop owner who hates the season can show an orphan what it means to have family for the holidays.

    One relative away from homelessness, he's taking the bus to Sacramento, where his cousin has offered a house-sitting job and a new start. He has one goal, and that's to get his life back on track. Friends, pets, lovers? Need not apply.Finn Stewart takes one look at Adam as he's applying to Candy Heaven and decides he's much too fascinating to leave alone. Finn is bright and shiny—and has never been hurt. Adam is wary of his attention from the very beginning—Finn is dangerous to every sort of peace Adam is forging, and Adam may just be too damaged to let him in at all.But Finn is tenacious, and Adam's new boss, Darrin, doesn't take bullshit for an answer. Adam is going to have to ask himself which is harder—letting Finn in or living without him? With the holidays approaching it seems like an easy question, but Adam knows from experience that life is seldom simple, and the world seldom cooperates with hope, faith, or the plans of cats and men.

    Would you accept a ride from a huge guy looking like a serial killer?Daniel Erickson stormed out of his family celebration after choking on his turkey served with a side of bigotry. Utterly miserable, he reluctantly lets himself be charmed by the hulk of a man and gets into his car…hoping he won’t be ax murdered.Axel Wilson—Ax for short, unfortunately—is a sweetheart. Really. He may be badass-looking but his heart melts into goo at the mere mention of his four-year-old niece. Surely, he’s not dangerous?Thrown together by family drama, they spend the evening getting to know each other. Axel is nothing like Daniel expected. But it doesn’t matter that he loves poetry, is gentle and patient—and hot!—Daniel is absolutely not falling in love at first sight. There’s no such thing.Right…?

    A perfect home. A perfect husband. Gone in an instant. Ian’s world turned upside down the day Travis walked out without so much as a word, or even a backward glance, leaving a lonely Ian to wonder why. Their son implores him, “Please go see Dad.” Two years of hurt leaves Ian ready to confront the man who’d broken his heart, but what if everything he’d believed about their failed romance turned out to be wrong? What if the biggest problem in Ian’s marriage was…Ian?

    it just might come true. Jack Taylor learns this the hard way. He's a workaholic who wants that highly sought after corner office at the advertising agency he works for, and he'll do anything to get it—even if that means constantly disappointing his fiance, Caden. On his way home one Christmas Eve night, he's dreading the argument he knows will happen once he walks through the door. To make matters worse, he forgot to get a gift for Caden, so he makes a quick stop at a Christmas shop he's never seen before. Inside, he meets a mysterious man who sells him an antique clock. When he gets home, he and Caden fight, just as he expected, and he ends up sleeping on the couch. Fuming from their fight, Jack makes a wish to have never met Caden. And it comes true. Waking up in an alternate reality around Christmas, Jack has everything he's ever wanted: the perfect job, fancy car, and luxurious apartment. But he soon realizes it means nothing without the man he loves. There's only one way to reverse the wish: get Caden to fall in love with him before Christmas Eve... or lose him forever.

    Billionaire Crawford Daniels has bedded submissives before, but he’s never given one his collar. That privilege is reserved for the man who’s strong-willed enough to tell him, no, but whose pretty lips always say yes. Crawford wants more than a pet—he wants a partner. Someone to pamper and spoil. Or punish. Hidden behind case reports and paperwork waits an omega afraid to give it all up. Owen Ellis has fought tooth and nail to rise above his omega status and find success. He’s educated, successful, and independent, but deep inside, he knows something is missing. A mistake during his teenage years has led to a lifetime of loneliness, and Owen refuses to surrender his heart again. He’s afraid to be hurt. He’ll never let another alpha in. But some rules are meant to be broken. When Owen meets Crawford and sparks fly, Owen has to decide if happiness is worth the risk. The choice is always his. He can walk away and embrace loneliness— —or he can wear Crawford’s collar and obey. Obey is a 42,000 word stand-alone novella packed full of steamy BDSM, MPreg, one of the hottest uses for an ice cube ever, and a happily ever after that proves in the end, love really does win.

    When Office Steve Coleman pulls him over and gives him a speeding ticket, he doesn’t react well. He’s even less happy when he discovers the cop lives next door to his parents’ house. No matter where they turn this holiday season, Steve and Mason keep running into each other, and whenever they talk for more than a minute, they piss each other off. But from wayward dogs to Christmas tree hunts to maple syrup festivals, it proves impossible to avoid each other in the small town. If Mason can see the good man behind the badge, he might just get a cop for Christmas.

    Henry Auttenberg likes numbers—it’s his job—but he isn’t going to count them all, even if the view outside the rental car is less confounding than the driver, his attractive but oh so obnoxious colleague, Marcus Winnamore. It’s Christmas Eve, and Henry would much rather be home with his family. When the blizzard that grounded their flight forces them off the road, however, he’s stuck with Marc until the storm passes—or a plow digs them out.As the temperature outside plummets, the atmosphere inside the car slowly heats up. Henry learns the true reason for Marc’s chilly distance—he’s not exactly straight… maybe… and he’s been fantasizing about Henry’s mouth, among other things. Confession laid out, Marc is all for sharing body heat… and more. Henry isn’t interested in being an experiment, but as the night and cold deepen, he could be convinced to balance certain risk against uncertain reward.

    When Mitch and Jackson make a simultaneous grab for it, they make a connection that goes deeper than a brush of hands over a gaudy pink-and-purple box. Mitch is shopping for his youngest sister, who he hasn’t seen since he came out to his parents a year and a half ago. This will be his first Christmas back with the family he’s not sure he can forgive. Jackson is shopping for a new boyfriend. No! Bad Jackson. He’s supposed to be on a relationship break. His ex-boyfriend only moved out a month ago and his best friend tells him he’s too quick to jump into commitments. The plan is to enjoy some uncommitted sex, so why not enjoy it with Mitch? As the final days of Christmas count down, Mitch and Jackson find that all they have to do to get everything they want this year is give love a chance. Giving Chances is an M/M standalone Christmas novella with a happy ending.

    For Aaron Forester, it’s a gay-friendly buffer between himself and the rest of the world. After being outed in high school and bullied to the point of violence, his family uprooted their lives and relocated to the small hamlet. He’s moved on from all that and now owns a popular café in the bustling shopping district. But after twenty years of happy living, Aaron’s past creeps up on him in the most unexpected way. Brad Collins only has one regret and he’s carried it with him since he was a teenager. When he moves to Heartsville and gets set up on a blind date with the most adorable, engaging man he’s met in a long time, he couldn’t be happier. But Brad didn’t expect the guy to be the person he outed in high school—who he’s now falling in love with. Aaron and Brad hit it off instantly—in and out of the bedroom. But after a long overdue apology and a small serving of resentment, is their fledgling relationship worth another shot?