Dating services, matchmakers, family introductions, even unlikely friends... the means may differ, and the road probably won't run straight, but "happily ever after" is guaranteed at the end. It's about romance and heart, but some steamy attraction never hurts! Be it a perfect stranger or a crush from long ago, all it takes is a little help to find that certain someone and "Make Me a Match."Stories included are:The Perfect Match by Jaelyn Storm Crash and Burn by Catt Ford Third Time's the Charm by Chrissy Munder Dear Alex by Clare London How to Woo a Straight Man by Jaymz Connelly Three on a Match by Nicki Bennett

    The dare leads to a connection he never expected and a night he’ll never forget.

    The kind of day he loves, even if the looming New Year's Eve leaves him feeling nostalgic and a little lonely. But then the last person he ever expected to see walks through the door of his shop, and Sherlock realizes that some things don't fade with time, but grow stronger.

    Garrett has no choice but to come out of his shell when Justin and his co-worker tease him up onto the stage for a live demonstration. That might have been that, just a one-off job but Garrett takes advantage of follow-up fact checking for his article to get to know Justin better... and it leads to an unexpected friendship and flirtation that just might grow into something more.

    A twenty-year-old virgin, he doesn’t have the time or energy to date or socialize. When his father agrees to try medicinal marijuana as a treatment option, David meets an attractive, outgoing young man named Zev, who becomes the friend David never realized he needed. David’s father is nearing the end of his life, and Zev is becoming far more than a shoulder to lean on — he might be David’s first opportunity to embrace life and let go.

    He no longer has the energy to deal with mean classmates, inner doubt, and fear of familial rejection, so he takes a razor to his wrist. When he wakes up in the hospital, Shiloh meets Travis Kahn, the EMT who saved him and didn’t leave his side.Travis is handsome, smart, and funny—the type of guy Shiloh would never be brave enough to approach. But his near-death experience has an unusual side effect: the life that flashed before his eyes wasn’t the one he had already lived, but rather the one he could live. With visions of a future by Travis’s side, Shiloh will find the strength to confront his fears and build a life worth fighting for.Word Count: 18,388Edition: 2ndA story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar collection Heartwarming.

    Owen is disconcerted to realize he's still attracted to Caleb Black but refuses to pursue him. Caleb left him once, and Owen's not going down that road again.Caleb is ready for a second chance with Owen and gets it when fate and the matchmaking McKenzies conspire to strand the two men in a rustic cabin during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. Can Caleb convince Owen to rekindle their romance so they can stop spending their holidays apart?Nine Lights Over Edinburgh By Harper FoxDetective Inspector James McBride is riding high on the belief that he's about to bust a human-trafficking ring. But just five days before Christmas, his unorthodox methods catch up with him and his world comes crashing down.McBride tries to concentrate on his new day job as security for the visiting Israeli ambassador. He even starts to feel a renewed sense of self-worth when the leader of the Israeli team, the aristocratic Tobias Leitner, takes a bullet for him in the line of duty. But he can't forget the trafficking case, especially when his investigations result in the kidnapping of his own daughter! McBride has no one to turn to for help-no one, except Toby.Can these two very different men work together to bring about a holiday miracle-and heal one another's heart in the process?I Heard Him Exclaim By Z.A. MaxfieldWho Likes a Skinny Santa?Steve Adams's heart hasn't been in the Christmas spirit ever since doctors put a stent in it and ordered him to clean up his act. No longer filling out his Santa suit or allowed to make merry, he's forgoing the holidays this year and heading to Vegas to indulge in the few vices left to him: gambling and anonymous sex.His road trip takes a detour when he encounters Chandler Tracey, who's just inherited guardianship of his five-year-old niece. Overwhelmed, Chandler's on his way to deliver Poppy to his parents. But fate has other plans and, after car trouble, Chandler and Poppy accept a ride home with Steve. Though the heat between the two men is obvious, they put it on simmer while they band together to make Poppy's Christmas as perfect as possible.Steve soon comes to believe that while Chandler is the right person to look after Poppy, someone needs to look after Chandler. Fortunately, Steve knows just the man for the job.Icecapade By Josh LanyonOn the eve of the new millennium, diamond thief Noel Snow seduced FBI special agent Robert Cuffe, then fled into the dawn. Now a successful novelist, Noel uses his capers as fodder for his books, and has modeled his hero's nemesis (and potential love interest) on Cuffe. Though he leaves Robert a drunken phone message every New Year's Eve, Noel hasn't seen or heard from him in a decade.So he's thrilled when his former lover shows up at his upstate farm one Christmas Eve. Elation quickly turns to alarm when Robert accuses Noel of being responsible for a recent rash of diamond heists. Robert is all business and as cold as ice: it seems his only interest in Noel is to put him behind bars.Innocent of the crimes, and still as attracted as ever to the oh-so-serious lawman, Noel plans a second seduction-providing he can stay out of jail long enough!

    Bartender Jay Hinshaw recognizes Patrick's leashed ferocity and offers him exactly what he thinks Patrick wants: an outlet for his pent-up frustration. But Patrick's a complicated guy, and getting what he wants only scratches the surface of what he needs.

    His business is failing, his cottage is falling apart and following his very public argument with café owner Rob Armstrong, he’s become a social outcast.Cam needs to get away from his troubles and when his sister buys him a ticket to the biggest Hogmanay party in Glasgow, he can’t leave Inverbechie quick enough. But when events conspire to strand him in the middle of nowhere in a snowstorm, not only is he liable to miss the party, he’ll also have to ask his nemesis, Rob, for help.Out by Harper FoxCan a stranger unlock the courage and passion in a young man’s captive heart?It’s Christmas at Edinburgh’s magnificent Barlinney Hotel, and chief housekeeper Cosmo Grant is in charge of the festivities. He’s already got his hands full when handsome Ren Vaudrey checks in.It soon turns out that Ren is an undercover cop. Cosmo wants to help him, but unless he can do it within the Barlinney’s walls, Cosmo is stuck. A victim of crippling agoraphobia, he’s been a prisoner in this gilded cage for over a year. Cosmo gathers all his courage to do the right thing by Ren and Sam—and as a glittering Christmas Eve descends on the city, finds himself confronting his very darkest fears.Waiting for Winter by LB Gregg Some mistakes are worth repeating.Luke always thought he and Winter were the perfect couple—until the day Winter announced he was taking a new job and they were uprooting and headed for Germany. No discussion. No debate. For the first time in his life, Winter miscalculated. Badly. Now Luke is trying his best to move on with his life, but Winter is back in town and he’s set on digging their relationship out of the deep freeze.Baby, It's Cold by Josh Lanyon Or maybe it's the flu. Breaking up is hard to do -- especially around the holidays.Talk about Kitchen Nightmares! TV Chef Rocky and Foodie blogger Jesse have been pals forever, so it should have been the most natural thing in the world to move their relationship to the next level. Instead, it turned out to be a disaster. But Christmas is the season of love, and someone's cooking up a sweet surprise...

    From the streets of New York City, to the wintery wonderland of the Maine woods, to the quaint, small town charm of Idaho, the men in these stories have different holiday desires. They’re looking for familiarity or fresh starts, but they have one thing in common—their happily ever afters might be waiting in the last places they think to look. Come see what they unwrap in these stories by three acclaimed authors of male/male romance. Holiday Roommates by Tere Michaels As an actor without prospects, Nate Brandywine needs an emergency roommate for the month of December. During a humiliating gig as a Christmas elf at a NYC department store, he meets Sean Callahan, his producer and a man struggling under the weight of a past-due loan. Sean’s desperate for a place to stay in the city for a few weeks. A month of sharing a workplace and an apartment with someone you can't stop flirting with? Maybe the holidays won’t be so terrible after all. Holiday Sanctuary by Elle Brownlee Chris Declan is trekking through the wintry wonderland of rural Maine, searching for inspiration and himself, when he's literally and figuratively taken by storm. First by the surprise blizzard that finds him seeking refuge in Paul Bak's secluded cabin, and second by Paul. Making the best of being snowed in together soon becomes a comfortable friendship with fireside chats, a quaint holiday celebration, and more. But despite their growing closeness, there's one thing they avoid—what will happen when the snow clears and the holidays end. Holiday Homecoming by Elizah J. DavisGavin Anderson never thought making it as a writer in LA would be easy, but when his latest project falls through, he gives up on Hollywood and heads to Bonabri, Idaho in hopes that the peace and quiet of his childhood home will help him figure out his next move. Instead he finds Eric Nichols, his parents' cute and charming housesitter who is there to experience the small town Christmas festivities. Gavin's plans for quiet reflection are no match for Eric's holiday cheer, and he soon finds himself swept up in the spirit of the season. Gavin thought his life had hit a dead end, but in coming home he finds what might be a new beginning.

    Alex Dawson is a bull rider who tests every limit Chase has ever set. The passion between them burns bright and hot, until Alex grows tired of keeping their relationship a secret—and of being the one who’s always ridden. Alex lays down an ultimatum, and then the rest is up to Chase. Does Chase let the best thing in his life run away to the family ranch, or is he brave enough to chase Alex down?

    What Adam does know is he's not going to be the scumbag after death that he was in life. Peter dreads Adam's slumps. Partly because they often coincide with frustrating celibacy, but also there's the niggling fear that Adam's going to take his own unlife in a fit of remorse. Peter's seen Adam die once and he's not going through that again if he can help it. So, he decides to give Adam a little Christmas cheer.But what do you give the vampire who has everything?

    SCARED STIFF offers four very different tales of m/m ghostly doings that'll have readers panting (in more ways than one) under the covers. Maltese offers excitement and steamy pleasure in his Rendering Souls while Lanyon adds adventurous ghost hunters in his A Ghost of a Chance. Black gives you horrors from the past in Wild Onions, and Baumbach rounds out the volume with a hot tale of second chances in Soul Desire.

     Although a boyfriend wouldn’t go amiss. Someone to share his beautiful B&B with, even if it is in the middle of nowhere and he’s long past the wrong side of thirty. Problem is, Nathaniel’s living with a ghost who thinks he’s cupid, and whose arrows fly a little too straight. Gabriel Wickfield had the unfortunate luck of dying before his time, and now he’s stuck trying to make romance happen to earn his right to move along. Not that he’s bored in the meantime—Nathaniel is just too easy to tease. And also a little bit scrumptious… With the curse reaching its expiration date, Gabriel needs to make a final match this Christmas. Without it, nothing but darkness awaits. Love can conquer all, but can it beat death?

    After his old cover ops organization is disbanded, he’s relegated to the CIA, where his career is slowly being strangled to death by conspiracy and apathy. Come New Year’s Day, he plans to be out of there, only… the one partner he ever wanted to keep is having a drink with him in a smoky bar, and something about Quinton Mann is suggesting he’s not as straight as Vincent first thought. Quinn has been hiding his attraction to Mark for some time now, sure that exposing his feelings to his partner would only get him a laugh and a load of trouble. But a quiet showdown on a snowy street might change the intel they have on each other—for the better.Alternate reality of Mann of My Dreams