Originally posted on: ThePenMuse I love Christmas stories. I often will dig into my backlog on my iPad around August and September, when my yearning for Fall and for an end to summer’s heat makes me crave icicles and fireside snuggles. And, of course, most of November and December are spent cracking the covers on holiday romances.
I have two Christmas stories out this year myself – “Blame It On The Mistletoe” and “A Prairie Dog’s Love Song”. You can read more about them on my blog at those links. But in this post I want to talk about some of my favorite holiday romances by other authors.
“Turkey In The Snow” by Amy Lane:
This was my favorite Christmas story last year. I adored the flamboyant character, Justin, and how he wove his way into the heart of the much more masculine and stoic Henry. Henry doesn’t think he could possibly be attracted to Justin at first—he’s *way* too over-the-top and it makes Henry very uncomfortable. But when Justin helps Henry with his unhappy niece, Josie, Henry realizes there is more to Justin than meets the eye. Really adorable.
Sock It To Me, Santa by Madison Parker
Also in the “adorable” category is Madison Parker’s “Sock It To Me, Santa”. This is a YA story set in high school. Ryan hasn’t told anyone yet that he’s gay, but he admires Jamie, a boy who is openly gay, and who unfortunately suffers a lot of teasing because of it. When Ryan gets Jamie’s name in the secret santa exchange he wants to make something really, really special. Super cute and sweet. Nothing explicit here, but so lovely it’s a must read.
The Christmas Throwaway by R.J. Scott
Zachary is homeless thanks to be tossed out by his parents for being gay. He’s going to end up spending Christmas eve on a freezing church yard bench until he’s rescued by a cop, Ben, who is moved by Zachary’s plight and takes him home. This is a longer, more developed romance and it’s a wonderful Christmas read.
This is a kind of crazy, Christmas-themed rom com. It involves a group of couples, all of whom are basically with the wrong person. Some magical mistletoe has the couples mixing up and finding their soul mates with someone else’s partner. The primary romance that develops is m/m but there are also other configurations in the mix. Very cute and fun and light, with some very sexy scenes—all things you can count on with Tara Lain!
Holiday Outing by Astrid Amara
Jonah is stuck in his family home over Hanukkah due to a blizzard. There are 3 problems with this. One, his family doesn’t know he’s gay. Two, a guy he’s wildly attracted to is trapped with them. And three, a family heirloom vanishes and Jonah is accused of stealing it. I love an author who can mix really clever humor, schmoopy sweetness and steamy sex in a romance, and I have to bow to Astrid Amara because she really did it here! I found myself highlighting a lot of lines on my ebook because they made me laugh out loud. The family characters in this story were just hilarious and the little mystery was fun. A perfect shorter read.
Merry Gentlemen by Josephine Myles
If you’re an Anglophile like me, you will love this Christmas story that revolves around the Bath Christmas market. Riley is the market manager and he is surprised to find that Stan, who is the ‘one who got away’ has a booth at the market. Sparks fly immediately between these two, but is there a Christmas miracle that can resolve the things that made them split up in the first place? The writing is delightful with lots of humor (the ‘#gaysanta’ scene is hilarious) and some steamy sex.
Sweet and Sour by Astrid Amara
If you’re a foodie, or just like reading about one, you’ll love this holiday romance. Miles is struggling to make a go of the pickle shop he took over from his parents. He’s in a pretty lifeless long-term relationship with a guy who is probably cheating on him. He’s rescued in both the shop and his love life by Dominic, a police detective who works in the pickle shop for a few weeks as part of a stake-out. The readers will get right away that Dominic and Miles are perfect for one another. But seeing how it all shakes out (and reading about all the delicious relishes and pickles and fermented veggies) is too much fun.
Also recommended:
“Christmas With Danny Fit” by Amy Lane
“The Winter Courtship Rituals fo Fur Bearing Critters” by Amy Lane
I hope you find some new favorites on this list. Merry, merry Christmas! May you find some hot boys in your stockings. J
Eli Easton