Holiday Romance books

Killian Thornton likes his downtown life, tending bar, and enjoying time with his friends and community. He'd given up on passion long ago—he wasn't cut out for grand romance or dramatic gestures. Then one night, in a characteristic act of kindness, Killian offers his couch to help a friend's little brother find his feet in a new city, and everything Killian thought he knew about himself and his little life gets turned upside down.

Lewis Bernard, the funny, quirky guy happy to find a spot on Killian's couch, can’t believe his luck. After being forced to flee his parents’ house, he was afraid of what came next, but Sacramento seems to be treating him just fine. The stunningly handsome bartender who lives downstairs from his brother offers Lewis his couch and doesn’t even balk when Lewis discovers two abandoned kittens in a vacant lot as they walk home.

Vet bills, cat food bills, litter boxes—none of it was on Killian's Christmas agenda, but he jumps in gamely to help because all the shelters seem to be full, and that's just the kind of guy Killian is. But kittens can multiply faster than rabbits, and Killian and Lewis accidentally rescue more and more cats.

Lewis starts to panic. He really wants to know Killian better, but with each act of kindness, Lewis falls further in love while ruining Killian's life. How can Killian find time to fall in love with Lewis and ask him to stay if they’re inundated with destructive furry poop-machines who all seem to need a home before Christmas?

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a widowed Earl must be in want of a wife—or so Marcus Stanthorpe’s grandmother believes. Marcus had done what was necessary to ensure an heir, but now has no patience for his grandmother’s matchmaking. Spending the holidays with his friends, his son, and his valet, William Haworth, brings him enough contentment.

But when a family emergency calls Haworth to London, Marcus’s contentment reveals itself to be fickle. Suddenly he realizes how much William has come to mean to him. But William has never indicated he shares Marcus’s preferences. Can the comforts of the holiday season bring two lonely men joy?

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The rules of dreidel are simple—unless the hot new rabbi your friends have been wanting you to meet turns out to be your childhood crush. Now Zach Kravitz is playing for more than bragging rights as the dreidel champion—he’s playing for his heart.
 
Hanukkah parties with the Kravitz family were some of Garrett Fitzpatrick’s favorite childhood memories. Now that Garrett has a chance to reconnect with Zach, the quiet, artistic young man he has yearned after for years, he’s ready to put a new spin on an old game. Garrett has eight nights to show Zach the spark between them can turn into a lasting flame that will stay bright long after Hanukkah ends. 

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Shy web designer Kyle Zigler is resigned to living a solitary life as a single dad raising two gifted kids…until a sexy artist at a holiday market gives him a gift with delightful and unexpected consequences. Is he brave enough to open his heart again?

Charming holiday vendor Vic Burgess has spent his entire life on the move, drifting wherever the wind blows to sell his handmade creations, when he meets a hunky young father who makes him feel like staying put. What will it take to make him stay?

Two lonely lives colliding at Christmas…. Can a festive fling turn into something more? Find out in this heartwarming story of gay apparel, found family, and the magic of unexpected meetings.

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CEO Gordon Wyckoff lives for work and certainly has no interest in Christmas. When a blizzard runs him off the road, he ends up stranded in a picturesque mountain town that is the polar opposite of his fast-paced world. The Snowed Inn is the definition of the Christmas kitsch he hates.

Innkeeper Elliot Osterman can barely keep his quaint B&B afloat but has never been able to say no to a guest. One snowy night, he makes room for a stranded executive who knocks him out of his comfortable rut.

As the holidays take hold, the magic of the little town begins to restore their spark and unlock their hearts. Together these two mismatched men might be able to build a future, if they can just dig through all the history that's kept them frozen in place.

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Jake lost his Christmas spirit when his husband left him on December 26. This year, when a friend offers him her reservation at a resort in Florida, he jumps at the chance to get away. No snow, no Christmas trees, no problems.

Except the resort does a Christmas Golf Cart parade every year, and Alex, the man in the neighboring cabin, wants Jake’s help with his.
 
Jake just wants to be left alone… until he spies Alex’s design. Maybe working together won’t be so bad. Can an unexpected friendship reawaken more than Jake’s holiday spirit?

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Asher Kaufman could use a miracle. But first he’ll have to believe they exist.

Ash is single, strapped for cash, and burned out from his work at a nonprofit. Everyone else’s holiday spirit leaves him feeling like he’s in the wrong movie.

Then strange, thoughtful gifts begin appearing outside his door: a rustic basket filled with pinecones and acorns, and a beautiful handmade scarf in Hannukah colors. But the most wonderful gift of all comes when he meets Clay, his secret admirer, a beautiful young man who happens to be a fairy who lives in the wooded wonderland behind the duplex where Ash lives.

Clay brings warmth and magic into Ash’s dreary life–but when the realities of the human world threaten the bridge to fairyland, it will take all Ash’s faith to bring about a happy-ever-after that will work for everyone.

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After courtship, cohabitation, and learning about love and each other, Andy and Eli face the ultimate test: being separated at Christmas.

Eli’s seen the propaganda—the country boy goes home from the city and realizes his heart is back among the snow, trees, and chickens. A big happy family is something Eli, with his demanding job running a shelter for LGBTQ youth, can’t provide. He’s been readying himself for the other shoe to drop anyway—Andy’s mother is a force of nature, and she wants her little boy home. 

Andy may be in Vermont, but his heart is back in Brooklyn with the man who’s battling basement floods and crumbling buildings to bring Christmas to sixty kids who’ve had their hearts broken too many times already. Holiday myths may say that Christmas means going back home to a happy family, but Andy knows happy endings don’t come without a little faith and a lot of hard work. He's got an army ready to put in the elbow grease. If he can get Eli to believe in him, they might just save Christmas after all.    

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Lake Copeland’s best friend Miriam is perpetually single. When she laments the idea of returning to her hometown solo for the holidays to meet her mom’s new husband, Lake has the perfect solution: he’ll tag along as her boyfriend. Fake boyfriend, that is. Some of his favorite holiday romances have fake boyfriends that lead to true love—and complications. But since he’s gay, there'll be no complications. Right?

Unfortunately Lake’s foolproof plan didn’t account for Miriam’s new stepbrother Spencer, who sets Lake’s heart aglow….

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Cassidy Hancock déteste être en retard, c’est même pathologique chez lui. Par un frais matin d’automne, il s’arrête sur le trottoir pour regarder le si beau fils de sa voisine courir derrière son chien… et voilà qu’un arbre lui tombe dessus.

Mark Taylor, interne en chirurgie orthopédique, assiste à la scène et prodigue les premiers soins au jeune homme. Malgré lui, il est fasciné par son voisin et peu à peu, tandis qu’il s’efforce d’aider Cassidy à se remettre de sa fracture, il comprend ce que cache cette obsession pour la ponctualité : l’histoire d’un garçon solitaire qui pense qu’il doit être parfait pour être aimé.

Les Taylor sont loin d’être parfaits, mais pour Cassidy, ils pourraient représenter la parfaite solution. Alors que les deux hommes apprennent à se connaître, Cassidy se met à fantasmer sur un avenir heureux en famille, ce qu’il n’aurait jamais pensé avoir un jour. Quant à Mark, il s’attache de plus en plus à Cassidy, à sa gentillesse, à ses grands yeux écarquillés et à sa surprenante créativité. Mais pour avancer, le couple doit surmonter les peurs de Cassidy. La période de Noël offre des joies infiniment plus riches que la ponctualité. 

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Alex goes to a dog rescue with one mission: overcoming one of his fears. But he gets more than he bargained for when he unexpectedly bonds with a Jack Russell terrier named Rudolph and decides to take him home.

When shelter volunteer Luther offers to show Alex the ropes of dog ownership, their time together proves they have more in common than just Rudolph’s affection. But if they’re going to have a happy holiday, Alex needs to come to terms with his issues. Can Luther help him see that love really can be unconditional?

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Propriétaire d’un magasin de loisirs créatifs, Grant a toujours eu un faible pour les jolis visages, et c’est deux fois pire pour un joli visage avec un adorable acolyte. Quand Aubrey, sept ans, veut à tout prix participer à la série d’ateliers de fêtes déjà complets de Grant, il cède et abandonne son seul jour de congé par semaine pour qu’elle (et son tuteur canon, Josh) puisse avoir des cours particuliers. Le flirt entre eux monte en puissance semaine après semaine, et même si Josh n’est pas avec la mère d’Aubrey, Grant ne peut pas être sûr qu’il soit hétéro. Peut-être qu’il est simplement amical. Et Josh, qui n’est définitivement pas hétéro, craint d’être le type louche qui drague le professeur.

Frustrée par leur entêtement et leur ignorance, Aubrey prend les choses en main. Elle décide que le meilleur cadeau à offrir à Josh est quelque chose fait maison avec le cœur – un petit ami qu’ils aimeront tous les deux.

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Chère Ruth,

Je ne suis pas d’humeur à fêter Noël. Après une relation amoureuse partie en fumée, je suis retourné dans ma ville natale du Kansas rural. Puis ma mère est décédée. Je suis très occupé par mon travail de capitaine des pompiers, et maintenant par la chronique de conseils de ma mère, que j’ai reprise à contrecœur. Il y a un nouveau venu sexy dans la rue, un homme avec une petite fille et un malheureux mépris pour la sécurité incendie. Il semble vouloir nouer une amitié, mais cela crée des problèmes qui pourraient être trop brûlants pour moi. Je n’ai vraiment pas besoin de décorations inflammables et de trop de nourriture de Noël en ce moment.

Comment suis-je censé prodiguer de bons conseils aux autres alors que je n’arrive pas à mettre de l’ordre dans ma propre vie ?

– Rabat-joie, Bailey Springs

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Cassidy Hancock hates being late—he’s pathological about it. Until the crisp fall morning when he pauses to watch his neighbor’s handsome son chase his dog down the sidewalk… and gets hit by a tree.

Mark Taylor sees the whole thing, and as a second-year medical resident, he gets Cassidy top-notch care. In spite of himself, he’s fascinated by his mother’s stodgy neighbor, and as he strives to help Cassidy recover from a broken leg, he begins to realize that behind Cassidy’s obsession with punctuality is the story of a lonely boy who thought he had to be perfect to be loved.

Mark and his family are far from perfect—but they might be perfect for Cassidy. As the two of them get to know each other, Cassidy fantasizes about the family and happy-ever-after he never thought he’d have, and Mark starts to yearn for Cassidy’s wide-eyed kindness and surprising creativity. But first they have to overcome Cassidy’s fears, because there is so much more fun to be had during Christmas than just being on time.

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The holiday season is lonely for construction worker Benjamin Morgan, a big muscular guy who just wants to submit, obey, and serve. But the men he’s attracted to usually don’t have a dominant bone in their bodies. He’s done seeking his BDSM dreams with someone who isn’t interested in putting him in his rightful place—on his knees at their feet.

When a friend sets up a meeting with Foster Ridgeway at the BDSM club, Entwined, Benjamin has his doubts. Of course he is attracted to bookish Foster, who works for the same construction company, but how will someone so small and delicate-looking master Benjamin? But when Foster--the tiny temple of dominance wielding a crop—heads toward Benjamin, he might get what he’s always wanted, just in time for Solstice.

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The greatest gift might be what they already have.

After years away building his career, event planner Sebastian Chesnut returns to his small hometown of Fir Falls to reconnect with his mother, sister, and young nieces before his job takes him to London.

He doesn't expect to find his high school boyfriend, Matty, has become a virtual member of Seb's family. Back then, Matty only offered a casual relationship, but Seb fell hard, and history is soon repeating itself. Seb’s afraid to hope for a second chance, no matter how much they’ve grown and despite the family they share. Instead, he focuses on creating a last perfect holiday, which won’t be easy with his sister’s ex planning to take the girls over Christmas.

Seb and Matty might not know what to do about their feelings for each other, but one thing’s for sure—it won’t be Christmas without the kids. Can these star-crossed lovers pull off a holiday miracle?

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Graphic designer Eli has harbored a secret crush on nerdy math teacher Lincoln since they were at school together, and he’s perfectly content with his unrequited feelings—until Lincoln requests a special handmade holiday gift: a dating profile with all the bells and whistles Eli can include, one that will be sure to find Lincoln a boyfriend for Christmas.

Eli uses building the profile as an excuse to spend time with Lincoln, but will he be able to watch his friend find love with someone else?

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2019 Advent Calendar "Homemade for the Holidays."

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