ELI'S FAVS: NEW CHRISTMAS BOOKS FOR 2019 - PART 2

More Christmas goodies! I haven’t had nearly as much time to read this season as I’d like, but here are some new Christmas books I read and recommend.

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The Christmas Angel Series. I’ve now read nearly all the books in The Christmas Angel series, a series I have a book in myself. I love N.R. Walker’s books as a rule, and this one was particularly good. I loved the 60’s setting and the hurt/comfort aspect of the book when her Vietnam soldier comes home wounded. Read it!

GOODREADS LINK

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The Christmas Angel Series. Anyta Sunday’s contribution to the series is really fun. Her story is based on “The Taming of the Shrew”. Pax Polo is a great character, witty, clever, and always has an angle. He starts of trying to distract the “shrew” next door (the older brother of a lovely young woman) in order to give Pax’s roommate and a business associate a chance to court the girl. But he ends up falling of the shrew. Really well-done.

GOODREADS LINK

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Keira is another favorite author of mine. In this Christmas-y tale, she has a hunky, grumpy lumberjack character who is roped into playing Santa. He and his younger, twinky elf find they’re a perfect match. Steamy holiday fun.

GOODREADS LINK

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I met Ella and Brooke at Y/Con in Paris in December, so I was eager to check out their Christmas book. It’s a fun, light rom com featuring a guy who meets the man of his dreams briefly, but when he goes home for Christmas, the same guy shows up as his sister’s boyfriend. It’s all a mix-up and the angst is very light. Well-written and definitely recommended. It has a Hallmark feel, which I loved.

GOODREAD LINK

I’m heading out for 10 days in Seattle for the holidays. Hopefully I’ll get to read more holiday goodness. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! See you in 2019.

Eli

"The Little Matchboy" - free Christmas short story

I've written a 6000 word Christmas short story that will be offered for free as part of the Rainbow Advent Calendar. The calendar has free fiction by a variety of authors, one story available each day of December. My story will be out Dec 14th.  You can follow the stories on the Facebook group page here.

If you can't wait, my 2017 Christmas novella, "Desperately Seeking Santa" is available right now on KU here.

 

Release day for "Desperately Seeking Santa"!

It's release day for "Desperately Seeking Santa", my Christmas story for 2017. This year's story grew longer than I intended. It's a short novel at 52K words.  I loved writing about Mack, a 6'10", 285 college wrestler. He a shy and guarded man. The protagonist of the story, Gabe, is a journalism student who falls for Mack after seeing him wrestle, never suspecting Mack might be gay or that a friend might set them up on a date.

Meanwhile, Gabe is trying to summon up his spirit of Christmas to write an article about an Elks charity dinner for a local children's home, and to uncover the truth about their mystery Santa.

The story features Jordan and Owen from "Superhero" as side characters but can be read as a stand-alone.

You can read more about "Desperately Seeking Santa", including the first chapter, here.

Here's the link to Amazon. The book is on KU and the purchase price is $3.99.

Eli

 

Excerpt & Give away - Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles

I'm hosting the Queer Romance Freebie Fan Club on Facebook this week. If you aren't already a member, you can join below. The group is manned by more than a dozen mm authors who regularly give stuff away: https://www.facebook.com/groups/queerromance/

This week I'll be giving away a few books, audiobooks, an ARC of my upcoming "Five Dares", and an Amazon gift certificate.

To kick off the week, I offered a chance to win any of my Christmas novellas in ebook or audiobook (includes "Blame it on the Mistletoe", "Unwrapping Hank", "Midwinter Night's Dream"  and "Merry Christmas Mr. Miggles"). To enter to win you just need to comment on that thread in the facebook group above.

Today's giveaway is for one copy of the audiobook of "Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles".  To enter, comment on this post on the Facebook group. You can listen to a sample and check out reveiws here:

AUDIBLE: MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. MIGGLES

Today's post is an excerpt from "Merry Christmas, Mr. Miggles".

Excerpt (from chapter 2):

 

The next day when I arrived at the library at 8 o'clock, Mr. Miggles was already there. He was in Santa's Headquarters. Christmas tunes played over the library's speaker system, and he was swathed in an apparently infinite strand of gold tinsel.

He fought against the tinsel's stranglehold harder when I walked into the room, embarrassed to be caught out. It was hilarious and precious at the same time, like a video of a kitten falling off a sofa, but I kept a straight face. I plopped my backpack down and helped him unwind. He was dressed in his usual gray suit pants and starched white button-down shirt. Today his tie was navy and yellow and had subtle smiley faces on it. The tinsel strand had gotten itself entwined on a button on his back suit pants pocket. I couldn't help noticing, as I freed it, that he had a decent ass.

Did I mention that I'm twenty-four?

"I was, um, trying to judge the length of the strand," he said with strained dignity.

"By pole dancing with it?"

"Don't be cheeky." He gave me a warning glare that looked amused at the same time. "I'm glad you're in. I wanted to discuss the Christmas Surprise Box before the library opens."

"Okay. But why are you here so early? You shouldn't come in early like this."

The library ran on a very tight budget. There were only two paid employees—Mr. Miggles and me. We had a few volunteers, but either he or I had to be there at all times. So I worked 8 to 5 and he worked 10 to 7.

He waved away my concern. "Needs must. Now. The Christmas Surprise Box." He picked up his pen and notebook from the table. "We'll have the traditional chocolates, of course, but I want something new. You're young. What latest trend might we be able to afford?"

I leaned against the table and crossed my arms. "What's the budget this year?"

"Same as every year. Fifty dollars."

I gave him an incredulous look and sighed. "Well, that leaves out a smart phone."

"What about a smart phone case? Or another accessory?"

I shook my head. "There are too many phone sizes to do a case. No way to know what the winner would have. Besides, they're expensive." I thought about it. "Earbuds?"

He hummed and wrote it down. "Possibly. You're sure most people would have a mobile communication device?"

I opened my mouth to accuse him of being a hopeless Luddite, but then I saw the suppressed smile on his face. He was yanking my chain. Of course he was. He had a cell phone, I reminded myself. I even had his number in case of emergencies.

"You're not the least bit funny," I grumbled.

His grin broadened. "Just making sure you're awake, Toby. What else might be an option?"

"iTunes Gift certificate?"

"Too impersonal."

"But flexible."

Clearly this was a teaching moment to Mr. Miggles. He gave me a serious look. "A gift says as much about the giver as the receiver. How much thought went into it? Does the giver truly know the recipient’s heart? Did the giver put time and care into the selection, or was it merely a chore to be ticked off?"

"Chore," I said decisively. "Oh… you meant hypothetically."

Mr. Miggles looked rueful. "Of course, if you're the sort of person who prefers to put the minimum amount of effort into a thing…."

I rolled my eyes. "We don't know who's going to win the surprise box, so how personal can it be?"

"We know the winner will be a human being with all the needs and frailties that implies. Also, it's someone who lives in Sandy Lake and comes into the library. There are scores of information in those few data alone."

"So no alien technology then. Or dog biscuits."

Mr. Miggles gave a “this is what I have to put up with” sigh. "Something about the town, perhaps. Something for a reader."

"What about a Sandy Lake bookmark? We might be able to get something custom done on Etsy fairly cheap. We could use a photo of the town clock."

"Excellent!" Mr. Miggles wrote it down. "Is there anything I might get at the mall? I'm planning on a hike near Columbus on Sunday, so I could make the dreaded mall run."

My face must have given me away, because Mr. Miggles blinked at me. "What is it?"

I tried to downplay my frustration. "Nothing. Justin and I were supposed to go to Columbus on Sunday, but now he has to work."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. I suppose you were quite looking forward to it. Do you…."

He trailed off, stopping himself. And I thought. Do I… what?

Mr. Miggles looked at me and I looked at him. In a flash, the room was full of this weird frizzle of… something. It was definitely tingly. And awkward. He clenched his jaw as if he wanted to say something. Was he going to invite me to go with him? That would be weird.

I suddenly wanted him to ask and… I didn't. The idea of having company for a trip to Columbus, not to mention going for a hike on a nice November day, sounded righteous. Why shouldn't I go out and have fun since Justin had bailed on me?

But Mr. Miggles was my boss. We didn't socialize. And there was the gay thing too. Would he think that, because I was a gay man, any invitation would be misconstrued as a come on? Mr. Miggles wasn't gay. At least, I didn't think so. Come to think of it, I had no idea what he was or even if he was anything at all. Possibly, he was asexual or he’d been kidnapped by white slavers during his formative years and castrated. That would explain his “tragic past” vibe. Hey, anything was possible.

"So, um, have fun, you know, with that," I stammered. "If I think of anything you could pick up at the mall, I'll let you know."

"Yes. Fine. Good." Mr. Miggles nodded adamantly.

I looked at the clock on the wall in desperation. The second hand edged toward 8:30, when the library officially opened. I had a few things to do to prep for that and a cup of coffee was definitely high on the list.

"I'd better…." I jerked my thumb at the door.

"By all means. Get to it."

 

See you tomorrow!

Eli

"Midwinter Night's Dream" - Cover reveal & give away!

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Along with the upcoming "How to Walk Like a Man", I have another book coming at Thanksgiving. It's my 2015 Christmas novella, "Midwinter Night's Dream". The main character, Micah, is the brother of Hank from last year's "Unwrapping Hank", but this novella can be read as a stand-alone.

The cover reveal is going on today at Gay Book Reviews and there's a give away of a gift certificate too, so stop by and sign up for the give away. You can also read an excerpt there.

Eli

Eli's Favorite Christmas M/M Romances

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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.

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Mistletowed by Tara Lain

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!

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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.

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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.

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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

 

Release day -- Blame It On The Mistletoe

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Blame It On The Mistletoe, my Christmas novella, is now available for purchase!  The price is $2.99. There are 125 pages/24K words in this novella.

AMAZON:

http://www.amazon.com/Blame-Mistletoe-Eli-Easton-ebook/dp/B00GQHCBI0/

ARE:

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-blameitonthemistletoe-1350118-149.html

And here's the first review, from Hearts On Fire:

http://heartsonfirereviews.com/?p=23893

BLURB:

When physics grad student Fielding Monroe and skirt-chaser and football player Mick Colman become college housemates, they’re both in for a whole new education. Mick looks out for the absent-minded genius, and he helps Fielding clean up his appearance and discover all the silly pleasures his strict upbringing as a child prodigy denied him. They become best friends.

It’s all well and good until they run into a cheerleader who calls Mick the ‘best kisser on campus.’ Fielding has never been kissed, and he decides Mick and only Mick can teach him how it’s done. After all, the physics department’s Christmas party is coming up with its dreaded mistletoe. Fielding wants to impress his peers and look cool for once in his life. The thing about Fielding is, once he locks onto an idea, it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. And he just doesn't understand why his straight best friend would have a problem providing a little demonstration.

Mick knows kissing is a dangerous game. If he gives in, it would take a miracle for the thing not to turn into a disaster. Then again, if the kissing lessons get out of hand they can always blame it on the mistletoe.

Eli