Holiday Sales

December 25, 2020December 27, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Merry Christmas everyone!

Has the calm settled around you yet? Here we celebrate on the 24th, so today is a calm, quiet day – especially this year since we’re only the family. Hubby went to work this morning and won’t be home until Monday, so it’s just the kids and me.

When you find yourself with some time on your hands, some holiday sales are going on. Smashwords has their annual End of the Year Sale, JMS has a holiday sale, and I know some of my books are discounted on Barnes & Nobel (some are 60% off). I think they’ll be on sale to the end of the year on B&N, but I’m not entirely sure.

So when you have a moment over, browse around.

Smashwords End of Year Sale – Ends on Januray 1st

100% Off

50% Off

25% Off

Sale at B&N – Probably Ends at January 1st

Gray Photo Winter Facebook Cover

60% Off

50% Off

33% Off

JMS Books Holiday Sale – Ends on the 26th of December

My books are JMS Books are the following:

2020 Top Ten Gay Romance (Turning Wood)
24 Dates
Banger Challenge
Black Bird
Crazy Joe
Cup o’ Sugar
Elevator Pitch
Jaeger’s Lost and Found
Legendary Loves (Pine Tree Mary)
Nine Stones
Pine Tree Mary
Quinny, Focus!
Soul Eater
Turning Wood
When Skies Are Gray

And you’ll find them here!

Guest Post | Gingerbread and Good Tidings by Kris T Bethke

December 24, 2020December 2, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Guest-Post

Kris T Bethke is here today! In Sweden, the 24th is the day we celebrate Christmas, not on the 25th as most do, so I’ll hand everything over to Kris and go back to eating chocolate while looking at the Christmas tree. Welcome, Kris!

Hi everyone! First let me say a great big thank you to Ofelia for putting this together and inviting us all to play at her blog.

If you don’t know me, I’m Kris T. Bethke and I write fluffy, happy stories about men finding love. But don’t worry, there’s usually a bit of heat thrown in there too. I mostly just want the happy of watching two (or more!) people falling in love. So be sure to check me backlist out if you want sweet with heat…and a good does of bisexual rep to boot!

In my newest release, Gingerbread and Good Tidings, Cody starts getting mysterious treats delivered to his home on the four days leading up to Christmas. All with his favorite gingerbread incorporated somehow. He has no idea who is sending them though, but he’s touched by the gifts and the notes included. And there’s always a treat for his dog, Pippa, as well. Whoever is sending them definitely knows him. When Christmas Eve finally rolls around, Cody just might get the Christmas gift he didn’t even know he needed.

I’m around on social media, so if you want to find me, the best way is to hit me up on Twitter https://twitter.com/kristbethke or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Kris-T-Bethke/100014524539852 . You can also shoot me an email at kristbethke@gmail.com I always love to hear from readers, so don’t be shy!

Read on for an exclusive excerpt! And you can buy it here https://www.jms-books.com/kris-t-bethke-c-224_240/gingerbread-and-good-tidings-p-3600.html

gingerbreadandgoodtidings

Cody Schaefer loves the Christmas season and a benefit to working from home means that he gets to be surrounded by his decoration collections all the time. And as a bonus, he starts getting deliveries from a local café containing holiday treats flavored with gingerbread. The notes aren’t signed, but they clearly come from someone who knows him.

Out of all of Cody’s friends, Jason van Buren is the only one level-headed about the mysterious treats, and Cody begins talking to him daily. Cody enjoys their chats, and the two men grow closer. One Christmas Eve, no delivery appears. But Jason shows up on his doorstep, ready to back gingerbread cookies. It’s then Cody realizes just who is behind the deliveries. And perhaps, Cody will get Jason as his Christmas gift this year.

Excerpt:

“Well, that’s all true. You are special, Cody.”

My first instinct was to play it off with a joke, make some kind of humorous comment, but instead, I took a moment, read the sincerity on his face, and was honest and heartfelt instead.

“That’s very kind. I didn’t know I needed to hear it until I did.”

Jason cut his eyes away, and he scratched at the short goatee he was sporting. It was hardly more than scruff, but it was even and well kept. He’d been clean-shaven up until about a year ago, but I liked this look on him. It suited his face, and I’d been sure to tell him so. He’d had it ever since.

“You should hear it all the time,” he said, then cleared his throat and focused on me. “Did you try them yet?”

“Nope. But, oh my God, look at them!” I flipped the camera and held the phone over the box, making sure to center the rolls in frame. “Don’t they look amazing?”

“They do. I’m sure they taste even better.”

I lifted the phone and flipped the camera back to front-facing. I made my eyes wide. “I almost don’t want to eat them, they look so perfect. It would be a shame to ruin them.”

Jason chuckled. “Baked goods are for eating, honey.”

My heart jumped at the endearment, but he was probably being silly or something, so I tried to ignore it. But my pulse was racing, and I wanted to flirt with him. He’d always turned my key, but I’d kept that in check as best I could since he didn’t seem to be open to it. Now, maybe that had changed. I decided to test the waters.

I turned my chair until the lit up tree was on my left and a few of my gingerbread people could be seen on the windowsill. Then I gave my best smile, the one I knew lit up my face and had, in the past, made men give me a second look. Jason’s eyes went wide, and that made me grin even harder.

“Look, I’m a Christmas card. Perfect, huh?”

“Absolutely perfect.” He cleared his throat again. “That’s quite a tree you have there.”

I sighed happily. “Isn’t it amazing?”

He chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that wormed its way into my soul. “Let me see it.”

I hopped up immediately, flipped the camera again, and took him right to the tree. I did a slow pan, up and down, and all the way around, pointing out my favorite ornaments as I went. “This one here, I bought at a craft fair. See how the globe catches the light? It’s gorgeous and I love it….oh! This one? This one I’ve had my entire life. My parents bought it for my first Christmas, and it’s been on my tree ever since.” I paused and touched the gingerbread man that had been inscribed with my name and my birth year. “Hmm, maybe that’s why I love gingerbread people so much.”

Jason made an amused, but thoughtful sound. “Perhaps.”

I cackled, loving the slight smirk on his face. “I came by it honestly, though. Look at this one.” I had to move around the tree until I found the one I wanted. The tin ornament’s paint had faded over the years, chipping in some places and nearly non-existent in others. It was the shape that really indicated it was a gingerbread man with a bow tie around his neck. I reverently touched it with one finger. “This was my mom’s favorite. It always had a place of pride on the tree.”

Wrap-Up Wednesday | December Reads

December 23, 2020 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

X-mas-read

It’s been a pleasure to have so many people guesting my blog this month, and we have a few more to go before the month is over. Normally, I post a little something about the books I read, but there hasn’t been any space – not that I’m complaining LOL

I thought I’d do a Wrap-Up Wednesday thingy. And the month isn’t over yet, so I might read more books, but this is what I have so far:

Love at First Spray

I was reading this on my phone while my kids were shouting and shrieking, jumping and climbing, fighting and laughing – yes, it changes that fast. Love at First Spray by Tom Caval is a short Christmas story about Simon who’s unfortunate enough not to understand his boyfriend is a spoiled brat.

It annoyed me LOL

Simon is out hunting for a certain perfume in the Christmas crowd – this was pre-covid – but it’s sold out everywhere. When he steps into yet another shop, he gets sprayed by some sample cologne. Tariq, the sprayer, does his best to help Simon and sparks fly.

I liked it, but I would’ve wanted more an ending. Keep in mind, I was a bit distracted by the kids while reading, but I wasn’t really feeling the Christmas joy. Sure there were gifts and such, but I would’ve wanted more.

The idea is cute, though! And it’s free!

books2read.com/LoveAtFirstSpray

Love At First Spray A Christmas Short Story

Oh! Oh! Oh! It’s Love time!

It’s the night before Christmas in London. Simon, a small-time clerk in the Big City, has just two hours to buy all the items on a ridiculously detailed (and expensive) gift list. A long list provided by Joshua, his handsome boyfriend, who also happens to be a self-absorbed aspiring model.

Now the race is on to check all the items on the list. For the sake of love. Simon is almost done, but there is only one item left: the latest perfume obsession for gays. Of course, it is sold-out and a desperate Simon needs to scour the city for it. But little does he know, he will have the help of a sexy and exotic stranger.

Love at First Spray is a funny, romantic and cosy gay Christmas short story, about finding love in the most unexpected place.

I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

This is another short story. Jacob is recovering from the loss of his wife, juggling life with two kids on his own. They’re going to the mall to see Santa as they do every year.

When it’s his daughter’s turn to sit on Santa’s lap, he can’t hear what they’re saying but notices how Santa is watching him. Later that night, he meets a man at a bar…

It’s a cute story. I liked the beginning, but then there is some skimming over things. It’s a 10k story, and it takes place over a year. But cute!

books2read.com/ISawDaddyKissingSantaClaus

I-saw-Daddy-Kissing-Santa Still recovering from an unexpected tragedy, single dad Jacob isn’t sure he’s ready to move on – until he meets Theo in a bar at Christmas. When what was meant to be a simple one-off encounter becomes more complicated, will Jacob have the strength to fall and trust Theo to catch him?

A sweet festive short story of 10,000 words.

Unwrapping

Unwrapping by Clare London is a short-short, only twelve pages. Matt and Harry have been seeing each other for a year, only they’ve never made it official. They might spend almost every day together, tell each other everything, but what are they? Friends? With benefits? Or…

I feel like I’m overusing the word cute, but this is cute! LOL

You can read it on Clare’s site.

Unwrapping Last Christmas Eve, Harry and Matt got together. Sort of. This Christmas Eve – and with the help of a Secret Santa gift – will they make it official?

Free online story, published in December 2017 on the author’s web site.

Home in a Snowstorm

Home in a Snowstorm (Snow Globes #1) by Ava Kelly. I got this much because of the cover, pretty! Here we have a teacher and a dad with a broken leg. It’s a gentle slow-building story.

Daniel is a teacher, and on the last day of school, one of his students needs a ride home because her dad has broken his leg and can’t come and get her. Snow and slippery roads prevent Daniel from leaving, and little by little sparks fly.

books2read.com/HomeinaSnowstorm

Home-in-a-Snowstorm Daniel Wu is an elementary school teacher with a big heart and a collection of snow globes to match his travels. The small town he has settled in, however, feels like it could be home. All that’s missing is someone special and a family to call his own.

Resigned to spending the holidays alone, Daniel finishes work on the last day of school, only to stumble upon one his students, Abby Weber, who needs a ride home. Jeffrey Weber, single father and recent owner of a cast on his broken leg, needs quite a bit of help around the house when Daniel drops Abby off. Christmas Eve is around the corner, so Daniel can’t let the two fend for themselves. What he doesn’t expect, however, is the snowstorm that strands him in their remote home in the forest. But is this misfortune, or could it be a wish come true?

Oranges and Cloves

We’re continuing with the cover! Oranges and Cloves by Annabelle Jay is another Christmas story about a single dad.

Landon is a stressed father of three who collides with a man in the grocery shop. He hurries on home to get his kids and go to the church’s Advent celebrations. There he sees the man again, by the cloves and oranges.

I liked how this story started, but then it was like the author forgot to write the last chapter or accidentally deleted the epilogue. Not bad, but a missed opportunity.

books2read.com/OrangesandCloves

Oranges-and-Cloves Landon, father of three, accidentally runs into another shopper while looking at oranges in the supermarket. He thinks little of the incident, but after being tasked to find a church by his mother and testing out a Children’s Advent Celebration with his kids, he discovers that the shopper is actually one of the instructors helping all of the children make spiced orange pomanders. The man gives Landon a pomander with his phone number on it, but since Landon swore off men for 2017 after his partner left him and his dates have all flakes on him, will he take the instructor up on his offer of a date?

Heathcliff and the Sexy Whippet

Last but not least, we have Heathcliff and the Sexy Whippet by A.M. Fox. This is hilarious. It’s a whirlwind of crazy, paws, and impromptu therapy sessions. Sean is normally working with dogs but is applying for a job at a movie set.

Who says humans don’t have the same needs dogs do? Sean. Sean says that, I’m not sure anyone else does. And to be honest, I think my dog would have eaten Sean LOL. But you never know, he is said to be a sexy Whippet.

I read this sitting on the sofa, chuckling while my husband gave me funny looks.

books2read.com/HeathcliffAndTheSexyWhippet

A.M. Fox was here n the blog earlier this month, and you can read his post here.

Heathcliff and the sexy Whippet A Christmas feel-good tale of snowy, cobbled streets, unfulfilled desires and the sexiest whippet in Yorkshire!
When bubbly Sean Miles applies for a job with a film company, little does he realise what he’s getting into. As an experienced dog groomer, he’s great with fur and claws and loves a poochie cuddle, but has never offered human treatments. Until now.
Heath Mailer is playing the character of Heathcliff. Dark, brooding and intense, the lead actor can scowl aplenty but when he’s in trouble he doesn’t know how to ask for help. Who’s going to offer a hand to Mister Moody?
Forced to work together, Sean and Heath discover some unusual techniques that not only aid the production but also get to the heart of what ails the lead actor. Whoever said dog therapy can’t work on people?