Blurb: Daring a snowstorm might not be the smartest thing Aiden has ever done, but he can’t stand being in his flat a moment longer. With only three days to Christmas, he doesn’t want to be alone. He wants a place to belong, wants people around him who won’t look down on him. He might not find all that at his mother’s place, but at least it’s better than being alone in the city. If he can make it there, that is.
Tristan is looking forward to a quiet night in front of the TV, but instead, he has to save an idiot in designer clothes from freezing to death in his forest. Tristan tries not to notice the man’s good looks, just like he has tried not to notice any man’s good looks for the last seven years. He knows where relationships go and is far better off living alone, with his dog, in his cabin.
Aiden is driving Tristan mad with his bratty comments and irresponsible ways, and Aiden is going crazy from Tristan’s judgmental attitude. Luckily, in a few days, the weather will clear up, and the two men won’t have to be together any longer. But will a few steamy nights with the grumpy lumberjack change Aiden’s mind about wanting to leave? And will Tristan still want to go back to his peaceful, predictable life without fear of getting his heart broken?
Review: Tristan lives in the mountains with his faithful dog by his side. I do not want to call him a recluse but there is not really a lot of interactions with others as a result of where he lives. He seems content for the most part if not a bit lonely.
Aiden took a bit for me to warm up to as he seemed arrogant and that irritated me until I got to know him better. His mother and the way she is is the reason for Aiden’s arrogance. When Aiden sets out in the middle of a snowstorm and gets stranded Tristan rescues him.
These two do not immediately hit it off. With Aiden’s attitude it’s a wonder Tristan did not throw him back out. But alas as the story progressed the attraction between them proved much stronger. I liked the interactions between these two as it felt real to a degree.
Hi guys we have the anthology Love Unlocked and it’s authors popping in for a quick visit today, we have short interviews with Al Stewart and Ofelia Gränd, a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so enjoy the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~
Love Unlocked
by
Claire Davis and Al Stewart, Victoria Milne, Dawn Sister, J.P. Walker, Caraway Carter, Ofelia Gränd, Debbie McGowan
Love Unlocked is a collection of seven short stories and novellas – unique LGBTQ romances inspired by the Love Lock Bridge.
When Sal attends an open exam for an apprentice artist to work alongside the infamous Matthew Picard, the last thing he expects is to be the winner. But then his role is revealed and nothing is ever the same again. As he toils day and night on the unique sculpture, strange sensations begin to affect both him and the watching master artist.
Matthew Picard thought he was through with men and love. What he wanted was for Sal to help him create one final monstrous masterpiece – The Trap.
But as he observes his young apprentice, his focus shifts, and so do the very walls of the gallery.
Is it the beauty of art, or something more magical at work?
As the sculpture is created, a power is unlocked.
Can love save them, or will they be trapped forever?
Spending a month in Paris to write his romance novel had seemed like the perfect plan, but one week in, Phil Pearson is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. With barely a word written, he’s fed up and ready to cut his trip short.
When Laurent Marceau sees Phil in his café, it sends him hurtling into the past, opening old wounds and reminding him of the love he lost. But, after watching the aspiring writer struggle for inspiration, he surprises himself by offering to show him Paris through the eyes of a true Parisian.
Finally bursting with ideas, Phil is delighted to put pen to paper, albeit badly at first. As the writer finds himself falling in love for the first time, Laurent knows he needs to decide quickly if he’s strong enough to return his affections, or whether it would be better for them both if he walked away. He knows he may not have a choice, once Phil finds out the truth.
Due to a misunderstanding, the troll that lives underneath one of the most romantic bridges in Paris inadvertently unlocks every single padlock lovers have left there over the years. L’Authoritié de Fée Folklorique are up in arms. He has no idea what all the fuss is about. The noise was driving him mad. He just wanted a bit of peace and quiet.
A spell is cast, leaving the troll in a bit of a predicament. He is charged with the seemingly impossible task of fixing the locks before the spell can be reversed and he is allowed to return to his home. There are other complications, the least of which is the insistence and persistence of a fairy who is determined to help him against the wishes of his own people.
Now the troll has a dilemma. What is more important to him? The only home he has known for two thousand years, or a fairy he has just met?
Nat’s been through a rough breakup and trust does not come easily. When she accompanies a group of friends to Paris for a hen weekend, she finds a connection she wasn’t looking for, in the form of beautiful, passionate Morgan. They quickly fall into a wonderful weekend fling and even engrave their initials into a lock and attach it to the most romantic bridge in the world, Love Lock Bridge.
But was that weekend fling all there was, or will news of the bridge being taken down lead to something more?
Brandon Marshall, in Paris for his twin sister’s wedding, has a fling before the big day. At the end of a whirlwind week of discovering each other, Brandon and his lover place a scarlet lock on the Love Lock Bridge.
Follow Brandon through six years of letters – to the citizens of Paris, on everything from how to make love, to eating passionate fruit – and to the lover, who is now his brother-in-law.
The locks are being removed, the bridge refitted… What will be the fate to The Scarlet Lock?
All Delron wants is to live his life with Phillipe, but when their love lock is stolen from Pont des Art, their relationship is in jeopardy. Without the lock holding them together, Delron is convinced they’ll crash and burn. The only way he can save their relationship is to find the stolen lock, and that is just what he plans to do, no matter what.
Phillipe loves Delron, he really does, but it’s driving him insane that Delron can’t see that a padlock is simply a piece of metal. The lock has nothing to do with them, not really. Up until the night the lock was stolen, their life was great, but Del’s crazy behaviour has Phillipe wondering if he has ever really known his boyfriend.
Delron’s search leads him through art-filled Paris, but will a symbol of love ever be enough to soothe the mistrust his quest has planted in Phillipe? Phillipe always thought he’d spend the rest of his life with Del, but who can live with anyone willing to break the law just to find a padlock when they can buy a new one in just about any shop?
Josh and George have always shared the special bond of friendship. From days in primary school, to holidays spent riding their bikes along the canal, theirs is a promise to remain best friends forever.
But can that promise withstand the trials of adolescence, and the changes in their feelings towards each other?
Title: From All of Us to All of You Series: Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology (Volume 1) Author: Ofelia Gränd Genre: Contemporary Length: Short (28 pages) Publisher: Beaten Track Publishing (December 1st, 2014) Heat Level: Moderate Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts Blurb: Simon hates the Holidays. It’s the same every year – awaiting the dreaded Christmas Eve, when his father gets drunk, while the family fake Christmas spirit and strain to hear the TV over Dad’s snoring. This year, Simon’s sister is celebrating Christmas elsewhere, leaving him to deal with their parents on his own.
But there’s a glimmer of hope.
A work colleague introduces Simon to her son Hannes at the Lucia Day celebrations, the trouble being that Simon mistakenly believes it’s a blind date, and as if that isn’t embarrassing enough, Hannes wants them to be friends, and Simon’s starting to see signals that aren’t there. He’s beginning to wonder if he’ll make it through Christmas with his sanity intact.
Review: Reading this book sparked memories of going to a church masses and being in Catholic primary and high school productions as either actor or musician. This is all about family and love and just general celebration, it’s difficult not to like this short story because again, this makes me think of my family at Christmas and Easter. Even if Simon’s family is nothing like mine.
This is certainly a different type of Christmas story: it is set around Santa Lucia and Christmas in Sweden. There is no one feeling lonely amongst their hordes of relatives and presents and happiness.
Instead, Simon isn’t particularly happy when it comes to his parents and really has an intense dislike for Christmas since he’s never had a happy Christmas. He lives in his small hometown, with an average job and everyone knows everyone else’s secrets. Simon is introduced to Hannes, by Hannes’s mother who Simon happens to work with.
Both Simon and Hannes are adorable and sweet. Hannes seems to have something Simon needs and vice versa, they just need to get their act together.
This isn’t a rushed insta-love, but a subtle story that just happens to coincide with Christmas.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *
Title: Once in a Snowstorm
