Review: DSP Advent: Homemade for the Holidays Week 5

Choosing the right gift for that special someone can be the most daunting part of the holidays. In a sea of mass-produced items, why buy when you can DIY? The end-of-the-year festivities are the best time for crafts, whether they’re made from yarn, paper, flour, or even code. And with some love and luck, these special presents might inspire a romance that lasts an evening… or a lifetime. Nothing makes the season merry and bright like a gift handmade from the heart, and to bring smiles to the faces of the ones they care about, these guys are willing to get creative. 









Wrapping up the Advent with Week 5. We hope you all had an amazing season with family (of the birth or chosen variety) and friends with whatever you celebrate or if you just call it December. Onward and upward to 2020!


Santa's Little Library by Jana Denardo

For small-town newlyweds Caleb and Quinn, finding the perfect gifts to commemorate their first holiday as a married couple isn’t as easy as it sounds. 

Despite their different cultural backgrounds—Caleb’s Norwegian and Quinn’s Native American—a common love of books, travel, and long walks in the snowy Wisconsin woods brought them together. And though Quinn has Caleb’s gift sorted, Caleb, with his busy schedule at the hospital, might need some help… from Mother Nature.

Ann - 3.5 Hearts

I like established couple stories like this one. The comfort level between the happily coupled MCs, is, well, comforting. The author also did a great job of creating the atmosphere of Caleb and Quinn’s home and town. It wrapped their “problem” into a pretty Christmas bow. The big “problem” was Caleb’s struggle to find the perfect gift for his love. It’s a good Christmas problem to have and reading this story was like wrapping yourself in the snuggliest of woobies on the couch in front of a fire. Can you tell I got comfortable?

The gift was, of course, perfect and seeing how well the two of them “got” each other was a treat. Their relationship and how they met would make a great book, I’d love to get all up in that story.


Setting for Eight, Dinner for Two by B.G. Thomas

To overcome the bad ending of a relationship, Charlie Brooks and a friend plan to decorate his home for the holidays—including elaborate table settings like those made by local ceramicist Tory Phillips. The pieces are exquisite, but Charlie’s on a budget. So Tory convinces him to take his classes and try his hand at making his own dishes for the dinner party Charlie dreams of hosting. As they work together, they grow closer, and the fantasy gathering feels less important than what’s happening between them. When the big day arrives, it might be more magical than Charlie ever imagined.

Ann - 3.5 Hearts

B.G. Thomas can do some romance. It was a little OTT at times for me, and that’s only because I enjoy excessive levels of snark, but for a Christmas story like this, the level was Christmas story purity at its best.

Charlie is a very charming character and is one of those guys I root for as soon as I read about him. He’s an everyman with a heart of gold who gets passed over because he is an everyman, and it took someone like Tory to really see him and get his passions. The two really were made for each other.

It was also nice to read about a more unique crafting experience. I remember taking ceramics back in the day and man was I bad at it. I really could have used a Tory in my life at that moment, but in all honesty, Charlie deserved him most.


Silver and Solstice by T.J. Nichols

Calvin is good at two things: stealing and being the worst boyfriend ever. He can’t help his sticky fingers, even though Rafe has pleaded with him to stop. When a job goes horribly wrong, Calvin’s fate is in the hands of his silversmith boyfriend.

Rafe has done everything he can to put distance between himself and the restrictions of being a princeling. He has a craft, a shop, a shifter boyfriend, and lives a completely disreputable life.

But to save Calvin from spending Solstice in a cage, Rafe will have to step up and face his father, head of the city guard. Rafe’s father has had enough of Calvin flouting the law. Shifters are supposed to be collared in the city.

Calvin finally knows what to make for Rafe for solstice, though it breaks the promise they made to each other….

Ann - 4 Hearts

I liked this unique tale very much. Historical/fantastical was in short supply this advent season, so kudos to T.J. Nichols for making this story be a thing.

The world building was really well done for a short story, not too much detail to take away from the MC’s, but enough to explain motivations and societal roles. While the relationship between Rafe and Calvin was far from traditional in their world, the way it was portrayed fit both them and their environment.

I would really be into this verse and where the author could go with it. I want to read about how Rafe and Calvin met and I can only imagine the dynamics would make for a great tale.


A Stitch in Time by Asta Idonea

When Connor’s friend signs him up for a crochet course, the last thing he expects is to find love. However, at the community center, he meets hunky Finn. There’s only one problem: Finn assumes Connor’s there for the boxing class, and Connor lets him believe it, worried Finn will ditch him if he knows Connor prefers crafting to upper cuts. Can they salvage the situation when the truth comes out?

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 3 Hearts

Super simple. Super sweet. Super short.

Assumptions can definitely get one in a tight spot, and this was no different for Finn when hot guy Conner, mistakes him for the macho type when really, he’s soooo not that.

Ensue a little pursuing and flirting, and Finn and Conner hit if off quick! Equally quick is when the omission of truth can quickly spiral out of control. Good thing Finn and Conner have more in common than they know which can mend quite a lot.

Look no further for a feel good holiday story!

Ann - 3.5 Hearts

A Stitch in Time is a really cute little nugget of a story. It’s a really short one, so just as I was getting settled in, it was over. Which was OK, but I liked the setup and the characters a lot and would have loved to have a little more page time with them once the misunderstanding was resolved.

I did like how the author gave both MC’s the same social foible. They both made assumptions unfairly and thus, misunderstanding, but thankfully it was short lived and both guys had a master crafty woman in their corners to make sure they weren’t stupid for too long.

Again, just a little more page time would have made this story a smidge more memorable and special.


A Swants Soiree by E.J. Russell

Introverted software engineer Brent Levine struggles with the life part of work-life balance, but to hold on to his new job, he’ll have to embrace his employer’s dreaded “staff enrichment” events. This year’s annual ugly holiday sweater party will strain his ambition to remain inconspicuous: everyone has to wear sweaters converted into pants—aka “swants.”

Brent’s an ace at coding, but when it comes to handcrafts, he’s definitely at the far left end of the bell curve. Luckily he encounters seriously cute theater costumer Jonathan at the Goodwill Outlet. Jonathan offers Brent both an acceptably ugly sweater and his expertise in swants conversion. Attraction sparks on Brent’s side, but can Jonathan be interested in a guy like him?

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 3.5 Hearts

Poor Brent. He just wants to do his job with minimal holiday fuss, but when the boss decrees that the annual ugly sweater requirement be changed to swants (sweater turned into pants), it’s Brent’s worst nightmare come true.

What’s a 6’8” guy to do when he desperately always wants to stay under the radar? Fortuitously, Brent runs into Jonathan, theatre costume maker guru, and he can’t believe his luck when the cute guy offers his help.

This totally appealed due to having an awkward geeky MC, and gentle giant Brent, fits that bill perfectly as he tries to push through his fears.

Good thing finally joining in the holiday camaraderie opens Brent’s eyes to so much more at work, and bonus points for scoring great catch Jonathan in the romance department! Cheers!

Ann - 4 Hearts

I had to laugh at A Swants Soiree because swants are so dumb, but also stupidly fascinating and kinda perfect for this years advent prompt.

Companies that want to shove culture down your throat can be amazing or soul crushing, so I could totally get with Brent’s tortured soul. At least everybody seemed to be a good sport about all the nonsense, so it wasn’t like it was something Brent couldn’t survive. With Jonathan’s help of course. 

These two together were a total treat. The chemistry was flying all over the place like glitter, but Brent was charmingly clueless and thank goodness Jonathan had it together. Brent would still be lost in some random thrift store somewhere. I liked that Jonathan had a thing for guys like Brent and it read organically and honestly. I was very happy for these two in the end.


Sweet Anticipation by Andrew Grey

Greg Hansen’s pregnant sister is on bed rest, so it falls to Greg to finalize the arrangements for her best friend’s bachelorette party. Little does he know he’s in for a sweet surprise. When he arrives at the bakery recommended to him, he comes face to face with the man he never should’ve let get away—Rhys Denning. 

 Rhys’s business is booming with the holidays approaching, so he can’t agree to cater the party without help—and that means Greg getting his hands dirty in the kitchen, where the two reconnect over sugar, spice, holiday goodies of all kinds, and even some penis-shaped baguettes! But the most satisfying treat might be the second chance they never thought they’d get.

Ann - 3.5 Hearts

This is the sweetest meet-cute redo. Greg and Rhys were barely-there-boyfriends back in college and Rhys did a dumbish thing and they went their separate ways. Basically, Rhys chose poorly.

The meet-cute as adults when Greg is tasked to help his super-pregnant bed-ridden sister with a bachelorette party. Rhys is a custom baker/kitchen jack of all trades and agrees to help Greg out with all the things. While the initial meeting was slightly awkward and added some good tension, Rhys is like, a full on adult, and addresses the elephant in the room. He apologizes to Greg and is incredibly compassionate and mature. Greg is all grown up about things too and it was honestly refreshing to read mature communication between two adults.

The history between the two makes an HEA very believable and I was happy that Greg got him some Rhys in his life because his sister is a lot. She loves him to death, but damn, she had me stressed out for Greg.

**copies of the Advent stories were provided for honest reviews**

Release Blitz + Giveaway: Blood is Forever by Asta Idonea

Celebrate the release of Blood is Forever with author Asta Idonea and IndiGo Marketing! Discover more about the urban fantasy and enter in the $10 NineStar Press credit giveaway!

Title: Blood Is Forever

Author: Asta Idonea

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: June 3, 2019

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 74500

Genre: Paranormal, LGBT, fantasy, Fae, vampires, witches, half-breed, demons, homicide, law enforcement

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

As a fae-vampire hybrid, scorned by all, Holden’s life has never been easy. The one bright spot is his job testing blood at supernatural crime scenes. It’s routine work, until the day he finds a victim he can’t read.

When one murder becomes two, and then three, it’s clear there’s a serial killer on the loose—one with a penchant for collecting hearts. Finding the bad guy could cement Holden’s career, but he’s drawing a blank. And it doesn’t help that the expert his boss calls in to assist him is the man Holden’s been crushing on for years.

With lives hanging in the balance, Holden and Val must solve the case before the killer strikes again. But will they come out with their hearts still intact?

Excerpt

Blood Is Forever
Asta Idonea © 2019
All Rights Reserved

Chapter One
“What’s a filthy halfen doing here?”

Holden heard the comment. He could scarce avoid doing so, seeing as he possessed enhanced hearing and the speaker had made no attempt to lower his voice. The fae onlooker didn’t know the half of it. Clearly he based his judgment of Holden’s heritage solely on Holden’s less-than-regal stature—a good few inches shorter than most fae—rather than having recognised him outright. That was a rare occurrence. Had he known the truth about Holden’s lineage, the remark would have been all the more scathing.

Halfens—fae half-breeds—were considered the lowest of the low, ranked even below shifters in the supernatural community. Most halfens were fae-human hybrids. As a fae-vampire, Holden was as much of a social outcast as it was possible to be. The fae were notoriously snooty. For one of them to have had a liaison with a human was bad enough, but a vampire… It still amazed Holden that his father had committed such an act.

Cadeyrn was an important figure in the community—a leader in every sense of the word—and socially conscious in the extreme. Still, rumour had it Holden’s mother had been a rare beauty. Holden couldn’t confirm that. She’d died giving birth to him. Fae children were generally larger than vampire offspring, and her spine had snapped under the pressure of his delivery. With her passing, Cadeyrn had effectively shaken off the stigma attached to their brief encounter. The residue had stuck to Holden instead.

The fae who’d noted his presence spat on the ground near his feet as he passed, and a familiar icy fist closed around Holden’s heart. Nevertheless, he acted as he always did in such situations: he made no response, pretending he hadn’t heard anything, thankful for the dark sunglasses hiding his eyes. If he’d learned anything over the years, it was that he needed to maintain a thick skin, or at least the semblance of it. Such pretence wasn’t his forte, however. So, keeping his gaze fixed on his destination, he forged as speedy a path as possible through the small crowd gathered around the gate and approached the house.

Upon reaching the front door, he nodded to the officer stationed by the entrance, whipped out his credentials, and waved the plastic ID card under the man’s nose. The fae officer scanned them in silence, before raising the invisible strip of tape blocking the doorway, granting Holden access to the building.

From the outside, the Victorian terrace had no distinguishing features. A standard exemplar of its era, it sat in the middle of a long row of identical properties—former middle-class family homes long since converted into small inner-city apartments, for which young professionals had to pay top dollar. This particular example officially consisted of four flats. In truth, there were five.

Holden headed straight for the stairs and ascended to the third floor. To human eyes, this was the last living area, with only roof space above, but Holden could see the shimmer in the wall that indicated a hidden doorway. He passed through the gap, shaking off the tingle the magical barrier sent dancing over his skin, and mounted the small flight of steps to the fifth apartment. The door at the top stood open, and when Holden crossed the threshold, he entered a room bustling with activity.

Fae and witches hurried back and forth. Some wore full protective suits. Others were dressed normally, save for their softly scrunching shoe covers. Two photographers snapped away, their constant camera flashes blinding in their intensity. Meanwhile, several of their colleagues deposited a variety of items into plastic evidence bags, then whisked said bags away. Three witches were casting a spell to search surfaces for any latent fingerprints not belonging to the apartment’s owner, while one of the fae glided behind them, retrieving and cataloguing those found. All in all, it was a pretty standard crime scene.

Holden removed his sunglasses and stowed them in his jacket pocket. Then he grabbed some shoe covers from the box near the door and tugged them over his worn trainers. Now suitably attired, he looked for his superior amidst the organised chaos. In the end, Owens spotted him first.

“Holden!”

Her bark cut through the noise, and everyone paused. They looked at Owens and then at Holden. Most swiftly returned to their respective tasks, but a few pairs of eyes lingered on him. He didn’t recognise the faces attached to those keen gazes, but he could sense these strangers assessing him, judging him…and finding him wanting.

“Holden Fay, quit daydreaming and get your arse over here.”

At the command, Holden squared his shoulders and marched across the room, pretending, as best he could, not to notice those who still observed him.

Owens pursed her dark-berry-coloured lips as he approached, hands planted firmly on her ample hips. “What the hell took you so fucking long? I summoned you forty minutes ago. We had to hold the scene for you.”

“I’m sorry, Captain, but it’s peak hour. You know London traffic.” Actually, he’d had a pretty good run, all things considered, and after parking three streets down, he’d used a supernatural burst of speed to sprint the rest of the way—an action that always took a lot out of him.

“Oh yes. I’d forgotten about your…that you can’t use portals.” Owens had the decency to look momentarily abashed at having brought up one of Holden’s numerous defects. “Anyway, you’re here now.” She chose to move swiftly past the elephant in the room, for which Holden was grateful, and he hastened to follow suit.

“What do we have?”

“Come see for yourself.”

Holden trailed Owens through the lounge and into the bedroom. The sight that met his eyes there threatened to turn his stomach. However, he steeled himself and swallowed back the bile. This was his job, after all, and with his background and disadvantages, he was lucky to have any form of employment. He couldn’t afford to lose his position with the Fellowship’s Investigations Team because of a little blood. Not that the blood was the issue. He’d visited plenty of gory scenes, and being part vampire, spilled blood was liable to make him hungry rather than nauseated. No, it was the precision, the clear intent, which made this tableau so gruelling.

The body lay upon the bed, atop the sheets. Despite the look of terror permanently burned into his eyes, the victim otherwise projected a semblance of calm. There was minimal creasing to the sheets beneath him, suggesting there hadn’t been a struggle. No one had forced him onto the bed. No one had thrown him there. It appeared as if he’d lain down of his own volition. His arms rested neat and straight by his sides, and there was no sign of any defensive action, which was strange, given the gaping hole in his chest.

“He’s a witch?”

Holden waited for Owens’s nod, but he didn’t really need the clarification. What else could the victim be? His appearance ruled out him being fae, and a vampire would have turned to dust, or at least a pile of bones. That only left a human or a witch, and a human wouldn’t know of this room’s existence. They couldn’t even detect the flow of the earth’s energy through their own bodies, let alone recognise focused magic.

He moved closer and assessed the damage. The heart was gone. It was a clean job though. He was tempted to call it clinical. That, in itself, was unusual. When Owens called him to murder scenes, it tended to be a blood bath. He was used to that; it made sense. Maybe a newly turned vampire had lost control while feeding. Or someone had crossed paths with a shifter turned feral. Those deaths were understandable—a case of instinct outweighing control. A momentary madness. A mistake. This, on the other hand, had a worrisome aura of premeditation about it.

“Coven clash?” he postulated. It was an odd way for a witch to kill one of their fellow practitioners, but he could see no other obvious explanation.

Owens approached and studied the victim over Holden’s shoulder. Although she seemed cool and collected on the outside, Holden could hear her elevated pulse. She, too, was on edge.

“Not as far as we can tell. I spoke on the phone to all nine coven leaders while I waited for you. None reported any particular tensions, aside from the normal intercoven rivalries. They certainly knew of nothing that would prompt anyone to commit murder.” She stepped back. “Can you get anything from the blood? That’s why we called you here, after all. We can do the standard detective work on our own.”

Holden was glad he had his back to Owens, because he flinched at the slight.

Technically, he was only on the Fellowship’s payroll as a subcontractor. There were no regular hours or weekly paycheques. They simply called him as and when they needed him. That was fine, but he yearned for more. He wanted to be a proper member of the team. He wanted to be a detective and see a case through from start to finish. Although he didn’t possess the full abilities of either fae or vampire, there were things he could do, and given the opportunity, he’d work his arse off. However, he knew it was a pipe dream. With his genetic heritage, most people wanted nothing to do with him, and those who tolerated his presence only did so out of respect for his father. In all his thirty-four years, he’d known only two exceptions, and one of those was Owens.

Of all the members of the Investigations Team, Owens treated him the best. He would even go so far as to say she liked him. However, that only made her occasional, unintentional slips hurt all the more. He knew he wouldn’t have been her first choice for this job, for example. Given the option, she’d have called Drake, Claude, or even Samuel, rather than him, considering the unexpected nature of the crime. But blood work was extremely time sensitive, and since the pure-blood vampires wouldn’t rise for at least another three hours, she had to make do with him. So, he’d better get to work.

The blood had dripped down the man’s sides and pooled beneath his torso. Holden reached out and dipped his index finger into it. It was already congealing, but he collected a good enough sample for his purposes and raised the reddened digit to his lips. At first contact, he screwed up his face. No vampire liked the taste of dead blood. It wasn’t dangerous in small quantities like this, but it was far from pleasant. Nevertheless, Holden brushed aside his disgust and closed his eyes, focusing on his task.

Blood was a powerful tool in the right hands. It held memories—flashes of the life of the one in whose veins it had dwelt. Those memories faded after a time, though, once the heart stopped beating. Hence the need for a swift assessment. Holden rolled the blood on his tongue, seeking a connection. At this point, images usually bombarded him, coming so thick and fast it took concentration and practice to sort through them, separating ancient memories from recent events, picking out the important details from amidst the mundane. It was a skill, and he was adept. But on this occasion, there was nothing but blackness.

He opened his eyes and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Captain. There’s nothing there. We’re too late.”

“But Philips estimated the time of death as two hours ago. Even with your delayed arrival, the blood should still be good.”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” He shuffled, forcing himself to maintain eye contact despite his strong inclination to hang his head and look away. “The memories weren’t even faint. They weren’t there at all.”

It was not the first time this had happened to him, and it wouldn’t be the last. If the blood was too old, it was too old. There was nothing he could do about it. Nonetheless, Holden hated these failures. Neither Drake nor Claude could have extracted anything more from the sample, yet he had the greater need to prove himself. Lack of success clung more persistently to him than it did to them.

Owens swore loudly and virulently. “Very well. If you can’t do anything to help, you may as well go. We’ll wrap up the scene and head back to the office.”

She turned and barked orders at the rest of her staff, completing the abrupt dismissal, and Holden finally allowed himself to sink into the slumped-shoulder posture that had been pressing down upon him for several minutes.

Although free to leave, and keen to extract himself from under the sea of condemning gazes, Holden hovered a moment longer and looked back down at the body. Aside from the lack of a struggle and the surgical precision of the cuts, there was something else odd about the scene. If he could just put his finger on it…

The body retrieval crew shoved past, and their jostling broke Holden’s concentration. While they set about preparing the body for transportation, Holden spun on his heel and left. No one stopped his egress. No one called out a goodbye. He knew he was likely being paranoid, but he could have sworn he felt a wave of relief wash over the room when he rid the apartment of his presence.

Outside, the crowd from earlier had dispersed. Either they’d grown bored at the lack of action or members of the Investigations Team had moved them along, anxious to avoid drawing human attention. It was none of his concern either way.

The summer sunlight seemed at odds with the macabre scene he’d witnessed, and following the gloom indoors, its brightness hurt his sensitive eyes, so he whipped out his sunglasses. At the same time, he noticed he was still wearing the shoe covers. These he toed off, kicking them into the air and catching them. Not wanting to return indoors to dispose of them, he shoved them into the back pocket of his jeans.

A glance at his watch revealed that barely half an hour had passed since his arrival. Before Owens’s call, he’d planned on enjoying a quiet night at home, curled up with a good book, but now he had other ideas. A drink was in order—preferably three or four. With his vampiric metabolism, it took at least that many to feel even the faintest buzz. Alcohol alone was never sufficient, however. There was something else he needed too.

Holden retrieved his phone and knocked out a text message as he mooched back to his car. It was still too early in the day to expect an answer, but he didn’t doubt a favourable response when one finally came. Raoul had never once let him down. He would not be spending the night alone.

Purchase

NineStar Press | Amazon | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Meet the Author

Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.



Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!



As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theater, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing. She is never found too far from her much-loved library/music room.

Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warmest Wishes Advent 2018: Week 1

Week 1 of Dreamspinner Press's annual Advent calendar has officially hit the clubhouse! This week we have stories by E.J. Russell, C.S. Poe, Asta Idonea, Ren Holly and Mere Rain! Join us in the weeks to follow as we review all 31 stories, The Unicorn Way. We Unicorns take the holiday spirit seriously and we're here to help you get into it!

An Everyday Hero by E.J. Russell

When Adam Tyler’s sister announced she was pregnant, Adam decided to move from Portland, Oregon, to Phoenix, Arizona, to fully embrace the uncle experience. However, he didn’t count on the move being delayed until three days before Christmas—and three days before his sister’s due date. And he definitely didn’t count on finding a scorpion in his bedroom. Cue the panicked calls to exterminators.

Garrett Strong doesn’t consider himself at all remarkable—his ex certainly didn’t think so—and Garrett’s pest-control business is circling the drain. Although Adam is his first new client in months, that isn’t the only reason Garrett goes above and beyond for him. He feels a real connection to the younger man and intends to do everything in his power to make sure Adam feels safe and welcome in Phoenix—venomous intruders notwithstanding.



Sara - 5 Hearts

Laugh out loud funny. Opposites attract. Crazy UST with amazing chemistry. Age gap. What’s not to love?

This was the perfect story to start off my journey through the 2018 Advent Event. When Adam moves from Oregon to Arizona to be close his sister, the only family he has left and to be there for the birth of his niece, he has no idea what he is getting himself into. Adam doesn’t realize that living in the desert includes more than a lack of green grass on every front lawn. The desert is home to creatures that find their way into your home whether you like it or not. When one of those creatures, a scorpion, finds its way into his home before his furniture even arrives, Adam starts searching online for anyone to come to his rescue and finds someone not only strong, but an everyday hero that saves the day.

I mean, scorpions? They’re only one step up from velociraptors.

I love that we get both Adam and Garrett's POV in this and it was great to get both first impressions as they happened. Both men are attracted but both men are respectful until Adam continues to flirt with Garrett and Garrett gives one hell of an eye fuck to a soaked Adam. Yup, these two don’t let the “I shouldn’t” line drawn in the desert landscape keep them from moving forward quickly.

What I love about these short stories is how much they can make you feel in a short time. I adored how Garrett took care of Adam’s needs immediately and not his carnal ones. Garrett is natural when it comes to taking care of others and Adam is as well, just in his own way. There are many comedic moments as well as ones that make your hand fly to your heart with a sigh. The play on the title is sugary sweet but appropriate and that ending left me giddy while wanting more.

Ann - 4.5 Hearts

Sweet and adorkable perfection! This has everything I want in my contemporary Christmas stories. The banter between Adam and Garrett was organically funny and being inside both their heads let me get to know both of these likable guys well for a short story. I appreciated them both separately and together and that’s how well fleshed out characters should read. An Everyday Hero had one of my favorite aspects of a romance, when both characters see themselves as just regular dudes but see each other as the most perfect beings on the planet. I just loved reading the appreciation they had for each other and how flattered they were at the attention they received in turn. It’s one of the most swoon worthy things to me and makes the MC’s very relatable and I’ll root for those kind of guys pretty hard. The only thing I could ask for is more, and I’m going to scout out more E.J. Russell books posty hasty.

That Turtle Story by C.S. Poe

Nor O’Brien spends his days in sunny Key West caring for and rehabilitating sea turtles. He doesn’t need anything else in life, expect maybe a significant other to cuddle with after a long day. But recent heartbreak has left Nor salty, and he’s not in the mood for anything, Christmas included.

Then Eugene Montgomery walks into Turtle R&R, claiming to have found a clutch of eggs in distress. Nor is smitten with the tourist at first sight, and at the suggestion of his screwball colleagues, indulges in some no-strings-attached fun. Nor and Eugene are quick to get along, happily enjoy each other’s company, and take in the island’s unique holiday pleasures together.

But Nor would never leave his turtles, not for any man. So when his rebound fling turns into strong romantic feelings for Eugene, it’ll take a Christmas miracle to keep the two together forever in Key West.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar "Warmest Wishes."

R *A Reader Obsessed* - 4 Hearts

It’s not surprising Nor is a bit grumpy this Christmas, as he’s newly single after a particularly bad breakup. He’s so not in the mood for any holiday cheer, but when handsome Eugene walks into the turtle rescue center where he works, Nor just might have to reconsider his resolutions.

Poe for sure delivered last year with New Game, Start, and I was not disappointed this time around either! Both Nor and Eugene each had their own endearing special charm, and I was tickled by their sweet, funny, and sexy interactions!!

My first advent read of the year is a total win, and I hope it predicts many more to come!!

Thanks to the author/publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review

Fantasy Living - 4 Hearts

Nor is adorable, but insecure and still upset about his ex not loving turtles as much as he does… and other stuff.

Eugene is really laid back and seems to be rolling with whatever Nor wants. He doesn’t seem to care, as long as he gets to hang out. Oh, and he appears to enjoy learning about turtles. Not a bad catch for Nor. But Nor doesn’t have a great track record with casual flings, so feelings start to get in the way of their relaxing time together and Nor ultimately has a moment.

This was squishy sweet with some jokes and a touch of angst.

Nor’s work colleague was a lot of fun with her outrageous remarks to embarrass him in front of dreamy Eugene. I enjoyed everything about this story from the setting to the characters, and the easy writing style.

Key West sounds like a great place to spend Christmas, and I’m totally sold on Nor and Eugene together.

Also, who doesn’t love turtles? I mean look at her!!!

Source: The Turtle Hospital

Sara - 5 Hearts

This was perfection! I can’t even ramble my redheaded butt off to tell you how adorable, funny, sexy and absolutely perfect this story was. Seriously. Poe can do romantic comedy like no other and she proves it here.

I loved Nor and his love for turles and his Veganism even if he took Cowboy Willy’s advice about the cheese. I love characters who have no filter and the dudes that find that endearing. Eugene, I mean come on! The physical was one thing, I’d be on that ice cream scenario with Nor, but when you find out what he does? Shut the front door and OMG! He’s everything a romantic lead should be and he finds everything Nor to be everything he wants. This was everything! You know? You KNOW?

Ack. I won’t get into the details of the story because I want you to read this and marinate in its perfection until your fingers are pruny. Got it.

Okay. I am going to go read this again because it’s worth it just to read Eugene’s compliments and Nor blurt out anything at all.

Ann- 4.5 Hearts

Who doesn’t love a man who loves animals? Another gem of a story in Week 1 of DSP’s 2018 Advent Calendar. I expect it with C.S. Poe and I always look forward to her contributions to these collections. The banter between Nor and Eugene, well, Nor and anyone really, was tops. He’s such a funny faux curmudgeon, which is the best kind of curmudgeon to be. I appreciated how the author took the miscommunication trope and used it for good in The Turtle Story. Nor owned his misguided idiocy brilliantly and I loved Eugene’s gentle patience with Nor’s nonsense. I really could feel his appreciation of Nor throughout the story and Nor needed that. The whole story is very sweet and funny, definitely an annual holiday reread.

Barbies and Beaches by Asta Idonea

For the first time ever, Shane is not looking forward to the annual Boxing Day barbecue at Matty’s house. He recently divorced, none of his friends know what to say to him now, and Shane is tired of the pity and awkwardness. Things take a turn, however, when he meets Matty’s English cousin. Neil is struggling with the Australian heat, having left the UK after a bad breakup. When Shane suggests the two of them head to a secluded beach to cool off, the growing intimacy between them might make both reassess their current situation.

Sara - 4 Hearts

When mending hearts leads to extreme heat and deserted beaches, the story can’t be bad!

I liked this one. Super sweet and short with Shane our resident Aussie on a stick who is fresh out of a divorce and sick of talking about it. He doesn’t want to attend the annual Boxing Day Bash at his friend Matty’s but he knows he will never hear the end of it so he plans to make an appearance and then leave. When Shane sees a stranger passed out on Matty’s couch he’s intrigued but doesn’t think much of it until later when he sees the bloke upright.

Neil is Matty’s cousin and aso fresh from a break up who needed time away from his home in England so he hits up his cousin but didn’t think he could literally melt from the summer heat in Australia. As Neil is trying to come to terms with where his life is headed and how hot the holiday is, he’s interrupted by Shane and invited for a swim to cool off.

These two were sweet. Of course both men think the other is straight so Shane’s first move was a bit WTF DUDE but it played out well. I liked how they went about this new attraction and how the story ended too. Neil and Shane will always have their anniversary of Barbies and Beaches.

Ann - 3 Hearts

The writing is smooth and top notch in Barbies and Beaches and I do love short stories, but this one had too much story packed in to too few pages. I felt like I was missing integral pieces that connected Shane and Neil in a forever way. 21 pages need to engage me in a focused moment, not a life changing event. I need those little nuggets of connection between two MC’s for me to be able to gel with them and that was the one piece that was missing for me. I still very much liked the MC’s and believed what I was told about their future, I just needed to see it a bit more organically to make the story more memorable.

Mosquitoes and Mistletoe by Ren Holly

After Andrew’s boyfriend dumps him just before Christmas, he decides to take a job far, far away from city life. It’s a dishwashing job on a remote island off the coast of Georgia. Expecting sunshine, palm trees, and some quality alone time, Andrew is surprised to find alligators, mosquitoes, rattlesnakes, and Garrett—a devilishly handsome naturalist. Andrew desperately tries to resist Garrett’s charm, because a twice-broken heart before Christmas is just not an option. Besides, Andrew’s new friend Anna might already have a thing for Garrett.

But where do Garrett’s interests lie, and will Andrew find out before he’s surprised by a visit from his ex?

Sara - 3 Hearts

This was a cute story with a lot of potential but it fell short for me. Despite there being Christmas Day in the story, it never felt like a holiday read.

I liked the idea of Andrew taking an escape plan to a remote eco island in Georgia after his butthead of an ex dumped him because he was a creep. Knowing from the blurb that Garrett would be the other MC I expected more from their first meeting and Andrews small flirting but tossing Anna in the mix crushing n Garrett made it awkward and not in a good way.

Garrett never once seems curious about Andrew in any way other than a friend and coworker so the whole thing with him Andrew felt really disconnected. I never had a chance to get to know either man and the moments of head hopping got confusing including the whole random appearance of a full POV from Garrett. There was a lot going on in the story that didn’t mesh with the page length and the

The story does get points for Andrew being a ginger and the visual of an eco friendly hotel without wifi or televisions.

Ann - 2 Hearts

I liked how Mosquitoes and Mistletoe started and I was on board with Andrew’s new gig and with Garrett’s friendliness. I was looking forward to reading about how these two would get together and all the shenanigans that would come with an island retreat. Events, characters and dialog started flying around randomly and I found myself disconnected from where the story started and I ended up losing interest in where it was going. I think it tried to be too much with too many people to flow well within a short story. Garrett went through absolutely zero angst for never having been with a man before so that felt rushed and the emotions weren’t explored nearly as much as they should have been. Andrew is coming off a bad breakup, so it would have been completely cool to focus on the two of them and skip the villainous ex, the baking, the lifesaving, the ping pong and all the other “stuff”. The “stuff” drowned out the possibility of any depth in their romance.

The Last Birthday Party by Mere Rain

Their favorite holiday is going away. Will it take their friendship with it?

Since 1989, the birthday of the Emperor of Japan has been celebrated on December 23rd. But this is the last year; the Emperor is abdicating, and next year there will be no holiday.

For twenty-year-old Akihito, the holiday has always been special. It’s his birthday, too, and a perfect excuse for spending the entire day celebrating across Tokyo with his life-long best friend, Kenji. But now that they will no longer get the day off and will soon face adult responsibilities, will they drift apart? Or if Akihito confesses the secret love he’s held in his heart for years, will their closeness be ruined? One thing is certain: nothing will be same by the end of the day.

Sara - 5 Hearts

Wow! Where did this author come from?

It’s rare these days that I get stunned by a story on the first page but with this one, I did. With one line: “He put one in his mouth and held it on his tongue, imagining he could taste the salt of Kenji’s palm lingering on the bean.” I can't explain the feeling but it made me pause, read it again and be sure to highlight it so I could share it.

This trope is one of my most favorites, the boy who has been in love with is BFF for years but is afraid to tell him until that time he can’t keep it inside any longer. With this, we have childhood friends Akihito and Kenji who are ready to celebrate Emperor of Japan’s birthday which happens to be Akihito’s birthday as well. The young men have always celebrated the day together, being off as a full holiday, but today is a bit melancholy as the Emperor is abdicating and the new Emperor's birthday won’t be celebrated the same day as Akihito’s, December 23rd. The loss of calendared coincidence makes Akihito feel that this special day spent with his best friend will be lost.

“[...] I wanted to get you something really special for twenty, but I couldn’t think of anything that seemed right. Nothing seemed like… enough. We’ll get something today, okay? I’ll give you anything you want.”

The friends start off the day to honor the Emperor and then decide to toast Akihito and their impending adulthood and Coming of Age day with a walkabout bar hop that leads to emotional speeches, chaste meaningful touches, confessions and firsts for the friends. I found myself holding my breath from the first time Akihito pretends the caring touch of his friend is more, to their reminiscent stories of their youth driven shenanigans, to Akihito finally listening to what Kenji is saying. These two pulled hard at my heart strings and though I finished the story, they haven’t let go.

This truly was a wonderful story that made me look up images as I read so I could see what Akihito and Kenji were seeing. I love where this left off and of course, being greedy, I wouldn’t mind more.

Ann - 4 Hearts

The Last Birthday Party is a total treat. I do love me some Christmas story overload, but even I have to admit it was refreshing to read a holiday story not about Christmas for a change. The author does a great job with setting a scene and I found myself stopping to Google locations, festivals, food and cocktails. I love reading a book and accidentally learning things, especially about other cultures. I finished this book both happy and hungry. I loved being in Akihito’s head and his love for his BFF, Kenji, read so real. It’s pretty obvious to the reader how Kenji feels, but the dawning realization to Akihito is the real star here. The ending felt a little rushed considering the beautiful buildup, but the outcome is still perfect and I would love to read what happens next for these two.

Review copies were provided by the publisher in exchange for honest reviews.