Homemade for the Holidays Advent 2019
Holiday MM Romance
Dreamspinner Press
December 1, 2019
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.
Reviews By Linda Tonis Reviewer for the Paranormal Romance Guild
These are stories about men who use their time and whatever creativity they have to produce gifts that are from the heart, personal gifts and gifts of time and effort for special occasions. Each of these stories will be available individually on 12/1/19 so I have rated them individually.
Stories to put you in the mood for the holidays and hopefully get your creative juices flowing so like all the men in these stories you can DIY.
The Carpenter’s Prince: Jayce Ellis: 4****Stars
Sean Edwards has volunteered to do special set pieces for this years Nutcracker ballet. His eleven year old nephew is in the ballet and so Sean has been putting his heart and soul into every piece he cuts and paints. When Keni Jackson the man playing the prince comes to check on what is going on in the room next to where he is rehearsing he is immediately drawn to the man he sees with a saw in his hand. Christmas is a time for love and miracles and maybe this year it will be a time for a carpenter to find his prince.
Crochet my Heart: Carol Pedroso: 5*****Stars
Tristan is an accountant who made the mistake of volunteering to fill half of a six foot table with handmade crocheted gifts he unfortunately has learned that because his grandmother made crocheting look easy and that the internet was readily available did not mean he could do it and with only six weeks left till the fair he was in big trouble. The fair is a charity for a local LGBT who are trying to fix up the building housing kids whose parents have thrown them out. When Tristan’s sister advised him of a crocheting class being given he jumped at it and found much more than he ever could have expected.
Evan Versus the Sharlotka: Chrissy Munder: 5*****Stars
Evan and Gavriil work at the same company and have lunch together almost every day but Evan has not been able to express his true feelings for Gavriil a man he has been crushing over for a long time. Evan discovers that there is one dessert that Gavriil loves and it is his mother’s apple cake called Sharlotka and Evan is determined to show his feelings in that cake. Of course Evan is clueless when it comes to cooking but he doesn’t give up. Time and again he messes up and if you have ever tried a new recipe you know it can be difficult but so much more so for a man clueless like Evan. I couldn’t help but love reading about Evan’s experience with this little apple cake and his experience with a spring form pan.
For Joy: Crystel Greene: 4****Stars
Chad has had a crush on his hairdresser Joy for over two years and has never been able to admit to his feelings. Chad also is dealing with the fact that at the age of 22 he has not come out to his family that he is gay and with a little push from Joy he finally tells them the truth. Now after discovering that his parent’s didn’t love him as much as he thought he finds himself living on the couch in Joy’s apartment. Joy felt responsible for pushing Chad and offered him a place to live only now Chad’s feelings for Joy are overwhelming. The only thing he can think of to express that he loves Joy is to knit him something, I mean two sticks, a ball of yarn and the internet how hard can it be. Another beautiful story, of trying to show love through a gift.
The Great Aerodynamicist: A. Nybo: 4****Stars
Donnell is Irish and is now living in Melbourne, Australia where he has plans of opening a 24 hour cafe. He works in the place he hopes to buy and everyday a man walks in and turns him into a brainless idiot. He is totally enamored by the man he calls almond-eyes but there doesn’t seem to be any future in his attraction to this man. Working on a model of a steampunk flying machine as a Christmas gift for his nephew an accident with spilled coffee leads to a parachutist figure glued to his teeth. At the hospital who walks in but almond-eyes, Dr. Charlie Beck. A sweet story.
A Holiday Homecoming: Liv Rancourt: 4****Stars
Bo is a teacher who gives craft classes on the weekend at the local fabric shop. One day after a class a man approaches him, a man from his past and a man he was always attracted to. Jon is a pianist and knew Bo from middle school where he had a crush on him but now he hopes to finally build a relationship with him. Jon’s father suffered from a stroke bringing him home to Seattle to help out and it doesn’t take long before he and Bo get together but Jon lives in New York and travels the world while Bo doesn’t travel at all and never will. Jon only has one thing to carry with him and that is a Christmas ornament he made with Bo can that be enough.