Oren's Right Solstice Vignette & Giveaway by Blaine D. Arden

~I am so happy that Blaine took the time write a little something about Oren and Veld from Oren's Right, a short story that was apart of The Carved In Flesh anthology. She also brought a giveaway, which is really sharing the holiday spirit. So if you loved Oren & Veld, then you will love this short.~

Oren's Right Solstice Vignette by Blaine D. Arden

It was quiet when I entered Oren's dwelling—our dwelling. The only thing that betrayed Oren's presence was the slight hint of cinnamon coming from the kitchen. Oren started taking some buns home for breakfast the moment I moved in with him. He'd have them warmed up and shining with butter every single morning, kneeling next to the bed as he waited for me to wake up. Unless I slept in. Then they'd be sitting on a tray that was spelled to keep the buns warm.

I hung my cloak on a peg in the hall and toed off my muddy boots before walking into the kitchen, but Oren wasn't there. My heart sped up, and I crossed the kitchen in no time, stopping in the archway to the living room. Oren kneeling next to my chair—one of the few of my possessions that I'd brought with me when I moved in—warmed my heart and made me smile. How could it not? The way he sat as he waited for me to arrive—heels pressing into his firm buttocks, the artwork on his back on display, his visibly relaxed bearing—was exquisite. It never ceased to amaze me how gorgeously at ease Oren looked when he was waiting for orders... from me.

He must have heard me, but he didn't turn his head or acknowledge my presence, not until I sat down. Of course, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to ruffle his messy curls, knowing it would make him smile. That, and I loved the feel of them between my fingers, silky and ticklish. Oren was holding a mug—spelled warm, judging from the steam rising from it—and lifted it up as I settled into my chair.

"Thank you," I said, wincing as my voice broke the gentle quiet. But Oren just smiled, his sky blue eyes brimming with joy, and sat back on his heels. Taking in the smell of the strong, dark, rogge tea, I blew across the mug to cool it a bit and enjoyed the view.

As usual, I was drawn to the design just above Oren's heart—my design—right next to Haram's. I'd kept it small so as not to diminish the significance of Haram's brand—his name in the ancient script of the first tree-elves. Mine showed two leaves, like the ones on my thigh, portraying the letter V with a heart set in between them and a small O at the bottom of the V. The leaves symbolized the Chantus tree, the oldest and biggest tree in the village I was born in. Tending a tree as old as our Chantus was an honor amongst Foresters.

That design had been the first I'd offered Oren the day after his mourning period ended. Merely thinking of Oren's reactions, Oren's craving and obvious enjoyment as I cut it into him, still made me smile. Even though I'd added two more since then, I'd never forget that first one. Taking Oren afterwards had been the sweetest moment of my life.

The recollection of how he'd looked, bound to the kitchen table, made me lower my gaze to Oren's cock flaccidly nestled on top of his heavy balls and hanging freely in the position he was in. It was always soft when Oren was serving me, soft and relaxed. Though seeing Oren like this never failed to arouse me, for Oren there was nothing sexual about serving me. His subservience was part of who he was and brought him a different kind of satisfaction. I reminded myself every day what a privilege it was to see him like this.

I finished my tea and lowered the mug. Oren immediately grabbed it before rising elegantly and taking it into the kitchen. He didn't return immediately, and I leaned my head back to rest my eyes for a moment. My last tree today had been a particularly stubborn one. Soon, wonderful smells wafted into the room—basil, parulm bark, tomatoes. My stomach grumbled.
A hand on my knees made me open my eyes.

«Dinner's ready in an hour,» Oren signed before kneeling beside my chair once again.

He grabbed my favorite book from the low table next to him and presented it to me. I smiled as I took and opened it where I'd left off, but didn't start reading right away. I wanted to enjoy the view in front of me a bit longer. Not too long, because an hour until dinner meant an hour of growing unbearably hard unless I distracted myself by reading. To Oren, it meant an hour of tranquility; an hour of sitting beside me, my hand in his hair, obeying my every command.

In the beginning, I made the mistake of leaving him kneeling next to me without giving him something to do. He already took care of all the household chores. That would be enough, wouldn't it?

It wasn't. I'd woken up one night without Oren plastered against me, and he rarely woke up once he slept. I'd found him in the kitchen, mindlessly kneading dough that he'd left to rise when we'd gone to bed. He'd turned around when I asked him to come back to bed, shoulders slumped and looking at his hands rather than at me. I'd barely opened my mouth to ask what was wrong when he'd raised his hands and fixed his gaze on me. His hands had fluttered too fast for me to understand what exactly he was saying. It didn't really matter. His slumped shoulders, the way his hands moved, even without the words, I'd understood him perfectly. In the six moons since, I'd learned to save up all sorts of tasks for him, tasks I'd never before thought to leave for someone else to do.

So, while I read, Oren cleaned my boots, brought me water, mended a tunic or two, and answered a letter from my sisters—Oren's handwriting was so much neater than mine, not to mention that my sisters liked the little anecdotes he added to the letters—and all while he was kneeling next to my chair with my hand tangled in his curls.

By the time Oren finished the letter, the hour was almost up, and he rose, elegantly as ever, and trod off to the kitchen to put on a tunic and set the table. I looked up from my book to admire his gorgeous body as he walked away, suppressing the urge to adjust my cock in my trousers. Oren knew how he affected me, of course he did, but no matter what, I'd have to wait until after our meal. A meal on the night of the winter Solstice to celebrate our vows and honor those who attended the Circle tonight, like Oren's sister, Ajuna.

With a sigh, I focused my attention back to my book and finished the chapter I'd been attempting to read. As I closed the book and waited for Oren to come fetch me, my mind drifted to things to come.

 Oren's Right is part of the Storm Moon Press Anthology Carved in Flesh
~~~~~~

Blaine is a purple haired, forty-something, writer of gay romance with a love of men, music, mystery, magic, fairies, platform shoes, and the colours black, purple, and red, who sings her way through life. Blaine can be found on blainedarden.com, twitter, facebook, and goodreads. Blaine's books are available at Storm Moon Press, Amazon, and Are

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Giveaway
Blaine is offering one book from her backlist (your choice in format)

• Must be 18yrs or older
• Leave a comment along with email
• winner has 48hrs to reply to me email or another winner gets chosen
• Contest runs until December 27th 11:59pm EST

Review: Bianca's Plan by B.G. Thomas

Bianca's Plan (Evergreen) by B.G Thomas
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 91pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Bianca worries that her daddy, Gavin, is lonely and decides he needs a boyfriend for Christmas. So she enlists her father's best friend, the straight and unattached Curtis. Gavin has a Christmas wish, too, and Curtis setting him up on disastrous dates isn't part of it! Meanwhile, Curtis finds life becoming complicated as he tries to please Bianca, make Gavin happy, and fend off his own unexpected mixed feelings. Will anyone's wish come true?






Review:
Bianca has a plan, and she knows she can pull it off with the help of her fathers’ best friend, Curtis. It’s the holidays and she feels her dad Gavin is lonely so she wants to set him up on a few dates (In hopes he will find that perfect someone). At first Curtis wants nothing to do with the plan but when faced with the reality of what he might be feeling and what Gavin feels for him. Suddenly he's gung-ho, in getting him a boyfriend and in the meantime proving he feels nothing for a man.

Gavin just wants to be home with his little family for Thanksgiving but working gets in the way, and god knows he needs the job. With a daughter to take care of and bills to pay, he is willing to suffer with his moneygrubber boss if only for a few hours. Well, thanks to the weather he gets to head home early and be with the people he loves the most and that includes his best-friend Curtis. Even though what he feels for Curt might be a little more than friendly love, he's content with how things are and wouldn't change them for the world.

Suddenly, he finds himself going on horrible dates with a know it all florist, the dad who doesn't mind a hook-up when his kids are in the house, and the young looking twink who calls himself Blue (and talks just a little too much about things no one really cares to know about). It might be time to confront the partners in crime and let them know, he's in no rush to find a boyfriend and he has all he needs for the holidays.

That Bianca is an evil genius, I was on to her plan from the very beginning. I love reading about smart outspoken kids in books, it makes me smile because yes, kids can be all adult like when they want. The dates that Gavin went on provided the book with a light kind of entertainment, both hilarious and realistic. Moreover, it felt so universal, like if you had a bad date, they would probably fall under the three: the know it all, the pervert just looking for a hook-up, and the just a pretty face.

I was both annoyed and frustrated by Gavin's feelings emerging (I was like dude, stop freaking fighting it). Plus, he came out with style and at an office party. Office parties are where the good shit goes down. Overall, I enjoyed Bianca, Gavin, and Curtis. They made me smile a lot.

Should You Read It? Yeppers, it was just super cute and so entertaining. My first time reading B.G Thomas and it won't be my last. Another great addition to the DSP holiday stories.

4 Pants Off

Guest Post: For Getting Pants Off by Kris

~I feel truly honoured to have Kris doing a guest post, and man did I have to beg. Which she so kindly points out in the post (Can't even keep my begging secret). Give her warm welcome (she might acknowledge it)~

Me in my Xmas finest. Kid you not. It's summer here after all...


When you're an Aussie and you're, well, me, Christmas is all about being the season of drinking even more than usual and, hopefully, missing out on a trip to Emergency for alcohol poisoning by painstakingly planning every shot of tequila...

... as well as building up your tolerance levels throughout the year in time for the next holiday challenge.

Anyhoody, I was practically begged by GettingPantsOff to share my five favourite (please note correct spelling) Xmas Day drinks with you all. Given I'm the last person to judge such things...


The Five Drinks of Krismas! 

You're welcome.

1. Coffee

Not really a total shock when you think about getting totally pissed the night before. Pretty sure you didn't make a fool of yourself in front of your family; most of whom you won't see for another year and don't really give a toss about anyways, you're now running seriously late so you need to guzzle a pot of coffee in under an hour so you can contemplate the idea of preparing your contribution to Xmas lunch and, perhaps more importantly, facing yourself in the shower.


2. Champagne 

This comes after the shower, after you've had the phone call from your *insert immediate family member here*, after you've been reminded you need to finish putting together the trifle, after you've discovered you probably ate when you got home the night before because you had the munchies, after you've thought it explains a lot about, well, a certain mess, and after you've realised the coffee buzz has gone and you're in definite need the uplifting mood bubbles can bring.


3. Margaritas

You've arrived at the family lunch and go into standard survival mode, very grateful you've painstakingly planned for those shots of tequila.


4. Water

A liquid from which the ice for your margarita slushies was made. Known to be handy for guzzingly along with a handful of painkillers whilst thanking fuck you're finally home and can now pass out without any concerns of waking up with a Salvador Dali face because some dickhead relative bought your second cousin's ex's psychotic stepchildren face paint for Xmas. You praise the invention of birth control as you peacefully - and very quickly - drop face down - stilly fully dressed complete with paper crown - on your bed.

 Also used for washing the drool from your face when you eventually wake up and realise it's time for...


5. Champeritas

Just a little something you created about 10 years ago to use up the rest of the bottle of the morning's champagne together with the extra, just-in-case-of-emergencies margarita mix. With hardly any seediness at all, which is not really surprisingly since you're an expert at this, you can now relax in front of the telly and toast the fact that you won't need to do this for another year.

 The family thing, that is. Not the drinking.

Please note gratuitous boy candy.

Oh, and probably not the best idea in the world to try my five favourite (yep, it's still the same spelling) Xmas Day drinks without any kind of training.

Unless you're an Aussie, of course, and are therefore genetically gifted.

Review: Lucky by Ana Bosch

Lucky (Evergreen) by Ana Bosch
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 76pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Ever since Martel Heller rolled his first dreadlock, his love life has been blessed. For seven years he’s had the luxury of cherry-picking the hottest men available. But when the dress code at his new job forces him to hack off his lucky locks, his good fortune comes to an end.

To make matters worse, if Martel shows up at the company Christmas party alone, his creepy coworker Phil will know he’s single. As a last resort, Martel enlists his best friend, Felix, a fashion photographer, to hook him up with a model. Then plans fall through, and Martel ends up stuck at the Christmas party with the last person he expects—but as the hours pass, he wonders if he's finally learned what it means to be lucky.

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2012 Advent Calendar package "Evergreen"

Review:
Martel has a lot going for him; especially his dreads that guarantee he gets laid. Never one to be turned down, that is until his boss tells him to get it cut because it doesn't suit the workplace. With the haircut Martel seems to have lost his mojo, also the hairdresser left a shaved streak in the back. Martel then blames his best-friend Felix the one who sent him to the salon. Well, Martel needs a date to his work holiday party and he needs it bad. Phil his boss has been making sexual advances and he wants to put him off for good, and he needs a hot date to pose as his boyfriend (might not happen cus his hair is so messed up, boohoo).

With his mojo gone (the hair) it's up to Felix to land him his hot date but instead Felix turns out to be his hot date (say what). Martel doesn't think it will work: for Felix isn't hot enough (though he's dressed to kill and looking good) but he really isn't the type he would go for. However, beggars can't be choosers and hopefully pervert boss Phil will get idea, Martel is surely taken.

Really, Martel is a shallow character but I really liked him. He's not completely horrible and has moments of kindness. Plus, he's Cuban-Jamaican and any diversity in a character is a sure win in my book. My only big problem was that of his boss Phil *grrrr* there is office flirting, and then there is one comment away from ending up on a sex offender list (This rings true of Pervert Phil). I can't imagine a job being so important to take someone saying they’re going to tie you up. That is just all kinds of inappropriate.

Lucky also has one of my fave tropes, the friends to lovers. I was rooting for them from the beginning, and Felix easy acceptance was just beautiful. There was no questioning; he just went with the flow. I wanted it to be longer, but I feel good about how the author ended the story. It’s the right kind of holiday feel and Martel's job really makes it especially Christmassy.

Should You Read It? Yes, because it has interracial love :D and Martel had dreads (that’s freaking cool) and he really grows on you. Check out pervert Phil, he's so vile I am surprised he hasn't been arrested yet. Really nice read!

4 Pants Off

Guest Post: Christmas special no-nos (a subjective list) by K.A Merikan

It’s that time of year again. Everything’s red, white and green, there are Santas on every street corner and tv shows indulge us all with the proper Christmas spirit. All those commercials that promise amazing festive deals for those who so far forgot to buy gifts for their loved ones (just like me at the moment I’m writing this) inspired me to reread some of the christmas-themed stories/specials/chapters I’ve written. Let’s face it: anyone who reread their early works was at least mildly embarrassed by what they’ve found. Well, my Christmassy stuff from years ago is horrendous, with the ones written in high school topping it all.

When I was done mocking my early attempts at authoring, my first thought was to write a post about my take on the perfect Christmas story, but then again is there anything like that? I’m the type who can enjoy both fluff and a kinky short about a bunch of reindeer-boys pleasing their handsome and not-so-ancient owner (which is kind of in line with something I’m working on with my co-author right now). It is much easier to sum up the things one should avoid in Christmas shorts, based on my early failures. So here it goes:


1) Long descriptions of food/drinks
We all know the bigger the holiday, the more delicacies there are on the table, but is it really interesting to read all those descriptions? Is it sensible to tease the poor reader like that? What if all they have in the fridge is a box of cheap french fries? Pure sadism, especially if the characters are snacking on pecan pie.

2) Likewise, but with presents
I once wrote a scene with eight characters exchanging gifts and I not only mentioned each present, but even described some of them. It makes absolutely no sense and is boring to the reader. I guess it’s always best to stick to the meaningful gifts. The other ones will be forgotten anyway, because for meaningless things, most people have goldfish memory.

3) Cliches!
Ok, that’s a tricky one, because anything can work if it’s well done, but the fact is that everyone knows how Christmas should be like. For those raised in countries where Christmas is a big thing, the image of its idealised version is always ready to retrieve. It usually features a decorated tree, a fireplace with socks hanging over it, a nicely dressed family or a couple making Christmassy love in front of the already mentioned fireplace. That’s all cool, but the readers have seen it all. They are probably watching snapshots like that every time they switch on their televisions (maybe not the couple, but you get my drift). Even if the author’s idea of a twist on the topic doesn’t go all the way to mixing holiday spirit with sci-fi, it’s great to read something a little bit different. If the story’s meant to be semi-traditional, why not change the setting to somewhere exotic, or throw some kind of catastrophe on the characters. Or, literally, have a cat throw the christmas tree down the stairs. Yay for disaster.

I probably missed some valid points here, so I beg you to forgive me. It’s Christmas.

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Agnes Merikan is the worse half of the dynamic duo writing as K.A. Merikan( http://kamerikan.com ). Kat and Agnes have so far published two M/M romance novellas set in a steampunk world plagued by the undead, Scavengers: July( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14739686-scavengers ) and Scavengers: August( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15753465-scavengers ), as well as a free erotic short, Birthday Burglar( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16073518-birthday-burglar ). Agnes can be found on Twitter @AgnesMerikan .

Guest Post: Decking the Halls and Kissing Balls by Ana Bosch

~Ana Bosch is here with an awesome post, so be sure to comment and share your decorating skills~

Growing up, I was never a big fan of decorating for the holidays. To me, it was just another routine chore: drag the cruddy old artificial tree up from the basement, spend a few hours trying to untangle the tumbleweed of tacky neon lights, and then hang up the usual sticky ornaments that seemed to smell mysteriously like mold and cat urine. The end result never looked good, but it didn’t really matter because no one really cared.

It wasn’t until about five years ago that I finally gained an interest in holiday décor. To be totally honest, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I’d landed a job as a product developer in the field of holiday décor and collectibles, so if I wanted to be good at my job, I had to get educated.

At first, I fooled myself into thinking that holiday décor was just my job, and that it wouldn’t affect me as a person. But as I sat in my cubicle designing kitschy atrocities like Santa Claus carrying the baby Jesus, or suicidal snowmen gathering around a campfire, or dachshund nativity sets, little did I know that the holiday cheer was seeping into my pores and infecting my bloodstream. Before I knew it, I found myself getting excited at the sight of glitter and snowflake ornaments and Christmas villages.

After working in the industry for a few years, I finally decided that I would actually put in an effort to make my house look suitably festive for the holiday season. Really, I had no excuse not to. I had enough free samples from my job to turn my house into a replica of Santa’s workshop, after all. But my personal aesthetic was at odds with the company I worked for, and let’s face it, I wanted to have fun with my decorations. I also didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time or money, so I took every chance I could to spruce up my existing decorations rather than switching them out for Christmas. The end result was an odd mix of classic and… weird.

So now I’m going to share some of my favorite tips and tricks for holiday decorating:

1. I like to have a color theme when I decorate. These are a few of my favorites, although I’m partial to the “Elegant Christmas” palette. I use these colors as a guide when I’m picking up ornaments and picks and accents.

2. Nice tree skirts are really frickin’ expensive! I prefer to use a cheap, ugly, tacky tree skirt, cover it with fake snow, and put together a nice winter village. Now, this example isn’t all that special. I used a village from my job because I happened to have spare samples. But this year I plan to improve on it by picking up a few cheap plastic dinosaurs.

Beware: pets are likely to get the most enjoyment out of your fake snow.

3. Anything can be made into a Christmas decoration if you throw a bit of festive foliage behind it. This works especially well with white porcelain statues. Here you see my lovely Reclining Deerman, which I purchased from Melabo on Etsy. He stays out all year round, but during the holidays, he gets a pine and holly backdrop.

4. The same goes for Santa hats. Throw one on anything, and it’s instant Christmas. I’m using a ferret hat because, yes, I happen to have ferret hats lying around the house. But you can just as easily make them out of paper or cheap fabric and craft pompoms. Watch while a simple Santa hat transforms this traumatizing dog toy into a traumatizing Christmas dog toy:

It’s like magic!

5. Nativity sets are always better when you mix and match. See how much classier my dad’s old Boehm nativity is with a bonus sheep from The Bradford Exchange’s Thomas Kinkade outdoor nativity set?

6. When decorating your tree, always make sure the size of your ornaments complements the size of your finials.

7. Inflatables are more fun when they’re only partially inflated.









As is always the case with my decorating endeavors, I start out classy and gradually go downhill. But hey, at least I have fun this way!

I used my holiday décor product development background as inspiration when writing Lucky, my newly released Christmas novella. Martel, the main character, works at a company that designs holiday products. Among other things, he gets to discover the joys of kissing balls, which are one of the more unfortunately named pieces of holiday décor out there.

How about the rest of you? What are your favorite pieces of holiday décor? What are your decorating secrets?

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Blurb:

Ever since Martel Heller rolled his first dreadlock, his love life has been blessed. For seven years he’s had the luxury of cherry-picking the hottest men available. But when the dress code at his new job forces him to hack off his lucky locks, his good fortune comes to an end.

 To make matters worse, if Martel shows up at the company Christmas party alone, his creepy coworker Phil will know he’s single. As a last resort, Martel enlists his best friend, Felix, a fashion photographer, to hook him up with a model. Then plans fall through, and Martel ends up stuck at the Christmas party with the last person he expects—but as the hours pass, he wonders if he's finally learned what it means to be lucky.

Purchase Lucky 

Review: Soups & Diners by Alex Whitehall

Soups and Diners (Evergreen) by Alex Whitehall
Dreamspinner Press
Short Story: 47pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
Two days before Christmas, just after his best friend’s wedding, Max is in a diner when he’s joined by Stan, another wedding guest. Getting to know each other ensues with some awkwardness, teasing, and fun conversation. They seem to hit it off, but Stan has reservations, wondering if Max is too good to be true, and Max has a history of bad boyfriend choices. Will meeting each other be a Christmas miracle—or a prettily wrapped present that's really an empty box?



Short Review:
This was a sweet read with a great sense of place. The holidays can be a time of great joy for some and loneliness for others.

Its two days before Christmas and Max is finds himself in a late night diner after the wedding reception of his best-friend. Next thing, a stranger is asking if the seat beside him is taken (in the very empty diner). He introduces himself as Stan, and it turns out Stan has had his eyes on Max for awhile and following him to the diner seemed like the perfect opportunity. The men conversation is fumbly and uncomfortable but there is this mix of attraction and hope. Yet, Max has had his fair share of misses when it comes to dating and boyfriends and he's very wary of Stan's intent.

I really liked that the story didn't turn into a hotel room quickie. The attraction is strong between the men but they take things slow in order to get to know each other. There isn't much that happens, apart from the guys having an intimate dinner date. Both characters are sweet and I wish there was more time with them, yet I am satisfied with how the book ended. I was left with the feeling that things will be fine between men and I feel like that is enough. Also, finding love right before Christmas is very super sweet (like a dream come true)

Should You Read It? Why not, it’s a good short with great writing. I enjoy Alex Whitehall's style, this is the second story by the author I have read and I look forward to reading much more. Soups and Diners was a nice little read.

4 Pants Off

Review: I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg

I Don't: A Christmas Wish by Kari Gregg
Self-Published
Short Story: 67pgs
4 Pants Off

Blurb:
At least he isn’t pregnant.

Seth Murphy campaigned for Maryland’s Question Six, wildly celebrating the Election Day victory for marriage equality. Divorce attorney and live-in boyfriend Owen, however, believes just as passionately that the gay community should focus on a plurality of equal rights protections instead of allocating so many resources and man-hours to one hot button issue.

Owen won’t marry Seth.

Relationship deteriorating, the couple visits the Murphy farm outside Brunswick for Christmas. Seth’s family never considered that Seth and Owen wouldn’t be first in line for a marriage license as soon as same-sex marriage passed. When they find out there won’t be a wedding, their season of miracles is invaded by pornographic gingerbread cookies, frowning church ladies, and a determined father with a tactical assault shotgun.

Neither Seth, Owen, nor their love may survive the family holiday circus to say, “I don’t.”

Review:
What a cute and hilarious read with lots of Christmas spirit. I haven't read much from Kari Gregg but this will definitely be my fave read from the author. It brought the funny and the right amount of conflict to make not a completely fluffy holiday story.

Seth Murphy is beyond happy with the legalization of same sex marriage in Maryland; it means he can finally get married to his lawyer boyfriend Owen. Only problem is that Owen won't marry him and he is feeling all sorts of blue especially over the holidays. With Owen not wanting to marry him, Seth can't help but hash on his insecurities, maybe overall he's not good enough and he can't help but worry about how they will move on from this.

Well, tis the season to suck it up and celebrate because its time to spend the holidays with Seth’s family. When the family finds out there will be no wedding, it releases a can of worms. They bring the crazy, and Owen has to prepare because he might get caught up in a shotgun wedding.

The story was so hilariously sweet, and I liked that Miss Gregg played with a very hot issue. Detailing the seriousness of Question 6 but offering it up in a fun story mixed in with the love of family. I liked the development of Seth, and his discovery in realizing it wasn't all about him, and coming to like himself a bit more. Owen seemed like a laid-back kind of guy completely devoted to Seth.

What I did not really like is the parents’ involvement. I understand in wanting the best for your children. However, there comes a time you have to step back and let them figure out their life/relationships on their own. They pushed a bit too much, and were all up business they had no right to be apart of. So when it came time for Owen to pop the question it felt like he was doing it for them instead of for him and Seth (my feeling).

Sexy hotel room loving was hot *nods head* was going the way of a trick and his client for bit but then the intimacy and love came through again (though I was really enjoying that urgency sexy time :D)

Should You Read It? For sure, it’s a light humourous holiday read to get you in the Christmas spirit. Quite different from what readers have come to expect from this author and its no disappoint. A great way to spend an hour or two.

4 Pants Off

Guest Post: Almond Cookies Recipe by S.L Armstrong

One of the things I look forward to every year is the December holiday season. It's usually the most stressful, hair-pulling time of the year for me, but it's my favorite month. Hands down, I am the happiest all year in December. I derive great pleasure from the decorating, baking, and giving that's rampant. Within the first week, I have my live Yule true chosen, up, and decorated. Baking is started. The holiday music is echoing through the house. In general, our house is full of holiday cheer from day 1 until day 31.

 I have to say, my top holiday song is a tie between "Christmas Pipes" and "Carol of the Bells". They're both just gorgeous, and I have an arrangement of each that just send shivers down my spine. If you're in the mood for holiday music, go to iTunes and grab "Christmas Pipes" by Celtic Woman, and I think I had to go to Amazon to get my copy of "Carol of the Bells" by The Calling.

Every year, I do a lot of holiday baking. I send about two dozen packages out every December to everyone I know and love. This year, there's peanut brittle, almond cookies, sugar cookies, honeycomb, and homemade marshmallows. I had planned petit fours, but those just would not work with me, and the pâte de fruit I had tried to make wound up in a mess on my carpet when the tray was dropped. Yeah, so, cookies and candies! By far, the most popular thing I make is my almond cookies, and I'll share the recipe with you now.

Ingredients 
3 1/3C all-purpose flour 
2 3/4C cake flour 
1 1/4tsp salt 2 tins (16oz total) almond paste (NOT marzipan, but almond paste), chopped 
1lb softened butter 
2C sugar 
4 eggs 

1 1/2tsp vanilla

1. Sift the salt, AP flour, and cake flour into a big bowl.

2. In the bowl of a mixer (and you need to do this in a stand mixer, it doesn't work otherwise), add the chopped/crumbled almond paste and process for a minute. Add butter and whip on medium high until light and fluffy.

3. Once the butter and almond paste are light and fluffy, add the sugar and beat for a minute or two. Add your eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly. Add the vanilla and mix.

4. On low speed, add the flour 1/3C at a time. Mix until all the flour is incorporated, and then break the dough up into fourths. Wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. I tend to chill it overnight and work with it the next day.

With this dough, you can make all sorts of spritz and sandwich cookies. * For spritz cookies, bake at 375F for 4 minutes, turn the pan, bake an additional 3 minutes. They should be the barest of brown on the bottom and edges.

* For sandwich cookies, add another 1/4C of AP flour to a quarter of the dough at room temperature. Roll out, cut your cookies, place on cookie sheet, and then freeze for 5-10 minutes. Bake at 375F for 4 minutes, turn the pan, bake an additional 3 minutes. They should be the barest of brown on the bottom and edges.

And, finally, something fun and free! K. Piet and I wrote a flash piece or short story for each day of the 2011 Advent calendar. It was then compiled into a PDF for folks to download and read. You can get this over at the Storm Moon Press site for free. It has all sorts of stories in it from smutty to sweet, revisiting old characters from published stories to new ones from upcoming releases. There are 29 holiday stories to consume, so go download it! :D

Happy holidays, everyone!

S.L. Armstrong is the co-author of Making Ends Meet and Catalyst. She can be found at her website or on Twitter @_slarmstrong.

Review: Came Upon A Midnight Clear by Katie Porter

Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Katie Porter
Samhain Publishing
Novel: 278pgs
3.5 Pants Off

Blurb:
Born to old Virginia money, film producer Kyle Wakefield’s conservative upbringing kept him in the closet. Only once did he venture outside: for a tempestuous teenage affair with Nathan Carnes. When Nathan’s self-destructive streak landed him in prison, Kyle slammed the door on youthful hopes. Despite Hollywood successes, he still hides his true self.

He thought he’d moved on, until his production company hires Nathan and his Second Chances stunt crew to work on the London set of a big-budget action flick. Watching Nathan risk life and limb with fellow ex-cons looking for a fresh start makes it tough for Kyle to keep his desires hidden.

Thirteen years have passed since Nathan’s teenage self-doubt led him to sabotage any chance of a future with Kyle. He’s come a long way since then, but despite their explosive sexual chemistry, Kyle treats their attraction like a deep dark secret.

Their matched Hollywood ambitions and a pain-in-the-ass director make cooperation essential. As the London holiday season casts its spell, the two men find themselves on the verge of falling in love again—even as old secrets and pain keep them shackled. The only hope of unlocking their hearts is a Christmas miracle.

Review:
I admit that my expectations were a bit high when I started reading this book (I have no idea why) but it just sounded like something I would really enjoy. I think I was frustrated by 85% of this novel and by the last 15%; I was glad that it was finally over. Nothing to do with bad writing but it felt like one continuous scene of fucking and beating around the bush and here is why...

Kyle Wakefield is a film producer and rich boy since birth. He's in London to work on the set of a big budget action flick during the Christmas holiday. It will save money, because the city is already decorated so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of building a festive set (money and time is saved). The action flick calls for stunt crew and in comes Second Chances. A crew made up entirely of convicts wanting to begin life anew. Kyle has old history with the leader of Second Chances, Nate Carnes. They share a past of passion and old hurts; did 10 years of separation heal old wounds?

Let me tell you, NO it did not. These men clearly were very angry with each other and ruined the Christmas feel of the book. Don't get me wrong they were hot as hell and burned up the pages from their explosive reunion. However, every encounter felt like an angry one, even with moments of sweetness it dashed all to hell with their bitter feelings and bitter words. I am not 100% on board with them as a couple because they lost the opportunity to lure me in with their merry go round behaviour.

I was very interested in knowing about the Nate & Kyle from ten years ago. Their past and young love sounded so exciting and sweet and I wanted to get lost in that, but alas, I never got the chance. I was rushed into a HEA with a nice bow placed perfectly on top after 85% of angry sometimes-sweet sex, dirty talk, and wild stunts. I was really feeling the "meh".

Should You Read It? Ummmmm... If you like ultra alpha males and dirty, dirty sexy time. The writing is good and I will pick up another Katie Porter book but I was just expecting more. The HEA was too neat, and I feel like Kyle and Nate had more to say to each other.

3.5 Pants Off

Guest Post: Dinosaurs are Better Than Dolls by Rhys Ford

When the call came for people to write Holiday blogs, I mindlessly and stupidly raised my hand. When my common sense settled back in, I sat back and thought, “What the fuck do I know about Christmas?”

Growing up, I was a source of concern for my mother. She had a clear idea on what it was to have a girl child then I came along and kind of blew that out of the water. Frilly dresses and dolls weren’t what drew me in. Cars and dinosaurs kept me busy for hours. A tea set… yeah, whatever but the Easy-Bake-Oven was cool. Why keep to the box stuff that came with it? Invent your own cakes! Sure, they were toxic but experiment! Books were cool, Legos™ were okay but faux jewelry kits were not my cup of coffee. Christmas for me was always a blur of What the fuck am I going to do with this or Cool! This box is big enough to make a spaceship out of!

Needless to say, when confronted with this abnormality of a child, the family all decided that I wasn’t exactly the most well-adjusted of kids and promptly gave their sincerest regrets to my mother. I didn’t care. BOXES! BIG ENOUGH FOR SPACESHIPS! My mother on the other hand kept trying and I spent years wondering why she couldn’t see the beauty in melted crayons.

She eventually decided that money was the better option. It took her years to get to this point. I was in my early twenties and had just been given a powder-blue terrycloth hoodie and a pair of bright green and black earrings made of bakelite for my birthday. Money was preferable. I was also doing the whole entry-level job so cash was welcome for groceries or bills.

Kimono

On the flip side, my mother is impossible to buy stuff for. I’ve hit or missed over the years. The vintage hand-embroidered wedding kimono from Japan? A miss. The interchangeable triple ceramic bowl crock pot? A semi-hit. The turkey fryer? Huge hit. Why? Because the pot it came with was HUGE and she could steam a lot of lau-lau in it.

But see, she’s got a better out than I do. I can hardly cut my mom a cheque and call it done. No, I am cursed to hunt for something she’ll like and use. This year, she asked for something straight out. A portrait. A photo of me she can hang in her home. So, yeah… not my favourite thing in the world to do but for my mother, of course. Because she’s my mother. And it’s Christmas.

We’ve both come to an understanding about one another. Neither one of us truly understand the other. We are so radically different people that we barely breathe in the same type of air. But certain things bind us together. We cook and sometimes exchange recipes. I listen to her talk about gardening, something I could never do without possibly laying waste to the earth like a plague. And she asks me how my writing or art are doing. She told me she doesn’t feel comfortable reading the subject matter and I told her that it wasn’t necessary that she read what I write.

 Because it’s not.

My mother and I have differing politics, although I have “talked” her into same-sex marriage and she voted for Obama because she didn’t feel Romney understood what it was like to have to choose between groceries and electricity. We have different priorities in life. She wants to be married and enjoys a life shared with my fantastic Dad 2.0 whereas I know I’m impossible to live with and really don’t want to share my space.

But it’s the space in between our differences that we fill with commonalities. We can talk on the phone for over an hour about nothing more than what’s on sale at Safeway or how to make the Perfect Roast. (I’ll share that recipe by the way). We talk about how people really shouldn’t be afraid of pressure cookers, especially since the new ones don’t even explode the way the old ones used to. And she’s aghast to find out I don’t have a microwave but understands it’s not some elitist snobbery crap. It’s just that I never used the one I had and it died from lack of use.

That’s the beauty, sometimes, of family. And in some ways, Christmas. It’s lovely to just let one another be who they are and reach for the common ground. Take the time during the day of celebration (or days if the case suits your preferred holiday) but anyway, take the time to reach between the lines and find those common grounds. But, if you get that blue terrycloth hoodie, you have my permission to burn it and tell my mom that it gave its life valiantly trying to protect me from the Vnicious Knids. My mother now understands the beauty I see in melted crayons. I, however, still cannot keep a plant alive long enough for the cats to eat it. But she’s good with that too.

§

I’ve tried this recipe several times and even on a large Prime Rib roast. It seriously kicks ass and God tastes so good. I’ve done this the best with a garlic and Italian herb rub with kosher salt. But it creates a melt-in-your-mouth roast and pretty much is perfect each time. I got this from my mom who is friends with a cookbook writer in Hawai’i. She allegedly stole it from someone else back in the 1970s. That’s probably why it tastes so good. Ask the cat. Stolen food tastes the best.

Roast Beef

The Perfect Roast Beef (Any size rib roast or prime rib)

Salt and pepper roast and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. (Optional: poke holes here and there in the roast and put in little pieces of garlic or create your own rub with garlic and other herbs) Place beef, fat side up, in open roaster (not covered) and put in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour. Turn off heat but DO NOT OPEN DOOR ANY TIME UNTIL READY TO SERVE.

For rare beef: 45 minutes before serving turn oven on to 300 degrees

For medium beef: 50 minutes before serving turn oven on to 300 degrees

For medium-well done beef: 55 minutes before serving turn oven to 300 degrees

Notice: Roast can be started in mid-afternoon or earlier. Allow at least 3 hours in the oven to complete cooking.