Winter holiday romances seem to release earlier and earlier, but December’s definitely got a few choice reads to keep you warm and toasty! And what better time of year to treat yourself?
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Second Chances in New Port Stephen
Author: TJ Alexander
Released: December 5, 2023 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceA trans man returns to his Florida hometown for Christmas after his career goes up in flames, only to cross paths with his high school ex in this charming rom-com about family and second chances from the author of the “delectable” ( Time ) Chef’s Kiss .
Eli Ward hasn’t been back to his suffocating hometown of New Port Stephen, Florida, in ages. Post-transition and sober, he’s a completely different person from the one who left years ago. But when a scandal threatens his career as a TV writer and comedian, he has no choice but to return home for the holidays. He can only hope he’ll survive his boisterous, loving, but often misguided family and hide the fact that his dream of comedy success has become a nightmare.
Just when he thinks this trip couldn’t get any worse, Eli bumps into his high school ex, Nick Wu, who’s somehow hotter than ever. Divorced and in his forties, Nick’s world revolves around his father, his daughter, and his job. But even a busy life can’t keep him from being intrigued by the reappearance of Eli.
Against the backdrop of one weird Floridian Christmas, the two must decide whether to leave the past in the past…or move on together.
Alexander’s already the author of my one of my favorite romances of the year with Chef’s Choice, and this was another delight, mashing up the familiar feel small-town holiday love with a nuanced take on the second chance trope: this pair were high school sweethearts, and are reconnecting now that Eli has transitioned, and Nick is supposedly straight. But is he? (Spoiler: no, and his lack of angst at figuring that out adds yet another dose of warmth to this perfect-for-December read.)
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A River of Golden Bones
Author: A.K. Mulford
Released: December 5, 2023 by Harper Voyager
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy
Series: The Golden Court #1A sleeping curse. A fallen court. A secret twin.
Twins Calla and Briar have spent their entire lives hiding from the powerful sorceress who destroyed their kingdom…and from the humans who don’t know they are Wolves. Each twin has their own purpose in life: Briar’s is to marry the prince of an ally pack and save the Golden Court. Calla’s purpose is to remain a secret, her twin’s shadow . . . the backup plan.
No one knows who Calla truly is except for her childhood friend—and sister’s betrothed—the distractingly handsome Prince Grae. But when Calla and Briar journey out of hiding for Briar’s wedding, all of their well-made plans go awry. The evil sorceress is back with another sleeping curse for the last heir to the Golden Court.
Calla must step out of the shadows to save their sister, their kingdom, and their own legacy. Continuing to hide as a human and denying who she truly is, Calla embarks on a quest across the realm, discovering a whole world she never knew existed. Outside the confines of rigid Wolf society, Calla begins to wonder: who could she be if she dared to try?
Full of adventure, love, gender exploration, and self-discovery, A River of Golden Bones follows Calla’s journey through treacherous Wolf kingdoms, monster-filled realms, and the depths of their own heart in this thrilling romantic fantasy.
Romantasy is all the current rage, but you know what we don’t see a lot of? Genderfluid Romantasy. So I’m all sorts of intrigued by Mulford’s newest, which plays on Sleeping Beauty in exactly this way for a romantic fairytale that sounds completely magical. Bonus for audiobook fans: Vico Ortiz is narrating.
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Caught in a Bad Fauxmance
Author: Elle Gonzalez Rose
Released: December 5, 2023 by Joy Revolution
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, Romance, Young AdultA fresh, fun contemporary rom-com from debut author Elle Gonzalez Rose, about an aspiring artist who agrees to fake date one of his family’s longtime enemies in the hopes of gathering intel good enough to take down their rivals once and for all.
Devin Baez is ready for a relaxing winter break at Lake Andreas. That is, until he runs into his obnoxious next-door neighbors the Seo-Cookes, undefeated champions of the lake’s annual Winter Games. In the hope of finally taking down these long-time rivals, the Baezes offer up their beloved cabin in a bet. Reckless? Definitely.
So when annoyingly handsome Julian Seo-Cooke finds himself in need of a fake boyfriend, Devin sees an opportunity to get behind enemy lines and prove the family plays dirty.
As long as Devin and Julian’s families are at war, there’s only room for loathing between them. Which is a problem because, for Devin, this faux game of love is feeling very real.
I mean, the title is perfection, so this debut bi m/m YA has been on my radar since minute one. Tropey rom-coms are basically all I want in this world, and this one sounds delightful.
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Playing with Matches
Author: Georgia Beers
Released: December 12, 2023 by Bold Strokes Books
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceCori Stratton’s a small-town girl. She loves making candles, and her little gift shop is her pride and joy. But when the shop’s building goes up for sale, she might lose her home and everything that makes her happy. The worst timing of all? Her landlord’s daughter Elizabeth Brennan—popular, smart, and oblivious to Cori’s existence in high school—has breezed back into town.
Life has not gone according to plan for Elizabeth. Laid off from her job in the city, she’s forced back home to help her mom run the family’s B and B during a week-long wedding celebration…for Liz’s ex. Not wanting the groom to know the shambles her life is, she grabs the nearest person—Cori—and tells him how happy they are together.
A chance to live out her high school fantasy of Liz as her girlfriend is unexpected, but it keeps Cori playing along. And helping her one-time crush survive this wedding? Just for the week? She can do that. Besides, there’s no way this fake relationship will turn into the real deal.
I admit it: I am judging a book by its cover, and this one for the newest Sapphic romance by the extremely prolific Beers is just so damn cute. It’s also packed full of glorious tropes–small town! Fake dating! Wedding! Childhood…well, not enemies to lovers, but not exactly friends, either! Win win win.
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Just Like Her
Author: Fiona Zedde
Released: December 23, 2023 by Red Hills Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA, RomanceDelphine’s life is made up of secrets. About her job, her sexual identity, and even her past.
She coasts along on a tide of half-truths until a familiar “straight” woman pushes into her world, threatening her tenuous peace of mind. This woman wants to be everything Delphine has never had before – a confidant, a seductress, a lover. Delphine is terrified of taking the risk, yet she’s oh so tempted…
By giving in to this siren, is she setting herself up for heartbreak, or worse?
Zedde’s sexy Like Her series gets its third installment, and there is just something about “straight” in those extremely loaded quotation marks that piques allll my interest. Is there anything better than when the queer lead discovers the person they’ve been lusting over is potentially on the table after all? Not for me, there isn’t!
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So far, I only have two queer romances on my December tbr—and, coincidentally, both are m/m/m. But I’m sure that once I start reading all the new releases posts, there will be more. Here is what i have so far:
TMI (December 7) is an m/m/m holiday story that is part of the ILYBSM (I Love You Both So Much) series by Leslie McAdam, J.E. Birk, and Rachel Ember. According to the blurb, this book features a clueless mayor, his grouchy best friend, and an investigative journalist.
Marley Valentine”s UNLOVED (December 8) is another m/m/m romance. I expect this one will be far more angsty than the above-referenced TMI.
Second Chance in New Port Stephen is SO GOOD. I loved it. The rest are on my TBR.
Anyone interested in sampling? JMS Books LLC is repeating their Advent Calendar promotion – a free book each day Dec 1-24 (my own holiday title FISHNETS & TINSEL is up on Dec 2). A great way to try out new authors. 🙂