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Advent: Collected Shorts
The tradition of the Advent calendar goes back as far as the beginning of the 19th century. Special calendars were produced, counting down the days until Christmas, usually with a small poem or gift accompanying each day. The authors of this collection of erotic fiction bring a steamy twist to that practice, by offering a free, never-before-released short for each day of the holiday season. The twenty-nine stories within this special ebook vary greatly, with genres ranging from contemporary western to high fantasy and relationships spanning the paranormal, polyamorous, anthropomorphic, and even demonic.
Escape the summer heat with a reading spree or take the stories one at a time to celebrate the winter months. These wintery themed short stories embrace gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual pairings alike, showcasing a diverse expanse of characters from both previously published books from S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet and various works in progress that haven't yet made it to publication. This collection allows you to revisit your favorite characters from The Keeper, Morningstar, Rachmaninoff, Catalyst, Sacrifices, Breaking Point, and Other Side of Night: Bastian & Riley. In addition to the familiar, these shorts provide glimpses of the many fantasy characters and races of the World of Egaea. Whether for the old or for the new, this collection delivers on diversity.
Advent Collection
Icy Desperation-Country music star North argues with rancher Cade about the secrecy of their relationship.
Winner Take All-Tavish finally manages to catch his mate during their winter hunting ritual.
Silent Night-Phinn is charged with the erotic task of staying silent until midnight.
Love and Duty-Though duty binds Darron to Spinners Forest for the winter, Maelog insists love take priority.
Holiday Dreams-When Dorian asks Gabriel what he dreams during the holidays, his answer comes as a bit of a shock.
Midnight Snack-Vampire Aric brings Irishman Liam back to his lover, Nikola, as a snack for two.
Endurance-A supernatural visit brings hope to Morgan in the face of his master's abuse.
While Away the Time-Triplets Justyn, Jevyn, and Jasyn take advantage of a blizzard to pounce their mate, Kyran.
To Be Free-Lust slave Zhen sneaks out into the snow and is rewarded by his reluctant master for showing individuality.
A Debt to Pay-Lilith ventures into a plague-ridden brothel to rescue Cain from the gruesome conditions.
Lights in the Darkness-Meh'al and Drayis share Solstice traditions from their disparate cultures.
Love's Agony-Alex is caught in a cycle of compulsive violence and domination with his inhuman lover, Ranae.
The Gift-A gift from his mate, Terfel, forces Gauwyn to face the lingering inner demons from his past.
Cracked Serenity-Evan is displeased when his demigod lover rescues an Elf suffering from resurrection madness.
Gift of Life Recognized-After working long shifts, Bastian happily returns home to share blood with his ghoul, Riley.
Unleashed-Terrill gifts his feral lover, Bleidd, a collar and simultaneously offers Bleidd unexpected freedom.
From Her Perch-Moon watches from a distance as her wolf makes his bid for Alpha of the werewolf pack.
Tooth and Nail-Mary finds herself in a volatile tryst with Ruin, the Ten of Swords.
Quiet As Mice-Sasha and Aneira attempt to enjoy some intimacy while their daughter sleeps nearby.
A Christmas Tradition-After ten years together, Hadi tries to establish a tradition with Judas.
The Cat Will Play-Feral-Maith Dax enjoys a winter holiday in a snowy cave with his two lovers, Eldan and Falynn.
A Christmas Kiss-Logan and Kasper open presents and put one to very good use in a loving BDSM scene.
A Solstice Mating-Veerle insists Ky'ahn spend Solstice with her and introduces Ky'ahn to a very special toy.
Yuletide Sacrifices-Jarrett receives a special gift from King Audric and makes a sacrifice to be with him.
The Pretty Painter-Brice enjoys the ballet and a tryst in the limo with Trela, the Muse of Insanity.
Piercing Cold-Nahele enjoys Keegan's company and surprises him with an ice cold twist in their games.
The Glittering Boughs-Radueriel and Morningstar pick out a Christmas tree, and make love after decorating it.
Season of Giving-Ethan celebrates his anniversary in the Land of Dreams by creating his ideal holiday with Morpheus.
The Twinkle of a Life-Patrick, Lorelei, Quinn, and Dorian exchange gifts before enjoying one another as a group.
Escape the summer heat with a reading spree or take the stories one at a time to celebrate the winter months. These wintery themed short stories embrace gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual pairings alike, showcasing a diverse expanse of characters from both previously published books from S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet and various works in progress that haven't yet made it to publication. This collection allows you to revisit your favorite characters from The Keeper, Morningstar, Rachmaninoff, Catalyst, Sacrifices, Breaking Point, and Other Side of Night: Bastian & Riley. In addition to the familiar, these shorts provide glimpses of the many fantasy characters and races of the World of Egaea. Whether for the old or for the new, this collection delivers on diversity.
Advent Collection
Icy Desperation-Country music star North argues with rancher Cade about the secrecy of their relationship.
Winner Take All-Tavish finally manages to catch his mate during their winter hunting ritual.
Silent Night-Phinn is charged with the erotic task of staying silent until midnight.
Love and Duty-Though duty binds Darron to Spinners Forest for the winter, Maelog insists love take priority.
Holiday Dreams-When Dorian asks Gabriel what he dreams during the holidays, his answer comes as a bit of a shock.
Midnight Snack-Vampire Aric brings Irishman Liam back to his lover, Nikola, as a snack for two.
Endurance-A supernatural visit brings hope to Morgan in the face of his master's abuse.
While Away the Time-Triplets Justyn, Jevyn, and Jasyn take advantage of a blizzard to pounce their mate, Kyran.
To Be Free-Lust slave Zhen sneaks out into the snow and is rewarded by his reluctant master for showing individuality.
A Debt to Pay-Lilith ventures into a plague-ridden brothel to rescue Cain from the gruesome conditions.
Lights in the Darkness-Meh'al and Drayis share Solstice traditions from their disparate cultures.
Love's Agony-Alex is caught in a cycle of compulsive violence and domination with his inhuman lover, Ranae.
The Gift-A gift from his mate, Terfel, forces Gauwyn to face the lingering inner demons from his past.
Cracked Serenity-Evan is displeased when his demigod lover rescues an Elf suffering from resurrection madness.
Gift of Life Recognized-After working long shifts, Bastian happily returns home to share blood with his ghoul, Riley.
Unleashed-Terrill gifts his feral lover, Bleidd, a collar and simultaneously offers Bleidd unexpected freedom.
From Her Perch-Moon watches from a distance as her wolf makes his bid for Alpha of the werewolf pack.
Tooth and Nail-Mary finds herself in a volatile tryst with Ruin, the Ten of Swords.
Quiet As Mice-Sasha and Aneira attempt to enjoy some intimacy while their daughter sleeps nearby.
A Christmas Tradition-After ten years together, Hadi tries to establish a tradition with Judas.
The Cat Will Play-Feral-Maith Dax enjoys a winter holiday in a snowy cave with his two lovers, Eldan and Falynn.
A Christmas Kiss-Logan and Kasper open presents and put one to very good use in a loving BDSM scene.
A Solstice Mating-Veerle insists Ky'ahn spend Solstice with her and introduces Ky'ahn to a very special toy.
Yuletide Sacrifices-Jarrett receives a special gift from King Audric and makes a sacrifice to be with him.
The Pretty Painter-Brice enjoys the ballet and a tryst in the limo with Trela, the Muse of Insanity.
Piercing Cold-Nahele enjoys Keegan's company and surprises him with an ice cold twist in their games.
The Glittering Boughs-Radueriel and Morningstar pick out a Christmas tree, and make love after decorating it.
Season of Giving-Ethan celebrates his anniversary in the Land of Dreams by creating his ideal holiday with Morpheus.
The Twinkle of a Life-Patrick, Lorelei, Quinn, and Dorian exchange gifts before enjoying one another as a group.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2011
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
S.L. Armstrong
56 books131 followersSupport S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet on Patreon!
S.L. Armstrong has been writing for as long as she can remember. Art and reading have played a large part in her life since young childhood, but around fourteen, writing became her passion. Voraciously consuming every book in front of her opened up hundreds of worlds in her head, and she soon wanted to create worlds for other people as well. She has a particular fondness for gothic horror, horror, high fantasy, urban fantasy, and romance novels. The authors she turns to time and again are Stephen King, L.J. Smith, V.C. Andrews, R.L. Stine, and Anne Rice, among others. She has no shame in picking up the young adult novels she loved as a child, and she will talk your ear off about grammar and punctuation.
After she married her husband over seventeen years ago, she began to truly delve into the world of writing for public consumption. It was sheer chance that she stumbled on M/M fanfiction, and she's not looked back. Though fanfiction will always have a fond place in her heart, she soon grew tired of playing in other people's sandboxes. When she discovered M/M romance, and how it was now a legitimate branch of romance writing, she knew her course. S.L. plans to release F/F, M/M, M/F, and multiple partner books as she continues her writing career. M/M romance is where her heart lies, no matter what else she may write or read, and it's where she keeps returning to. There is something about two men passionately in love that just makes her heart melt, and she has no intention of giving that up anytime soon.
S.L. Armstrong lives in Florida with her husband, partner, two dogs, and twelve cats. She hates the heat and longs for a northern, snowy climate. She writes with K. Piet on a number of projects, but she also writes her own solitary titles as well.
S.L. Armstrong has been writing for as long as she can remember. Art and reading have played a large part in her life since young childhood, but around fourteen, writing became her passion. Voraciously consuming every book in front of her opened up hundreds of worlds in her head, and she soon wanted to create worlds for other people as well. She has a particular fondness for gothic horror, horror, high fantasy, urban fantasy, and romance novels. The authors she turns to time and again are Stephen King, L.J. Smith, V.C. Andrews, R.L. Stine, and Anne Rice, among others. She has no shame in picking up the young adult novels she loved as a child, and she will talk your ear off about grammar and punctuation.
After she married her husband over seventeen years ago, she began to truly delve into the world of writing for public consumption. It was sheer chance that she stumbled on M/M fanfiction, and she's not looked back. Though fanfiction will always have a fond place in her heart, she soon grew tired of playing in other people's sandboxes. When she discovered M/M romance, and how it was now a legitimate branch of romance writing, she knew her course. S.L. plans to release F/F, M/M, M/F, and multiple partner books as she continues her writing career. M/M romance is where her heart lies, no matter what else she may write or read, and it's where she keeps returning to. There is something about two men passionately in love that just makes her heart melt, and she has no intention of giving that up anytime soon.
S.L. Armstrong lives in Florida with her husband, partner, two dogs, and twelve cats. She hates the heat and longs for a northern, snowy climate. She writes with K. Piet on a number of projects, but she also writes her own solitary titles as well.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 26, 2012
While reading this I started off with little summaries for each, but as I progressed I didn't feel they were necessary. I've kept the ones I started and feel free to read them in the spoiler link below, but honestly, this is just a great smorgasbord of tempting tidbits.
Most are paranormal with a smattering of others. The voices are great, the peep-a-boo view at the characters are just enough to hook you. Seriously, I want to find the FULL stories behind the whole Maith and House of Shadows--like now. And yes, that's why I deducted a point. Nowhere does it tell you where the shorts align to so I have a new mystery: which short belongs to which story. *sigh
Most are paranormal with a smattering of others. The voices are great, the peep-a-boo view at the characters are just enough to hook you. Seriously, I want to find the FULL stories behind the whole Maith and House of Shadows--like now. And yes, that's why I deducted a point. Nowhere does it tell you where the shorts align to so I have a new mystery: which short belongs to which story. *sigh
October 3, 2015
This is all about the kink. But not in a good way, at least not to me. Most of this is porn by my definition, not erotica. There's nothing sensual or loving about the stories I read, just a lot of mediocre sex. When there was a bit of story, it was blah and boring. Each one I finished I felt more disgusted and not in the slightest bit turned on. Since I've read other stories by Armstrong which I liked, I gave this a chance over and over and I just finally gave up. The worst one was where a guy desperately wants to be accepted by his fuck-buddy who treats him like shit. And guess what? The story ends with the guy taking the shit and going on with the non-relationship. While it may be realistic, I don't want it in my erotica. I want to feel good not sad and crappy.
There are a wide variety of stories, including at least two about brothers which I don't judge but just isn't appealing to me. There is some paranormal stuff here but it just didn't come across well to me.
There are a wide variety of stories, including at least two about brothers which I don't judge but just isn't appealing to me. There is some paranormal stuff here but it just didn't come across well to me.
January 14, 2013
This is a huge collections of sexy sexy stories by two very talented writers. I don't know why it took me so long to read it, other than the fear that it was so bloody long and that I didn't know all the different storylines. I did feel very confused through the first 10 or so of them as I'm trying desperately to figure out if I know the storyline or not. After a while, I gave up. I recommend that readers try not to figure it out. Just go with the flow and enjoy the smexy ride.
All I can say is that I'm hornier than hell after reading this book. Each freaking story was an erotic sexfest. I feel like that one person who goes to the buffet, gorges and then feels slightly ill. I enjoyed the short stories for the most part even if I had no freaking clue what was going on for some of them.
I mean we have vampire, fae, demons, angels, shifters, goddesses, tarot card (?), Morpheus (!) and some other I don't know whats. All I know is the m/m sex was hot. The BDSM pieces were hot. There were a few that had me creaming in my panties while a couple had my heart breaking. Good Lord all the ones with Angels and Demons had my heart more or less breaking. There were several that really made an impression on me. I have to confess, Seth as the vampire pet to a vengeful Alpha werewolf had me over the moon with desire. Yes, I'm very sick puppy. I hope that story gets expanded somewhere.
Oh, and let us NOT forget the shifter sex. Oh dear lord I was so horny reading about the shifter screwing the hell out of the human. Mmmm hmmm. The only one that really didn't do it for me... some weird f/f thrown in that was just eh. That came out of the blue and confused me. Still, it was 29 stories and they were well written, in interesting world and the sex, especially the D/s ones were HAWT! I highly recommend this monolith collection of erotic stories to m/m lovers who enjoy D/s and kinky dub con. I also recommend to read just one or two stories a day. If you try to read it all in one sitting, warn your SO first. Because you might be jumping him or her right after glutting yourself on this erotic feast.
All I can say is that I'm hornier than hell after reading this book. Each freaking story was an erotic sexfest. I feel like that one person who goes to the buffet, gorges and then feels slightly ill. I enjoyed the short stories for the most part even if I had no freaking clue what was going on for some of them.
I mean we have vampire, fae, demons, angels, shifters, goddesses, tarot card (?), Morpheus (!) and some other I don't know whats. All I know is the m/m sex was hot. The BDSM pieces were hot. There were a few that had me creaming in my panties while a couple had my heart breaking. Good Lord all the ones with Angels and Demons had my heart more or less breaking. There were several that really made an impression on me. I have to confess, Seth as the vampire pet to a vengeful Alpha werewolf had me over the moon with desire. Yes, I'm very sick puppy. I hope that story gets expanded somewhere.
Oh, and let us NOT forget the shifter sex. Oh dear lord I was so horny reading about the shifter screwing the hell out of the human. Mmmm hmmm. The only one that really didn't do it for me... some weird f/f thrown in that was just eh. That came out of the blue and confused me. Still, it was 29 stories and they were well written, in interesting world and the sex, especially the D/s ones were HAWT! I highly recommend this monolith collection of erotic stories to m/m lovers who enjoy D/s and kinky dub con. I also recommend to read just one or two stories a day. If you try to read it all in one sitting, warn your SO first. Because you might be jumping him or her right after glutting yourself on this erotic feast.
December 19, 2016
This was not at all what I was expecting. I expected "shorts" to be teeny-tiny short stories. NOT porn scenes.
February 9, 2012
Overall
While I didn't read every story in this collection—some involved pairings that weren't to my taste—I have to give what I did read a strong score. The Advent stories are a bit repetitive if read straight through, as they involve lots of hot, steamy sex with various pairings (mainly m/m, but some m/f, f/f, plus a few sets of multiple partners, and some incestual involvement). I only read the m/m stories, and they were plenty hot. I'm not big on straight erotica...erm, I mean only erotica...but these stories were excellent. Plus, while sex was the focus, there were plenty of teases for the stories to come.
Speaking of which...most of these pieces involve characters from works that are still in progress. I was never too confused about who was what doing what, and these definitely peaked my interest and I look forward to reading the longer works that these characters come from. If you want smokin' holiday sex, this will have a little of everything...enjoy the buffet!
As for the Love and Agony section: I liked these stories, although romance/sex isn't the focal point as much as it is in the Advent section. Not all the stories are happy (although even some of the Advent stories aren't completely happy), but the set is called “Love and Agony.” Enjoyable, although they didn't leave quite as lasting an impression as the Advent set.
Strengths
I'm not big on sex in stories. Mainly it needs to further plot/characters or be really well done. Most of this stories were really well done. Smut for smut's sake? Perhaps. But sometimes you need a foursome with a set of triplets who all share a soul that is soul mate to the fourth. There is variety in character pairings, type of sex, level of kink, and number of partners. I recommend not reading these at work though *cough, blush*.
Although these stories don't have much plot, they hint at plot that has happened previously or is going to happen in the future. These really made me look forward to some stories that are coming. Maybe not a strength, since it can be considered a good sales ploy, but I felt the teases of plot helped carry those stories that didn't have much plot within their pages. Those stories with plot were interesting; a taste of what is to come.
At 175,000 words for the price of $5.99, this is definitely worth its weight. Although I read this after the holidays and enjoyed it just fine, it would definitely work well to warm readers through the month of December with a story or two each day.
Weaknesses
Not every story will be to everyone's taste. Most readers will be going in for the m/m angle, so it's relatively easy to skip those that don't satisfy that. Readers going in for just f/f or m/f will find little to go for.
While I can understand why the stories are separated into “Advent” and “Love and Agony,” part of me wishes that the Advent stories were dispersed between the other stories in order to break up the sex—which for me became repetitious. Still delicious, but like eating too many pieces of candy.
Storm Moon Press usually does an exemplary editing job, but they may have rushed out these stories a little quicker than normal, as I found more typo mistakes than normal. They were by no means prolific, and they weren't very distracting from the story, but I do have to warn (although mine was an earlier copy and said errors may have been removed since).
Received this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
While I didn't read every story in this collection—some involved pairings that weren't to my taste—I have to give what I did read a strong score. The Advent stories are a bit repetitive if read straight through, as they involve lots of hot, steamy sex with various pairings (mainly m/m, but some m/f, f/f, plus a few sets of multiple partners, and some incestual involvement). I only read the m/m stories, and they were plenty hot. I'm not big on straight erotica...erm, I mean only erotica...but these stories were excellent. Plus, while sex was the focus, there were plenty of teases for the stories to come.
Speaking of which...most of these pieces involve characters from works that are still in progress. I was never too confused about who was what doing what, and these definitely peaked my interest and I look forward to reading the longer works that these characters come from. If you want smokin' holiday sex, this will have a little of everything...enjoy the buffet!
As for the Love and Agony section: I liked these stories, although romance/sex isn't the focal point as much as it is in the Advent section. Not all the stories are happy (although even some of the Advent stories aren't completely happy), but the set is called “Love and Agony.” Enjoyable, although they didn't leave quite as lasting an impression as the Advent set.
Strengths
I'm not big on sex in stories. Mainly it needs to further plot/characters or be really well done. Most of this stories were really well done. Smut for smut's sake? Perhaps. But sometimes you need a foursome with a set of triplets who all share a soul that is soul mate to the fourth. There is variety in character pairings, type of sex, level of kink, and number of partners. I recommend not reading these at work though *cough, blush*.
Although these stories don't have much plot, they hint at plot that has happened previously or is going to happen in the future. These really made me look forward to some stories that are coming. Maybe not a strength, since it can be considered a good sales ploy, but I felt the teases of plot helped carry those stories that didn't have much plot within their pages. Those stories with plot were interesting; a taste of what is to come.
At 175,000 words for the price of $5.99, this is definitely worth its weight. Although I read this after the holidays and enjoyed it just fine, it would definitely work well to warm readers through the month of December with a story or two each day.
Weaknesses
Not every story will be to everyone's taste. Most readers will be going in for the m/m angle, so it's relatively easy to skip those that don't satisfy that. Readers going in for just f/f or m/f will find little to go for.
While I can understand why the stories are separated into “Advent” and “Love and Agony,” part of me wishes that the Advent stories were dispersed between the other stories in order to break up the sex—which for me became repetitious. Still delicious, but like eating too many pieces of candy.
Storm Moon Press usually does an exemplary editing job, but they may have rushed out these stories a little quicker than normal, as I found more typo mistakes than normal. They were by no means prolific, and they weren't very distracting from the story, but I do have to warn (although mine was an earlier copy and said errors may have been removed since).
Received this book for review.
Be sure to check out my other reviews on my blog.
0-own-but-not-read
January 1, 2017Advent Collection
Icy Desperation-
Winner Take All-
Silent Night-
Love and Duty-
Holiday Dreams-
Midnight Snack-
Endurance-
While Away the Time-
To Be Free-
A Debt to Pay-
Lights in the Darkness-
Love's Agony-
The Gift-
Cracked Serenity-
Gift of Life Recognized-
Unleashed-
From Her Perch-
Tooth and Nail-
Quiet As Mice-
A Christmas Tradition-
The Cat Will Play-Feral-
A Christmas Kiss-
A Solstice Mating-
Yuletide Sacrifices-
The Pretty Painter-
Piercing Cold-
The Glittering Boughs-
Season of Giving-
The Twinkle of a Life-
Icy Desperation-
Winner Take All-
Silent Night-
Love and Duty-
Holiday Dreams-
Midnight Snack-
Endurance-
While Away the Time-
To Be Free-
A Debt to Pay-
Lights in the Darkness-
Love's Agony-
The Gift-
Cracked Serenity-
Gift of Life Recognized-
Unleashed-
From Her Perch-
Tooth and Nail-
Quiet As Mice-
A Christmas Tradition-
The Cat Will Play-Feral-
A Christmas Kiss-
A Solstice Mating-
Yuletide Sacrifices-
The Pretty Painter-
Piercing Cold-
The Glittering Boughs-
Season of Giving-
The Twinkle of a Life-
January 8, 2017
A mix of largely paranormal short stories, some continuing through the book.
I did try and do it as an advent book, reading one a day.
I enjoyed most of the stories, some more than others but thats what you get with a book of shorts
I did try and do it as an advent book, reading one a day.
I enjoyed most of the stories, some more than others but thats what you get with a book of shorts
July 31, 2016
not keen on how quickly the stories progress and how there isn't much character development. the action (so to speak) happens very quickly in each short story. I couldn't get into the way the book is written and so abandoned it after only a few of the stories.
July 6, 2013
Happy merry free book!
http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/A...
http://www.stormmoonpress.com/books/A...
September 28, 2013
I loved all of it. The only downside is, I wanted more. It ended to soon.
July 30, 2013
Lot of sex, no plot. Apparently the stories here were meant as a kind of flash fiction for every day coming up to Christmas. Anyway, not my thing.
owned-to-read
January 1, 2014*free on ARE
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews