'Nathan Burgoine's Blog, page 24

Short Stories 366:349 — “The Sweet Spot,” by Felicia Grossman

The closing story in Love All Year: A Holidays Anthology is “The Sweet Spot” by Felicia Grossman, and I gotta say, it’s not just sweet, it’s also very sizzly. We meet up with Alana, a Rabbi, as she’s working to put together her Rosh Hashanah sermon and, well, struggling. The thing is, she’s faced an uphill climb with her congregation, and all signs point to her contract not being renewed and this is her last opportunity. She’s put together something, well, safe, and that feels like her best option, but the whole day is driving her up a wall. Not the least of that driving-up-a-wall feeling is due to her Cantor, Jeremy, who is chisled and pretty and has a gorgeous voice and everyone loves Jeremy, who has a family legacy and it’s just all too much.

That doesn’t stop her from having some Jeremy fantasies—even as she 100% rejects wanting those Jeremy fantasies—but so what if he’s gorgeous and sonorous? The man is a jerk, consistently makes it clear he thinks she needs help in her role and did she mention he’s gorgeous? It’s enough to drive her to complete distraction, she’s on her last freaking nerve, and then they end up having a bit of a snark at each other in the hallway and…

…kiss.

This enemies-to-lovers story was done so deftly, and part of why I say that is because enemies-to-lovers is a trope I generally don’t have a lot of patience for. In this case, Grossman does such a good job of making their “enemy” status a part of some assumptions and miscommunications and their workplace insecurities, though, which really worked to get me on board. And, as I mentioned earlier, the sizzle factor here is off-the-charts. I also loved the resolution to Alana’s sermon issue, and ultimately left the story—and the anthology as a whole—with a smile on my face.

Short Stories 366:348 — “Wrapped,” by Rebekah Weatherspoon

If you’ve not read the Fit trilogy from Rebekah Weatherspoon, seeing that there’s a holiday novella snuck into the series as a “point-five” might seem like a barrier, but allow me to dismiss your concerns twicely: first, because this totally stands alone; second, you should just go binge the whole series anyway. Trust. Okay, let’s talk “Wrapped.” My favourite thing about holiday novellas (as I’m sure I’ve said way, way too many times by now) is how the black-moment can’t be too overwhelming, and there’s really only time for the one bump on the way to happiness, so I know I can strap in for a (mostly) angst-free ride. When I decided to re-read this one, all I really remembered was it had the usual Weatherspoon scorch, and that I freaking loved the heroine, who is this perfect mix of awkward and confident (another thing Weatherspoon does brilliantly).

Shae is on the dating scene, and her previous relationship history comes down to one failed marriage and… well, that’s about it. So she’s suitably nervous. Shae’s got a crap-tonne of positives on her side, though: she’s a Black woman who started her own bakery and is doing pretty comfortably in that regard, she’s got a fabulous friend group, she’s putting herself out there via the Matched app, and she’s got a smart freaking head on her shoulders, so she does know she’s also got baggage from the divorce. Then she matches with a hunk she used to worth with at a previous job, and they go on a date and… it’s good. Like, really good. Like, even though she keeps saying the wildest shit (Did she seriously ask him for dick picks on their first date? She did. She totally did.) they are truly getting along and that’s… amazing? Scary? Both?

Also, the fella in this particular pair is just this brilliant mix of hot, compassionate, sensitive, caring, and listening and it’s all mixed together into this swoon-worthy package. Also? There’s his package. Which, uh, well. What’s wrong with a big wrapped package to bring some holiday cheer, right? Aiden is described deliciously (as is Shae) and while he’s a big buff hunk of said deliciousness, we also see that he has to work at it (it’s such a small thing, but I adore it when big buff hunks actually go to the gym in romance stories, rather than just somehow magically maintaining their physique while doing anything but). Anyway, the end result of “Wrapped” is a healthy dose of holiday joy (and sexting) and honestly I was so happy to dive in again.

If You Liked (Faux Ho Ho)…

Continuing from yesterday, where I talked about some books I think you’d like if you enjoyed “Rear Admiral,” I’m going to put my bookseller hat back on and make some recommendations the way I used to, and hopefully connect you with some new (or new-to-you) books to check out.

The idea behind these posts is pretty simple. Back in the bookstore days, we’d often set up displays where it was “Hey, you liked this book? Try these books!” I’m not a bookseller any more, and I don’t have a bookstore to put displays up in any more, but I have read some great books this year.

If You Liked Faux Ho Ho…

“Faux Ho Ho” was my second holiday novella, and it’s a fake-relationship queer holiday story. It follows up from “Handmade Holidays,” involves a nerdy gamer geek, a physical trainer, a little lie about dating, and the changes it makes when someone gets to spend time with a queer found family instead of their less-than-great biological family. It also breaks some of the “rules” you often hear bandied about in writerly circles, most specifically “don’t put politics into your romance” which, I mean, as a queer writer how can I not?

Silas Waite doesn’t want his big-C Conservative Alberta family to know he’s barely making rent. They’d see it as yet another sign that he’s not living up to the Waite family potential and muscle in on his life. When Silas unexpectedly needs a new roommate, he ends up with the gregarious (and gorgeous) personal trainer Constantino “Dino” Papadimitriou.

Silas’s parents try to brow-beat him into visiting for Thanksgiving, where they’ll put him on display as an example of how they’re so “tolerant,” for Silas’s brother’s political campaign, but Dino pretends to be his boyfriend to get him out of it, citing a prior commitment. The ruse works—until they receive an invitation to Silas’s sister’s last-minute wedding.

Silas loves his sister, Dino wouldn’t mind a chalet Christmas, and together, they could turn a family obligation into something fun. But after nine months of being roommates, then friends, and now “boyfriends,” Silas finds being with Dino way too easy, and being the son that his parents barely tolerate too hard. Something has to give, but luckily, it’s the season for giving—and maybe what Silas has to give is worth the biggest risk of all.

Okay, first up? I’ve got a three-for-one with this suggestion, and although only the first of them is a fake relationship trope like “Faux Ho Ho,” trust me when I say I loved all three of these novellas. All I Want for Christmas has three holiday novellas, including Georgia Beers’s “Triple Dog Dare” (the aforementioned fauxmance story) and it’s got a perfectly paced “we’ll fake it,” falling into “um, I think I like you,” falling into “oh crap, what do we do?” That you also get two fantastic other novellas alongside his fauxmance? Consider that a bonus (and you can check out my reviews of each under this tag).

In Triple Dog Dare by Georgia Beers, Sasha Wolfe has been talking up her new girlfriend to her overbearing mother for months, and when her skeptical sister dares her to invite this new squeeze over for family Christmas, Sasha accepts the challenge. After all, how hard can it be to bring your nonexistent girlfriend home for the holidays.

In Hustle & Bustle by Maggie Cummings, Hannah Monroe is ready to dazzle customers with her pop-up shop at NYC’s winter holiday market. NYPD beat cop Toby Beckett, who just wants to protect and serve, barely notices the spirit of the season until events keep pushing her into Hannah’s path.

In A Christmas Miracle by Fiona Riley, Mira Donahue’s bar, Mirage, is the hottest Christmas party venue in Boston, despite Mira’s secret: she hates Christmas. When self-described Queen of Carols Courtney Rivers books Mirage for her company’s holiday party, she clashes with Mira over the plans. Then a freak storm strands them in the bar, and more than miracles abound.

Oh how I loved Xeni. Okay, this relationship is freaking awesome. Well, it’s not a fake relationship exactly, it’s a fake marriage. Wait. I mean, everyone is in on it: both Xeni and Duncan know this is so beyond the pale, but their sham marriage is the only way to inherit, and even the person they’re inheriting from—who put the stipulation of their marriage in their will—knows they’ve never met. Yet. It’s one way to get what you want, though, right? Not only does this story do friendship groups perfectly (and you should read all the other books it intersects), it also handles so many variances on Family Drama (capitals not accidental) I cannot even begin to tell you. (Oh, and while “Faux Ho Ho” isn’t erotic, I should probably mention this book is, like, five-alarm hot. Like, hottest pegging scene ever, hot.)

She just wanted to claim her inheritance. What she got was a husband…

Xeni Everly-Wilkins has ten days to clean out her recently departed aunt’s massive colonial in Upstate New York. With the feud between her mom and her sisters still raging even in death, she knows this will be no easy task, but when the will is read Xeni quickly discovers the decades old drama between the former R&B singers is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Secrets, lies, and a crap ton of cash spilled on her lawyer’s conference room table all come with terms and conditions. Xeni must marry before she can claim the estate that will set her up for life and her aunt has just the groom in mind. The ruggedly handsome and deliciously thicc Scotsman who showed up at her aunt’s memorial, bagpipes at the ready.

When his dear friend and mentor Sable Everly passed away, Mason McInroy knew she would leave a sizable hole in his heart. He never imagined she’d leave him more than enough money to settle the debt that’s keeping him from returning home to Scotland. He also never imagined that Sable would use her dying breaths to play match-maker, trapping Mason and her beautiful niece in a marriage scheme that comes with more complications than either of them need.

With no choice but to say I do, the unlikely pair try to make the best of a messy situation. They had no plans to actually fall in love.

Short Stories 366:347 — “Eitan’s Chord,” by Shira Glassman

If there’s a way to describe a story about three Chanukah sprites who use their magic via super-erotic intimacy to grant the wishes of a couple facing a rough (and borderline penniless) holiday that doesn’t make the reader say, “Wait, what did you say?” I’m afraid I don’t know it. So, in answer to your “Wait, what did you say?” I repeat: yep, three Chanukah sprites. Sex magic. Wishes granted. You heard me right, and this story from Shira Glassman was a freaking delight (and also very sizzly, in the sprite department).

So, onward to “Eitan’s Chord.” We meet Eitan (a trans man with a guitar who works at a co-op and is struggling to get the titular chord in a song just right) and Abigail (a cis woman who works retail and is so getting tired of what that means during Christmas, but who also creates her own jewellery and has listed her works online) when they’re both taking a brief breather from their work-lives to craft. Abigail is working on her jewellery, Eitan his song. They take a moment to light the first candle of Chanukah, and both speak of their real wish before going to sleep: just a little more cash, which Eitan truly wishes would come from Abigail’s jewellery getting recognized for the beautiful things they are.

Once the candles are out and they’re asleep, the Chanukah sprites appear. Latke, butch and muscular; Dreidl, flamboyant and playful; and Menorah, the leader and the one with the plan to make the wish come true. And, since they’re having such a good time and pleasure is on the menu, perhaps they can toss in an extra spritely magic result alongside the immediate wish. That this story manages to be touching, amusing, erotic, funny, and heartwarming will likely no shock anyone who has read Glassman before, but a trio of erotically charged Chanukah sprites? Definitely my favourite in the “totally unexpected and truly delighted” category for my short fiction of the year.

If You Liked (Rear Admiral)…

Back in my bookstore days, one of the absolute most wonderful things was when a customer came in and said, “I really liked…” and told us a title they’d just finished and enjoyed. It was such a great place to start, and often meant we could talk about the specifics of why they liked a particular book and in no time, we booksellers could suggest other things they might like to try. Which, to be clear, was the absolute best part of the job: connecting readers to things they liked.

Now, I’m not a bookseller any more, but I still love helping people find new-to-them books, and this year wasn’t exactly a banner year for me writing-wise, but I got some solid reading done in between the physiotherapy and all the other stuff that was 2020. Also, if you’re reading my blog, I imagine you already know what I’ve written, and more to the point, likely if you were at all interested, you’ve already read what I wrote.

So I’m going to put my bookseller hat back on and make some recommendations the way I used to, and hopefully connect you with some new (or new-to-you) books to check out.

If You Liked Rear Admiral…

“Rear Admiral” was the only brand-new piece of writing I released this year, an erotic short novelette. A gay nurse who has a crush on a former porn star, a life-sized toy based on said former porn star, and a self-imposed deadline to, uh, “handle” said toy before meeting the man who inspired it, “Rear Admiral” is funny (I hope), sexy (I hope), and ends on an up-note (I hope) nudging it into erotic romance. I had a blast writing it, wanted to release something that was ultimately positive and sexy as heck.

Ten Days.

Russ is on a deadline. Okay, so nobody else knows about it, but the thing is, he and the ‘Rear Admiral’ (the crowning glory of the High Seas Anal Pleasure Set) are at a standoff, and he’s running out of time to achieve his goal before he meets the real-world inspiration for the toy face-to-face.

Eleven Inches.

The thing is? The ‘Rear Admiral,’ like everything else about Matteo Rossi—a.k.a. the former Dom Masters—is big. A wine tasting party, some snooty friends, and a brief interlude on a balcony later, and Russ and Matt have an actual conversation. A conversation that opens the door to something bigger.

One Chance.

Can one average nurse and his way-more-than-average crush make it work? Russ figures there’s one way to find out: go big or go home.

If you liked it, I need you to read Suliekha Snyder’s Prem Numbers. This collection of erotic shorts is beyond sizzling, and the scenarios play to so very many wonderful tropes and/or pop culture moments I cannot tell you. More, Snyder’s Indian heroines are flipping brilliant, and if you hadn’t considered a kind of Rogue-and-Gambit dynamic for a superhero-ish erotica piece, or, say, Roadhouse (the Patrick Swayze movie) but have the bouncer in question and Sam Elliot and the heroine end up all together in a sincerely hot ménage? Well. As I said. Go buy this collection.

The cocky charmer at your local bar…the awe-inspiring U.S. Vice-President you’d lay down your life and your love for…the mysterious stranger who comes to your rescue one night…the beautiful woman you can’t touch, because to do so might literally kill you…the smokin’ hot roadhouse bartenders who take your troubles away, only to add new ones. These are the prem numbers. They almost always add up to passion.

In this collection, find previously published stories like “In Her Service” and “The Pick-Me-Up” as well as steamy new material like “She’s So Lovely,” a small-town ménage set in the same world as Tikka Chance on Me. 

Also, If you’re in the mood for something, uh, longer, then how about the novella-length “A Big Surprise for Valentine’s Day” by Jackie Lau? Here we have a fellow who, much like the love interest in “Rear Admiral,” is above-average in many ways (but definitely in that one way). I loved this whole series from Lau, but you can definitely read them in whatever order you like. This one starts with a condom-buying heroine bumping into the fellow in question doing the same thing, and aiming some snark his way when he buys a brand of condoms she sees him buying are of a larger size. He pushes back. They spark. And they decide some no-strings attached fun could be just the thing. But you know how those tend to end up in romance novellas, right? Ah, feelings.

Amber Wong has landed her dream job at the Stratford Festival, and life is looking good. Sure, she hasn’t had sex in so long that her condoms have expired, but she’ll just pick up some new ones, along with some discounted Christmas chocolate, at the grocery store.

And that’s where she runs into Dr. Sebastian Lam, the son of her parents’ close friends, whom she hasn’t seen in years. He’s moved back to Ontario, newly single, and… Oh my God. He’s really hot.

The attraction is mutual and no-strings-attached sex is the perfect arrangement for both of them, since Amber has sworn off dating after a string of terrible boyfriends.

But what if their families find out they’re spending time together and start interfering in their lives? That would be a disaster.

Even worse? If they develop feelings for each other, given a relationship is the last thing Amber wants right now…

Short Stories 366:346 — “Stardust and Snow,” by Paul Magrs

Okay, so as opening stories to anthologies go, “Stardust and Snow” from Paul Magr’s Christmassy Tales might be a new standout favourite, and I mean, how can you go wrong with a tale told about Jareth the Goblin King himself, David Bowie, or a little boy who at the time is called “shy” and “withdrawn” but today would be understood to be not neurotypical? Well, I suppose someone else could go wrong with that, but Paul Magrs doesn’t, in this tale about a young boy who wins a chance to meet the muppets and David Bowie after a special screening of Labyrinth. More, it’s told as a kind of tale-told-to-the-author-by-the-boy-years-later setting, so it does this lovely little sinking through the layers toward the story, before pulling itself back out again thereafter, and left me deciding on a whim that this fiction wasn’t, and adding it to my head-canon for David Bowie and the magic in the world.

The set-up is basically what I mentioned above: boy wins a screening and meet-and-greet, but he ends up having to go with his less-than-warm Grandmother, rather than his understanding Grandfather thanks to an ill-timed illness, but they do manage to arrive (only slightly late) and the event itself is magical. Throughout, we get the boy’s point-of-view (as told to the author), and he describes the magic of this evening so well I could imagine it easily. And then, when it seems like the crush and the noise after the movie will mean a sad ending, there’s an opportunity to actually meet David Bowie himself in a quiet and calm one-on-one (or, I guess, a one-on-two, since Grandmother is still there), and the real magic happens.

It’s a lovely story, and it’s also gentle, even when you wanted to reach in and smack the grandmother (which I did want, often). The final reveal of the how-and-why of the meeting warms the heart, and the whole discussion and meeting between the boy and his idol is just so beautifully done. The idea of masks, of magic being everywhere, and of this brilliant moment between two people—one of which is David Bowie, so I’m already in a believing mode—is done with deft little touches, and like I said, I left this story just deciding to believe. Which I think was also the idea behind the story: sometimes, believing is a decision.

Short Stories 366:345 — “A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year,” by Jackie Lau

Okay, I swear the further and further I delve into the Wong siblings, the more I actually have it in me to consider a small Ontario town like the made-up Mosquito Bay to potentially, maybe, offer something in the way of charm. This is what Jackie Lau has done to me! I never knew it was possible. Okay, I kid (somewhat) but as I read my way through her Holidays with the Wongs series, each novella leaves me grinning, and “A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year” is no exception. First off, the books all generally start their spin from the Thanksgiving events where the grandparents decided to meddle with the four single grandchildren and invite dates for all of them to Thanksgiving. It went about as well as you could expect (though they did manage to invite one woman who did fall in love with a Wong, but it wasn’t the man they invited her to meet). As a result, the remaining single brothers and sister all seem to have come up with a plan to make sure they’re not hit with yet another blind date, and in the case of Zach, his plan is simple: fill the position with a fake candidate.

Zach is a teacher, and of the four siblings, the only one who sees the charm and came back to live in Mosquito Bay; with the awareness that of his brothers he’s the one that passes in the far-from-diverse town, there’s some really wonderfully written discussions underlying that impact. He also had a serious relationship that ended when his fiancée admitted that Mosquito Bay wasn’t going to cut it for her (and thus, neither was he), and at that point, Zach swore off relationships. His friendship with Jo is very much based on this broken relationship—they bonded when Jo kicked her ex to the curb after realizing he didn’t prioritize her in the least and she was settling for “meh”—and they’ve been drinking and hockey-playing buds ever since. Except, of course, Jo realized a few years ago now that she absolutely has a crush on Zach, who has sworn off relationships.

When Zach presents his plan to Jo—would she mind faking being his girlfriend for a couple of weeks leading up to Chinese New Year so his family backs the heck off?—she agrees, and then the two start “dating” (all the better to make it seem realistic come the actual holiday) and… well. It’s a romance novella. Both of them start to realize just how much they feel about each other, and their hometown, and their situations, and ultimately? You get the happy-ever-after you’re promised in the genre. I also want do say I loved the humour in this episode of the quartet—some of it slapstick, some of it situational—and I’ll probably chuckle at mentions of Pictionary for the rest of my life.

I asked Jackie Lau if she’d mind telling us where the story ideas came from. Here’s the scoop:

There are lots of Christmas romances, but not many for the Lunar New Year (though there are certainly others out there!), so I decided to write one. In my family, basically all we do is eat and give out red envelopes, but the family in this novella has a Chinese New Year Pictionary tradition as well. This book also touches on small-town Chinese-Canadian restaurants, and I read Ann Hui’s Chop Suey Nation for inspiration there.

Short Stories 366:344 — “The Christmas Grump,” by Jae

Found in a trio of short stories, Love Beneath the Christmas Tree, “The Christmas Grump” is the first of the three and starts in a place I always love reading during the season: Christmas retail. I say this because having done Christmas retail for a couple of decades, I one-hundred percent side with the characters who work in that environment and are therefore so very done with the holidays. Lived it, breathed it, got the T-shirt. So when mall security-guard Rachel’s work partner decides she’s a Christmas Grump, I wanted to point at everything happening around them in the mall and be all, “Of course she is!”

As the story progresses, Rachel goes from seeing a kid staring longingly at some LEGO and wondering if he’s going to purloin it to realizing said kid is just staring longingly because times are tough, to deciding to make a difference in a small way to the kid—and then nearly getting the kid in real trouble with his mother for doing so. As meet-cutes go, it’s really more of a meet-disaster, but when Rachel and the kid’s mother talk out what happened, there’s a kind of nervous moment between the Grump and the Mom where they both realize they’ve gotten a bit lost in their grief and sadness maybe.

Ultimately, the story ends just before delivering a conclusively hopeful note, and is instead more of a set-up or an idea that things could be on the upswing. That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy this—I did—but I was very glad to be able to jump right into the next story with the Rachel, and catch up on her further on in time. I think maybe if I’d not had all three at my fingertips, it might have left me feeling like I missed a page at the end. I’m glad the trio are bundled, rather than out there separately, is what I’m saying, so make sure you’ve got time to keep reading right after the first story finishes.

Short Stories 366:343 — “Being Merry,” by Meka James

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I found this novella through Women of Color in Romance (which, if you don’t already know about, you should check out). Meka James is a new author to me, but when I saw a women-loving-women holiday short? Well, you know how I get about holiday shorts, and this one hit so many of the right notes for me. First, “Being Merry” kinda/sorta delivers a “stuck together” plot, in that Noelle thinks the sister of her friend is 100% on board with letting her rent a room at her house. But when she arrives, Lennox doesn’t really know anything about what’s going on, or a least, is mostly blindsided, and also really, really doesn’t love how chatty and holiday-obsessed Noelle seems to be—she looks like Christmas exploded all over her, complete with holiday-themed headband! It looks like Noelle is going to be stuck with a grinch, and it looks like the grinch is going to make things difficult.

It’s not long before we get a sense of the “why” of these two: Noelle works at a children’s hospital, and as a doctor there, she does anything she can to inject some frivolity of the holidays into what is, for kids in her care, the worst possible kind of Christmas ever. Lennox, on the other hand, works with the public at a bar, so I 100% gave her a pass on being a grinch. I worked holiday retail. I get it, Lennox. But the two definitely have sparks with each other, and it’s not just dry desert air and Noelle’s tinsel.

Meka James nudges the tension up a bit at a time, and then lets it boil over in a blow-out that works perfectly for the characters, and then tips over into something with sizzle. There’s not so much a black moment in this story as there is a loud clearing of the air (followed by some grovelling) and I appreciated that a lot. It’s one of my favourite things about holiday romances, actually: that we don’t need a horrendous dark turning point, just a realization and a setting-to-rights. How Lennox goes about making it clear how she feels about Noelle was truly a series of romantic gestures (and even includes getting her family involved). Basically, this one hit all the right notes.

Short Stories 366:342 — “Making Up With Eid Bae,” by Farah Heron

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I always know I’m going to enjoy a Farah Heron story, and if you’ve not read Chai Factor, allow me to be the bearer of the next book you should be grabbing. Heron has this way with dialog, especially, that zings and snaps, and her plots have this magical way of turning the strangest things—say, Barbershop Quartets—into perfectly “Oh, of course!” parts of her narratives. Basically, her books are as charming as all heck, and “Making Up With Eid Bae,” from Love All Year: A Holidays Anthology is a perfect example of what I’m talking about.

We begin with Nafissa and her friend and business partner, Analise, on a scheduled trip to Toronto from Ottawa. They’ve launched their own small makeup business—Bronze, specializing in pigments for Black and brown skin—and they’re here to try and get a wider audience in the larger city’s boutiques. That Nafissa’s mother wants her to visit an Aunty’s Eid party despite Nafissa being busy and focused isn’t going to stop Nafissa from staying the course. Until it turns out said party includes a shot at meeting someone who would really get them some exposure and potential sales…. oh, and also potentially reunite her with the family of the her “Eid Bae” (who she dated secretly and long-distance for a few months) the last time she attended this party, but she’s sure he’s out West and this is a huge opportunity, so she goes. Of course, we know what’s going to happen, and who will be present, but Farah Heron puts so much joy into every scene (and also joyful awkwardness, joyful simmering, and even a joyful shutdown) the journey is completely entertaining.

Also, I could smell the biryani.

The story had me completely engrossed. The cast of characters were consistently amusing (even when they’re amusingly terrifying or amusingly frustrating) and the ending to this one was a perfect mix of cute, happy-for-now, and promise all wrapped up in a great final line. I’ve enjoyed every story in this anthology, and I don’t want to understate that, but for this story alone the book is worth picking up.