The 12 Days Ultimatum

by Josh Lanyon

“I don’t take kindly to ultimatums.”

Nobody gives FBI Supervisory Special Agent Lucas Alexander ultimatums. His reputation as a hard-ass perfectionist is well-deserved. There’s a reason he’s the go-to person for agents, the community of Silver Pine, Idaho, and even the Salt Lake City Field Office. For Lucas, the job always comes first. Always has.

Always will?

Because Lucas does have one weak spot, and his name is Special Agent Riley Christopher. Two days ago, Riley delivered his boss an ultimatum: prioritize their relationship or end it. Now Lucas has a choice. The job or the relationship? Lucas has to decide whether he’s capable of balancing love and duty before the twelve days of Christmas are up.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Christmas, Romance, Holiday, LGBT, M M Contemporary

77 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2026

About the author

Author of 100+ titles of Gay Mystery and M/M Romance, Josh Lanyon has built her literary legacy on twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance.

Her work has been translated into twelve languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Italy’s Harlequin Mondadori and Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All-Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.

She’s an EPIC Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California with her irascible husband, two adorable dogs, a small garden, and an ever-expanding library of vintage mystery destined to eventually crush them all beneath its weight.


Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
Follow Josh on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Reviews

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and fun read. It's told from Lucas' POV and he can be really funny.

I would have found this very entertaining overall, if not for what happened to Riley. I didn't expect that and it soured the mood of the book for me a bit. Taking that into account, I didn't get how Lucas wouldn't make Riley his first and only priority.

[Elisa Glendenning (mostly off-line) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars ✨

Love established couples in crisis, and this didn’t disappoint. The fact that Lucas is Riley’s boss was an added bonus. Lucas was such a doofus at times, but he did make me laugh, and I genuinely felt bad for the guy 😬 I can attest there are men out there just like him, namely my hubby 😂 Hope he doesn’t read this 😅 I liked Riley and he’d been through a lot, but this would have been even better if we’d had his POV.

[Renée · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was full on romance. No mystery. No other distraction. All romance. And it was awesome!

So pretty please, Josh Lanyon, can you incorporate this into your usual books? This is my one complaint about your books. See? You CAN do it.

[Lily S (Cover Lover) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of hard to rate. It’s not really 4 stars because it’s too short and I would’ve liked a more drawn out story. It’s not quite under 3 stars because I still was drawn to the characters and hoped Lucas would wisen up. Riley seemed so sweet and Lucas definitely had his head up his you know what.

Lanyon writes a lot of short stories Iike this but I am hoping for an actual book soon, preferably the final Art book.

[firnag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Molto carino. Però sembra come se mancasse un capitolo tra gli ultimi due. Non si può non mostrare come siamo arrivati dagli eventi del penultimo capitolo a quelli dell’ultimo! Non si può saltare il chiarimento finale! Era quello che avrei voluto leggere nel corso dell’intero romanzo :(

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lanyon usually excels at second-chance romance.

Turns out, she's also excellent at the "fighting to keep your current relationship" kind of romance. Because wow, this novella really packs a punch. I spent a good portion of it wanting to lovingly slap Lucas upside the head for being an absolute idiot. I mean… HOW can you be this slow, SSA Lucas Alexander?!?

That said, it's still genuinely romantic - and surprisingly hilarious at times. Case in point: drunk Lucas writing a field status report about his relationship with Riley. Sir. Please. Absolute idiot.

And yet… still swoony. 💙

PS: Note some typos? Don't usually notice it in Lanyon's self-published but somehow I did here ​🤷​

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem is, the MC is emotionally stupid, so I feel little sympathy for him. The saving grace is how it ends. That was nice.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This just popped up out of nowhere, but I couldn't help taking a few minutes and giving it a quick read. Even though it was short in length, it got the job done. *I can't believe I just wrote that* 🤦‍♀️🤣

The truth is, when everyday life is going smoothly, it can be easy to forget how important it is to remind our loved ones how much they add to our lives and that we see them. Being on the receiving end is nice also!!! 🥰

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucas is Riley's boss and the both work for the FBI.
12 days before christmas Riley delivers an ultimatum to Lucas.
I did feel alot like just knocking these 2 men's heads together. A little communication was all that was needed.

By the by for a short book I thought it was quite expensive.

[Mirjam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This holiday installment trades high-stakes action for something more intimate but no less tense: an emotional reckoning.

Supervisory Special Agent, Lucas Alexander, controlled, formidable, and absolutely certain that he answers to no one. He is the backbone of the FBI Field Office, a hard-edged perfectionist who puts duty above everything else. Everything… until Riley.
When Special Agent Riley Christopher finally draws a line in the snow, choose us or lose us, the conflict cuts deeper than any case file. The ticking clock of the twelve days of Christmas adds just the right amount of pressure, turning what could have been a simple relationship dispute into a layered exploration of identity, pride, and vulnerability.

Watching Lucas grapple with the possibility that love might require compromise is both frustrating and deeply satisfying. Meanwhile, Riley refuses to be sidelined, and his ultimatum feels earned rather than dramatic. The chemistry between them simmers with history, affection, and just enough hurt to make every interaction crackle.







Ultimately, The 12 Days Ultimatum delivers a heartfelt, character-focused holiday romance wrapped in sharp dialogue and slow-burn tension.
It’s a romantic, thoughtful, and a satisfying reminder that even the toughest agents can have a soft spot.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but Beautiful❤️

There are few things more exciting, when it comes to books, than the unexpected release of a new Josh Lanyon book. This might have been a novella but the author wrote a beautiful love story in her usual poetic nostalgic style almost making you think you are reading a book from the 50s but it’s actually set in the present.

Lucas and Riley were FBI agents based in a small satellite office in Idaho. From the moment Lucas interviewed Riley he was drawn to him and three years into their relationship Lucas was content. He loved Riley but had no idea how to show him, Lucas lived for his work and working alongside Riley was all he needed.

Riley on the other hand loved Lucas but he needed more. Every weekend they were the on-call officers and every year the rest of the staff took off for the Christmas vacation leaving Lucas and Riley on-call and Riley was sick of it, he wanted more. When he gives Lucas a twelve days to Christmas ultimatum Lucas is at a loss to understand the problem, until Christmas creeps closer and he thinks he has lost Riley for good.

It might have taken Lucas a while to understand the assignment but it was beautiful watching him unravel, grovel and pull out all the stops to show Riley just how much he loved him.

I will always recommend a Josh Lanyon book.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another lovely holiday goodie from J. Lanyon. As with some of her other shorties, this one starts as if you should already know the characters. But that was fine; I just jumped in. Two FBI guys who work together and are in a relationship, Riley and Lucas are having relationship issues. Riley has issued an ultimatum of sorts and Lucas is flummoxed at what to do about it. Nice sense of a backstory here with crucial tidbits about who each man is as a person. Fulsome story in 77 short pages. No heat, but that's fine. Really enjoyed it.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Josh Lanyon at her best!

I adored this story. I could feel the emotion that Lucas found so difficult to handle and Riley's pain on feeling he wasn't as important as the job. Story, though short, was well written and I wanted to read it all overagain. Strongly recommend reading this book.

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course, I enjoyed it. It's a JL book - and "relationship in trouble" is her bag.

...but I also don't feel like Lucas did anything to prove to Riley that he wouldn't revert to the status quo as soon as Riley is comfortable again.

[Stéph62Hapiot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore une petite histoire vraiment bien faite, j'ai beaucoup aimé.

[Ninni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas is coming. And FBI detective Riley is giving his boss/boyfriend Lucas a kind of an ultimatum. Nothing much happening and there wasn't much chemistry between the two MCs. 2 ⭐⭐

[Akedeia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my fav, but as a quick standalone it’s alright.

[Zane Kage · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Bookbeard · Rating 4 out of 5]

story line: ****
main characters: ****
side characters: **
world building: **
editing: *****
3.5

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted more 😭

[Zoey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending felt rushed, and I really wanted at least one scene from Riley’s POV, but otherwise I enjoyed it!

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Josh Lanyon book out of the blue, a delightful and entertaining surprise