Publisher: Wicked Fingers Press
Pages: 55
Available to read in KU
Blurb
Life in a college
town suits Josh Cassidy. He has good friends and neighbors, and the bookshop
café he runs with his family is thriving. As the winter holidays begin, Josh
finds himself enamored with police officer, Alex Curiel, an old friend who has
recently moved back to town. The trouble is, Alex isn’t ready for the world to
know he’s attracted to men.
At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, but the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, he has more and more trouble denying his feelings. Soon, both men are forced to decide if hiding behind closed doors is the kind of future they’re looking for.
At Alex’s request, Josh agrees to closet their relationship, but the secrecy quickly becomes a burden. When Josh realizes he is falling for Alex, he has more and more trouble denying his feelings. Soon, both men are forced to decide if hiding behind closed doors is the kind of future they’re looking for.
Excerpt
After work, Josh
walked four blocks down Pleasant Street to Jamison’s Pub. He smiled as he
imagined his sister’s knowing look, especially after he found Alex at the bar
talking with Matt, who was pouring drinks for the after-work and -school crowd.
Alex glanced up at Josh’s approach and his smile seemed to light the room.
“Hey, Josh.” Matt set his hands on the
bar top. “Alex was just telling me that you’ve been making him listen to your
old man music.”
Alex grimaced. “I never called it old man
music.”
“No, I did,” Matt countered.
“And I said that I didn’t mind
listening to it,” Alex said. “A roommate of mine in college liked jazz.”
“Then your roommate had crap taste in
music, too.” Matt moved to pour a pint of Josh’s favorite ale. “Listen, man.
Josh and I met on the first day of kindergarten. He’s always been a scrawny,
ginger-headed fuckface who listens to oldies and worships the Rat Pack.”
Josh shrugged out of his coat and pulled
up a stool. “Now you’re just making shit up. I didn’t start listening to jazz
until middle school and I’ve never worshipped the Rat Pack. I’m not even
scrawny anymore. It’s not my fault you can’t see past Coldplay and Radiohead.
Both bands I like, by the way,” he said to Alex.
Matt made an exasperated sound. “And you
wonder why you’re still single.”
“Some people like a little variety.”
Josh accepted the pint Matt handed him with a smile. “And one of these days,
the right man is going to figure out that I know what I’m talking about when it
comes to the old man music. Now shut up and give me a menu, please, because I
feel the urge to eat myself into a food coma.”
Matt slapped some menus down before he
moved away to take another order, and Alex eyed Josh with a grin.
“The right man, huh?”
Josh smiled. “It could happen. Sorry I was late.”
“I should hope so. Matt started
harassing me the minute I set foot in the door, and I’m so hungry I could eat
my own hand.”
“Oh, shit.” Josh laughed. “Well, that’s
easy enough to fix. How about we split an order of poutine? Would that make you
happy?”
“Yes, it would.” Alex’s eyes gleamed. He
loved the decadent combination of French fried potatoes, brown gravy, and
cheese curds. “But I thought you weren’t a fan?”
“It’s growing on me. Besides, the look
on your face every time you eat it makes up for the weird, funky cheese.”
“Okay then, poutine to start.” Alex
laughed and ran a hand over his chin. “I sort of dig your music, you know, no
matter what Matt says. It’s wild and beautiful.” He dropped the hand to his
beer glass and brushed his knuckles against Josh’s. “Like you. You’re
beautiful,” he murmured.
For a moment, Josh forgot where they
were. He forgot that he and Alex were keeping a secret, and were far more than
friends behind closed doors. His cheeks flushed, his heart beat a little
faster, and he simply admired Alex’s handsome face.
“You’re the beautiful one,” he said,
voice quiet.
They continued like
that while they ate—flirting while pretending they were not, almost touching
but never quite daring—and Josh’s desire burned hotter with every minute. After
dinner, the short drive from the pub to Josh’s house seemed to take forever,
and the front door had hardly closed behind them before they pounced on each
other.
Review
Oh my. This short
story captivated me from start to finish. There was so much in it I loved. For
starters, there’s the bookshop café Josh runs with his parents and sister, and
the wonderful, loving, and supportive relationship he has with them. Josh’s
friend Matt, was just as amazing as his family. And finally, there’s his steamy
relationship with Alex. Except, that’s also where we run into trouble, because
while Josh would love nothing more than have a real and publicly known relationship
with Alex, the man he’s fallen for isn’t out of the closet and not only not
sure when he’ll come out but uncertain whether he’ll ever take the risk.
Because the whole
story is told from Josh’s perspective, we only get a real impression of his
feelings. But, between the lines and through Josh’s observations, it is impossible
not to be aware of Alex’s struggle as he’s torn between the feelings he’s
obviously developing and his deep fear about what coming out—to his Catholic
family and to his colleagues on the police force—might mean for him.
I adored the banter
between Josh and both his sister and Matt. The sexy scenes between Alex and
Josh left me somewhat breathless. But what I loved most in this story is the way
in which family and friends rallied around first for Josh and subsequently for
Alex.
I don’t want to say a
whole lot else about the story. Alex’s journey and the way it ended was both
inspired and heartwarming and should not be spoiled by a careless review.
A Hometown Holiday is a wonderful, uplifting, enthralling, and deliciously sexy story
with the just the right amount of angst to keep it from becoming too good to be
true.
Author Bio
K. Evan Coles is a mother and tech pirate by day and a writer by
night. She is a dreamer who, with a little hard work and a lot of good coffee,
coaxes words out of her head and onto paper.
K. lives in the northeast United States, where she complains
bitterly about the winters, but truly loves the region and its diverse,
tenacious and deceptively compassionate people. You’ll usually find K. nerding
out over books, movies and television with friends and family. She’s especially
proud to be raising her son as part of a new generation of unabashed geeks.
K.’s books explore LGBTQ+ romance in contemporary settings.
Published Work:
Pride Publishing (Totally Entwined Group)
Tidal Series w/ Brigham Vaughn (Novels)
Wake (May 2017)
Calm (August 2017)
The Speakeasy w/ Brigham Vaughn (Novels)
With a Twist (Coming 2018)
Extra Dirty (Coming 2019)
Behind the Stick (TBD)
Boston Seasons (Novels)
Third Time’s the Charm (Coming 2019)
Off Topic Press (Self-Published)
Inked in Blood w/ Brigham Vaughn (Short Story)
Wicked Fingers Press (Self-Published)
Moonlight (Short Story)
A Hometown Holiday (Short Story)
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