Book Title: Gingerbread Mistletoe
Author: Amy Aislin
Publisher: Self-published
Cover Artist: Natasha Snow
Series: Lighthouse Bay #2
Genre/s: Contemporary m/m holiday romance
Trope/s: Enemies to lovers, small town, forced proximity
Heat Rating: 2 flames
Length: 62,000 words
It’s book two in the Lighthouse Bay series, but can be read as a standalone.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Blurb
The last thing Jeff wants is to spend time with the man who totaled his car—the one he spent years restoring with his late father. But if he wants to resurrect his childhood town’s annual outdoor hockey tournament, he’s got no choice.
The last thing Mika wants is to work with the guy who took off right after the accident, without ensuring he was okay. And working together on organizing Jeff’s proposed tournament sounds like a complete nightmare. He’s got enough on his plate after surviving cancer.
Sparks fly as they’re forced to work together, but is that enough for them to set their differences aside and pull off the tournament in only two weeks? Or will they prove to be immune to the magic of Christmas?
Excerpt
Standing, he held a hand out to the man who was so much his type it was almost laughable. Three or four inches taller than Mika’s own five-ten height, dark brown hair that shone red under the warehouse’s lights, like the deepest shade of mahogany, with charcoal-gray at the temples and above his ears, and lines that fanned out from narrow eyes a dark shade of blue. A high forehead in a heart-shaped face and the physique of a footballer completed the package.
All of that wouldn’t have been a big deal on its own, but the way he held himself with the cool confidence of someone who knew his place in the world?
Yowza. Talk about Mika’s type wrapped in a black wool coat and a stubbled jaw more gray than brown. He’d have been giving Jeff his number if the guy wasn’t scowling at him.
Wait, that scowl . . .
Jeff stared at his outstretched hand. “No.”
“Uh.” Rearing back, Mika dropped his arm back to his side. “Excuse me?”
Zach crept up behind him, gaze swinging from Mika to Jeff. “What’s wrong?”
Jeff waved a hand at Mika. “This is the guy you want me to work with?” He put special emphasis on this, as though Mika were a criminal who’d steal his wallet when he wasn’t looking. Straightening his spine, Mika planted his hands on his hips.
Zach blinked once. “Yes?”
Holland Stone—Zach’s boyfriend and Mika’s ex—approached from where he’d been working on his float for the parade, clad in a dusty T-shirt and even dustier jeans. He squinted at Jeff before turning to Zach and Mika. “You two okay?” He held a hammer in one hand like he meant to wield it. Not that he ever would, but the image would’ve made Mika chuckle had he not been so confused.
And frankly? Kind of hurt. What the hell had he ever done to this guy?
“I can’t work with him.” There was no give in Jeff’s tone.
“Why not?” Zach stepped in close to Mika, butting in against his left side. “Mika’s the best.”
Aw. The ire in Mika’s chest faded a little at Zach’s words. It was nice of him to say, especially since Mika had made the worst of first impressions on him last Christmas.
The amount of disgust in Jeff’s scoff would’ve been impressive had it not been directed at Mika. “I’m not working with the guy who totaled my dad’s car.”
Mika’s head jerked back. “What?”
Zach and Holland swung their gazes his way.
“I didn’t!” Taking a step back, he raised both hands. “I’ve never totaled anybody’s car in my life.”
“Oh no?” Jeff argued, raising both eyebrows, and god, the sarcasm. “Not even a turquoise 1956 Chevy Nomad near the Bluffs in Pacific Palisades? About this time last year? Ring any bells?”
That was where Mika knew this guy from! Jesus, he was still holding a grudge? “Okay, first of all, I apologized, like, seven times. Second, I gave you my number. It’s not my problem that you didn’t call. Like I said—I would’ve paid to get it fixed. And third.” Leaning over the desk, he narrowed his eyes on a squinty-eyed Jeff Bellmoor. “Totaled?”
Jeff winced. “Fine. That’s maybe the wrong word.” Uttered so begrudgingly, it was a miracle he managed to say the words at all. “But like I said—it’s not about the damage.”
A huff of exasperation escaped Mika and he threw his hands up. “I don’t know what that means.” He hadn’t known then either.
“Never mind.” Rubbing his forehead, Jeff turned away. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Author Interview
Author name: Amy Aislin
The temptation you wish you could resist… Hot chocolate. And, of course, it’s the season for it, which means I’m drinking it all the time!
The book that holds everlasting resonance… The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater. It’s one of my all-time favourite series.
The film you can watch time and time again… The Sound of Music, my all-time favourite movie.
The person who influenced you the most… My mom. She’s the least judgmental, kindest person I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. She’s also an advocate for taking risks and following your dreams. I would not be where I am today without her.
The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity… Extreme weather. All of which I’m terrified of, especially tornadoes, but I’m still fascinated by it. Put on an extreme weather documentary and I’m glued to the television.
The event that altered the course of your life… Dropping out of a university program I absolutely hated. It led to a series of events that really helped me figure out my direction in life, including completing a one-year college degree where I fell in love with sociology, which was one of my majors when I finally ended up going back to university.
Your early recollections of writing fiction... It was in fourth grade, during a rainy recess we had to stay inside, and instead of playing with my friends, I sat down at my desk and wrote a little story where my friends and I went on a treasure hunt!
The piece of wisdom you would pass onto a child… Speak up for yourself.
The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again… A ring that my parents gave me on my ninth birthday. It was a silver unicorn and I used to wear it all the time until I grew out of rings in my teenage years. Of course, four years ago or so, the day I decided to start wearing again, I lost it.
And the promo… Thank you for having me on your blog to celebrate the release of my newest m/m romance, Gingerbread Mistletoe, the second book in my Lighthouse Bay series. If you like holiday novels set in a wintery small town and enemies to lovers romances with a sprinkling of Christmas magic, be sure to check it out.
About the Author
Amy's lived with her head in the clouds since she first picked up a book as a child, and being fluent in two languages means she's read a lot of books! She first picked up a pen on a rainy day in fourth grade when her class had to stay inside for recess. Tales of treasure hunts with her classmates eventually morphed into love stories between men, and she's been writing ever since. She writes evenings and weekends—or whenever she isn't at her full-time day job saving the planet at Canada's largest environmental non-profit.
An unapologetic introvert, Amy reads too much and socializes too little, with no regrets. She loves connecting with readers. Join her Facebook Group, Amy Aislin’s Readers, to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram and Twitter, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.
Author Links
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Giveaway
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a signed paperback of Gingerbread Mistletoe
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