I'll Be Home For Christmas

Crispus Birchmount takes his responsibility to guard the gateway to the elven kingdom of Ashdale very seriously. But while the post itself is an honor, Crispus hates the human world-especially during the humans' Christmas season when his elven ancestry is made into a mockery for the benefit of children! When he's assigned to protect a young human, not even an altercation with a mall Santa can stop Crispus from locating Michel LeVandre, a unique man who awakens desires within Crispus he thought were long dead. The new distraction proves disastrous when enemy forces conspire to take the gate, but now Crispus has a human he really cares about and a renewed lust for life, and he'll use the vanguard's gift to defend Michel, the gate, and maybe the world.

Jesse harbored a crush on his TV series costar, Kaye, for more than eight years, but when the show was canceled and he realized those years of playing gay hadn't convinced Kaye to leave the straight and narrow, Jesse turned his back on acting for good. Ten years later, Kaye is back in Jesse's life, on Christmas Eve-and the eve of his third divorce. Jesse's not sure his heart can take another beating, but Kaye has a few tricks up his sleeve-and a few truths from his own heart-that might just convince Jesse that the gifts of love and happiness are not just for Christmas.

Now that Curt Knutzen's family has found their footing with his sexuality, he's finally coming home for Christmas. He almost doesn't make it, though, placing his plans-and his life-in real danger until Oscar Nylund bails his car out of a snowdrift. Oscar is in the same straits Curt was three years ago, but with Curt's open heart-and his family's acceptance of him and Oscar-they may be able to rescue each other for longer than just the holidays.

One snowy, frustrating December evening, Greg prays for help finding a way to be both a good churchgoer and an out gay man. He doesn't expect the answer to be a snowball in the back… and immediately meeting Corey, a fellow grad student. With the man of his dreams falling for him hard, Greg still has trouble reconciling his faith with his needful body, not to mention understanding why someone wearing a red hat keeps appearing inexplicably. It will take some mysterious ways for Greg to accept the best Christmas gift of his life.

Thirteen years ago, Eli went on a summer trip with his mother and never came back. Now, existing in a new life as Jacob Somerville, he's again running from fear and memories, only to end up where he started. As Jacob struggles to reconnect with his father and brothers, he realizes that his lover, Craig Zhao, was the only thing filling his empty heart and standing between him and ghosts of the past. It will take the power of love-from his family, from Craig, and from himself-for Jacob to see that his life truly is filled with the promise of what can be.

It's only three days 'til Christmas. Jeremy Porter is still grieving over his mother's death, and Paul McClellan is a lonely divorcee just trying to make it home even though the only one waiting for him is his cat. It may seem like a miserable combination, but when Jeremy saves Paul from being hit by a car during a nasty snowstorm, their connection and chemistry are undeniable. It's easy to cuddle up with a stranger when you're snowed in but can a holiday affair turn into more if being together feels like home?

Since he's housesitting a gorgeous inn over the holidays, Garrett invites his single friends to help keep Christmas merry. Then the snow hits and his friends can't make it up as planned. Alone on Christmas Eve, Garrett makes a private Christmas wish for Ethan to see him as more than a best friend and a willing sub to spank. When the snow stops, will Garrett's hopeful wishes come true?

Corbin wants to make a good impression on his lover's family, so when Neil docks the Wanderer at the space station Noel Prime on the Christmas tree planet of Navidia, they set out together to find the perfect tree. On their quest, they relive the enchantment of their first times, and on their journey to Neil's childhood home, they realize that magic is sometimes in the surprises and that if their love is true, the Wanderer is always home.

Author Cole Stanton is hiding in the backwoods of rural North Carolina, nursing grief and an overwhelming sense of loneliness when Eric Sartori shows up on his doorstep. Eric-his editor and friend-is there to get Cole back home to the bustling metropolis of New York. But Eric will have to melt the ice around his prince's heart to keep Cole from spending his Christmas in silence and regret.

Gavin's always loved Christmas, but his boyfriend? Malcolm would rather be staked and beheaded, and since he's a vampire, that's saying something! Their quarrel threatens to make the holidays less than merry, but when they spend Christmas Eve apart, Malcolm starts thinking of reasons they should keep their Yule fire burning bright.

Javier Torres was a sweet, plump, and very unpopular child. But over the years, he turned himself into a gorgeous gym god. The problem is he's also become an egotistical snob. But one day his arrogance pisses off the wrong little old lady, and he wakes up to find that, like the Prince in Beauty and the Beast, he's been transformed into something from his personal nightmares. Javier has nowhere to go but back home, where to his surprise, he is greeted with open arms, not just by the family he remembers, but by his new brother-in-law, Cole. Cole suspects there might be a pretty heart to go with the pretty face locked inside that new body, but has Javier learned enough to earn Cole-instead of coal-for Christmas?

After grieving over the death of his partner for a long, lonely year, Matt is finally starting to feel the need to pursue love again. Andy, an A-List model just back from Milan, longs for someone special to spend his life with but for the time being, sets out to find the hot guy he tried to pick up the year before from the local Christmas tree lot. The magic of a snowy Christmas Eve may prove that Saint Nick's not the only one who can ring in the Yuletide-sometimes you just need a hottie from St. Barts.

While home for Christmas with Ted and Edna, his foster parents, college student Austin Greenfield is surprised to meet Seth Barton, the son Edna gave up for adoption at birth. With his adoptive parents now dead, Seth desperately wants to meet his birth mother-who doesn't want to know him. When Austin and Seth begin to fall in love, Austin finds himself torn: will he be forced to choose between his foster parents and his fledgling start at a life with Seth?

Ella is fifty-five, unhappy, and one drink shy of becoming a Christmas suicide statistic. On a joyless Christmas Eve, Ella takes a walk and looks into a window and sees the present no one would ever think to give her, a present that will change her outlook on life.