Jackie North

Kind Hearts At Christmas: An M/M Romance Charity Anthology: New Release Review

December 7, 2022 by Denise

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Kind Hearts At Christmas is an mm romance anthology in support of HIV / AIDS charities.

It’s Christmas…it’s snowing, there are gifts to give and receive, trees to decorate and all the great food to enjoy. It’s a time to spread kindness where men are falling in love, lust and everything in between.

From a school reunion, a morning after a one-night stand, university friends, a secret agent, an ex-husband in a coma, an unemployed truck driver, a naked man in a snowstorm, a village policeman, a motherless boy, Kind Hearts At Christmas has something for everyone. Each story features romance between men during the Christmas holidays, as they express their desires, from sweet kisses, up to spicy so-much-more.

Kind Hearts At Christmas has all the tropes including: snowed in, cowboys, holiday, forced proximity, fairy-tale folklore, established couple, adult film star, only one bed, return to hometown, hurt/comfort, school crushes, opposites attract, good boy/bad boy, found family & enemies to lovers.

Grab some hot chocolate sprinkled with marshmallows, indulge in a mince pie or a slice of Christmas cake, curl up and escape into the Christmassy romance. With thirteen stories by some of your favourite mm romance authors, you’re sure to find something to help you rediscover the joy and kindness of Christmas!

Stories are between 7,000 words (22 pages) to 27,000 words (86 pages) the anthology features stories by:

Sue Brown
Joanna Chambers
Barbara Elsborg
Suki Fleet
Amber Kell
Liam Livings
Clare London
Susan Mac Nicol
Louisa Mae
Jackie North
Jack L. Pyke
Ali Ryecart
K C Wells

AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. Half the profits from the sale of this anthology will support AIDS United’s work to ensure access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the United States.

This charity anthology is in support of Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), with 50% of profits from its sale going to THT. THT is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity. We support people living with HIV and amplify their voices, and help the people using our services to achieve good sexual health. Our mission is to end new HIV transmissions in the UK by 2030, and to bring an end to stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV. By purchasing this anthology, you are supporting us, alongside AIDS United, as we work towards our vision of a world where people living with HIV lead healthy lives free from prejudice, and good sexual health is a right and reality for all.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited – All Regions

My intention in reading and reviewing this was to do 2 of the novellas, maybe 3. I mean, there are so many great holiday novellas out there this year, it’s hard to read them all. Instead I ended up reading 8 of them…so far. I absolutely loved this anthology. So, I will give an overall review, versus for one or two different novellas.

First of all, I loved the theme behind this. All the novellas involved helping someone in need, in some way. From KC Wells story about a man learning to deal with a loss he never expected to Ali Ryecart’s choice of helping those who society (and one of our MC’s) have forgotten, or never acknowledged to begin with. To Susan Mac Nicol’s story of helping a group of homeless musicians with some comfort at the holidays, or even finding their way home. The humor that was displayed in Clare London’s novella…I laughed hard at the MC’s inner monologue. Or the one that absolutely captured my heart…with some tears thrown in there…Amber Kell’s, Kissing the Winter Wizard. These all had to do with helping people who just needed a hand, or an ear, or a little bit of healing of their heart. These stories really captured the reader’s emotions with the Kind Hearts that were displayed on every level.

The other theme that I loved was taking the idea of the Kind Hearts, and then using it to help REAL people living with AIDS and HIV. Giving back to those charities to help people who just need that hand, ear, or heart. I received an arc to review this anthology, but I still purchased the entire anthology. I hope you will too. Such a worthwhile cause.

Overall, these stories just touched my heart, and kept me reading long after I told myself I would stop, and definitely after my bedtime. 🙂 I really hope to see a second version of this anthology come around again. I would definitely review it, but more importantly, I would purchase it to support such a worthy cause. Thank you to the authors for the fun, emotions, and generosity.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Honey from the Lion by Jackie North: New Release Review

October 13, 2018 by Denise

Soulmates across time. A love that was meant to be.

In present day, Laurie, tired of corporate life, takes a much-needed vacation at Farthingdale Dude Ranch.

The very first night a freak blizzard combined with a powerful meteor shower takes Laurie back to the year 1891. When he wakes up in a snowbank, his only refuge is an isolated cabin inhabited by the gruff, grouchy John Henton, who only wants to be left alone. His sense of duty prevails, however, and he takes Laurie under his care, teaching him how to survive on the wild frontier.

As winter approaches, Laurie’s normal fun-loving manner make it difficult for him to connect with John, but in spite of John’s old-fashioned ways, the chemistry between them grows.

Sparks fly as the blizzard rages outside the cabin. Can two men from different worlds and different times find happiness together?

A male/male time travel romance, complete with hurt/comfort, true confessions, a shared bed, fireplace kisses, the angst of separation, and true love across time.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Honey from the Lion is a time travel that follows modern day Laurie, a guy who needs a break from his fast paced life that has him burned out. Laurie falls back in time to 1891 and meets rugged mountain loner John. Being a modern guy, Laurie has no idea how to fend for himself in the Colorado mountains and at first John is grumpy with this unexpected nuisance who’s shown up at his cabin’s door. But Laurie coaxes John into teaching him what he needs to live in the wilderness and the two soon fall for each other. Being snowed in is wonderful, but 19th century Colorado isn’t going to be kind to two men who are in love. Will the two be able to make a life this way? Or can Laurie get back to his own time? Will he even want to get back to his own time now that’s he’s found love?

This is a sweet story. I liked how Laurie knew how to navigate John’s grumpy self to uncover an excellent frontiersman willing to share his knowledge. It hurts me how John suffers from PTSD from his time during the Indian wars and that he has had to fight his attraction to men all his life. I love that they find peace, love and comfort with each other. I found the writing style a little bland; where that, and then this, and then that happened. But it seems this will be a series, and I might give the rest a try. The author has left a few areas that could be explored and I want to see how our heroes fare in the future.

3 pieces of eye candy

Shoulder Season by Jackie North: Exclusive Guest Post and Excerpt, Release Day Review

August 10, 2018 by Denise

Two young men from two different countries find a common language as they recover from broken hearts and broken bones. Can they rebuild their lives together?

Ben’s boyfriend has not only dumped him, he’s also cancelled their mutual travel plans. Since Ben has the time off and the money saved up, he decides to travel anyway, and based on a last-minute, very inexpensive red-eye airline fare, ends up in Reykjavik, Iceland.

He’s ill-prepared for the weather and knows nothing about the country, so he considers flying home the next day. Except his new neighbor, Solvin, a local Icelander who is currently on leave from work due to a car accident, shows up with a cane and shoulder sling and literally falls into Ben’s apartment. It’s the beginning of an adventure that might show Ben how good life can be… and that coming home sometimes means traveling halfway around the world.

World of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the globe.

Title: Shoulder Season
Author: Jackie North
Release Date: August 10, 2018
Category: Contemporary, World of Love
Pages: 84

Amazon

Dreamspinner Press

Hello and thank you Two Chicks Obsessed for letting me guest post on your blog today! I’m here to promote my soon-to-be released book from Dreamspinner, which is Shoulder Season. But also, I’m here to talk about Iceland, where the book takes place.

Iceland to me has always seemed a faraway, rather exotic place that I would never be able to travel to. The location always seemed too remote, too obscure, too cold, and thus impossible. I’d always heard that Greenland was named Greenland to entice visitors and settlers and that Iceland was named Iceland to keep people from going there. Whether or not that’s true, it certainly worked on me! Iceland was foreboding, far away, and very, very cold.

As I grew older, of course, my opinion changed. I began to see the appeal of any Nordic country, be it Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Greenland, and, yes, last but not least, Iceland. Travel videos and blog posts, as well as the images, the stories about equality among the citizens, the low crime rate, the clean, healthy lifestyle, made me realize that yes, I’d like to go to a Nordic country. But which one? Well, because Iceland was an island, not to mention all those geologic wonders contained in this little country, it won my heart.

If I were to travel there, I’d like to go by boat around the island, stopping off to see all the sites and scenery. I want to bask in the waters of the Blue Lagoon, I want to see the geysers, view the northern lights, and pet sweet-faced Icelandic ponies. I want to eat fermented shark and homemade skyr, the famous Icelandic yogurt. I want to visit all the waterfalls and stand behind as many as will let me, especially Seljalandsfoss, which to me is the prettiest. I want to dance at the edge of the famous (and dangerous) sneaker waves at Black Beach. I want to do everything!

Top of my list is to visit a sculpture called the Sun Voyager. In Icelandic, it’s called Solfar. The sculpture is in the shape of a ship built of bones, and sits at the south end of XYZ bay. It faces the water, and the blue air sweeps over the edges of the sculpture. What I’d love to do is stand there with the Icelandic wind in my hair while the setting sunlight gleams on the metal and, as the sculpture is intended to do, be carried off on thoughts of hope and anticipation as to what the future will bring.

I thought I would share a little excerpt from Shoulder Season:

“What’s the sculpture called again?” asked Ben as he opened the door for Solvin. Solvin gave him a smile as he clambered in. When Ben was settled beside him, Solvin asked a question in Icelandic, and the taxi driver answered, and off they went, down the placid streets of Reykjavik.

“It’s called the Sun Voyager, the boat of dreams,” said Solvin, and he looked at Ben as he said it. “It represents hope and new beginnings.”

New beginnings seemed to be what Iceland had become for Ben, a country where he could start as he meant to go on and where every conversation didn’t end in an argument, and cups of coffee could be drunk in a casual way, with no need to rush off afterward. He settled back in his seat, and when his hand touched Solvin’s thigh, he left it in place and brushed the backs of his fingers along the material of Solvin’s jeans. Not only did Solvin not move away or push Ben’s hand off, he dipped his head and smiled at Ben as though they shared a secret the taxi driver didn’t need to know about.

All the way through town, Ben left his hand there, looked at the blush on Solvin’s cheeks, and thought about new beginnings.

This is a new to me author and I was drawn to it because I am, quite honestly, fascinated with Iceland. Like top of my bucket list fascinated. And this story gave me a nice look into the country.

Ben heads off to Iceland on a spur of the moment trip after being unceremoniously dumped by his boyfriend and their joint vacation cancelled. He got a cheap flight and what seems like an Air BnB apartment to rent but no other plans. Until he meets his neighbor Solvin who is off of work for 6 weeks while recovering from a car accident.

A friendship and very sweet little romance blossoms. They didn’t jump right into bed together. There was no frantic kissing and groping up against a wall. Instead, Solvin takes Ben out sight seeing around Iceland. Everyday they get closer. They were both shy and timid and adorable together.

There was a bit of repetition in the book as far as Ben dwelling on his very recent ex boyfriend and I honestly skimmed over a bit of that as I didn’t think it was necessary to move the story forward.

There is a HEA which is fairly implausible, but hey- why not. We read romances for the HEA’s, not the plausibility.

3.5 pieces of eye candy

Jackie North has been writing stories since grade school and spent years absorbing the mainstream romances that she found at her local grocery store. Her dream was to someday leave her corporate day job behind and travel the world. She also wanted to put her English degree to good use and write romance novels, because for years she’s had a never-ending movie of made-up love stories in her head that simply wouldn’t leave her alone.

As fate would have it, she discovered m/m romance and decided that men falling in love with other men was exactly what she wanted to write books about. In this dazzling new world, she turned her grocery-store romance ideas around and is now putting them to paper as fast as her fingers can type. She creates characters who are a bit flawed and broken, who find themselves on the edge of society, and maybe a few who are a little bit lost, but who all deserve a happily ever after. (And she makes sure they get it!)

She likes long walks on the beach, the smell of lavender and rainstorms, and enjoys sleeping in on snowy mornings. She is especially fond of pizza and beer and, when time allows, long road trips with soda fountain drinks and rock and roll music. In her heart, there is peace to be found everywhere, but since in the real world this isn’t always true, Jackie writes for love.

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