I usually loath tales based around holidays, but I’m trying to be a kinder, fluffier, all together more celebratory person for 2021, so I have put aside my cynicism and generalised rage and put together a few stories that feature Valentine’s Day for you! Thank you so much to the authors who joined in!
K. L. Noone: Frost and Raine ($3.99)
A Frost spirit who runs a coffee shop. A Cupid who works as a divorce lawyer. And magic in the air …
Raine’s never been a conventional Cupid. He likes his job as a lawyer, and he’s not planning to fall in love — and he wouldn’t trust it if someone fell in love with him. But the owner of his favorite coffee shop might challenge Raine’s resolutions about love.
Even though Don’s a Frost spirit, he finds comfort in giving people warmth, good coffee, and overall cheer. But one gorgeous sarcastic Cupid seems immune to Don’s cheerfulness — and he keeps coming back, day after day. Fortunately, Don’s always liked a challenge…
Holly Day: Be Still My Heart ($3.99)
Four years ago, Dimitri Petrov had his leg blown off by a landmine while in military service. Suffering from PTSD, he doesn’t do crowds, people, dates, or dinners. But when Elian Hubert enters the dating agency where Dimitri works in a whirlwind of pink shirts, flapping hands, and outrageous flirting, looking for a Valentine date, Dimitri thinks maybe he can do him a favor.
The Morning After by Jae (Free!)
After a friend sets her up on a blind date from hell, Amanda has enough of dating. A spur-of-the-moment decision to attend an Anti-Valentine’s Day party leads to an unexpected encounter. She wakes up to a hangover and a surprising complication… “The Morning After” started out as a Valentine’s Day short story. I later expanded it to a full novel titled “Departure from the Script” and made this short story available for free.
Valentine’s Love by Helena Stone (99c until 16th Feb!)
Ty isn’t looking for love, but what if it finds him anyway? Ever since his partner left him on St. Valentine’s Day, Ty O’Malley has done his best to avoid the love-themed holiday. When Ben Cronin enters Ty’s giftshop looking for presents to surprise a man he’s been admiring from afar, Ty can’t deny the attraction. But Ty has given up on love and Ben has obviously set his sights on somebody else. After February 14th, Ty will probably never see Ben again… Or will he?
Playing Chicken by A. L. Lester ($1.99)
Marc returns home from London to his isolated Welsh cottage for good, having found his ex boyfriend shagging someone else in their bed. Who’s the thin, freezing cold man with the bruised face he finds in his barn? Will the tenuous connection between them grow, or fade away?
A short story to mark the Welsh St Valentine’s Day, St Dwynwen’s day. With chickens.
There you go! Happy Valentine’s Day to you all, and may you all find the relationship of your dreams, within social-distancing parameters!