Get Frosted
Author and Publisher: Amy Aislin
Cover Artist: Morningstar Ashley
Release Date: November 21, 2023
Genre: Contemporary m/m romance
Tropes: brother’s best friend, Christmas, rivals to lovers
Themes: A story about home and finding the place where you belong.
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 58 000 words
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links - Available in Kindle Unlimited
Universal Link | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Blurb
For years, Mik has wanted nothing more than to put coal in Rudy Snow's stocking.
As former pro hockey players, they’ve been rivals for years. It started in Mik’s rookie season, when a reporter pitted him against his older brother's best friend. Rudy pushes Mik’s buttons like no one else, going out of his way to one-up him at every turn.
Now they manage pubs in a small town that takes Christmas to a level best seen in Hallmark movies, but not much else has changed. They’re still rivals, this time pitting gingerbread martinis against pomegranate sangria.
But when they’re forced to work together to plan a special holiday party, sparks ignite. Maybe it's a bad idea to put coal in Rudy's stocking after all. They both might just catch fire.
Then again, what better way is there to stay warm on a cold winter's night?
Christmas Falls is a multi-author M/M romance series set in a small town that thrives on enough holiday charm to rival any Hallmark movie.
Excerpt
“You certainly know how to make a splash,” said a dry voice at his elbow, shaking him out of his irritation.
And setting into motion a new kind of annoyance that fizzled in Mik’s blood. “No one asked you,” he said to his brother’s best friend.
Rudy Snow raised one dark eyebrow, because of course he could do that. When Mik tried, he ended up with both eyebrows at his hairline.
“It’s certainly . . .” Rudy cast his gaze around, taking everything in. “Unique.”
“It’s majestic.”
“It looks like the Island of Misfit Toys. All you’re missing is a Charlie-in-the-Box.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Mik clenched his teeth. “You’re not allowed to judge. You don’t even have a wreath on your front door.”
Rudy made a sound in the back of his throat, a rumbly laugh that made the back of Mik’s neck itch. “Do you often happen to find yourself outside my house, Miki?”
Mik’s stupid feelings went all gooey at the nickname. Or maybe that was just hunger. “It’s on my way to work.”
“Sure. If you take the long way.”
God. Why did he have to be so annoying?
And hot.
And annoyingly hot. All dark-haired and dark-eyed and scruffy-jawed, with a natural tan to his skin that perpetually made him look like he’d just come from the beach. He stood a couple of inches taller than Mik’s five feet eleven. At a year older than Mik’s thirty-one, Rudy was as fit now as he’d been when he’d played in the NHL, even two and a half years post-retirement.
Mik had considered himself lucky to be drafted to his brother’s team’s rival. With Mik playing for Washington and Josh playing for Pittsburgh, it had given Mik the chance to step out of his brother’s shadow and assert himself as his own person. And playing up the rivalry between their teams had been all sorts of fun at family get-togethers.
The problem Mik hadn’t anticipated had been twofold.
First, because Josh’s rookie year had been the gold f*cking star of rookie years, Mik had been instantly compared to him when he’d been drafted a year later, forevermore casting him in the role of Josh Gilmore’s little brother.
Second, there was Pittsburgh defenseman Rudy Snow. And Pittsburgh defenseman Rudy Snow wasn’t shy about checking his teammate’s little brother into the boards during Mik’s first Washington versus Pittsburgh game.
“It’s no secret in the league that your brother and his teammate Rudy Snow are good friends,” a reporter had said to Mik during the post-game interview after that game. “What do you have to say to your brother’s best friend after that check in the second period?”
Um, nothing?
He’d barely known Rudy. Plus, checking was what hockey players did.
While both those things were true, that hadn’t been what the reporter wanted to hear. So Mik had smirked and said, “That he better watch out. He won’t get the jump on me again. In fact, next time, I’m going to swipe the puck out from under him and score. Just wait and see.”
Mik had later learned that Rudy had responded to that with a pithy, “He can try.”
And that was it. Instant rivalry.
Carra's Review
Okay, this was what I would consider a fun, sweet with a bit of snark, low-angst holiday romance. It’s also got a touch of hockey in there as well, plus the rivals-to-lovers aspect to keep things interesting. Though I’d probably classify their rivalry as more friendly and teasing ;-)
Mik and Rudy were excellent characters, I really liked them both and would never be able to pick a favorite between them. They’re the perfect duo to develop from a long-time sorta friendship into more, and they go together so well. The rivalry between them when they were playing hockey spills over a little into their holiday decorating, which makes for some fun exchanges as Mik’s competitive streak rears its head, Particularly when you add his Bigfoot obsession to that.
Most of the story is relatively lighthearted, though Rudy does have some things to work out for himself. When he was younger he lived a pretty nomadic life with his parents, so he does need to reconcile this with what he wants for his life.
Get Frosted was a great story, and I’m giving it 4.5 stars. It’s one of those holiday stories that will make you smile, and I’d even say it’s a feel-good holiday romance.
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 to stay up-to-date on upcoming releases and for access to early teasers, find her on Instagram, or sign up for her infrequent newsletter.
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