melita66 | December 2020 books part 3: Northcote, Easton

First Class Package, Jay Northcote
Jim, a WFH science writer, finds the temporary postman, Patrick, super attractive. Will they ever manage to get together? 3 stars

Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place 1), Jay Northcote

Seb moves to a small seaside town in Cornwall so he can open a cafe/bar. He hires Jason to help renovate the space. When word gets out that the place will be LGBT-friendly, it gets trashed. A bunch of people turn out to help clean up including the local rugby team (we'll see a bunch of their members in later books). Seb's out-and-proud. Jason's deep, deep in the closet with an ex-wife and daughter. Is a chance at love with Seb enough to bring Jason into the light? 4 stars

Safe Place (Rainbow Place 2), Jay Northcote

Alec is firmly in the closet but hopes to escape it when he goes away to university. Unfortunately, he fails a required exam and is now stuck. When caught by his father in a compromising position, he's kicked out and fired from his job. He ends up staying with Cam but Cam's not willing to act on their mutual attraction. 4 stars

Better Place (Rainbow Place 3), Jay Northcote

Joe is taking a break to concentrate on his writing. His partner, Harry, is not keen on it. Dylan finds Joe enticing and is worried when he overhears some of Joe and Harry's interactions. 4 stars

Mud & Lace (Rainbow Place 4), Jay Northcote

Wicksy has only been attracted to women before, but finds Lady Gogo, a new drag queen to be amazingly attractive. Charlie loves being in drag, and even dressing feminine to make himself and Wicksy happy. 4 stars

Happy Place (Rainbow Place 5), Jay Northcote

Quentin has been burned by noncommittal men but finds a kindred spirit in George who's just now dealing with an attraction to a man. George was strictly brought up to believe that gays are evil. Can he overcome it? 5 stars

Imperfect Harmony, Jay Northcote

John stopped being a musician when his partner died two years ago. When he ends up helping his neighbor after her operation, she entices him to join the local community choir since he's driving her there anyway. 4 stars

Cold Feet, Jay Northcote

Ryan and Sam are old friends. They head to a remote Welsh cottage for a meet up with 2 other friends. They make it but their friends don't, and are snowed in for a few days. 4 stars

The Trouble with Tony, Eli Easton

After a gunshot, Tony left the police force and became a P.I. He's taken on a case where a young woman committed suicide, but her parents don't believe it. Her husband has an alibi. As Tony investigates, he finds that the young woman was seeing a therapist as a sex clinic. Could the therapist be involved? 4 stars

The Mating of Michael, Eli Easton

Michael is a nurse and part-time sex surrogate. The latter has caused several relationships to go south. He gets a chance to meet J.C. Guise AKA James Gallway, his favorite SF writer. James caught polio while traveling in India with his mother. He also believes no one would ever want to be with him. 5 stars

Puzzle Me This, Eli Easton

Luke designs video games from home and walks his dog up into the nearby woods everyday. He suddenly realizes that the daily crosswords hold secret messages for him which means someone is watching...Alex is a crossword and logic puzzle creator, also working from home and wheelchair-bound. Can Luke make Alex realize that they may be able to make a happy life with each other? 5 stars

The Enlightment of Daniel, Eli Easton

Daniel has always been driven, just like his father. When his father gets a terminal diagnosis, he tells Daniel to stop working so hard and figure out what will really make him happy. Daniel realizes that he's lusting after his business partner and best friend, Nick. Nick is unhappily married with 2 kids. Is there a HEA for everyone? 5 stars

The Redemption of River, Eli Easton

River has always traveled and studied eastern philosophies. A licensed massage therapist including tantric massage, he's housesitting for 6 months or so in Seattle. He meets Brent, who owns several coffee shops, through his work. They get on like a house afire including River giving Brent an idea for a new style of shop. Is Brent enough of an attraction to keep River from floating on to the next interesting place? 4 stars

Secret Santa, Jay Northcote

Theo is gay but hooked up with his female BFF and ended up with part-time custody of a super cute kid. He decides to join an online dating app and finds Luke who's tired of hook-ups. Theo decides to keep his dad status a secret until he's more sure that this might be going somewhere and Luke's made some disparaging comments about kids too. Then Theo takes his son to see Santa at the mall, not realizing that it's Luke. Will their secrets drive them apart? 4 stars

What Happens at Christmas, Jay Northcote

Justin and Sean have been friends since college. The timing has never seemed right for Sean to make a play for Justin until now, when Justin is smarting from a breakup. They decide to pretend to be dating at Justin's work's holiday party... 4 stars

A Family for Christmas, Jay Northcote

Rudy comes from a close-knit family while Zac grew up in-and-out of the foster care system. While drunk at an office party, Rudy invites Zac to join him and his family for Christmas... 4 stars