The Christmas Mansion: sweet gay romance

By Hollis Shiloh

In a world of gas lighting and horse-drawn carriages, Rex is fixing up an old mansion to host a Christmas party for his wealthy family's business.  He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings.  He doesn't expect to fall in love.

Note: This story first appeared in Christmas Delights, a collection of Male/Male gay romance stories set in and around the Christmas season, supported by RJ Scott and Love Lane Books Limited.

Length: 9,615 words

Heat level: sweet

• Language: English
• Publisher: Spare Words Press
• Release date: Jan 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781497715363

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The Christmas Mansion (sweet gay romance)

The Christmas Mansion | Hollis Shiloh

The Christmas Mansion copyright December 2013 by Hollis Shiloh.  All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without written permission from the author. All characters and events are fictitious, and any similarity to real people or events is coincidental. Cover image Content is being used for illustrative purposes only. 

Note: This story first appeared in Christmas Delights, a collection of Male/Male gay romance stories set in and around the Christmas season, supported by RJ Scott and Love Lane Books Limited. 

Story edited for the anthology by Carol Kerry Green & proofed for the anthology by David Cutting

With special thanks to RJ, Carol, and David for making this such a great experience!

About the story:

In a world of gas lighting and horse-drawn carriages, Rex is fixing up an old mansion to host a Christmas party for his wealthy family's business.  He meets a gentle, insecure magician named Gene, who's come to work on the crumbling mansion's moldings.  He doesn't expect to fall in love.

The Christmas Mansion

Hollis Shiloh

Rex pulled the door open in answer to the gentle knock.  On the street, a horse and cart rumbled by over the cobblestones.  On the steps of the saggy mansion stood an unassuming man, rather short, with neatly combed, straight hair the color of straw.  He had large eyes that were neither blue nor gray but a bit of each, and he wore faded jeans and a flannel shirt that was much too big for him with frayed cuffs.

I'm here for the repairs? he said, raising his brows.  He had a tentative look about him, and not in the least a workman's build. His shoes showed scuff marks, though.

You are?  Rex surveyed him skeptically.  This short man didn't look like he could shift a sofa without help, much less help repair a mansion that was practically falling down around one's ears.

Yes, from Mason and Sons?  He fished out a card and presented it.  A hint of red was creeping up his face, and he shuffled a bit in place. 

You're—

I'm a magician, he said, almost apologetically.  You wanted a bit of extra care taken with the moldings, and I'm here for that.  My brother and father will be by to help with the more heavy duty things after a bit.

But I need the building secure before I worry about the design of it. He sighed.  All right, you may as well come in.  He held the door open reluctantly.

They're busy with another job.  Thank you.  The nearly-blond, not-quite-blue eyed man stepped over the threshold gingerly.  He even walked delicately.  Rex decided not to read anything into it. 

Rex had always been attracted to a slightly-built type of man, even though he had more than one friend who'd made it clear they thought he shouldn't want anyone but beefy types.  "If you want to date someone delicate and pretty, just date

Reviews for The Christmas Mansion

[ellelainey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was okay. There were some really cute parts, as it's more of a sweet romance than hot, but there were still problems, for me.

Despite my Kindle deleting all my notes, I can still remember the problems from last night's reading - namely that the story hints at being "historical" all the way through, even in the blurb, yet the only thing even remotely historical about it is the fact that they use gas lights and horse drawn carriages. And the mention of a magician is such a small factor in the plot that it could have been missed out entirely and the story wouldn't have been affected. To me, it read as a contemporary story - everyone was wearing jeans, talking in modern speech, and men were dancing with and kissing other men out in the open, flirting with perfect strangers, without the slightest hint of being caught or it not being the "norm", as it would in a historical. For me, I might have believed it more without the magical aspect and the historical attempts, because they just didn't fit the story.

I liked the characters. They were decent, if not as explored as I would normally like. For the length of the story, it was adequate. I had a problem with the insta-love issue, but other than that, it was a decent read and I'd read more by the author in the future.

[Crabbypatty · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A sweet magic-related M/M short novella centering around a big Christmas party and a mansion that is extensively repaired for the party. No sex, but a couple gentle kisses, and the promise of a sweet happy-ever-after. A nice "palate cleanser" of a story!