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The Empress of All Seasons by Emiko Jean

Each generation, a competition is held to find the next empress of Honoku. The rules are simple. Survive the palace's enchanted seasonal rooms. Conquer Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. Marry the prince. All are eligible to compete--all except yokai, supernatural monsters and spirits whom the human emperor is determined to enslave and destroy. Mari has spent a lifetime training to become empress. Winning should be easy. And it would be, if she weren't hiding a dangerous secret. Mari is a yokai with the ability to transform into a terrifying monster. If discovered, her life will be forfeit. As she struggles to keep her true identity hidden, Mari's fate collides with that of Taro, the prince who has no desire to inherit the imperial throne, and Akira, a half-human, half-yokai outcast. Torn between duty and love, loyalty and betrayal, vengeance and forgiveness, the choices of Mari, Taro, and Akira will decide the fate of Honoku in this beautifully written, edge-of-your-seat YA...
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A Man For Mrs. Claus by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Running the North Pole and making good on the promise of comfort and joy for a few billion people is no simple two-step around the Christmas tree. Mr. and Mrs. Claus have always worked in tandem to do just that. So when her third husband realizes it's time to peace out and move on to more Heavenly pastures, the angels and all the elves know what time it is. They need to find Tiffany Saint-Nicholas a new man.

With the holiday calendar slowing down for no one, her team has three days to find her a new Santa. Someone kind, loving and willing to take on the spirit of the season, and with the potential to be Tiffany's first true love match. Tiffany thinks that idea is cute and all, and so are the men they line up for her. But she knows delivering on their Christmas obligations is what really matters, not the chemistry she might have with the candidates in question. Too bad one prospective Santa will stop at nothing to show her and the rest of the North Pole population that no amount of silver or gold is more important than winning Tiffany's heart.

PUBLISHER: Self-Published
YEAR: 2024
LENGTH: 270 pages
AGE: Adult
GENRE: Romance
RECOMMENDED: Yes

Queer Rep Summary: No canon queer rep.

A MAN FOR MRS. CLAUS is a sweet and sexy story built on the basic idea that the magical portions of reality are shaped by belief. Humans believe in Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Krampus, etc., therefore these entities exist, and their roles need to be filled. The trick is that many (perhaps all) of these now-immortal entities started out as ordinary humans before their deaths. The roles of Santa and Mrs. Claus are filled by souls who accepted those positions instead of immediately passing on to whatever's next. The previous Mr. Claus decided to pass on, and now a new Santa must be found. There are several candidates, collected from souls who have died in the last few years and now Mrs. Claus must get them and choose who she wants by her side.

Tiffany is the current Mrs. Claus, and her third husband has decided to move on. The elves want Tiffany's next husband to be a love match rather than a work partnership with benefits, and they present several candidates to win her heart and help her run the North Pole. 

I specifically enjoyed the set up for how Tiffany would get to know the candidates, with group dates and individual dates in a manner that seemed reminiscent of a dating show, but also that elves and other helpers around her were quick to adapt the plans to fit her actual needs and desires. 

I love the worldbuilding, if it seamlessly with the characters, and has a recognizable form of afterworld/fantasy logic: just enough to give the shape of the world and make it feel like this whole thing has some kind of rules but still giving the characters the flexibility to adapt when they need to. The general shape is based on belief, but the details are left up to the people in the actual roles, the whole thing comes together really nicely.

If you like this you may like:

  • The Fall That Saved Us by Tamara Jerée
  • Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake by Alexis Hall

Moderate CW for cursing, sexual content, sexual harassment, fire, death.

Minor CW for ableist language, bullying, homophobia, pregnancy, slavery.

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Indie Story Geek

A very sexy Black couple, the man is a hunky firefighter in black pants and a red shirt, with gleaming muscles, holding up the woman who has leapt into his arms. The woman is dressed in red and white and has her legs wrapped around the man's waist, showing off her gleaming thighs. She's leaning back in ecstasy as he kisses her neck. She's holding a sprig of mistletoe over them, but clearly their amorousness didn't need the plant's help.


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