The Rainbow Snippets group on Facebook asks its members to share six sentence snippets from their work each weekend. Check out the group's Facebook page to read all the snippets and add lots of great books to your TBR. You'll find all sorts of books with the common thread that the main character identifies as LGBTQ.
For December, I'm sharing snippets from The Merchant's Love. I haven't written a holiday romance (yet), but this one is as close I have. It's a cozy story of a bookish royal and a sweet merchant who become friends and fall in love over books and baked goods as fall turns to winter and the winter holiday arrives in Tournai. There's a bit of magic gone wrong too, but it's honestly a warm hug in book form. I'm jumping in midway through the book for this snippet.
Faelen strolled into the city as dusk fell, coat fastened and gloves on against the cold. The streets were bustling even now, some people rushing in and out of the shops finishing their errands for the holiday. He’d purchased gifts already—little things, as that was what his family had agreed upon. Maxen’s gift had been difficult for him to choose, but he hoped Maxen would like it.
He bought a bag of roasted chestnuts from a cart on a corner and kept walking. The bag warmed his hand even through his glove, and the chestnuts were as delicious as he remembered. They didn’t grow in Teilo, but he used to eat them practically by the pound during the winter when he was a child. The treat warmed him inside and out, at least partly from the glow of pleasure and nostalgia.
When he approached the theater, Maxen was coming toward him from the other direction, and Faelen smiled. He kept walking until he and Maxen met, until only inches separated them, and looked up into Maxen’s twinkling eyes.
“Hello.”
“Hello.” A ripple of something—pleasure, amusement, happiness—ran through Maxen’s voice before he dipped down and stole a kiss.
He bought a bag of roasted chestnuts from a cart on a corner and kept walking. The bag warmed his hand even through his glove, and the chestnuts were as delicious as he remembered. They didn’t grow in Teilo, but he used to eat them practically by the pound during the winter when he was a child. The treat warmed him inside and out, at least partly from the glow of pleasure and nostalgia.
When he approached the theater, Maxen was coming toward him from the other direction, and Faelen smiled. He kept walking until he and Maxen met, until only inches separated them, and looked up into Maxen’s twinkling eyes.
“Hello.”
“Hello.” A ripple of something—pleasure, amusement, happiness—ran through Maxen’s voice before he dipped down and stole a kiss.
The Merchant's Love in book six in the Chronicles of Tournai, but it can be read as a standalone. You can find more about it here. Thanks for reading today!
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