Handle With Care

Handle with Care #1

by Liz Winters

If he didn’t have bad luck with men Dean would have no luck at all, so he’s surprised when he finds himself inviting a handsome tree lot operator he'd just met over for a Christmas Eve dinner. He's even more surprised when Gabe accepts the invitation. Will this just be two men sharing a holiday meal or will Gabe be that special someone Dean thought he'd never find?

Handle with Care is an approximately 18,000 word m/m romance novelette.

WARNING: This work contains graphic depictions of sexual situations between consenting adult men and is not intended for readers under the age of 18 in the USA or the legal age for mature subject matter in other jurisdictions.

Genres: M M Romance, Holiday, Romance, Short Stories, Contemporary, Christmas, LGBT

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 18, 2012

About the author

Liz Winters spends her days in a corporate cubicle and much of the rest of the time writing m/m fiction. She's also a movie junkie, loves to read, and adores traveling with her husband. She likes her characters slightly flawed and believes in writing the right ending to every story, which isn't necessarily a happy ending.

Reviews

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.65*
See how open minded and flexible I am? I am reading a Christmas story in June, and it has nothing to do with the weather being more winterish than summerish here and me being very unorganized and slightly forgetful. Nope. Nothing at all.

Dean is a nice guy with really low self-esteem, he had some bad relationship experiences and his family loves him but wishes (vocally) that he weren't gay.
Gabe is a hunky yummy and also a very nice guy.
They meet and hit it off quickly. It's a bit too short to really get much of a feel for them, especially Gabe and the ending is more a hopeful HFN, but it's a cute snack of a read.

[Melanie~~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, sweet short Christmas story. I really felt for Dean and liked Gabe's perseverance. This offers a pretty fair amount if teasing for a story that takes place over about 20 hours.

[Anu Vaarama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, nice and cute story about two adult men who find each other. Also it’s a beautiful Christmas story of love and hope. Lovely!

[Jax · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was not quite good enough. Needed more finesse to sell this setup, it felt odd for them to share some of these personal things immediately, and there were clunky info dumps. Just show me what's happening *right now* in a story this short. DNF @20%

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I´ve been following Mrs. Winters writing for a long time now, and with Handle With Care she proves again that she is a great writer.
In a short story she builds the MCs background, being interesting as opposed to boring recollection of events.
The connection, the flawless characters and the way two strangers can come together in one night, it didn´t feel rushed, is not instant love, but there is something definitely there.
I look forward to more from this author.

[Natalija · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a very pleasant surprise this book turned out to be! The characters were interesting and likeable, although Dean's constant self-deprecation, while understandable, grated on my nerves at times. Other than that, Handle With Care is a wonderful story to curl up with on a cold winter day.

[Shelby P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice holiday story. I enjoyed Dean and Gabe together. I like that they did not sleep together the first night. Nice to see some restraint.

[Leaundra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and sweet book. I would love to read more about them;-)

[Tailtiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5*

[Suze · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice warm christmas read. A 3.5 for me - Dean's low self esteem did get a bit too much for me - but an enjoyable short read, especially if its snowing outside!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad for a short story

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[cmbookdiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Dean and Gabe.I read Handle With Care and it's sequal in one sitting,they are now on my mental to be read again shelf.Well done Liz.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just nice normal guys in the right place at the right time. Very sweet without being overly so, perfect for getting caught up in the holiday spirit.

[F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and sweet Xmas story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a cute xmas story.

[Heidi Dover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, light, short read. Liked the characters, some suspension with how quick they go home and fall in with each other, but minor and easily overlooked

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute Christmas story.