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Xmas Cake: A Modern Fairy Tale
A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology
XMAS CAKE: A MODERN FAIRY TALE
by RAINE O’TIERNEY
Once upon a snowy Christmas season, in the glowing metropolis of Midday...
If this were a fairy tale Kyle would be the handsome prince and Riley would be the poor baker in distress. Oh wait, but that's exactly what it is!
When Kyle Prince sees Riley collapse in the snow-covered parking lot, he swoops in to the rescue, whisking the feverish young man off to his high-rise apartment without a second thought.
As Riley mends under Kyle's care, a feeling of closeness grows between the two men. But every fairy tale has its complications. Will the two find their happily ever after this Christmas?
* * * * *
ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN
Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.
Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Eid, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.
Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.
XMAS CAKE: A MODERN FAIRY TALE
by RAINE O’TIERNEY
Once upon a snowy Christmas season, in the glowing metropolis of Midday...
If this were a fairy tale Kyle would be the handsome prince and Riley would be the poor baker in distress. Oh wait, but that's exactly what it is!
When Kyle Prince sees Riley collapse in the snow-covered parking lot, he swoops in to the rescue, whisking the feverish young man off to his high-rise apartment without a second thought.
As Riley mends under Kyle's care, a feeling of closeness grows between the two men. But every fairy tale has its complications. Will the two find their happily ever after this Christmas?
* * * * *
ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN
Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.
Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Eid, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.
Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.
18 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2014
65 people want to read
About the author
Raine O'Tierney
24 books173 followersRaine O'Tierney wants to change the world...one sweet story at a time. When she's not writing, Raine is either playing video games or fighting the good fight for intellectual freedom at her library day job. She believes the best thing we can do in life is be kind to one another, and she enjoys encouraging fellow writers.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 20, 2015
If I had to describe this story, I would say it's the love child of The Ghost of Christmas Present and the spirit of charity.
Kyle Prince has always been kind and charitable to his brother, but it takes meeting a man he's been crushing on from afar and the stark realization that the man is living out of his car, for Kyle to fully understand how fortunate he is. He's in a position to help others, and meeting Riley spurs him into action.
Riley's pride had been his downfall. Crushed under the weight of his financial debt he's not even treading water. He feels like he had to shoulder his burden alone, and as a result, has only his car as shelter. He's sick and running a fever, face down in the snow, when Kyle, like an angel, rescues him and takes him back to his apartment to recover. It's here that Kyle realises that the price of his couch could pay off Riley's debt and ease his life.
Of course, there's a budding relationship in this story too. I enjoyed their direct approach to it all: "so you're my boyfriend now" had me smiling. It's a nice holiday read that ended too soon for me. I would have preferred a HFN over HEA, but this was sweet and real. It's about accepting help and knowing when to ask for it, and the generosity you have within yourself when you think outside your own life.
My thanks to the author for their time and effort for such a worthy cause.
Kyle Prince has always been kind and charitable to his brother, but it takes meeting a man he's been crushing on from afar and the stark realization that the man is living out of his car, for Kyle to fully understand how fortunate he is. He's in a position to help others, and meeting Riley spurs him into action.
Riley's pride had been his downfall. Crushed under the weight of his financial debt he's not even treading water. He feels like he had to shoulder his burden alone, and as a result, has only his car as shelter. He's sick and running a fever, face down in the snow, when Kyle, like an angel, rescues him and takes him back to his apartment to recover. It's here that Kyle realises that the price of his couch could pay off Riley's debt and ease his life.
Of course, there's a budding relationship in this story too. I enjoyed their direct approach to it all: "so you're my boyfriend now" had me smiling. It's a nice holiday read that ended too soon for me. I would have preferred a HFN over HEA, but this was sweet and real. It's about accepting help and knowing when to ask for it, and the generosity you have within yourself when you think outside your own life.
My thanks to the author for their time and effort for such a worthy cause.
January 24, 2015
I ate up this sweet little confection. I really liked the narrative style. The author tried something different, and it worked. It left with me the warm fuzzies, as any good holiday story should do.
December 12, 2015
This must be the sweetest story ever; I just loved it!
'He didn't go home with strange men, even if they were warm and handsome and possibly angelic.'
It has been mentioned in another review, but for me too that phrase kind of sums up the writing in this story. It's just full of Raine's habitual sweetness! :-)
'He didn't go home with strange men, even if they were warm and handsome and possibly angelic.'
It has been mentioned in another review, but for me too that phrase kind of sums up the writing in this story. It's just full of Raine's habitual sweetness! :-)
December 17, 2023
Well that was cute 🥰
January 10, 2015
A fairy tale
Told In the way of fairytales there's a prince, the one who needs help , and of course love at nearly 1st sight. The Christmas cake is actually a little bit incidental but it's what bring the two together with a smile. It's a short holiday story that's a little bit romantic and a whole lot of sweet.
Told In the way of fairytales there's a prince, the one who needs help , and of course love at nearly 1st sight. The Christmas cake is actually a little bit incidental but it's what bring the two together with a smile. It's a short holiday story that's a little bit romantic and a whole lot of sweet.
December 7, 2018
A very short fairytale that has potential if only it was longer. Too short... this ends at 66%... and not nearly as sweet as I expected. Furthermore, while it's supposed to be a holiday story it's really not, there're a couple of mentions of presents, Christmas cake and caroling, however it ends on Christmas Eve.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2016
Just like the cake that brought them together, this is a sweet little tale about a modern day prince who comes to the rescue of the down and out (not to mention sick) young man he’s been ogling from afar. It’s short and it involves instant attraction, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it!
March 18, 2018
A short christmassy story of a kind of homeless man and a rich man, who meet. Nice idea maybe, but the story was now shallow. It has possibilities and the idea could have worked when told more detailed and with more pages, more emotions etc.
April 6, 2019
Read as part of Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology Combined Edition .
cnf-dnf
March 31, 2020Didn't work for me. It read like rambling and I just couldn't follow.
December 8, 2016
3.5 stars
A little holiday fairytale romance about a rich man saving a poor man. Not a lot of substance, but quick and sweet. And the storytelling was fun.
Part of the Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology, Volume One Anthology
December 27, 2014
Sweet holiday Cinder-fella-like tale with a unique twist on the prince "rescuing" the lad in distress.
Favorite Quote:
He didn't go home with strange men, even if they were warm and handsome and possibly angelic.
Favorite Quote:
He didn't go home with strange men, even if they were warm and handsome and possibly angelic.
December 27, 2014
Review to follow.
December 24, 2015
Zero steam and awkward storytelling.
December 10, 2016
Re-Read 12/9: still a lovely little story. Wish there were a little more to it, a little more at the ending, but still satisfying!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews