Whispered Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses: A Williamsville Inn Story

Williamsville Inn #7

by Hank Edwards

After a devastating breakup leaves him questioning everything about love and relationships, Elliott Morgan wants nothing more than to spend the holidays hiding in his Newark apartment. But his well-meaning friends have other plans, whisking him away to the charming snow-covered town of Williamsville for a week-long Christmas getaway.

Elementary school teacher Gar Dawson has spent years pouring his heart into Williamsville's holiday celebrations, creating handmade Christmas sweaters and volunteering for every festive event. But beneath his cheerful exterior, he's been quietly aching with loneliness since losing his sister—until a grumpy stranger from New Jersey literally crashes into his life.

Elliott expects small-town holiday cheer to be his personal nightmare. Gar expects another lonely Christmas despite being surrounded by his caring community. Neither expects the spark that ignites when Elliott's sarcasm meets Gar's genuine warmth, or how quickly stolen kisses under twinkling lights begin to heal their wounded hearts.

As Elliott finds himself reluctantly drawn into Williamsville's festive celebrations—from crafting ornaments to manning Christmas games—both men begin to hope again. But when Elliott discovers that Gar has been keeping a secret, old wounds threaten to destroy the fragile trust they've built.

With only days left until Elliott leaves town, both must decide whether to retreat behind familiar walls or take the biggest risk of all—believing that some Christmas wishes really do come true.

Set against the backdrop of a town that treats every holiday like magic, this heartwarming standalone grumpy/sunshine romance explores second chances, the courage to be vulnerable, and the transformative power of found family.

Genres: Christmas, M M Romance, Contemporary

258 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2025

About the author

Hank Edwards (he/him) has been writing gay fiction for more than twenty years. He has published over thirty novels and dozens of short stories. His books fall into many sub-genres, including romance, rom-com, contemporary, paranormal, suspense, mystery, and wacky comedy. He has written a number of series such as the suspenseful Up to Trouble, funny and spooky paranormal out for you gay romance Critter Catchers, Old West historical horror of Venom Valley, the erotic and funny Fluffers, Inc. series, and the funny and thrilling Lacetown Murder Mysteries series co-written with Deanna Wadsworth. Under the pen name R. G. Thomas, he’s published a young adult urban fantasy gay romance series called The Town of Superstition. No matter what genre he writes, Hank likes to keep things sweet, steamy, and fun.

Join his author group on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/hankshangout), visit his website at www.hankedwardsbooks.com or send along an email to hankedwardsbooks@gmail.com.

Reviews

[❀ Jess ( Semi hiatus ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved a lot about this. The characters (Including the side characters) the location and especially the vibes. It definitely had me in the christmas spirit, I even grabbed a holiday sweater without noticing 😅
...why are there so many christmas releases so close to Halloween? Halloween didnt get this much love 😔

As much as I loved this, there was also a lot of personal pet peeves. 😩
It's hard for me to find something that has a good balance of snark/jokes and seriousness and unfortunately this one didn't have that balance I look for, there were a lot of moments were the jokes went on for too long or the jokes cut into a moment that could've been intimate.😭

But the worst thing for me was the third act 'breakup' it wasn't so much the separation that bothered me but what happened during the separation. NOTHING HAPPENED. They spend DAYS together building something sweet and then go OVER 4 WEEKS with NO COMMUNICATION. The day of the 'fight' Gar is very upset immediately after the the poor baby is sobbing in his house, heart broken. 🥺 And Elliot is kinda just...🤷‍♀️ he's upset mainly about Gar keeping a secret from him which is understandable and then he's embarrassed at how he reacted but Gar left him the sweater and Elliot still didn't reach out..understandable but they had the. 'Fight' christmas eve and then there's a time skip and it's nearing Valentines day and Elliot only decides to seek Gar again because Gar's friend sent him a link to a video that had Gar in it and Elliot noticed he seemed sad too...and he shows up and they kiss and apologize and it's all good. So good that theres another time skip ( pls add a header so we know how much time has passed pls) and they're living together.
This has the same formula I hate about slow burns, there's the nice build up and then the tentative relationship where they're happy but there's this looming end date for some reason then there's the third act break up with a lack luster reunion usually in the form of a grand gesture that's followed after a period of zero communication. 😕

Maybe i'm feeling too harsh about it but there's nothing worse than having your reading experience ruined because the ending sucked. I'm in the minority when it comes to wanting more attention on the endings but it's what makes or breaks a story for me.

How did a feel good Christmas story cause me to go into a rant? I'm not sure, maybe i'm just triggered by long separations with zero communication then a grand gesture. Hard to sell me on their love when Elliot wasn't nearly as interested as Gar.. 😒

Anyway. 3 stars because it's good but no more than that because the third act pissed me off. 😂
Gar being heart broken was *chef's kiss* but Elliot just leaving and not reaching out at all and deciding to just show up WEEKS later..? Bold of him to assume Gar was going to give him the time of day. I wanted sparks and apologies for staying away for so long and where was his anguish?!? 😠

[Ed Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 and 1/2 stars rounded up. I was tempted to DNF this book. It was a 5 star read for me up until the 80% mark. Then it dropped to 1 star and I skimmed the rest of the book. I was so excited to find a Williamsville Inn story that I bought it right away and couldn’t wait to read it. I wish I’d never found it. The break up at 80% was ridiculous and ruined the story for me. So much so that I’ll never read a book by this author again. I no longer have KU so I pay for my books individually and can’t waste my money on an author who upsets me instead of making me feel good. If you like the 80% break up that goes on and on then I can recommend it to you. If it upsets you as much as me then don’t waste your time and money.

[Suzanne Bourgeois]

soooo good!! i was expecting a lot becuase of how good his other book set at this inn was and he delivered! this book was the whole holiday package. christmas festival, healing hearts, "ugly" sweaters... and a wishing tree that really makes dreams come true. stories like this make me believe in that instant connection, love at first sight. nothing about this seems contrived or forced or shoved into a christmas shaped plot hole. it is the perfect cozy christmas read.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

so sweet

I needed this love story to soothe my soul. Life is rough right now and is hard on Gar and Elliot. Elliot’s bf walked away with hurtful words. Gar lost his sister to cancer. It’s a slow sweet friendship but a miscommunication almost tears them apart.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, charming MCs who both needed to work through some insecurities before they could relax with a new lover. The friends on both sides were a hoot! the author is so good at genuinely witty banter, always well pitched. The break-up was a bit daft because it wasn't really a big deal, but plausible for these guys, who both needed a good shake lol. Plenty of chemistry between them, and lots of delicious description of Christmas events.

[Fancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable romance, didn't even really need the spicy scenes lol.