Grounded

by Argentina Ryder

One night. No names. No expectations.

When pilot Sam Baldwin matches with a handsome stranger during a visit to see family at Christmas, he's not looking for anything more than a few hours of forgetting. Dr. Clint Collins—hiding behind a fake name and years of careful denial—isn't looking for anything at all.

Then the ice storm hits, grounding every flight and trapping them together in a hotel room.

What was supposed to be one night becomes two. A hookup becomes conversation. A stranger becomes the first person who's ever made Clint want to be truly known—and the first person who's ever made Sam want to stay.

But the ice will melt. Real life is waiting. And some chances only come once.

GROUNDED is a standalone steamy M/M novella featuring a pilot who's afraid to land, a surgeon learning to stop hiding, forced proximity that turns into something real, and a holiday weekend that changes everything.

84 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 12, 2025

Reviews

[Axalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Des hommes matures, bloqués par la neige, l'un est un père célibataire vivant ses premiers moments d'homme homosexuel hors du placard et l'autre est un pilote de ligne qui utilise le temps bloqué à bon escient. Bref parfait, tout ce qu'il le fallait pour passer un bon moment, merci !

Culomètre à 🍑

[Sjoukje · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book. I wish the editor had paid some more attention though. Even in these few pages there were little annoying inconsistencies. The name Clint was already mentioned before Sam knew his name wasn’t John. Clinton gets a window seat but then sits in the middle seat. Things like that. And somehow I expected a little more at the end, although the open end maybe made it better because it didn’t delude the important part of the story.
Not sure.

Anyway it’s cute and quick and a lovely 30 minutes.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

When bad weather grounds all traffic and you even have to share a hotel room, that's when things get interesting and hot! A great story, two handsome men with nothing to do and only one bed. Both are interesting characters, each with their own surprises and woes, a story that makes you want to know more of these two.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short-but-sweet novella.

Ryder does a certain flavor of yearning and miscommunications beautifully in her stories, and this one is no different. Sam and Clint find themselves yearning for something more.

I will say the first few chapters are confusing. I get that one of the MC's uses a fake name at first, but then the story uses the real name and then the fake name again....sounds like an editor was really needed to winnow out some of the inconsistencies.

[Jim Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story. Crisp, clean, and with a happy ending.

I highly recommend it.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story. It was short and sweet BUT I'm left unsatisfied with the ending. Ugh I want more.

[Hira Chaudhary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... something. It was certainly cute, and I enjoyed the awkwardness of what to do when you're snowed in with your one night stand. I don't know if I really felt an actual spark between them, though. Sam went snooping through Clint's computer to find out he has a kid and gave him a fake name, and that felt weird. Clint didn't give Sam his number, and then they just so happened to be on the same flight and that's the only reason they're going to continue this thing. This thing that just... isn't much of anything.

[Stéph62Hapiot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une romance naissante, j'ai beaucoup aimé, l'auteur a bien restitué les ressentis des personnages et c'est vraiment top.