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The Julbock
Writing reviews for a living has trained Patrick Moon to internally criticize everything to the point where he rarely enjoys anything. That is until he takes on an extra assignment which whirlwinds him into the good graces of Aubrey Blackwood, a local craftsman and occult dealer. With the help of a rambunctious little goat and his - very tight knit - circle of friends, Aubrey opens Patrick's eyes to the magic of the world around him and shows him that the spirit of the holidays resides in your heart and not in your head.
"The Julbock" is a holiday themed Paranormal Gay Romance short story.
"The Julbock" is a holiday themed Paranormal Gay Romance short story.
26 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2017
3 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Dez Schwartz
19 books40 followersDez Schwartz writes LGBTQ Paranormal and Dreampunk about dapper occultists, vampires, and ghost hunters.
She lives in a haunted Edwardian home in Texas with her family and pirate crew of pets.
Pronouns: She/Her
Never miss an update! Please visit Dez's website to join the mailing list:
https://www.dezschwartz.com/
Connect with Dez:
dezschwartzauthor@gmail.com
Facebook: DezSchwartz
Instagram: dezschwartzauthor
Bsky: dezschwartz
She lives in a haunted Edwardian home in Texas with her family and pirate crew of pets.
Pronouns: She/Her
Never miss an update! Please visit Dez's website to join the mailing list:
https://www.dezschwartz.com/
Connect with Dez:
dezschwartzauthor@gmail.com
Facebook: DezSchwartz
Instagram: dezschwartzauthor
Bsky: dezschwartz
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 15, 2021
Cute winter solstice romance between a grumpy restaurant critic and an enticing pagan craftsman! There is dancing around a fire and a goat familiar but not any actual magic. A fun quick read.
Character notes: Patrick is a gay white newspaper restaurant and bar critic. Aubrey is a white pagan craftsman and the owner of the Occult Shop. He plays the pan flute and his familiar is a goat named Jules.
Content notes: on-page sex, alcohol, ableist language
Character notes: Patrick is a gay white newspaper restaurant and bar critic. Aubrey is a white pagan craftsman and the owner of the Occult Shop. He plays the pan flute and his familiar is a goat named Jules.
Content notes: on-page sex, alcohol, ableist language
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December 14, 2024“The Julbock.” The vendor held the ornament out in the palm of his hand: “Symbolic of the spirit that appears during the season to make sure Yule preparations were done right.”
It's that time of year again when it seems everyone goes a bit crazy shopping, making lists, baking, etc. Patrick, of ‘The Julbock' by Dez Schwartz, isn't feeling it. Over the years, the holidays have lost their charm. Patrick is unhappy about covering a holiday festival for one of his colleagues. It's not his forte, but since he has accepted the assignment, he goes to the festival, deciding to be as open-minded as possible.
As Patrick walks around, he looks for a Secret Santa present for the person whose name he drew. Nothing inspires him until he comes across a small ornament made of fabric and straw. Aubry, the booth keeper, greets him and offers an explanation about the cute goat-like object. Patrick listens intently, partly because he is interested in the history of the Julbock and partly because Aubrey is one of the most charming, handsome men he has ever met.
Sensing that Patrick could use Christmas cheer, Aubrey contemplates how to help. Aubrey invites Patrick to the bonfire celebration later that night; Aubrey explains that he will be onstage playing the flute. Suddenly, Patrick is excited to attend the event, and Aubrey is pleased by his enthusiasm. After the bonfire, they wander around the fair and discuss witches and pagan beliefs. Patrick lacks knowledge about these topics, but Aubrey is a good teacher. Patrick may not believe in the supernatural, but being with Aubrey feels magical in its own unique way.
'The Julbock' gives a unique perspective to the holiday season by highlighting the pagan point of view. It was gratifying to watch Patrick go from pessimist to optimist after being presented with an alternative framework. Thanks, Dez, for the unique holiday story.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.
It's that time of year again when it seems everyone goes a bit crazy shopping, making lists, baking, etc. Patrick, of ‘The Julbock' by Dez Schwartz, isn't feeling it. Over the years, the holidays have lost their charm. Patrick is unhappy about covering a holiday festival for one of his colleagues. It's not his forte, but since he has accepted the assignment, he goes to the festival, deciding to be as open-minded as possible.
As Patrick walks around, he looks for a Secret Santa present for the person whose name he drew. Nothing inspires him until he comes across a small ornament made of fabric and straw. Aubry, the booth keeper, greets him and offers an explanation about the cute goat-like object. Patrick listens intently, partly because he is interested in the history of the Julbock and partly because Aubrey is one of the most charming, handsome men he has ever met.
Sensing that Patrick could use Christmas cheer, Aubrey contemplates how to help. Aubrey invites Patrick to the bonfire celebration later that night; Aubrey explains that he will be onstage playing the flute. Suddenly, Patrick is excited to attend the event, and Aubrey is pleased by his enthusiasm. After the bonfire, they wander around the fair and discuss witches and pagan beliefs. Patrick lacks knowledge about these topics, but Aubrey is a good teacher. Patrick may not believe in the supernatural, but being with Aubrey feels magical in its own unique way.
'The Julbock' gives a unique perspective to the holiday season by highlighting the pagan point of view. It was gratifying to watch Patrick go from pessimist to optimist after being presented with an alternative framework. Thanks, Dez, for the unique holiday story.
DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book was purchased by the reviewer.
November 29, 2020
Nice story . . . and there's a goat! Lol.
December 14, 2024
“The Julbock.” The vendor held the ornament out in the palm of his hand: “Symbolic of the spirit that appears during the season to make sure Yule preparations were done right.”
It's that time of year again when it seems everyone goes a bit crazy shopping, making lists, baking, etc. Patrick, of ‘The Julbock' by Dez Schwartz, isn't feeling it. Over the years, the holidays have lost their charm. Patrick is unhappy about covering a holiday festival for one of his colleagues. It's not his forte, but since he has accepted the assignment, he goes to the festival, deciding to be as open-minded as possible.
As Patrick walks around, he looks for a Secret Santa present for the person whose name he drew. Nothing inspires him until he comes across a small ornament made of fabric and straw. Aubry, the booth keeper, greets him and offers an explanation about the cute goat-like object. Patrick listens intently, partly because he is interested in the history of the Julbock and partly because Aubrey is one of the most charming, handsome men he has ever met.
Sensing that Patrick could use Christmas cheer, Aubrey contemplates how to help. Aubrey invites Patrick to the bonfire celebration later that night; Aubrey explains that he will be onstage playing the flute. Suddenly, Patrick is excited to attend the event, and Aubrey is pleased by his enthusiasm. After the bonfire, they wander around the fair and discuss witches and pagan beliefs. Patrick lacks knowledge about these topics, but Aubrey is a good teacher. Patrick may not believe in the supernatural, but being with Aubrey feels magical in its own unique way.
'The Julbock' gives a unique perspective to the holiday season by highlighting the pagan point of view. It was gratifying to watch Patrick go from pessimist to optimist after being presented with an alternative framework. Thanks, Dez, for the unique holiday story.
It's that time of year again when it seems everyone goes a bit crazy shopping, making lists, baking, etc. Patrick, of ‘The Julbock' by Dez Schwartz, isn't feeling it. Over the years, the holidays have lost their charm. Patrick is unhappy about covering a holiday festival for one of his colleagues. It's not his forte, but since he has accepted the assignment, he goes to the festival, deciding to be as open-minded as possible.
As Patrick walks around, he looks for a Secret Santa present for the person whose name he drew. Nothing inspires him until he comes across a small ornament made of fabric and straw. Aubry, the booth keeper, greets him and offers an explanation about the cute goat-like object. Patrick listens intently, partly because he is interested in the history of the Julbock and partly because Aubrey is one of the most charming, handsome men he has ever met.
Sensing that Patrick could use Christmas cheer, Aubrey contemplates how to help. Aubrey invites Patrick to the bonfire celebration later that night; Aubrey explains that he will be onstage playing the flute. Suddenly, Patrick is excited to attend the event, and Aubrey is pleased by his enthusiasm. After the bonfire, they wander around the fair and discuss witches and pagan beliefs. Patrick lacks knowledge about these topics, but Aubrey is a good teacher. Patrick may not believe in the supernatural, but being with Aubrey feels magical in its own unique way.
'The Julbock' gives a unique perspective to the holiday season by highlighting the pagan point of view. It was gratifying to watch Patrick go from pessimist to optimist after being presented with an alternative framework. Thanks, Dez, for the unique holiday story.
December 2, 2020
I loved this book so much! It was the perfect Christmas short story plus I enjoyed the fun elements that the author threw into the story. While I don't know if Tim Curry would ever care to play the Gritch I definitely enjoyed trying to imagine what that would even look like in a movie. One of the other things that I really liked, about this story, was the take on some of the nontraditional Christmas celebrations like the celebration of Yule. I felt that it was a nice change-up from most typical Christmas stories.
November 24, 2018
This is a wonderfully cozy, sexy, and magical story! Aubrey and Patrick are like the two sides of the holidays, the enthusiast and the skeptic. I read this in a sitting. Do yourself a favor and enjoy Dez Schwartz's witty characters and romance.
December 2, 2020
Sweet
A sweet little winter holiday story. I think Jules stole the show but I liked Aubrey and Patrick too. This brought holiday cheer and connection.
A sweet little winter holiday story. I think Jules stole the show but I liked Aubrey and Patrick too. This brought holiday cheer and connection.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews