Like A Charm

by Jordan Castillo Price

Rowan does his best to blend in, but thanks to the ugly sweater from his grandmother, he’ll have a hard time sneaking away from the holiday party unnoticed.

What’s worse…he’s starting to think it’s not only ridiculous, but enchanted.

It’s hardly a recipe for meeting the man of his dreams. But sometimes you find a kindred spirit when you least expect it.

Like a Charm is a quick, sweet holiday read featuring two painfully shy guys, a plethora of ugly sweaters, an obnoxious neighbor, a sassy grandma, and a hint of magic.

Genres: M M Romance, Holiday, Romance, Contemporary, Short Stories, Paranormal, Fantasy

26 pages, ebook

Published December 11, 2022

About the author

Author and artist Jordan Castillo Price writes paranormal sci-fi thrillers colored by her time in the Midwest, from inner city Chicago, to various cities across southern Wisconsin. She’s settled in a 1910 Cape Cod near Lake Michigan with tons of character and a plethora of bizarre spiders. Any disembodied noises, she’s decided, will be blamed on the ice maker.

Jordan is best known as the author of the PsyCop series, an unfolding tale of paranormal mystery and suspense starring Victor Bayne, a gay medium who's plagued by ghostly visitations.

Reviews

[Snjez]

Such a cute little story. It's too short to give a rating, but I enjoyed it.

Thank you, Meep, for the recommendation! 😊

[Meep]

Cute Christmas short.

[Kaje Harper]

This was super cute and very short - a fun way to taste this author's writing style if you don't know them, but only a magical meet-cute moment for two guys I could have read a lot more about. Go in expecting the tiny length and I think you will be charmed.

[Jax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute! Left me wanting more of these guys.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very cute winter holiday short.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely meeting between two lonely men who find more than they expected during a Holiday Extravaganza :D

Rowan and Finn are ideally suited for each other and through them, we can see that, as the author says, magic is not always blatant. Sometimes, all it takes, it's an ugly sweater *g*

Short, sweet and perfect for the season :)

[Gareth Jones-Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super short story, lovely beginning for Rowan and Finn! :)

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super short and super cute little Christmas story. It's a really quick read and I wanted more of the JCP goodness.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this meet cute short story and wish it were a longer book. Both Rowan and Finn really caught my attention and I want to know more about them! And Gran seems like a hoot.

This is a very quick read and a sweet story that left me wanting so much more!

[Christina]

1.5 Stars

[Punk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light-hearted short story about two quiet queers meeting at a boisterous holiday party neither of them wants to be at.

[Choyang · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Like a Charm' written by Jordan Castillo Price (Kindle)

August 2026

A short tale about Christmas magic, from one of my favorite authors (the 'Psycop' series).

A humorous holiday storyline about a gay guy and his magic-weilding grandmother and her holiday gift to him of an "ugly" sweater (yeah, it's a silly Holiday tradition in some places) that quite possibly may have some magical charms woven into the yarns.

Two shy guys, some ugly sweaters, and a Holiday party...what could go wrong?

Note: the cover showing here (which I dislike; it's too dark and grumpy-looking for this storyline) and is not the cover on the copy I have; the one I have is much more holiday-ish, being brighter and happier!)

Meet-cute comes at end of an awkward entanglement!

[Heather York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a good connection that starts with an ugly Christmas sweater? Like a Charm is more than just another ugly Xmas sweater cute meet, it has hints of magic, touches of fate, and all around holiday fun.

Rowan is so set on looking out for the one who is effected by the love charm he believes his grandmother has placed on the sweater he doesn't realize that sometimes fate has a way with or without the charm or maybe the charm works it's magic anyway😉. So fun, just so much fun in this Xmas short that I don't want to say more other than you can't help but find yourself grinning like a fool when you swipe that last page. Yum yum down to the very last thread.

[Ellie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this short but sweet Christmas story that seemed to create an entire world in only a few pages. Rowan and his quiet magical skill of invisibility was so endearing, as was his sassy magically talented grandmother.

I loved the awkward situational humour of the Ugly Sweater party and competition where Rowan meets equally lovely and socially inept Finn. Funny, charming and insightful with a perfect romantic match!

[SJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the short story format and I like when a writer shares a different type premise with unique characters. With the plot line of a wizard type MC entered into an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest and meeting a whiz kid of trivia, this story met those parameters. I enjoyed it.

[Jenn (not Lily) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both Rowan and Finn are beautifully adorkable separately, so this meet cute is undeniably squee-worthy! As much as I liked them and wish there was more to this, I also feel like it might be ruined by seeing more than just this start to their story. A perfect nibble!

[Carrie]

Short even for a short story, Like a Charm is a sweet feel-good read. I wont rate it because it's just too short, but I'd say the quality of writing and the (obviously) limited character development would warrant a B/B-.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest of Christmas meet cutes!

[Kristel (hungryandhappy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Give me more!!!!!

[Jane (whatjanereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very sweet meet cute at an LGBTQ+ Christmas party! The thing about shortstories is, that they always leave me wanting a whole book.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short but cute Christmas tale which includes your not so typical grandmother, a little magic, a lonely young man, and an ugly sweater.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story

Sweet meet cute between two awkward people with a little holiday magic. While very short, it felt complete although it’s just the start to these characters romance.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story that's all about the meet-cute.

[Solveig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute very short story

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, more of an introduction than a full story, but I enjoyed it!

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5
KU

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Christmas story of two men who found each other with a dash of magic, Maybe? Fun tale, would like more of these two.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5 stars*

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little story of two awkward guys who meet at an LGBT event and hit it off, perhaps with a hint of magic or maybe just natural attraction. Short and sweet and just them starting their journey.