Wednesday, November 6, 2024

A Merry Christmas for Art...and His Tentacles (Tinsel and Tentacles 2.0)


And the Christmas ARCs have started!!! Here's Amy Bellow's and Shannon Mae's "A Merry Christmas for Art...and His Tentacles." It's the a novel in second edition of the multi-author series Tinsel and Tentacles.

["Dean
When cryptids came out as living among us, there was definitely a settling in period, but now having a loch ness monster as your neighbor and a bigfoot as your security guard at work is just par for the course. Luckily for me, I happen to work with the sweetest, sexiest cephalopod in the entire building. Unfortunately for him, his people skills aren’t the greatest. When our harpy boss demands that I teach him how to interact with people, I’m only too happy to take up the job. I can teach him all about the human holiday of Christmas while giving him important people skills. If our lessons happen to look like dates, well… I won’t complain. And maybe I’ll get those sexy tentacles wrapped around me before too long.

Art
It’s embarrassing that my boss assigned someone to teach me people skills. It’s also hopeless. If learning how to interact with human beings was something I could learn in a class, I would have done so by now. I’m an excellent student. But hanging out with Dean Miller isn’t so bad, even if my tentacles have a mind of their own and won’t stop touching him. He doesn’t mind my awkwardness the way other people do, and he doesn’t mind my tentacles either. His easy acceptance makes me want things that I’m not used to wanting. I wonder what he would do if I asked for more than people lessons?"]

Okay, one of my issues with this, which I mean, at it's very fundamentals is a trope, and we can blame the boss for all I care, but Art can't people NOT because he's a cryptid, but because he's just socially awkward and probably somewhere on the autism spectrum. Not to put a "human" neurodivergence on a crytpid, but he's just awkward and doesn't understand sarcasm, satire, or in general, things that aren't literal. Dean (and myself) happen to find Art freaking adorable. AND Dean was just a pissed off with the entire interaction with their boss as I was, so there's that.  

These two were freaking perfect. I loved how sweet and soft they were with each other. I loved how open and honest they were. I love how easy and effortless it seemed. There were a few bumps from outside forces, but all minor and easily solved. They took risks and tried new things to better understand each other. They were so smitten with each other before the book even started, but after? Hell, it didn't take long at all for them to fall in love. 

And I looooove how Art's tentacles were basically their own character half the time. ;)

#grr #gayromancereview #arcs #arcteammember
#amerrychristmasforartandhistentacles #tinselandtentacles #amybellows #shannonmae #books #queerbooks #queererotica #bodicerippers #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

No comments:

Post a Comment

I'll Be Boned for Christmas (Collier's Creek Christmas)

And the Christmas ARCs have started!!! Here's Katherine McIntyre's "I'll Be Boned For Christmas." It's a part of t...