Waiting For Wentworth

Waiting On Wednesday (728) The Holiday Exchange and The Curse Before Christmas

The Holiday Exchange
by Riley Hart and Christina Lee

Expected Publication: November 3, 2025

Genre: MM, Holiday, Romance

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings
that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.
(WoW was previously hosted by Breaking The Spine.)

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
I have the most ridiculous crush on Briar, a customer who frequents my café. We never run out of things to talk about, and I find myself looking forward to his visits.

Just when I’m about to ask him on a date, he shows up at Sip and Savor with none other than my twin, who beat me to the punch. Definitely not how I hoped things would go.

Except my brother isn’t the settling-down type, so three months into dating Briar, he chooses the worst time to dump him—right before Christmas and straight after Briar asks Nathan to accompany him home for the holidays.

As I try to console Briar, he surprises me by cooking up a plot straight out of the movies, where I go home to Maine with him, pretending to be his boyfriend.

It’s supposed to be a friendly favor, I get a trip to the perfect Christmas town, and Briar can save face with his family and childhood ex. Only just like back in Boston, we have fun together, get each other, and I swear the spark I always felt between us grows.

But how does a guy tell his twin’s ex that he’s had feelings for him all along? And can what starts out as a holiday exchange turn into the perfect happily ever after?

Another Holiday romance, but this sounds MESSY!! And yuck with dating your brothers ex! But maybe it's worth reading? I've read a few book from these authors, both seperately and together, and they're enjoyable, so I hope I like this one!

The Curse Before Christmas
by Eli Easton

Expected Publication: October 31, 2025

Genre: MM, Holiday, Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When game developer Patrick Bocker receives a Krampus figurine in the office Secret Santa exchange, he doesn’t think much of it. Then the accidents start happening. The absurd calamities mount, and Patrick becomes a repeat offender at the Emergency Room. By his third visit, Patrick starts to believe that maybe, just maybe, the Krampus figurine is cursed. There is, however, one silver lining – a super hot ER doctor.

Dr. Gray Reynolds is prepared to ignore his attraction to the striking young man in bay two. But by the third time Patrick shows up with new injuries, Gray starts to fear for the cute redhead’s life. He’s determined to drive Patrick home, make sure he’s safe, and get to the bottom of this string of bad luck.

To lift the curse, Gray and Patrick have to find out which of Patrick’s co-workers gifted him the Krampus and return it, all while evading livestock, a criminal Santa, and general mayhem.

Oh—and fall in love. Is that too much to ask of one crazy Christmas Eve?

Yes, more Holiday reading for me. Though I usually overload and get burned out by Christmas. I've read some of this author's works before, but she's not an auto buy for me. Who knows if I'll enjoy this or not, but it sounds cute, and it's not every day that you read about Krampus. lol

What are you waiting on this week?

Kiss My Axe
(Axford Brothers #1)
by May Archer

Expected Publication: October 28, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
After a viral PR disaster torpedoes my marketing career, I flee Manhattan. The only place left to land? A fairy-tale treehouse in a pickle-obsessed Vermont town, left to me by an uncle I barely knew.
Yes, I said pickles.
No, I’m not okay.
But I’m only here temporarily. Just long enough to regroup, let the notoriety die down, and figure out my next steps in peace. Unfortunately, my new neighbor has other ideas.
Beckett “the Axe” Axford–cranky local heartthrob and unapologetic tree-murderer–claims Uncle Jim made him promises about the forest around the treehouse, and he’s none too pleased when I won’t take his word for it.
Unfortunately for him, I’m done playing by other people’s rules. I’m not backing down just because some sexy–I mean grumpy–lumberjack says so, and I can handle whatever he dishes out.
I’m tired of losing, so I’m not giving up my inheritance or my heart without a fight. And if Beckett thinks differently, he can kiss my axe.

I usually enjoy reading this author - as long as she doesn't get carried away making the townsfolk and/or the town itself too silly and OTT. Yes, that is something she's been known to do.

What are you waiting on this week?

Hashtag Holidate
by Lucy Lennox

Expected Publication: October 21, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
I came to Legacy, Montana, to sell a fantasy—twelve Insta-ready #Holidates of Christmas. One career-making brand deal. Zero drama. Then my videographer bailed, and in walked Maddox Sullivan.

Grumpy. Gorgeous. Growly. A mountain man with zero chill and even less tolerance for influencers like me. He agrees to film my content—off-camera only—but when my first date cancels, guess who ends up in front of the lens?

Our chemistry is instant. My followers are obsessed. #TeamMaddrian starts trending. Suddenly, all my dates are mysteriously dropping out, and Maddox is reluctantly starring in every single holidate—sleigh rides, snowball fights, cocoa by the fire, kisses under the mistletoe.

And I… I’m starting to forget this was ever supposed to be pretend.

I came here for curated content. Now I’m dreaming of a life I never thought I wanted—with a man I never saw coming. But am I falling for the picture-perfect holiday fantasy? Or could this be the start of my real-life happily ever after?

It's that time of year again. I have to get my fix of Holiday romances! This is the first of many that I plan on reading!

What are you waiting on this week?

Just This Once
(Men of Porth Luck #1)
by Garrett Leigh

Expected Publication: October 2, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
A broken soldier. A guarded nurse. A love that shouldn’t happen—and yet...
"Of course it f**king does."
Mal’s just passing through. Skylar’s the small-town nurse who fixes everyone but himself. Mal swears he won't fall, but Sky’s smile hides shadows he can’t ignore.
Those pewter-grey eyes.
That sun-kissed hair.
That ink.
They’re a mistake waiting to happen.
Inevitable. Excruciating.
So where's the harm in Just This Once?

This is a new series by an author I usually enjoy. However.... because this author likes to link series after series together, I sometimes feel lost when *certain* characters are mentioned and I'm supposed to know who they are. I haven't read every book from this author, because that's just crazy! I'll be reading this book and hoping it all makes sense!

What are you waiting on this week?

Bait And Switch
(Subtle Deceptions #2)
by Elle Keaton

Expected Publication: September 25, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Gabriel Karne is back.

The plan? Lie low on Heartstone Island and wait for the dumpster fire that is his past life to burn itself out. So far, so good. Until it isn't.

Gabriel has avoided Ranger Man for days, made a few important repairs to his sailboat, and put a dent in the stack of dime-store mysteries Elton loaned him. Life is at least okay.

Eight days in and his strategy crumbles like a wet cookie.

His ex-partner-in-crime returns, but this time he is very dead. And wearing a baby blue tracksuit, which somehow makes his murder even worse.

Is his body a message from the crime family they mutually pissed off? Did Peter have connections to Heartstone? And if he didn't, how the hell did he know he'd find Gabe there?

With yet another exceedingly ill-timed murder, Gabe's luck is once again not the Good Kind. Then there's his simmering attraction to Casey, which he's actively sweeping underneath his mental throw rug. Lundin is definitely not Gabe's type. He's a walking-talking moral compass that never seems to cease pointing out everything he's sure is wrong about Gabe. But damn, that man's uniform fits him like a glove.

Adding to it all, snow is in the forecast, there's a missing brush worker up the valley, and Calvin Perkins is still on the loose. And Gabe's not even going to think about the spiders.

Everything will be fine. FINE.

Oops. The release date on this was supposed to be in October. (Those damn indie authors - always finishing books and releasing them early.) I usually enjoy reading this author, and I liked the first book in this series, even though I was left with a lot of questions. I hope this book clears up some of the secrecy surrounding Gabriel.

What are you waiting on this week?

All of Us Murderers
by K.J. Charles

Expected Publication: October 7, 2025

Genre: MM, Historical, Gothic, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative's remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn't possibly get worse.

Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family—but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there's no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house's shadowy depths…

Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House—and live to tell the tale?

I haven't read anything by this author in a while, even though I enjoy her books. This one sounds really good, and it's a stand-alone, so it's an easy pick for me this week!

What are you waiting on this week?

A Breath of Life
(Shadowy Solutions #4)
by Nicky James

Expected Publication: September 18, 2025

Genre: MM, Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
On a balmy September evening, Tallus and Diem discover a man who has been attacked in an alley. Saving his life seems like the right thing to do. With his dying breath, the man thrusts an item upon the couple and makes one request. Get rid of it.

The mysterious object proves to be valuable, and Tallus doesn’t want to part with it.

Keeping it makes Diem uncomfortable in a way he can’t explain. Tempers flare, but before they can come to an agreement, everything unravels. The item is more dangerous than either of them realized.

Lies and secrets threaten to tear the couple apart as Diem is drawn into something dark and menacing. Keeping his hotheaded boyfriend safe proves to be almost impossible, but Diem’s been given a task, and he will not fail.

If he does, he will lose everything.

4 books into this series and I'm still not sure that I like this couple. Their behavior towards each other just isn't romantic. I never got over how Diem treated Tallus in the first book, and without an apology Tallus overlooks being used and kicked out repeatedly just because he 'likes' Diem. So now Tallus forces his way into Diem's cases, and Diem reluctantly puts up with it. That's not romance, and it makes for an uncomfortable read. I keep hoping the writing will get better and this couple will be amazing. (This series is from the same author who simultaneously wrote another series that was actually ROMANTIC and swoony and all the things. So maybe I'm just disappointed that it's not up to my standards.)

What are you waiting on this week?

We Met Like This
by Kasie West

Expected Publication: September 16, 2025

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

This is my favorite day of the week because I love sharing and discovering new books.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Margot Hart is a hopeless romantic. That’s why she wants to be a literary agent—to help bring romance books to the world. It’s also why she hates dating apps with all her romance loving soul. She wants her own love story to be just as much fun as the books she reads—a mixed up coffee order, a mistaken identity. She’s not going to tell the story that she swiped right on future husband’s shirtless pic for the rest of her life.

The problem is that her most consistent relationship over the last several years is with Oliver, a guy she keeps rematching with on the apps. They’ve only been on one date and it was a disaster…well, until the make out session in the car before parting ways. But, she keeps reminding herself, a make out session does not a relationship make. And so there will not be a date two regardless of how witty their app banter is.

When Margot gets fired from her job on the same day she meets Oliver again, her life becomes a veritable shit show. Her dream career is dying right before her eyes, and Oliver thinks she’s interested in only one thing: a repeat of the hot make out session they had three years ago so she can get him out of her system. And maybe that is all she wants from him, because she and Oliver are definitely not compatible—he doesn’t hit the snooze button, he runs five miles every morning, he reads nonfiction, and worst of all, she didn’t meet him in cute way! But in her scramble to keep her dream career alive, by opening her own agency, Oliver is there with his golden retriever energy, more steady and helpful than any man she’s ever dated. Just when she thinks she’s overcome her app bias, she realizes that maybe it’s not her who’s holding back, but him. And his reasons are more than she bargained for.

Kasie West was an automatic read for me way, WAY back in my YA contemporary reading days. The only reason this hit my radar is because it's her adult rom-com debut. So, we'll see.

What are you waiting on this week?