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Once Upon A Goth Dog Solstice
Doug Cross spent the first half of his life attempting to appease his career-military father. After a stint in the Air Force and a successful career in cybersecurity, he’s traveled the world in search of fulfillment. He believes he’s found it in the San Francisco Bay Area with a room on an urban farm, a new spot in a goth punk band, and the support of his extended family. He’s always been a helper by nature, so when he learns that his housemate’s dog rescue is in trouble, he creates goth-influenced dog accessories to sell at the Treasure Island Arts and Crafts Fair in hopes of raising much-needed funds for the pups. He also lends a helping hand to his neighbor at the fair, and the two have a potential meet-cute…that quickly fizzles, leaving Doug wondering why his charming personality failed to make a new friend. Luther Sorenson is a disabled Marine veteran who is struggling to keep his family afloat—and himself literally on his feet. His sister convinces him to sell his wood paintings at the fair as a way to supplement his income. He’s a single foster dad to eight-year-old Mila and is desperate to give her everything she deserves. His body doesn’t always cooperate, however, and having to ask for help from the goth guy next door at the art market could have potentially been humiliating. But Doug makes it easy, and Luther can’t stop thinking about him in between markets. Doug seems like the kind of person Luther could add to his support network. Not to mention, his superb makeup skills and the way he rocks a utilikilt have Luther smitten in no time. A brunch “business meeting” turns into adult summer camp, and Doug and Luther embark on a tentative courtship while navigating the challenges of parenthood and owning a small business. But as the seasons change, the two men find in each other what they’ve always desired: love, family, and acceptance. On the night of the winter solstice, will they choose to combine forces and step into the unknown together?
Reviews
In this M/M novella, prolific Merrill offers a full year of festivities, and a followup to her Pinups and Puppies, in a sweet and solid contribution to the multi-author “Once Upon a Holiday Story” series. Grumpy Marine veteran Luther Sorenson, dealing with pain from his injuries with the support of his trans sister, whom he first met in foster care, and the cautiously growing love of his new foster daughter Mila, tries selling his wood paintings at a local craft fair. There, he meets ex-Air Force cybersecurity expert and musician Doug Cross, helping out his housemate’s dog rescue by selling airbrushed goth canine accessories, and though the spark is slow, Doug is doggedly persistent in pursuing Luther’s attention.<.br>

Merrill leans a little heavily into sentimentality with the cute children and puppies, forgivable in a holiday piece, and her history of writing musicians with good hearts and complicated histories. Nevertheless, she builds an impressive amount of real connection between the two men in the short space of a novella, while minimizing the on-page trauma and highlighting the joys of found family. Luther and Doug’s very different experiences of life after the military creates both commonality and tension in the relationship.

Luther and Doug’s machinations to make time in the limited hours while Mila is at summer camp will be relatable to readers familiar with single-parent scheduling, while the mini-festivals run by Doug’s housemates on their farm evoke a warm, old-school lesbian aesthetic, which is a bit of a surprise in an M/M story, but which emphasizes the queer community themes. Sex scenes are realistic about disability and body fears while remaining overall positive and hot, and there’s only love in her presentation of the erotic appeal of Doug’s goth styling and hard-rocking music, even if the actual encounters are tender, vanilla, and gear-free. In the end, readers will believe that all of the characters, not just the couple, have done the emotional work to earn their happy ending, and although the climax isn’t all that Christmasy, it’s certainly satisfying.

Takeaway: Warm goth holiday M/M romance, with found-family themes.

Comparable Titles: Sara Raasch’s The Nightmare Before Kissmas, Annabeth Albert’s The Geek Who Saved Christmas.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B+

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