A warm welcome to author Joe Cosentino joining us today to share a double cover reveal with us!
You have the first chance to look at the brand new cover of The First Noel , book 3 in the Bobby & Paolo Holiday stories and as a wonderful bonus you also have the chance to see the fabulous paperback cover for all three holiday stories.
Check out both covers, read Joe’s guestpost, the excerpt and don’t forget to check out the giveaway Joe brought!
The First Noel, Bobby & Paolo’s Holiday Stories e-book 3
by Joe Cosentino, published by Dreamspinner Press, cover by Adrian Nicholas
Purchase link:
Each Christmas has marked a milestone in Bobby and Paolo’s love story. But will this year be their last noel? It’s no surprise Bobby isn’t feeling much holiday spirit—not when he suspects his husband, Paolo, might be interested in his new business associate, the incredibly handsome Noel. On top of that, Bobby’s father is hanging up his Santa suit at the department store due to health issues; and worst of all, Geoffrey’s birth mother, funded by antigay extremists, is threatening their family. She’s trying to take away Bobby and Paolo’s adopted son, but she’ll have to face their supportive friends, family, and pastor before she can tear Geoffrey from the only real home he’s ever known.
With so many challenges in their path, the December grooms will need an extra helping of holiday magic this year. Rumor has it Santa’s on his way to spread some holiday cheer.
And
The Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories anthology paperback
(containing A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect Gift, and The First Noel)
by Joe Cosentino, published by Dreamspinner Press, cover by Adrian Nicholas
Purchase link:
The holidays are a magical time for everyone, but they hold special meaning for young lawyer Bobby McGrath and fashion designer Paolo Mascobello. Their whirlwind romance begins one December on the Isle of Capri, where they meet and fall in love, and each holiday season adds a new building block to their life together. Celebrate with Bobby, Paolo, and their colorful friends and family as they marry and start a family. Happily ever after doesn’t always come easy, but with love and the spirit of the season, miracles can happen and Christmas wishes can come true.
A holiday book cover is a window to the soul of the story. Not only must the artist encapsulate the spirit of the holiday, but also the heart of the characters and the uniqueness of the plot. I’ve always been incredibly fortunate to have the best artists and designers create my covers. As if they can gaze into my heart, these artisans magically capture the world of my books in one beautiful picture—or in this case two beautiful pictures.
The Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories are romantic, humorous, dramatic, and full of holiday cheer. The stunning cover for A Home for the Holidays (e-book 1) focused on Bobby (a young, Italian American law student from Philadelphia) meeting his sexy third cousin Paolo during a winter holiday trip to the magnificent island of Capri, Italy.
The Perfect Gift (e-book 2) cover beautifully highlighted Bobby and Paolo’s move to Philadelphia for their hilariously frenzied but ultimately perfect wedding (December Grooms) and the heartwarming story of adopting their seven-year-old son, Geoffrey (An Unexpected Present) on the next two Christmases. Both of those covers were created by the mega-talented artist Paul Richmond (http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com).
Now in The First Noel (e-book 3), Bobby (a lawyer), Paolo (a fashion designer), and Geoffrey face an enormous obstacle that may cost them their family. Just when everything seems to be going up in flames like a dry Christmas tree too close to the fireplace, Santa appears in the person of Paolo’s handsome boss Noel, who helps the family ring in a happily ever after ending.
As was the case with The Perfect Gift, The First Noel is packed with cozy holiday settings, including Victorian carolers singing under candy cane-adorned city street lamps, productions of A Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker, and the adorned Christmas tree, market booths, and snowmen at Dilworth Park. The cover needed to reflect that kind of holiday cheer. Noted cover artist Adrian Nicholas (https://www.facebook.com/adrian.nicholas) created a gorgeous holiday card-like picture for this new cover, perfectly displaying the characters, setting, story, and holiday magic.
In addition to publishing The First Noel as an e-book, Dreamspinner Press is also releasing the entire Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories anthology as a paperback! Again, Adrian (St.) Nicholas created the perfect cover for the new anthology, showcasing Bobby and Paolo celebrating Christmas and sharing their love with the readers.
I’d like to join Bobby, Paolo, and Geoffrey in wishing you a wonderful holiday season. The Bobby and Paolo holiday stories are my special holiday gift to you, wrapped with a huge ribbon of love and coming December 7.
Opening excerpt of A Home for the Holidays, Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories Book 1 by Joe Cosentino, published by Dreamspinner Press:
“Bobby, every Christmas your father and I buy you a nice gift and you return it. So this year before we go shopping, I’m asking you. What do you want for Christmas, exactly?”
I was tempted to answer, “How about the new Zeb Atlas DVD, Mom?” No longer reading my law textbook, I pressed the cell phone against my ear and responded, “My red sweater is getting frayed. I guess I could use a new one, Mom.”
“I don’t like red on you. I’ll get you a green sweater. It will go nicely with your eyes. You’ll be twenty-four in June. Nobody ever caught a husband wearing red clothes, except for Mrs. Klaus, and then look how overweight he was.”
I adjusted the heavy book on my knees and leaned back against the headboard of my narrow dorm room bed. Since fall semester of my third year of law school was over, my roommate had already gone back to Utah to be with his father and three mothers. Normally I would go home for the holidays.
As far back as I can remember, every December twenty-third through the twenty-fifth my mother works herself to exhaustion while forbidding anyone to help her. Since I am not married, I am seated at the kiddy table, where I dodge meatball and manicotti grenades courtesy of my little nieces and nephews. Then the gifts are bestowed with price tags on them so we all know “How many hours your father and I had to work to be able to buy our children such beautiful things.” This is followed by “oohs” and “ahhs” for every gift except the presents from me, which garner comments from my parents and two sisters like, “Oh well, I can wear that for dress-down day at work… if I keep on my coat.” After the extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins arrive for dessert (cannoli grenades at the kiddy table), my mother’s side (the Mascobellos) eat the pastries, and my father’s side (the McGraths) drink the liqueurs, while I sit upstairs in my old bedroom reading law case decisions on the Internet.
This Christmas is going to be different. Throughout my childhood I heard stories about my mother’s now deceased father who had a first cousin in Capri, Italy. Mom, “too exhausted from taking care of all of you to survive such a journey,” had recently spoken on the phone to her deceased father’s cousin’s daughter-in-law (got that?), and the two women had arranged for me to spend this Christmas with my Italian relatives. This led to my Christmas in Italy with my Italian cousin, Paolo Mascobello.
About the Author:
Joe Cosentino has appeared in principal acting roles in film, television, and theatre, opposite stars such as Bruce Willis, Rosie O’Donnell, Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, Charles Keating, and Jason Robards. As a bestselling author, Joe was voted 1st Place Favorite LGBT Mystery, Humorous, and Contemporary Author, and 2nd Place Favorite LGBT Romance Author by the readers of Divine Magazine. He has also won many Rainbow Award Honorable Mentions. For Dreamspinner Press, Joe wrote the heralded In My Heart series: An Infatuation & A Shooting Star; the popular Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories: A Home for the Holidays, The Perfect Gift, and The First Noel; and the raucous The Naked Prince and Other Tales from Fairyland. That was followed by Holiday Tales from Fairyland, Tales from Fairyland Book 2. His famous Nicky and Noah mystery series includes Drama Queen, Drama Muscle, Drama Cruise, Drama Luau, Drama Detective, and Drama Fraternity. The scorching Cozzi Cove series (NineStar Press) are Cozzi Cove: Bouncing Back, Cozzi Cove: Moving Forward, Cozzi Cove: Stepping Out, Cozzi Cove: New Beginnings, and Cozzi Cove: Happy Endings. Finally, Joe’s mainstream Jana Lane mysteries (The Wild Rose Press) are Paper Doll, Porcelain Doll, Satin Doll, China Doll, and Rag Doll. Releasing next year are more Nicky and Noah mysteries: Drama Castle and Drama Dance. Joe is currently Head of the Department/Professor at a college in upstate New York, and is happily married. He loves to hear from readers at:
Web site: http://www.JoeCosentino.weebly.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JoeCosentinoauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeCosen
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4071647.Joe_Cosentino
Amazon: Author.to/JoeCosentino
Post a comment about why you love MM holiday romance stories. The one that rings our holiday bells the most will win an Audible code for a gift audiobook of A Home for the Holidays, Bobby and Paolo Holiday Stories Book 1, by Joe Cosentino, published by Dreamspinner Press, performed by Joel Leslie, cover by Paul Richmond.
Christmas is the time for magic and family. MM stories bring both and they often need a little extra. It is a time of giving and that is what MM love is all about.
I love the winter holidays when our family get together, share stories, cook together and just hang out and in Christmas stories we get the same thing but a romantic love story too. It inspires warm tingly feelings.