RELEASE TOUR incl Exclusive Excerpt: Snowy Skies and Puppy Eyes by Fae Quin
Length: Approximately 110,000 Series: Back to Belleville, 1
Genre: Small-town, Holiday
Tropes: grumpy x sunshine, age gap, opposites attract, friends to lovers, slow burn, sweet and kinky, light feminization
Trigger/Content Warnings: familial discord, parental neglect (past during childhood)
Designer: Wegotyoucoveredbookdesign, Fae Quin (illustrator)
Jason Harker
I’ll admit it—I can be a little nosy. When you live alone in a town as small and close-knit as Belleville, other people’s stories have a way of filling the quiet. So when I find newcomer, Joe Milton, in the alley behind my store, cradling a bird like it might break his heart to let go, I make it my mission to befriend the enigmatic man. Only problem? Now the whole town thinks I’ve got a thing for Joe. Me? With a crush? On a man? No. That’s… definitely not happening. Probably. Maybe. But the more I try to prove to everyone that Joe and I are just friends, the more this surly, adorable man starts feeling like the best Christmas present I never asked for.
Joe Milton
Moving to a new town to start an apple farm? Ambitious. Trying to renovate a crumbling house by myself before my family arrives for Christmas? Possibly delusional. And just when I’m about to lose all hope and sanity, a secret Santa steps in to save me. But it’s his so-called elf helper who really catches me off guard. Jason Harker is kind, charming, and makes my heart race faster than my impending renovation deadline. This new friendship and the swirl of confusing feelings make me wonder if this Christmas might mend more than just this old house.
I had a crush. A pretty big, massive crush. On a pretty, big, massive man. And I needed to accept that, especially if I was going to continue being friends with him. It didn’t have to mean anything. Didn’t have to change anything. I knew that. Feelings did not equal a relationship. And besides, it wasn’t like they were mutual. I didn’t even want them to be. Just the thought made me want to run. Terrified of being put in a position to potentially disappoint someone again. My thoughts were eating me up as I headed to the bank the next morning to pick up the check for Joe. As I drove through Belleville, waving at the friendly townies I passed by, my thoughts were far, far away. Across town. On that apple orchard, the white farmhouse at its border, and the man who resided inside it. I still couldn’t believe Joe had accepted my offer. Yes, it was only money. I understood that. It wasn’t like he’d invited me inside his home and made me the first to ever enter it. Wasn’t like he’d allow me to actually help with what needed to be done. I wasn’t naive enough to think by accepting the money he was letting me in all the way—but my toe was in the door now, and that was heady. Joe was the most guarded person I’d ever met. Multi-faceted. I’d seen more sides to him now than probably anyone else who lived in Belleville. Which was most definitely stroking my ego, not going to lie. Between how gentle he was with animals, how gruff he could be with people, how shy he became when confronted with social interactions he wasn’t prepared for—and that smile. God. That big, sunny, beautiful smile he’d given Marybeth when she’d taken his apple. I could assume I’d been made privy to parts of Joe that he kept under lock and key. That was a lot of pressure. Pressure I would’ve buckled under if I hadn’t been bound and determined not to cave. I refused to let another person I cared about down. And I did care about Joe. If I took romantic interest out of it, that care still remained. The more time I spent with him, the more I wanted to make his life better. I didn’t need anything from him in return. Hell, he’d already given me more than I ever would’ve expected, accepting my offer of friendship like that. Eyes sparkling. Dark with the same loneliness I felt. Maybe caring for Joe the way he needed meant that I’d never expose my true feelings or how deep they ran. Maybe that meant I’d quietly grow to love him. Cultivate a friendship that truly blossomed without anything to complicate it. Who cared if I’d never been more enamored with a person in my entire life? It didn’t matter. It didn’t fucking matter. What he needed, what he wanted, were what was important to me. Not my own feelings regarding the matter, or my own desires. Besides…as I pulled out of the parking lot at the bank, money secured, feeling more settled than I had since Madison had called me out, I realized Mary had been right. She often was, so this was no surprise. Regardless of how I chose to deal with my feelings toward Joe, one thing was for certain. I couldn’t let my experiences with Mary, my perceived “failures,” ruin what could be a perfectly good friendship. I needed to learn to let go of the past. At least, if I wanted a chance to have a happy future.
Hi there, I’m Fae Quin! I create queer joy on the page and on the canvas. As an author‑illustrator, I craft LGBTQIA+ rom‑coms that make you snort‑laugh, swoon, and feel gloriously seen. Since my debut novel Bite Me! (You Know I Like It) hit shelves in October 2022, I’ve released nearly a dozen MM romances—each one a fresh blend of wit, heart, and happily‑ever‑after. Long before that first book, I built a thriving online community through fan‑art and fan‑fiction; fandom taught me the power of loving out loud, and I carry that spirit into every story. My artwork has appeared in book boxes, special‑edition hardcovers, and indie presses since 2016, bringing characters (mine and others’) to vibrant life. Whether I’m plotting my next novel or inking a new illustration, my goal is the same: to leave you smiling, comforted, and just a little more in love with being alive. Welcome to my corner of the internet—stay, explore, and have fun.
Connect with Fae ➤ FB: @faelovesart | IG: Fae.loves.art
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