Foothills Pride Box Set

The tiny Sierra Nevada community of Stone Acres looks benign on the outside, but it’s been a hive of activity since gay men from Silicon Valley began moving in. The Old Town establishment is up in arms as newcomers challenge the conservative community to move into the new millennium. Along the way, gay couples find true love and a new home.

Contains the stories:

What’s in a Name?: When barista Jimmy is dumped and gets drunk on his 30th birthday, a handsome, hunky bartender takes care of him, but is mum about his real name. When Jimmy presses him, the bartender makes the quest a game, giving him seven guesses and promising romance each night. For every wrong guess, Jimmy has to forfeit a hot, sexy kiss. Sounds good, but what’s the catch?

Redesigning Max: Out and proud award-winning designer Fredi Zimmer takes on straight outdoorsman Max Greene’s cabin renovation. When he finds out Max is closeted and wants to come out, Fredi helps Max remodel not only his cabin but his life. Angered that Fredi has turned him, Max’s former friends intervene. Will Fredi and Max win the fight for their happiness?

Behr Facts: After CEO Abe Behr discovers discrepancies in his construction company accounts, he hires CPA Jeff Mason to help him find the embezzler. Searching for the culprit, they become closer, and Abe realizes he’s gay. However, coming out to a hostile family and community may break up the couple before they cement their happiness. With so much strife, will love prevail?

When Adam Fell: Jason’s drug addiction ripped them apart. Does Adam want to get back together now that his former lover says he’s clean?

Relative Best: When hotel owner Zeke Bandy meets Vic Longbow, he sees stars. But Vic is in town to attend a wedding and to open an office, not to fall in love. Are they doomed as lovers because they’re both too busy for happily ever after?

Frank at Heart: What will it take to make hardware store owner Frank update himself and his store? Could the new man in town be the key to unlock Frank’s life and future happiness?

Waking the Behr: Ladies’ man and small town contractor Ben Behr is blindsided by his lustful feelings for San Francisco entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea. Can a country mouse and a city mouse bridge the gap in their upbringing and expectations to find love?

Short Order: Amid the happiness of the Christmas season, horticulturist Fen Miller and his landlord sous chef John Barton have some serious decisions to make. Fen must decide on a career and John on eluding his grim past. Together can they support each other enough to discover their happily ever after?

Published:
Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)
Editors:
JM Snyder
Cover Artists:
Written Ink Designs
Genres:
contemporary, MM, romance
Tags:
accountant, barista, bartender, bird watcher, cabin, chef, college graduate, computer game designer, construction worker, contemporary, embezzlement, entrepreneur, family, Foothills Pride series, gay romance, hardware store, hotel owner, interior designer, LGBTQ+, maitre d', MM, movie scout, music, Native American, Northern California, outdoorsman, POC, San Francisco, second chance, second chance at love, second chance love, short men, Sierra Nevada foothills, software designer, sous chef, starting over, teenager
Excerpt:

EXCERPT FROM "What's in a Name?"

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    • Is there anything worse than waking up with a really bad hangover? The answer, I found out that morning, was a solid yes. My particular hell was waking up in a strange bed with someone lying next to me, who's snoring away so loud I was surprised the neighbors weren't complaining. What made it all worse was I had to pee really, really bad, and I didn't have a clue where the bathroom was.
    • I lay on my back taking stock. I was naked, covered with a beige sheet and navy blue comforter in a huge bed, my head taking up most of the California king space.
    • Where the heck was I? I had no clue. I really didn't care because I was hurting so badly it'd probably be better if whoever lived here would just shoot me and put me out of my misery.
    • Still, I had to pee, so I slowly swam to the edge of the bed, trying not to move any body parts. Which was a complete failure. I ached all over. Had someone beaten me up?
    • As I reached the side of the bed and peered over the edge at the floor a few stories below, I groaned. Where was the ladder to climb down to the carpeting? I clutched the edge of the bed with one hand and rolled to my side.
    • "Hey, where you going, Jimmy?"
    • I hadn't noticed the snoring had stopped until the voice boomed in my ear.
    • Carefully, I turned my head.
    • The Stonewall Saloon bartender with the nametag of Alex last night was peering at me over his chest of hair. His eyes were squinted. A slender beam of light from a gap in the curtains was aimed at his face.
    • "Bathroom. Pee." I sighed. "Gotta pee."
    • "Right." He groaned and caused a tidal wave on the mattress even though it wasn't a water bed.
    • My body reacted with the seismic quake and my stomach protested. I swallowed back the rising pain even though I knew my gut had nothing left in it to come up.
    • I felt large hands under my arms.
    • "Right this way."
    • His voice clanged from one of my ears to the other.
    • He turned me, and we marched to a doorway and into the bathroom. Carefully, he lowered my nude body down onto the toilet.
    • "No spilling." He turned away and walked into the hallway.
    • I pushed my limp dick between my legs and did my thing, not spilling a drop on the bathroom floor or the toilet seat. Then I rested my arm on the sink counter next to the toilet and put my head on my arm.
    • "Nope, no snoozing here." His voice boomed. "C'mon. It's way too early for this shit."
    • Again arms lifted me. After I balanced myself, one hand left. The toilet roiled. The hand returned.
    • "We'd usually wash our hands," the voice murmured through me, "but I think we'll skip it this time."
    • Back in bed, covered, dry mouthed, I decided it was again nap time.
    • * * * *
    • The next time I woke, I was awake. Awake awake. Oh my God, where in the hell am I awake. Shit, I'm in big trouble awake. Where are my clothes awake.
    • I took inventory. No pain in the ass. That was a relief. No smell of semen. Check, and another sigh. No aches and pains that weren't directly related to way, way too many shots and beers, check. No clothes. No clothes?
    • I was okay, pretty much, other than naked, hungover, and in a stranger's house.
    • Damn it, I was thirty years old, naked in a stranger's bed, with only a hazy recollection of what happened after my now former boyfriend Alex stranded me at the Stone Acres' historic saloon.
    • I had a hazy memory of the bartender helping me to the bar bathroom the night before and this morning. So was I at his house? If so, how'd I get here?
    • "Um," I tried to say, but my mouth was glued shut.
    • I reached over to feel the side of the bed. Still there. Then I reached over to the other side. Nothing. No one.
    • Okay, I was alone in a strange bed as my memory filtered back online. I had been an ass, and the bartender with the faux name of Alex had taken care of me anyway. I owed him my firstborn child, should such a thing happen to me now in my boyfriendless state. I owed Alex the bartender everything, including my pride and gratitude.
    • What I really needed to do was apologize for causing him so much trouble.
    Slowly I sat up and then stood. My knees protested, so I sat back down and then tried again. This time my knees cooperated.

 

 

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The Orpheum Miracle

Christmas joy is a matter of perspective. For some, it’s the happiest time of the year. For others, not so much.

Twenty-nine-year-old Mick, the son of crack addicts, isn’t exactly a dyed-in-the-wool Scrooge. Mick’s been on his own from childhood. As a teen, he lived in a shelter, where for a short time he had a boyfriend. After the boyfriend left, Mick moved to the Orpheum Theater. While squatting there and taking care of the grand old building, Mick watched others celebrate the holidays from a distance, never able to share in their merriment. Only his

Technicolor dreams liven his dull, mechanical life until one day the world around him begins to change. Mick is surprised when a man named Jim buys the vintage Orpheum and plans to restore it. Something about Jim makes Mick think they’ve met before. In fact, Jim rekindles Mick’s longing for a better life and a little holiday magic for himself.

Published:
Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)
Editors:
JM Snyder
Cover Artists:
Written Ink Designs
Genres:
contemporary, holiday, MM, romance
Tags:
construction worker, contemporary, daydream, entrepreneur, gay romance, homeless, LGBTQ+, MM, movie theater, nightmare, non-series title, second chance, second chance at love, second chance love
Excerpt:

In early November, a new banner across the Orpheum Theater went up saying: Welcome to Christmas, the happiest time of the year. Coming soon.

Far as I could tell, Christmas was when children danced around like clowns on crack. Besotted parents cavorted around them like ninnies in the stupid race. And the rest of us stood back waiting for the inevitable explosion.

Despite how it started, Christmas had been morphed by the rich into a season of greed. It had nothing to do with whether a kid was good or bad, but how much money his folks had. Take the kids I knew down at the shelter. Shit, they could be as good as little angels, and the best they’d ever get was someone’s cast-off pity, which wasn’t going to do them a damned bit of good when the holiday parade of who-got-what started at school.

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All Christmas did, as far as I was concerned, was make poor kids feel worse and rich kids feel more powerful and more ready to rub everyone else’s nose in their misfortune. And we all knew, where you started was pretty much where you ended up in life. The Christmas miracle was a lie that should have been shot in the head and buried eons ago.

Fortunately, here in the bowels of the old Orpheum Theater, the only Christmas merry-makers left were ghosts of vaudevillians, chorus girls, corrupt managers, and the live help. Those of us who weren’t going from office party to cocktail land were left here to sweep the floors, squeegee jizz off bathroom walls, pry gum from under seats, and oust anything that moves after the doors were closed and locked.

I’ve been called cynical, a Scrooge, a vulture perched and ready to rip the eyes out of the season. It wasn’t true. I was as big a sap as the next guy.

I was still working here at the Orpheum, wasn’t I?

Even after the new guy, a hotshot investor type, bought the building and threatened to give the Orpheum the Wonderful Life makeover, I was still here. The stately Orpheum might be closed to the public for renovation, but as the longest paid employee, I was one of the lucky bastards kept on during the project.

(After the new manager comes in, and our narrator Mick gets a promotion….)

That night, after we piloted the last cleaner on his way out the door and  I lagged behind the rest of the regular staff as they got out of there, I sat in the dark, the theater locked, the alarm on, and the heat turned down to its slumber setting.

For the past few years now, I’d sit like this, middle of the center row, shoes off, three pairs of socks, blanket bundled around me, feet and legs over the seat back in front of me. Sometimes I ate the leftover popcorn, sometimes not. I didn’t ever steal, so no candy, hot dogs, chips, or anything I wasn’t entitled to.

I’d sit, relax, and run my own movie, my mind movie. Sometimes it was a romance, with me meeting the perfect guy. Usually, he was walking by the Orpheum and a heavy rainstorm or windstorm blew in and he had to get out of the elements. Sometimes he’d run into me as I was cleaning up the lobby, maybe spilling some popcorn he’d just bought.

“Damn. Sorry,” he’d say.

Our eyes would meet, and that’s all she wrote.

(After Mick reminisces about his one, true love….)

So back in the Orpheum at bedtime, romances were my all-time favorite dream fare. My second favorites were homemade domestic comedies. Me, the dad of a brood of spritely boys, and husband to a goofy, well-meaning guy, whose day job working in an office was driving him nuts. We’d take the boys on camping trips and tell stories around the fire. We’d teach them all the stuff we’d learned as we grew up.

My husband, who grew up in a white-picket-fence-type family, would give them tips about being good, upright citizens. I’d pass along all my street lore. Where to find food that isn’t too tainted, where to find shelter, who to trust—no one—who to stay away from—everyone. My husband would tell them about fairy-tale hopes and dreams, about Christmas. I’d ground them with a reality where hopes and dreams only happened on film. Our lives would be paradise.

I liked watching my homemade DIY romances and domestic comedies. I could fall sound asleep, only getting up a couple of times to stretch my legs and take a piss. On those nights, I’d wake up rested, ready to meet the day, hardly missing breakfast or a real meal. Over the years, Randy, like some of my wilder hopes and dreams, faded. I wished I could remember what his face looked like, but after all this time, it was just a hazy blur, never coming into focus. No matter. My hero wasn’t so much a face as the feeling of being protected and happy.

COLLAPSE
Reviews:Dan on LoveBytes wrote:

I really liked this one. It tugged at the heartstrings in places. Especially one section.

“You forgot that not everyone was a child of kindness and wealth?

You forgot that Christmas is just a season of too much buying and too little love?

You forgot that some of us aren’t worthy of love?

You forgot that a child’s wonder doesn’t get to happen to every child, just select ones?”

Don’t those lines just make you put it in perspective? The M/C of this story is a young man who grew up hard. His mother was a crack addict and his father was gone. He grew up in a crack house, where I think bad things happened. It kind of referenced them in an aside, so I’m not sure, but regardless, he ended up in a shelter as a teen living on the street. He had a boyfriend for a short time, but the boy disappeared and no one ever knew where he went. He was rumored to be dead.

Since then his life hasn’t improved much. He is still homeless, but now lives in the theater he works in. It is a secret, but there is a new owner, who might not be as understanding.

This is nice little story. I really liked it and I would highly recommend it!

A. M. Liebowitz on A. M. Liebowitz wrote:

If you’re looking for a little sweet, gentle holiday read, this is a good choice. It’s warm-hearted and has the overall feel of taking a big bite out of a delicious holiday sugar cookie.

Mick, the homeless jack-of-all-trades employee (and resident) of the Orpheum Theater doesn’t believe in Christmas cheer. He hasn’t had a lot of reason to. But he’s still a dreamer, and somehow he manages to keep his hope alive even with all he’s been through. I liked Mick very much as a narrator. Right away, he had me hoping right a long with him. I loved his “mental movies” where he gets to be the star.

This is very short, easy to read in just about the length of time it takes to enjoy a good cup of mulled cider. There isn’t much I can say without spoiling the story and the delightful surprises along the way. Is it a little bit tidy and improbable? Sure. Some readers might find the coincidences a little too handy or the middle a bit too short to feel fully satisfying. But isn’t that exactly what makes holiday magic fun? We don’t need the same level of having things drawn-out as in a full novel.

It’s everything I’ve come to expect (and appreciate) about Pat Henshaw’s writing: heartwarming, funny, and doesn’t rely on sensuality to carry the plot. This is a great cozy fireside read. It’s also a terrific introduction to the author’s style for new readers.

For a lot of sweetness, a delightful main character, and a cup of holiday cheer, this gets 9/10 fountain pens.

Prime on MM Good Book Reviews wrote:

I really have become a true fan of Pat Henshaw’s work since getting into the Foothills Pride series. The Orpheum Miracle is Pat’s offering this year to Dreamspinner Press’s Christmas themed stories.

This is a really sweet and uplifting story, which reminded me a bit Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol when it comes to basing the entire thing around Christmas and orphans. Mick is the character narrating our story. He lived in a kid’s home most of his life, never adopted and all he really has is his job managing the Orpheum Theatre. He really has only connected with one person in his life, but that was back in his teens and that kid had disappeared from his life when the kid got adopted.

Things change one Christmas, a time of year he has never got to love, when he meets the new owner of the theatre, Jim. Jim is a bit mysterious, but you’ll figure out the ending before you get there probably. Nonetheless, the romance that begins to develop between the MCs is sweet and I totally loved it!

Molly on MollyLolly wrote:

This was a sweet holiday short. I liked Mick and his boss together. It was obvious at first who he was. But the reveal was still sweet and nice to read. I liked getting to see Mick transforming from someone that dislikes the season to someone that loves it. That slow melting of his opinion is wonderful. There was just enough story here you could get a sense of Mick and get invested in his happy ending. Mick and his guy are wonderful together and you can tell they’re going to make a go of a relationship. I do have faith they’ll go the distance based on how they met. I would adore a sequel. Maybe next holiday we can see them a few years from now with the theater a huge success and they share holiday joy with everyone? I’d read the heck out of it if no matter what it was about.


Waking the Behr

When he sees entrepreneur Mitch O’Shea whirling around an empty building, contractor Ben Behr is enchanted. Even though his two brothers are gay, Ben always thought he was a ladies’ man until he met Mitch.

Despite his feelings, Ben knows San Francisco native Mitch is totally out of his league. What could Ben possibly do to get out-and-proud Mitch to notice him?

Turns out Mitch is just as attracted to Ben. As they compete in car rallies, camp in the Sierra Navada foothills, and tour the bars Mitch owns in the city, they realize how stifled they’ve been their entire lives.

Maybe looking over the fence and jumping it to explore what’s on the other side are good ideas. When these two seemingly opposites get together, will Ben and Mitch find out they have the world at their feet and might even have love in their hearts?

Published:
Publisher: JMS Books (https://www.jms-books.com/)
Cover Artists:
Written Ink Designs
Genres:
contemporary, MM, romance
Tags:
construction worker, contemporary, entrepreneur, Foothills Pride series, gay romance, MM, novella, San Francisco, Sierra Nevada foothills
Excerpt:

Contractor Ben runs into his brother Con while out to lunch with client Mitch. Ben, who thinks of himself as a ladies’ man, is trying to come to terms with his sudden attraction to Mitch. Rita is Mitch’s car.

My gut screamed that Con was encroaching, which was really weird. It wasn’t like I had any real designs on Mitch. I mean, I’m straight, even though I was between women and didn’t really feel like hunting down another one at the moment.

So what if I was attracted to Mitch? He was a good-looking guy. I had a lot of good-looking friends.

True, none of them made me want to run my hands all over them, though. Which was beside the point, right?

“So you’re here for lunch?” Con asked Mitch.

I nodded, but Con didn’t acknowledge me.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, staring at Mitch.

Couldn’t he tell he was the third wheel at this party?

I shrugged, and Mitch nodded. I had no clue what the nod meant.

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Lorraine, the Bottom’s co-owner, latched on to us near the hostess stand, scooped up three menus, and said over her shoulder, “Right this way.”

Connor was having lunch with us, then.

“Let me give you a quick overview about the roadhouse, Mitch. Then you’ll have some basic info to think about. Okay?” This was a working lunch, right? So I’d best be acting businesslike.

Mitch nodded, and Con, fortunately, figured out what was going on and shut the fuck up.

After we ordered, I walked Mitch through the building’s long list of minuses and its one plus—it was a sturdy old bugger. He told me he’d get back to me about what he was going to do. I had a feeling he’d already decided and was going to call the Realtor to make an offer once we were back in town. You don’t often find guys dancing around like crazy idiots who don’t already have their minds made up.

As we ate, I watched Mitch and Con chat. I sat there and mentally took notes on how gay guys flirt. If nothing else, I guess I could chalk lunch up as a learning experience.

 

 

Right before we got dessert, Mitch asked Con what guys did around here for fun. Nobody mentioned the missing “gay” before the word “guys,” but we all knew it was there.

Con told him about Stonewall Saloon with its gay owner and bartender as well as a couple of clubs in a fifty-mile radius.

I thought they’d be off on another of their shared experiences discussions, but Mitch surprised the crap out of me by asking what I did for fun. I’d given up on learning how to flirt with a man and had switched to thinking about Rita and the drive up here, as well as the rest of my stops for the day. I was buried so deep in thought I had to ask him to repeat his question.

“Me? What I do for fun?”

Yup, I sounded like I was loose a screw or two.

Mitch smiled as if he found my reaction funny.

“Uh, well, Con already told you about Stonewall. It’s not just a gay bar but more of an everybody bar.” I scratched my head as I thought. “Well, except women. Not a whole lot of them there. You have to go….”

Yeah, right. Like Mitch was interested in where to go to pick up girls. Con was staring at me with a puzzled frown.

“Uh, well, anyway. Um, I’m mostly a country boy. Even more than my brothers.” I shifted in my chair. My hands and feet felt too big and too in the way. “I like stuff like fishing, hunting, camping—stuff like that.”

Mitch had brightened at my list and seemed to be sitting a little closer to me, maybe even leaning in a little .

“You like to go camping?” He made it sound like a special treat to sleep outdoors. “How about canoeing or kayaking or rafting? Do you like those too?”

“Are you kidding?” Con asked and snorted. “If you can do it outside, Ben’s your man. He’s done all of it . And actually liked it. Right, Ben?”

I nodded even though my face was getting hot. I didn’t know why I was blushing. I did like  to do all of that, as well as skiing, motocross, swimming, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Only outdoor activities I wasn’t partial to were birdwatching or counting wildlife. Those I left to people who didn’t like to get dirty.

“Are you any good, Ben?”

Mitch’s curiosity seemed odd. What the hell did he care? It wasn’t like we were going to bond or anything over any of it.

Con butted in before I could answer. “I hate the outdoors, but if I had to go, I can’t think of a better person to be with.” Con’s compliment took me by surprise. “Ben knows the area around here like the back of his hand. He should take you out sometime. Then you’d see what I mean.”

He stopped and shot me a fucking “got you” grin. But he wasn’t finished.

“You know, if you’re going to be here this weekend, there’s a rally on Saturday. You could go  along as Ben’s navigator.” He turned to me with a twinkle in his eyes. “I’m sorry, bro, I can’t do it. I promised both Monique’s and the Bottom extra desserts ’cuz this weekend’s supposed to be so busy for them.”

Con’s smirk said “you can thank me later” even though he knew I probably wouldn’t be in the thanking mood.

Mitch brightened and turned to me.

“What’s a rally?”

With a quick glare at Con, I explained it was a car competition of sorts. A race that wasn’t a race, exactly.

In the back of my mind, I tried to figure out what Con was doing. He acted like he was setting me up on a date, but that couldn’t be right. Could it?

Mitch stared at me for a few seconds, then at Con.

“You know, I think I’d like to go with you, Ben. I’d like that a lot.” Finally he settled his gaze on me and grinned. “You’ve got a date.”

Now I felt like I must be  brick red, and my ability to speak had left the building. What the fuck had just happened?

COLLAPSE
Reviews:Kenna on Joyfully Jay wrote:

I am going to recommend this one, especially to fans of OFY and opposites finding each other.

Jenn on Diverse Reader wrote:

This is a short read and is book 7 in a series, but can be read as a stand-alone. I liked this book, I liked seeing these two guys find their way to an HEA. Mitch and Ben are a great quick read with some laughs and love!

MelanieM on Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words wrote:

When they share their lives and grow closer, they start to question the way they’ve always defined themselves. Then they kiss and fling open the door to love. Now they must step up and travel the road that may lead to happily ever after—even if that path isn’t one they ever expected to walk.

Waking the Behr is another cute story in The Foothills Pride series by Pat Henshaw.

Both characters come across as intelligent, warm hearted and loving. I enjoyed their dance towards romance and a HEA. I also love that we get to see other characters from previous stories play minor roles here. It’s nice to see them again.

Prime on MM Good Book Reviews wrote:

I have absolutely loved this series – I love the writing, the plot lines and most importantly the characters. Waking the Behr is no exception.

If you’ve read the previous books of the Foothills Pride series, you’ll know what type of story to expect. This is a really sweet book. The characters have sizzling hot attraction and I love how they both develop as I got to know them. I feel that I really got to know them and that of course made it so easy to relate to the guys.