[Note from Frolic: We’re so excited to have author Erin McLellan guest posting on the site today. She’s paired some swoony winter romances with some delicious champagne cocktails, just for you. Take it away, Erin!]
Happy New Year, Frolic Readers!
New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays. There is such an atmosphere of possibility and potential when ringing in the new year. I usually opt for a house party with friends where games can be played, dancing can be done, and drinks can be drunk. But I’ve always loved the idea of huge New Year’s Eve parties with confetti, party dresses, and a huge countdown to midnight, which is one of the reasons I wrote Party Favors.
Party Favors is a f/f erotic romance about two online best friends who decide to meet in person for the first time for New Year’s Eve only to realize the room they booked only has one bed. Their chemistry quickly bubbles over, and they spend the holiday popping each other’s cork. It’s a fun, fast, and filthy New Year’s Eve romance that I hope you’ll enjoy!
This New Year’s Eve is looking a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean the holiday can’t be enjoyed from your living room. I’ve decided to embrace the lowkey for New Year’s Eve and plan to kick back with a nice meal, a good book, and, of course, my favorite drink!
So, if you’re on the hunt for some winter and New Year’s Eve romances to round out 2020, here is a list to get you started, all perfectly paired with a champagne cocktail just for you!
The Negroni Sbagliato goes great with Dine with Me by Layla Reyne, a story about a chef with cancer who goes on a last meal tour throughout the U.S. This heartfelt m/m romance takes place through the end of December culminating in a new year, and the main character’s favorite drink is the Negroni. This spin on the Negroni has sweet vermouth, Campari, and champagne, really giving a complex tour de force, much like Reyne’s novel. Check out the Serious Eats recipe.
Fire on the Ice by Tamsen Parker is a steamy f/f winter sports book, and it pairs great with the sweet and spicy Ginger Champagne cocktail. This opposites-attract romance between a speed skater and a figure skater explodes after a drunken night of gin drinking. This book goes great with a Ginger Champagne cocktail because the ginger cordial gives a kick of heat, and the gin pairs well with the gin drinking in the story. The recipe also uses lemon and, of course, champagne. Check it out at Delicious Magazine.
Jackie Lau’s books always feel so homey and comforting to me, so I paired A Fake Girlfriend for Chinese New Year with an Apple Cider Mimosa. When the hero needs to preempt his family’s matchmaking for Chinese New Year, he asks his best friend to play his girlfriend. The combination of a hilarious meddling family, fake dating, and scrumptious food descriptions make this one a favorite. The Apple Cider Mimosa has champagne, apple cider, whiskey, and apple slices. Check out the recipe at Esquire.
If you’re looking for quirky and fun, try pairing A Tale of Two Cities: A New Year Novella by Alexandra Warren with the Confetti Champagne cocktail. Warren’s novella is laugh-out-loud fun. It follows a heroine who travels to surprise her almost-boyfriend for New Year’s Eve only to realize he is not so single after all. She ends up hitting it off with her Uber driver, and he becomes her date for the evening. This book is playful, just like the Confetti Champagne cocktail that combines champagne, Sprite, vanilla vodka, and Pop Rocks. Check it out at Delish.
And, lastly, if you’re wanting to settle down with my f/f erotic romance for New Year’s Eve, Party Favors goes great with a classic French 75, which combines lemon, gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and champagne. I like this recipe from Epicurous.
About the Author:
Erin McLellan is the author of the Farm College, So Over the Holidays, and Storm Chasers series. She enjoys writing happily ever afters that are earthy, emotional, quirky, humorous, and very sexy. Originally from Oklahoma, she currently lives in Alaska and spends her time dreaming up queer contemporary romances.
Her latest release, Party Favors, is a f/f New Year’s Eve romance. Check it out to get your wintery romance fix.
Connect with Erin:
Facebook Group: https://smarturl.it/ErinMcLellansFBGroup
Newsletter: https://smarturl.it/mclellannewsletter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinmclellanwrites/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/emclellanwrites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorerinmclellan/
Website: https://www.erinmclellan.com
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/erin-mclellan
Website: https://smarturl.it/erinmclellan
Party Favors by Erin McLellan, out now!
Three…
Amanda Ellis knows three things: she’s tired of doing what’s expected of her, she hates her job at her family’s business, and the last thing she wants to do is attend her parents’ boring New Year’s Eve ball with a date her mother picked. A few days of fun with her online best friend is exactly what she needs to ring in the New Year on her own terms.
Two…
Wren Rebello is impulsive and always ready for fun. A last-minute girls’ getaway sounds like the perfect way to spend New Year’s. But even Wren isn’t prepared for the spark of attraction she feels when she meets Amanda in person for the first time. Good thing Wren loves popping Amanda’s cork.
One…
After days spent sharing end-of-year resolutions and the one bed in their cottage, the clock strikes midnight and the ball drops on their time together. As Amanda and Wren go their separate ways, they leave new resolutions unfulfilled. Is there enough New Year’s magic left to turn their online friendship into real-life love?
