Winter Knights (edition 2011)

Not sure what to think about this one. All the stories from this anthology have been rather angst ridden, with long separations and people having to prove themselves, and this one was worse -- death, Catholicism, internalised homophobia, tumours... In the end, I'm not sure what to think of it. The use of Arthur and Lancelot is interesting, and the hint about Gavin and Piers being Gawain and Percival... But I'm not sure it ever makes a coherent whole.

There's sex scenes, of course -- apparently there's no such thing as a gay love story without them -- and they're at least not embarrassingly bad, but, I don't know. I don't think I really bought into this one at all. ( )

Read for m/m team bingo special holiday theme challenge. ( )

Historian Gavin Lowden is in Northumberland on Christmas Eve for two reasons: to find evidence of a romantic bond between Arthur and Lancelot, and to finally tell his partner Piers that he loves him. Piers has promised to come clean with his conservative family and join Gavin for their first holiday as a couple, but at the last minute, he bails. Devastated, Gavin heads out onto the moors alone, just as snow begins to fall...

Gavin stumbles into an underground chamber, where strange happenings cause him to question what is real and what is fantasy. He's found by two mysterious men who offer him a bed for the night—and awaken him to nuances of erotic pleasure he didn't know existed. Pleasure he hopes to share with Piers.

When Piers learns that Gavin has gone missing, he is desperate to find him. He knows now breaking up was a terrible mistake, and he's ready to take the next step in their relationship—if it's not already too late.
This is an interesting "Twiglight Zone' type of a story.
A fast, entertaining read. But saw the ending coming a mile away. ( )

A loving relationship that just couldn't stay broken, all wrapped and tied with a bow of supernatural Arthurian Legend. A lovely Christmas gift, especially Art and Lance. ( )