A brothel boy with no dreams left. A rich man with everything but love. This Christmas, they risk it all for each other. (A stand-alone novel in the Hornet's Nest Series)

December 1898. Snow falls on New York City, and behind the discreet doors of The Hornet’s Nest—the city’s most infamous male brothel—desire, longing, and danger simmer.

Henri has watched friend after friend leave the Nest in search of freedom, each daring to risk everything for love. Still he remains, bound by fear and habit, telling himself that survival is safer than dreams. But when a wealthy stranger steps into his world, Henri must face the most perilous choice of all: cling to the life he knows, or reach for the one thing he has never dared to claim.

James was once a man of the law, a New York cop. Now, inheritance has thrust him into wealth and idleness—but not purpose. In Henri, James sees not just forbidden passion, but a cause worth fighting for. Yet society’s judgment looms large, and whispers already threaten to expose the scandal: their golden heir has set his sights on a house of men who sell their bodies.

Money can buy silks, jewels, even a brothel. But it cannot purchase the one thing both Henri and James hunger for most: a love that endures. This Christmas, will they defy a world determined to tear them apart—or will fear keep them in the shadows?

With lush romance, heart-wrenching stakes, and heat enough to melt the winter frost, Elli Jackson delivers another unforgettable tale in the Hornet’s Nest series. Henri and James’s story can be read on its own—but once you enter the Nest, you may never want to leave.

M/M Spicy Romance · HEA · Class Divide · Holiday Setting