‘Between the Holidays’ is erotic romance novel that isn’t safe for work | Book Talk

A content warning at the beginning of “Between the Holidays,” an erotic romance by Vermilion author Amanda Bryk, says: “This book contains adult content including detailed sexual encounters.” The following page reiterates “NSFW” (not safe for work). This is accurate and should be observed.

After a painful divorce, Val is in a toxic relationship with Allen, who misses no opportunity to disparage her. She tells her friend she’s with Allen because “he’s safe and that’s good enough.” He isn’t, and it’s not.

One night Allen takes Val to a bar to meet an old friend: Kold isn’t too happy to get the call because Allen owes him money and probably isn’t going to pay up, but he comes anyway. Val and Kold strike up an immediate attraction — far more than that, in fact, as Kold’s internal monologue includes “This girl is the image of perfection … I have loved her for a thousand lifetimes, and tonight is the beginning of a thousand and one.”

Kold regrets not making a move on Val and spends the next weeks trying to find her, encouraged by his identical twin brother Darc. They meet again briefly and then spend more weeks mooning over each other in alternate chapters, with some explicit scenes.

Val finally dumps Allen for Kold and they embark on a passionate relationship, with Kold pressing for commitment and monogamy while skittish Val, damaged by previous losers and an inferiority complex, expects to be cast aside at any moment.

It’s not clear what any of the characters does for a living, except Kold confesses that he and Darc have “a black book of under-the-table dealings.” The relationship between the brothers is cordial on the surface but venomous down deep. Val has fantasies of sex with Darc.

Kold’s possessiveness and flashpoint jealousy aren’t positive signs, and Val is so easily used and manipulated that his “All she has to agree to is a lifetime in a gilded cage” doesn’t mesh well with her “I’m better suited for a broom cupboard in the basement.” Is his love a trap? Both Kold and Darc have anger management problems. Kold makes ominous references to a violent past.

The unrestricted and sadomasochistic sexual content aside, the story is disturbing. The twins take over all aspects of Val’s life. The minute-by-minute apologizing for superficial slights shows a lack of emotional stability of all the characters. Val and Kold constantly express their love, but this is as much about control and submission as it is about love.

Val meets Kold and Darc on Halloween, and the book ends on New Year’s Eve. Between the holidays — about eight weeks, is NSFW. Remember, NSFW.

“Between the Holidays” (522 pages, softcover) costs $18.99 from online retailers. Bryk’s other books include the Locked Away series featuring a female corrections officer.

Awards

Kent State University professor Jamie Capuzza’s book “The Fifth Star: Ohio’s Fight for Women’s Right to Vote” has won the 2024 Senior Scholar Publication Award from the Ohio Department of History.

Among the nominees for the 2024 Buckeye Children’s Book Awards and the 2024 Buckeye Teen Book Award are Columbus authors Margaret Peterson Haddix for “The Secret Letters: Mysteries of Trash and Treasure Book 1,” Grades 3-5, and Natalie D. Richards for “Four Found Dead,” Grades 9-12. Voting is open to any student in Ohio at www.bcbookaward.info.

Events

Hower House (60 Fir Hill, Akron): Tallmadge author Amanda Flower discusses her historical novel “To Slip the Bonds of Earth,” about the Wright Brothers’ sister Katharine, 6:30 p.m. Monday during Museum Musings. Admission for nonmembers is $8. Registration is encouraged at 330-972-6909.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Parma-Snow branch, 2121 Snow Road): Columbus poet and essayist (“A Little Devil” ) Hanif Abdurraqib talks to author Danny Caine (“How to Protect Bookstores and Why”) about Abdurraqib’s “There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension,” 7 to 8 p.m. Monday. The $30 admission includes a copy of the book; masks are required. From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Lisa Scottoline talks about “The Truth About the Devlins”; the $30 admission includes a copy of the book. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Smithsonian Institution curator Paula J. Johnson talks about “The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us: A Sweeping History of Food and Culture,” 2 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.

Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Historian Christopher Heaney talks about “Empires of the Dead: Inca Mummies and the Peruvian Ancestors of American Anthropology,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Registration is full for Valerie Bertinelli’s talk about “Indulge: Delicious and Decadent Dishes to Enjoy and Share” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, but there is a waiting list for the live simulcast; go to hudsonlibrary.org.

Loganberry Books (13015 Larchmere Blvd., Shaker Heights): Cleveland Heights author and illustrator Fern Haught launches the debut graphic young adult fantasy “The Baker and the Bard,” 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (Middleburg Heights branch, 16699 Bagley Road): Keith O’Brien talks about “Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball,” 1 to 2 p.m. Friday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Mac’s Backs (1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights): Frances Cannon (poetry collection “Fling Diction”) and Sam Cohen (short story collection “Sarahland”) read from their works from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Richey Piiparinen reads from “Octopus Hunting.”

Tuscarawas County Public Library (121 Fair Ave. NW, New Philadelphia): Shelley Shepard Gray talks about her Amish romance “Her Heart’s Desire,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at tusclibrary.org.

Barnes & Noble (28801 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere): Ruby Lee Gamble joins Storytime to read from “The Adventures of J-Man: The Power of the Giraffe,” 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Cuyahoga County Public Library (South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch, 1876 S. Green Road, South Euclid): “A Gathering of Laurels” marks National Poetry Month as poets laureate from cities around Ohio read from their work, 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Register at cuyahogalibrary.org.

Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Between the Holidays’ by Amanda Bryk is erotic tale