Confessions Series

Relationships are complex. Love is ever-changing. And when it comes to rules of the heart, they were made to be broken. That's what Robert Antonio Bianchi was telling himself, anyway. Otherwise, he really had no excuse for what - or who - he'd done. If there was a bad decision to be made, Robbie always had a knack for making it. And thus, begins the story of the priest, the princess, and the prick.

For the past eight years, Julien Thornton has been living with a secret. One that only a handful of people know about. To the outside world, he has it all. A thriving career. A loving husband. And a face that the American public fell for by the millions, on a reality show that inadvertently saved his life. But behind the shine of celebrity, behind the easygoing nature, a crippling truth fills Julien with pain and self-loathing. It's a truth that he fights to overcome daily with the help of his husband, Joel Priestley, and now their boyfriend, Robbie Bianchi.

I am complex. My love is all-encompassing. And when it comes to my heart, there is only one rule: Don’t mess with what’s mine. Until the age of seven, I was Joel Alexander Donovan, son of Jimmy. The man who terrorized a town and made its citizens fear the very ground he walked on. Including me, the day I realized that ground ran red with blood. At age 18, I became Priest. A man without a past. A man determined to right the wrongs of my father. A man who never believed anyone could love the son of such a monster.

Everyone said our love wouldn’t work. That it was too hard, too complicated, too messy. Oh how I enjoy proving everyone wrong.

That’s never been the case for Henri Boudreaux. Son of a criminal. Ex-boyfriend to a priest. Henri's made a career out of getting in trouble and avoiding the law. So, when he winds up in bed with it, he knows that things are about to get...complicated. But what’s life without taking a few risks? And what’s a risk without the threat of being caught? No one's ever accused Henri of being good man. And officer Craig Bailey is about to find out just how bad he can be.

Black and white. Right and wrong. That’s how Craig Bailey has always lived his life. The son of a fallen, decorated police officer, he’s had no choice but to follow the rules. Until he met the ultimate bad boy and decided to follow him instead. Henri Boudreaux is everything Bailey never knew he wanted. Mysterious, sexy, and hiding more secrets than friends. He’s exactly the kind of man Bailey knows could break his heart. But there’s a vulnerability to Henri that calls to Bailey. A longing for a connection that Bailey is unable to resist.

Desire. Dominance. Sex. Ethan Holt is in the business of all three. He believes that any fantasy can be created and that any kink should be explored. Why wouldn’t he, when he has several of his own? Control. Ethan has to have it. In his job at The Office. In his relationship with Zayne. He's very particular on who he lets in his world, and even more so on who he lets in his bed. After all, he’s not the only one who sleeps in it.

Zayne Copeland’s been getting in trouble for as long as he can remember. But if trouble goes by the name Ethan Holt, he’s quite okay with that. Why wouldn’t he be, when Ethan has been the one to show him what love is? From boys to men. From school to the office. He and Ethan have always been inseparable. They’re possessive of one another, protective to a fault. They had to be to survive. But as they fall deeper for Chloé, the woman they’ve claimed as their own, they realize they have to open up their lives in order to hang on to her.

Chloé Thornton-Priestley has lived a life most dream of. One that was nurtured with love, acceptance, and trust. Raised by three wonderful men, she is free-spirited and has never let society’s conventions tame her. Why would she, when she’s seen what beauty can come from an unconventional love? Life is good. She has her family. Her dream job. Her future is going exactly as planned. The last thing she is looking for is more men in her life. Her fathers and brother are enough. So no one is more surprised than Chloé to find out she has fallen in love with not one, but two of them.

Jingle Bell Rock features seven couples from across the Ella and Brooke universe, all coming together in one story to bring you joy, happiness, and a little Christmas cheer.