St. Paul, Minnesota
1954
Stephen Vincelli peaked in high school. Eight years later, he’s stuck at a dead-end job, living in a ramshackle boarding house, with a love life cobbled together from a handful of one-night stands. So for Winter Carnival, he’s turning a new leaf. No more hook-ups, no more bathhouses, and no more married men.
Except that as soon as he declares his intentions to the boys at Kreuger’s bar, he runs into the one married man it’s taken him eight years to forget.
Joe Milner has everything he’s ever wanted: a wife, a family, a house, and a steady job with a path to a promotion. So why is he so miserable? When Joe runs into Stephen again after eight years apart, he knows it’s too much to hope that they’ll pick up their friendship where they left off. But damn, it would be a relief to have someone he didn’t have to perform for.
As Joe and Stephen’s friendship reignites, Joe gets a firsthand look at what his life could have been if he’d been more honest with Stephen—and himself. As all his best-laid plans spiral out of control, Mr. Milner will have to decide what’s more important: fulfilling his duties, or facing up to his feelings.
Prequel to Mrs. Milner Gets a Kitchen.
Out April 30, 2026!
Note: Preorder will be direct sales only. After April 30, the eBook will be available through Books2Read on a wide variety of platforms. Bookstores can purchase print copies on Ingram using ISBN9798991391863 soon.
Tropes
Friends to lovers, Second chance romance, Everyone thinks they’re dating, Slow burn, Queer-awakening, Hurt/comfort, Found family
Content Notices
Emotional cheating and adultery, on-page divorce, fractured family, period-typical homophobia and associated punitive risks, depression and associated passive parenting.
Trailer
Reviews
Playlist
Footnotes
Ehrenhalt, Lizzie. “Over the Rainbow: Queer and Trans History in Minnesota.” MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society, June 16, 2025.
St. Paul City. “History of District Councils.” August 25, 2025. Accessed through St. Paul City.
St. Paul Winter Carnival Scrapbook, 1954. Accessed through the St. Paul Public Library.
Sazevich, Jim. “Italians.” St. Paul Historical. Historic St. Paul, 2026.
Van Cleve, Stewart. Land of 10,000 Loves. University of Minnesota Press: Minneapolis, 2012.





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