Category: M/M Romance

A MelanieM Review: Murder Book (Boystown 5) by Marshall Thornton

Rating: 5 plus  stars out of 5

 

In the second of the Boystown mysteries to be a finalist for the Lambda Award, it’s fall 1982 and Chicago is gripped by panic after five people die from poisoned Tylenol capsules. Amid the chaos, the Bughouse Slasher takes his eighth victim, this time striking close to private investigator Nick Nowak.

With the Chicago Police Department stretched to its limit, Nick takes matters into his own hands. But what will he do with the Bughouse Slasher once he finds him.

Just when you think you know how Marshall Thornton will break your heart, his characters and story twists and shatters it in ways you never expected.

That’s what happened in Murder Book, the fifth novel in Marshall Thornton’s Boystown series. In this story, the author lifts a horrific series of murders direct from the  80’s headlines, that of the Tylenol poisonings of 1982 in Chicago.  It changed the pharmaceutical industry and our nation but here Thornton uses it as a narrative framework wherein he place’s another murder investigation ongoing at the same time.  Each investigation has the same parameters.    There have been multiple murders. The race is on to catch the killer before they strike again. But there it stops.

The Tylenol poisoner is high profile.  The search has the backing of many agencies.  It’s victims range from a child to adults and its potential victims could be anyone.  The fear is overwhelming the population and the push to find the culprit enormous.  No expense is being spared.

Then there is the other one.  The smaller investigation.  One that has been all but  forgotten.  That of the Bughouse Slasher who’s targets are young gay men, often found on the streets.  Not victims that the Chicago PD or anyone is pushing to solve their murders especially.  Excerpt for the now ill, ex Det Harker and his lover Nick Novak who have become involved through previous events and Harker’s former  Slasher cases.

Starting from the very first page, everything has come home to Nick Novak.  Its like walking into a wound that’s still tearing open.  And that walking trauma is NIck as we start to live his life.  This story is shocking, heartbreaking, gritty and real.  It will bring together many of the people we have come to know in a relentless search for a killer.

There will be no spoilers here.  Just simply my endless admiration for the author who created such a character, and has stayed true to him, messy life, unbelievable pain, and struggles to continue.  It is unbelievably compelling reading.  Brilliant even to the point that even once through is not enough.

When someone asks you, what are the characters that have made an impact on you, Nick Novak, is on that list.  This story is among the reasons  why as is the series.

Start at the first collection and see why for yourself today.  I highly recommend them all.

Cover art works to brand the series and sets the tone for the story.

Sales Links:Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 184 pages
Published February 6th 2015 (first published April 4th 2013)
ASINB00R0HDAZS
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesBoystown #5
Literary AwardsLambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Mystery (2013)

Series:

Boystown Bundle 1 – 3 – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #4 A Time For Secrets – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #5 Murder Book – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #6 From The Ashes – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #7 Bloodlines – Amazon US | Amazon UK (ON SALE for 99c)
Book #8 The Lies That Bind – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #9 Lucky Days – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #10 Gifts Given – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Book #11 Hearts Desire – Amazon US | Amazon UK (PREORDER

An Alisa Review: That’s My Ethan by Tarian PS

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

This is our story, mine and Ethan’s.

It is our story about two gay men, (well, one gay and one bi), beating the false pretenses that gay men can’t know love at first sight, let alone stay together, happily ever after. They are all wrong.

I’m not a gay married man, I’m a happily married gay man.

And I am going to prove it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

They met in college. Damir was a player in every sense of the word and proud of it– Ethan wanted nothing to do with the game; yet neither would deny the attraction they shared was too potent to resist. So what are two young men to do when the lines are too irresistible not to cross? A safeword.

It was a lifestyle structure that gave them the means to grow together, even as they struggled to understand it along the way. But what never wavered was who they’d set their goals to be with. Sometimes you just know. The challenge is making it possible.

I liked knowing this story is a true story and it wouldn’t be wonderful all the time.  Damir (and his whole frat) are sluts, to put it bluntly, but when he sees Ethan is almost puts everything on pause. Ethan was hurt by his family when they kicked him out and is very cautious about getting involved with anyone.

Damir does change his ways when he really gets a chance to be with Ethan and I could see him determined to do anything to prove himself to him.  Ethan has worked very hard to support himself and finish school and doesn’t want to do anything to take his focus away.

Okay, I liked Ethan and it took me awhile to warm up to Damir and when he cleans his act up he really can be a good guy.  I get this book is based on Damir and Ethan’s life but there were a few things that happened in the book that are big no go’s for me.  There is a bit more “sharing” than I preferred in serious relationship and a scene near the end of the book when they brought a women into their bed and there were way too many descriptors for me.  I did like seeing them navigate their relationship and find love together with real life causing problems even with those things.

The cover art by TPS Publishing is great and I love the visual of Ethan.

Sales Link: Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 231 pages

Published: April 29, 2018

Edition Language: English

In The Contemporary Fiction Spotlight : Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister (Exclusive Excerpt and Fabulous Giveaway)

Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister

Riptide Publishing

Cover Art: Shayne Leighton

Sales Links:  Riptide Publishing | Amazon

Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Kristina Meister here today on tour with her new release, Cinderella Boy.  She’s brought an exclusive excerpt and an outstanding  giveaway for all to enter.  Make sure to leave your email address where you can be reached if chosen along with a comment.

✒

About Cinderella Boy

 

Being perfect isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

 

Sixteen-year-old Declan is the perfect son . . . except for one tiny issue. When his sister Delia comes home to find him trying on her clothes, he fears her judgment, but she only fears his fashion choices. One quick makeover later, Declan is transformed into Delia’s mysterious cousin Layla and dragged to the party of the year, hosted by Carter, the most popular boy in school.

 

When Carter meets Layla, he fumbles to charm her. He adores her sense of humor and her poise. But when she vanishes in the middle of the night, he’s left confused and determined to solve the mystery of who she is.

 

As their school year begins, their high school embraces a policy of intolerance, and both Declan and Carter know they must stand up. Carter is tired of being a coward and wants to prove he can be a knight in shining armor. Declan is sick of being bullied and wants desperately to be himself. If they team up, it could be a fairy-tale ending, or a very unhappy ever after.

Exclusive Excerpt

 

“He wants to know if he freaked you out,” Delia said, looking at her phone.

The den was warm despite the air-conditioning. They languished over the huge sectional like a couple of marooned polar bears. Declan watched the blades of the ceiling fan circle, his smooth legs stretched out over her lap. She had lent him one of her tank tops and a pair of denim shorts so that he would feel comfortable during his mental breakdown.

“Gee, I don’t know. Is it customary for your first kiss to make you feel simultaneously amazing and like the shittiest person on earth?”

“So . . . I’ll tell him it’s not him, it’s you?”

Declan covered his face with a pillow. “I can’t go out with him on a date. Number one, it’s wrong. Number two, we don’t have enough prop versatility.”

Dee threw his legs off and slid over so that they were wedged side by side. She had her eBay app open and was scrolling through several listings for his benefit.

“I can have these overnighted,” she whispered in his ear.

“You’re totally instigating.” But the thought stuck, and unconsciously, he began picking through the search. “Wow, they’re really reasonably priced.”

She giggled softly. “I’m so buying them. Call them an early birthday present. It’s the perfect time, because we won’t have to worry about Mom taking the delivery.”

He managed a smile, and then her phone beeped and the message from Carter scrolled across the top of the screen.

“I’m not some horny goof-off. Please don’t Friend-zone me for a thank-you kiss.”

They shared a glance.

“He’s not, you know. He’s extremely focused. He’s in the running for valedictorian. He’s class president. He’s on the swim and track team. And, just in case you were wondering, he’s a really good—”

“No! Do not finish that sentence.”

“We didn’t have sex.”

He gasped. “You dated for two years!”

She shrugged. “Didn’t say we didn’t fool around.”

“Gaaahhh!”

Delia brought up the keyboard. She. Got. The. Message. Calm. The. Eff. Down.

Seconds later, Carter’s reply arrived, laden with exclamation marks and a squinty face. Declan read it and smothered himself with the pillow.

“I ran away because I had second thoughts about dragging him into my life.”

“He says he’s texted your phone like fifty times and he’s sorry if he’s coming off like a stalker, but he got a feeling about you. Ohhh! A feeling. Those are so complicated with him.”

“Gah!”

“There’s really only one way to solve this problem.”

Peeking out, Declan eyed her suspiciously. “What’s that?”

“Carter’s mom only lets him throw these parties because he works his ass off to keep her house in one piece.”

“Okay.”

“Usually, I go over and help. Then the maid service comes in the afternoon.”

“Uh-huh.”

She made a face. “Let me work my magic on you.” She tackled him as he pulled the pillow back over his head, and unmasked him. “Let me dress you casually. We’ll see what he thinks of you in full sunlight, and if he still shows interest, we deal with it. If he thinks better of his new obsession, then there’s no sitch.”

Declan screwed up his face in metaphysical anguish, but he knew he couldn’t say no.

About Kristina Meister

 

Kristina Meister is an author of fiction that blurs genre. There’s usually some myth, some mayhem, and some monsters. While Kristina’s unique voice and creative swearing give life to dialogue, her obsession with folklore and pop culture make for humor and complexity.

 

She and her mad-scientist husband live in California with their poodles Khan and Lana, and their daughter Kira Stormageddon, where they hoard Nerf toys, books, and swords—in case of zombie apocalypse.

 

Connect with Kristina:

 

To celebrate the release of Cinderella Boy, Kristina is giving away a canvas swag bag (with cover art) that  includes a t-shirt, an engraved pen, and a tiara! (Yes, really!) Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on July 7, 2018. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following along, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

A Lucy Review: Play it by Ear (Replay #2) by K.M. Neuhold

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5

This is the second book in the Replay series which tells the stories of the members of Downward Spiral, an epically professionally successful band where the members are falling apart.  Or at least, the band is on the verge of falling apart because of some of the members.  This one tells the story of Lando, who in the first book was a rock, a support of the other band members.  At the end of book one, Face the Music, there was a very clever set up for the books to come and I was very happy that Lando was next. 

Lando was supposed to be one of two of the song writers for the band but in reality he has been doing it all.  From trying to keep Lincoln from hurting himself and keep Jude from self destructing to being responsible for all the song writing and it has taken a toll on him.  “I feel wrung out physically and emotionally.  I’m a battery with only ten present life left and no charger in sight.”

When their manager, Archer, suggests everyone take a vacation after the tour has to be canceled, Lando packs up and heads to Florida.  Nine years ago he had a weekend in Florida with someone he fell in love with.  He gave his phone number and they promised to keep in touch but it never happened. So for the past nine years the songs he’s written have been about Dawson, his muse and his long lost should have been.  “I”ve written a dozen songs about him. I’ve stayed up nights thinking about him. I’ve gotten drunk and cried over him. I hardly know him, but in nine years, I haven’t been able to shake him.” He is thinking maybe he will see Dawson there, even if he isn’t totally hopeful.  “Maybe there’s something wrong with me. Surely it can’t be normal after nine years to still want him so much.”  But he has his grandfather’s story of knowing immediately upon meeting her who he would marry to make him think love at first weekend is possible.

Except, lo and behold, Dawson is also taking vacation at the same time and he does run into Lando. This meeting was a little coincidental but I was okay with.  The problem? Dawson had an accident nine years ago and lost not only his hearing but also his memories.  While Dawson has had a serious crush on Lando as the bass player for Downward Spiral, he doesn’t remember spending the weekend with Lando, the man.  Dawson is a writer who’s words have deserted him and he’s now working as a bartender, sort of just existing.  He was this fearless man before and things have changed.  He has the support of his wonderful sister, Parker, but that is sort of it.

The book is told in first person point of view, alternating Lando and Dawson.  In addition, it has flashbacks from nine years ago and today, cleverly titled Track, Side A or B.  While I used to dislike first person, it has definitely grown on me because now I like getting into the mind of each character.  Here in particular it’s helpful because Dawson is deaf and he does have memory gaps, so understanding where he is coming from was beneficial.  It is a little heartbreaking when you realize that he puts everything into his calendar because he is terrified of forgetting.  “Most days, the fear of forgetting something is worse than the actual forgetting.”  He puts in what he did that day just to make sure he remembers.

When they run into each other at a bar in Florida Lando is overjoyed and then shocked when he find that Dawson, the man he’s dreamed of for years, doesn’t remember him at all.  “He doesn’t recognize me. I’ve been obsessing over im for nine years, and he doesn’t even remember me. Could I be any more pathetic?”  It was a hard moment.  “I’ve spent all these years falling in love with the memory of a man who doesn’t exist anymore.”

But then he’s happy to get to know this new Dawson, who is a big fan even if he can’t remember what the songs sound like.  And while he thinks Cherry Lane (the song Lincoln wrote about Jace) is “….okay, but the rest of the album is much ….more.  They’re poetic and captivating. They’re original and beautiful.”  So he loves the songs that Lando wrote, and happen to be the songs Lando wrote about him.

Lando does convince Dawson to spend some time with him and they work on getting to know each other again, this time with text messages and notepads instead of conversation with some bittersweet moments when Lando knows things about Dawson that Dawson can’t remember.  Lando is so sweet, trying to learn ASL so he can communicate better.  He is not the spoiled selfish rock star that you would expect.  He is kind and gentle.  This book is definitely softer than book one, because Lando is softer than Lincoln and it comes across.

They have obstacles to overcome, including paparazzi, a lost phone, trying to reconcile the past with the now and trying to get past the writer’s block they both seem to have.  Lando hasn’t been able to write any songs, Dawson hasn’t been able to write any stories.   Lando’s advice was so apt: “instead of trying to write a book that will change the world, let yourself try to write a book that will change one single person’s world.”   We get to see Dawson try to find that fearless man he used to be and you just know how difficult that is.  “Can I be brave again? Is that still in me?”

Dawson has some great insights into Lando. “I wonder if he ever does things because they’re what he wants the most, instead of what makes everyone around him happiest.”  That sums up Lando well and he deserves to be happy himself.  There are a few times that Dawson doesn’t react well to things Lando reveals but you have to give him that – for Lando it’s been nine years of longing whereas for Dawson it’s really the first time he’s with this man.

Archer, the manager, is so amazing and takes care of so much I was really looking forward to his book.  Unfortunately, from the teasers in this book I have a feeling his is going to take a turn towards a theme I don’t care for so I may have to skip it.  I will be bummed if so.

I liked the first book and I loved this one.  There was just something about it that grabbed my heart and held on.  I wanted so much for these guys.  Even more, I was so happy that there was no magical fix of Dawson’s loss of hearing because in the real world it doesn’t work like that.  Lando was in love with the man, unconditionally.  Just what we all should have.

The cover art by Inked Design depicts Lando with the city in the background and the beach in the foreground.  I found it very fitting and both books in the series have covers that show the band member almost exactly as I pictured them.

Sales Links:  Amazon

Book Details:

ebook, 290 pages
Published July 2nd 2018 (first published June 29th 2018)
Original Title Play it by Ear
Series Replay (add it to your Goodreads list here)

Rock Bottom

Play it by Ear

Face the Music

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Daniel (The Third Legacy) by RJ Scott

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

The last of the boys abused at the Bar Five Ranch, Daniel is finishing his final year of college when he’s approached by Jack Campbell-Hayes and a young man named Corey Dryden.  Corey has recently lost his parents in a plane crash and discovered information his father obtained that implicated Corey’s uncle as one of the boys’ abusers at the ranch. Thinking only to protect his young sisters from finding out about their uncle, Corey doesn’t realize how the information spins Daniel’s well-ordered world.

Months later, after working a post graduate job that didn’t pan out, Daniel finally succumbs to the lure of the Legacy Ranch—the ranch where the others who escaped the Bar Five now work and/or support in some way. Thinking only to stay for one day, Daniel discovers his place there, and when a chance visit from Corey shows Daniel that they might have a mutual spark of interest, the groundwork is laid for a future relationship.

That’s a very simplified summary of the story but there’s a lot of detail about Corey’s family and how he came to find his father’s investigation into his uncle’s behavior. There’s also a lot of background on Daniel, how he was caught, how he was abused, a bit about his rescue and a lot about his adjustment to living in today’s world. 

The main story took place over the course of nearly a year and the epilogue is three years later, allowing plenty of time for relationship development. However, the two men never quite gelled for me. Corey came across as very young, immature, acting impulsively on the next thing on his emotional “to do” list, making decisions without guidance. And he never really aged or mellowed, in my opinion. I also found his life situation unrealistic, somewhat trite—older brother now stuck with responsibility for younger sisters—and the business angle was odd. Everything from Corey assuming a controlling position in a well-established financial agency to the other partners and the board’s decision to disassociate with Corey’s father’s last name to Corey selling his shares and encouraging his sisters to do so felt rushed and unrealistic. If it were to happen in a real world, I highly doubt the process would take place so quickly or so simply.

Daniel seemed to remain aloof through most of the story. Granted, he should be aloof after what happened to him, but even with Corey, I didn’t feel their togetherness, their “oneness” so I couldn’t get into rooting for them to overcome the odds.  In short, I found the romance lacking.

Overall, it’s a nice story, but short on depth and detail. If you’ve read the rest of the series, you should definitely pick this up, but it’s not the caliber of the first few books in the series in my opinion and definitely shouldn’t be read as a standalone since so many previous characters are involved.

~~~

Cover art by Meredith Russell features a photo of a young man in the top pane with a background of city (or college) buildings and an overview of a quiet park scene in the lower pane.  Likely both photos represent the college in which Daniel is studying as the story opens.  The colors are a green-brown tint so there’s nothing outstanding about the cover to attract attention.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

ebook, 1st edition
Published June 20th 2018 by Love Lane Books Limited (first published June 11th 2018)
ISBN139781785641275
URLhttp://rjscottauthor.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-legacy-series.html
SeriesLegacy Ranch #3

A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: Rainbow Place (Rainbow Place #1) by Jay Northcote

Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Seb Radcliffe relocates to a small seaside town in Cornwall, hoping to open a restaurant/café and just enjoy life in this peaceful place.  With encouragement from a young lesbian couple, he decides to make his café LGBT-friendly.  He hires Jason Dunn, a highly recommended builder, to do the renovations, and at first sight it’s evident that he and Jason have a lot in common. But Jason is deeply closeted and it takes a while for his desire for Seb to overcome his fears. 

The two finally act on their attraction but do so out of the public eye so Jason can maintain his closet space. He gets so deeply involved with Seb, though, that he decides to make plans to slowly come out—just not quite yet. But when they are a week from opening the café, homophobes ransack the restaurant, painting homophobic graffiti outside and in, and Jason abandons Seb, letting his fears rule his heart.

I was very disappointed in Jason at that point in the story and couldn’t see how Seb could ever forgive him for turning his back on him when he needed Jason most.  But lo and behold, Jay Northcote had an acceptable solution up his sleeve—one that totally surprised me and appeased me enough that I could forgive Jason and root for the couple after all.  So kudos for that.

This is a lovely MM romance set in the UK, so it’s full of Brit words and phrases.  I love that as it adds to the authenticity of the work.  The men are in their thirties, another plus in my opinion, and the romance takes time to develop to a full-blown HEA.  The author also laid the groundwork for the sense of community and the support Seb received was outstanding.  It would be a lovely place to visit some day.

Highly recommended, this is a standalone, though apparently first in a series, so I’m looking forward to more romance set in this quaintly beautiful world.

The cover by Garrett Leigh features a photo of a brawny young man: naked torso, hand roughing up his hair, with a rainbow border across the bottom of the cover—a great representation of Jason at work at Rainbow Place.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

Book Details:

Kindle Edition, 208 pages
Published June 15th 2018 by Jaybird Press
ASINB07DMPDMTH
Edition LanguageEnglish
SeriesRainbow Place #1

AUDIOBOOK TOUR – WITH A KICK Collection #1 by CLARE LONDON

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW TOUR 

Book Title: WITH A KICK Collection #1

Author: CLARE LONDON

Publisher: JOCULAR PRESS (self published)

Narrator: JOEL LESLIE

Cover Artist: LOU HARPER

Genre/s: MM Contemporary Romance

Length:  8 hours and 40 mins (75,000 words/170 pages)

Release Date June 20, 2018

The first 2 standalone romances in a series set around the same alcoholic ice cream shop.

Add on Goodreads 

Blurb

This collection includes Clare London’s first two charming London-based novellas of the With A Kick series – A Twist and Two Balls, and Slap and Tickle. Also included are two short stories featuring the characters in these books. 

WITH A KICK

A new and enticing ice cream franchise, with a unique blend of full flavour, mischief and romance. Patrick and Lee are struggling to make a success of their alcoholic ice cream shop in the centre of tourist London. At the same time, their business partnership may take a turn towards the personal – if either of them can find the time and nerve to go for it! Meanwhile, they cater to the wild and wonderful range of customers in the area, many of whom have their own romantic agenda. Will ice cream be the final ingredient they’re all looking for? 

Each story is a self-contained romance, but will follow the history of the shop throughout. 

A TWIST AND TWO BALLS

Eduardo Mancini is going to be a star of the London stage. Unfortunately, his alter ego Eddy March hasn’t got further than a bit part in a TV series. One ghastly day, he’s late for an audition, can’t pay his taxi fare, and is chased across Soho by the irate driver, Nuri. But maybe being caught by Nuri is exactly what Eddy needs. 

SLAP AND TICKLE

Bryan is an accountant who admires order and self-discipline. When he literally bumps into Phiz outside With A Kick, Phiz’s lifestyle and behaviour appear totally chaotic. But they each recognise something in the other that they need. Bryan needs a lover who welcomes his secret desire, and Phiz needs a firm hand–in every way. They both agree that Bryan may be just the man to provide it. 

Buy Links and Listen to a sample here

Audible US

Audible UK 

Amazon  

About the Author

Clare London took her pen name from the city where she lives, loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home, she juggles her writing with her other day job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with award-winning novels and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong, sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter-three stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home.

Clare loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her on all her social media.

Social Media Links

Audible Profile

Blog/Website

Facebook  

Twitter

Google+

Pinterest

Amazon

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW TOUR SCHEDULE

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

REVIEW TOUR for Daniel (The Third Legacy) by RJ Scott (excerpt and giveaway)

 

 
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK – Now available in Kindle Unlimited
 
Length: 51,000 words approx
 
Cover Design: Meredith Russell
 
Legacy Series
 
Kyle – The First Legacy – Amazon US | Amazon UK
Gabriel – The Second Legacy – Amazon US | Amazon UK
 
Blurb
 

Daniel worked hard at college, using coping strategies to shut himself off from any situation that might hurt. But, persistent nightmares and fears for his future drive him to revisit the past. Now Legacy might be the only place to give him a chance at peace.


After the tragic loss of his parents, Corey is head of the family now, and the welfare of his three younger sisters are what matters the most. Corey is desperate to find Daniel, tell him the truth and somehow convince him to keep secrets. Even if this leads to heartbreak.


When the world crumbles around Corey, and Daniel is running scared, Legacy ranch is their only hope.


A new story set in the world of Jack and Riley Campbell-Hayes and the Double D Ranch, Texas.



June 23 – Xtreme Delusions, The Way She Reads, OMG Reads, Reading In Sarah’s Corner, Abbey’s Fully Booked, June 25 – Love My Reads, June 29 – The Novel Approach, Making It Happen, MM Good Book Reviews, The Geekery Book Review, Cupcakes & Bookshelves, RAM PA Group, July 2 – Mirrigold, Sexy Erotic Xciting, Gay Media Reviews, July 4 – Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words, Lelyana’s Reviews, July 6 – Jim’s Reading Room, July 11 – Padme’s Library, Wicked Reads, July 13 – Lillian Francis, Virginia Lee


Excerpt

Chapter 1

Eight years ago

I want to go home.

Daniel Chandler trudged miserably down the long black ribbon of road, tears burning his eyes, and hopelessness tightening his chest. The heat of an August Texas day had subsided to a slightly cooler evening, and the sky was a brilliant mass of stars, but he couldn’t bring himself to look up at them anymore.

How had everything gone this badly wrong? Brett had promised that he would take Daniel somewhere far away from his foster family, but one weird question from an inquisitive cashier at a gas station and Brett had panicked. He’d refused to go any further, and said he was going home.

Daniel didn’t want to go back to San Antonio. He wanted freedom, and the ability to decide for himself where his life was going. He’d overheard his foster parents talking about how he was a liability; that he costed them more than they made, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they got rid of him anyway.

So he refused to leave with Brett and got out of the car.

Brett didn’t care, and he drove away, leaving Daniel stranded.

Daniel kicked a stone, stumbling a little when he misjudged the curve of the road. He’d eaten the cereal bars that Brett had tossed him and used up all the water. Which left him in the heat, without food or drink, and carrying a backpack with limited clothes. He also had books—his favorites, and a wallet which contained nothing more than a couple of hundred dollars he’d saved from his gardening job. The only official thing he had in the bag was his ID.

He’d left his most recent home at six-thirty a.m., with no real idea of where he was going or what he was doing, only knowing he wasn’t going to spend another minute in a house where he wasn’t wanted.

Hunching his shoulders against the weight of his backpack, he carried on. Sometimes he hummed to a song in his head. Other times he counted the steps he took, but most of the time he stared ahead, not counting or humming at all.

A car pulled up alongside him. No, a truck, and at first his heart leaped. Brett was back. He’d changed his mind and returned to help Daniel.

A female voice called out. “Can we give you a lift somewhere?” she asked through the open window.

Daniel saw she wasn’t much older than he was, long blonde hair swept up into a ponytail, her smile wide, her expression kind. A man sat in the driver’s seat, but he was in the shadows, and at first, Daniel couldn’t make out his face until he leaned forward. The first thing Daniel noticed was the dog collar, then the same kindly smile as the girl. They were clearly related, both fair, with light eyes and an angular balance to their features.

“Hello, young man. My daughter and I are heading to Laredo. Would you like us to take you?”

He smiled at Daniel, this man in black with the white collar. This was an average family. They probably thought he was a hitchhiker and were offering genuine help. If Daniel couldn’t trust a man of the cloth traveling with his daughter, then who could he trust? He scanned the road behind him, waiting for Brett to suddenly appear and pick him up, but he was tired, hungry, and verging on desperate.

“Thank you.” Daniel opened the back door. He’d never hitchhiked before, didn’t know what the etiquette was, but he felt like he should offer to pay. “I can cover gas,” he said.

“No need for that,” the dad said and extended a hand awkwardly over the seat, which Daniel shook. “Father Frank Martins and this is my daughter Andrea.”

Andrea glanced back at him and grinned again. “Hey.”

“Daniel,” Daniel replied, as mute as usual around a girl as he was with boys. She turned back to the front, and Frank put the truck in drive.

“Buckle up,” he said.

Daniel did as he was told. Then settled back for the ride.

“Where are you from?” Frank asked after a few moments of silence, filled only with the soft sound of tires on blacktop.

“San Antonio,” Daniel answered.

“Really? What brings you this far south?”

Andrea shushed her dad, “Stop asking him questions, Daddy.”

Her dad huffed a gentle laugh. “Sorry.” He used the mirror to see Daniel. “You like music?”

Daniel nodded, thankful to Andrea for running interference.

Frank fiddled with the stereo. Country music filled the cab, and Frank hummed along. Andrea was on her phone, as evidenced by the glow of light as screens changed, and Daniel regretted leaving his phone at home. In his mad, stupid, anger, he’d wanted no way for his foster parents to keep tabs on him, but right now, he kind of wished he could phone them. He should pluck up the courage and ask Andrea to borrow hers. Maybe give his foster-parents a quick call, apologize, get them to pick him up, or at least arrange a bus.

They would help him. He didn’t doubt that. Even if he’d been an idiot and they wanted to hand him off to the next family, they would never leave a fourteen year old kid stranded miles from home.

“You thirsty?” Frank asked, and before Daniel could answer, Frank had unlocked the glove box and pulled out a bottle of water, passing it back to Daniel.

He took it with grateful thanks and downed a third of it in thirsty gulps. They reached the outskirts of a small town, and the car slowed to a stop outside a cookie-cutter house, a pretty place with manicured lawns.

Andrea turned around to look at Daniel.

“This is where I get out,” she announced. “Nice to meet you, Daniel.”

I thought they were both going on to Laredo?

Frank turned around as well. “I can take you all the way into the city. It’s only another ten minutes or so to the bus station or somewhere like that? A hostel?”

“I’m not sure—”

Frank interrupted, “Or you could stay the night here or a motel. We have one a few blocks down from here.”

Andrea shut the door and jogged up to the house, vanishing inside.

“Could I just borrow your phone?” Daniel asked.

Frank smiled, nodded, and pulled out his phone, tutting as he did so. “Oh my, the phone’s dead. You want to use my house phone? Or shall I just get you to the city? The bus station, right? They have public phones there.”

So many decisions. So many difficult choices, he thought and yawned.

“Yeah.” Daniel just wanted to get home.

“Yeah, what?” Frank prompted.

Daniel blinked at him. He was tired, and everything felt kind of hazy. “Yeah, home.” Back to his pretend parents and his pretend family, but back to a warm bed.

“Come on. Get in the front here.”

Daniel did as he was told, his limbs feeling heavy, and his coordination shit. Finally, he was belted in the front, and he closed his eyes briefly, exhaustion washing over him.

“That’s a good boy,” Frank murmured. “You sleep now.”

The country music got quieter, Frank’s humming was louder, and the journey to the city took a long time, the car swaying, and Daniel’s head thicker, full of softness and a weird kind of peace. He saw fields and signs, but none of them made any sense. Finally, he couldn’t fight the overwhelming lethargy, so he slept.

And woke up in hell.

 

About The Author


RJ’s goal is to write stories with a heart of romance, a troubled road to reach happiness, and most importantly, that hint of a happily ever after.


RJ is the author of the over one hundred novels and discovered romance in books at a very young age. She realized that if there wasn’t romance on the page, she could create it in her head, and is a lifelong writer.


She lives and works out of her home in the beautiful English countryside, spends her spare time reading, watching films, and enjoying time with her family.


The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn’t like it one little bit and has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

 

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