On the Run (A Whispering Key Novel) by May Archer: Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

I was supposed to be partying with a bunch of celebrities in paradise this week, okay?

But then I made one teeny, tiny error in judgement before leaving New York, and suddenly the paparazzi expected me to give a command performance as “the other man” in their straight celebrity “outing” of the week.

Um, no, precious. So much no.

Instead, I did what any self-respecting, secret-keeping man would do in that situation: I cancelled my trip and fled New York to hide out in the last place anyone would look for me–a weird little Florida island where nothing exciting ever happened.

Or at least it didn’t… until I arrived.

Now I find myself shacked up with my fake boyfriend Beale Goodman, Whispering Key’s most adorable, most enormous, most virginal cinnamon roll—a guy who rescues feral cats, believes in soulmates, and talks about happiness like it’s free for the taking.

A guy who nearly convinces me, with every smile and kiss, that it is.

Stranger still? I find myself falling for the people on the island. Fitting in, instead of sticking out. Making, you know… friends. And for the first time ever, I think I’ve found something I want to run to, rather than from…

As long as I can keep my secrets from catching up with me.

On The Run (Whispering Key, Book 2) by May Archer

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“I know what I want to do with you today.”

Toby, who was picking up our assorted clothes from the corner of the guest bedroom, paused to give me a flirtatious grin. “Oh, really? You ready to go again already, Goodman?”

I snorted. God, he made me happy.

“Not that.” Although, you know, these days I was always down for that. I had zero hesitation when Toby was involved. “I meant an activity where you can work on your tan.”

We’d been so busy for the last couple of days, what with trivia, and town meetings, and me taking a couple of shifts running Goodmen Outfitters’ tour boat around the island, and Toby being the unofficial social events coordinator for Whispering Key, Toby had joked the night before that he was the only person in the world who’d leave Florida paler than he’d arrived.

Meanwhile, I’d started thinking maybe I didn’t want him to leave at all.

He straightened, narrowed his eyes, and set his hands on his hips. “What kind of activity?”

“I…” Somewhere around Monday, he’d developed a line of freckles across his nose that were the cutest, most distracting thing ever. I wanted to boop them with my fingertip. I also knew better than to mention this on pain of death.

“You, what?” he demanded. “Finish the thought, Goodman.”

His scowl made me grin. “So suspicious.”

Toby went back to gathering up clothes. “Wonder why. Possibly because we’ve already re-enacted Titanic? Or because we were nearly stranded on a deserted island? Or because you fed me vegan seitan hotdogs yesterday and claimed it was an accident? Or—?”

I laughed out loud. “We absolutely were not stranded, you enjoyed the seitan before you knew what it was, and nothing has tried to murder you in hours and hours.I’m starting to think you enjoy being almost-murdered, Toby.”

“Nonsense. I do not have a murder fetish, thank you very much, and I am the perfect amount of suspicious.”

Another May Archer winner for me.

Poor Toby…talk about a bad day, which only got worse, before it got even worse. Honestly, though, he presented himself as someone who couldn’t deal with all the “icky” stuff that was dumped on him all throughout the book, but he did. He handled it all as well as a man who’d transplanted himself from Ohio because his family didn’t want anything to do with him.

Meanwhile, Beale was the sweetest 28 year old virgin you’d ever meet. All he wanted was to find what and who he was meant to be, and the soul mate that his mother taught him to wait for. He took a lot of ribbing from the people on the Key, and just let it all go, because he knew in his heart he was right to wait and let the Universe tell him what was next.

Complete opposites, but they fit like two pieces of a puzzle. I also loved how Toby, without really meaning to, ended up getting involved in the local “scene” on the Key, but was Beale’s champion.

Lots of snark, fun, and some sweet and sexy times. All the antics that’s are a fun and funny May Archer book. Mostly stand alone, although there were parts where I felt like a little more explanation could have been given for the unaware reader.

4 pieces of eye candy

May is an M/M author who lives in Boston. She spends her days raising three incredibly sarcastic children, finding inventive ways to drive her husband crazy, planning beach vacations, avoiding the gym, reading M/M romance, and occasionally writing it. She also writes MF romance as Maisy Archer.