historical

The Ballot Boy by Larry Mellman: Release Blitz, Excerpt, and Giveaway

February 20, 2022 by Denise

Venice, 1368.

War hovers in the wings with the fate of the Republic at stake when the old doge dies. Fourteen-year-old Nico, a street urchin from the poorest Venetian parish, is chosen at random to tally votes in the upcoming election for a new leader. Uprooted from his old life and transplanted to the doge’s palace, Nico becomes an alienated outsider at the mercy of scheming nobles.

Andrea Contarini, sixtieth doge of Venice, wants the ducal throne less than Nico wants to be ballot boy. Both walk a golden tightrope over treachery and deceit. When he witnesses a court clerk burned at the stake for being gay, Nico despairs. His romantic attraction to men is as powerful as his fear of fiery death and an eternity in Hell.

Taking advantage of the fraught transition in the Doge’s Palace, the hostile duke of Austria pushes Trieste to rebel against Venetian domination, jeopardizing her mastery of the Adriatic Sea. The Venetian nobles split, trapping the doge between hawks rabid for war, and rich merchants desperate for peace. With his own life on the line, Andrea Contarini opts to attack decisively and end the crisis swiftly, but his gambit is sabotaged. Trusting only the boy at his side, Contarini sends Nico to Trieste to be his eyes and ears. As the Venetian commanders wrangle over tactics, Nico falls for Astolfo, the young, charismatic lord of Castle Moccò, an indispensable but unreliable ally.

Will Nico return to Venice a celebrated hero? Or will he be forever haunted, guilt-ridden, and still concealing his deepest secret?

Title: The Ballot Boy

Author: Larry Mellman

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 02/15/2022

Heat Level: 2 – Fade to Black Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 85300

Genre: Historical, LGBTQIA+, YA, historical, lit/genre fiction, gay, coming out, 14th century Venice, political rulers, political intrigue and plotting, wartime action and adventure, sexual longing, family drama, betrayal, bullying

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NineStar Press

Goodreads

I’m running as fast as I can, but I can’t catch the thief. If I don’t, Alex’s life is over. The necklace the thief snatched from my hand gives away the game. Alex will be exposed. Locked up. Maybe even killed because Alex’s father, Francesco Barbanegra, has the temper and manners of a pirate. Alex’s family is rich. Very, very rich. Richer than most nobles. But they are common, like my family, which consists of my mother, who takes in laundry. She gets paid in pennies. I understand why she wants me to be ballot boy, but that’s her dream not mine. I don’t want to be ballot boy. I want to be me, whoever that is.

Only heartbeats ago, Alex and I had moored our boat to the wharf and staggered ashore, covered with mud. When Alex took off the necklace to give me—the gold dolphin on its golden chain, ruby eye glinting in the early light—the thief burst from the shed, yanked it from my hand, and took off like a demon down the deserted embankment.

“Go home,” I shouted to Alex over my shoulder, “before it’s too late,” and I tore after the thief.

The dolphin is fatal. If the thief tries to sell it at a Rialto pawnshop, the whole world will know. I can’t risk it.

Our feet slap on the mud, startling a flock of ducks. They flap their wings, burst up from the salt marsh, and take to the icy winter sky.

The thief is taller than most Venetians, with long spindly legs, no shoes, and a striped turban. He doesn’t look down; he doesn’t look back. He barrels down the embankment in the direction of the Customs House. My legs are a foot shorter than his, his stride worth two of mine. I suck air like I’m drowning and exhale prayers like I’m dying.

Queen of Heaven, hear my pleas. St. Nicholas, grant me thine aid.

When I manage to close the gap between us, he speeds up. No matter how fast I’m going, he goes faster. He clutches the gold chain in his fist, the dolphin dangling free, its ruby eye sparkling.

That dolphin is a pledge of brotherhood between Alex and me, the seal on our secrets, and a promise that I won’t be selected ballot boy because if I am, last night was our final meeting, maybe forever.

“Please, Nico.” Alex’s eyes had implored me, and I could never refuse. “You’ve been on the sea many times. I’m thirteen years old, and my father owns great galleys, but I’ve never seen the sea. This could be my last chance.”

“It’s not your last chance.”

“If you’re selected, it is.”

“Look at me. Do you think Ruggiero Gradenigo would pick me? I look like a muddy clown.”

“Anything can happen.”

Alex’s pleading eyes broke me every time.

Stars filled the sky, and the moon, hovering high above the mountains beyond the lagoon, sprinkled diamonds over the water. I’d been explaining the lagoon to Alex, showing off, I guess, paying no attention to the tide. I didn’t notice the moon pulling the lagoon out from under us until stranded fish danced a desperate tarantella on the exposed sandbars. A mile of mud separated us from the beacon fire atop St. Mark’s campanile. We jumped from the boat and sank up to our knees. We couldn’t walk, nor could we reach the shore until the morning tide swept back in and filled the lagoon. Alex would never get home without being discovered; I would never be in St. Mark’s Square in time for the selection, and my mother would kill me.

I breathe in, out, in, out, in, out, pushing myself harder and harder until I hit a wall and explode and pick myself up and keep going until it happens all over again. The thief took one look at the stupid costume Mama had sewn me for selection day, all torn and wet and muddy, and he must have figured me for a drunk noble, a pushover. Mama is convinced the costume will make Ruggiero Gradenigo select me. She believes in magic. Her eye is on the prize.

He’s waiting for me to collapse, this thief. He’s making a big mistake. He doesn’t know that every day since I turned eight, six years now, I row across the lagoon and back before the midmorning bells, and I will kill him if I have to.

He makes a move to outrun me on the straightaway in front of the old shipyard. We pound over rough planks, wobbly pontoons, and a muddy bog tangled with bramble. I’m glad he’s barefoot. It must hurt like hell. He can hear my sandals slapping the ground.

The buildings crowd close along the levee. The bogs and brambles disappear under wooden docks and wharves. Merchant galleys and cogs are moored all the way to the Customs House. The ground tapers to a point where the Giudecca Canal meets the Grand Canal. Keeping running and your turban floats.

He hasn’t lost me, so he squeezes between buildings with barely a foot between them, and I follow, the mortar between the bricks shredding my tunic.

The big bell at St. Mark’s, the Marangona, starts tolling to summon the Great Council to pray for God’s grace on the election of the doge. All 1,200 nobles are members of the Great Council. Their names are inscribed in the Golden Book. After Mass, Ruggiero Gradenigo, the youngest member of the Great Council, will walk out of the church, onto St. Mark’s Square, and pick the first commoner he lays eyes on, age fifteen or less, to be the ballot boy. That’s the law. The old doge is dead, and we can’t elect a new one until a ballot boy is selected at random to count the votes and make sure the nobles don’t cheat.

I squeeze out of the crawlspace and glimpse the thief’s turban disappearing down a dark lane the sun never reaches. Several lanes lead into this small square; all but one dead end at the water. He doesn’t know where he’s going and probably doesn’t care as long as he stays ahead of me. He’s as desperate as I am. My heart beats a battle tocsin.

I struggle to master my breath as Abdul taught me. I’m dog-tired from fighting the moon, the tide, the mud. Sweat floods my face. The salt burns my eyes. I wipe them with my muddy sleeve, squeeze them shut, and listen. This quarter is silent. Everyone is at St. Mark’s for the selection.

The thief’s bare feet, bloodied from running the embankment, leave a trail winding through a labyrinth that will lead him back to me. That’s how Venice is. Outsiders always go in circles, even we do occasionally outside our home parish.

The old doge died last week. He didn’t last very long; he was eighty-two when they elected him back in 1365. That’s old even for a doge. I was twelve then. Mama knew I was going to be selected his ballot boy. She’d worked it all out with the Blessed Virgin and St. Mark. She took to bed for a week when I wasn’t selected, but she never gave up. She started praying for the new doge to die before my fifteenth birthday. I heard her, every night. First, she prayed forgiveness for wanting him dead. Then, she begged heaven for him to die. Now, she believes a miracle has happened. I’m going to be ballot boy. She knows. The Virgin interceded.

If I’m not in front of St. Mark’s when Ruggiero Gradenigo selects the ballot boy, I will be dead to her. She will curse me for spoiling her miracle.

The thief backs into the little square. He doesn’t see me. He sees a glint of sun on water at the end of a narrow chasm of brick. He takes off toward the water, and I get there first, waiting, as he staggers onto the wharf. On the opposite bank, mothers and their sons clog St. Mark’s Square, tricked out like piglets at the Ascension Day fair, each one praying for the job I don’t want.

The thief ducks between the pilings of the empty ferry dock. None of the ferries, trapped on the water, can move for all the other boats. Nobody is going anywhere. Every eye will remain on the Doge’s Palace until a new doge is elected. Venice is the richest city of all; the stakes are high. Mama says anything can happen.

I charge, pin the thief against a striped pole stuck in the Grand Canal, and grab for the dolphin in his hand. But he twists free and hurls himself off the dock, crashing into a boat below. The boat rocks wildly, the passengers scream, he steadies himself. Before anyone knows what’s happening, he leaps into the next boat, and the next, and the next. As fast as he can, he bounds across St. Mark’s Basin toward the twin columns at the water’s edge framing the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Church, and the greatest square in the world. Executions and burnings take place between the columns, and walking between them brings a curse upon your head, which is why we call them the Columns of Doom. I saw a murderer executed there when I was seven. They chopped off his hand first, in San Barnaba Square, where he’d killed someone, strung his hand around his neck, and rowed him back here. They hung him, quartered him, and left the pieces out to dry here between the columns.

I jump from boat to boat to boat after the thief. People squawk, but I’m out as fast as I’m in, never stopping, my eye always on his bobbing turban. He scrambles up between the columns and pushes his way toward St. Mark’s Square through the bodies packing the Piazzetta.

The church doors aren’t open yet. The thief towers above the mothers and sons, his turban threading through the Piazzetta toward the church. Arsenal men in leather armor hold the crowd back, creating some space for Ruggiero Gradenigo to come out and pick. Mothers fight for places directly in front of the church.

The big bell tolls.

Mass is finished. The crowd surges forward, a wave of anticipation silencing them. The stones beneath our feet vibrate with the wild clangor of bells.

He made a big mistake, and now he sees just how big. Bodies block him on all sides. I elbow my way through the crush as the church doors swing open. The crowd gasps. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mama desperately looking for me. She’s furious I’m not up-front and center with her.

I leapfrog a tangled knot of eight-year-olds and their mothers, grasping for the thief’s throat. He panics and hurls the dolphin over the crowd. I vault, twist, and grab the dolphin out of the air by its chain. I can’t land on my feet. I come down sideways, rolling over bodies onto the cleared pavement. The guards can’t stop me.

Larry was born in Los Angeles and educated in literature, political science, and life at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked as a printer and journalist in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and St. Paul, Minnesota. Larry also worked with Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground on the Exploding Plastic Inevitable in NY, Provincetown, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, was mentored by Dean Koontz, and shared a palazzo in Venice with international opera singers Erika Sunnegårdh and Mark Doss.”

While living in Venice for many years, Larry also taught English, led tours, and immersed himself in the history and art of the Venetian Republic. The Ballot Boy was born in Venice and completed in St. Paul.

Larry is a lifelong social activist and writer, a voracious reader and researcher, an opera fanatic, and devoted walker. He currently lives in St. Paul with his partner of twenty-one years and his ex-wife of twenty-five years. His son is a pianist devoted to blues and jazz.

Author Links

Website: http://www.theballotboy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larry.mellman

Twitter: http://twitter.com/LarryMellman

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Find Me in July by Christie Gordon: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

December 22, 2021 by Denise

Troy lives to be a teacher. Jessie knows teachers can’t be gay. These facts could rip them apart.

It’s the summer of 1978. Troy Larson is only one university-year away from living his dream as an elementary school teacher. In the meantime, he’s heading to his family’s annual, month-long vacation at a Northern Minnesota lake resort. He’s looking forward to time with his best friend, Jessie, and finding out what happened to him. This year was odd. They hardly spoke on the phone and Jessie didn’t come home for the usual breaks. When they meet, it’s clear something’s off with Jessie. One day in, Troy secretly stumbles upon Jessie in an illicit act with another man. The incident triggers questions about Jessie’s sexuality and confusion about his own.

Jessie Smith is set to take over his father’s Minneapolis foundry when he graduates from a New York university next year. But the time in New York has taught him how to accept his sexuality and his newfound freedom is not something he’s willing to give up. As the families meet for their vacation, it’s clear that Jessie is different. After the first day, Jessie sees an abrupt change in Troy, and it’s baffling. The changes in Troy cause a lifetime of repressed feelings to surface in him.

Troy’s pursuit of the truth brings him closer to Jessie than he ever thought he would want to be. He struggles to understand what’s going on between them and how his best friend is turning into more, way more. With the gay rights movement facing legal challenges from Save our Children, can Troy convince Jessie he’s willing to fight along side him and face whatever consequences may come together?

Amazon

Goodreads

Troy sat in the black vinyl passenger seat of Jessie’s blue Trans Am, peering ahead of him at the convenience store. He had to stay focused and figure this thing out. So far Jessie was acting completely normal. So, he must not know that he saw him. Maybe it was best if he didn’t say anything. Saying something would only embarrass Jessie and that’s not cool. But is he gay?

“So, we’ll get some beer and snacks and then go and get the boat at the marina.” Jessie slapped Troy’s arm. “You hearing me?”

Troy jumped and blinked. “Yeah, I heard you.” Damn, he had to pay attention. He got out of the car and met him at the glass doors to the store.

Jessie opened the door and swung his arm. “After you.”

“Thanks.” Troy stepped inside and perused the rows of snacks and sundries, the tall, glass refrigerated drink coolers at the back. His gaze caught on a rack of skin mags at the front of the store. That’s it. He should get one. They could look at it together and he’d see how Jessie reacted to it. If it gave Jessie a hard-on, then he’d know he wasn’t gay and whatever he saw was…whatever. He could put it to rest. But could gay dudes get boners from nude chick pictures? No…this will work. He furrowed his brows.

Jessie walked through a row of snacks, picking up a bag of potato chips. “I’ll grab us some sandwiches. You want Schlitz beer again?” He stepped to the coolers.

“Sure.” Troy strode to the skin mags and searched over the titles. Playboy, too tame. He needed something more erotic than that. He had to be sure it would be enough to give him a hard-on. He picked up a Hustler in one hand and a Penthouse in the other, attempting to peek under the wrapper, hiding the image on the front.

Jessie came up behind him and rested his chin on Troy’s shoulder. “What you looking at?”

Troy startled and turned around, facing him. “Uh, just thought, you know, we could have some fun with these while we’re out.” Would he buy it, or think it was too weird?

Jessie peered at the magazines. “Somebody horny?” He gave him a coy grin and lifted a brow.

Troy released a choked chuckle. “N-no, I just thought it would be fun to look at while we’re out. That’s all.” What would he think about this? If Jessie didn’t want to bring the magazine, would that mean he was gay?

Jessie’s gaze fell to Troy’s mouth and he licked his lips. “Sure. Get the Hustler. That one’s better.”

“Okay.” Troy slid the Penthouse into its place on the shelf. Okay, so he must look at these if he has a preference, right? That would make him not gay. Then why would he let a dude blow him? He pursed his lips.

“Troy.” Jessie stood at the counter with a female cashier in a red t-shirt, their food now bagged. “Get over here with that, so I can pay.”

“Yeah, sure.” Troy walked to the counter and set the magazine on it, then stared out the glass doors of the store, heat flushing his face.

The cashier rang them up and Jessie paid.

Jessie came close, whispering in his ear. “Your face is redder than her shirt, man. You embarrassed to buy a skin mag?”

“Stop it.” Troy forced a smirk and grabbed bags from the counter. “You bought ice, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll get the beer, you grab the ice.” Jessie seized a twelve pack from the counter and strolled out the doors of the store, snickering.

Christie Gordon started writing gay and M/M romance fiction after becoming preoccupied with anime and in particular, the boys love and yaoi genres. She’s always had stories in her head and always enjoyed writing, so she took up fiction writing classes at a local community college and published her first book with eXtasy Books back in 2009. Christie likes to write complicated characters with painful pasts that refuse to be ignored until the characters are forced to face them head on. Angst? Yes. Happily ever after? Always. It’s the struggle to get there that counts.

Christie’s day job is in the high-tech industry with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. She currently lives in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area and enjoyed eight years in the Bay Area of California but grew up in Minnesota. She shares a home with her partner of twelve years, a musician by night and a coder by day, who is currently in three bands, giving her plenty of time to keep writing. She is also a mother of two sons, one currently in college for engineering and the other preparing for nursing college. Her one-eyed, rescue pug is always by her side, snoring the day away.

Connect with Christie:
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A Christmas Miracle (Winsford Green, Book 4) by Ruby Moone: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

December 21, 2021 by Denise

Alfie Hope’s life is perfect. Managing Darley Hall for an employer who hasn’t visited the house in five years. It’s more than a job, it’s his home. A safe haven for him and the staff he considers family. That is, until their master passes away and a new master inherits. A new master who wants to live in the house.

Jolyon Mortimer Devereaux was stunned when he inherited Darley Hall. It offered an escape from his life, his lover, and his awful family. He arrives to find an estate manager who is outrageously handsome in a gentle, yet rugged way, but someone who clearly has never been a servant in his life!

Alfie and Jo grow tentatively closer. That is until a shock Christmas arrival blows everything wide apart, leaving Alfie and Jo struggling to hold on to their love. It will take a Christmas miracle to hold them together.

Title: A Christmas Miracle
Authors: Ruby Moone
Series: Winsford Green, Book 4
Genre: Historical, Regency MM Romance.
Release date: December 18th

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

Dances Long Forgotten (Winsford Green Book 1)

People Like Us (Winsford Green Book 2)

The Schoolmaster’s Spy (Winsford Green Book 3)

Alfie was huddled by the fire, both hands around a mug, stockinged feet stretched out in front of him, trying to wake up. He wanted to close his eyes and go back to sleep but they had someone to see to now, and they needed to go back to proper servants’ hours. It was damned murder, particularly in the dead of winter when it was freezing cold and dark. Kate was pottering about the kitchen getting things ready, Robbie was dozing in the chair in the corner, Maisie was sat in the chair opposite in an attitude much like his own. Even the dogs had crept right up to the fire. The larger of the two, Horace, his beloved, elderly, shaggy hound of indeterminate parentage, and prone to the most abominable wind, snored softly so close to the fire it was a wonder he didn’t singe his fur. Potts, a much smaller terrier, tucked in close beside Horace, kept one eye on them all as he dozed, one paw on the hearth, ready to pounce at the slightest hint of food. They’d taken him in not that long ago, and he still behaved as though he was on the verge of starvation when food was in the offing.

“Inconvenient this, Alfie,” Maisie said, taking a long drink.

“Too right,” Alfie said on a huge yawn.

A clattering of footsteps announced Jess who came through the door like a whirlwind. “He’s awake and he’d like some coffee.”

Kate smiled. “Righto, I’ll get on with it now. Does he want anything to eat?”

“I don’t think he’s very well.”

That got everyone’s attention. “In what way?” Alfie asked.

“Well, he looks like death for a start, he’s so pale, and the light seemed to hurt his eyes. I moved the candles away a bit and he was awful grateful. He kept squinting and pinching between his eyes.” Jess demonstrated. “Like that.”

“Headache,” Alfie pronounced, his suspicions confirmed. He’d seen the man wince when he shook his head yesterday and had wondered.

Jess nodded sagely. “I reckon so. I asked if he wanted a powder, but he said no.”

Robbie stirred from his corner. “With a bit of luck, he might not last long,” he murmured around a yawn.

“Robbie!” Alfie gave him a glare.

“What? If he popped off, we could get back to normal.”

“If he popped off, as you so nicely put it, another one would come along to take his place. This one seems to be reasonable. He’s not high in the instep, not demanding, so we might need to make the best of it. The last thing we’d want is a stuffy, up his own arse lordship demanding things and bringing loads of servants with him. I thought we agreed this yesterday.”

Robbie nodded. “Fair point.”

“So, we need to look after him. See if we can get him to see things our way.”

“See things our way?” Maisie said on a laugh. “Do you honestly think that’s possible?”

“You never know.”

I didn’t read the first three books in this series, and that wasn’t an issue…although I will say, I definitely want to go back and read book 3, and book 2, possibly as well. Okay, maybe all of them. 🙂 The point is, this was definitely stand-alone, with just a few small appearances by characters from the previous books in the series.

What a beautiful story. Alfie built himself a little family, giving of himself so selflessly, so that their family could stay together…a gay couple, a lesbian couple, a trans young man. Along comes a new master, after an unexpected inheritance, and everyone is understandably on edge.

Jo, meanwhile, did not have the easiest life prior to coming to Winsford Green, yet it was important to him to treat everyone with respect and dignity, even down to the dogs living on the estate. (I loved that he bonded instantly with the dog that up until that point had been a challenge.) He was a man worth Alfie, without a doubt.

The Christmas miracle…came right at the right time…as I was wondering, in the back of my mind, how everything would work out for Jo and Alfie’s future. The parson didn’t even bat an eye, and found himself somewhat of a confidante.

This was exactly what you want in a holiday book. Lots of love, both romantic and familial, a future ahead of them that included even more love and joy. And dogs…there were dogs. 🙂

Definitely recommend. 4 pieces of eye candy

Ruby Moone lives in the wilds of Lancashire with her husband and writes historical and contemporary romance. At school, her teachers said that she lived with her head in the clouds and if she didn’t stop daydreaming she would never get anywhere. She never did stop daydreaming, and after years of happily living in the clouds, decided to write the stories down.

Connect with Ruby:
Website – http://www.rubymoone.com/
Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/RubyMoone/
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Facebook Group – Ruby’s Room – https://www.facebook.com/groups/883596845175216/
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Find Me In July by Christie Gordon: New Release Review

December 20, 2021 by Denise

Troy lives to be a teacher. Jessie knows teachers can’t be gay. These facts could rip them apart.

It’s the summer of 1978. Troy Larson is only one university-year away from living his dream as an elementary school teacher. In the meantime, he’s heading to his family’s annual month-long vacation at a Northern Minnesota lake resort. He’s looking forward to time with his best friend, Jessie, and finding out what has happened to him. This year was odd. They hardly spoke on the phone, and Jessie didn’t come home for the usual breaks. When they meet, it’s clear something’s off with Jessie. One day in, Troy secretly stumbles upon Jessie in an illicit act with another man. The incident triggers questions about Jessie’s sexuality and confusion about his own.

Jessie Smith is set to take over his father’s Minneapolis foundry when he graduates from a New York university next year. But the time in New York has taught him how to accept his sexuality, and his newfound freedom is not something he’s willing to give up. As the families meet for their vacation, it’s clear that Jessie is different. After the first day, Jessie sees an abrupt change in Troy, and it’s baffling. The changes in Troy cause a lifetime of repressed feelings to surface in him.

Amazon

This is a new to me author and honestly I chose to read it because it is set in 1978 and was marked historical. HISTORICAL! Don’t at me. I am not ok with this.

There is no way to NOT know that this book is set in 1978. You are smacked in the face at every turn with nostalgia and descriptions. Shag carpet. Orange counters. Trans Am with t tops. The music. And even with all of that there was one thing that was mentioned that wouldn’t be seen for another 11 years. I don’t know why I am like this, I’m sorry.

So it was a decent story. Best friends, one more year of college yet, spending a month at the lake with their respective families. Except last year Jessie didn’t come home at all. So this was the first time he and Troy were seeing each other in two years. Because Jessie has a secret. And in 1978, you kept that secret at risk of losing everything. But Troy finds out. And starts to explore with Jessie. But again, 1978 isn’t very kind to the gay community. Especially in Minnesota.

I wanted MORE story and less descriptive nostalgia. It was just overdone and not necessary. And the truth or dare and spin the bottle games with siblings involved. Just, ew.

All of the “Wanna beer?” “Wanna get high?” were too much. CONSTANTLY. Jessie and Troy each were ridiculously jealous of the other looking or even mentioning another man or ex.

I was hoping the “historical” nostalgia would make me smile at memories (btw, I was only 7 in 1978) but it all got to be very eye rolling.

2.5 pieces of eye candy

The Vicar and the Rake (Society of Beasts Book 1) by Annabelle Greene: Quick Review

August 17, 2021 by Denise

As a young man, Sir Gabriel Winters left behind his status as a gentleman, turning his back on his secret desires and taking a self-imposed vow of celibacy. Now a chaste hard-working vicar, his reputation is beyond reproach. But, try as he might, he’s never forgotten the man he once desired or the pain of being abandoned by his first love.

Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Caddonfell, is a notorious rake, delighting in scandal no matter the consequence. With a price on his head, he flees to the countryside, forced to keep his presence a secret or risk assassination. When Edward finds Gabriel on his estate, burning with fever, he cannot leave him to die, but taking him in puts them both in jeopardy.

With the help of a notorious blackmailer, a society of rich and famous gentlemen who prefer gentlemen, and a kitten named Buttons, they might just manage to save Edward’s life—but the greatest threat may be to their hearts.

Amazon

Book 2: The Soldier and the Spy

I love historicals, and yes, I say that every time, but it truly makes me happy to read an m/m historical. Because I know there are people out there that believe that being anywhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum is only a thing that has been around for 20-40 years. It’s not, there is evidence, lots of evidence dating back as far as historical records, and even further back before paper could record anything.

This book was so well written, and yes, it’s a debut book by this author, but it was just so well done. The characters were so rich and had depth, but also kept true to themselves, even as their worlds were crumbling around them in one way or another.

The fact that Gabriel and Edward knew each other as children really helped this story to feel true to the time period of the book. They likely would not have crossed paths much at a later point in their life, despite the mess that Edward found himself in. Maurice was a conundrum to me. He supported his brother no matter what, but seemed to have a bit of an icy heart…until he looked into someone else’s eyes. 🙂

The background mystery, I will say, did get a bit confusing for me, and I was surprised at the end. However, following along with the suspense seemed to really take some of the focus away from the romance for me. Some of the questions weren’t answered, some were cleaned up quite neatly.

Also, there was a cute cat, and that should be worth an additional 1/2 star there. 🙂

All in all, I thought this book was well done, and fully fleshed characters. Just needed a little more smoothing of the suspense for me.

4 pieces of eye candy

A Case for Christmas (The Lords of Bucknall, Book 2) by J.A. Rock & Lisa Henry: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and New Release Review

August 5, 2021 by Denise

He loves no-one and never will.

Lord Christmas Gale is a genius and a misanthrope, and, quite to his disgust, adored by all of Society for his capacity to solve mysteries. When a man approaches him seeking help in locating a lost dog, Gale rebuffs him. But what begins with a missing dog ends in murder and intrigue–two of Gale’s favourite things, if it weren’t for the orphan that comes attached to them. Oh, and Benjamin Chant.

He has sworn to never love again.

The Honourable Mr. Benjamin Chant isn’t sure how he got swept up in Gale’s mad investigation, but there’s something intriguing about the man–a vulnerability that most of the world doesn’t notice, but which captures Chant’s interest, and his sympathy, from their first meeting. After a disastrous love affair in the past, Chant has sworn to never give his heart away again. Especially to a man who does not want it.

But it isn’t just their hearts at stake.

When their investigation takes a dangerous turn and their lives are threatened, both Gale and Chant are forced into the realisation that perhaps two imperfect men might fit perfectly together–that is, if they can outwit the killer who is intent on seeing them both dead.

A Case for Christmas is the second book in the Lords of Bucknall Club series, where the Regency meets m/m romance.

A Case for Christmas

The Lords of Bucknall, Book 2

By JA Rock and Lisa Henry

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

A Husband for Hartwell (The Lords of Bucknall Club Book 1)

A Rival for Rivingdon (The Lords of Bucknall Club Book 3) (Release Day 9/14/21)

Chant put an arm around Gale’s shoulders as comfortably as though they were the oldest and dearest of friends. They sat in silence for a moment. Then Chant’s hand drifted up, his fingers threading through Gale’s hair. Gale stiffened. Forced himself to take measured breaths. What on earth… ? Chant carded the strands gently, and Gale felt a strange but not unpleasant prickle go up his spine. Chant’s fingers brushed the hair at Gale’s temple, and then his nails dragged very lightly to the back of Gale’s scalp where they dug in just a little. This time, Gale’s whole body seemed to jump like a candle flame.

He swallowed hard. “What… what are you doing?”

“Shall I stop?”

“No. I—I just don’t understand what…” He trailed off.

“Have you truly never known the pleasure of having your hair stroked?” There was a smile in Chant’s voice, but a sadness in his tone that made Gale at once defensive.

“I… I’m sure I…” But he could think of no instance where anyone had run their fingers through his hair this way. The room grew completely still, until there was nothing but Chant’s gentle touch, and Gale’s awkward pattern of tensing, then letting go, and then tensing again as he tried to acclimatise himself to the sensations. “No,” he muttered finally as though conceding a great defeat.

“Do you dislike it?”

“The only thing I dislike about it is that I am perpetually dreading the moment you’ll cease,” Gale snapped.

“Well, then I shall never cease.”

Gale snorted in spite of himself.

“If you will indulge me, I’ll arrange you so that it is easier for both of us.”

“Chant…”

Chant seemed to be waiting for the rest of whatever Gale had to say. But Gale did not have more to say. He inhaled and then released his breath, trying to slacken his body but to little avail. “All right,” he whispered.

I absolutely love historicals, especially the Elizabethan era. And because m/m historicals are challenging to find, I usually gobble them up right away. (As an example, I was supposed to read three books before I received this arc…as soon as I received it, it jumped to the front without question). I also love stand-offish, snarky characters, and enjoyed Christmas Gale so much in book 1. He could never remember (wink wink) how many sisters he had, or their names. He just made me laugh. So, this was an instant read for me.

Gale is a reluctant hero, who once again gets caught up in mysteries and his detective work. And his banter with Chant was fantastic. It allowed their personalities to shine through, both the grumpy of one, and the sunshine of the other. However, they really seemed to be a great couple together, offsetting each others’ quirks.

The side characters were fantastic, and it just made the book that much more fun, but was still interwoven with a mystery to be solved.

I’m not sure I could have enjoyed this book more, and I’m ready for book 3.

4.5 pieces of eye candy

About JA Rock:

J.A. Rock is the author of over twenty LGBTQ romance, suspense, and horror novels, as well as an occasional contributor to HuffPo Queer Voices. J.A.’s books have received Lambda Literary, INDIEFAB, and EPIC Award nominations, and The Subs Club received the 2016 National Leather Association-International Novel Award. 24/7 was named one of the best books of 2016 by Kirkus Reviews. J.A. lives in Chicago with an extremely judgmental dog, Professor Anne Studebaker.

https://jarockauthor.com

About Lisa:

Lisa likes to tell stories, mostly with hot guys and happily ever afters.

Lisa lives in tropical North Queensland, Australia. She doesn’t know why, because she hates the heat, but she suspects she’s too lazy to move. She spends half her time slaving away as a government minion, and the other half plotting her escape.

She attended university at sixteen, not because she was a child prodigy or anything, but because of a mix-up between international school systems early in life. She studied History and English, neither of them very thoroughly.

She shares her house with too many cats, a dog, a green tree frog that swims in the toilet, and as many possums as can break in every night. This is not how she imagined life as a grown-up.

Lisa has been published since 2012, and was a LAMBDA finalist for her quirky, awkward coming-of-age romance Adulting 101, and a Rainbow Awards finalist for 2019’s Anhaga.

To connect with Lisa on social media, you can find her here:

Website
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
Bookbub
Twitter

She also has a Facebook group where you’ll be kept in the loop with updates on releases, have a chance to win prizes, and probably see lots of lots of pictures of her dog and cats. You can find it here: Lisa Henry’s Hangout.