Knox Townsend can hardly believe it when he walks into Playgroundz Café Store #57 to find his old high school crush, Trevor Channing, working the cash register. Once upon a time, the two had shared a smoldering, passionate, once in a lifetime kiss while their prom dates were passed out and… never spoke of it again. Suddenly, Knox is Trevor’s boss and back in tiny Seaside, Florida for the next week to convert his cold brew coffee machines to the upgraded model. But suddenly, the only thing Knox really wants to upgrade are his feelings for Trevor, long simmering but suddenly reignited. This time, Knox hopes, for good!
Trevor hasn’t seen Knox in four years, ever since he left town right after graduation without so much as a backward glance, let alone anything as civil as a goodbye. Suddenly he is Trevor’s boss, in town for a whole week to oversee his franchise café’s equipment upgrades and staying at the same hotel where they’d shared their first, and only, kiss: the Seaside Inn. What Knox doesn’t know is that one of the front desk clerks is his regular customer at Playgroundz Café’ and, for a few free gift cards and extra soy whip on his daily latte, Trevor has just checked into the room next door to Knox’s. The room with the adjoining doors he plans to keep unlocked all week, just in case!
Excerpt
Knox slid close, if only to breathe in Trevor’s vaguely innocent scent and feel the heat wafting from his lean, tempting body. “You know what I have in mind, tease.”
“Listen, let’s not rush things,” Trevor chuckled wryly, enjoying his time in the cat bird seat. “I mean, you’re here all week, right?”
They stood halfway between the sushi bar and the hotel lobby, Trevor’s Jeep—at least, Knox assumed it was his Jeep, owing to the half dozen Playgroundz Café stickers littering the bumper—the only car left in the otherwise empty parking lot. “Fine, sure, if you’re playing hard to get or whatever, I get it, but you’ve still had, like, three carafes of sake, so…why not stay the night and drive in tomorrow when you’re good and sober, you know?”
“Hmmm, tempting,” Trevor teased, digging his hands in the front pockets of his faded salmon cargo shorts while gently drifting from foot to foot in the empty parking lot. “Even if I’ve only had two carafes and I could probably, maybe, kinda drive tonight.”
“Why risk it, old pal?” Knox murmured, clutching a handful of Trevor’s casual sea foam T-shirt in his grip and tugging him toward the stairwell that led to his room on the second floor. “Besides, second chances, right?”
Trevor rolled his eyes even as he followed dutifully. “Good thing the old Seaside Inn still has two queen size beds in every room,” he muttered, still playing coy even as Knox found it harder and harder to walk with every step toward the possibility of another dreamy kiss with his first, and most powerful, boy crush.
“Jesus, Trev, when did you become such a prude?”
“Hmmmmm, not sure,” Trevor mused as he drifted up the steps a pace or two in front of Knox. “Maybe the day you left town without a second glance, let alone another word. Probably then, Knox, is when I became such a prude.”
Trevor stood on the second-floor landing, turning slightly to make room for Knox. They stood, face to face, nearly the same height, and Trevor’s full lips, glossy and thick, aglow beneath the dim light just above. “This feels weird, right?”
Knox snorted, dragging the old school hotel room keychain from his pocket, the key dangling from the vaguely Christmas tree shaped plastic that still had the room number printed under the faded Seaside Inn logo: 224.
“Which part?” He drifted down the hallway toward his room, the air warm and soft on their skin as Knox slowly followed. “Me showing up in your café this morning? Me being your boss? Me being in town? Me drinking too much sake? Or, oh yeah, me staying in the same hotel where we first, you know…”
They were at his door now. Knox’s heart was pounding, his palms sweaty and hands trembling as he struggled to slither the key into the lock. It finally stumbled in, but they didn’t, the door only partly open as Knox felt Trevor still had more to say before finally coming inside.
“Kissed?” Trevor finished for him. “You can say it, you know? It happened, right? It wasn’t just a dream of mine?”
Knox nodded, voice soft and low to match his confessional gaze. “It happened, Trevor. I wanted it to happen. Wanted it to happen since that first time I saw you in homeroom.” He drifted closer, so close, on the empty walkway. Trevor was leaning back against the wrought iron railing across from the half-open door, as if waiting for something. Knox wasn’t sure what. Maybe even Trevor wasn’t sure what. Both of them, it seemed, were grasping at straws, cocky in ways neither of them truly felt, and shy in others. It felt like starting over, and Knox was as nervous as he’d ever been.
“Phew, okay, because…we never talked about it, you know?”
“I’m tired of talking about it,” Knox grunted, inching closer as he put a hand on either side of Trevor’s along the weathered upstairs railing.
Trevor swallowed. Hard. And loud. Loud enough for Knox to hear. “Me too,” he squeaked, involuntarily licking his lips. “So, what are we gonna do about it?”
Knox leaned gently in, winked and gave Trevor a soft, smooth, aborted kiss. With another wink he stepped back and reached for the doorknob. “Come inside, Trev, and find out.”
About the Author
Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!
If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.
Genre: M/M Crime/thriller
Trope: Slow burn friends to lovers
The stories should be read in order. Each one ends on a cliffhanger.
The stories have been updated and re-released in January 2023.
A body cut up into pieces and left in Highgate Wood. It sounds like the most exciting case that private detectives Ram and Will have had to deal with since leaving their FBI training and returning to the UK.
As each new body is piled up amongst the trees, the stakes get higher – and Serial Investigations London embraces their first real challenge.
But Ram’s rock star lifestyle – staying out all days of the week, drinking too much, and having hot gay sex with a different man every night – soon catches up with him when the police realise there’s just one link that connects the bodies.
And it’s him.
Will faces a battle around the clock to prevent his best friend from being put away for life – and while the two of them face their own demons, there’s a secret hanging over their heads that might just bring it all crashing down. And while he fights to keep it together, the one thing Will can’t bear to face is the fact that he wishes his best friend was something more.
If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Jump into the action from the very beginning with Bloodless, the first book in a series you won’t dare to put down.
Private detectives Ram and Will got their name in the news by catching a high-profile serial killer, and now they’re getting more clients. When they’re hired to find a missing person, all they’re worried about is having to spend a night away from home. They go to check his last known sighting in Kent, staying in a quaint country inn.
Little do they expect that Serial Investigations London are about to get thrust into a new murder investigation – one that happens right under their noses.
A confession seems to solve the case, but is it genuine? With suspicions running high, the duo still have to find time to sniff out the whereabouts of their client – and avoid getting arrested themselves.
Add Ram hitting the bottle harder than ever and Will fighting to stay in control, they might be about to lose more than just the case. And that’s all to come after they manage to get through the torturous temptation of spending a night in the same bed!
Private detectives Ram and Will thought they’d wrapped everything up when they found Ray Riley’s body in Sevenoaks. But it turns out that things aren’t what they seemed – and Riley may be the latest victim of a torture-happy murderous duo.
For the second time, Serial Investigations London are called in to assist as civilian consultants with DI Alex Heath’s team at the Met – but they have their own personal problems getting in the way of clear thinking.
Will has something to get off his chest, and it’s related to that kiss they shared – the one they both tried to forget. But Ram can’t stop drinking to push away the confusion, and this time he’s going to land himself in more trouble than ever before.
Can they get over their issues for long enough to stop another murder – or even keep themselves alive?
Will and Ram’s private detective partnership seems to be unravelling. After they ended up having sex for Will’s first time, the attraction and tension between them is at an all-time high – and the unsolved Simon Shystone case is haunting them and their police contacts.
DI Alex Heath normally wants their help, but when a murderer posts images of his victim on social media, the chase is on to trace his digital footprint. With his superiors breathing down his neck, he might not be able to bring Serial Investigations London in on one of the biggest cases of their career.
They should be focusing on the artist who seems to have disappeared without a trace from his home studio. Could his latest commission have something to do with it? And will they be able to handle finding another client turned up dead?
Things are spiralling out of control for Will and Ram – and this time, they might not have each other to rely on.
If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. The story continues with Blood Sucker, a devilish tale of a man who claims to be a myth – and a disappearing act as strong as any magic.
Serial Investigations London is officially closed for business – with private detectives Will and Ram still not talking to one another after an explosive argument. Even when a copycat killer springs up, seemingly targeting only their own cases, they can’t see eye to eye.
Little wonder, given that they both have something more important on their minds. Someone knows about San Francisco – about the man who died on a rooftop at their feet. Who has discovered their deepest secret? And what will they do to keep it buried?
That’s when another mystery piles up on top of the rest: a traditional trope that every seasoned detective must face, the locked room. But this one has a deadly twist, and if they don’t come to terms with their differences and work together, one of them might not live to regret it.
Will and Ram face the most pressing and personal danger yet – but the question is, who’s behind it? And will they realise they’ve been set against one another before it’s too late? Or can they admit their love for one another and use it to become stronger than ever?
If you’re a fan of extreme slow-burn friends to lovers romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty gay men, you’ll love Serial Investigations. The story continues with Blood Sport, a nail-biting series of twists and turns that will have you questioning how they’ll ever survive.
When a private client asks Ram and Will to track down a stolen yellow diamond, they quickly realise the suspects may be closer to home than he expects. Two adult children with serious issues, a jilted wife, and a young lover – and that’s just the beginning.
As what should be a straightforward case turns into a murder investigation, Serial Investigations London have to team up with their old friend Alex Heath – and an old enemy…
With Will in recovery and Ram staying on the wagon, everything seems to be looking up in their personal lives. They’ve even finally managed to admit their feelings for each other and turn casual sex into a real relationship, but that doesn’t mean the road ahead is without rocks. Will’s shyness around their relationship may just turn into the hurdle they fail at, with Ram feeling unwanted and pushed aside.
After an uncomfortable confrontation for Will, and with calls from their families becoming harder to ignore, the boys are going to need to work harder than ever to ignore their own issues if they want to get to the bottom of this crime – in which nothing is as straightforward as it seems.
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Start a new chapter with the boys in Blood Diamond, a mystery with a sharp and bloody twist.
BOOK 7
Book Title: Blood Pressure
Length: 232 pages
Release Date: This edition January 2023
Tropes: new relationship/closeted relationship, unwillingly outed
Themes: Family relationships, domestic abuse, claustrophobia/trauma, locked room murder mystery
Ram has spotted his dream locked room mystery case on the news – and he’ll stop at nothing to get himself involved with it. The problem is, newly-minted DCI Alex Heath isn’t too happy about it – and neither is his successor as DI…
An invitation to go home and visit family should be a happy occasion, but for Will, it’s quite the opposite. Spiralling into doubt and fear about Ram outing him to his parents, Will risks pushing his boyfriend away entirely. And when he does go home, things aren’t going to be plain sailing. Will’s father is an ex-Ambassador, and he’s got many years of finding out secrets behind him.
As both are rocked by revelations about Will’s past and his present, Ram and Will have to contend with doubting policemen, ugly habits rearing their heads, and the struggle to trust one another. And there’s the question of how Harry got that black eye…
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Try to keep your cool in Blood Pressure, a mystery with lashings of anxiety and an ending that might just blow a family apart.
A romantic trip to Paris for Ram’s birthday was never going to go smoothly. It should have been a week of sex and sightseeing, but fate has other plans. From the second he spots a police presence while exploring a monument and learns there’s been a murder, he’s chomping at the bit to get involved – and when he’s recognised by a fan, he gets his chance.
With Will sucked into the investigation as well, this should a chance for them to enjoy an international reputation and solve a case for the Paris police. But as more bodies appear and the case gets more complicated, their unfamiliar surroundings could turn around and bite them.
Locked out of their hotel, with their cash stolen and an unfriendly police force shutting them out, Ram and Will might just come up against their biggest opponent yet. Are they embroiled in a conspiracy that could overtake them entirely – or are the shadows in the corners of Notre-Dame really just shadows?
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Try to stay alive in Blood Sacrifice, a mystery set in the city of love – where red is now the colour of blood, not romance.
BOOK 9
Book Title: Blood Magic
Length: 242 pages
Release Date: This edition January 2023
Themes: Occult/psychic abilities, secret society, family relationships, trans struggles
Ram and Will aren’t exactly believers in the occult. When a medium comes to them and claims to have heard rumours of death from the other side, they laugh her out of the door. But when her prediction comes true, they have to consider that something more serious might be going on here.
A missing person case turns out to be more complex than they could have imagined, and with the lines between life and death becoming blurred, they both have to confront their own feelings about what happened to them in Paris. The fears, the doubts, and the worry for Capitaine Varon haven’t gone away – and every hint of danger is enough to make Ram want to wrap Will in unwanted cotton wool. That doesn’t help when they’re sucked deep into the turmoil of national politics, and the seedy underbelly of big business.
With a trip home for Christmas impending, and the invitation to the mysterious Black Dragon still looming, Ram has a lot on his mind. But with Harry and Alex both having their own reasons for staying quiet, Will has to find a way to keep him steady on his own. What’s awaiting them will make them wonder – and rattle some of their core beliefs to their foundation.
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Search for the truth in Blood Magic, a tale of death and corruption that will raise the hairs on the back of your neck.
BOOK 10
Book Title: Blood Trail
Length: 232 pages
Release Date: This edition January 2023
Themes: Gaslighting, serial killer, trust, red herrings
Ram and Will have a secret, and only three people in the world know it. The two of them, and JM Coil. So, with Ram seeing Coil – who must still be in prison – at every turn, and the FBI turning up to investigate a cold case, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before their secret is out.
The Thames Valley Stalker is Will’s pet serial killer, and now it seems like he might be active again – both at home and overseas. What should be a dream case turns into a nightmare as he realises his very involvement puts Serial Investigations London at risk of everything being found out at last.
Alex is still on bereavement leave, right when they need a friend at the Met the most. They’ll have to put up with assistance from a very unlikely source instead – someone who is supposed to be dead, turning up like a ghost on their doorstep. And with one more secret to try to keep from the FBI, it’s not long before Ram is eyeing the bottle again like it might be the answer to all of his problems.
The question is, can he stay on the wagon, keep his cool, and help solve the case? Or will the serial killer of the century finally be the undoing of the private detectives who have weathered every storm until now?
And what will happen when they take their suspicions into their own hands and confront their suspect in the flesh?
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Fight for justice in Blood Trail, a twisting tale of clues, suspects, fake deaths, and new leads that will have you reaching for the red string.
BOOK 11
Book Title: Blood Work
Length: 240 pages
Genre/s: M/M Crime/thriller
Themes: Gaslighting, serial killer, trust, hidden domestic abuse, forced proximity
Getting arrested on suspicion of killing the latest victim of the Thames Valley Stalker seemed like it might be a big deal. But that’s the least of Will and Ram’s worries when a bad week turns even worse.
Capitaine Varon saved their lives in Paris, and all they want is to do the same. But with the French policeman determined to get out of their tiny apartment, and the FBI now aware of his existence, it’s starting to feel impossible. Keeping him alive might be more than they can handle, with limited resources at their disposal and threats coming from every direction.
Harry’s excuses are starting to wear thin when he turns up covered in bruises yet again, and Will’s determined to find out who his elusive, controlling boyfriend really is. But when Harry pretends everything is fine, how can Will make him see he’s in danger? And will his warning come too late?
As if being pulled in two different directions wasn’t enough, the private detectives soon find themselves pulled in four. Running under all of their worries for their friends are two cases – one concerning the Thames Valley Stalker and one connected to the Black Dragon. Both of these cases are more than just jobs – they’re personal.
Can they save Varon and Harry before it’s too late? Can they catch the Thames Valley Stalker – or convince the FBI to do it – when the suspicion is falling on their own heads? Can they solve the murder of a prominent Black Dragon member without falling into a trap set by JM Coil himself?
And, most of all, can they handle all of this pressure without falling off the wagon?
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Race against time to get all the answers in Blood Work, a tension-driven tale that will leave you not knowing which way to turn.
Two months of lockdown, and already Ram and Will are tired to death of it all. The same four walls. Seeing the city, but not being able to go out into it. The only diversions available either tire Will out or leave Ram unsated.
The solution?
A hot bet from Will that convinces Ram to take on a new case – one that they have to solve remotely.
Then Alex calls with another one.
And then the FBI want to speak to them about Kit Anderson.
The tension is piling up, so Will surprises even himself when he gets hot enough under the collar to pull Ram into the bedroom and take control. But with Harry still locked down with his abusive boyfriend, a video meeting with Coil on the cards, and a lot of awkward questions from international law enforcement, it might just take everything Will can pull out of the bag to win that bet.
But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.
If you’re a fan of hot gay romance, high-stakes drama mystery thrillers, or sharply witty Londoners, you’ll love Serial Investigations. Resist the urge to spiral in Blood Pumping, a lockdown mystery that will leave you poring over maps and going down rabbit holes.
Excerpt fromBloodless
Hiro stirs as I drag my jeans up over my thighs, and I groan inwardly. He’s awake. I wasn’t supposed to wake him. I was trying to get out of here clean.
“Where are you going?” he asks, a sleepy voice that would almost sound cute if you were into that kind of thing.
“Home,” I tell him. I could lie or whatever, but I’m tired. This is why I usually just sneak out. I’m not good at coming up with believable excuses.
“It’s the middle of the night,” he says, sitting up slightly to squint at me.
“Night Tube,” I tell him with a shrug. Yes, thank fuck once again for the Night Tube.
“I’ve got something else you could ride,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
I stare at him for a minute, cocking my head.
“Alright,” he says, as if conceding a point. He ducks his head just a little, down onto his own arm. “I’ll ride you. I guess that’s the only way you like it.”
I’m about to leave, but I look at him there with his head dropped down, looking up at me through faux-shy eyelashes. He has that sleek, black hair that most Asians have, falling just into those eyes. In the dim light like this, he could be from somewhere else. China. Or Korea, even.
Not that that makes a difference.
But I find I’m palming myself lightly through my underwear instead of doing up my jeans, and the thought of fucking Hiro again before I leave does have a nice ring to it. “I don’t know,” I say anyway, wanting to tease him, wanting him to beg me for it. “I think I need a little more convincing.”
Hiro fixes me with a naughty look that I can make out even in the dimness of the room, his eyes practically sparkling. He doesn’t need asking twice. He practically springs up and towards me, landing on his knees in front of me.
“You don’t need these,” he says, nosing at my boxer briefs for a moment before using his teeth to pull them down. Once they’re far enough for my already hard dick to spring loose again, he stops and puts his mouth to better use, closing it over my head immediately.
I groan, throwing my head back to the ceiling. I grip onto his hair, silky under my fingers. He feels good – warm and wet, his tongue flicking over my head on each stroke like he’s some kind of fucking clarinet player. With my eyes closed and that hair in my hand I can almost believe he’s –
Fuck. I should not be thinking about my straight roommate and best friend while getting off. For one thing, it’s pointless. And it’s not like I’m drowning in rejections over here. I can get any hole I fucking click my fingers at.
“I want to fuck you,” I growl at Hiro, pulling him back from my dick by his hair. It leaves his mouth with a sucking pop, sending a shudder down my spine.
“Yes,” he murmurs, both an agreement and a cheer, and he climbs up on the bed in front of me on all fours. Ready. He reaches back to play with his own hole, moaning lightly, while I slip a new condom on. He’s still fucking open from last time. He probably gets a lot of good results from other guys playing the slut like that, but for me, it’s less of a turn-on. I get so much dick, I would kind of prefer it sometimes if someone actually made it a challenge for me.
I line myself up behind him and push forward, feeling how his ring sucks me inside. He groans long and low, the same way he did earlier. I’m close enough already and I don’t see much point in dragging this out. I do want to get home. I let go, pumping into him hard and fast for a few long moments before I feel my balls draw up. I come with a shout, pumping inside him for the last few bursts of pleasure, milking everything out of it.
“Ohhh, yes,” Hiro says, pulling himself off me and turning to look, on his knees still. He’s still hard. I guess he didn’t come. Sort of sounds like his problem, not mine.
“Alright,” I say, tucking myself back into my jeans and continuing to dress. “Now I really have to go.”
“But, baby,” he pouts. He tugs himself a few times, keeping himself going. “We’re not done.”
“One ride and I’m going,” I remind him. “That was the deal.” I shrug my shirt on over my head and grab my leather jacket. “Sorry, mate.”
I don’t call him baby. For some reason, it makes my stomach turn.
Maybe I just know that I would like myself even less if I pretended I really liked these men and got their hopes up that way.
I sweep out of his home and back onto the road, heading for the Tube with the precision of a sniffer dog, well-trained at seeking them out. A cold walk and Tube ride home, and I might get a few hours sleep in my own bed.
About the Author
Rhiannon D'Averc is a romance, crime, and young adult fiction author based in the UK. She also writes true crime.
Trademarks of her work include dystopian fiction, LGTBQ+ themes, and explorations of the horror genre alongside experimental short story formulas, with a lick of wry humour.
She is available as a ghostwriter, for live readings, speaking engagements, and workshops on any and all topics to do with writing and publishing. As of January 2023, Rhiannon has had 85 books published under her own name and under others.
Rhiannon lives in East Sussex with her husband and son and is probably squirrelled away as you read this in her home office, hunched over a keyboard and trying to resist the temptation to stop working and start crafting.
CONTENT WARNING: This book contains explicit sexual content between consenting adults. It also includes mentions of dead parents, mentions of dead spouses, violence, panic attacks, trauma, grief over past loss, mentions of child abuse, mentions of prior homelessness, mentions of past animal abuse, visit to prison to see an incarcerated relative. Also note this book has a HFN ending.
Heat Rating: 4 flames
Length: 338 pages 96,000 words
It is part of a duology and does not end on a cliffhanger
Can two British gangsters who grew up archenemies find light in their shared darkness?
Blurb
The daylight between us, and the darkness we share.
Danger City has been ruled by the bloody iron fists of the Winters crime family for decades.
When the Summers family waged war on the Winters in an attempt to take their power, violence reigned, taking no mercy on both sides of the conflict. The Summers were eventually defeated and as a result Max Summers lost everything.
Flash forward sixteen years, Max is a new man, no longer a gangster, but a simple primary school teacher still grieving the loss of his first love and trying his best to raise his children as a single father.
Cue his old rival Sam Winters re-entering his life when their oldest sons meet at school and become best friends.
During their time apart, Sam continued on the path laid out for him, climbing the organisation's ranks right to the top. He has become every inch the mighty and lethal crime boss he was born to be.
After their unplanned reunification, both men are forced to confront the nightmares of their joint past and the burgeoning desire which seems to be developing between them.
Can Max allow himself to fall in love with anyone again, let alone the man who was once his greatest enemy?
Excerpt
I never asked for this life.
In all honesty, if someone had told me when I was a child that one day I would be working as a primary school teacher, then I would have been horrified. I would have said my father—my father—wouldn't allow that to happen.
When I was a boy, I thought my father was the strongest, bravest, most important man in the world. I don't think that's particularly odd within itself, many sons look to their fathers.
It was just unfortunate for me that mine was a violent criminal. Worse, he was a violent criminal who failed to be the best violent criminal in Danger City. When he tried to take down the behemoth that is the Winters family, they ground out my father’s rebellion like King Arthur and his knights ferociously beat down the Saxons.
I often used to wonder what would have been different if I'd just tried harder to fight my fate. At the time it had seemed inescapable. But now I look back on my choices and realise all the times when I could have been stronger, taken more control of my own life. I have to tell myself over and over again that I was young and scared and I just wanted to please my father. To please him and survive him, a task many before me had failed to accomplish.
I've learnt the hard way that people can do strange and terrible things out of desperation. I don't believe anyone who hasn’t grown up as I did could understand what it’s like to live a life surrounded by different doors, and yet still know you’ll only ever have the key to one of them.
My father trapped me with his choices, his mistakes. I felt like I couldn't be anyone other than who he wanted me to be. Of course, now I know that wasn't true. But hindsight is, as ever, mostly useless.
I've tried very hard not to trap my children in the same way. I want them to have every choice. I want them to feel free to be themselves, even if the world disagrees. I want them to !ght back when someone tries to force them into a corner.
My son, Rory, started secondary school this year, and he’s made some interesting new friends. A best friend in particular who has caused me a great deal of anxiety.
When Rory asked if he could go over to his new best friend’s house after school on the last day of term before the Christmas holidays, I couldn't think of a reason to say no. Not that I would particularly want to. But the thought of facing the father of my son's new best mate is somewhat daunting.
When Rory first told me that he'd made a friend named Elijah Winters, I was only mildly alarmed. I told myself that Danger is a large city. There could be plenty of people running around with that name. It didn’t mean anything. Elijah could very well not be his son.
But another part of me knew. As soon as Rory said that name. Part of me knew there was no chance he could be anyone else’s son. I’d already accepted that fact, had let the sense of inevitability take over and the resignation sink in.
It made sense to me in a strange way that another one of the changes in my life had been invaded or influenced by Sam Winters.
About the Author
BL Jones is a twenty-something British author who spends all her free time reading and writing and taming her three little brothers. She lives in Bristol with a temperamental bunny named Pepsi. She’s been writing stories since she was five, rarely sharing them with anyone except her numerous stuffed animals. BL has had a difficult journey into discovering and accepting her own queerness, and therefore believes that positive, honest, and authentic stories about queer people are very important. She hopes to contribute her own stories for people to have fun with and enjoy.
Dylan Aylmer is a Hollywood actor struggling to make a comeback.
Falling in love with his ghostwriter wasn’t part of the script.
Blurb
Dylan: I’ve lived my adult life under the Hollywood spotlight, but no one really sees who I am. I’ve gone down the dark path of drinking my anxiety away, along with my career, but now I’m searching for the light again. My struggle to stay sober has me releasing long held secrets.
A contract to publish my autobiography means laying everything in the open. When I meet Max, my ghostwriter, I’m not sure how our collaboration is going to work. He’s a university professor from New York with more degrees than I can count and I’m a guy from West Texas that barely finished college. And he may be my ghostwriter, but Max is anything but invisible.
Intimate confessions lead to heightened emotions and an unexpected love that fills up all my empty places. I don’t know what the future holds, but I want Max to be a part of it.
I’m done hiding in plain sight. It’s time for this star to finally shine.
Max: I’m an established university professor and a celebrity ghostwriter. Why ghostwriting? Because it pays. And I need the money. My ex-husband likes to threaten me with legal battles over custody of our daughter and while he has family reserves, I don’t.
So I take a summer ghostwriting contract, a celebrity tell-all. I expect to meet another self-absorbed actor, but Dylan Aylmer doesn’t fit any pre-conceived mold. His eyes are so haunted that I can’t look away and now I’m curious to unlock all his secrets.
What I find is not only a man trying to mend his broken soul but a beautiful person that is so much more than outward appearances. I swore I’d never be vulnerable to heartache again, but Dylan has me breaking all my steadfast rules.
Am I chasing a shooting star, soon to be gone, or is our love the kind that shines forever?
Excerpt
“My part in this book deal is supposed to be kept confidential. There’s a reason it’s called ghostwriting. I hope to hell that reporter didn’t get my photo.”
The worst-case scenarios ran through my mind, but I forced myself to remain calm. We arrived at the gate and after we provided our ID, we were escorted to a private waiting area. At least in this section, there were two security staff on standby. Neither of us were in the mood for small talk and sat quietly until Warren entered the room a few minutes later.
“I had security escort that guy out of the airport. It’s all under control.”
“Are you sure about that? Did he get any photos?” I asked, concerned that my anonymity was no more.
“He didn’t, Max. And we’ve done our best to ensure your name is kept out of the press. That’s part of the reason why you’re working on a yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean instead of downtown New York. But Dylan is still a celebrity, and he gets attention, and yes there is always the possibility of news leaking. You’ve done this kind of work before, so why the concern now?”
“Usually everything is done virtually.”
“The in-person request was my idea,” Dylan replied. “Mainly because of the timing with my film and for other privacy reasons.”
“I agreed to the contract. It’s just that I have a thirteen-year-old daughter.” I ran an agitated hand through my hair. “You see where I’m going with this.”
“I do, but again, there’s no reason to be worried,” Warren replied. “It was one reporter and he got nothing.”
“If my ex-husband sees my name or my daughter’s in the tabloid news, he’ll flip out.”
“Husband?” Dylan asked with a raised brow.
“Ex. Is there a problem?” I said, turning in my seat to face him. Dylan better not have any issue with my sexuality, or I would walk out of the airport right now, contract be damned.
“Nope,” he shook his head and smirked at me. “Just nosy.”
I let out a surprised laugh, despite my growing anxiety.
“An honest answer from someone in show biz.” I placed my hand on my chest. “I’m honored.”
Dylan’s smirk faded as quick as it came, and I could sense the shift in his mood. “I can tell that you really don’t want to do this, and I won’t blame you if you want to back out. You have priorities you need to consider.”
The look of resignation on Dylan’s face touched something in me. That was highly unusual. My ex often accused me of being unfeeling because I didn’t let my emotions get involved in certain decisions, and maybe he was right. I tended to be more rational and analytical. So why this man, a stranger, should spark my empathy was beyond my comprehension.
“I’m going to hit the head before we board. Thanks for seeing us off, Warren.” Dylan shook his hand and walked away, leaving a vacuum of sorts. Like he’d taken all the oxygen along with him.
Warren motioned to the exit. “Time for me to get going. And stop worrying, Max. Focus on the book. That’s the priority.” He paused and shook his head. “Look, I won’t bullshit you. There’ve been many times when I wanted to kick Dylan’s reckless butt to the curb. But he’s worked hard for a fresh start. He’s got a new movie role. And the book. I want to ensure both succeed, and Dylan along with it.”
“I’ll do my best,” I responded as Warren nodded and walked away.
Part of me wished I’d never have to work with Dylan, but the bigger part of me called me a liar. I didn’t even know the man and yet I was intensely curious about him, and that right there made the writer in me stand at attention. There was more to Dylan Aylmer than a model pretty face and a salacious past.
It was those sad, hypnotic eyes. He’d cast a strange kind of spell on me, and I was determined to find out why.
About the Author
Ava Olsen writes steamy and dreamy contemporary romances filled with heartwarming characters, cheeky banter and swoony moments.
I'm here to destroy this town. How did I end up in a fake relationship with its hero?
I've spent my life proving to my grandpa and dad that I'm more than just the Lewis family mistake. So when Grandpa sends me to Devon Falls, VT to take some ridiculous leaf festival to court, I head straight there and get to work.
But Dr. Jack Lancer keeps getting in my way.
He's everywhere. Helping me out with my migraines, making me dinner, insisting people be nice to me even though I’m the enemy. Who is this guy? The next thing I know I'm pretending to be Jack's boyfriend to get him out of a bind. I swear he's putting kindness pills in my food or something.
Jack thinks he can fix me the same way he fixes everyone else. But I'm not broken. This podunk town will be when I'm done with it, though. And Jack? Well, he's about to learn the meaning of the term "collateral damage." Because I'll do anything to win this case and end this festival.
Even if it means losing something that feels an awful lot like love.
Fauxmance in the Falls is an age-gap romance featuring a small town full of quirks, a grumpy lawyer and a charming physician, a fake relationship gone wild, some inappropriate use of a doctor’s office, and a healthy mix of humor and angst. It stars Benson Lewis, who first appeared in the book Counterpoint.
About the Author
J.E. Birk was raised in Vermont and is now adulting in Colorado with intermittent success. She is a long-time lover of stories, and she writes and reads in worlds where imperfect characters find their happily ever after. Snag free bonus content and stay up-to-date on J.E. Birk's news and releases by signing up for her newsletter.
