LGBT Fiction

NEW RELEASE: “Finding Harbour” by Duncan Gaye

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Finding Harbor

Author: Duncan Gaye

Release Date: November 10, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person/ past tense

Genres: MM Historical Romance, LGBTQ Fiction

Tropes: Friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, small town romance, forced proximity, shared bed

Themes: Love against the odds, found family

Heat Rating:  2 flames

Length: 291 pages

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link

Blurb Part of The Long Shadow Series by Duncan Gaye Patrick Callahan comes to Cape Breton expecting easy money from a quick and lucrative timber deal. Instead, he only finds humiliation. Swindled out of his inheritance and stranded in a windswept fishing village, he is left with nothing but a single suitcase and a future that has collapsed overnight. At seven and a half feet tall, Angus MacAskill is a gentle giant with his own past. In St. Ann’s, he is known for his silent kindness as much as he is for his stoic nature. He offers Patrick a bookkeeping job in his mercantile, and a place by the fire. What begins as a simple arrangement blossoms into a profound connection neither man could have ever imagined. Set within the wild beauty of nineteenth-century Nova Scotia, Finding Harbor is a queer historical romance about survival, finding home, and a love that takes root slowly but with unshakable strength. Perfect for fans of Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), Cat Sebastian (A Gentleman Never Keeps Score) and KJ Charles (An Unseen Attraction). Excerpt  Patrick watched, fascinated by the sight. Submerged, Angus looked even more amazing. His chest rose like an island from the water, with rivulets flowing through the valleys of his muscles. His hands, spread wide to aid his floating, could have easily spanned Patrick’s entire ribcage. Every proportion spoke of power held in careful check, strength tempered by conscious gentleness. As Angus had predicted, the water’s temperature became pleasant after the initial shock. Patrick swam to the pool’s center. His strokes were strong and careful. They reflected his childhood summers in Boston Harbor. He circled Angus once, then twice, like a small craft orbiting a ship. “Show off,” Angus said, righting himself in the water. He moved with surprising speed for his size, catching Patrick around the waist before he could dart away. Patrick found himself lifted effortlessly, Angus’s hands secure around his midsection. “What are you—” he began, but his question transformed into a yelp of surprise as Angus tossed him several feet through the air. He hit the water with a splash, sank briefly, then surfaced, sputtering but laughing. “Again?” Angus asked, his eyes bright with mischief. “You’re a menace,” Patrick said accusingly, but he swam back to Angus, nonetheless, allowing himself to be captured once more. This time, Angus hoisted him into the air with deliberate care, ensuring Patrick was prepared before launching him skyward. At the pinnacle of his leap, Patrick savored a delightful instant of weightlessness—just a taste of flying. Then, in a beautiful arc, he dove cleanly back into the water. As he emerged, he noticed Angus watching him with bright-eyed admiration. “Graceful,” the giant commented. “Like a kingfisher.” What began as play evolved into a pattern: Angus would throw, Patrick would fly, then dive, then return for more. Each toss sent him higher, Angus’s strength precisely controlled to provide thrills without danger. Patrick laughed freely, just like he did as a child. He forgot about being self-conscious. The joy of movement, water, and trust flooded him. Breathless and excited, Patrick swam to Angus and climbed onto his broad shoulders. He wrapped his arms loosely around the giant’s neck. “Onward,” he commanded imperiously, pointing toward the small waterfall. Angus obliged. He swam with powerful strokes that barely seemed affected by Patrick’s added weight. They traversed the pool together, Patrick riding high above the water’s surface, feeling the play of muscles beneath him as Angus moved. In the tender embrace, skin met skin; Patrick’s chest molded to Angus’s back. This connection stirred a quieter pleasure, profound and comforting. At the waterfall, Angus stood tall, water cascading down his body. Patrick, perched confidently on his shoulder, felt like he was soaring among the towering trees. The shift in perspective was exhilarating. “You see things differently from up here,” Angus said in a low voice, one hand reaching up to steady Patrick. “Is this how you always see the world?” Patrick asked, marveling at the altered perspective. “More or less,” Angus confirmed. “Higher than most, lower than trees.” He helped Patrick slide down from his shoulders. His hands guided Patrick through the water. Soon, they faced each other, bodies close but not touching. Droplets clung to Angus’s eyelashes and beard, catching sunlight like tiny prisms. His hands remained at Patrick’s waist, neither restraining nor demanding, simply connecting. Patrick placed his palms against Angus’s chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath water-cooled skin. Angus’s eyes held his, patient and waiting. He inched closer, their lips poised for connection. When the kiss came, it tasted like fresh water and sunlight; unhurried and adventurous. Unlike their first kiss by the fireside, heavy with longing, this one held a different charm. It was not about urgency, but the playful bliss of certainty. Angus’s arms cradled him gently, as water lapped at their shoulders. Wrapped in each other’s embrace, they felt whole for a moment, completely secluded in their secret haven.

About the Author 

Duncan Gaye lives in River Forest, Illinois. He believes magic can be found anywhere, even the suburbs. He writes the kind of love stories that sneak up on you—queer, tender, and just a little strange. His books are full of burly big-hearted men, tall tales, impossible odds, and the kind of endings that leave you wanting more.

When not writing, he likes to read, travel and relax with his adorable senior dogs, Spotty and French Fry.

The Long Shadow Series by Duncan Gaye is a thematic anthology series of stand-alone LGBTQ+ novellas and novels that tell love stories shaped by the extraordinary. Blending elements of speculative fiction, magical realism, tall tales, and literary drama, these are stories where intimacy and identity meet epic strength and emotional vulnerability.

From the mythical to the mundane, each book explores larger-than-life characters—strongmen, bodyguards, super soldiers, and other giants. For fans of emotional intensity, queer desire, and stories that stretch the boundaries of realism, this series offers a new kind of legend.

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Continue ReadingNEW RELEASE: “Finding Harbour” by Duncan Gaye

RECENT RELEASE: “Jingled” by Evan J. Corbin

RECENT RELEASE

Book Title: Jingled

Author:  Evan J. Corbin

Publisher: Atonement Books, LLC

Cover Artist: https://openbookdesign.biz/

Release Date: November 7, 2025

Tense/POV: Third Person

Genres: MM Speculative Fiction; Satire

Theme: Family accepting a gay son

Heat Rating: 1 out of 5 flames

Length: 77 777 words/275 pages

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK 

When Christmas never ends… Reality does.  

A biting, satirical thriller about a world trapped in endless Christmas cheer.

Blurb

Matt Daughtry has always felt like he and his parents live in separate worlds—his shaped by the urbane, Northeastern liberal elite, theirs by Southern conservatism, homespun “common sense,” and talk show-fueled conspiracies. His homosexuality remains an open secret, something they sidestep rather than confront, much less accept. When he and his sister return for Christmas, the wrong sibling brings home a boyfriend for the first time.

What starts as a tense but routine holiday gathering takes a surreal turn the next morning. Flights are canceled, pilots and flight attendants mysteriously take time off, and by the following day, an estimated seventy-eight million Americans fail to return to work. Their explanation? They just want to spend more time with their families. Christmas can be every day when you’re with family.

His parents—and millions of Americans—are suffering from a bizarre condition, trapped in an endless holiday loop, determined to celebrate Christmas every day. They make choices that go against their self-interests.  Blissfully unbothered by their accumulating debts, economic collapse, or even basic responsibilities, they live in a festive delusion seemingly fueled by an addictive algorithm used by an evangelical shopping app called MerryNet.

At first, Matt sees no reason to get involved. He’s never been able to reach his parents before—why would this be any different? But as the syndrome spreads, paralyzing the country, he stumbles upon evidence linking the outbreak to corporate actors intent on silencing their perceived right-wing enemies. Faced with a choice between complicity and action, Matt realizes that exposing the truth may come at the cost of his career, safety, and sanity. But the country may slide further into a dystopian nightmare if he doesn’t act.

With the help of his boyfriend and sister, Matt must not only uncover the syndrome’s cause and cure but also confront the deeper divisions tearing his family—and the nation—apart.

Excerpt 

Chapter 1

Matt did the math. This was the fifth year he had flown from Chicago to Charlotte to see his family. Five years. Five flights down. Five more back. Five broken promises. He made the same promise every year after Christmas, usually somewhere between his parents’ driveway and the ticketing counter at the airport to fly back home. Never Again. Yet, here he was, sitting in the driver’s seat of the mid-sized rental car parked outside his parents’ house. Again. At least this year, he’d brought reinforcements.

“I just had my vape a second ago,” Matt said, wedging his hand between the driver’s seat and the gear shift, his fingers fanned out, groping for the one thing that would ease his anxiety. 

“Is it in your coat pocket?” Grant asked.

“I checked,” Matt said, using his other hand to frisk his chest again. 

“Sweetheart,” Grant said, pointing at him. “It’s in your lap.”

“Jesus,” Matt said. “I should put it on one of those chains like they have for pens at the bank.”

Grant brought his matching vape to his lips and sucked on it. “Spoken like two people who could absolutely quit any time they want to.”

Matt coughed. “Maybe once Christmas is over. Until then, I can’t handle any more anxiety.”

His thoughts turned back to his parents. He could recite their lines like a Broadway play that lingered long after its popularity had waned. His mother would allude to a “war on Christmas.” As a proxy for the Northeastern liberal elite, he could count on his father to hold him personally liable for the perceived collapse of family values and decency. He knew it would usually earn a ceasefire to see him and his sister, except this year, the wrong sibling was bringing a boyfriend home for the first time.

“It’s pretty,” Grant said, craning his neck to look at the two-story house with the white vinyl siding. 

Matt scoffed. The home he grew up in was scarcely any different from the other homes on the block.  He knew his boyfriend was only trying to help, but he ignored him and took another slow drag on his vape. He exhaled a thin plume of vapor, watching it curl around the steering wheel in a car that grew colder with each minute he procrastinated. He stuffed the vape into his coat. 

Matt thought of his vape and figured he wouldn’t be the only one with a concealed weapon at his parents’ house. His father, a proud concealed-carry permit owner, wouldn’t let the family forget his holstered “right to bear arms” strapped under his armpit. Honestly, Matt thought, it barely qualified as “concealed” when his dad worked it into every discussion, from gas prices to his latest election conspiracy.

Matt, by contrast, prided himself on his ability to keep secrets like the one now discreetly tucked into his coat. He’d never been caught, though his frequent trips to the bathroom hadn’t escaped his mother’s relentless curiosity. Her concern for his well-being was as unwavering as his determination to dodge the interrogations she called “conversations.” 

Last year, after two clandestine trips to the bathroom in less than an hour, with the earnestness only she could muster, she’d asked if he needed to see a doctor about his prostate. At twenty-nine years old, he knew the suggestion was absurd. Matt resisted the temptation to tell her that if he wanted his prostate examined, he had an app for that.

About the Author  

Evan is a member of the LGBTQ community who fancies himself as a playboy socialite, living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Between work and lucid moments of sobriety, he writes a little.  His debut novel is a light-hearted work that still manages to confront religious hypocrisy and contemporary LGBTQ struggles to balance their loss of culture with new-found civil rights.

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Continue ReadingRECENT RELEASE: “Jingled” by Evan J. Corbin

NEW RELEASE: “Finding Harbor” by Duncan Gaye

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Finding Harbor

Author: Duncan Gaye

Release Date: November 10, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person/ past tense

Genres: MM Historical Romance, LGBTQ Fiction

Tropes: Friends to lovers, strangers to lovers, small town romance, forced proximity, shared bed 

Themes: Love against the odds, found family

Heat Rating:  2 flames

Length: 291 pages

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Universal Link

Blurb

Part of The Long Shadow Series by Duncan Gaye

Patrick Callahan comes to Cape Breton expecting easy money from a quick and lucrative timber deal. Instead, he only finds humiliation. Swindled out of his inheritance and stranded in a windswept fishing village, he is left with nothing but a single suitcase and a future that has collapsed overnight. At seven and a half feet tall, Angus MacAskill is a gentle giant with his own past. In St. Ann’s, he is known for his silent kindness as much as he is for his stoic nature. He offers Patrick a bookkeeping job in his mercantile, and a place by the fire. What begins as a simple arrangement blossoms into a profound connection neither man could have ever imagined. 

Set within the wild beauty of nineteenth-century Nova Scotia, Finding Harbor is a queer historical romance about survival, finding home, and a love that takes root slowly but with unshakable strength. Perfect for fans of Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain), Cat Sebastian (A Gentleman Never Keeps Score) and KJ Charles (An Unseen Attraction).

Excerpt 

Patrick watched, fascinated by the sight. Submerged, Angus looked even more amazing. His chest rose like an island from the water, with rivulets flowing through the valleys of his muscles. His hands, spread wide to aid his floating, could have easily spanned Patrick’s entire ribcage. Every proportion spoke of power held in careful check, strength tempered by conscious gentleness.

As Angus had predicted, the water’s temperature became pleasant after the initial shock. Patrick swam to the pool’s center. His strokes were strong and careful. They reflected his childhood summers in Boston Harbor. He circled Angus once, then twice, like a small craft orbiting a ship.

“Show off,” Angus said, righting himself in the water. He moved with surprising speed for his size, catching Patrick around the waist before he could dart away.

Patrick found himself lifted effortlessly, Angus’s hands secure around his midsection. “What are you—” he began, but his question transformed into a yelp of surprise as Angus tossed him several feet through the air. He hit the water with a splash, sank briefly, then surfaced, sputtering but laughing.

“Again?” Angus asked, his eyes bright with mischief.

“You’re a menace,” Patrick said accusingly, but he swam back to Angus, nonetheless, allowing himself to be captured once more.

This time, Angus hoisted him into the air with deliberate care, ensuring Patrick was prepared before launching him skyward. At the pinnacle of his leap, Patrick savored a delightful instant of weightlessness—just a taste of flying. Then, in a beautiful arc, he dove cleanly back into the water. As he emerged, he noticed Angus watching him with bright-eyed admiration.

“Graceful,” the giant commented. “Like a kingfisher.”

What began as play evolved into a pattern: Angus would throw, Patrick would fly, then dive, then return for more. Each toss sent him higher, Angus’s strength precisely controlled to provide thrills without danger. Patrick laughed freely, just like he did as a child. He forgot about being self-conscious. The joy of movement, water, and trust flooded him.

Breathless and excited, Patrick swam to Angus and climbed onto his broad shoulders. He wrapped his arms loosely around the giant’s neck. “Onward,” he commanded imperiously, pointing toward the small waterfall.

Angus obliged. He swam with powerful strokes that barely seemed affected by Patrick’s added weight. They traversed the pool together, Patrick riding high above the water’s surface, feeling the play of muscles beneath him as Angus moved. In the tender embrace, skin met skin; Patrick’s chest molded to Angus’s back. This connection stirred a quieter pleasure, profound and comforting.

At the waterfall, Angus stood tall, water cascading down his body. Patrick, perched confidently on his shoulder, felt like he was soaring among the towering trees. The shift in perspective was exhilarating.

“You see things differently from up here,” Angus said in a low voice, one hand reaching up to steady Patrick.

“Is this how you always see the world?” Patrick asked, marveling at the altered perspective.

“More or less,” Angus confirmed. “Higher than most, lower than trees.”

He helped Patrick slide down from his shoulders. His hands guided Patrick through the water. Soon, they faced each other, bodies close but not touching. Droplets clung to Angus’s eyelashes and beard, catching sunlight like tiny prisms. His hands remained at Patrick’s waist, neither restraining nor demanding, simply connecting.

Patrick placed his palms against Angus’s chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart beneath water-cooled skin. Angus’s eyes held his, patient and waiting. He inched closer, their lips poised for connection. When the kiss came, it tasted like fresh water and sunlight; unhurried and adventurous. Unlike their first kiss by the fireside, heavy with longing, this one held a different charm. It was not about urgency, but the playful bliss of certainty. Angus’s arms cradled him gently, as water lapped at their shoulders. Wrapped in each other’s embrace, they felt whole for a moment, completely secluded in their secret haven.

About the Author 

Duncan Gaye lives in River Forest, Illinois. He believes magic can be found anywhere, even the suburbs. He writes the kind of love stories that sneak up on you—queer, tender, and just a little strange. His books are full of burly big-hearted men, tall tales, impossible odds, and the kind of endings that leave you wanting more.

When not writing, he likes to read, travel and relax with his adorable senior dogs, Spotty and French Fry.

The Long Shadow Series by Duncan Gaye is a thematic anthology series of stand-alone LGBTQ+ novellas and novels that tell love stories shaped by the extraordinary. Blending elements of speculative fiction, magical realism, tall tales, and literary drama, these are stories where intimacy and identity meet epic strength and emotional vulnerability.

From the mythical to the mundane, each book explores larger-than-life characters—strongmen, bodyguards, super soldiers, and other giants. For fans of emotional intensity, queer desire, and stories that stretch the boundaries of realism, this series offers a new kind of legend.

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Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

Continue ReadingNEW RELEASE: “Finding Harbor” by Duncan Gaye

AUDIOBOOK TOUR: “The Orphan from Shepherds Keep” by Lindsay Law

AUDIOBOOK TOUR

Book Title: The Orphan From Shepherds Keep: 

Three Men, Three Intertwined Lives, One Rightful Place In Each Other’s Heart – A Gay Novel

Author: Lindsay Law

Narrator: Bolton Marsh

Release Date: June 16, 2025

Pairing: MM 

Tense/POV: Third person, mostly present tense, alternating POV

Genres:  LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Fiction 

Tropes: Coming of Age; Forbidden Love; Love Triangle; Unrequited Love; Slow Burn; Found Family; Bittersweet romance; Queer History background

Themes: Self-Acceptance / Identity Formation

Heat Rating: 3 flames    

Length: 10 hours and 24  minutes

It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.

Goodreads

Buy Links

Audible US  |  Audible UK 

Amazon US  |  Amazon UK

Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a turbulent and unwelcoming world that is so filled with anger that love has become a luxury.

Blurb 

Over a period of thirty years, three gay men struggle to define themselves and make their mark on a turbulent and unwelcoming world that is so filled with anger that love has become a luxury.

The townsfolk describe him as “prettier than a boy should be.” ELI APPLE is embarrassed by such remarks but soon learns to celebrate all the pleasures his beauty invites. He possesses the voice of an angel and the sound of his tender falsetto echoes throughout the green forests that surround his New England home. A rough, older boy, FERRIS COOPER, dazzled by the youngster’s loveliness and captivated by the hymns he sings, secretly follows him on his daily walks. And into both their lives arrives BENJAMIN BERGER, savior to one and beloved by the other. The adventures of these three men become entwined in a surprising tapestry of love and betrayal over the course of thirty years.

Straddling the worlds of music, religion, and art, and set in an era that begins with Ronald Reagan describing America as a “shining city on a hill” and ends with Donald Trump’s legacy of “American carnage,” these characters come of age while America is coming apart. They celebrate as gay marriage is legalized and suffer as gun violence explodes across the country. And when a deadly virus threatens and nations close their borders, they must struggle to survive in an America they no longer recognize.

Emulating the warmth and complexity of male friendships as portrayed in Hannah Yanagihara’s A LITTLE LIFE while also embracing the earthy sensuality of the same-sex couples in Garth Greenwell’s CLEANNESS, the characters in THE ORPHAN FROM SHEPHERDS KEEP are real and imperfect and utterly unforgettable.

About the Author  

Lindsay Law has produced scores of television plays, dozens of films, in addition to a pair of productions on Broadway. Many of these works have been nominated for Emmys, Tonys, and Oscars. He was the Executive Producer for the PBS drama series, AMERICAN PLAYHOUSE from 1981 to 1995. He was the President of Fox Searchlight Pictures from 1995 to 2000. He lives in Litchfield County, Connecticut. This is his first novel.

If you enjoyed this book and the time you spent with these characters, help spread the word on-line, at your local bookshop, and directly with your friends. The author would enjoy hearing about your experience while reading this book and invites you to ask any questions you may have about this story and his story.

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Continue ReadingAUDIOBOOK TOUR: “The Orphan from Shepherds Keep” by Lindsay Law

BLOG TOUR: “The Care of Broken Things” by October Arden

BLOG TOUR – NEW RELEASE

Book Title: The Care of Broken Things

Author and Publisher: October Arden

Release Date: August 1, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person, past tense, single POV

Genres: Contemporary MMM prison romance (leans into literary with a strong romantic core)

Tropes: Grumpy/sunshine, found family, hurt/comfort, healing from grief, obsessive devotion, fake dating, prison husband, marriage of convenience, wrongfully imprisoned, morally gray characters, polyamory that heals

Themes: Trauma recovery, self-loathing to self-worth, redemption through love, the violence of tenderness

Heat Rating: 2 out of 5

Length: 82 000 words/320 pages

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger. 

Goodreads

Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US   |  Amazon UK

Some loves rewrite your sentence

Blurb 

Samuel has spent years building walls.
Not the prison’s concrete ones, but the kind that keep lives from bleeding into each other. As the prison’s self-appointed librarian, he’s carved out a fragile peace where silence is his shield. The inmates call him The Ice Queen—a title he wears like armor. After a lifetime of being preyed upon, he knows better than to let anyone close.
Then Eli arrives like sunlight through bulletproof glass.
A wrongfully convicted pediatrician, and unbearably kind, Eli is everything Samuel knows to avoid, so when he steps in to protect the man, it’s supposed to be a one-time act of mercy.
But Eli’s husband has another plan.
Nathaniel—who looks at Samuel like he’s something more than a convict—makes a request that shatters everything:
“Be his prison husband. Love him where I can’t.”
It’s a lie that should be easy. Samuel’s an expert at deception. But the longer he plays the role, the more the lines blur: Eli’s warmth seeping into his frozen bones, Nathaniel’s quiet strength, the whispered secrets of Eli’s daughter who trusts only him.
Now the man who built his life on solitude hoards these moments like contraband.
Some loves rewrite your sentence.

A devastating queer romance about the families we carve from our own ribs, and the love that refuses to let us stay broken.

Excerpt

Twenty minutes later he kicked Eli’s bed. It had been a day and a half since the library incident, and he hadn’t spoken a word to him since. He’d thought Eli’s perseverance would continue, but maybe the man was learning about personal space. He knew he ought to be happy about that, but the change unnerved him. He didn’t like things that didn’t come with explanations.

Eli didn’t open his eyes. “Hi, Samuel.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

“Your particular brand of hospitality.” The man paused. “Also, you smell like Reese’s cups.”

“You can smell that from here?”

He took a somewhat discreet sniff of himself, but all he could detect was the shitty prison detergent.

“Hunger sharpens the sense.”

He was appalled. “You still haven’t—It’s been 48 hours!”

“I’ve done 100 hour fasts before.”

That boggled the mind. “Why?”

“To rest my gut after glutenings, mostly,” Eli said. “Why is it that you can ask questions of me, but won’t answer any of mine?” 

True to form, he ignored the question and upended his new purchases onto the bed. Eli’s eyes sprang open. “What—”

“No more fasting.”

Eli picked up one of the packages on his chest. Sardines.

“They’ve got Omega 3’s, right? That’s good for inflammation. There’s some salmon there, too, in those pouches.”

Eli sat up. Packages and pouches slithered off him and onto the bedspread.

Suddenly nervous, Samuel found himself rambling. “I wasn’t sure if your commissary account was up and running yet, and the stuff I gave you before were things you couldn’t eat, so I—”

The man was smiling. Not smirking, not grinning—and Samuel knew he was in trouble. 

“You’re amazing,” Eli said, as if he hadn’t just ruined a man’s life. “Thank you. And you’re right. My commissary account still isn’t linked up yet.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Eli then swept a space clear on the bed and pointed his invitation. It was the smile Samuel would blame later. He sat where indicated, more pliant and cooperative than he’d ever been in his life.

Eli was impressed. “This is a better haul than I was expecting. I might actually survive on this.”

Samuel was beginning to come back to himself. It was easier now that Eli was sorting through the food, like the spell of that smile had been broken—or at least weakened.

“Who’s Nathaniel?”

Eli flashed him a grin. “My murderer-hating husband.” He ripped open a bag of trail mix. “Don’t suppose I could trouble you to eat the M&M’s out of these for me?”

He expected the man to dig in, but Eli only ate an almond, a cashew, and a peanut before setting the package down. That broke his brain a little. “Aren’t you hungry?”

Eli brought the pouch of sardines up to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth. “Labels are useful, but they’re not foolproof. If I haven’t reacted in half an hour, I’ll eat a little more.”

Samuel knew that if he’d gone more than two days without food, he’d have gnawed his own leg off. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“Hmm?” 

“You knew you couldn’t eat what I bought you, and you knew they’d continue to keep screwing up the special meal thing. So why didn’t you come to me? We could have done this two days ago.”

Eli fished a sardine out with his fingers. The slimy things looked repulsive, and the smell alone was enough to knock someone out. Eli caught him staring and tilted the pouch toward him. “Pardon my rudeness. Would you like some?”

He had to swallow bile. “Your husband’s never going to kiss you again.”

About the Author  

October Arden writes emotionally raw queer stories that live somewhere between literary fiction and romance. Their work explores fluid identities, found families, co-dependent devotion, and complicated love—often through the lens of characters who are chronically ill, neurodivergent, or quietly self-destructive. These are stories for anyone who’s ever felt unwanted or unseen, where even the most damaged hearts can find a home.

October loves hearing from readers, so feel free to reach out, ask questions, or suggest what you’d like to see next. You can also join the newsletter to stay in touch—and as a thank you, you’ll receive a free copy of Starting with Cake, a quietly unhinged neurodivergent love story full of snack cakes, janitor uniforms, and the kind of care that sneaks up on you. Find out about new books and other extras at octoberarden.com

Author Links

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Continue ReadingBLOG TOUR: “The Care of Broken Things” by October Arden

BLOG TOUR: “To Tempt a Troubled Earl” by Fearne Hill. Rafflecopter Giveaway Included!

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: To Tempt A Troubled Earl

Author: Fearne Hill

Publisher: NineStar Press

Cover Artist: Melody Pond

Release Date: March 4, 2025

Tense/POV: Third person/past tense/alternating POV

Genres:  MM Regency Romance 

Tropes:  Adventure, Enemies to lovers, hurt-comfort, slow burn, opposites attract

Themes: Humorous, aristocracy, scheming shenanigans on the side

Heat Rating: 4 flames

Length: 75 0000 words

It is book 1 in a new series. It does not end on a cliffhanger. 

The next book is out later this year

Goodreads

Buy Links 

Nine Star Press | Amazon US | Amazon UK

A devil’s bargain, an uneasy alliance.

Blurb 

A chancer and a rogue, Kit Angel is down on his luck. Presenting himself at Rossingley Hall in the dead of night, he begs an audience with the eleventh earl, the most enigmatic nobleman in Regency England.

The visit has purpose. Kit, hungry to ruin the lord who ruined his sister, believes Rossingley is the only man who can help him.

Lando Duchamps-Avery, eleventh earl of Rossingley, doesn’t trust the sinfully handsome stranger one bit. He does not care for the tales he spins, his hot temper, or his thick, ebony curls. And, most definitely, he is not in thrall to the delicious golden hoop dangling from Kit Angel’s left ear. Lando has his own motivations to ruin the same lord, and the two men form an uneasy alliance.

As the dangerous plot they hatch unfurls, the suspicious earl and the shady scoundrel are increasingly thrown together. Whilst the wily earl gradually surrenders to his growing attraction, Kit can’t make up his mind if he wants to swive him, declare undying love for him, or throttle him.

Bit by bit, as mutual desire swells between them, Kit wins over the earl’s body, his passion, and his trust.

But in order to win the earl’s elusive heart? The scoundrel must risk losing everything

Excerpt 

CHAPTER 1

ROSSINGLEY ESTATE, SUMMER, 1821

“You have visitors, my lord.”

Inglis floated across the eleventh Earl of Rossingley’s sleepy eyeline, looking peevish. Lando swore the man had silken castors in place of feet. With white-gloved hands clasped together in front of his vexed frame, his head butler awaited his response.

“And you have chosen to disturb me about this because…” Lando tilted his balloon of brandy this way and that, playing the flickering candlelight against the delicately engraved crystal. That the evening was late was an irrelevance. He and his butler were of the same accord; visitors at any time of day were unusual, unwarranted, and unwelcome.

“A Mr Christopher Angel, my lord. And his sister, Miss Anne. The young man says it’s important.”

One of a pair, the balloon glass had been a gift from dear Charles. “I know of no one named Angel. Begging the question ‘important for whom’?”

“He didn’t make that distinction, my lord,” admitted Inglis. “But he gave the impression the matter is somewhat urgent.”

Lando took a warming sip of brandy. The drink of the damned. He didn’t especially care for it, but he fancied it lent him a louche, philosophic air. “What is urgent is seldom important, Inglis,” he deemed, pleased with his wisdom. Rousseau himself might make a similar pronouncement. “If it’s alms he’s after, toss him a half-crown, some cold meats, and send him on his way.”

The gloved hands wrung together. “I did try that, my lord. But he’s…ah…more insistent than our usual callers, and neither is he a pauper. And…” Inglis paused. Never let it be said the butler couldn’t milk a drama. “He…he mentioned one of his close relations. His uncle. One…ah…a former cavalry officer sadly no longer with us, God rest his soul.”

As Inglis made the sign of the cross, Lando took another, more contemplative sip. So many good men had fallen during the wars in France, and a chap struggled to keep up. “Oh, yes?”

Inglis cleared his throat. “Yes. A…ah…Captain Charles Prosser, my lord.”

Like rancid vinegar, the fine liquor soured on the earl’s tongue. He fought to swallow it down. Perhaps he should have stuck to port after dinner. Maybe it would have better softened the dull ache now swelling behind his rib cage. Captain Prosser. His dearest Charles, his lover. His heart.

Lando didn’t make his older lover’s acquaintance until after the wars, from which Charles returned hale and hearty. But where French bayonets and the battlefields of Trafalgar had failed, the insidious wasting disease prevailed. An annoying tickle became a cough, a cough tinged with blood. Slowly, inexorably, his lover faded away, their time together, in all of its perfection, too brief. A life only half lived; a conversation forever unfinished. Lando, not daring to be at Charles’s bedside at the end, heard the news of his passing from a mutual friend some two weeks after his lover had been buried beneath Kentish loamy earth.

Three long years ago. Yet even now, at unprepared moments such as this—and was there ever such a thing as a prepared one?—that name still had a powerful hold upon the eleventh earl. If Inglis hadn’t broken the crushing silence, it might have persisted well into the night.

“I have taken the liberty of passing the young man’s sister over to Mrs Sugden, my lord. The girl is in a state of great distress. And I have shown her brother to the small parlour. He’s…ah…not fit for the library.”

Inglis’s waspish voice sounded as if coming from an awfully long way away. “My lord might wish to be more suitably attired before receiving him?”

Tipping back his fair head, Lando forced another swallow of fiery amber liquid. For a second or two, it threatened to reappear, then he pulled himself together. Ridiculous. Three years gone and one mention of Charles turned him into a limp dishrag. Well, it was high time it didn’t. Time to make a clean breast of things. Time to stop bloody moping. Charles would have hated him squandering his salad days drinking alone and brooding in front of a dying fire.

He cast his gaze down his spare frame. Fussy Inglis might wish him more suitably attired, but Lando gave not a fig. As purportedly one of the richest men in England, Lando could host a ball clad in only his underclothes, and the ton would declare it the latest fashion in Paris. He pinned Inglis to the spot with his pale eyes.

“I’m decent. Uninvited callers find me as I am, or not at all. As you damned well know.”

About the Author  

Fearne Hill resides far from the madding crowds in the county of Dorset, deep in the British countryside. She likes it that way.

Her queer romance, Two Tribes, was a finalist in the 2023 Lambda Literary Awards.

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NEW RELEASE: “Blade Broken” by Niranjan. Rafflecopter Giveaway Included!

NEW RELEASE

Book Title: Blade Broken (The Echelon Book 1)

Author and Publisher: Niranjan

Cover Artist: Artscandre

Release Date: March 4, 2025

Pairing: MM (MF minor)

Tense/POV: Third person/past tense/alternating PoV

Genres: Sword and Sorcery, Political Fantasy

Tropes: Assassins, spies, political intrigue. Not a romance. Has secret siblings, former friends turned enemies becoming lovers again, but it’s just a part of the story.

Themes: Political fantasy with morally grey and complex characters, themes of forgiveness, redemption, found family are present

Length: 75 504 words/335 pages

Heat Rating: No sexual content. Not a romance. Some kissing and fade to black

It is the first book in the series and is not a standalone book. 

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A spy lurking in the shadows, a nation on the verge of an invasion, a man desperate to protect his home.

Blurb

Lucian is the Blade of Castrial–the kingdom’s spymaster and first line of defence, lauded for his success in repelling an invasion from Garaner. But the war has left Castrial’s economy in shambles, and when the neighbouring kingdom of Sarian musters their armies and sends spies into Castrial, Lucian realises two things: they have a spy in their midst, and they can’t afford the cost of fighting off another invasion.

And if that wasn’t trouble enough, there is Alaric, the Shield of Castrial and the only man in the Echelon whose power is equal to Lucian’s. Returned from banishment like the vengeful spirit of their long-lost relationship, Alaric carries a deep-set grudge against Lucian, a grudge that may well be justified. 

Lucian’s desire to protect his nation is nearly equal to his wish to reconcile with Alaric, but if he cannot get his act together and convince the Shield to work with him, Castrial will fall. 

Blade Broken is a queer, sword-and-sorcery fantasy and the first book in The Echelon Series. If you love flawed characters, betrayals and redemption, and gritty worldbuilding with lots of political machinations, you will love this book.

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Excerpt 

“You’re here,” the King said, waving Lucian and Alaric to their seats while Astra took her position behind him. “I was about to pronounce the sentence.”

Alaric was alarmed at the King’s tone. His Majesty looked angry, lips pressed together and face red. His form was stiff. 

“Your Majesty,” he said.

“I’ve never seen a prisoner behave as that man did today. Not only did he admit to committing the crime, but he also didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it!” The King’s hand gripped the sceptre set on to the side of his throne tightly. His voice was hard and cold. “He had no remorse for what he did. A human life was cut short, and he seems to think of it as no matter. Because the man was a commoner. As if that’s what matters!”

Alaric bit his tongue, stopped himself from speaking. Anything he might say now would cause more harm than good. Lord Giles was not the kind of man who deserved anyone’s sympathy. All the same, Alaric was worried about his family. The King had promised leniency, but with how Lord Giles behaved during the trial, how much could he depend on it?

Lucian seemed to be under some internal struggle himself. Alaric had to remember that Lord Giles’ family was as good as Lucian’s own now. If the King sentenced him to death or exile, he would have to arrange for Lucian to smuggle them out of Castrial. But with Sylvester compromised and not able to live in Garaner anymore, where could they go? There was always Ihweith, or another nation across the ocean which were on friendly terms with Castrial and where an immigrant Castrilian noble and his family would be safe. 

Why didn’t Lucian or Sylvester do it? Was it because they feared Alaric wouldn’t let go? That they thought his hatred of Lord Giles was so intense that he would pursue them no matter where they went? No other explanation presented itself and he couldn’t help how his lips twisted at the thought. 

He wished that Lucian had trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t have pursued them if they had escaped. Not even Lord Giles. Did he really believe Alaric had become so vindictive?

The King made a gesture that opened the curtains that hid them all. He stood up and walked to the edge of the stage. 

“My dear subjects,” he said quietly, his voice amplified by a spell. “We have tried Lord Giles and have found him guilty of the crime he is charged with. He deserves the worst punishment for his crime, but his son, Sylvester has been selflessly serving Castrial for farials and deserves consideration. I exempt Sylvester Giles from the punishment meted out to his family. Lord Giles and his family are hereby sentenced to slavery for life, to be sold in public auction to the highest bidder within two days.”

He stepped back, the curtains slid back, and the spell dissipated.

Alaric couldn’t speak or move. Slavery. Public auction. He wasn’t sure if the King was being merciful or vindictive. It was better than death, better even than exile, but that didn’t make it all right. It would depend on the master, after all. 

And Keylin and Benjamin… Both of them were young, beautiful, and Alaric couldn’t be certain that they would be safe in any noble’s household. 

“Alaric,” the King said. “Stay. All the rest of you, leave.”

Lucian, Astra, and Jeron bowed to the King before leaving through the door at the back. The stage was set with so many wards that no one outside would be able to hear anything they speak in here, not even if they were listening at the door or used magical means to eavesdrop. 

“I want you to buy them.” The King’s gaze was hard. “Bid first. No one will bid against you.”

“Your Majesty!”

Not that he hadn’t thought of it, but he would not have expected the king to take a hand in an auction. 

“I know it revolts you, that there are no slaves in your household, but you have to do this.” The King paused. “I know I promised to be lenient, but this is the extent of my leniency. If he had shown any remorse…” The King shook his head, pressing his lips together. “All the same, the family is innocent and must be protected. There is no one else I can trust.”

About the Author  

An author and editor, Niranjan’s biggest ambition is to have a character named Garth in every book they write. Niranjan writes books rooted in mythical worlds, and their stories are often a combination of magic and futuristic technology.

When they are not writing or editing, Niranjan can be found cooking or just lying on their couch watching or rewatching C Dramas and writing fan-fiction.

Author Links

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Ko0fi  Character art and Map available for free)

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BLOG TOUR: “Bud” by Russell J. Sanders

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Bud

Author: Russell J. Sanders

Publisher: JMS Books

Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs

Release Date: December 1, 2024

Pairing: Transgender MF love story

Tense/POV: First person/past tense 

Genres: Contemporary interracial new adult romance

Tropes: Transgender love story

Themes: Transgender sexual awakening, acceptance of self and others

Heat Rating: No sexual content

Length: 65 000 words/336 pages 

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger.

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Is young dancer Shelly Sheridan transgender? What does that mean?  

Will Shelly’s new guardian, the uncle Shelly’s never met, understand? What’s next in Shelly’s life?

Blurb

Suddenly homeless, young dancer Shelly Sheridan, heartbroken at Christmas, is taken in by an uncle Shelly has never met and didn’t know existed. The burly ex-Marine uncle and his husband welcome Shelly with a shower of love and acceptance. Their friend Estrella, a retired ballet star, is enraptured by Shelly’s dancing.

Shelly makes a new friend the first day of school in this strange place but isn’t happy, feeling out of place and very different from the other boys. The new friend eventually suggests something Shelly didn’t even know was possible. Could Shelly be transgender?

When Shelly embraces this new idea, problems immediately arise. His former nanny doesn’t approve, and the trustee of his mother’s estate fights Shelly’s newly formed decisions.

With his new family’s unconditional love, Shelly hopes all will be well. It’s Christmas once again, and it will be a merry one if Shelly’s problems go away, and Christmas works its magic.

Excerpt

We barely got through the front door before Greta scooped me into her arms. 

I finally pulled away so I could look Greta in the eyes. I was gonna tell her to back off. I’d had enough of whatever she was doing — loving, laughing, crying, whatever. I had to get upstairs to text Mimi. I was gonna give her an earful for ruining our special time. But I saw the deepest heartache in Greta’s eyes, deeper than I’ve ever seen in anyone’s.

“I’m so sorry, Liebchen. She loved you so much. You were her treasure.” And then she thrust something into my hand. “Keep this. Keep it safe. She would want you to have it.”

I opened my fingers, and there was the ballerina necklace. Why are you giving me my mother’s necklace? And what is all this you’re saying?

And then I heard the booming voice. Unmistakable. My mother’s lawyer. Mr. Stern. Standing in the arch leading to our living room. Commanding the world in his dark gray three-piece suit. He musta had a closet full of those suits. He never dressed any other way.

Why is he here?

Looking over half-glasses, he ordered, “Come here, son.”

I’m not your son.

He held out his hand, his fingers gesturing I should follow him. His face was stern, like his name, not a trace of a smile. Greta gave me a nudge in his direction. I followed him into the living room. He pointed toward the sofa. “Sit.”

Greta, right behind me, lowered me onto the soft sofa cushion. She sat next to me, closely — like she was protecting me. Shawn too, who I had forgotten was even there, followed and sat in the chair facing us. Mr. Stern towered in his dark suit, his grim face hovering. That face didn’t bother me. He always looked like that. Angry.

“Sheldon, I have some news for you,” he said. “I don’t know how to say this, but I’ve always felt bad news is like a Band-Aid. Yank it off, and it doesn’t hurt as much. So I’m just going to say it.” He paused — a long time.

What is all this yank it off stuff, if he isn’t going to tell me? It can’t be as bad as he makes out. My mother probably is going to be gone longer than the two days Greta said she’d promised.

“Son, your mother’s car slid out of control tonight. She was going up the mountain, the road must have been more slippery than she planned for — who knows? — and she lost control.”

What? I yelped. “What hospital is she in? Take me there. Now.” The anger I wanted to text her was gone, replaced by worry.

Mr. Stern held his hands up, palms out. He patted the air like he was motioning for me to sit, although I hadn’t gotten up, and he was not even close enough to touch me. Greta put her arm around me. Even Shawn, I noticed, looked sad.

“Boy, I’m sorry. Your mother’s dead.”

Uh-uh. Not possible. Mimi’s in Park City. She’s at a client meeting.

“You hear me, son? Amelia died tonight.”

“No,” I lunged at him. “You’re crazy. My mother’s with her client. She made Shawn take me to the ballet. Very important meeting.” I beat his body with both fists until I suddenly stopped. I stood a moment. “Somebody’s told you a lie, Mr. Stern.”

Mr. Stern was playing a joke or he’d been given bad intel, as they say, or something, at least, was wrong, very wrong. My mother was not dead.

“Sheldon,” he said, “you’ve got to face it.” As he pushed me back to the sofa, he said, “Your mother, Amelia Sheridan, is gone.”

Greta leaned over and talked in my ear. “It’s true, Liebchen. I wish it weren’t, but it is.”

Greta would never play a trick on me like that. If she said it was true, it was.

I screamed. A blood-curdling wail. A scream that coulda woke the dead. Neighbors miles around musta heard it.

When I stopped, I stopped. I wasn’t wasting another tear because it wouldn’t bring my Mimi back. I remember thinking, “Lord –” I didn’t even believe in God “– please put my life back together. I’ll go to church. I’ll be the best little Mormon boy I can be. Just bring Mimi back to me.”

But God wasn’t listening.

About the Author  

A life spent in Texas led to a relocation adventure, and native Texas author Russell J. Sanders now resides in Las

Vegas, Nevada. He and his husband were compelled to set out for parts unknown, and that led them to Vegas, where they are supremely happy. But they don’t stay put. They’ve traveled the world, journeying to England, France, Italy, Japan, India, Bali, Jakarta, Toronto, Quebec City, Nova Scotia, Vancouver, Alaska, and Hawaii. And his novels are infused with locations as near as Ft. Worth, Chicago, Houston, and Las Vegas and as far away as Halifax. Who knows where he will lead readers next?

But one thing is known, there will be Mexican food. Russell’s on a quest to check out the Mexican cuisine in places both near and far. The not-so-good he has tried was in Wyoming; Jakarta, Indonesia, though, has some pretty decent enchiladas. The quest is to try, not to always be satisfied at what is found. So this Mexican food loving teacher, actor, director, singer, chef, and author loves adventure. And mostly, Russell’s goal is to tell the world, through his writing, that we are all put on this earth to love one

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Continue ReadingBLOG TOUR: “Bud” by Russell J. Sanders