A bittersweet story with two interwoven themes: a crime and mystery involving trafficking and a look at the workings of a polyamorous relationship.
A young Syrian needing treatment at Warbridge Hospital is seen by Phil Roberts, one quarter of a gay polyamorous quad living in north east England. The men in the doctor’s life are ex-cop, Mike Angells, gallery proprietor, Ross Whitmore and ceramist and artist, Raith Balan.
Phil is troubled. Is his patient in the UK legally? Who has caused his injuries? Is trafficking involved? As the foursome struggle to find out, hampered by the fact that Mike is no longer a detective, cracks begin to appear in their relationship. Can four men be equals? Is their lifestyle viable? Meanwhile, there are cracks of a different sort to deal with—and the job of doing so seems to fall exclusively on Mike’s broad shoulders.
Available as paperback, ePub, Mobi and PDF from Rowanvale Books and all usual distributors.
Excerpt
(Mike is talking about honesty, which, together with openness, love and passion, guide the quad’s approach to life. His little ‘asides’ feature at the end of the chapters.)
You could say that there are the big honesties, and there are the little honesties as well. The little ones involve the practicalities of livin’ as a foursome. Four blokes together. Shoppin’ to get, meals to cook, washin’ to sort, the loo to clean, the garden to dig, the bills to pay… all the usual family practicalities. But in a poly, we’re equally in charge, equally responsible. Theoretically, that is. One of us seems to think that it’s beneath his dignity to use a mop and that cleanin’ the loo should be left to his minions. He cleans up after himself—I’d shove his bloody head down the toilet bowl if he didn’t—but the proper wash, the one with the detergent and the disinfectant? No way. So, sometimes, we just have to be very honest and tell him he’s a shiter, or rather, Ross and Phil tell him, and I try to look threatenin’. It’s hard, cos I often want to laugh. He comes up with such a load of bollocks for excuses! Then he sulks, or gets in a strop, because he feels we’re gettin’ at him, but we have to. It’s the thin end of the wedge otherwise. He’ll shirk everythin’ if we don’t get tough and lay down the law. That’s what I mean by the little honesties. If sumthin’s wrong, then we have to be upfront about it and say so, even if it causes bad feelin’ for a time.
But I think you probably meant the big honesties. Keepin’ secrets. That sort of thing. Obviously, by their very definition, I don’t know if the others are keepin’ secrets. And yes, I would keep sumthin’ secret if I thought that sharin’ it would place the other guys in danger. In fact, I have done that, and so has Ross. But, to me, that’s not dishonest. Personally, I would never tell the others a lie, a big lie, the kind that’d rock the boat. I might not tell the whole truth, but I would never tell an untruth, if that makes sense. I think our quad’d crumble if we weren’t honest with each other. If there isn’t trust… There has to be trust.
About the Author
I write about gay polyamorous men, but I’m a monogamous female. I’m also asexual. I have no problem imagining the lives of my four men, though, as long as there’s no me (or any other female) in the scene. The term for this dissociation is anegosexual, I think.
I have a lot of hobbies, which is just as well as I spend a lot of time with my imagination and I need to be metaphorically tied down to the real world. I dance, I sing, I play the guitar (the last two, badly), I love geology and I’m interested in languages, and, of course, I love to write.
Aleisha Maree is a writer of contemporary romance with a dark erotic sexy side with a paranormal twist. Aleisha also writes an MC Series with MMA flair. She doesn’t let genre walls hold her back. Aleisha is from a small village called Wakefield in the South Island of New Zealand. She is a mum of 6 whom she loves more than breathing and she is married to the love of her life. Aleisha invites you into her mind full of stories and on the journeys, they will take you on.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to share your home with an unearthly spirit who can’t find closure? Living on the edge of a cemetery with souls dating back to the 1700s would be enough to spook anyone, but Naomi finds it oddly romantic, and becomes inspired to write her next novel. Why not, when her muse, Maggie, calls to her from beyond her own window?
After all, the story couldn’t possibly be as complicated as Naomi’s own love life. Torn between Ryan, the mysterious and seemingly perfect man she just started dating, and Bryce, the sexy single dad who recently moved in next door, Naomi must navigate the tangled web of dating—all while trying to solve the mystery of Maggie’s death.
When things turn dangerous, Naomi quickly learns whom she can trust and, more importantly, whom she can’t. Will she be able to write Maggie’s story and finally give Maggie the peace she deserves?
Mya O’Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently resides with her family.
Mya’s passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. She earned her undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy.
Mya is a published writer of contemporary romance,young adult, and paranormal romance/mysteries. Presently, Mya’s novels have been published by Solstice Publishing, Clean Reads, TouchPoint Press, and Blue Tulip Publishing.
Mya spends her free time honing her skills in photography, painting, and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. Mya loves to travel; she has visited several amazing locations such as Aruba, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica, Canada, and Australia. Mya is currently working on her twelfth novel.
Aidan Summers, a seventeen-year-old, stunningly beautiful genius, somehow finds his way into the life of Jane Callahan; a lovely girl trapped in soggy North Bend, Oregon. In this new Tale by Sara J. Bernhardt, Aidan relates his side of the story. All of his dark secrets are revealed and all of his motivations behind his strange ways become known as the story unravels in a captivating narrative of suspense, romance, courage…and murder.
Jane Callahan is a reclusive, seventeen-year-old high school student dealing with the death of her beloved brother. Her home in Southern California with her mother is a constant reminder of her loss and pain. In hopes of escaping her painful past she moves to North Bend Oregon to live with her father. There she meets a beautiful, boy named Aidan Summers. Jane is intrigued by his looks as well as his unusual ways of attempting to get her attention. After months of unusual conversation and frustration, an uncertain romance brews between Jane and Aidan, but Aidan has a ghastly secret that can destroy everything
I glanced in the side view mirror and peered over my shoulder.
“What is it?” His voice had completely transformed from the tension a moment before; he sounded completely content.
“That car,” I answered. “It’s been behind us since we left the school.”
“Hmm,” he grunted, glancing quickly over his shoulder at the black Mustang. “Strange. You don’t recognize it?”
I shook my head. “No. Should I?”
“No. I’m just expecting Rudy to do something stupid again.”
“You would never hurt him, would you?”
“I let him beat the crap out of me, Jane, without moving to fight back. What do you think?” He chuckled. His emotions were inconsistent, as usual—the most unnatural thing about him.
I just nodded. “Right.”
I looked behind me again. The car was still following us even after we had turned.
“Where are you going?” I finally asked when I noticed he had passed my street.
“Testing this guy.” His voice was quiet and swelled with tension again.
“Can you actually see him?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder again.
“Stop turning around!” he snapped. “He’ll figure out what I’m up to.”
“Can you see him?” I asked again.
He nodded. “Barely.”
“Well—”
“Please,” he demanded, cutting my sentence short. “Don’t ask any questions. I promise everything will be all right.”
That was a dead giveaway he was worried. I was thinking that maybe he could read the stranger’s mind or something like that. Should he be worried?
I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes. It was strange; I could barely even make out a shape behind the tinted windows of the car, but Aidan seemed like he actually knew who it was.
“Aidan?” I whispered.
“Shh. Really, Jane. I’m trying to concentrate.”
Concentrate on what? I didn’t ask. After about fifteen minutes of silence, Aidan turned, and the Mustang kept going straight. I thought I saw the stranger’s shape in the car turn and stare at us as he drove by.
Aidan sighed and pulled over on the side of the road and put the car in park. He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I did the only thing I had tried to avoid.”
I didn’t answer.
“All I wanted to do was keep you safe, and now I have endangered you.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want us to be friends because I wanted you to be safe, but if I leave you now, you will never be safe.”
“Aidan, what’s going on?”
“The license plate of that car…” he paused.
“Yeah?”
“Did you see it?”
“I saw there was a seven and I think a B?”
He nodded. “Yeah, tacked to the end of the letters S-E-V-R-N.”
I froze for a moment but recoiled. “It could be a coincidence.”
He shook his head.
“I thought you didn’t believe in them.”
“Yes, I said that.” His voice dropped. “I lied.”
“You lied?”
“Yes, Jane, I lied. Let’s not make a big deal about it, okay? I know The Sevren exists. I know for a fact.”
“Because you’re one of them!” I yelled out instantly after his response.
Sara J Bernhardt is an author and poet who has been writing since a very young age and is a winner of several poetry and short story contests. It is clear that Bernhardt writes in a realistic tone while still creating the enthralling feeling of fantasy. Her writing puts readers in a world that they will truly love to be a part of.
Ghosts never forget, rarely forgive, and frequently refuse to move on.
While Deanna is helping her brother settle in, her friends relationships give her reasons to worry and celebrate—depending on the couple.
Work, however, never stops.
The case that falls in her lap at the Hundred Willows Plantation is truly disturbing. The ghosts have become restless—attacking tourists and tour guides. While the family denies there is anything haunting the antebellum mansion, they can’t hide the truth from Deanna.
The plantations dark history repeats itself. Specific scenes playing out over and over. That isn’t the worst of it.
It’s when the supernatural residents try to interact with humans that injury and death become a recurring theme for the living.
The only way to change the pattern is for Deanna to put herself in the path of anger, attack, and Death (wearing high heels) itself.
A loyal Chicago girl who loves deep dish pizza, the Cubs, and The Lake, CC Dragon is fascinated by the metaphysical and paranormal. She loves creating characters, especially amateur sleuths who solve mysteries. A coffee and chocolate addict who loves fast cars, she’s still looking for a hero who likes to cook and clean…so she can write more!
Awaken the Darkness (Immortal Guardians #8) by Dianne Duvall
Kindle Edition, 414 pages
Publication: July 10th 2018 by Dianne Duvall
Return to the “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly) world of New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall’s Immortal Guardians.
He awakens encapsulated in dirt with no knowledge of how he came to be there. Riddled with injuries, he can remember neither his past nor who he is. Nor can he remember what he is. But surely no mortal man could survive being buried deep beneath the earth. All he knows with certainty is that the soothing voice and presence of the woman moving around above enables him to endure the agony of his wounds. And he will do whatever it takes to be with her.
When Susan first sees the old two-story house for sale, such warmth and longing fill her that—against all reason—she makes an offer. It will take years of hard work and money she frankly doesn’t have to fix up the place. So she can’t explain why she bought it. She also can’t explain what compels her to spend hours one night, digging in the basement until she unearths a man. A man who still lives and breathes despite having been buried alive. A man whose intense brown eyes glow amber with pain, declaring him far more than ordinary. Susan knows she should keep her distance. He has no memory and possesses gifts that would make most fear him. But as the two work together to unravel the mystery of his past, she finds herself drawn in by his teasing nature and tender touch. So much so that she loses her heart to him even as they find themselves hunted by unknown enemies who are ruthless in their quest to capture them.
Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians series and The Gifted Ones series. Reviewers have called Dianne’s books “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly), “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), “extraordinary” (Long and Short Reviews), and”wonderfully imaginative” (The Romance Reviews). Her books have twice been nominated for RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards and are routinely deemed Top Picks by RT Book Reviews, The Romance Reviews,and/or Night Owl Reviews.
Dianne loves all things creative. When she isn’t writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the vampires she creates in her books.
For the latest news on upcoming releases, contests, and more, please visit DianneDuvall.com. You can also find Dianne online . . .
