JL Merrow and Ginger
15 May 2012 37 Comments
in J.L. Merrow, Samhain Publishing Tags: JL Merrow, Samhain Publishing
Is it Because I is Ginger?
Red, auburn, ginger, strawberry blonde… call it what you will, it’s a colour of hair I’m rather partial to. Red hair runs in my family—although sadly, when it saw me, it ran the other way. I have a ginger character in Hard Tail—actually, two, if you count Wolverine, the cat. And okay, Adam’s main purpose is to complicate Tim’s life and provide comic relief—but he’s still dear to my heart, with his gangling limbs and indecipherable speech.
Why is it that guys with ginger hair are so often treated like, well, a red-headed step-child? What does the world have against red hair?
How can some people look at this:
And see this:
It seems the prejudice against people with red hair is deep-seated. Apparently in medieval times, red-heads were seen as having “a beastly sexual desire and moral degeneration”—sounds to me like they might be fun guys to get to know!
It’s good to see, though, that there’s been something of a backlash in popular culture against this insidious gingerism of late:
The Doctor: Am I…ginger?
Rose: No, you’re just sort of…brown.
The Doctor: [disappointed] Aw, I wanted to be ginger! I’ve never been ginger!
Doctor Who, 2.1
Nanny Ogg’s (newly human) cat Greebo [taking a ginger cat mask]: Aaalwaaays waanted to bee ginger.
Butler (nervously): On you it looks good, sir!
Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
And if ginger looks like this, who could possibly say it’s a bad thing?
Defence rests, m’lud.
***
What do you think? Have you ever been bullied for being ginger, or known someone who has? Have you ever experimented with hair dye to bring out a fierier side of your personality? Were you surprised by people’s reactions?
***
JL Merrow is that rare beast, an English person who refuses to drink tea. She read Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where she learned many things, chief amongst which was that she never wanted to see the inside of a lab ever again. Her one regret is that she never mastered the ability of punting one-handed whilst holding a glass of champagne.
She writes across genres, with a preference for contemporary gay romance and the paranormal, and is frequently accused of humour.
Find JL Merrow online at: www.jlmerrow.com
All commenters will be entered into a draw for winner’s choice of an e-book from my backlist, PLUS a gift certificate for $25 from Amazon (or the e-book retailer of your choice). The more blog tour posts you comment on, the more chances you get! See my website here for full itinerary. Contest ends Weds May 23rd. The winner will be picked around noon, GMT.
Finding love can be a bumpy ride.
His job: downsized out of existence. His marriage: dead in the water. It doesn’t take a lot of arm twisting for Tim Knight to agree to get out of London and take over his injured brother’s mountain bike shop for a while. A few weeks in Southampton is a welcome break from the wreck his life has become, even though he feels like a fish out of water in this brave new world of outdoor sports and unfamiliar technical jargon.
The young man who falls—literally—through the door of the shop brings everything into sharp, unexpected focus. Tim barely accepts he’s even in the closet until his attraction to Matt Berridge pulls him close enough to touch the doorknob.
There’s only one problem with the loveable klutz: his bullying boyfriend. Tim is convinced Steve is the cause of the bruises that Matt blows off as part of his risky sport. But rising to the defense of the man he’s beginning to love means coming to terms with who he is—in public—in a battle not even his black belt prepared him to fight. Until now.
Product Warnings: Contains an out-and-proud klutz, a closeted, karate-loving accountant—and a cat who thinks it’s all about him. Watch for a cameo appearance from the Pricks and Pragmatism lovers. May inspire yearnings for fresh air, exercise, and a fit, tanned bike mechanic of your very own.
Hard Tail is available from Samhain Publishing at a reduced price for a limited time only.
Links: my website: http://www.jlmerrow.com/
Blog tour itinerary: http://www.jlmerrow.com/index.html
Hard Tail: http://store.samhainpublishing.com/hard-tail-p-6805.html
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Hard Tail by JL Merrow
15 May 2012 1 Comment
in J.L. Merrow, Samhain Publishing Tags: JL Merrow, Samhain Publishing
Title: Hard Tail
Author: JL Merrow
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Pages: 259
POV: 1st
Sub-Genre: Gay Contemporary
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
Finding love can be a bumpy ride.
His job: downsized out of existence. His marriage: dead in the water. It doesn’t take a lot of arm twisting for Tim Knight to agree to get out of London and take over his injured brother’s mountain bike shop for a while. A few weeks in Southampton is a welcome break from the wreck his life has become, even though he feels like a fish out of water in this brave new world of outdoor sports and unfamiliar technical jargon.
The young man who falls—literally—through the door of the shop brings everything into sharp, unexpected focus. Tim barely accepts he’s even in the closet until his attraction to Matt Berridge pulls him close enough to touch the doorknob.
There’s only one problem with the loveable klutz: his bullying boyfriend. Tim is convinced Steve is the cause of the bruises that Matt blows off as part of his risky sport. But rising to the defense of the man he’s beginning to love means coming to terms with who he is—in public—in a battle not even his black belt prepared him to fight. Until now.
Review:
Matt Berridge, a lovable klutz, who fixes bikes. Tim Knight, a karate-loving accountant, who takes over his brothers’ bike shop and Wolverine, a mysterious cat with a big appetite for tuna fish. These three characters take you on a journey to the outskirts of the city and into the beauty of wildlife that seems to have been forgotten by man.
Tim Knight, who recently got dumped by his wife, has to go and take over his brothers’ bike shop (named Knight Rides) since his brother, Jay, got into an accident. Upon arriving, he meets Matt, an out of the closet klutz who is an awesome bike mechanic. Tim and Matt hit it off really well and as they get to know each other, Tim opens up to his sexual preference, which have been long buried in the past, and goes to explore.
Hard Tail was an enjoyable book from beginning to end. Cheerful, funny and heartwarming, these characters showed how strong love can be. Matt was an adorable character with his klutziness and Tim with his strong sense of justice for Matt. Although they had to pass through rough encounters, mostly Tim, which you will find out when you read the story (>.<), they surpass it with unexpected results. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves romance and karate.
Reviewed By: Jen
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Handle With Care by Josephine Myles
02 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Josephine Myles, Samhain Publishing Tags: Josephine Myles, Samhain Publishing
Select image to purchase
Title: Handle with Care
Author: Josephine Myles
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 191
Characters: Benjamin Lethbridge, Brian “Ollie” Jones
POV: 1st Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
The best things in life aren’t free…they’re freely given.
Ben Lethbridge doesn’t have many vices left. After raising his little sister to adulthood, he wasted no time making up for the youth he lost to responsible parenting. Two years of partying it up—and ignoring his diabetes—has left him tethered to a home dialysis regimen.
He can do his job from his flat, fortunately, but most of his favourite things are forbidden. Except for DVD porn…and fantasizing over Ollie, the gorgeous, purple-haired skateboarder who delivers it.
Their banter is the highlight of Ben’s lonely day, but his illness-ravaged body is the cruel reality that prevents him from believing they’ll do anything more than flirt. Not to mention the age gap. Still, Ben figures there’s no harm in sprucing himself up a bit.
Then one day, a package accidentally splits open, revealing Ben’s dirty little secret…and an unexpected connection that leaves him wondering if he’s been reading Ollie wrong all this time. There’s only one way to find out: risk showing Ollie every last scar. And hope “far from perfect” is good enough for a chance at love.
Review:
That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but that which can kill us makes us reclusive, as crippled by our own fears and doubts and insecurities and guilt as by the physical limitations of a body that, after years of hedonism and neglect, is taking out its revenge on Benjamin Lethbridge.
It doesn’t seem fair, really, that after standing in as a surrogate father to his little sister, Zoe, Ben would finally start living for himself, living the sort of life his peers had always taken for granted; a life that, at the age of eighteen, Ben had set aside in order to assume the responsibility of keeping what was left of his family together, then to have it all come tumbling down around him in a haze of drugs and random sex and pretending to be someone he wasn’t that left his diabetes ravaged body in a state of steep decline. Now it’s the caretaker who’s in need of being taken care of. But no one has ever said that life is fair.
Renal failure is the price Ben paid; daily dialysis is the concession he’s making for the chance to live long enough for a kidney and pancreatic transplant. It’s a heavy debt to carry, knowing that in order for you to live, someone else has to die. But no one has ever said that life is fair.
Ben’s porn stash is the foundation for the little bit of promise he’s been able to mine from his situation. Or, rather, it’s the guy that delivers his porn who’s added that little bit of color to an otherwise dull and dreary picture. With his purple hair, piercings, tats, and knee melting smile, Ollie is the Manga-kitty-skaterboy who came swooping in, in his big yellow truck, sent by the parcel delivery gods to keep Ben in long supply of major fantasy material.
Ben’s the older man to Ollie’s twenty-year-old self, but it’s only Ben who’s hung up on the numbers. It’s lucky for Ben that Ollie’s into older men. It’s also lucky for Ben that he’s an X-Men fan and Ollie’s a comic book aficionado. It’s also lucky for Ben that Ollie’s the kind of guy that sees beyond the bloated stomach and the catheter tube and the awkwardness that has kept Ben from living out loud for so long. Whoever said life isn’t fair?
Handle with Care is the comical and clever and utterly charming story of two men who’re falling in love for the first time—not just being one half of a couple but being in a partnership—though the journey is all about the making of and making up for mistakes, until they finally get it right. Unfortunately all they have to go by is how not to do a relationship, and it’s hard to build something when what you have to work with is the raw materials of past sexual encounters and a relationship that clipped your wings before you learned that what you really wanted to do was to fly.
Ben learns to let go and to hang on, all at the same time, because it’s the sweet and lovable Ollie who shows him that it’s okay to be cautious, but it’s even better to take a chance on the something that promises to be kind of wonderful if Ben can only allow himself to fall and trust that Ollie is the one he wants to fall into.
Handle with Care is a “so nice, I read it twice” book, and it was every bit as sweet the second time around.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Bad Boyfriend (Bad in Baltimore #2) by K.A. Mitchell
30 Dec 2011 1 Comment
in K.A. Mitchell, Samhain Publishing Tags: K.A. Mitchell, Samhain Publishing
Title: Bad Boyfriend (Bad in Baltimore, #2)
Author: K.A. Mitchell
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 234
Characters: Quinn Maloney, Eli Wright
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
After Eli Wright came out, his parents threw him out. In the five years since, he’s made his own way, lived by his own rules, determined to never change himself—not for anyone. He’s not against finding Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now will do just fine.
Quinn Maloney’s reward for ten years of faithfully keeping his closeted boyfriend’s secrets? A hell of a wake-up call to go with his morning coffee. Not only did Peter have affairs, he went straight to marry his pregnant girlfriend—and Quinn was to never reveal their history.
With the baby’s baptism looming and Quinn expected to put on a polite front, he decides he’s had enough of playing the peacekeeper. One wink from a much younger, eyeliner-wearing guy in a bar, and Quinn’s found a perfectly outrageous date for the occasion.
The date goes better than he ever imagined. And so much worse, as Eli convinces everyone they’re madly in love. That wasn’t part of the plan, but the more Quinn learns about the man behind the makeup, the more he wishes it was true.
Warning: Contains an absolute bastard of an ex-boyfriend. Not responsible for sudden uncontrollable urges to punch him in the teeth. Also not responsible for any overheating or sudden urges brought about by explicit sex with a little BDSM thrown in.
Review:
Quinn Maloney spent ten years in a monogamous relationship with a straight man. Well, at least Quinn was monogamous. Peter? No, Peter was just an ass who’s “not gay,” and who used Quinn until something different came along; then he made like Houdini and performed an escape act without so much as a thanks for the memories. Upstanding guy, that Peter. Not.
The problem with Peter Laurent is his family. No, that’s not right. The problem with Peter is that he’s a selfish jerk who can’t admit he prefers men to women. So, let’s say the problem with Quinn is that the Laurent family became his family over the course of fifteen years, and Quinn can’t give them up, even if it means being forced to spend time with Peter, his wife, and his infant son. Yeah, it’s like that.
Quinn’s having a difficult time moving on.
And now he’s been asked to be Peter’s son’s godfather. More salt in the wound and more ties to the man who isn’t terribly acquainted with the words honesty or loyalty or honor. So, what’s a guy to do when he’s stuck between the rock and the hard place that is his past and his present? He brings a sexy and gorgeous date to the baptism just to rub a little of his own “take-that-ha” in Peter’s deceiving face.
Eli Wright is young; quite a bit younger than Quinn, in fact. They meet at a nightclub and are kind of caught off guard by the intensity of their sexual attraction to each other. It’s like when a positive and a negative charge meet; then K.A. Mitchell took that charge, which already crackled, and transformed it into a lightning storm of erotic goodness. I sat up and paid attention, that’s for sure, when these two men met. And I didn’t relax again until The End.
There were times when Quinn and Peter ran neck-and-neck for the title of “Bad Boyfriend” and poor Eli’s heart got trod on in the process. He was a tool in Quinn’s game of revenge until the rules changed and the game became complicated by feelings. That’ll happen to a man who opens his eyes one day and suddenly realizes that the world is a much more colorful place than the monochromatic little corner he has painted himself into, and it’s all because someone has come along and changed the palette through which he sees his life.
The sum total of Bad Boyfriend is that it’s one of those books that makes me really, really glad I love to read.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Skinny Dipping In Britain With JL Merrow! And Look – A Contest Too!
10 Nov 2011 13 Comments
in authors, J.L. Merrow, publishers, Samhain Publishing Tags: JL Merrow, Samhain Publishing
Will in Wight Mischief first catches sight of Marcus on the beach, where Marcus is skinny-dipping by moonlight. As it happens, Will is trespassing on a private beach—so Marcus could be forgiven for having had a reasonable expectation of privacy. But what do you do, if you’re one of those poor unfortunates who doesn’t own their own beach, but you still fancy a spot of natation au naturel? (pardon my French)
Technically, there is no law against being nude in public in the United Kingdom. However, using nudity to “harass, alarm or distress” others is an offence against the Public Order Act of 1986.
Feeling harassed? I thought not! 
Legality notwithstanding, British nudists tend to be a discreet bunch, choosing secluded beaches far off the beaten track, possibly to avoid all that irksome pointing and laughing – with some notable exceptions:
Naked Rambler Steve Gough finally completes his hike from Land’s End to John O’Groats. It took him seven months; most of which he spent in jail…clearly there were a lot of easily-offended people en route.
But as a rule, where continental Europeans are content to let it all hang out, we Brits are a more conservative bunch. We’re well aware that our pasty, sun-deprived complexions display to the best when leaving a LOT to the imagination. Luckily for us, the British summer weather usually makes covering up essential, if only to avoid hypothermia.
Summer days at the beach, British style.
So I must admit, in Wight Mischief, to taking a little licence with the weather, giving the island the best summer it’s known since the legendary heatwave of 1976. After all, if it’d been typically grey and dreary, the lads wouldn’t have wanted to get their kit off—and we couldn’t have that, could we?
Wight Mischief blurb:
A stranger could light up his world…or drive him deeper into darkness.
Will thinks a camping trip with his friend-with-benefits Baz will be a fun break from his usual job as a personal trainer. But the trip turns into a rollercoaster ride as he meets author Marcus – and Marcus’ mysterious guardian Leif.
Journalist Baz is supposed to be researching a book on ghosts, yet he seems curiously interested in secrets lying in the reclusive Marcus’ past. But these are secrets that someone’s determined they should let lie – and if they’re not careful, Will and Baz could end up adding to the Island’s ghostly population…
Product Warnings: Contains perilous cliffs, elusive might-be ghosts, a secret tunnel, and skinny-dipping by moonlight.
Available now from Samhain and Amazon.
COMMENT TO WIN THE WIGHT: Everyone who comments on any of my Wight Mischief blog posts will be entered into a prize draw for this sterling silver Isle of Wight charm (1″ wide; I’ve put it on black cord but it could also be worn on a bracelet):
I’ll make the draw on 15th November, 9pm GMT, so you have until then to leave your comments.
Wight Mischief by JL Merrow
10 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, J.L. Merrow, publishers, Samhain Publishing Tags: JL Merrow, Samhain Publishing
Title: Wight Mischief
Author: JL Merrow
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 177
Characters: Will Golding, Marcus Devereux
POV: 3rd Person
Sub-Genre: Contemporary Romance/Paranormal
Kisses: 3.5
Blurb:
A stranger could light up his world…or drive him deeper into darkness.
Will Golding needs a break from his usual routine, and he’s been looking forward to a holiday helping Baz, his friend-with-benefits, research a book about Isle of Wight ghosts. When an evening beach walk turns into a startling encounter with Marcus Devereux, Will can’t get his mind off the notoriously reclusive writer’s pale, perfect, naked body. And any interest in ghostly legends takes a back seat to the haunting secrets lying in Marcus’s past.
Marcus, painfully aware of his appearance, is accustomed to keeping to himself. But the memory of tall, athletic Will standing on the beach draws him out from behind defenses he’s maintained since age fourteen, when his parents were murdered. While his heart is hungry for human contact, though, his longtime guardian warns him that talking to anyone—particularly a journalist like Baz—is as dangerous as a day in the sun.
As Baz gets closer to the truth, the only thing adding up is the sizzling attraction between Will and Marcus. And it’s becoming increasingly clear that someone wants to let sleeping secrets lie…or Will and Baz could end up added to the island’s ghostly population.
Warning: Contains perilous cliffs, elusive might-be ghosts, a secret tunnel, and skinny-dipping by moonlight.
Review:
A working vacation takes on a paranormal twist in JL Merrow’s Wight Mischief, the story of a journalist and his best-friend-with-benefits who travel to the Isle of Wight in search of ghosts, though they end up finding much more danger in the natural world than in the supernatural.
At the heart of the story is the relationship between goodhearted Will Golding and his best friend, journalist Edward “Baz” Barrie. The benefits part of their friendship is particularly one-sided on Baz’s part, taking without reciprocating, everything Will has to offer. Baz is nothing less than condescending toward Will for the majority of the time, making one wonder… with friends like that… but it works handily enough in preparing Will for a meeting with reclusive author Marcus Devereux.
Marcus’ solitary nature is prompted by a horrific event from his past, as well as a physical affliction that drives his self-imposed isolation. He trusts very few people in his life since his parents’ deaths, but the reader soon comes to discover that the one person Marcus trusts the most is the one person who could do the most harm.
Marcus’ and Will’s connection builds slowly, as Marcus’ surliness and mistrust causes him to push Will away; though ironically, Will has had good practice at dealing with rudeness in his friendship with Baz, and fortunately, possesses the patience and persistence to wait for Marcus to come around.
As Baz’s investigation into the island’s ghost stories threatens to reveal an explosive and dangerous secret, he and Will come perilously close to becoming a part of those stories themselves. When that secret is ultimately revealed, Marcus finds the danger for him is also very real and closer than he could ever have imagined possible.
Wight Mischief blends the paranormal with a good psychological thriller, then throws in a bit of romance to cap things off nicely. While the identity of the antagonist became evident fairly quickly, there was still plenty of tension to spare, watching and waiting for the next move. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, JL Merrow made it fun to imagine the Isle of Wight as a place the spirits might choose to reside.
Reviewed By: Lisa
Beautiful Monster by Joely Skye
08 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Joely Skye, publishers, Samhain Publishing Tags: Joely Skye, Samhain Publishing
Title: Beautiful Monster
Author: Joely Skye
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 256
Characters: Josh and Kiran (Kir)
POV: 3rd
Sub-Genre: Paranormal
Kisses: 4
Blurb:
Josh Mackay is hired to bring in Kiran Brunner, a Minder with the psychic ability to manipulate and kill. But Kir has been abused by the agency that wants him back and he’ll do anything to escape. Josh’s job is to lure Kiran to a safe house. That part’s easy. The boy-Minder or no-is beautiful and surprisingly naive. Hunted by those who want to harm him, Kir doesn’t recognize Josh’s trap until it is almost too late. Kir gets his hooks in Josh and when his job is done, Josh cannot walk away. Not only because of what Kir is, but because of why the agency wants Kir back. Josh wants above all to protect Kir, but doesn’t know if that’s the right thing to do, or if he’s unknowingly succumbed to the Minder’s control. Kir knows better than to fall hard for a new enemy, but it doesn’t stop him from wanting, needing and loving Josh. However, Kir may not be able to save Josh, and himself, from those who wish them harm. The time will come when Kir is forced to use his powers against the agency to bring Josh back to safety, whether Josh trusts him or not.
Review:
Three in one. That’s what this is. Monster, Zombie and Minder. Three shorts written by the author and put into a single volume. As standalones, I can see how they would be frustrating to read but compiled as they are? Great story. Josh is a hired killer hired to bring Kiran to a house where others are waiting on him. Why? Because Kiran, or Kir as he’s called is a Minder, an individual with the ability to manipulate anothers mind and make them do whatever his will desires and the other, completely at a loss as to what happened to them. The agency who raised Kir wants him back and they will take whatever measure to get him. They are afraid of him and they should be. They abused this child from the moment they got their hands on him. He was sexually abused by his handler, and physically restrained more times than he should have been. Kir has the sweetest disposition and from the start I fell in love with him. He’s so sad and alone, he has no one but a sister he can hardly trust. He spends a lot of time on the run in this book because if he gets caught, he’s hurt. Over and over they hurt him.
Josh does get Kir to the house, as he was hired to do, but once he saw the abuse young Kir endured he had to put a stop to it and this is where the story really makes you think. Josh killed Kir’s handler, the so called man who raised Kir and trained him. Josh helped Kir escape. But, did Josh do that on his own? Or, did Kir use his powers to make Josh do his bidding? Once Josh delivers Kir to Kir’s sister, safe and sound, his mind begins to crack simply because once a Minder gets ahold of someone and controls their thoughts, that person’s mind begins to crack. They can be driven crazy and Kir is aware of this and fortunately for Josh, Kir loves him. He tries his best to protect him from the other Minders but with the manipulation Kir did on Josh to get Kir to safety and with the manipulation that Josh undergoes to forget the other Minder’s he met, his mind, as strong as it was, ends up cracked.
The agency finds Josh and ends up housing him in a controlled environment. He’s put to work and really has no life to speak of. He’s unsure, he’s skittish, he’s not Josh. He’s not the sure solid man we meet at the start of the story. As the story continues he meets another Minder who really does a number on him, he is damn near broken for the fun of it. Then Kir steps in and does what he does to try to save Josh.
This is a wonderfully told story that leaves you wondering one thing. Did you think to do that on your own, or did someone else make you think you did?
I hope the author considers doing at least one more story with Kir and Josh, just to give us a look into their lives and their world.
Reviewed By: Michele
The Barging In Blog Tour With Josephine Myles!
22 Sep 2011 11 Comments
in authors, Josephine Myles, publishers, Samhain Publishing Tags: Josephine Myles, Samhain Publishing
Clothes maketh the man
I used to think I wasn’t all that interested in clothing, and I’ve certainly never been a slave to fashion, but when I started writing I realised how important it was when creating a character. I’m not talking about dressing up my heroes in sexy clothes to titillate the readers (although there’s nothing wrong with that!), but about how the clothes we choose to wear speak volumes about our attitude towards our appearance, and can signify all kinds of things we might not be aware of.
For instance, when writing Barging In, I knew I wanted to have Robin dressed as a typical boater. This means practical, sturdy clothing that doesn’t show the dirt. Big boots are a must, and it only takes a few days living beside a muddy towpath to realise that you need to tuck your trousers into your socks. Long jeans that trail on the ground might be fine for city wear, but out in the countryside they’re just a nuisance. As far as the top half goes, layering is essential. The British weather being unpredictable, combined with physical outdoor work, means you need to wear something you can easily take on or off (preferably off when we’re writing m/m romance!)
So, Robin’s typical clothing is big, lace-up boots, combat trousers, and layers of plain, long-sleeved t-shirts. When it’s really cold he’ll have a layer of red thermal underwear as well – mmm, sexy! Robin doesn’t care what he looks like – his only concern is practicality. He doesn’t have a washing machine and needs hardwearing clothes that don’t show the dirt, as well as keeping him the right temperature.
Dan, on the other hand, is a flirty Londoner and it’s his first time on a narrowboat holiday. His wardrobe might serve him well when out clubbing, but it’s woefully inadequate for the boating life and I took great joy in destroying it as the novel progressed. I mean, who wears white training shoes on the towpath in autumn? And those tight Levis were just begging to be smeared in mud and engine grease. His favourite designer T-shirt ended up being mauled by a cat, and his skimpy thong may have been sexy, but it didn’t insulate him against the damp chill of the canal. There is one scene when they take Robin’s boat for an early morning cruise, and it’s so cold Dan finally caves in and borrows some of Robin’s thermals, as well as a knitted orange woollen hat with earflaps. Dan doesn’t stay in his borrowed clothing for long, though.
Excerpt:
“Mmm…” Robin nuzzled into Dan’s neck, the thought of him in tight swimming trunks having an effect that made his own clothing suddenly feel about three sizes too small. “You do have a thing for skimpy undies, don’t you?”
“You got a problem with that, Mr. Thermal Long-Johns?” Dan wiggled his arse as he spoke, grinding back against Robin’s erection.
Robin groaned, acutely aware of Dan’s naked chest against his arms. The clean scent of cedarwood shower gel mingled with Dan’s underlying sweetness and wrapped itself around him. Funny thing was, he really didn’t find Dan’s taste in underwear as ridiculous as he had a couple of days ago. Somehow, those thongs were just right for Dan, and that made them all right for Robin too—so long as he didn’t have to wear them himself.
“Nope, no problem. Think you look better out of them, though.” As he spoke, his hands began wandering, one rising to pinch Dan’s nipple while the other reached down to find a tempting bulge. Dan moaned, arching back and pushing against his hand. He palmed Dan’s half-hard cock through the denim, then slipped his hand beneath the waistband. Dan was naked underneath.
“What happened to the thermals?”
“Took ’em off, didn’t I? I was bloody roasting in here. Besides, they’re not exactly sexy, are they?”
“Hey! I’m still wearing mine.” It was no wonder he was so hot and sweaty. He didn’t stand a chance of keeping cool between those and the gorgeous, half-naked man in his arms.
“Yeah, well, you could make an old sack look hot. Some of us aren’t so blessed.”
Robin blushed. “You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met,” he mumbled into Dan’s neck.
“Mmm, you’re just saying that ’cause you want to get into my pants.”
“I already am.”
***
Yes, dressing your characters is great fun… but undressing them is even more exciting!
Barging In blurb:
When the boat’s a rockin’, don’t come knockin’!
Out-and-proud travel writer Dan Taylor can’t steer a boat to save his life, but that doesn’t stop him from accepting an assignment to write up a narrowboat holiday. Instead of a change of pace from city life, though, the canal seems dull as ditchwater. Until he crashes into the boat of a half-naked, tattooed, pierced man whose rugged, penniless appearance is at odds with a posh accent.
Still smarting from past betrayal, Robin Hamilton’s “closet” is his narrowboat, his refuge from outrageous, provocative men like Dan. Yet he can’t seem to stop himself from rescuing the hopelessly out-of-place city boy from one scrape after another. Until he finds himself giving in to reluctant attraction, even considering a brief, harmless fling.
After all, in less than a week, Dan’s going back to his London diet of casual hook-ups and friends with benefits.
Determined not to fall in love, both men dive into one week of indulgence…only to find themselves drawn deep into an undertow of escalating intimacy and emotional intensity. Troubled waters neither of them expected…or wanted.
Product Warnings:
Contains one lovable tart, one posh boy gone feral, rough sex, alfresco sex, vile strawberry flavoured condoms, intimate body piercings, red thermal long-johns, erotic woodchopping, an errant cat, a few colourful characters you wouldn’t touch with a bargepole, and plenty of messing about on the river.
Available now from Amazon and Samhain.
Author bio:
English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance, and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. She blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it.
Visit Jo’s website for more about her published work, saucy free reads and regular blog posts.
COMMENT TO WIN: All comments during the Barging In blog tour will be entered into a prize draw for a 10″x7″ signed and mounted print of my photograph of the Kennet and Avon canal, near Bath – as used on the cover of Barging In! What’s more, the stretch of canal shown here is the very part where Dan first crashes into Robin – ah, happy memories!
The more comments you leave, the more chances to win. Please remember to leave your email address in the body of the comment so I can get in touch with you. I’ll make the draw on 2nd October, 9pm GMT, so you have until then to leave your comments. 
All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity #2) by Josh Lanyon
21 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in authors, Josh Lanyon, publishers, Samhain Publishing Tags: Josh Lanyon, Samhain Publishing
Title: All She Wrote (Holmes & Moriarity #2)
Author: Josh Lanyon
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Pages: 173
Characters: Christopher Holmes, J.X. Moriarity
POV: 1st person
Sub-Genre: Murder Mystery
Kisses: 5
Blurb:
A murderous fall down icy stairs is nearly the death of Anna Hitchcock, the much-beloved “American Agatha Christie” and Christopher Holmes’s former mentor. Anna’s plea for him to host her annual winter writing retreat touches all Kit’s sore spots—traveling, teaching writing classes, and separation from his new lover, J.X. Moriarity.
For J.X., Kit’s cancellation of yet another romantic weekend is the death knell of a relationship that has been limping along for months. But that’s just as well, right? Kit isn’t ready for anything serious and besides, Kit owes Anna far too much to refuse.
Faster than you can say “Miss Marple wears boxer shorts”, Kit is snooping around Anna’s elegant, snowbound mansion in the Berkshires for clues as to who’s trying to kill her. A tough task with six amateur sleuths underfoot. Six budding writers with a tangled web of dark undercurrents running among them.
Slowly, Kit gets the uneasy feeling that the secret may lie between the pages of someone’s fictional past. Unfortunately, a clever killer is one step ahead. And it may be too late for J.X. to ride to the rescue.
Review:
Yes, I know. This book was published nearly a year ago. Yes, I know. I’m probably the last person on the planet to have read it. But hey, better late than never, right?
Written in the vein of the Golden Age of British detective fiction, mystery writer Christopher Holmes is drawn into a murder mystery of his own when he’s invited to the posh country manor of his former teacher/mentor Anna Hitchcock to do some of his own amateur sleuthing, though he’s initially lured there under false pretenses. Christopher believes he’s been summoned to Anna’s estate to lead a gathering of the Asquith Circle in Anna’s stead, after she’s taken a dreadful spill down the icy steps in her garden. A series of random, seemingly unrelated accidents leads Anna to deduce she’s become the target of a killer, and she’s enlisted Christopher to help find the clues to stop the unknown assailant before it’s too late. Is she truly marked for death? Or is she merely the victim of a series of unfortunate events? Well, that’s half the fun of the Holmes & Moriarity series, isn’t it? The mysteries. The other half is the relationship between Christopher and J.X. Moriarity, and the “are they/ aren’t they, will they/won’t they” question that left us all hanging at the end of Book One.
Several months have passed since Somebody Killed His Editor at a author’s retreat in Northern California, where J.X.—the ex-cop, über-successful author, wanna-be love interest to Christopher’s oh-so-tentative, I’m no good at relationships, I’m so old and curmudgeonly self—found himself helping Christopher sleuth out the clues to a murder. How’s that for a mouthful? The bottom line is that J.X. is ready to throw all his chips into the pot and gamble on a future with Christopher. Christopher, on the other hand, has some hang-ups. Big hang-ups, like the fact that his long time partner has recently left him for a younger man, and not just any younger man, but Christopher’s own personal assistant. Like the fact that while J.X. is wildly successful, Christopher’s Miss Butterwith and her loyal cat, Mr. Pinkerton, are merely limping along in their dotage. Like the fact that Christopher’s five whole years older than J.X. Like the fact that he feels much older than those mere five years. Christopher would rather cut his losses and let J.X. go than take the chance that his heart and fragile ego will get trampled on again.
Just when we think it’s all over for the two men, just when we think the impasse can’t be overcome, the plot thickens. Christopher is settled in at Anna’s estate, doing what he’s meant to do—fostering the novice writers, poking around for clues as to who might be trying to off Anna, coming up with lots of viable suspects but no real clues; then the unthinkable happens and Christopher comes face-to-face with death, or darn close to it. Maybe they just rubbed elbows. At any rate, it’s that near-death experience that becomes the catalyst for a turning point in Christopher’s life and in his need for J.X. to be in it. Oh, it’s not all sunshine and roses yet, but it’s partly sunny with carnations and a little baby’s breath thrown in, for sure.
Plenty of motive, means, and opportunity provide Christopher and J.X. with a lengthy list of suspects to weed through and eliminate, though that list begins shrinking as the body count rises, aiding in the process of elimination the hard way. Or the easy way; whichever way you want to look at it, it’s an immensely good time, to be sure.
Josh Lanyon does a fabulous job of keeping the reader guessing until nearly the very end, as Christopher and J.X. lead us along on a fast paced, funny, sexy, twisting and turning mystery within a mystery tour that just keeps twisting until the very end, leaving the reader hanging, yes, hanging by the tips of our fingers on a cliffhanger that promises there’s much, much more to look forward to from these two engaging and loveable heroes.
Reviewed By: Lisa
