Professionally, the FBI team of Aidan "Irish" Talley and Jameson "Whiskey" Walker is as good as it gets, closing cases faster than any team at the Bureau. Personally, it’s a different story. Aidan’s feelings for Jamie scare the hell out of him: he won’t risk losing another love no matter how heart-tripping the intimacy between them. And loss is a grim reality with the terrorist Renaud still on their trail, leaving a pile of bodies in his wake.

Going undercover on a new case gets them out of town and off the killer's radar. They're assigned to investigate an identity theft ring involving a college basketball team in Jamie's home state, where Jamie's past makes him perfect for the role of coach. But returning to the court brings more than old memories.

As secrets and shocking betrayals abound, none may be more dangerous than the one Jamie’s been keeping: a secret about the death of Aidan’s husband that could blow his partner's world apart and destroy forever the fragile bonds of trust and love building between them.

Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Dreamspinner

2016 Rainbow Award Winner - Best Gay Young Adult

Review

5 amazing stars

This is my second book by Suki Fleet and I find her style unique and very appealing. This is a very emotional NA story with unforgettable characters which will give you all the feels. It's painful and raw and realistic and deeply sad but also happy and optimistic and magical. I would go as far as to say it reminds me of magical realism - the author brings inexplicable magic even in the most mundane things in life. 

The story is told from Danny's POV, a neuroatypical young man with the biggest heart. He is a true superhero chasing away the bad guys and doing his best to protect those he loves. And he falls in love and overcomes loss and ultimately discovers he is much stronger than he believed himself to be. I loved everything about him. His presence was strong and powerful even when head trouble looking people in the eye or speaking to them. 

Micky, a troubled young man, was just as wonderful. He was not perfect, far weaker and more lost than Danny but at the same time he gave him the greatest gift - acceptance and unconditional love. he saw past his appearance, read his mind and soul and was exactly what Danny needed - a patient and understanding friend/lover/partner. They were a perfect match, giving each strength and confidence and hope for the future.  Micky cherished the care and protection Danny provided and at the same time he was not pushing him towards impossible things but let him find his own strength and worth.

The supporting characters were also deftly drawn and gave richness and depth to the story. I felt deeply for them and rooted for their HEA as much as I did for Danny and Micky.

Reading this story I cried and laughed and hugged my loved ones tightly and got my heart broken and then mended, ending with the goofiest, most happy smile. If you like masterfully written stories with complex characters and intriguing plot, you need to read this book. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions that makes you think and feel and stays with you for a long time after the final page.

Author Bio and Links

2. Can you share some of your favourite books and authors?

How much time and patience do we all have? Just kidding. I’ll try to limit myself to romance genre right now. I have a few books I’ll go back to over and over – I’m a re-reader, particularly when I’m stressed out. Small Wonders by Courtney Lux is a fabulous book. Her main character starts so prickly and complicated and difficult, but watching his journey is so incredibly satisfying. His backstory is painful, which makes the ending of the book so special.

I am currently obsessed with Roan Parrish, Avon Gale, and Santino Hassel + Megan Erickson’s work. They’ve each crafted series (Middle of Somewhere for Parrish, Scoring Chances for Gale, and Cyber Love for Hassel and Erickson) that I’ve read multiple times. 

I’ll admit I’m a huge Hunger Games fan. I’m actually re-reading them now (although, what a time to be re-reading these particular books!). And if you haven’t read The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, please do so. The blurb for the first book sounds insane, but these books are fantastic. I’m a huge YA/NA reader, as you can probably tell. 

3. Who/what do you consider your writing influence/inspiration? 

Langston Hughes, Pablo Neruda and Sharon Olds. All poets, right? But really, these are poets who influenced my love for the written word, and inspired me to craft my particular voice and style. As far as novelists go, I have to credit Diana Gabaldon as a huge inspiration – I hope to one day achieve even a quarter of what she does with her storytelling and prose. 

4. What kind of stories can the readers expect from you (contemporary/historical/sci-fi, adult/NA/YA, etc)?

Oh man, a little of everything? I tend to flummox my publisher because I write what moves me, so I’m all over the place. I would say that in general I write contemporary romance. Idlewild, my current release is definitely contemporary with touches of coming of age (with the age difference in the characters, it had to work that way). I am a big fan of NA, and my next book will probably fall into a NA contemporary category. 

5. Please, introduce your latest release 

My current book is called Idlewild. It’s set in Detroit, and it’s a contemporary. I love Detroit – I and my family have ties here that go back a few generations, and I really wanted to write a positive and realistic story set there. Detroit sets a complex backdrop for our characters, who come from very different backgrounds, to learn about each other and themselves. 

Our main characters are Asher, who is a widower trying to keep the restaurant he started with his late husband alive. The book starts with him going for one last Hail Mary plan to do so, firing his staff and hiring a new staff to get a fresh start. One of the waiters he hires is Tyler, who is fresh out of college. Tyler is a very interesting man – he’s a little lost, but he’s incredibly charismatic. Despite having no restaurant experience, Asher hires him. They make a great team, and as they work together more and more, Tyler begins to take on a bigger role in helping Asher save Idlewild. 

Idlewild brings them together, offers Tyler an opportunity to find his place and to take steps to really find himself and his happiness. As his relationship with Asher goes from friendship to intimate, they both have a lot to navigate – not just Tyler’s arc, but Asher realizing he has to confront grief and loss he’s been telling himself he’s over. There’s a lot of lovely discovery between them, and the city plays a big role in this. 

Summary 

Asher Schenck and his husband John opened their downtown gastro pub in the midst of Detroit’s revival. Now, five years after John’s sudden death, Asher is determined to pull off a revival of his own. In a last ditch attempt to bring Idlewild back to life, he fires everyone and hires a new staff. Among them is Tyler Heyward, a recent college graduate in need of funds to pay for med school. Tyler is a cheery balm on Asher’s soul, and their relationship quickly shifts from business to friendship. When they fall for each other, it is not the differences of race or class that challenge their love, but the ghosts and expectations of their respective pasts. Will they remain stuck, or move toward a life neither of them has allowed himself to dream about? 

Author Bio and Links

Jude Sierra first began writing poetry as a child in her home country of Brazil. Still a student of the form, she began writing long-form fiction by tackling her first National Novel Writing Month project in 2007, and in 2011 began writing in online communities, where her stories have thousands of readers. Her previous novels include Hush (2015) and What It Takes (2016), which received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. 

EXCERPT

Ewan lives in the house next door to Dev. He's young, free and single, and isn't looking to change that anytime soon. When awkward circumstances throw them together, Ewan offers to help Dev out in the bedroom in return for maths tutoring, and Dev jumps at the chance.

Excerpt

Sitting on his bed, Dev yawned, his full stomach making him sleepy. He stared at his phone as he contemplated calling home but decided he couldn't face it tonight. He loved his mum, but she did tend to bang on. Once she got him on the line, she'd end up talking for ages and asking him a million questions he was too tired to answer. Instead, he sent his mum a quick text.

All moved in, everything's good. I'm shattered now so I'm going to have an early night. I'll call you tomorrow.

She replied within seconds as though she'd been waiting for him to call.

Okay sweetie, glad you're settled. Sleep well xxx

He picked up his notepad and crossed off phone home. Texting counted. He also crossed off everything else on his list for today. 

That was Saturday done. Dev set his notepad aside, opened his laptop, and pulled up his lists app. He liked his notepad for day-to- day organisation; it gave him a certain satisfaction to cross out the things he'd done and to get to the end of the day with all the tasks completed. But for longer-term planning, he kept his lists on his Mac, synced to his phone.

For the first time in six months, Dev could breathe again. Finally he had a safe place where he could get back on track and look to the future. He began to type.

Things To Do This Term

Make some friends

Learn to cook

Research sex stuff

Join Grindr

Get some experience

Find a boyfriend

He stared at the words on the screen and sighed. That seemed like a lot of things to aim for. But it was good to have goals, right? Jez and Mac seemed really nice, so hopefully Dev was already on his way to achieving the first objective. And that bloke Ewan Dev's mind conjured up the image of the flame-haired hunk who lived next door. Ewan had been friendly.

Maybe there was potential there too.

Author Bio and Links

Jay lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two children, and two cats.

She comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a short story just to see if she could and found it rather addictive. She hasn't stopped writing since.

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EXCERPT

"Let's make this simple," Henney said. "You double your stake, you win. You lose your stake, you owe me twenty guineas. Seem fair?"

Simon nodded, fighting the impulse to stake all his fish on one card and have it over with. But he was as likely to lose that way as win, and he couldn't give up twenty pounds so quickly.

Of course, in faro you generally were as likely to lose as to win. That was why it was so damn popular—better odds than most games of chance. He'd watched Clement play for countless hours, when they were in school. It had felt peaceful when it wasn't his money at stake, cards and coins moving and changing hands, talk washing over him.

Now the cards were in his hands, and it was his money, and it didn't feel peaceful at all. He steeled himself and put six sad, gasping little fish on the figure card with a blue cross, which he remembered dimly indicated a bet on the ace, deuce, and three. One of Miss da Silva's trailing ringlets brushed his arm as she leaned over to inspect his bet.

She did not, it turned out, smell either like orange-flower water or violets. Tuberoses burst in his nostrils—heady, carnal, and narcotic. Cloying, even, in the way smells were in bed, arousing because they were too strong. He remembered, with great force, that the delicate white blossoms' scent was said to be most powerful at night. He shut his eyes and breathed in.

"I'll lay you a guinea Radcliffe-Gould's cock stands within five pulls," someone said quite audibly.

'Pull' meant a draw of two cards, one laid to Henney's right and the other to his left. If Simon's bet matched the first card, he lost his stake, and if it matched the second, he won.

But Simon immediately imagined Miss da Silva's hand round his cock.

Author Bio and Links: 

Blurb

The Psy-Changeling world has undergone a staggering transformation and now stands at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. It is a beacon of hope held together by many hands: Old enemies. New allies. Wary loners.

But a century of distrust and suspicion can’t be so easily forgotten and threatens to shatter Trinity from within at any moment. As rival members vie for dominance, chaos and evil gather in the shadows and a kidnapped woman’s cry for help washes up in San Francisco, while the Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, of love, of piercing hope: A child who is both Psy…and changeling.

To find the lost, protect the vulnerable—and save Trinity—no one can stand alone. This is a time of loyalty across divisions, of bonds woven into the heart and the soul, of heroes known and unknown standing back to back and holding the line. But is an allegiance of honor even possible with traitors lurking in their midst?