Guest Post | A Dash of Town Bronze by Ellie Thomas

Today, we have the lovely Ellie Thomas back on the blog. She’s here to tell us about her story, A Dash of Town Bronze. Welcome, Ellie!

Thanks for having me as your guest again, lovely Ofelia! I’m Ellie and I write MM Historical Romance. I’m here today to chat about my latest release, A Dash of Town Bronze.

This under-4k-word release consists of two Town Bronze bonus chapters I wrote for my newsletter subscribers, now published by JMS Books as a freebie. Nothing like a free read! These two stories were originally titled Not in the Petticoat Line and Country Matters.

The second story, Country Matters focuses on the couple in the first Town Bronze story, Jasper and Mortimer. This age-gap romance with a surprising spanking kink began in Town Bronze in the spring of 1812 and continued on in the background of Petticoats and Pantaloons (Book 2) and Impeccable Credentials (Book 3) in the autumn and winter of the same year.

I wanted to give Jasper and Mortimer a hint of an HEA and so Country Matters seemed the ideal opportunity. There are plenty of obstacles for this couple. The nearly twenty-year age gap, which older partner Mortimer is deeply conscious of, and the fact that, until he met Mortimer and discovered his propensity for spanking, twenty-one-year-old Jasper considered himself a ladies’ man.

The four months of the Regency Season in London where they meet and start their relationship, wasn’t long enough for either man to overcome his reservations. In London, their differences are obvious; age, connections, sophistication and manners. Mortimer has all of those qualities and Jasper almost none.

But in Country Matters, when Mortimer invites Jasper to his home to break his journey on the way to his parents’ estate for Christmas, their similarities are revealed. They are both countrymen at heart with the same interests and values. These common interests are at the heart of this romantic short story, giving a firm foundation for the years to come.

A Dash of Town Bronze

These two under-2k-word stories are bonus chapters for the Town Bronze novella trilogy. In these short scenes, two out of the three couples in the ensemble cast deepen their romances, together with the guest appearance of Nathan Brooks from Twelve Letters. 

Barney and Ross/Rose from Pantaloons and Petticoats, Book 2 in the series, snatch some precious time together at lunchtime in a busy coffeehouse.

Then Jasper and Mortimer from Book 1, Town Bronze have their long-awaited chance for a happy ever after, away from the distractions of London and their friends’ love lives.

Excerpt:

Sir Mortimer Cleverly felt unduly gratified, regarding the young man sitting at his fireside as though he belonged there. 

At the end of London’s autumn Season, it felt like a natural progression to invite Jasper to Gloucestershire to break his journey home. 

Their bond had strengthened over several months since their first inauspicious meeting. Mortimer was persuaded they would benefit from some days alone together, away from the constant bustle of London.

Previously, Mortimer had conducted his fleeting affairs with sufficient tact that avoided unpleasantness and unwelcome notoriety. Yet, he acknowledged the situation with Jasper was entirely unprecedented. Despite his considerable experience, Mortimer was subject to an emotional pull that surprised him by its strength. 

Nearly twenty years Mortimer’s junior, Jasper was very green when he’d arrived in London last spring, unleashed from the constraints of formal education and his overprotective parents. Since then, he had started to find his feet amongst the hazards of the social whirl with a distinctly coltish grace that occasionally faltered. 

Looking over at Jasper, far more comfortable in a country sitting room than a Mayfair ballroom, Mortimer smiled to see the younger man so at ease.

“Yes, you need attention, too,” Jasper crooned at Pepper, one of Mortimer’s house dogs, pawing at his knee. Pepper licked his face, making Jasper laugh, while Mungo, the aged terrier, nudged his hand for an ear scratch.

I needn’t have worried, Mortimer thought with a smile, watching the show of indulgence towards his household pets.

Once Jasper had accepted his last-minute request, Mortimer fretted that he had made a mistake. Rather than furthering their relationship, being thrown into each other’s company without the distractions of the city might bring their differences into sharp relief.

He had momentarily forgotten that Jasper, like Mortimer, was a true countryman. When they arrived at Mortimer’s estate, his guest displayed an easy confidence he lacked in town. 

Proving to be a more than competent horseman, he’d ridden around the fields, making intelligent comments about the lie of the land. Similarly, Jasper had approached the outdoor and domestic staff with just the right degree of familiarity. He was capable of conversing with Mortimer about everyday landowning concerns, from rotating the crops to animal welfare, as though he was born to it.

Which indeed he was, Mortimer acceded. It was easy to surmise that the Goodhew establishment in nearby Worcestershire didn’t differ greatly from this estate in terms of land management. 

The expedient absence of Mortimer’s sister-in-law and his young nieces, which had prompted the invitation, had made his and Jasper’s togetherness complete. 

Once the household retired for the night, Mortimer navigated the darkened corridor to Jasper’s room. More often than not, Jasper was awake, awaiting the specific stimulation that gave him such intense relief. But sometimes, he was already slumbering when Mortimer slid into bed beside him. Jasper snuffled in his sleep and instinctively rolled towards Mortimer, seeking his body warmth, nestling into him in the most disarming manner. 

Mortimer confessed himself as captivated by that unconscious trust as much as by the lissom body in his arms.

“A penny for your thoughts, Tim?”

Jasper was smiling as he continued to make a fuss of the dogs.

Book Links:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Dash-Town-Bronze-Ellie-Thomas-ebook/dp/B0CW1G9MW7/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1

Universal Book Link:

https://books2read.com/u/bWyY0W

Publisher:

https://www.jms-books.com/ellie-thomas-c-224_420/a-dash-of-town-bronze-p-5121.html

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214380369-a-dash-of-town-bronze

Add to Bookbub:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-dash-of-town-bronze-by-ellie-thomas

Bio:

Ellie Thomas lives by the sea. She comes from a teaching background and goes for long seaside walks where she daydreams about history. She is a voracious reader especially about anything historical. She mainly writes historical gay romance.

Ellie also writes historical erotic romance as L. E. Thomas.

Website: https://elliethomasromance.wordpress.com/

Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8308047409266947

Twitter/X: @e_thomas_author

Bluesky: @elliethomas.bsky.social

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19835510.Ellie_Thomas

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ellie-thomas