Category: Do You Want To Read It?

Release Announcement: World Naked Gardening Day Gay Romance Novellas

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 1 Comment

Welcome to World Naked Gardening Day!

The World Naked Gardening Day stories are a collaboration between Holly Day, Nell Iris, A. L. Lester, K. L. Noone and Amy Spector. They comprise five MM romance novellas between sixteen and twenty thousand words, featuring being naked in a garden somehow, somewhere, to mark World Naked Gardening Day on 7th May 2022!

Release Date: 7th May 2022

Publisher: JMS Books LLC

Ofelia Grand (who also writes as Holly), Nell Iris and A. L. Lester write together in the early mornings in our Online Office. This involves a fair amount of chat and discussion about what we’re working on. As Holly, Ofelia writes stories to mark all the different holidays throughout the year and one day in December Nell and Ally were teasing her about what she should write next and joked that World Naked Gardening Day would be an excellent idea…and lo and behold, here are five of us writing on a similar theme. 

Warning! Deep Water! by A. L. Lester

Editor: Lourenza Adlem

Links: Goodreads :: JMS :: UBL

Celebrate World Naked Gardening Day with gay romance, 1940s England, hurt-comfort, swimming & salad vegetables!

warningdeepwaterIt’s 1947. George is going through the motions, sowing seeds and tending plants and harvesting crops. The nursery went on without him perfectly well during the war and he spends a lot of time during the working day hiding from people and working on his own. In the evening he prowls round the place looking for odd jobs to do.

It’s been a long, cold winter and Peter doesn’t think he’ll ever get properly warm or clean again. Finding a place with heated greenhouses and plenty of nooks and crannies to kip in while he’s recovering from nasty flu was an enormous stroke of luck. He’s been here a few days now. The weather is beginning to warm up and he’s just realised there’s a huge reservoir of water in one of the greenhouses they use to water the plants. He’s become obsessed with getting in and having an all-over wash.

What will George do when he finds a scraggy ex-soldier bathing in his reservoir? What will Peter do? Is it time for them to both stop running from the past and settle down?

The Death of Digby Catch by Amy Spector

Editor: Lourenza Adlem

Links: Goodreads :: JMS

thedeathofdigbycatchIt had been more than eighteen years since August Catch’s uncle Digby had disappeared to the Cape to mourn the death of his sister. So, when August arrives at Arachne’s Loom to collect his late uncle’s things, he wasn’t expecting to find stories of a man larger than life. Or the very real possibility that Digby’s death may not have been from natural causes.

Theo Webb has had few people in his life that he loved, and fewer still he could trust. But the estate groundskeeper, Digby Catch, had been one of them. Returning home for his funeral, he’s thrown together with Digby’s nephew, and the attraction is instant. But so is Theo’s certainty that things surrounding Digby’s death don’t add up and that at least one person isn’t telling the truth.

Discovering a killer is difficult when someone is desperate to keep more than just their identity a secret. And when all the clues point in one direction, even Theo isn’t sure what to think. The two of them must work together if they’re going to solve a murder, and not let the thing growing between them be a distraction.

 But then, maybe a distraction is exactly what they need.

The Hermit of Aldershill Manor by K.L. Noone

Editor: Lourenza Adlem

Links: Goodreads :: JMS

thehermitofaldershillmanorCharlie Ash is ready to start a new job and a new life at Aldershill Manor. As a historian, he’s thrilled to dive into the estate’s archives. And he can hide from all the memories of his messy break-up back in California, where the man he’d thought he’d marry left him instead. He can find solace in exploring Aldershill’s famous gardens…until he’s caught in the rain, and found by a gardener.

Lionel Briar enjoys making people happy, as long as he doesn’t have to talk to them. He does not like tourists, small talk, or social obligations. But he does like plants and history and his job, taking care of Aldershill’s historic gardens, helping beauty grow. 

So when Lionel discovers the estate’s adorable new historian caught in a summer thunderstorm in his gardens, he offers Charlie the shelter of his home on the grounds…a moment of rescue that could bloom into more

Strike a Pose by Nell Iris

Editor: Trace Edward Zaber

Links: JMS Books :: Goodreads : : UBL

Less Gardening, More Nakedness

strikeaposeDidrik would do anything for his best friend, Filip, including taking pictures of Filip’s dad, Johan, for a charity calendar. Naked pictures, of beautiful, irresistible, wonderful Johan, who was single-handedly responsible for Didrik’s gay awakening. He was also happily married and unavailable…until he wasn’t.

After losing his husband five years ago, Johan finally seems ready to move on, and as they start the charity project, everything changes. With every meeting, every conversation, every pose for the camera, the attraction between them swells and grows, until it burns hot and threatens to consume them.

Their interactions, their relationship is surprisingly easy, but it’s not without its challenges. The age difference for one thing. Telling Filip for another. Is their connection enough to last? Can they overcome the hurdles to get the happily ever after they deserve?

Perfect Rows by Holly Day

Links: Goodread :: JMS Books :: books2read.com/PerfectRows

Everything would’ve been perfect if Grayson hadn’t been forced to share his garden with Cam.

perfectrowsEverything would’ve been perfect if Grayson Dawe hadn’t been forced to share his garden with Camden Hensley. Grayson has everything he needs in life—a job, friends, a house he loves, and a garden. He wants to grow enough vegetables to cover his needs over the summer, and he has a plan for how to achieve it. 

Camden Hensley loves his garden. He loves beautiful flowers in perfect rows, sweet scents and buzzing bees, but his neighbor, Grayson, messes everything up. He mixes vegetables with flowers in the growing beds and is incapable of placing plants in straight lines. And when Cam pulls out the plants growing in the wrong place, Grayson snarls at him. 

Grayson doesn’t want to fight with Camden, but he’s completely unreasonable. Cam only wants Grayson to stop creating chaos and to grow flowers instead of vegetables. Neither of them is willing to back down, and days in the garden usually end in shouting matches, at least until Grayson realizes he can shut Cam up by kissing him. But will they ever be able to agree about what plants should grow where? 

About Us!

You can find out more about The World Naked Gardening Day writers on our websites, Holly Day, Nell Iris, A. L. Lester, K. L. Noone and Amy Spector. We hope you have as much fun reading the stories as we did writing them!

All Naked stories

Giveaway | May

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Book Giveaway

Right, peeps, I’m sad to say we’re going dystopic this month – just what we need, right? Sigh. Months ago, I pulled The Maddest of Men and The Lords of Lettuce from Amazon. I meant to put them up again as one book instead of two. Lords starts right where Maddest ends, and when I wrote them, I meant for them to be a series, but I never wrote more books, so it felt silly to have stories up that just as easily could be one. Then I decided I’d do these giveaways that matched Holly’s previous releases and told myself I didn’t need to fix that book until May 1st because that was when Holly had her dystopian story… And here we are! Have I fixed the book? No. Sigh.

This month last year, Holly released The Hunger Gap which is a dystopic story about a society where everyone living outside of the city limits has to provide food for those living in the city. George lives outside the city, and it’s Axel’s job to make sure he pays what he’s due.

In The Maddest of Men, it’s not really that organised, and it’s a paranormal story. The military did some weird experiments, and part of the population ended up with psychic abilities. They’re called metas. It’s Creed’s job to find the metas and take them to facilities. Grayham is a meta, he’s also a drug lord’s right-hand man, and not an easy person to sneak up on.

If you’ve been around for some time, you know the deal. Hop on over to Kingsumo and type in your email address. You’re not subscribing to anything, and make sure you use an address you check since it’s the one I’ll contact you on if you’re the winner.

Join the draw!

thehungergap

After years of the government taking everything he grows, homesteader George Vega has had enough. Food is scarce and people are starving. To provide for himself, he’ll need to break the law. Together with his next-door neighbor June, he sets up a system to hide food from the controller during his weekly collecting visits.

Axel Rowe won’t survive much longer. Every scrap of food he can get his hands on, he gives to his six-year-old daughter, but it isn’t nearly enough. Luck is on his side when he secures a job as a controller. He realizes taking the job will make people dislike him, but he has to eat.

George understands the danger he’s in when his old, lazy controller is replaced with a new, more observant one. Axel suspects there is something George is withholding, but when George takes care of him after nearly collapsing from hunger, Axel is more curious about how he’s able to keep food for himself than he’s interested in reporting him. George knows the risk, but after having looked into Axel’s desperate eyes, he’s compelled to take care of him. But can an outlaw homesteader have a relationship with the man who’s supposed to make sure he follows the law?

23,976 words

Read an excerpt

The Maddest of Men

To prove his loyalty to Cham, Grayham is willing to do anything, and he does. He helps Cham run his empire by finding out the truth by any possible means. It’s not as hard as it may seem, all he has to do is ask the right questions, and his internal polygraph will tell him if someone is lying or not. And when they lie—well he deals with that too. Life as an executioner can get quite lonely, not that Grayham plans on doing anything about it. It would kill him to have to off a lover.

Creed is a retrieving agent on a mission. He is to infiltrate one of Carona’s drug organisations to get to the inquisitor. Rumour states the man with the fiery red curls has supernatural powers; it also says anyone coming close to him disappears. Creed has no idea how he’s going to make it out alive or why his supervisor sent him in without backup. But, when an opening to work as a waiter at one of the drug lord’s parties presents itself Creed sets to work.

In a world where people compensate for the years of bombings and starvation with clinic bought physical perfection a man with crooked teeth and mismatching eyes stands out. Grayham notices the waiter watching him straight away. If he’s there to harm Cham, he’ll deal with it. Creed knows he must get his hands on the inquisitor so when he is invited to the man’s flat he agrees to come even though he knows it might be the last thing he’ll ever do.

30,910 words

Read an excerpt

Wrap-Up Wednesday | April

~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

This month, I haven’t had time. That’s the overall feeling, that I haven’t had time, so I haven’t read as much as I would have wanted to, but this is what I’ve got.

Seventh Son by SenatorBlitz

Ha! I didn’t have many expectations when I started to read this, I just wanted a short story I could finish in one go, but this had me laughing. It’s a bit… incoherent at times, but I was enjoying myself.

This is a Don’t Read in the Closet story, so it’s free, and there is no blurb, only a prompt letter.

25858019._sy475_Dear Author,
Why do these things always happen to me?
I am the youngest son of an English Lord. All my brothers have always been, well, more manly than me. They think my interest in the arts and music makes me weak. But they don’t.
My eldest brother was betrothed to the daughter of a neighboring Lord; one with more money, more power than my father. I was sent ahead of the wedding party to help to get things in order and what happens? Some barbarian from Scotland has kidnapped me, thinking I am my brother.
What do I do now? (And no, I don’t think he’s the most handsome thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t!)

Download here

A Matter of Time by Mary Calmes

I reread the first two stories of Mary Calme’s A Matter of Time series, or I guess the first four. I read Volume 1 and 2 and each volume is of two books. If you want to hear me ramble about them more, hop on over to Holly’s.

A Matter of Time

Vol. 1 (Books One and Two)

Jory Keyes leads a normal life as an architect’s assistant until he is witness to a brutal murder. Though initially saved by police Detective Sam Kage, Jory refuses protective custody—he has a life he loves that he won’t give up no matter who is after him. But Jory’s life is in real jeopardy, especially after he agrees to testify about what he saw.

While dealing with attempts on his life, well-meaning friends who want to see him happy, an overly protective boss, and a slowly unfolding mystery that is much more sinister than he could ever imagine, the young gay man finds himself getting involved with Sam, the conflicted and closeted detective. And though Jory may survive the danger, he may not survive a broken heart.

https://books2read.com/AMatterofTime1

A Matter of Time

Vol. 2 (Books Three and Four)

Three years ago, Jory Harcourt changed his name and shut the door on a past full of pain, only to emerge stronger on the other side. He has a new career, a great working partner, and a satisfying life—except for the hole in his chest left behind when police Detective Sam Kage walked out with his heart.

Now Sam’s back and he knows what he wants… and what he wants is Jory. Jory, who doesn’t know if he can survive another break up or losing Sam to his dangerous job, resists returning to the arms of the only man he has ever truly loved. But when a serial killer with a score to settle targets Jory, he will have to decide if love is worth the danger as he tries to solve the case and keep Sam safe. 

https://books2read.com/AMatterofTime2

Spirited Situation by Louisa Masters

I haven’t read anything by Louisa Masters before. I loved this! Who doesn’t love a good ghost story and Ewan is a blacksmith. How often do you get blacksmiths in stories? Awesome, if a tad too much love declaration for me at the end. But now that that’s out of the way, I think this is gonna be an awesome series.

Spirited SituationWhen you can talk to ghosts, things are bound to get spirited.

The ghosts have been there since before I can remember. When I was a kid, they doted on me, but as I got older, they got more demanding. I’ve spent my whole life seeing and talking to dead people and trying to pretend I’m not, because the living just don’t understand. Nobody wants to be around the freak who claims to see ghosts.

Until I go to Mannix Estate.

Once a private country home, then a posh hotel, it was closed after a suspicious incident but is now an immersive historic experience. It’s also haunted AF, and everyone knows it. Finally, I’ve found a place to work and live where I can be useful. Where I’m actually wanted.

There are only two problems: I spent a hot, sweaty, satisfying night with Ewan the blacksmith before I knew we’d have to work together. Everyone knows sex with colleagues is a bad idea, right? Even if he’s the world’s most ripped cinnamon roll.

Plus, the ghosts are keeping secrets. There’s something going on that’s not normal, even for a haunted estate. And I suspect that when the truth comes out, I’m the one who’ll have to deal with it… and it won’t be good. 

https://books2read.com/SpiritedSituation

Black Horse River by Robin Studwick

I ended the month by reading this short little tale about a lord and his stable boy… who’s no boy at all. He happens to be fae. I liked it.

26013250._sx318_Dear Author,
One of my first vivid memories is of his callused hand holding a wooden toy. He was big even at 16, but I was not afraid. He speaks only to the horses, but I’ve heard him whisper, “As you wish, my lord.”
He’s always alone; the others shun him. I hide and watch him strip and bathe in the river. I’m fascinated by the movement of his hard, ropey muscles, his long cock, his dark to my light.
I’m of age to be married, yet I’ve never felt the sensual touch of another. He’s a servant, not my friend; an illiterate peasant, not my equal. He can never be my lover, but I can’t stop this desire from coiling inside me.

Download here