Today, the lovely Ellie Thomas is back to tell us a little about her latest release, An Unlikely Alliance. Welcome Ellie!

Thanks, lovely Ofelia, for having me as your guest again! I’m Ellie, and I write MM Historical Romance novellas.

Today I’m chatting about my new MMM Romance, An Unlikely Alliance, written for JMS Books’ Regency Trio submission call.

An Unlikely Alliance is both an individual release and will also be published together with two other fabulous stories, As Many Stars by K.L. Noone and The Hunting Box by Alexandra Caluen. Three times the fun! These stories are the 20% off new release sale at JMS Books until May 10th.

My trio consists of a not-quite couple, Abe and Clem. At the start of the story, these two have been circling warily around each other for some months. Then Clem meets Humphrey, promptly seduces him and introduces him to Abe. To everyone’s surprise, Humphrey provides the emotional connection for a three-way relationship.

Humphrey is an unassuming young gentleman in his early twenties. Both he and Clem are orphans, but Humphrey is fortunate enough to be surrounded by a caring family. When in London, he lives with his motherly Aunt Cecelia in Holborn. Humphrey makes himself useful by squiring his female relatives around the ballrooms of the London Season as an essential spare man.

My other two MCs, Abe and Clem are secure in their sexuality. Until meeting them, Humphrey is somewhat necessarily closeted. The male-dominated world of boarding school and university allowed him some leeway for release. But now he’s reached adult life, the risk becomes too high. Humphrey is too unworldly and respectable to risk entering a molly house to pursue his desires. He’s reduced to the occasional romp with old friends to let off steam, while carefully concealing his true nature

Until he meets Clem and then Abe, Humphrey is unaware of sexual and emotional possibilities.

These encounters are life-changing for Humphrey, and enable him to express his needs openly. Being a modest young man, he remains unaware that his open, genuine and caring personality provides the key for this trio to work.

An Unlikely Alliance

During the final week of February in 1808, Clement Metcalfe has a brief and heated encounter in the back room of a busy London coffee house with bashful gentleman Humphrey Atkinson.

Clem, a private secretary, is accustomed to grabbing at random interludes to brighten his tedious and underpaid working days following a professional fall from grace. But Humphrey seems to hanker after more than one taste.

So Clem introduces Humphrey to Abe Pengelly, the other semi-regular man in his life. Imposingly dark and dangerous, Abe is an enigmatic figure, with his operations based at the decaying and infamous Old Red Lion Tavern. His endeavours, if not blatantly lawless and criminal, are definitely murky.

There’s an undeniable attraction between the three men that promises passion. However, Clem discovers that his lovers are also willing to exert themselves on his behalf to right past wrongs.

 Might this be a case where three is not a crowd but the perfect number?

Excerpt:

Humphrey had tried and failed to forget the episode in the coffee house the week before. It wasn’t as though he had the excuse of no other distractions. He barely had a free minute given the number of house guests arriving for the start of the Season. There seemed to be a constant round of relatives expecting him to conduct them in the social round.

At Drury Lane Theatre, Humphrey was entirely distracted during a performance of Hamlet, simply because one of the supporting actors bore a faint resemblance to the man from the coffee house. Only then did he admit he was a lost cause. In conversation with his cousins afterwards, he tried to hide that he couldn’t remember a single scene from the play, even though he’d studied it at school. 

So after dinner one evening, when he wasn’t required for an hour or two, he audaciously decided to beard his seducer in his den, or rather the Fleet Street tavern he frequented. 

Humphrey was so flustered by his uncharacteristic decisiveness that he changed his waistcoat three times. Although the blond had seemed more interested in what lay beneath Humphrey’s clothing. 

He eyed his modest supply of coats with trepidation. Is the green too sober, the blue too frivolous and the buff-coloured one too plain? 

In the end, he solved the problem by closing his eyes and picking a garment at random. He didn’t dare glance at the mirror in case that prompted more equivocation. 

When downstairs, Humphrey hesitated by the drawing room door, lured by comfortable congeniality versus the pursuit of illicit pleasure. One minute he was about to enter the room and in the next, he was haring out of the front door and down the steps to the street. 

He calmed his pace when he reached Holborn, slowed by a steady trickle of early evening foot traffic that thickened as he made his way towards Fleet Street.

I’m just going for a quiet drink, he thought. He might not even be there. 

Humphrey halted at the entrance to the tavern, his resolve failing him. His vacillation was overcome by pure coincidence. A group of men required access and their impetus carried him over the threshold. Humphrey removed his crown beaver hat and looked around the unevenly shaped room. 

With a combination of disappointment and relief, he concluded that his quarry wasn’t present. Then he spotted him in a corner nook. A second glance proved that he was not alone. 

Humphrey shifted from foot to foot. In any given social situation he was a reliable sort of fellow, or so Aunt Cece reassured him. But etiquette couldn’t guide him in this particular situation.

It didn’t help that the man seated beside his acquaintance was equally attractive; well-built and with deep olive toned skin. He made a pleasing contrast to the other’s fair slenderness. His massive build reminded Humphrey enticingly of a bare knuckle boxer in an exhibition bout at the Lyceum. 

Humphrey was dawdling indecisively when the blond looked up. Humphrey was neatly hooked by that sultry grey gaze. The man nudged his friend. He whispered a few words in his ear, from which hung a gold hoop. The other man grinned and looked Humphrey up and down in a far too knowledgeable way.

Oh good heavens, has he told him? Humphrey felt hot and cold and flustered all at once. He didn’t know whether to be flattered, alarmed, or horrified. He stood stock still, to the annoyance of another patron, halted in the course of reaching the bar.

“Scuse me, squire.” 

“Beg your pardon,” Humphrey said immediately. Unfortunately, his reflex response brought him in front of the table occupied by his coffee house companion.  

“Care to join us?” The dark aspected man asked.

The invitation seemed to be loaded with meaning.

Book Links An Unlikely Alliance:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2KS5XRZ/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1

Universal Book Link:

https://books2read.com/u/mgyyzz

Publisher:

https://www.jms-books.com/ellie-thomas-c-224_420/an-unlikely-alliance-p-5073.html

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211941026-an-unlikely-alliance

Add to Bookbub:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/an-unlikely-alliance-by-ellie-thomas

Book Links Regency Lovers Trio stories:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2KR4KY6/ref=sr_1_1?sr=8-1

UBL:

https://books2read.com/u/mVnngp

Publisher:

https://www.jms-books.com/trios-c-29_298/regency-lovers-p-5078.html

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/212074123-regency-lovers-trio

Bookbub:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/regency-lovers-trio-by-ellie-thomas-and-alexandra-caluen

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: @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

The lovely, Ellie Thomas is back! She’s here to talk about her latest release, Lucky in Love, so read on. Welcome, Ellie!

Thanks, lovely Ofelia, for having me as your guest again! I’m Ellie, and I write MM Historical Romance novellas. I’m popping in today to talk about my new release, Lucky in Love, the follow-up to last year’s Restoration story, Lucky John. Lucky in Love is in the 20% off new release sale at JMS Books until April 12th.

My first story about John and Owen, Lucky John, is set on the cusp of the Restoration in 1660. Owen Montgomery, a Royalist envoy, rescues John, a kitchen lad, from a miserable life at a country tavern and frequent beatings from the bad-tempered cook.

By the start of Lucky in Love, set in the autumn of 1661, Owen and John are very much an established couple and happily settled at Owen’s family home in Monmouthshire in anticipation of their HEA. For an author, there’s nothing like throwing a spanner in the works of romantic happiness!

Owen is summoned to London by his courtier brother, Lewis, and he’s reluctantly persuaded to take John with him. In this story, I was interested in exploring how a change of location and lifestyle impacted their relationship and understanding of each other – hopefully for the better!

The decadent royal court at The Palace of Whitehall in the reign of King Charles II couldn’t be more of a contrast to the simple country life they share on Owen’s Monmouthshire farmstead.

My intention in this story was to throw settled expectations up in the air. Owen has always been protective towards John since their first meeting, but can he acknowledge that, although accident-prone, John is perfectly capable of taking care of himself? The journey they engage on, both literally and figuratively, forces them to reappraise fixed views, especially Owen, who’s not the most mentally flexible of men.

In working through the issues that arise, despite some friction, Owen and John grow closer than they would have if they remained peacefully at home. That can only benefit their long-term relationship. However, it was great fun seeing them both weather the drama and adventures together!

Blurb:

Sequel to Lucky John

After years of exile during Commonwealth rule following the English Civil Wars, Owen Montgomery is home to stay in his Monmouthshire with John, the rescued kitchen lad who has become the light of Owen’s life. 

Owen has enjoyed eighteen months of peace since his tenure as an official envoy on behalf of King Charles II. In the autumn of 1661, Owen is torn from his comfortable life by a summons from his brother, Lewis, a courtier close to the king. Owen is reluctant to take John to London, concerned about the impact of corruption and temptations of court life on such a well-meaning innocent. But how can he refuse John anything?

Owen reluctantly fulfils his duty to his brother while John gets to grips with the palace and its hazards. Can Owen continue to protect John from harm? Or might his constant vigilance stifle the man he loves?

Excerpt:

“When do we leave?” 

John’s question cut across Owen’s preoccupation, causing his response to be sharper than intended.

“I’ll make plans to depart as soon as I can. I said nothing about you coming with me. There is no we.”

The hurt and dismay that crossed John’s face would have affected a more unfeeling man than Owen. He took a conciliatory step forward, but John had quickly recovered and stood his ground, his chin lifting in recognisable defiance. 

“Then I’d better start your packing,” he said. His dignified exit was slightly marred by closing the door with more than necessary force.

Owen let out a huff of breath. This will not do, he thought. He shouldn’t have taken out his annoyance at his brother on John. It’s not his fault. Also, Owen didn’t need domestic strife on top of Lewis’ infuriating demands. 

He folded the abandoned letter and tucked it into his clothing to scrutinise later. Then he proceeded about the more immediate business of placating John.

When he reached his bed chamber, John was kneeling on the floor beside the open clothes chest. A couple of Owen’s spare shirts were laid on the bed, next to Owen’s old army snapsack. 

John’s apparent compliance was contradicted by the oilcloth bag strategically placed alongside. 

Owen had bought this item to replace the inadequate cloth bundle which held John’s possessions after he rescued John from the miserable existence of a put-upon kitchen boy at a country inn. John had been thrilled by its similarity to Owen’s leather satchel that had carried important documents of office.

Owen had smiled at how John had puffed out his thin chest with pride the first time he had slung it over his shoulder in imitation of Owen. But now the bag, or rather the intent behind it, invoked a frown. 

“I misspoke downstairs and meant no harm.” 

John ignored this opening salvo and continued his task with unnerving concentration.

“It’s not that I don’t want you with me.”

“Then why are you leaving me behind? It’s not like we haven’t been to London before.”

Owen had taken up with John towards the end of his tenure as a messenger, so the lad had accompanied him on his few final assignments reporting to the capital. It was natural for John to assume that where Owen went, he would follow. But this is different, Owen thought.

He would be within his rights to admonish a household servant for questioning his judgment. John was far more than that and had always been so, at least in private. He might pull out the servant’s truckle bed at night from custom, but it was seldom occupied. Since their arrival the April before last, John had spent every night in Owen’s arms as though it was his rightful place. Owen wouldn’t have it any other way.

Unshed tears sparkled in John’s eyes. At any sign of distress from John, Owen felt like the worst kind of brute although he had never beaten him or even threatened to. God would strike off my hand if that ever crossed my mind.

He sat on the end of the bed. “If we were going anywhere but the royal court in London, then I would take you without hesitation.” 

“Aren’t I good enough to come with you?”

“It’s the other way around,” Owen replied without hesitation. “It’s not a decent place. Palace life doesn’t suit us ordinary folk.” Owen recalled the heedless customs of the court in exile abroad. He reckoned such indulgent behaviour would have increased a hundred-fold since the king’s return to England. 

John was unconvinced.

“You think I’d get into trouble.”

“I’m worried that you’ll be harmed.” John’s attention was caught by Owen’s emphatic statement. Before he could be interrupted, Owen expanded on his theme and concerns. “Some wine-sodden whoreson might lay his hands on you, heedless of your protests. Or you could fetch a thrashing for speaking out of turn.” 

John regarded him frankly.

“Leaving me at home might ease your mind, but it won’t stop me worrying about you. Especially if the royal court is as perilous as you say.”

“I can take care of myself.”

John came to sit beside Owen, tracing his fingers over the scar on his back that lay beneath his shirt, evidence of Owen’s experience in battle. 

“Evidence would suggest otherwise.”

Book Links:

JMS Books :: Amazon :: Books2Read :: Add to Goodreads :: Add to Bookbub 

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: @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

The lovely Ellie Thomas is back on the blog! This time she’s chatting about the 8th book in the Twelve Letters series, The Way Home. Welcome, Ellie!

Thanks, lovely Ofelia, for having me as your guest again! I’m Ellie, and I write MM Historical Romance novellas. I’m popping in today to talk about my new release, The Way Home, the eighth novella in my Regency Twelve Letters series. The Way Home is in the 20% off new release sale at JMS Books until March 8th.

My Twelve Letters series consists of an ensemble cast of four established couples in Regency London from different walks of life. We first meet Luc Gerrard and Harry Kent, the couple featured in The Way Home in book five, The Misfit, which introduces Luc as a main character.

He appeared briefly in the fourth book, Gentleman’s Agreement, and at the end of that story, he was whisked away to the West Indies after being unknowingly caught up in a treasonous plot.

In The Misfit, Luc returns to London and begins to pick up the pieces of his life as a professional musician. He also meets his erstwhile companions, including Harry Kent. Luc and Harry have been friends and lovers for years, but Luc’s absence made Harry realise how much he means to him.

By the end of The Misfit, Luc and Harry are a couple and very much part of the established cast of firm friends and found family. In The Way Home, it was lovely to focus on how their relationship has progressed. They are now living together in a small house conveniently close to the theatre and are completely committed to each other.

There is both a friends to lovers and an opposites attract dynamic between Luc and Harry. They are both progressing in their careers in London’s highly competitive entertainment world, so they have an innate understanding of their shared way of life and are able to encourage each other.

Luc, from an aristocratic French émigré family, appears cautious and reserved but is warm and loving beneath. Harry is much more straightforward, quicker to laugh and argue and with plenty of outgoing charisma. In The Way Home, with the pair away from the familiar setting of London, I enjoyed writing about how well these two fit together. Luc’s careful thoughtfulness is not only a perfect complement to Harry’s more impetuous nature but can influence him to rethink some vital entrenched opinions.

The Way Home

Sequel to A Festive Gathering at Chelsea

In the winter of 1817, Drury Lane Theatre actor Henry Kent, otherwise known as Harry Smith, ventures into deepest Essex to meet the parents of his French musician lover Luc Gerrard. 

Harry isn’t sure what to expect away from the familiar bustle of London, apart from being bored witless in the countryside. He’s never come across a couple of French aristocrats at close quarters. But Harry is nothing if resourceful and charming, and besides, he’s with Luc, which is what matters.

But once surrounded by the family that Luc adores, Harry can’t help thinking of his relatives across the Essex border on the Kent coast. Harry made a clean break when he left Whitstable four years ago to pursue his career on the London stage, resulting in his parents’ fury and a flat ultimatum. He has only renewed contact with them by letter in recent months, with Luc’s encouragement.

Should Harry let things lie? Or might he summon the courage to make a trip to the seaside in an attempt at reconciliation?   

Excerpt:

Luc led the way up the staircase, giving Harry a brief tour by the light of the candle. “Mama and Papa are at the front of the house with the guest room next door. That’s where my sister Elisabeth and her husband will stay. Then their two children will sleep in Elisabeth’s old room, and that just leaves you and me.”

By the time Luc had completed this description, they were walking along a corridor that led towards the back of the house. Luc stopped and opened the door.

“It’s not much,” he said.

The room wasn’t large, but its square proportions and high ceiling gave it a sense of spaciousness. Also, by its contents, it was clearly Luc’s room from boyhood.

Typically, there were no toy soldiers on display. On the dresser lay a child-sized violin case surrounded by the usual clutter of rosin and spare violin strings that characterised Luc’s presence in their London home. 

Harry was charmed by these symbols of Luc as a child. However, he was relieved that the original bed had been replaced by one suitable for Luc’s adult height and of a width to encompass them both. 

A small fire had been lit in the grate and their bags were placed beside the bed, proof of Luc’s industry. Harry sat on the mattress and bounced to check for any creaks. 

“This is cosy.”

Luc immediately started apologising which Harry now regarded as a family trait.

“I’m sorry it’s a bit shabby. I did write to my parents to ask the maid to give the place a thorough airing.”

“I wasn’t expecting Brighton Pavilion. It’ll do fine.” Harry glanced around the room. “It’s about the same size as our bedroom at home, more or less. Anyway, we’re together, which is what counts.” 

Luc’s brow cleared. “It’s good to have you here,” he said with a shy smile. He lit the bedside candle from the one he carried. “I’ll get some hot water for washing then we’ll be set for the night.”

Briefly left to his own devices, Harry couldn’t be bothered to unpack properly. It can wait until morning. He dug out a nightshirt from his bag. At home, he preferred to sleep naked, winter or summer, curled up close to Luc’s bare skin. 

However, Harry conceded that compromises must be made, both from common decency and the icy draught seeping through the sash window. On the plus side, they were a fair distance from the other occupants and not obligated to celibacy as long as they didn’t shout the house down. 

On Luc’s return, they made short work of sluicing away the grime of travel before jumping into bed. Luc turned to blow out the candle.

Despite the coverings of his nightshirt and the blankets, Harry was freezing. The dismal hooting of an owl made him shiver. 

“Are you warm enough?”

“No.”

“Should I fetch some more blankets from the clothes press?”

Warned by the rustle of sheets to Luc’s intent, Harry seized him before he could cause a waft of frigid air to enter their bed.

“Don’t you dare! Come here. I can think of a better way to stoke up some heat.”

Book Links:

JMS Books :: Barnes & Noble :: Amazon :: Add to Goodreads

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: @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