I made myself laugh today. I joined on another Instagram challenge, #DiscoverMMRomance – check it out if you’re on Instagram. Today we should post Slow Burn MM. I panicked. I read short fiction, there’s no room for slow burn.
So, I hopped onto Goodreads, naturally, and went the M/M Romance Group and onto their shelves where I looked at the Theme-Slow-Burn-Ust. I spent a good amount of time oh-ing and ah-ing over books forgotten.
But which one to post on Instagram?
The first one I picked was Dance with Me by Heidi Cullinan, but then I thought it’s not that long ago I re-read it, and most M/M fans probably know of it already. Then I paused by Nowhere Ranch, but that’s equally known.
Next book I almost picked was Houseboat on the Nile by Tiennan, then Widdershins by Jordan L. Hawk, and then Between Sinnersand Saints by Marie Sexton came up…
Turns out I’ve read quite a few slow burn stories and that I’ve like most of them…a lot. Check them out here.
In the end, I went with Take My Picture by Giselle Ellis because when I read it, which is a very long time ago, I loved it. It’s one of those books I don’t dare to re-read because I fear I wouldn’t like it as much now as I did then. If I remember correctly there were tears, coming from me that is.
You have artists, you have misunderstandings, you have the building a life together without them realising they’re building a life together, and then one decision ruins it all. Tears.
This isn’t an unknown book, but perhaps not as known as the others I mentioned above. If you haven’t read it and are one of those people who can stand communication breakdowns, check it out.
Aaron has no idea what he’s walking into when he shows up to pose for a famous—and famously bad-tempered—photographer. He certainly doesn’t expect to end up working as Jake’s assistant for five frustrating, thrilling, and crazy years instead of in front of the camera.
It all works until Jake realizes Aaron has become the focus of his life, a life that’s threatened when Aaron actually leaves him to start a relationship with someone else. Though it breaks his heart, Jake realizes he has to set his beloved muse free to have any chance of winning Aaron back.
Reprint: This short story was originally published in the Dreamspinner Press anthology Size Still Matters.
* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’ve picked stories after species up until now, but today I went with the story that had a pumpkin on the cover, and I did not regret it for a second.
Monster Till Midnight by E.J. Russell is a delight. I haven’t read anything by Ms Russell before, can’t even remember seeing her name which I must have because I realised she has quite a lot out there, but her books must have swished by in my feed without me noticing. Not any more, though. I really enjoyed this.
Brady loves Halloween, he loves haunted houses, costumes, and scary props so of course, he’s gonna have a haunted house. He spends days arranging it, advertising in town, and perfecting everything, but no one comes.
Well, someone comes. Rej, arrives and shoots Brady’s vampire. While talking to Rej and contemplating calling 911 he realises the pumpkin mask he’s wearing is blinking when he’s blinking, frowning when he’s frowning, and smiling when he’s smiling.
Rej is an Interdimensional Law Enforcement officer out hunting bad guys through different time threads…or something, time travelling is way too complicated for me LOL, and he recognises the evil mastermind behind Brady’s transformation.
I loved this story and I will head over to E.J. Russell’s website and see what else she has to offer. This will not be the last thing I read by her.
Brady dearly loves Halloween. But the haunted house extravaganza he staged in his new town–in a house that’s actually supposed to be haunted–is a total bust. But then, an unexpected visitor barges out of his corn maze…
* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
If you’re looking for something scary, something funny, something romantic – here you have it! We have a wonderful mix or ghosts, icy serial killers, and tasty young men.
“I know you’re a loon.” I kissed his cheek. “Look, why don’t you let me finish? We only have to dig a bit then we can cement over. Two hours max. You can wait in the van?”
He looked at me incredulously. “Adam, no! Don’t you see? It’s you I’m worried for. Me—I’m just a sad old fucker. No ghost’s going to want me.”
“It’ll be OK.” I pulled him down the steps, thinking the quicker we could start the better. “I promise.”
“OK, OK, but at least let me bring some protection.” I tried not to laugh as he produced the egg whisk and waved it in front like a shield. “I know how it looks, but I’m sure it made the ghost go away that night.”
“Hey, where did you—oh…” Dylan Mincer. Theo’s breath caught, but before he could smile, Dylan was glaring at him.
“Dylan.” The one breathy word shouldn’t have been audible, but for some reason, the music stopped in the exact same moment as Theo was having a verbal orgasm.
“You two know each other?” Nose-guy smiled, nodded between them, and draped an arm over Dylan’s shoulders. His brain would have looked better on the ground than in his head.
“Never seen him before, but you have, I see.” Dylan turned his glare to Nose-guy who chuckled and Theo pictured a chisel protruding from his neck.
“Nah, we haven’t met before.” Nose-guy nodded towards Theo as if he wanted him to back his story. Theo kept his mouth shut.
“Yeah, right.” Dylan signalled to the bartender. “You hurried off the dance floor and managed to buy a drink for a complete stranger before I could get here.”
The bartender placed a margarita glass with what looked like scooped ice in it in front of Theo, and he tuned out Dylan and Nose-guy. Sure it was Dylan Mincer, but a piece of ice slid down the outside of the glass, reflecting the light.
“We need to call the cops.” I fished my cell from my pocket but just stared at the locked screen.
“No we fucking don’t.” Grant pulled the phone out of my hand. “We need to go clean up that mess, burn Flora’s dress, and search the guy’s car.”
“Car?” I was so distracted I couldn’t keep up.
“Dude, if that’s the guy who’s been watching your house, his car’s gotta be just up the road somewhere. Maybe he’s got ID in there. If we can find out who he is—”
“Maybe we can figure out what the fuck he wants with me,” Jonathan finished for him.
I nodded and followed them both outside, opening the storage shed for shovels and rakes and dragging out a power washer I’d never realized we even owned. I went about the task of tampering with evidence on autopilot, remembering the similar cleanup just a handful of months earlier. Had that been Flora’s tasty young Paul Newman? I would have to ask her. I didn’t want to ask her. I didn’t want to know the answer.
Buried Desires is back. And now there’s even more to love. From the ghostly to the grotesque, this time around Buried Desires 3 brings you three tales from horror authors, both old and new, offering up a perfect collection of romance and the macabre.
***
The Reluctant Ghost Whisperer by Neptune Flowers
All you need is love, or so they say!
Owning a building company means long hours, lonely days and too much physical labour.
When Adam Barrow employs a fit, capable guy, life begins to look up. His business thrives from the extra muscle, and so does Adam. Being around chatty Johnny really helps the time fly past. Adam is shy and inexperienced in ways of the heart, but very soon his awkwardness eases and he finds himself flirting and having fun.
Johnny Sparrow has a mysterious past and seems to have a knack of stirring up inexplicable presences. From the day he arrives on a motorbike, weird things begin to happen, like strange noises and creepy mists. Even motorbike Angus has a personality!
All you need is love, but can Adam find the strength to confront the ghostly goings-on? Can Johnny find a use for the egg whisk, and can Angus really carry them both to safety?
A story of paranormal divas, supernatural aromas and head-over-heels romance.
Barrow and Sparrow book one.
***
The Snowflake by Ofelia Gränd
Nothing inspires art like love.
Theophile Lekas has spent the last seventeen years trying to build a name for himself as an ice sculptor. Ice is his world, but he lives for Dylan Mincer.
But loving from afar isn’t enough, and if Theo wants to win Dylan’s heart, he’ll need to sweep him off his feet. And what better way to do it than with a sculpture that will leave Dylan breathless and the world in no doubt of Theo’s genius?
After an argument leads to murder, Theo is hit with true inspiration. And he has the perfect block to begin his project. For Dylan, Theo will create his masterpiece. And it will be as unique as a snowflake.
Great art requires the perfect muse.
***
Pretty Plastic by Amy Spector
Christopher Minnick is still not a zombie.
Three months after his run-in with the vampire Marcus Gråsson, Christopher’s ankle has healed but his life is anything but perfect. There are people watching the house. Flora’s worried about the scarecrow. And after an unexpected tragedy strikes, Christopher will need to figure out how to deal with the loss without tearing a rift between his brother and himself.
When Victor accepts a job with Pretty, a prestigious private hospital, to work alongside the handsome Austen Poole, Christopher ends up with one more thing to worry about. While it might seem like a dream job, there’s something not quite right in paradise, and when Vic starts acting strangely, Christopher will stop at nothing to get his man back.
When striving for perfection, you sometimes need to get your hands a little dirty.
* By clicking the Books2Read link you’ll be taken to an external page. Links to Smashwords, Kobo U.S and Amazon contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Aaron has no idea what he’s walking into when he shows up to pose for a famous—and famously bad-tempered—photographer. He certainly doesn’t expect to end up working as Jake’s assistant for five frustrating, thrilling, and crazy years instead of in front of the camera.
Ofelia Grand 