Read Around the Rainbow | Comfort Reads

August 29, 2025September 24, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 1 Comment

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time! On the last Friday of every month, we’re a bunch of authors who blog on the same topic, and since we’re heading into autumn, we figured we’d tell you about our comfort reads this time around.

Up until a few years ago, I never reread books. Nowadays, I hardly pick up new ones LOL. Nah, that’s not true, but I reread a lot of books. It’s relaxing in a different way than reading new (to me) books. When the world is going up in flames, it’s comforting to be able to disappear into an alternative reality where you know what will happen.

So, what are my comfort reads? I have a few, and which I pick depends on what I’m in the mood for.

First out is probably The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles. I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book. Many. Maybe too many. Though it was a few months ago now, so maybe it’s time again LOL.

Next up in times of how many times I’ve read it is probably Frog by Mary Calmes, which is funny, because if you’d ask me, I’d say it’s much too sweet for me, waaayyy too cringy at times, and yet… But I have to be in a certain mood, or I’ll only roll my eyes.

Then we have the Hidden Species series by Louisa Masters. It’s another one I’ve read many times. I have them individually, and I have the box set, and while I do not listen to a lot of audiobooks, I’ve listened to Joel Leslie read these a few times as well. Sometimes I read on through the Here Be Dragons series, too, but not always.

If I need to laugh, I’ll read the In Darkness series by Alice Winters. Fair warning, this is over the top, so even though it’s a contemporary trilogy, don’t go into it expecting everyday life.

Another one I sneak in like once a year is Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino. Sam *sigh*

Those are probably my most frequently read stories, but the Big Bad Wolf series by Charlie Adhara is making its way up on this list. I only first read it last year, but I’ve read it a couple of times since then. I’ll read Think of England by K.J. Charles semi-regularly. And I’ve read the Spectral Files series by S.E. Harman twice in one year, so… maybe it deserves a spot too.

And look at that! We got ourselves a list post LOL

Check out which books are the others’ comfort reads!

Frog

Too Stupid to Live

Amazon

Think of England

Amazon

Guest Post | An Unlikely Alliance Box Set by Ellie Thomas

August 17, 2025August 13, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ 2 Comments

The lovely Ellie Thomas is back on the blog! She’s here to talk about An Unlikely Alliance, the box set, so keep on reading!

Thank you so much, Ofelia, for having me back on the blog again! I’m Ellie, and I write Historical MM Romance. I’m delighted to announce that the box set for my Regency London-set An Unlikely Alliance MMM trilogy is now on release!

This box set consists of An Unlikely Alliance, An Increasing Entanglement and An Uncommon Alignment, where Clem, Abe and Humphrey, three very different men in terms of character and status find mutual attraction and forge a lasting relationship to reach their HEA.

When we first meet Abe Pengelly in An Unlikely Alliance, we see him through the eyes of his occasional lover Clem. Tough-guy Abe holds court at the Old Red Lion Inn that straddles the Fleet Ditch with a long history of criminal confederacy.

Bur despite his swashbuckling appearance, complete with a red velvet coat harking back to the glory days of the tavern, Abe is already planning to transform himself into a respectable businessman.

Abe might have grown up on the streets as a brawler and semi-criminal, but his devotion to his mother, Lucy, means that he has no desire to be transported or to face the gallows. By his mid-twenties, Abe has moved away from fencing stolen goods to trading in information, which is how he meets Clem. Abe is not only attracted to Clem but over time, he’s developed an affection for him. However, his growing feelings for Clem don’t seem to further their relationship.

That changes when Humphrey enters the equation and the three men embark on a relationship. Abe finally feels he’s ready to settle down, to his mother’s delight. In An Increasing Entanglement, Abe’s plans to gradually ease into respectability are fast forwarded when Travers, a contact at the military headquarters of Horse Guards, offers him a job. Similarly, his personal life is upended by Clem’s abduction by his enemy and former employer Richard Farquarson. Since he confronted Farquarson on Clem’s behalf in the first story, Abe feels culpable for this development.

Apart from his mother, Abe is accustomed to being a lone wolf, and by the third story, An Uncommon Alignment, we watch him struggle with his change of circumstances. Instead of the freedom of the Old Red Lion, he is now an office worker with colleagues and has to tolerate their petty bullying due to a difference in social class.

He’s also no longer a single man. Abe is capable of deep-rooted loyalty but he’s used to keeping his own counsel and carefully guarding secrets. Abe has to learn not to make unilateral decisions where Clem and Humphrey’s happiness is concerned, and to function as part of a team, both professionally and personally. By the end of the third novella, Abe is no longer living life on the edge but has eased into a happy domestic life and a burgeoning career, with the support of the men he loves.

Blurb:

All three novellas in the MMM Regency An Unlikely Alliance trilogy by Ellie Thomas are compiled for this box set.

In these stories, bratty private secretary Clem, semi-criminal hard man Abe, and shy gentleman Humphrey discover that mutual passion leads to romance and even lasting love when they band together to defeat a mutual enemy.

Contains the stories:

An Unlikely Alliance: In Regency London, private secretary Clem encounters shy gentleman Humphrey with satisfying results. From then on, it seems natural to include Abe, Clem’s regular lover, in their frolics. Apart from willing bedfellows, Clem is used to being alone and unsupported. But will the alliance between the three men prove more substantial than mere passing pleasure?

An Increasing Entanglement: Clem, Abe and Humphrey are struggling to maintain their romantic connection in the hustle and bustle of Regency London. When one of their trio is threatened, will the others dash to his rescue? And might this be the making of their romance?

An Uncommon Alignment: In Regency London, Clem, Abe and Humphrey are spending the summer together, in the hope of consolidating their romance. But amongst the demands of everyday life, an old enemy reappears to threaten their harmony. Can the trio defeat Richard Farquarson for once and all? And might they find a way to remain together forever?

Excerpt:

Excerpt from An Unlikely Alliance:

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:

JMS Books :: Amazon :: UBL :: 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

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/elliethomas.bsky.social

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

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

Out Now | Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down by Amy Spector

August 4, 2025August 2, 2025 ~ Ofelia Gränd ~ Leave a comment

Milo Burnbrook has had a setback.

After being fired from his assistant manager position at an iconic Hollywood Hotel, he decides to return home to Rockport, Maine, as the new event coordinator for Rocky Cliff Lighthouse. But Milo ran from Rockport six years ago for a reason, and he quickly realizes he will have no choice but to face his past.

Milo may not be ready to make amends with his twin sister and all his old friends, but when sparks fly between Milo and Jackson, the man whose rejection sent him running to California in the first place, it looks like facing his past is exactly what he needs to do to finally have everything he has always wanted. That is, until he discovers Jackson was the prime suspect in the death of his previous boyfriend, Jason Reese, who fell from the top of the Rocky Cliff Lighthouse.

When Milo’s best friend, Robert, and his new true-crime podcaster girlfriend come to visit from California, suspicions run high, things get complicated, and Milo will come face-to-face with the truth of what happened at Rocky Cliff the night Jason died.

It’s not a fall. It’s a setback.

Book Links:

Paranormal Gay Romance: 15,167 words

JMS Book :: Amazon

Excerpt:

“How long are you staying?” The question came from Bree, sitting across from me. She still looked about thirteen. “Or is this more than a visit?”

“It’s hard to say. It’s up in the air at the moment. But I’m working at Rocky Cliff while I decide.” I glanced over, feeling Jack’s eyes on me from the other end of the table — Jackson now, I guess — and smiled. He didn’t smile back.

It was a struggle to look away. There had always been something about him that drew me, something that I couldn’t put my finger on. Maybe it was the nails always smudged with paint or charcoal, or the way he’d looked at me since we’d gotten older, like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to paint me or kiss me. Or maybe it was as if even as a kid, I knew he’d eventually grow into his looks. And he certainly had. All cheekbones and pointed chin, and cupid bow mouth.

Was it any wonder I’d run away like I did?

“Oh.” When I turned back, Bree flicked her eyes momentarily to Jackson. Had I been that obvious? “I thought that place was closed down?”

“Yeah, I guess it was. But I’m helping to manage the reopening. Not sure if I’ll want to stay on after, but we have our first guests booked in just a few weeks. They’re only reopening the house, though, not the light. The lighthouse needs too much work.” Or at least more than the fresh coat of paint I’d been told it received every other year. “There are a hundred and fifty-five stairs, and half of them are nearly rusted through.”

The table was quiet for a long, awkward moment, and if I had felt self-conscious before, I felt doubly so now.

“It’s the sea air.” Joshua broke the silence. His father owned a fishing boat he chartered to tourists, or at least had, and Joshua had spent his summers helping with the tours. “It’s corrosive as fuck.”

After we placed our orders and Lemon ordered a round of drinks for the table, the conversation picked up again. I let it float around me, my eyes on my drink, making what I thought were the right conversational noises at the right time. And I was relieved when the food came.

I could have enjoyed all of it if I had let myself, but I couldn’t. After having packed up and taken off without a word to anyone? Not even a goodbye to Mabel? I felt like everyone was waiting for an explanation. Everyone but Jackson. But I didn’t have any better idea now than I did then, as to how to explain what I was feeling six years ago. I’d been twenty-two and been handed a piece of paper that represented the last four years. It should have felt like freedom. But instead, I looked around at my life and felt trapped. And when I’d seen an opportunity to escape, I’d done just that.

“Mabel says you were working at …” Bree leaned closer to be heard over the other conversation. “The Hollywood Roosevelt?”

“Yep.” Until I’d called the police on a certain abusive celebrity, and I’d been terminated to mitigate the fallout. “You?”

“Peterson, Peterson and Wilde.” She made a dismissive sound, as if I shouldn’t be impressed. “I’m just a Junior Associate.”

“Well done, Bree.” It was my first genuine smile of the night, and she grinned back.

“It really is cool, isn’t it?” She was beaming.

“Fuck, yeah. And now I know who to call when I’m arrested. I hope you work pro bono.”

“What exactly do you plan to get arrested for, Mr. Burnbrook?” She was teasing me, and I laughed. The sound of Jack … Jackson’s shifting in the booth made me look over at him. He was watching us. No, not us. Me. He was watching me, and there was something in that stare that made me long for things to be different.

“I …” I’d lost my train of thought. “I think I’ll keep my options open.”

When dinner finally came to an end, and everyone was making promises to meet up again, Mabel and Lemon invited me to hit a bar for another round of drinks. I declined. I’d already had more alcohol than I’d had in years. And I was tired, more tired than I should have been, maybe, but stress did that to a person. All I wanted to do was climb into bed.

“Well, I’ll drive you home, then.” Mabel had already pulled out her keys.

“No. You’re in no better shape to drive than me.”

“I haven’t been drinking.” I looked at her, not sure I believed it. “Not a single drop.”

“Really?” Had she stayed sober so she could take care of me? I felt my eyes welling up. “I’m so sorry. You’re such a good sister.”

“For fuck sake. I think you drank enough for the both of us.” She went to lead me to where she was parked at the curb, but I held up my phone.

“I already ordered a car. “That did not thrill her, but after some arguing, she let it go, and said she’d call me after work the next day so that we could talk, and that I’d better answer or I’d regret it.

I hugged Lemon again, Joshua, and Bree. When Jackson pulled me into a hug, he pressed his lips close to my ear, and I felt my knees go weak. “Take care of yourself, Milo.”

Before I could respond, or worse, try and lick his pretty mouth, he let me go and disappeared down the sidewalk, waving his goodbyes to the other. And I couldn’t not watch him go.

Check out the National Lighthouse Day Box Set!

Celebrate National Lighthouse Day with this box set!

The National Lighthouse Day box set is a collaboration between Holly Day, K.L. Noone, and Amy Spector containing three gay paranormal romance novellas featuring lighthouses, along with ghosts, vampires, and elemental magic.

Contains the stories:

Surging Reef by Holly Day: One day, Kazimir will live in a lighthouse, but until he can afford one, he’ll simply have to satisfy his need by breaking into abandoned ones. Kazimir saves every penny he can to make his dream a reality, but lighthouses aren’t cheap. One night, when he breaks into one, he finds a vampire chained to the wall. He can’t leave him there, but how do you steal a vampire without getting caught?

Storm Point by K.L. Noone: Eric’s here to write a story about the Storm Point lighthouse. But a dark presence is summoning painful memories of his past and danger in the present. Mer’s a good sea-witch and lighthouse-keeper. But ghosts aren’t his specialty, and they’re growing stronger. The arrival of a gorgeous travel writer and untrained sensitive is a complication Mer doesn’t want. But Eric might be the answer he needs.

Milo Burnbrook and the Long Way Down by Amy Spector: After losing his job in California, Milo returns to Maine as the new event coordinator for the Rocky Cliff Lighthouse. Soon, sparks fly between Milo and Jackson, a man whose rejection sent him running from Maine in the first place. That is, until he discovers Jackson was the prime suspect in the death of his previous boyfriend, Jason Reese, who fell from the top of the Rocky Cliff Lighthouse.

Buy Links:

Paranormal Gay Romance: 60,798 words

JMS Books :: Amazon