Gay Wins Big Brother: FREE Gay Excerpt Small Town Romance Writer
Phillipp Schneeberger
The following excerpt is from Chapter 1 of Bury the Lead, where readers meet thespian Eliot Fraser, a crusty old skirt-chaser, and Quill and Packet reporter Cat Conway, a big-city journalist who lands in the tiny town of Port Ellis after her career blows up and her marriage ends in an acrimonious divorce. When Fraser dies onstage, Cat pivots from puff-piece writer to investigative reporter, on the trail of small-town secrets even as she becomes a suspect.
Not that I would ever write anything quite so purple for my new employer, the Port Ellis Quill & Packet. I placed my notepad and recorder on the table between us and glanced up at Eliot. He was gazing at himself in the mirror, not in the furtive way that I might, but with the full-blown appreciation of a primatologist studying a fine silverback.
I had to start this list with one of my all-time favorite fantasy series. I fell in love with The Plated Prisoner series this year, even though I did read Gild, the first book, last year. Kennedy released the fourth book, Glow, this year, and let me tell you that she has made me a fan. If you love dark fantasy romance novels, I'm pretty sure you'll adore this series. It tells the story of one girl, Auren, who has been inside a gilded cage for the better part of her life. Once upon a time, she was saved by a king, Midas, who has protected her from all danger since then. Or has he? What if the most dangerous thing for her is King Midas himself? When Auren finally goes out of the castle and realizes that the world outside is far bigger than she remembered, she'll find out some truths and too many lies in the process.
I can honestly say I'm a chaotic reader, and most readers won't like that I sometimes read series out of order. But I only do this when it's a series of stand-alone books, so the focus is on a different couple in each book. Marrying Winterborne is the second book in the Ravenels series. Fall in love with a ruthless tycoon, a sheltered beauty, and a marriage that could change their lives.
This year has brought back my love for hockey romance books. Jaqueline Snowe writes them magnificently. From the Top is not a hockey romance per se, but the Central State series is a hockey romance series. In the second book, we make a detour to meet Cami and Freddie. Cami has been her school's "it girl" for a while, but after a string of bad decisions, she loses her boyfriend, captainship of the dance team, and her fancy apartment. This forces her to move into the co-ed dorms on campus. Unfortunately for her, her next-door neighbor is none other than Frederick Brady the IV, and she's pretty sure he secretly hates her.
It's no a secret that I'm head over heels in love with Hazelwood's romance novels. She took the world by storm when her debut novel, The Love Hypothesis, came out. Now, she's published her sophomore novel, Love on the Brain, which is just as enthralling and swoony as the first one. Hazelwood creates wonderful stories featuring women in STEM falling in love, and I'm charmed by all of them. Love on the Brain tells the story of Dr. Bree, who suddenly lands her dream job working alongside engineers at NASA to create a helmet for astronauts. But sometimes good news goes hand in hand with bad news, and unfortunately for her, she has to work with her college nemesis, Levi.
BK Borison's novels are filled with sunshine, love, and lots of sweet moments. The Lovelight series easily can become a comfort series for many, and it definitely became one for me. Lovelight Farms is the first of four books set in small-town Inglewild where love appears in unexpected ways. In the case of this one, we meet Stella Bloom and her crumbling Christmas tree farm. In order to save it, Stella signs up for a contest created by social media influencer Evelyn St. James. If she wins the cash prize, she can quickly save her home and business. But to make her farm appear as a romantic destination, she claims that she owns the farm with her boyfriend. And she does not have a boyfriend. Enter best friend Luka Peters!
Things We Never Got Over was my first Lucy Score book, but it's definitely not my last. I was intrigued by the idea of a city girl going to a small town to save her twin sister only to end up taking care of her niece instead. This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions, and you know what? I would do it all over again.
In this book, Naomi runs away from home. Good thing her twin sister suddenly calls her to ask for help. But when Naomi arrives in Knockemout, Virginia, she finds out that her sister only wanted her car and some cash, leaving behind a lot of problems and an 11-year-old girl. Now Naomi has to adapt herself to this new development in her life, as well as try to have a good relationship with her next-door neighbor, Knox.
For me, 2022 has been filled with cozy fantasy romance books, so you'll see a lot of them here. What can I say? I read one, and it soon becomes a favorite of mine. That's what happened with The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy. Bannen's emotional, hilarious fantasy rom-com is perfect if you're searching for an entertaining, yet action-packed novel. Meet Hart, a marshal tasked to protect his people, and Mercy, an undertaker ready to give the dead a proper burial. They fight like cats and dogs, but after an intense confrontation, Hart decides to send an anonymous letter to "A Friend," and somehow this letter ends up in Mercy's hands. Zombieland (2009) meets You've Got Mail (1998) in this fascinating and exciting fantasy romance novel.
Heartless introduces Cade Eaton, a single father who's looking for a nanny to take care of his kid during the summer. His brother's fianc asks her best friend to do it, and that's the beginning of Cade and Willa's love story. He's grumpy and she's sunshine. She's everything he wants but cannot have. His kid adores her, and he adores that they have the best relationship. This forbidden romance is sure to shake up your world as well.
There's just something about angsty, forbidden, slow-burn romances that *chef's kiss* just makes sense. JL Seegars knows how to do it. In Restore Me, you'll meet two people who've hated each other for a good amount of years. But why? You'll soon realize that Dominic doesn't really hate Sloane... He's been in love with her, but she fell in love with his best friend. Sloane eventually marries him, leaving Dominic to pine after her. But when Sloane's husband dies, things become further complicated between the two.
One book series I've been enjoying is the Ponto Beach Reunion series. I've read all three, and let me tell you that if you decide to read them, you're going to have the time of your life. In Gouda Friends, Tam is unemployed and just found her boyfriend with someone else. Has she hit rock bottom? Who knows. But after years of not talking to her former best friend, Josh, she suddenly calls him in the middle of the night, revealing their emergency code word, and the next thing she knows, she's on a plane back home. Even though they haven't seen each other in years, for Josh and Tam, it's like no time has passed. A spark has always existed between them, but is it strong enough to risk their friendship?
I would read anything by Chloe Liese. If Chloe chose to write a dictionary, I would read that. This time around, she's blessed us with a book perfect for fans of Ted Lasso, and it's just as delicious and fun as the Apple TV show. Everything for You is the fifth Bergman Brothers book and follows Oliver Bergman, who is the personification of the sun. He obviously had to fall for the grumpiest grump you could ever meet. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Gavin and Oliver are co-captains of their soccer team. Coach gives them an ultimatum: They have to get along or else they'll lose the captainship! Oliver soon realizes that behind all that grouchy exterior, Gavin has a soft, gooey inside, ready for love to knock on his door.
Most of the books I read come from Twitter recommendations. I follow the best kind of people, and they read books that become fast favorites of mine. So when I read Meet Me Halfway, I wasn't surprised I loved it. It's about a single mom who recently moved into a new place with her kid and suddenly finds herself involved with her next-door neighbor. It's the type of book that you cannot stop reading until you reach the final page.
Another Chloe Liese book, because of course! I have various authors that I'll immediately read whenever they publish a new book, and Chloe Liese is one of them. Two Wrongs Make a Right is a fabulous, entertaining fake-dating romance novel between two people who think they're not a match at all. But their friends disagree. So when they decide to set the two up, Bea and Jaime plan on getting revenge. Maybe they'll pretend to date and then break up in a massively horrifying way so that their friends think they're really not meant to be. Yet that's not what happens.
This is literally the book of the summer. Silver Lining made me crave going on a cruise with my best friend and finding a hot, older professor who doesn't mind taking charge. Look, if a guy wants to spend money on me, I won't object. So, when I met Sylvester in Chassilyn's work, I was ready to fall in love.
This book follows Cam, who is ready to forget her awful ex-fianc. She goes on a singles cruise with her best friend, and yet she's not really feeling it. Not until she bumps into her former college professor, Sylvester, who has gotten only better with age.
A rivals-to-lovers romance novel that made me smile on every page! Water Under the Bridge is hands down one of my favorite books of this year. No doubt. Kels and Denise Stone wrote a book that fully captured my attention from start to finish, and, to be honest, when I reached the finished line...I didn't want it to end.